《The Rejected Luna Queen》


 Happy Birthday Aurora!

    Aurora''s POV


    It was morning and the sunlight shone into the tiny space which I called my room, the birds were chirping melodiously outside my window.


    My name is Aurora Scott and today is my birthday, since I just turned eighteen!


    ''Happy birthday to you Aurora!'' Rose, my inner wolf gleefully wished me, and replying delightfully I said albeit slowly, ''Same here, Rose!''


    I had just woken up and sailing out of the bed, I scrambled to the table where I had kept the little vani cake which I had bakedst night.


    I had no one to celebrate with me except Rose, my wolf. My mother who was supposed to be by my side right now despised me with passion, and I knew she wouldn''t even spare a second to be with me, so I wasn''t perturbed.


    It wasn''t unusual, it was just like her. She was never avable whenever I needed her, and all through my childhood till now I had be duly ustomed to that.


    I was an unfortunate Omega, just like she usually reminded me, and worse still I was mistreated by everyone in my pack.


    Shaking my head to dispel the hurting thoughts in my head, I began to dig in my cake, without any care.


    My teeth were not even brushed, neither had I even taken my bath but that didn''t matter, as I enjoyed the sweet vor of the cake.


    I was just about taking another bite, when suddenly I remembered something, and pausing I dropped the cake to the table close to me.


    Swiveling around, I rushed to my bed and the speed at which I had ran had Rose my wolf querying worriedly, ''What is the matter Aurora? What are you doing?''


    Ignoring her, I quickly knelt beside my bed and I nced underneath it.


    "Oh Rose...I just want to check my piggy bank!"


    "What if someone sees you? You are meant to do this at night." Rose barked, and even though I didn''t like the chide, I knew she was only worried about my welfare and my heart clenched painfully.


    Masking my feelings with a chuckle, I said sheepishly dragging the box out from under the bed, "Trust me, no one will!"


    Rose said nothing, even when I knew she had much to say but honestly it was better that way.


    "Woah!" I gasped after opening the box, and as I began to hit the wooden object on the floor, stacks and stacks of small squeezed note fell out, and I stared in


    awe.


    This was my sweat! Everything I''d been saving all my life, and tears sprang up at the back of my eyes eyes.


    The money was much, but then I had no idea how much it was in total, and if it was going to be enough for the ns I had in mind.


    ns to leave this evil ce, this pack, and go somewhere I would find sce.


    ''You are so happy Aurora but will this money be enough for all the ns you had in mind?'' Rose lowly muttered, reading my thoughts out aloud and I just rolled my eyes.


    "Well I..." I began to say but froze instantly, as I sensed someone at the door and quickly I closed my piggy bank and fixed it back under my bed.


    I hurriedly stood going to the door, to check who had been there but I found no one, perhaps I was just exaggerating!


    "I''m leaving Rose. Anywhere is better than staying here." I was now saying to Rose while sitting on my bed.


    "But..."


    "...I''m always bullied every goddamn time, Rose!" I retorted, cutting her short, and silence followed.


    ''Today is the alphas duel in Blue Moon pack!'' Rose announced, diverting the conversation and I weed it dly.


    "Yeah, you are right. But I doubt if my mother would let me go, you know I had secretly volunteered to work with the maids to earn some more money." I sighed miserably, perching my butt on my old bed.


    "AURORA!" I heard my mother''s riotous call downstairs, and inwardly I flinched.


    Just what had happened now? I wondered.


    "Mother!" I answered, my voice distinct enough for her to hear me downstairs, and hurrying to the door, I began to leave when I hesitated, stopping on my track the moment I caught sight of my reflection in the mirror in my room.


    My heart fell instantly and a bobble of nervousness knotted in my stomach, I became depressed and I was extremely unhappy.


    I was so freaking ugly, damn! I had a terrible face and that I knew very well.


    My long ginger hair was ruffled and dirty, and no matter how I tried to wash my hair it was never clean. My round blue eyes had visible eye-bags in them, and my lips were red and shapeless.


    That was why everyone called me a duck!


    ''You don''t need to wallow yourself in grief, Aurora.'' Rose told me, sounding so incentive that I felt a great warmness flush through me at that moment.


    Her words give me the confidence to stand against anyone who attempted to intimidate me, and her voice made me not care about what peoplemented about my face ¡ª and because of her I always tried to keep my head high. "Aurora!" Mother''s roaring voice prated the room again, and I whisked out of my nest.


    Racing down the stairs, I found my way to the pack kitchen but I shrinked when I saw my mother standing at the door with a murderous look on her countenance.


    "M-mother!" I frightfully called, terrified that she''d wickedly yank my hair again. "You!" She pointed at me, storming towards me with the appetite to hit me. "Yes mother!"


    "You loser!" She cursed, pping and pouncing on me at the same time. "Please, mother!" I wept, making use of my hands to evade her blows on me, but it was impossible as she kept on hitting me.


    Today was my birthday, but yet this was what I faced from a woman who supposedly birthed me. Sometimes, her maltreatment makes me curious if she was truly my mother, and as I thought about all this a painful tear fell down my face.


    "You useless thing!"


    "Argh ahh."I bemoaned in anguish, battling to stand on my feet.


    "I need you to go to the next pack, ask for the royal physician and tell him I sent you to him!" She ordered, casting me nasty res, and sniffing as I wiped my tears away, I replied, "Y-yes, mother!"


    As much as I was still in difort, and my body ached from her trashing, I was more than pleased that my mother had sent me to the next pack. I could help the maids there, and get some money.


    This was like a blessing in disguise, and without another word before she changed her mind, Ipletely shifted into my wolf form and in a dash, I hastened to the pack which was just a few kilometers away.


    No sooner had I gotten to the next pack, I quickly switched into my human form again and raced directly to the pack''s mansion.


    Everyone was bustling around since today was the alpha''s duel. They were also eager to behold the fight since it was rare for an alpha king to have two grown-up sons, and now they were to battle for the throne.


    ''Won''t it be best if we go to the... royal physician first?'' Rose whispered in my head.


    "No, we will do thatter, Rose." I let out to her instead while striding briskly to the pack''s kitchen, "I need money!"


    Promptly entering the packed kitchen, some of the maids eyes rubbernecked, at


    me as they started to gossip and chatter about in hush tones but I ignored them, focusing on my duty.


    "She''s ugly!" I heard a maidment behind me.


    "An ugly ducking, I hate her sight. I don''t like staring at her when shees here! Pfft!" Another murmured in disgust.


    "Doesn''t she have a mirror in her house, can''t she see how ghastly her face is?" A maid in the far end spat out and they all beganughing.


    I was already tearing deep inside me and my poor heart was hammering in despair, but I didn''t reveal it to their faces much to their satisfaction, until I was done in the pack kitchen.


    I just had to leave and be done here. I had better things to do than stay battling words with some incels that didn''t deserve my time at all.


    It was already time for the alpha duel ceremony, and soon every maid cleared out


    of the kitchen likewise me but I lurked behind them.


    "I heard Alex Bane''s mother who is our luna is not the destined mate of the Alpha


    king!" A maid gossiped lowly to her friend.


    "I heard so too, and I doubt if he''d win against his half-brother but let''s see!"


    I was taken aback upon hearing the profanity of the maids convo, but at the same


    time something stirred within me and I was deeply touched.


    I knew whom they were talking about.


    Alex Bane... Though we have never met or spoken to each other before, I had


    always admired him from afar whenever I came here.


    He was sinfully handsome,rgely built, and ruggedly attractive too. He was incredibly feared, by almost everyone and again all the she-wolves in every pack, seemed to have a huge crush on him.


    He was everydies dream man, and it was a pity that he wasn''t even preferred by his father. Dare I say, we somewhat had simr stories.


    While the maids and everyone rushed to the ceremonial arena, I scurried to a store in the packed town market just to get a mask for myself.


    I was supposed to be at the Royal physician''s ce, but I wanted to have some


    fun at the same time, and quickly getting the mask, I donned it on, shielding my face as I didn''t wanna be a center of attraction.


    ''You look awesome!'' Rose gritted out appreciatively, and I could all but smile, as I hurried to the arena.


    I got to the hall, just in time before the battle between the two dominant and


    powerful alphas in the arena, wouldmence.


    Alex and Dn! The sons of Alpha Bane.


    Jostling into the crowd, I eventually found a perfect ce for myself to stand and look for a seat, and luckily I found one quickly.


    The wolf being who had sat beside me, instantly scrunched up his nose in disgust standing up and moving away from me, and my chest tightened at the same time. ''Don''t let this get to you Aurora!" Rose came to the rescue again with her motivational words and I nodded, adhering to her instructions and blocking out the negative thoughts


    Straightening up, I concentrated my attention on the arena when the booming of the bell was heard, and everyone began cheering...


    The duel was about to start, and I was excited about it.


    However, the second Iid my eyes on Alex specifically if I could recall well, my


    jaw dropped open instantly, and my wolf already leaping inside me, let out a deep growl and uttered, "Mate!"


    What the fuck? No this couldn''t be true...

 The Duel

    Alex''s POV


    I was battling with Dn in the open arena while the pack members cheered me on, pping and highly praising me.


    "Just give up!" Dn sneered, as he charged at me.


    He attempted to sh his sword at my belly, but I was fortunate to dodge his strike. I whirled swiftly to his back, and mmed his shoulder with my elbow.


    Dn growled in pain, swiveling around to confront me, his eyes shooting deadly daggers but I wasn''t ready to stop nor give up. Not now, not ever.


    "You are gone, you loser!" He gritted viciously, marching gantly to me and I powerfully clutched my sword tightly.


    "You should be the one giving up!" I callously gnarled at him.


    "Argh!" Dn yelled, striking, punching, and mightily endeavoring to bring me down.


    But his efforts all flooded to the drain as I ducked his onughts, targeting a perfect range to sabotage him and I, fortunately, got one as I booted his stomach and he staggered backward.


    I didn''t allow him to salvage his stamina as I got to him in a flicker, knocking his head with my elbow and he knelt on one kneel.


    "You bastard!" He angrily spat to my face as I stood mightily in front of him with my sword.


    I chucked at my achievement.


    Everyone was gripping at what would happen next, no doubt this was my sole opportunity to earn this battle and be the next alpha king!


    I glimpsed behind at our father who sat on his throne with an imprable


    expression, and beside him was the overly furious-looking woman whom I learned was his true destined mate and not my mother!


    The Blue Moon pack councils of elders were all present, watching still as they were all so eager to see who would win.


    Some of the pack members doubted I would defeat Dn, while a few still believed I would gain a victory over him but one thing they all knew was that I was powerful, and one of the strongest unmatched warriors to have ever existed!


    I wiggled my head back to Dn and chuckled mockingly, "Do you have anyst wish to say?"


    "Bastard, to hell with you!"


    "Very well then!" I shrugged, now raising my sword high aloft my head as I was prepared to take him down!


    Dn screwed his eyes shut as if he was ready for my hit, and I had already made him kneel on one leg so there was literally no strategy for him to take me out.


    However, amidst my era of gaining a victory right in front of everyone and proving my worth to be the future alpha... My hands abruptly paused midway in the air as my nose caught a sweet intoxicating scent.


    I sniffed sharply and breathed in the honey scent!


    I instantaneously snapped my head to the cried, my eyes scanning immediately,


    my wolf''s sixth sense at work and that''s when I spotted her.


    My eyes caught a girl whose face was shrouded with a ck mask, and instantly my wolf roared from within.


    I could discern her squinting her eyes in the ck mask, and I could tell she was in wild shock sewed with anxiety too, as she had seen me too. We were both staring at each other, neither of us making a move to look away.


    "MATE!" I called out almost inaudibly, and the mate bond within me, made my eyes gaze intently, as I didn''t want to lose sight of the strange girl at all.


    My wolf howled happily again, and I could feel him whirl in delight at this sudden brazen realization.


    ''We have a ma...'' My wolf began but just as he was about finishing, I felt a blow to my sides that had me staggering backwards.


    Because of my distraction in the open fight; the unexpected had happened!


    Dn had used this distracted opportunity to strike, and when he noticed that I was drawn away, he took the odds to spring fully on his feet and he then proceeded to knock me off the ground!


    "Hoooo!!!" He gaily yowled in the air, and everyone sprang instantaneously on their feet.


    I copsed on the floor and Dn promptly hopped on my belly, positioning his sword swiftly on the creek on my neck with a sly grin on his lips.


    Everyone gasped wildly, murmuring and whispering reigns of praises in the air, at the same time.


    My father, the Alpha king stood from his throne, his face was stern and with no expression as he gazed at us. A few of the elders stood likewise, and some of the guards rushed towards us at the arena.


    "Got anyst word to say, brother?" Dn snickered at my face evilly, making sure the rim of the sword touched my skin.


    Consequently, I took him unaware too as I shoved him powerfully off my body and I timely stood to my feet.


    "Father!" I called, "I beseech you to halt this battle, I must confess that I am not feeling too well!" I told the lie perfectly in the open, my chest heaving heavily.


    ''Bloody liar!'' My wolf gnarled in my head, but I ignored it.


    "What!" Dn shouted at me, he was disgruntled at my assertion obviously angry too, "I fucking won, just ept defeat you loser!" He put in angrily.


    "And I said I''m not feeling well that''s why you dubiously won over me! We both know I had the upper hand just some minutes ago." I snapped at him, with a snarl too.


    Dn scoffed and he drove his fingers into his hair, as leaned to me and barked in


    a whisper, "I will fucking kill you, If not now butter!" He swore to my face.


    I drifted my eyes off and ignoring his ranting, I waited impatiently for my father to give me his response.


    A pregnant silence stepped into the hall as everyone awaited his judgement and then...


    "Your request is granted, Alex!" My father said, his eyes on me, as he openly dered in continuation, "Thebat is rescheduled to further notice!"


    With a satisfied smirk, I bowed at my father in appreciation, who then proceeded to walk out of the room with the elders following behind him.


    Cleaning myself up properly, I swiftly spun to catch sight of that strange girl, but unluckily for me I just couldn''t find her anymore and I became restless instantly as it dawned on me that I might have lost her and my chest tightened at the thought. But why would she suddenly leave? I thought... Surely she must have felt what I felt. Our gazes had locked and...


    Continuously staring frantically around the hall in search of my destined mate, some of the she-wolves were drooling shamelessly at me but I gave them no attention.


    I was so keen to look for her, my destined one!


    At the point of giving up, I suddenly caught a soul sneaking out of the hall through the entrance - and just again my wolf growled vociferously within, ''Mate! Mate!'' Without even thinking twice, my legs began to move on its own ord, as I darted towards therge entrance but then before I got there...


    It was tote!


    s... She was gone!


    Aurora''s POV


    I had just snuck out of the duel field some moments earlier so I could go on the errand my mother had sent me too.


    Deep within me I was somewhat scared of Alex turning to look at me again, and then he might see my scars and just make a mockery of it or something. That would be the end of me, and I just couldn''t even imagine it at all.


    However I couldn''t contain the strange excitement that coursed through me even till now, and since I was done with my mother''s errand and there was nothing else to do anymore, I was on my way home.


    Flying happily like a bird all the way home, the trees wavering like lovers, and the winds gliding tenderly with me on every path I took, I danced internally my whole body bouncing at the same time, as I tried to think positively about what the future could hold for me.


    ''Can you believe it? Alex, the most handsome wolf of our time was our mate. He is so perfect Aurora, don''t you think?'' Rose my wolf purred, as I kept on walking and my cheeks turned red at her statement.


    For the first time in my life, I felt this tremendous tion and glittering butterflies rumbling in the pit of my stomach.


    My fated mate was the Alpha''s son. The most powerful. The hunkiest! And he belonged to me; the moon goddess had destined us to be together!


    It was almost unbelievable but it was real, because the second he had looked at


    me back earlier when I had watched the duel, something had passed between us.


    I was still in cloud nine, celebrating this newfound information when suddenly I halted on my track as a thought crossed my mind!


    "I''m ugly, won''t he be scared when he sees the ghastly scars on my face? Will he still feel anything for me, when he sees me? Won''t he reject me?" I rhetorically asked, but my wolf slightly guffawed in response, ''No, why not. The moon goddess destined our wolves together so what? Surely he won''t reject. I''ll make sure of that.''


    With Rose''s words, I shrugged off the negative feelings in my head as I scurried all the way home.


    Fortunately for me, when I got to the pack kitchen, my mother was nowhere to be seen and I learned from the maids whispering that she had gone out.


    "Why don''t I prepare some grub for my mate!" I gaped widely, "I could sneak outter, and if luckily I saw him again, perhaps we could celebrate my birthday together!" I smiled, running quickly into the kitchen to prepare a delicious food for him.


    I was a very good chef no doubt, and a few minutester, I was done with the dishes of fresh juicy steak and some bacons I had stolen from the kitchen - The food smelt nice and I just hoped my mate would like it!


    Leaving my pack, I hurriedly turned into a wolf facing sharply as I began my journey back to the Blue moon pack to deliver the food to my mate. Reaching the pack mansion, I paced mindlessly with the hidden tes in my arm


    and not caring about the nasty nces and cruel whispers about my face, I


    walked freely.


    I was still looking for him, and I wondered where he possibly was. Suddenly, my eyes took a halt at the east tower from where I was standing, and


    then that''s when I saw him... I saw my mate, Alex standing on the balcony in front of Sophia, the cruel princess of Silver moon pack!


    They were gazing at each passionately, and then... my mate suddenly gripped her hand in his lovingly, bringing her knuckles to his lips.


    My breath hitched as I feared what would happen! My heart dropping to the floor painstakingly and then I watched him do the unthinkable.


    Alex, my supposed mate, leaned his face towards the prime and then... he


    crashed his lips on hers passionately!


    "No!" My eyes erged widely, the package in my hands dropping on the floor and I clenched my burning heart which was rigorously tingling a


    I whispered to myself again almost yelling at the same time, as a tear fell down my face, "No No!"

 Straying Thoughts

    Alex''s POV


    It waste in the night and the sky was dark.-


    I stood at the entrance of the Blue Moon Pack mansion, staring up at the beautiful gxy of tiny stars.


    I always watched the stars whenever I feel mncholy, and watching the heavenly body alleviated the aching part in me.


    Momentarily, asional maids were prating the pack yard. Each of them held bags which I presumed were filled with fruits, and they halted in front of me bowing at me but I simply ignored them.


    Through the corner of my eyes though, I saw them carefully ogling and whispering in a hushed tone after they had scooted past my presence.


    A few minutester, I swiveled around and strode back to my room. The ferocious breeze were bing massive, and I didn''t want to catch the flu since tomorrow was dered open to be the final duel and I had to be at my strongest.


    Reaching my chambers, the guards at my door bowed at me, and lifting my hand I waved back at them, making a signal at them at the same time and instantly they straightened up and ran off as if their butt were on fire.


    Hence, I stepped inside my room, sauntering to my study table and I grasped a chronological book as I began to explore every word inscribed down.


    Thump! Thump!


    The abrupt knock came on the door. I slowly lowered the book in my hand to the table, and I spun to confront the intruder of my peace.


    In a swift motion, my door swung open and the woman whom I never expected to see in my room took a dignifying step into my room.


    It was Luna Zara, the mother of Dn and the actual destined mate of my father.


    I was flustered and agitated at this woman ring viciously at me. She hated me, purely despised me, and her son, Dn was no different from her! So what the fuck was she doing here?


    Nevertheless, I deeply swallowed my ego and I bowed at her, "Luna!"


    "You!" She growled, pointing her index finger at me.


    Inwardly I knew she was hear to scold me and make fun of my mother, and as usual it would annoy me badly, but I always tried to suppress my anger.


    Unlike her deadbeat son, I still had some atom of respect left in me for my elders and I still upheld that legacy.


    "You loser! After your mother stole my mate, you think you can also do same by snatching my son''s inheritance as the Alpha right!" She gritted out, now moving closer to me.


    "I''m not snatching his inheritance but I''m fighting for what rightfully belongs to me. My mother was the first to rule as a luna before you invaded here and destroyed every consensus we created here! You are the traitor here and you know it!" I spat angrily, my eyes growing darker as I stared at her.


    "Never you forget that both you and Dn were born on the same day!" Luna Zara snapped "...but still, my son is the only one fit to be the next Alpha king!"


    I simply sighed, lowering my head to the floor without saying any further words to her. I didn''t have the energy to trade words with her at all.


    My father was the reason for all this controversy, and his betrayal to my mother was the reason for all this! The pathetic man just couldn''t control himself.


    "I swear, I will make sure I grante your bones and throw ''em to the dogs you worthless swine!" She yelled again, pulling her hand down as she spruced her head high like a queen but I just stared at her, my silence obviously aggravating her.


    "You are nothing, Alex. You are a nonentity like your worthless mother!" She hatefully spat out every hurtful word directly to my face, but when she mentioned my mother I knew she had drawn a line.


    "My mother is not worthless!"


    "Yes, she is!"


    "And what made you think so?"


    "Because she stole my mate, she stole my privilege and now you are doing the same to my son!"


    "I''m not!"


    "Of course, you are! You are doing the same, you bastard!"


    I clenched my teeth at her words, my jawlines gritting and my heart burningly hammering against my chest as the awful memories of the past replenished in my head, and no matter how I tried to stop them it just wouldn''t stoping.


    Back when I was a youngster, I was constantly bullied and pushed around by the kids in the pack. I was called a bastard due to my identity, and I was spat on. I had no ymates of my own, I was lonely and I was tortured. No one event gave me any attention at all.


    Nheless, I did all I could to make their scorn meaningless. I train in the field and drilled myself all day and all night nonstop, and now that I grew up fierce and strong, I was exceptionally feared and dreaded by everyone.


    I was no longer the weak and miserable minor they used to bully!


    "...I am here to warn you to recede from the battle and let Dn take up the crown. He''s the sole heir who is ethical and proficient to be the Alpha king!" Luna Zara fired at me, her voice cutting through my thoughts.


    "And what If I say no?" I raised a brow at her, a sneer on my lips.


    Her eyes narrowed daringly at me, taking a step and a step forward to me as she let out a devilish chuckle to my audacious utterances.


    "The nerve!" She struck her finger directly at my face, "I wish your pathetic mother was here, only she knows what I''m capable of doing!" She grated and she pulled her hand down.


    "Oh really..." I mocked.


    "You have no idea what I''m capable off and I will tell you this again... Do... Not... Dare... Me!" She warned, and without another word she pivoted around, storming to the door as she flounced out of the room.


    I let out a deep sigh, turning around as I strode to my window.


    I stood silently with my thoughts as the wild breezes flew through the window, smooching my face and I breathed in appreciatively to the warmness, my raging heart calming instantly.


    All these past years I hadbored all alone, I gained victories and fame all to myself with no one by my side, and more so... a smile flickered my lips as I recalled something.


    Thatdy, my true mate!


    Now more than ever I was determined to gain victory in this duel between me and my half-brother tomorrow.


    I know I had to prove my worth to the world, but I also whomever she was, I had


    to demonstrate mypetence to her.


    I would be the ruler, and the prominent Alpha of the Blue moon pack! Then, only then would make her my woman. My Luna, my queen!

 Hell On Earth

    Aurora''s POV


    My head was woozy and I felt light-headed, the explicit images of my mate kissing another woman deeply and passionately was making me feel devastated and extremely let down!-


    How possible was princess Sophia his mate when I was the one true mate? I mean I had felt it, and my wolf also acknowledged it when we stared at each other earlier today.


    ''Maybe, we are majorly overreacting!'' Rose eventually murmured in a nut-shell, I could sense her wagging dejectedly in my head.


    ''But our mate was kissing her, you saw it yourself too right?!'' I sobbed miserably, now weeping bitterly again as I careened sluggishly all the way home.


    I was deeply hurt inside, and my heart which had been deeply swirling in love a while ago was now cracked and shattered!


    Reaching the pack, Iid the first stone at my mother in the pack kitchen but she was standing gantly at the door, with her both hands enfolded on her chest.


    "M-mother!" I stuttered, lowering my head as I tried to camouge my depressing aura from her.


    "Is one of the Alpha''s son your mate? Is Alex your mate? Or Dn, which one?" She suddenly queried with a glint of a smile on her lips, and I let out a gasp my jaw dropping open.


    My heart instantly quickened, and I intensely trembled at the realization that my mother already knew that one of the Alpha''s son was my mate.


    But how did she know?


    "Y-yes, mother! I... You... Alex... He is the one. He''s my mate." I precipitously answered correctly, knowing I couldn''t lie to her but then her reaction was more than strange.


    She was grinning widely in return and this made me presume that mother thought he had epted me as his mate.


    "Oh, no mother. Alex did the worst to me!" I inwardly said in dismal and moving slowly toward her, I ventured into wanting to let the cat out of the bag; I wanted to divulge everything I had seen at the Blue moon pack about my mate and princess Sophia ¡ªI want to tell her I saw them kissing but then...


    "Aurora, you need to recognize your identity..." She gruffly said before I could utter a word, and I halted.


    Blinking my eyshes repeatedly at her, I was damn perplexed about what she trying to say to me.


    "What do you mean, mother?" I asked her, instead of telling her everything I had seen at the Blue Moon pack.


    "My dear Aurora, you need to always stick it into that stupid skull that you are merely a servant and you are not worthy to be his mate!" Mother rancorously spat out to me.


    I was stunned, speechless, and dumbfounded at what she just said to me!


    Ho... how could she be this heartless? Why was she like this?


    "C''mon, do you think a powerful, affluent and the most gorgeous man in the whole of our wolves pack would ept you as his mate?" She asked me as if she was expecting an answer from me.


    "No!" She shook her head with a pathetic expression on her face and hissing she continued, "Now, I know that you have a drained and unreasonable brain if you think so!"


    "What!" I couldn''t help but cry out, "How could you say this to me, mother? You are my mother and you should be concerned about my feelings!" I bit my lips in bitterness, shocked at my outburst but I was Chad I said something.


    I was just tired of the way she treated me. Like I was trash, and like she wasn''t the one that birthed me.


    She chuckled boisterously and said, "Of course, I''m concerned about you, my dear!"


    I could hear the mockery in her voice, and I knew she was only bluffing.


    "No, you are not concerned mother!" I pped my forehead in pangs, this whole situation already too much for me to bear.


    Today was my freaking birthday, but with everything happening I was beginning to hate the day already.


    How could my own blood mother say this to me? She birthed me for crying out loud!


    I was truly cursed, I knew it that I was cursed to be hated and loathed by everyone but I never believed it. Now though...


    Even my mate whom I thought would be my salvation and also the rescuer of my sufferings, happened to be the one creating more pains for me and even cheating on me. Gosh! This was so much to bear.


    "Oh, moon goddess why me!" I sobbed painfully while falling down to my knees, already exceedingly heartbroken!


    The thick scars in my heart were beyond repair that not even the softness of the morning spring can ease my soul ¡ªI just wanted to die!


    Everything was hopeless, there was no pleasure in living on earth anymore.


    "Get up girl, scrub the floor, wash the entire dishes, sweep and clean every nook and cranny of the kitchen before you go to bed, okay?" I heard my mother point out to me, obviously diverting the conversation and as she let out a drastic scoff, ambling closer to me, she wickedly nudged me aside with her feets, and the rough shove had me colliding to the nearest wall.


    "Argh!" I yelped.


    "Idiot! Ugly duckling! I cease you to be my daughter from now henceforth, you are just as useless as your poor dead father!" She fired, and another shock followed at her words.


    Eyeing me dangerously without any remorse whatsoever, she began walking away with her hystericalughter reigning in the long corridor much to my hearing.


    Standing, I whimpered, struggling to get on my feet, and controlling my tears at the same time.


    Hurrying into the pack kitchen, I had no option but to start the duties that my mother had listed to me.


    ''Please don''t cry, Aurora!'' My wolfnguished over to me, ''I''m here with you forever just don''t cry.''


    ''I''m sorry, but I can''t! it''s all too much, I can''t stop crying.'' Imented, the wolf bond was making things worse since I was trying my best to scrub the kissing memory off my head, but nothing word and the picture still lingered in my head!


    My emotions were heavy and the enormous drizzle of tears cascading down my face, made it increasingly difficult to focus on my work, but I didn''t stop at all.


    Instead I continued to vigorouslybor around in the pack kitchen, all through the night.


    Before leaving the Blue moon pack, I had heard from the pack members roaming around in the pack town that the Alpha king had announced that the duel wouldmence tomorrow morning.


    I felt like going to watch the duel and at the same, I was also having second thoughts going back there - I had to think of a good lie to sneak out, and also who knew the that worst that could happen, when I got there tomorrow.


    ''I have always told you to always feel optimistic about everything that goes on in your life!'' Rose gloomily said, and sniffing in sharply I mumbled, "I''m sorry but this is a different case. This is freaking hell!"


    Rose remained umunicative, but her intense whimpering in my head was disrupting the quietude I was trying to construct for myself.


    "Fine, we are going to the Blue Moon pack first thing tomorrow morning!" I


    asserted, dabbing at the counters angrily again, amidst sniffles "We will do as you want. We will go!"

 The Betrayal

    Aurora''s POV


    It was prematurely morning, I was already awake and I was presently doing my chores.


    It took me a few hours toplete then, and when I was done I hurried to my bathroom to take my bath.


    As much as I was always on good hygiene, I still looked unsightly to every eye that nces my way, and it was tiring to say the least.


    Hence, I was wholly prepared and I left the pack, I didn''t want mother to see me leaving at all, or else - this mission of mine would be razed.


    A few minutester which was approximately an hour, I arrived at the Blue moon pack and I headed straight towards the hall where the duel was to take ce and lo and behold it had already started!


    ''I guess we already missed the starting point!'' Rose said softly in my head.


    "I know, but watching how it ends is much better and I pray to the moon goddess


    that Alex wins!" I replied her while wearing my mask and also seeking a habitable space for myself.


    Thank goddess, no one knew I was the one if not I would be the center of attraction.


    I could notice that today''s duel was now extremely aggressive than yesterday, as Dn, the tyrannical prince of the Blue moon pack over struggling to win over my mate.


    However, Alex was not giving him the opportunity as he abruptly swung around and he stopped when he got behind his opponent...


    Before Dn could rotate and confront my Alex with his sword, he quickly lifted his sword, and slit his half brother''s arm.


    "Hooooo!" Dn growled in pain, his sword plunging from his hand as he grasped his oozing arm.


    Everyone''s eyes widened in anticipation, tensionced with uncertainty reigning in the atmosphere.


    My heart hammered against my chest, I was restlessly breathing as I watched my mate through my mask.


    While Dn was howling and grunting on the floor, my mate moved swiftly to him, leaning down to him and he slit strands of Dn''s hair.


    ''He won!'' Rose sharply gasped in my head.


    "Alex! Alex!" Someone roared rambunctiously in the crowd and everyone sprang up to their feet.


    Screaming and pping rumbled cheerfully in the air, some were waving their hands gaily while a few of the pack members were simply pping heartily.


    Everyone was excited at the Alpha battle victory, they were all joyous just like I was at the moment that that my mate won the duel! I was so proud of him, and I wanted to say this to him squarely.


    "Hurray!" I raised aloft my hand in the air, squealing excitedly as I watched my mate hugely smiling at the pack members.


    Then, he turned around and bowed at his father, the Alpha king who stood on his feet.


    Everyone silenced down when the Alpha king made to speak.


    "Alex!" The Alpha king called.


    "Yes, father!"


    "I, the Alpha king of Blue moon pack congratte you on your victory. Truly, you have shown your strength and capability to rule and I hereby appoint you as the next... Alpha king!" He asserted publicly.


    "Thank you, father!" Alex, now the uing Alpha King bowed again with enticing gleams on his face.


    Everyone started to p boisterously, hurling beautiful flowers at him and I grinned behind the mask in euphoria.


    "Thank you, father!" Alex thanked his father again, and the king nodded briefly to him. "....Er, I''d like to announce to everyone that I have found my mate!" He added and immediately my breath hitched.


    What the heck? No freaking way!


    I was bing intensely nervous, my hands were sweaty in anxiety and my heart was pounding rapidly against my chest.


    -Deeply in my mind, I badly wish he could notice my presence.


    "Who is she?" The Alpha King asked his son.


    My mate didn''t utter a response but he simply turned around, walking towards me,


    and my heart beat rapidly in excitement yet in uncertainty.


    ''He''sing to us!'' Rose purred cheerfully in my head.


    My eyes were fused on my mate, I was impatiently waiting for him to get closer to me and hold my hands in his warm hands.


    However, my mate moved past me in a swift and held princess Sophia''s hands whom I hadn''t noticed was standing behind me.


    While he pulled princess Sophia out of the crowd, she was grinning cutely at him as she followed every regal step of his.


    "Father..." Alex called and he faced him, "This is my MATE!" He dered openly, emphasizing the word, "MATE"


    I was crying already, my heart burning in twinges and my head was bing dizzy at the twisted episode!


    Princess Sophia bowed courteously at the alpha king, and then, she swiveled to confront my mate face to face as they gazed affectionately at each other. Everyone was watching silently, staring engrossingly at the two destined mates! ''Don''t tell me he''s gonna kiss her..'' Rose whimpered devastatingly in my head but it was all tote as I watched on just like yesterday, he tightly fastened princess Sophia''s hand in his and leaning closer he started to kiss her...


    However, my mate abruptly hesitated and pulled away from her as if something was wrong and I caught the facade on princess Sophia''s as she frowned smugly at him at his reluctance.


    My mate nced at me and our eyes fused although my face was shrouded in the mask, causing my heart to twitch in tension. What the hell was happening?


    Does he remember me now?!


    Princess Sophia was still clutching onto him with her hands, and my heart shattered over and over again.


    "Mate!" I heard him call, and then... He kissed her lips tenderly while everyone watched them.


    My heart went nk for a while, my eyes bing heavy as they brimmed in fresh tears.


    Alex or Alpha Alex rather pulled away from her slowly after a while, and together they proceeded ahead to leave the hall but then bath before she left, I saw Princess Sophia peeking in my direction, and she hauled a heinous smirk at me.


    I was confused and at the same devastated as I watched them vanish from the hall, how could it be possible that she was his mate?


    Not able to stand this anymore, I swiveled around and dashed out of the hall like a bat running out of hell.


    With each step I took, I could feel my heart stinging in pain and I knew it was because of the fucking mate bond.


    I was grieving, and at the same time imagining myself in his arms and not her!


    These emotions were severe and overwhelming for me as I got home and I met my mother inside the pack kitchen, busy cooking but she instantly curtailed at once when she saw the sight of me.


    "Oh my goodness!" She startedughing sneeringly at me, she was intently adding salt to my injury and I couldn''t help but sob pathetically in front of her.


    "I told you he won''t be attracted to you but you never believe me!" She chuckled "Princess Sophia is the perfect match for him, she is beautiful and educated. They both suit each other!" She put in.


    Swiftly I veered around to leave the kitchen, I had decided to hightail it out of the pack and nothing can stop me this time!


    "Hey, I forbid you to take one step!" My mother growled, and I paused at the door, turning to face her as I folded my hands behind my back.


    "Don''t even think of running!" She steely ordered as if she had grazed my mind earlier.


    Wait... How did she know I''m about to flee?!


    "Don''t you dare escape from Silver pack or else I will kill you!" She threatened, now moving towards me as she counted, "I have all your money now, it is quite a good change in your piggy bank!" She shed.


    "What!" My eyes dted in stupefaction, my mother had discovered my piggy box and she had stolen all my life savings!


    My instincts were right after all when I had previously sensed someone prying at me from my door.


    She had seen the box I had been hiding for years. My mother was the peeper!

 Hurt Feelings

    Aurora''s POV


    "Ahhh!" I screamed in anguish as I stood from my bed. Life had never been


    known for being unfair, especially to me. For some reason, it chose to show me its wicked sides, leaving me to bear the pain daily.


    I cursed my life and the day that I was born. The hurt in my heart was a lot; too much for anyone to bear, anyone but me. I tried to tread the path of recovery, but it seemed too long.


    The sun fiercely shined its light through my window, reminding me that it was time to do my chores. I stretched a bit, hands to the side as I yawned loudly. It was time to get to work.


    I picked up a broom and began to sweep the house, but my mind was somewhere else and why not?


    No one could face what I faced with my mind intact. No one. I saw my mate pick someone else as his mate and even shamelessly make out with her right under my nose. As if that wasn''t enough pain on its own, I got back to see that my dear mother had found my piggy bank, which held all of my life savings and had taken it for herself!


    If she wasn''t my mother, I''d have called her a thief. Who else takes things that don''t belong to her?


    As I got done sweeping, I tossed the broom to the corner and picked up the mop and its bucket, which I used to clean the floor. I did wonder if it was the floor that I was to clean or the tears that flowed from my eyes onto the floor.


    Nothing seemed to be working out for me. My life was nothing short of miserable and I loathed every part of it. I had felt that the fault wasn''t mine. I thought it was this ce.


    Now, thanks to my mother, I was stranded and there was no leaving this ce. I was stuck here. My sufferings were only going to continue.


    Soon enough, I was done with my chores and my stomach growled. It was only a sign of one thing and I needed to head to the servant''s kitchen straightaway to make something for myself.


    It wasn''t always a great experience going there as I knew whaty in store for me. I was very certain that they''ll mock and poke fun at me but I wasn''t about to stay hungry because of that.


    "Aren''t you forgetting something?" Rose asked as I ced my right hand on the doorknob in a bid to open it.


    I paused a bit to think about anything I must have missed. "Oh, my mask. Thank you, Rose."


    I quickly turned back around, heading towards my drawer where I had kept it. As I opened it, I was surprised to see that it wasn''t there. "Surely, I left it here," I muttered, taking out the things in the drawer to see if I could somehow see it there. I didn''t.


    That mask was the only way I could conceal my hideous look. It was an escape route from the banter of the other maids. It was everything I needed at that moment, but it was nowhere to be found.


    It was a great saying that when an object went missing, the owner had to search for it in ces where she thought she must have kept it and in ces where she was sure she didn''t.


    I was that owner. I had to find my mask somehow.


    I checked on the bed to see if I had tossed it there before going to bed. I took off my sparkling white bedsheet from the bed and looked carefully but it wasn''t there.


    Then I bent to my knees and peeped under the bed to see if it had somehow made its way there but I couldn''t find it.


    I briskly walked to my wardrobe and brought out my bag, picking out my clothes, one after the other, in a fruitless search for my mask. I upturned everywhere and searched in every area that I felt it was and I knew it wasn''t but the result was the


    same.


    I felt my visage get even worse as a wave of sadness began to envelop me. "Where on Earth could this mask be?" I asked myself. "Rose, do you have any idea?"


    "The drawer... I did think you put it there. Do you mind searching there onest time?" I knew Rose was trying to give me a bit of hope, but we both knew it was a hopeless situation.


    "That mask is not here, Rose. It''s not. What exactly is going on?" I paced around the room, trying to search through my brain for any clues as to what must have happened but none was forting. Until...


    "Mother!" I eximed, as a thought quickly sprang up in my heart. My eyes popped as I knew exactly what was going on. "Could it be, Rose? Could mom have...?"


    "Take it easy, Aurora, you can never be too sure."


    "There''s no other exnation for this, Rose. Why does she hate me so much?" I was both disconste and irate. The lividness in me knew no bounds.


    I walked up to my box and kicked it with my right leg in frustration. "Damn it!"


    "You need to calm down, Aurora. It''s not the end of the world. You were alright without the mask. It''s not the mask that defines you."


    Rose did her utmost to encourage me but it didn''t have the effect that it used to.


    I had hoped that I could mask my ugly face with that beautiful mask. Now, I was back to the way I was, all thanks to my mother.


    "Rose, I-You know that..."


    My words quickly broke up and all that I had left was a simple stutter.


    Tears streamed down my cheeks as my emotions got the better of me; from low sobs to mindless wailings.


    I fell to the side of my bed, ignoring Rose''s calls for me to take it easy. Life wasn''t easy on me either.

 The Nice Chef

    Aurora''s POV


    I heard my stomach grumble once more; a reminder that I had cried enough and I had more pressing issues to address. I felt a slight ache in my stomach and I knew that hunger was getting quite impatient with me.


    I stopped crying and began to regain a bit ofposure, reminding myself that I couldn''t cry forever. Crying wasn''t going to solve any problem and I had to console myself with that. Rose had been saying it all the while but it was only after several minutes that I came to terms with it.


    I stood from the side of the bed where I sat and wiped my tears with both hands. I walked to my mirror to see how I looked and it wasn''t a great sight. Not the fact that I was ugly; that was already a sure thing. Because I had cried so long, my eyes looked a bit sunk in and my face was pretty dull. I had to do something about


    it.


    To the bathroom I went, quick as a sh, turning on the tap so I could wash my face. I put my two hands forward, right below the tank as the water flowed into them. Then with the water, I washed my face for about two minutes, before turning off the tap and drying my face with a towel.


    I encouraged myself, taking in a deep breath and breathing out to eradicate any form of fear and shame that lurked in my mind because I was about to leave without my mask. Rose was quite helpful.


    "Go girl," she encouraged me, trying to boost my confidence. "You look amazing. Let''s go get some good food."


    "I think you''re being a little overboard with this," Iughed. Rose always had her way with words. She just knew how to lighten my mood.


    I put my legs into my t, red slippers which I had been wearing for over six years and headed toward my door. I had to go to the servant''s kitchen regardless of how bad my experience might have been. I had to eat something. My stomach wasn''t going easy on me anymore.


    I left the room, shutting my door from behind. A group of maids stood a short distance away from my room chattering andughing hard. I walked past them at a really quick pace, doing my best to avoid being noticed.


    They couldn''t miss a chance to make fun of me. They took turns mocking me with very scornful remarks which usually would have gotten to me.


    "There she goes again, Maria. The ugly witch has broken free from her cage."


    "Sometimes, I wish she could understand just how bad she makes others feel merely by her presence. She would have stayed indoors a lot more."


    "Look at her walk. It''s not just the ugly face; everything else about her stinks so bad. She walks and talks like some duck. The goddess has dealt with her treacherously. I hear she''s devoted to her."


    I paid little attention to them. I was certain they were only trying to get me worked up. Besides, I knew I was ugly. There was no way I was going to let their words get to me.


    As I got to the kitchen, I met the Head chef; Mrs Elizabeth was her name. She was a woman in her early fifties and the only one who was nice to me.


    "Good day, ma''am," I greeted, walking straight into the kitchen.


    She turned around and smiled as soon as she saw me. "Hey, Aurora, how are you today?" She asked.


    "Not like anyone cares," I muttered in a whisper, hoping that she wouldn''t hear


    me.


    She walked up to me in a hurry and stood right in front of me with her left hand on her waist. "Aurora, what is the matter? You don''t look happy and you don''t sound happy either."


    She must''ve heard what I said and I felt bad for her. I didn''t mean to speak that way to her. My emotions got the better of me. I just felt like everyone had no love for me and I was undeserving of love from anyone, including her.


    "Everything has been going wrong, ma''am. Nothing ever goes well in my life." The question seemed to trigger something in me as I felt the pain all over again.


    "I''ve lost everything within a very short frame of time," Imented, with tears rolling freely down my cheeks. I tried to hold them back but I had no such power. "My hard-earned savings have been taken by my mother for no just cause and the mask which I bought, to hide my ugly face from everyone else has also been stolen and I can''t tell who it was that took it. Why is life treating me so unfairly? What is my crime?"


    "Calm down, Aurora. Don''t get yourself so worked up, my dear."


    "I saw my mate on the eve of my birthday, ma''am. It was supposed to be one of the happiest moments of my entire life. It was a day that I looked forward to all my life."


    "Wow! Tell me about it! Most of us don''t get to find our mates in our lifetime..."


    "Isn''t that better than seeing him kiss another woman right in front of you?" I lowered my head and let out soft sobs once more. I was devastated and embarrassed. Even the thought of my predicament wearied me.


    "It''s alright, Aurora. Everything will be fine. Our people will always say that a problem that looks unsolvable always has a solution staring right at it."


    "Not this one, ma''am" I countered, unable to see any hope whatsoever in my situation. Somehow, Rose kept mute, contrary to what I hade to expect from her in situations like this. "There''s no hope anymore. I''ve hit a dead end."


    "You think so? What if I told you that this isn''t a dead end?" The woman smiled mischievously as she stood and walked to the fridge, taking out some snacks and a te of rice.


    "Here, have this," she said to me, handing the food over to me with a smile remaining on her face. "I do have an idea; one you''d certainly love."

 Secrets…

    Aurora''s POV


    My eyes popped on hearing thest words from the lips of Mrs Elizabeth.


    For a moment, I thought she was simply joking or trying to make me feel happy somehow.


    But the look on her face showed me that she was very serious. She had on a confident look that sent shivers down my spine and that''s when I knew she meant every word.


    "There are things that you have to understand Aurora dear..." Mrs Elizabeth began, "You must know that most secrets are simply revealed when you decide to be observant. This one is no different and I''ll show you. Firstly, I have to sit so I can tell you what I know in a rxed manner."


    I moved a little to my left as she sat beside me. "This woman looks like she knows a lot of things..." Rose, my wolf, whispered to me unexpectedly. She hadn''t said a word to me for a while and I was quite astonished to hear her. Yet, it wasn''t the right time for us to talk, so I gave her a sign in my mind to be quiet.


    "Firstly," began Mrs Elizabeth. "I think that your mask was stolen by no one else but your mom. That is what I think and I''m mostly always right with my thoughts... with my gut instincts."


    I was confused. Why would she conclude just like that? I had thought in that direction but the fact that she was sounding so certain even without being there when it happened seemed to get me perplexed.


    "How can you tell that, ma''am?" My curiosity needed to be satisfied. I needed to be sure that the woman I called my mother took my mask.


    "It''s not so difficult to find out if you ask me."


    "I might have skipped a very important part of my story, ma''am." I turned around and faced her as she looked at me with so much keenness. I loved that she gave me such attention. Most people could barely stand my mere presence for a minute. "My mate is Alex Bane; the iing Alpha of the blue moon pack and thedy he kissed is no one else but our princess; Princess Sophia Fenris! I couldn''t believe my eyes when I saw it. It was like a nightmare happening in my state of wakefulness. It was unexinable."


    "You still can''t connect the dots Aurora?" She asked, taking my hands and squeezing gently whilst she quirked herself brow.


    I didn''t answer her question, because I had no idea on what to say so I barely uttered a word.


    I had no idea what she was talking about but she looked even more confident and serious than before.


    "Haven''t you noticed that your mother loves Princess Sophia but not you? Have you not observed that she prefers her to you, her child?"


    She was right.


    To my mother, the Princess never did anything wrong. It was as if she was her child and not me due to the way she was treated. I''d never seen a mother despise her child, like mine despised me.


    Yet, she exalted the princess so much, and not just out of duty; there was a genuine likeness that she had for her.


    "If the Princess was the one who kissed Alex, your mate, then it''s quite possible that your dear mother had a hand in it. It might have been her n all along."


    The words stung my ears as I began to see the truth in what she said. How did I not see this all along?


    "She could''ve also given your mask to Princess Sophia so that Alex would mistake her for you, my dear."


    "That can''t be true," I countered, seemingly finding a w in her suggestions, which left me puzzled. "When they kissed, Princess Sophia wasn''t wearing any mask at all. Alex could see her face very clearly as they made out, so of what use was the mask to her? I mean I didn''t see a mask and...¡±


    "Oh Aurora..." The chief maid mumbled, her hand still squeezing my hand, and this time her eyes were filled with concern as she then ced her right hand on my hair and began stroking.


    "I''m going to tell you a little story dear. It was told to me by my mother and her mother before her. Many generations before us you see... Maybe, it''ll help you understand things better."


    "Oh..." I muttered bluntly, my curiosity piqued as I stared intently at her.


    What did she want to say? What story was this? I could only ask myself.


    "When I was a child, it was rumored that there was a kind of dark magic which allowed people to use the belongings of others to replicate their scent but it came at a cost; a very costly one."


    "At what cost?" I asked, keen on knowing exactly what was involved in this sorcery.


    "Anyone who used this dark magic was going to lose his or her wolf. Such a heavy cost you see."


    "Really?" I questioned shocked and the elderly woman just nodded in reply.


    Seeing that my mom was Princess Sophia''s maid made this story that had me in awe, even more believable. I stood from where I sat and held my waists with both hands, thinking deeply.


    It might be a rumor white alright but what if it was true? The head chef thought it was and there was very little exnation as to why my mask just disappeared from my room.


    If my mother was able to take my money from my piggy bank, then there was barely anything she wouldn''t do; especially for her darling Princess Sophia.


    So many memories began to y in my head concerning what happened.


    I recalled how I could have sworn that Alex knew we were mates during our first encounter. I remembered how our eyes met and how he could barely take his eyes off me, even while in a fight. Even after I''d left, I had felt it within me that his wolf was probably searching for mine.


    That look... He had that same look the second time, only that it wasn''t for me, it was for the Princess. What if it was because he was made to believe that she was his mate and not me?


    Why is it that the Princess turned to look at me just before they left?


    What secret was she hiding?

 So Many Thoughts

    Aurora''s POV


    I thought hard about what the chief chef said to me. It sounded so believable but I also knew that people were prone to seeing old tales and fables as the truth when they weren''t. Besides, I hoped it wasn''t true and I sought to consult Roseter about it.


    She might have been overthinking the whole thing. Well, I did think she was to arge extent. As much as she was trying to help, feeding me with the wrong information wasn''t the best way to achieve that.


    "I think you may have put too much thought into this, ma''am," I finally said to her, expressing my skepticism about the whole story as much as I could. "You''re talking about dark magic here. I know that I''m quite young, but I''ve never seen or heard of anyone who practices this evil."


    Her eyes dimmed a little; Mrs Elizabeth, as I spoke in opposition to what she had said. The look of enthusiasm wasn''t there anymore and it gave me the impression that I shouldn''t have said what I said.


    She looked quite a bit a angry that I''d called her theories trash, or baseless but yet I had to finish what I had started.


    "Besides..." I continued, taking my gaze away from her as I tried to avoid eye contact. "Princess Sophia is the daughter of the Alpha and there''s nothing between us. There''s absolutely no way she could have known that he was my mate. No way at all. So why would my mother want to perform dark magic on her behalf so she could win someone over, whom she doesn''t even know is my mate? It makes little sense."


    "Most things that happen to us all make very little sense, Aurora. The older we get, the more we see these things clearly."


    "The princess has her wolf, doesn''t she? Her wolf won''t let her be mated with someone who isn''t her mate."


    A small sad smile appeared on Mrs Elizabeth''s face again, as she then said softly, "Aurora, I know that a part of you wants to believe what I''m saying and that''s because it''s the truth. If it wasn''t, then I wouldn''t be talking about it with you. You''re just being so stubborn because you want to hold onto a lie."


    I sighed. She was right. I did think she was telling the truth but somehow, I just didn''t want to believe it. If it turned out to be false, I''d look so stupid to everyone and myself. Everything was just so confusing.


    "I don''t know what to believe anymore, ma''am. I don''t. At this point, I''ve been immersed in the ocean of confusion. I don''t..."


    "Calm down, Aurora. Please, rx." She drew me close to her and ced my head on her right shoulder, rubbing my arms with her left hand. "It''ll all be alright my dear. I want you to know that okay?"


    It seemed like the more she consoled me, the more I felt the need toment. Having someone who cared about my feelings was already overwhelming on its


    own.


    "I''m not telling you all these so that you''ll despise your mother. Far from it. I''m only saying it because it''s the truth.


    As I continued to sob, closing my eyes and burrowing into the hug of this woman who seemed to be myforter, I heard a scuffle from behind and instantly we broke apart from the embrace.


    Turning around to see who''se in, I saw my mother walking into the kitchen with a straight face, and a rather strange and somewhat suspicious look.


    "Mother..." I yelped startled to see her and pping a smile on my face and sniffing back my tears I greeted, "Good day, mom."


    I took some steps towards her, trying to get her to say something but she just shot me a disgusting look that had me freezing in my steps, and she also said nothing in reply to my greeting.


    Like shards of ss piercing in my skin, her reaction hurt and whilst I stared at her, watching her take some things from the kitchen cab I couldn''t help but wonder and think back to some of the things Mrs Elizabeth had just told me.


    My mother hated me so much, what if she''d done stuffs just to make my life more miserable?


    What if she''d stolen my mask and really given it to Princess Sophia?


    Princess Sophia''s POV


    Staring at myself in the mirror, I loved the woman I had be. Thoughts of Alex kept running through my mind as I wished he was there with me. He wasn''t. Well, physically, he wasn''t. But he was there in my mind and I couldn''t get him off, nor did I want to do that.


    I smiled so hard at the thought of him. I loved the look of disappointment on the face of that fool. How could she have thought that she deserved such a man? I was the princess of the Silver Moon Pack. Royalty deserved nothing else but royalty.


    "Knock knock."


    "You cane in," I said, as soon as I heard a knock on my door. Two knocks actually and there was only one person who knocked that way.


    Mrs Scott walked in with a smile on her face as she approached me. I loved to see her in a gleeful mood but something was off. Yeah, she was smiling but I could sense that there was a problem.


    "Hey, Sweetie. How are you doing?" She asked, stretching forward her hands toward me. I reached out and grabbed her hands too, as she drew me in and pecked me on my cheeks; one and then, the other.


    "What seems to be the problem?" I asked, eager to get to the root of the matter. Mrs Scott never failed to tell me anything that happened in and around the pce. We had no secrets between us. She was the best person I could have ever asked for and only we knew the reason why.


    "Well, I came bearing news and not-so-nice ones," she replied, letting go of my hands and scratching her hair with her left hand as she spoke.


    "Tell me about it."


    "As I headed to the kitchen to get something, I overheard Aurora and Mrs Elizabeth talking about Aurora''s missing mask and the fact that Alex chose you and not her. She said something about a magic procedure but I couldn''t hear that very clearly. I think she might be aware of our little secret and may want to poison Aurora''s mind, which in all honesty, is already poisoned by folly. I thought..."


    I couldn''t bear to hear all she had to say. I hated Aurora with all of my heart. Honestly, I''d harbored a few thoughts about killing her in the past that I wasn''t so proud of. She was too ugly to look at and I couldn''t stand her presence in the pce one bit. How dare she and that useless maid talk about me in the pce? "Aurora, that moron! It''s high time that I dealt decisively with that girl. She goes around to badmouth me behind my back, hoping that I wouldn''t notice. Does she think I''m dumb?"


    I was enraged. I could feel sweat gradually making its way to the surface of my palms. She had indeed bitten more than she could chew.


    "You have to be cautious about those too, Princess. They can''t be trusted at all. If


    I heard them talk about all those, who knows what else they might know?"


    "That''s not a problem, Mrs Scott. I''ll handle this myself. I''ll make sure to deal mercilessly with that gossiping chef. By the time I''ll be done with her, she''d lose the ability to speak."


    I couldn''t tell if Mrs Scott knew that I meant every word that I spoke to her but I did. I wasn''t about to let those two fools ruin all of my ns. I had to do something about it very quickly.


    "Take care, honey," she said, as she huffed and walked away from the room.

 The Strange Murder

    Aurora''s POV


    The next morning, as I woke up from one of the longest periods of sleep I''d ever had, I felt so ecstatic inside. Unlike the previous nights, I didn''t have a moody countenance. Somehow, the talk I had with the chef had helped me take a few things off my chest and I was grateful for that.


    Yet, as I sat up on my bed, thinking of what to do next, I couldn''t help but have a foreboding feeling that something was wrong somehow. What I wasn''t sure of was if it was still about to happen or if it had happened already.


    Ever since I was a kid, it was something that I had. They said it was a gift but I always thought it to be a curse to have the burden of knowing when there''s something bad going on. I didn''t want to be held bound by other people''s affairs but the goddess had other ns. As I got older, I began to embrace it better.


    "Aurora, something is wrong," Rose admitted. "I think we need to go find out what it is. Perhaps, we could be able to stop it in its tracks."


    She was right. I had to step out of the room. I had to try to do something about the situation if there was any chance that I could. "Let''s get prepared," I said to her.


    I went to the bathroom and had my bath within minutes beforeing out to dress up. "Hey, that ck one," Rose suggested. "I think you should wear it today. It''s a perfect fit."


    I picked out the long, ck dress from the wardrobe where it hung on a hanger and I put it on. I walked to the mirror to see how it looked and to also adjust it properly so it''ll look good.


    "You like what you see?" I asked Rose, who simply chuckled but didn''t say a word. I hated it when she was like that. I guessed she wasn''t entirely cool with me shushing her the day before. It wasn''t my intention. I just thought it wasn''t the right time to talk. I hoped she''d understand sooner orter.


    "Let''s go find out what''s wrong," I managed to utter again to see if she''d say anything but she didn''t. So I just left the room and headed toward the servant''s kitchen so I could fix something up and eat. I also needed to talk to my newly found best friend; Mrs Elizabeth, the chief chef.


    As I slowly walked, I noticed that there was no servant in sight. It was something that never happened. There were always servants chatting andughing whenever she was on her way to the servant''s kitchen. She always did feel like she was one of the reasons why some of them always stood there.


    No one was there to insult me. No abusive words were being thrown at me freely. None at all. The corridor was just so empty, leaving me with no option but to feel like my hunch was actually right.


    "Perhaps, they''re not awake yet,". Rose said, probably noticing that my heart had begun to beat faster.


    It was very little constion. The maids knew they had to be up as early as possible. Not being awake by that time was a problem on its own. They had to be dead for that to happen. Or they''ll be dead afterwards by the time they''d be properly dealt with.


    "There they are, Aurora."


    On getting to the kitchen, I saw so many legs and heads, as all the servants gathered together in one area. The whole kitchen was filled with people and there was barely any space to move around.


    "She was so good to me," one of the servants said to another as I watched on in amazement.


    I saw tears roll down from the eyes of some of the servants. Some looked so moody and were teary-eyed. Others wailed bitterly and I was so touched. I wanted to know who it was that made people cry this way. It was a shame that we werete. There was nothing we could do now.


    I walked around the kitchen, doing my utmost to spot Mrs Elizabeth but she was nowhere to be found.


    "Could she have given herself a day off?" I asked myself as I kept looking.


    Then I thought it wise to ask someone else instead, just to make sure that I was right. "Hey," I said to one of the maids, who rolled her eyes at the sight of me but I couldn''t care less. I needed that information so I was willing to take anything to have it. "Have you by any means seen Mrs Elizabeth?" I asked.


    "You don''t know?" Her reply took me aback. I just spoke with her yesterday and she didn''t mention anything to me. Why was this servant throwing such a question at me?


    "What happened? Where is she? Would she being hereter? Or she''s not on duty today?"


    I asked so many questions at once and just needed an answer from the maid which wasn''t forting at first.


    Then she sighed and looked at me. "The chief chef was found dead this morning," she finally said as tears began to drop to the floor from my eyes. "That''s why everyone here has been mourning. Now, if you could let me be..."


    I was so pissed and shocked at the same time. As I sniffed a few times, my heart


    got consumed with immense grief and sorrow.


    I ran out of the kitchen as it was no longerfortable for me. The sight of everyone there mourning my best friend was so hard for me to bear and I couldn''t take it anymore. I had to leave that environment very fast so I wouldn''t break down.


    Right back in the corridor, I paced to and fro without purpose. I recalled how she was with me; the chef, how she''d always care for me like I was her child. It dawned on me that with her gone, no one else was going to do that anymore.


    My life was about to very much be a more terrible one without her.


    It was like the harder I tried, the more effort life put in to ensure that happiness was far away from me.


    "Have you not noticed that there is a problem? It doesn''t sit well with me that she just died."


    Rose was right.


    She was so healthy on the day that we had a chat. There was no sign of illness whatsoever.


    How on Earth did she suddenly die? That''s when a thought came to my head and I began to connect the dots.


    My mom had stepped into the kitchen as we discussed; the chef and me, and she suspiciously red at us.


    Being the maid of the princess, if she had heard what we conversed about, there was a very big chance that she''d have told the princess about it.


    "Damn it!" I screamed in anger, realizing what must have happened.


    The princess was never one to be trusted. If she had heard what we talked about, I was certain she''d have desired to do something stupid. I wasn''t going to let it slide at all. They had bitten way more than they could chew.


    In anger, I walked very quickly as I headed to my mother''s room. She had some exining to do whether she liked it or not. "Are you sure that confronting her is the best thing to do?" Rose asked, wary of the consequences of challenging my mother. Thest time I tried that, it didn''t end well. I was given the beating of my life.


    But it was different this time. Now, I didn''t mind.


    I needed to give the woman a piece of my mind. I needed her to tell me why she''d


    be a party to murder. I couldn''t let the chef''s death go that way.


    "I don''t care about that, Rose. I must get to the root of this matter. Mrs Elizabeth''s death cannot be in vain."


    I stopped for a moment, failing to stop myself from thinking that the chef was dead because of me. I was to be med. If she hadn''t told me what she did, she would have probably still been alive.

 Anger & Spite

    Princess Sophia''s POV


    The deed was done and all that was left was the dance of victory. I walked with poise toward Mrs Scott''s room with my maid behind me, hoping to have an important conversation with her.


    "You seem so happy today, ma''am." I turned around for a moment and saw the smile on her face. It was good to know that she was happy to see me happy.


    "That''s because I am. We''re always happy when things work in our favour, aren''t we?" I asked with a chuckle.


    "Yes, ma''am."


    We arrived in Mrs Scott''s room and knocked on her door. "I''m right here."


    She opened up the door and I quickly threw myself at her, holding her so tightly with so much dness in my heart. "I''m so happy to see you," she said to me.


    "Same here," I replied, although I didn''t think it needed to be said. The way I held her and refused to let go was proof enough.


    "Eh... Could you help me tidy the room? You could help me with my royal blue handbag on your way back here, okay?" I asked my maid, finally letting go of Mrs Scott, albeit reluctantly.


    I needed my maid to leave the room. We had crucial matters to discuss that she wasn''t supposed to be a part of.


    "Yes, ma''am."


    As she left, we walked to the centre of the room and she stared hard into my eyes. "I sent a man to get rid of that stupid chef. The man I sent is very trustworthy. He''s very good at his job and he made sure that it can never be traced."


    "What if he talks in the future?" Mrs Scott asked, a look of fear on her face.


    "Then he''ll only be implicating himself because he doesn''t even know that I was the one who ordered the execution. I went through an anonymous route." Holding her hands, I continued. "There''s no need to be afraid. I have everything under control."


    She let out a smile of satisfaction and I was so d to see that. She had been nothing short of supportive of me and I couldn''t thank her enough. All thanks to her, I was able to find out what that evil woman was nning against me. I had sworn to eliminate anyone who tried to bring Alex and me down. I would never let anyonee between us; not after everything that I''d don''t get to where I was. The stupid chef just had to die. She sounded like a threat to me and I couldn''t let her roam freely.


    "Thank you so much for all you do for me, Mrs Scott," I thanked her. She was more than my maid. I saw her as a friend. "My love for you knows no bounds and it''ll surely be rewarded."


    I took out a bundle of money from my bag and offered it to her. But she drew me close instead and hugged me so tightly.


    Aurora''s POV


    As I got to my mom''s room, I noticed that there was someone inside so I approached more stealthily. I looked through the peephole in the door and I was left open-mouthed. I couldn''t believe what I just saw. Indeed, my heart was shattered.


    I saw the princess offer some money to my mom and I saw them share a warm embrace. That was the annoying part. I never knew my mom was able to show such emotions. I had always thought she was incapable of that and could I be med? If a woman could not show affection to her child, how could she be able to show it to others? I saw it with my own eyes.


    That wasn''t all. There was still more insult to be added to the injury. I saw them both banter andugh as they talked. They embraced at intervals like it was apetition of some sort. They looked so happy together.


    This was the same woman who had never hugged me or smiled at me that way since I was born. If there was a word that was worse than hurt, I''d have used it to describe exactly how I felt. The more I saw them, the more my heart broke.


    There was nothing that I hadn''t done to get her to love me or even show me anything that resembled love. I''d done my best to be as obedient as possible, following her every instruction withoutints and making sure that I tried to strike up a conversation with her when an opportunity arose. It never earned me her love; just a few strikes to my face or any other part of my body that she deemed fit. The more I tried, the more she hated me.


    I watched my mother closely and I could see that unlike what I had previously thought, she wasn''t a woman devoid of love. I could see from how she rted with Princess Sophia that it wasn''t that she couldn''t love, she just didn''t love me at all. She gave all of her love to the princess and had nothing left for me.


    "Mrs Elizabeth was right," Rose said to me as I felt her sadness. I just let out a sigh.


    I noticed something strange. Whenever I was with my mother, I always sensed her wolf. She had a very powerful wolf whose presence could not be missed. It was no more there. Somehow, neither I nor my wolf could sense it.


    It became much clearer to me that the chef was right all along. What I thought was just a fairy tale was the truth. The dark magic story was a reality and my mom had traded her wolf for Sophia''s need to steal my mate. How cruel could she be!


    I beat myself up inside for not believing thete chief maid. She was right all along. That must have been the reason why she was killed by these wicked people.


    "Hey, Aurora, look out," Rose called out.


    "Shhhh," be calm, I rebuked her. I need to know what exactly is going on.


    "What exactly do you think you''re doing here, Aurora?"


    "Ah!" I eximed, covering my mouth with my right hand to prevent the people in


    the room from hearing what I was saying. "Uhm..."


    It was Princess Sophia''s maid and she held a package in her left hand. I had to find something tangible to say or else I''d have been in trouble. I had paid the price for not paying attention to Rose once again.


    "You can''t talk now?" She asked as she scurried toward me. "I''m certain that sounds can still be made by those ugly lips of yours, can''t they?"


    "I- I just came here to get something from my mother''s room," I lied, doing my best to avoid having eye contact with her so she wouldn''t see my tears. "I''ll be on my way now."


    "You better be, you moron!"


    I scurried away, teary-eyed as I mourned Mrs Elizabeth whom I lost.


    Yet, it wasn''t just that, that made me cry as I walked away, I was devastated to


    know that my mother had never loved me.

 Surprise Meetings

    Aurora''s POV


    Barely two days after the death of Mrs Elizabeth, there was a need for a new


    head chef. The post was a very sensitive one and couldn''t stay vacant for such a long time.


    There were three candidates for the post; Roxa, Marie and Suzy. All three were very popr as they were the most friendly maids except for Marie who was known for her inability to smile or act friendly around others. She always imed it was a distraction that she couldn''t afford to have as she always wanted to give her best. That was why she was also nominated.


    On the day of the election, we got the news that the Alpha had decided who the head chef was going to be. We all went to the servant''s kitchen to get the information from his Beta only to get the shock of a lifetime.


    "The new head chef in this pce is Aurora Scott."


    There was silence in the ce. No one expected that. My name wasn''t even mentioned amongst the people who were to be selected. Yet, I knew I deserved it and somewhere in their minds, they knew it too.


    I was the best cook in the pce and even the Alpha knew that. Little wonder he decided to make me the head chef even though I wasn''t so popr, except for the wrong reasons.


    The job of the head chef was a huge one.


    It wasn''t limited to cooking for the Alpha and special dignitaries and teaching, supervising and instructing the other chefs to ensure their efficiency and effectiveness in the pce.


    The head chef was also required to sell food to people that visited the Castle.


    Thete cook handled that task for years and she did it so well. Everyone who came to the pce always raved about her delicious delicacy. Most people couldn''t resist having a taste of what she made and so, a lot of money was made because of her.


    Now, it was my turn to do the same and I could feel the pressure building up in ne. It seemed like a heavy burden had beenid on my shoulders. I had to be able to carry it.


    I had to buckle up. It was my time to make some good money and I had to grab it. There was no messing around and this was the only means to get money. I had to take it.


    Unknown to everyone else, I wasn''t done with the story about the former chef''s death.


    I still felt like something shady happened although I couldn''t say for sure. Even Rose agreed. So I thought about a way to properly investigate the issue.


    As soon as the meeting was over, the other maids returned to their respective posts and I decided to arrange the kitchen and set up the mini restaurant.


    Some maids decided that it was better for them to chat amongst themselves, spending their time gossiping as they got into the kitchen.


    "Today, Alpha Alex Bane will be in the Pack to take Princess Sophia back to his Pack," one of them said to the other.


    "Are you serious?"


    "Yes, I am. I heard it from a very reliable source. He''s already in the Pack now."


    "Are you certain about what you''re saying?"I asked the maid who brought the news, unable to contain my inquisitiveness.


    "Yes, I am," she replied. "The Princess could meet up with him very soon."


    It was quite surprising that the maids didn''t curse or mock me. It was a relief because I almost regretted asking the question as soon as the words flew from my mouth. Yet, the news was very upsetting. It was supposed to be me, going back with the Alpha.


    The Princess was about to go home with a man who I was destined to be with. My wolf roared with anger and jealousy within me. I had never seen Rose that mad.


    As the maids chattered and walked away, I made up my mind to do something about my situation.


    I decided to sneak into Alpha Bane''s roomter in the day or the night if indeed, he was in the Pack like they said. As soon as I was done with work, I was going to have a chat with the Alpha.


    Alpha Bane''s POV


    Being in the Castle of the Silver Moon Pack wasn''t bad as my people had made me believe. It was almost as if we were the only Pack who oozed some ss.


    That was untrue. Those words were simply used to build up our egos for nothing. The Pack had been nothing short of excellent in their treatment of me since I arrived.


    The guards took me around the Pack, showing me ces that I never knew were in existence.


    It was surreal. The Silver Moon Pack was one of the most beautiful Packs that I''d ever stepped my feet in.


    After a long day, I had to resign to my room to get some much-needed rest. I left the door slightly open so I could hear whatever was going on outside.


    True, I hade to take my mate home and there were supposed to be no problems at all. Yet, as an alpha, I knew that there was always a possibility of being attacked when outside my territory. I wasn''t foolish enough to not know that.


    If I locked the door, it''ll have seemed to me like I was protected and then I''d lose my guard. That would be unwise because they had the spare keys to all the rooms and could get inside at any given time. I had to be on high alert.


    Late into the night, I heard a bit ofmotion just outside my room. I quickly sprang up from the bed and walked stealthily to the door to see what was going on but the sounds and movements died down that instant.


    My wolf leapt and growled within me and I knew something was wrong. Did they invite me here to hold me hostage? I began to regret finding myself in the Pack but I was Alpha Alex Bane! No problem could overwhelm me.


    I stood by the door, waiting to see when the person, whoever it was, would try to get into the room when he or she felt like I had gone back to bed to rx.


    I held my breath as much as I could and just stood still without making a sound. For about a minute, I heard nothing, so I almost assumed that the person had given up, but my wolf insisted that I remained there.


    Suddenly, I saw someone bring her hair in, in an attempt to peep. There was something very familiar about her and I was certain that I had seen that hair somewhere. My chest clenched in pain as I tried to recall where exactly I had seen her.


    "Yes. I remember now," I said in my mind. "It''s thedy with the mask.... It''s my mate. It''s..."


    I shook my head, remembering that Princess Sophia was my mate. Then I wondered who thisdy was because something was oddly off about the way I was feeling.


    I watched her tiptoe into the room and I quickly sprang out from my hiding ce and jumped on her. I held her neck with my hands and began to choke her slightly as our bodies touched together.


    "Who are you, youngdy and what brings you here to my room?" I asked her with a very stern look on my face.


    "I don''t mean you any harm at all, Alpha Bane. I have something to tell you."


    As I stared down at her, my hands pressing down on her neck, I hoped that she had something reasonable to say to me so she would regret showing up in my


    room.

 The Thief

    Aurora''s POV


    I panicked instantly as soon as I felt the Alpha''s hands around my neck as he pounced on me, forcing me to the floor and trying to choke me out.


    I struggled under his grip, twisting and turning to be free of him but it was of no


    use.


    The fact that our bodies were stered together didn''t help at all as it elicited very crazy reactions from me. My hormones were all over the ce and soon, it began to look like he was choking me for a sex session. His smell; oh, his smell was so intoxicating and I couldn''t resist it. I felt like grabbing his neck and pulling him closer to me but I couldn''t.


    "I said, who are you?" Alpha Bane screamed, bringing me back to my senses.


    "I''m your destined mate!" I blurted out rather mistakenly, much to my surprise. I was taken aback by his question. I never intended to say that to him; not at that point in the conversation.


    He froze. He said nothing but kept staring at me, with his hands still on my neck although the hold wasn''t tight anymore. I decided that I had to seize the opportunity to speak as I was so full of confidence and rid of every form of fear.


    "As I walked down the corridor, I sensed your scent and traced it to this room and that''s why I sneaked in," I lied. Well, it wasn''t all a lie because I did sense his scent. Yet, I had nned to be there on my own ord; even before I approached the building where he was.


    On hearing that, he released his hold on me and stared at me for a few seconds. "Hey, look at me this instant. Face me!" Hemanded.


    I turned around and faced him with very shaky feet. He had let go of me but his voice wasn''t weing. It was so terrifying and I didn''t know what to expect from him.


    After I was done with my story, I felt he was touched, especially since he let go of me. But his widened nose and squinted face told a different story. He looked like he was ready to tear me apart if he had to. I just gazed at him with a confident, yet, sympathetic look, waiting for his next line of action.


    "You''re simply a liar and a thief, youngdy! You thought you could sneak in here and steal from me didn''t you?"


    I gasped in shock.


    Alpha Bane''s POV


    "You''re a liar and a thief," I repeated, just in case she felt it was a mistake. "If not, how are you wearing a maid''s uniform?"


    "I-" she looked short of words, like someone who didn''t know exactly what to say and how to say it.


    Perhaps, she didn''t expect those words from me. It didn''t change the fact that they could have been true. Maybe, she didn''t expect to be caught so easily.


    "I don''t believe you one bit," I continued, staring at the woman in front of me who looked so unkempt. Her hands trembled vehemently and sweat gathered on her face. She remained mute and I could tell she was rocked.


    My mind drifted back to what she said to me earlier. I wondered how possible it was that she was my mate.


    I tried to believe it because she had the same hair color and scent as thedy I encountered during my first fight with my brother. The smell was quite intense and familiar, seriously calling out to me as it did on that day, yet, something else in me didn''t want to believe that this maid was my mate; not after being so certain that it was the princess who was mated to me. She just had to be lying.


    "You''re a liar!" I screamed at her, as everything was beginning to mess up my thoughts. I didn''t know what to believe anymore.


    "No, Alpha Bane, I''m not lying to you. I may be a lot of things, but I''m not a liar. I''m telling you the truth."


    I couldn''t believe her. What liar would ever consent to be one? None. She was out to deceive me and I wasn''t going to let that happen by any means.


    "You''re just a simple, gold digger," I said to her. I saw tears build up in her eyes but I wasn''t moved. Desperate people would always do anything possible to get what they want. Crying was no exception. "Princess Sophia is my one true mate. Not you or anyone else. I''ve seen people like you; lots of women who tried to y these sorts of tricks by trying to im me as theirs but they were all seen to be liars, just like you."


    "I''m not lying, Alpha Bane. I have no..."


    "You''ll be quiet this instant!" I interrupted, tired of hearing those words from her. Yet, within me, I had this feeling that she might have been telling the truth. My wolf thought the same too.


    Yet, it brought up a question to my mind; does it mean that I have two mates? In all my life, I''d never heard of someone having two mates.


    The scent of thisdy was more enticing than that of the Princess and it got me intrigued.


    I couldn''t let her stay here. I had to find out more about what was going on so I decided that I was going to take her back to my pack.


    I cleared my throat and felt the need to pass my message in very clear terms. "You''re a simple thief and you''ll be severely punished for sneaking into my housete at night," I began, watching her closely to know her reaction.


    "Please," she begged, kneeling and shedding tears. "I''m not a thief. Don''t do this to me, please."


    I wasn''t going to bulge. "This will serve as a lesson to any other woman who wants to do what you have done. This is my judgement and it''s final!"


    Shey on the floor and kept begging.

 Waning Thoughts

    Alpha Bane''s POV


    "Please, don''t punish me. I only came bearing the truth. I do not wish to upset you or cause you any harm, Alpha. Please, don''t take out your anger on me. Truly, I am sorry."


    The maid kept begging and begging and I refused to give in. As much as I thought about it, it was going to make me look weak and that was never a good impression. Besides, I couldn''t help but want to find out for myself how possible it was for a man to have two mates. If I was the first, it was something I had to relish.


    "Leave here or I''ll raise an rm and let everyone know that a thief had sneaked into my room to rob me, had I not been awake to stop her and you know what that means, don''t you?"


    I gave a cheeky smile and winked at her as I knew I got her where I wanted. She was surely going to be severely punished if she did that.


    She grudgingly stood from the floor and walked slowly out of the room, much to my delight. As soon as she was gone, I walked back to my bed andy there to think and get some sleep.


    As Iy on my bed, a lot of things ran through my little head. I did feel something; something very close to a mate bond between the maid and me and deep down, I had a very strong feeling that she was my mate.


    I swore within me to investigate the truth and get to the root of the matter. What better way was there than to take her back to my pack first and then know what else to do from there? None! So I decided to do just that.


    I was never going to tell Princess Sophia about this maid. I didn''t know how she''d feel if I did. Well, I did. I knew she''d feel mad and upset. I just didn''t know to what degree and I didn''t want to find out. Things were better the way they were.


    I nned to bring her back with me to my pce under the guise that she was just a spare maid from this pack. She was just a maid so no one was going to care about her.


    They wouldn''t even notice that she had gone with me until long after we had arrived at my Pack. Even then, they might think she ran away. No one would ever think that I took her with me.


    It was never going to be easy to do that. I didn''t know which room was hers but I knew exactly who to ask for that. It had to be a very clean job without any trace of mistakes whatsoever.


    I did not want to have any problems with the royal pce of the Silver Moon Pack, especially because she was a maid in their Castle. Yet, she was mine and I was going to take her back with me at any cost.


    The other challenge I faced was the Princess. It wasn''t just that I didn''t want to let her in on my ns for the maid. I didn''t want to tell her anything about what I had found out.


    I imagined walking up to her and tapping her on the shoulder before whispering in her ears. "I saw a maid in your Pack and I felt a bond with her. She smelled almost like you and I think she might also be my mate; just like you are."


    How ridiculous! She most definitely wouldn''t have taken that lightly so I decided against that very thought; at least, until I was certain that my hunch was right.


    Besides, I was soon going to mark the Princess, cementing her position as my one true mate.


    Oh...I had already marked her on the night that we spent together after I dered her to be my mate in the presence of the entire Blood Moon Pack. So hurting her wasn''t going to be the best thing for me to do. It was pure folly.


    Yet, there was something that bothered me. I remembered the night when Princess Sophia came to me. She wasn''t as confident as she was supposed to be. I had heard from several people that the Princess was one of the boldest people in the Silver Moon Pack. I dare to say she was the boldest. No one dared step a foot in her path. Yet, she seemed anxious that night and not her usual self.


    My father always told us that anxiety was a product of fear. With me, she had nothing to fear. She was the daughter of an Alpha and also my mate.


    It wasn''t that we were having any sort of issues so there was no reason for her to be tense. Except for one...


    She was probably lying. Only one, who was telling a lie, could seem that anxious.


    Perhaps, I was wrong. Maybe I was just overthinking it. But I wasn''t to be med. Things seemed to point in that direction. Whether she lied or not wasn''t so important at that moment though. I had marked her already and so I was responsible for the rtionship no matter what.


    I couldn''t betray my lover as my father did. I still held it against my father; how he treated my mother. I wasn''t about to do the same to Princess Sophia. I was no hypocrite.


    The night was even colder. I needed to get some good sleep.

 The Public Disgrace

    Aurora''s POV


    Very early in the morning, just as I woke up from my short but lovely night''s rest, I heard footsteps approaching my room hastily. I got up and ran to my wardrobe to put some clothes on.


    I was fond of sleeping naked. It gave me some kind of freedom that I could never have elsewhere. I had always wondered why people wore clothes to sleep when they were alone. Why ce themselves in bondage when they can be free?


    I put on a ck gown as the sound of the approaching footsteps intensified. I wondered who it was that wasing to my room at that time as I didn''t have work to do in the Castle that early. I hadn''t even had my bath!


    As they got to the door, whoever they were, they knocked on the door twice and as quietly as possible. They probably did not want to create anymotion. Buting to my room uninvited was trouble on its own.


    I stood to go and open the door but I became scared. "What if the people want to steal from me?" I asked myself. They were knocking so quietly for a reason. Perhaps, they didn''t want to be found out. So, I decided to stay put and let them leave when they felt like it.


    "Do you want us to open it ourselves, Aurora?" One of the men whispered, but I paid no attention to that. I felt like I was secure in the ce.


    I eveny back on the bed to catch a little more sleep but the knocks gradually intensified so I sat up and waited, hoping that they were soon going to get tired and leave.


    Then they stopped. I heard nothing else. I didn''t hear them walk away but they didn''t knock anymore for a few minutes so I guessed that all was well. How wrong I was.


    With one kick from one of the men, my door was broken open and one of them held it and gentlyid it on the floor as they approached me with fierce-looking faces.


    The men were four in number so I wondered why they had to be so many to grab me. The one who was in front looked like he was their leader.


    He had a round face with a clean shaved head and very bulgy eyes that I wanted so much to sink my hand into. His belly was so protruded, unlike that of the other guys and making me wonder whenst he did an exercise.


    "Pack her things quickly," he ordered and the other men immediately went into my wardrobe and began to pack my clothes into a bag that they came with.


    These men were prepared. Somehow, they were able to locate where I was and they were the fastest people I''d ever seen.


    Their leader walked to me and squinted his face, showing his disapproval of my treatment of them. I knew I was in trouble but I didn''t know how much. They must have been sent by Alpha Bane. There were no other exnations for that.


    The man held me by my right hand and began to drag me while I did my best to resist. He was too strong and the more I fought, the more I wasted valuable strength as he kept pulling me towards the door.


    The other men finished with the packing and one of them held my left hand as they kept dragging me on the floor. "Please," I cried, with tears in my eyes. "Can I at least tell my mother that I''m leaving?"


    "She knows," one of the men replied and I wasn''t so surprised.


    As they dragged me outside, I saw some maids standing just outside my room. They must have been alerted by the noise they heard from my room.


    Some of them looked puzzled, just as I was, but the rest? They were more than happy to see my back. None attempted to raise an rm. They just watched all that unfolded with some taking the extra step to curse me.


    "Finally, the ugly duckling is about to leave us."


    "Good riddance!"


    They looked so happy that I was leaving and I wondered what on Earth I had done to them to deserve such treatment.


    I cried even harder as we got to the carriage. My luggage was thrown into the carriage. Me too. But it was only after the carriage had moved that it dawned on me that I had truly been abducted.


    Alpha Bane''s POV


    I sat in my carriage, with the Princess beside me, as we finally began our journey back to the Blue Moon Pack.


    I brushed my right hand lightly against the princess''s hand and she smiled. I loved to see her smile. It always revealed her beautiful dimples which made her even more beautiful.


    A guard ran to me, breaking my trance and came close to my ears to whisper something. I moved my ears toward him to know what he had to say which the princess wasn''t allowed to hear.


    "We''ve taken the maid with us, my Alpha," the guard whispered. "The boys seeded in taking her from her room. She''s in another carriage which is currently heading to our Pack."


    I patted his back thrice as a sign of approval. "Well done, guys. When we get to


    the Pack, you''ll be duly rewarded for you have all done well."


    "Thank you, my Alpha."


    He walked away gingerly and I turned my attention back to Princess Sophia whose eyes were already fixed on me. "What is the matter, my love?" She asked in a very calm voice.


    I smiled at her and took her left hand which I kissed. "It''s nothing you should worry about, my love. It''s not something that I can''t handle."


    When I saw that she wasn''t entirely satisfied with my answer, I had to add to what


    I had said to her. "I requested for one of the maids from this Pack to go with us.


    The guard only came here to confirm that the maid was with them."


    She nodded curtly and I shot her a smile.


    It was almost time to leave and she had to say her goodbyes to her parents who were right beside our carriage. I waved at them too and then returned the gesture.


    "Be sure to take good care of our daughter," they said with a smile.


    "I will. I''m the Alpha," I reminded them, just in case they had forgotten. "She''s in the safest hands."


    With that, the driver of the carriage did his job and we got moving, driving off into the sunrise.

 Jealousy

    Aurora''s POV


    A few days after I was taken from my Pack to this one, I found the ce to be a tad strange, as it was supposed to be, since I''d lived all of my life in the Silver Moon Pack.


    Just like in my Pack, here too, I was a servant. I had numerous chores attached to me daily and I had to finish them on time to avoid getting punished.


    It wasn''t that the chores were so much. I had done far more jobs than what I was required to do here. Yet, it was still tiring and I wished I didn''t have to do all those; just like the royals.


    Ever since I arrived at the Pack, I hadn''t been subjected to the same abuse I used to receive at my Pack, due to the way I looked. There had been a few talks here and there but there was nothing concrete. They probably didn''t want to start on that note. I knew it was something that might have happenedter on. From the way most of them looked at me, it was ring that they thought that I was ugly. I was. Good thing was that there weren''t many who abused me because of that.


    I had been in this Pack for many days and not once did my mother think it wise to visit me. She was well aware that I was being taken to another Pack. Yet, she refused to visit. The thought of that brought overwhelming sadness to me as I couldn''tprehend why she hated me that much. I was never going to understand why it had to be that way. Nevertheless, time was always on the move.


    As I left my room and walked to the kitchen, I saw a few maids talking andughing as they carried out their tasks. "Good day, guys," I greeted, as I walked past them, making sure to observe if they responded to my greeting or not. They did so with a curt nod and a fake smile. It was good enough.


    As I picked up a broom to sweep, I noticed a presence close to the kitchen and I stood still and waited for Alpha Bane to arrive. I was so certain it was him. His smell was just so different.


    "How are you doing?" He asked, as soon as he got to me. It felt good that he wanted to check up on me as I was really surprised to see him. It was the first time I had set my eyes on him ever since I arrived at the Pack.


    "Good day, Alpha Bane," I greeted. "I''m doing well."


    He smiled at me and I did my best to return the smile, even though I was a bit shy. That wasn''t the only problem. After thest encounter we had, thoughts of him were apanied by fear and I could barely even look into his eyes as he spoke.


    "How have you been treated ever since you got here?"


    Princess Sophia''s POV


    Ever since Alpha Bane and I arrived at the Blue Moon Pack, I took some time to observe him. He had been acting a bit funny so I had to ensure that all was well.


    Mrs Scott had instructed me to keep my eyes very open so I wouldn''t lose what I thought I already had. It was the best advice anyone had ever given me. I loved her so much. Somehow, she always knew the right things to say at every point in time.


    A few seconds earlier, he told me that he wanted to head over to the servant''s area to investigate them and see how they were faring too. Why would anyone want to know how the servants were faring?


    Anyway, I didn''t trust his words so much. I had my reservations and as much as I didn''t say a word to him in response to what he had told me, I had my ns all thought out.


    A few minutes after he had left me, I followed him closely behind, trailing his every step and doing well to avoid getting spotted.


    As we got close to the servants'' area, I hit my right toe on a stone which was in front of me, forcing a very low sound from my mouth as I quickly dived to the side to avoid being detected.


    On hearing a noise, Alpha Bane quickly turned back but on seeing no one, he turned around and resumed his walk. He paused a bit after taking a few strides and looked back once again, just to be sure that the coast was clear. It was only after he had kept moving that I came out of my hiding ce and continued following him.


    I watched him get into the kitchen and I quickly ran to the door to see what was going on in there. Then I saw someone familiar whom I hated with everything in me. Why did it have to be Aurora that''ll be brought with us to this Pack?


    My blood boiled at the sight of them both and I felt the need to jump on her that instant and beat her to a pulp. Yet, I knew it''d have been foolish of me to do that. I was livid.


    Something told me that it wasn''t the first time they had met. They must have been talking to themselves ever since we arrived and the thought of that alone was enough to drive me crazy.


    Indeed, I was crazy.


    I was crazy about the Alpha and I didn''t want anything or anyoneing between us. Anyone who dared to try that, just like Aurora had to be ready to see the crazy side of me.


    I took in a deep breath, determined to meet up with them both with little or no sign of anger or annoyance; just a smiling face and a very calm voice full of nothing else but mischief.


    I walked slowly to them as they spoke, stopping right next to Alpha Bane as I ced my right hand on his shoulder.


    "Hey...Honey."

 The New Appointment

    Alpha Bane''s POV


    I was almost startled as I felt a hand on my shoulder. But the voice that followed was something I was very familiar with. Sophia; how on Earth did she get here?


    "What are you doing here, my darling?" I asked, quite surprised that she was there and that I wasn''t aware that she was right behind me all this time.


    "I just decided to take a stroll, love. But as I was just about to walk past this ce, I sensed that you were here somehow, so I thought it wise toe in and say hi. Surely, that was the right thing to do, wasn''t it?"


    "Sure," I answered. She wasn''t far from the truth. Yet, somehow, I felt deep down that she wasn''t beingpletely honest with me.


    "Wait... I know this face," the princess uttered, feigning surprise. "What is this maid doing here, love?"


    Seeing that I didn''t tell her about the maid earlier, I knew that I had to cook up something very believable. There was no way I was going to tell her that I felt she was supposed to go with me because she might have also been my mate. I couldn''t tell a shallow lie because Sophia was a very smart woman. Thankfully, I too was a smart man.


    "Remember the servant that I talked to you about in the carriage before we left?" I asked.


    "The one that you said the guard came to tell you something about?"


    "Yes, that one," I affirmed. "I thought it would be nice to get a servant who would help you with the things you''d need in this Pack. It''s not going to be nice for you to be here without having a personal maid whose job will solely be to cater for your needs as the Luna of this Pack."


    I saw a smile spring forth on her face as I spoke. I thought she loved what she heard. Any woman would be thrilled to know that her man was looking out for her above all things. I wanted to be that man for her.


    "That''s so sweet of you, my love," she said, caressing my ears with her right hand before nting a kiss on my cheeks. "But I don''t think this servant is good enough to serve a Luna like me. She''s way too ugly to do that."


    The Princessughed scornfully after she made the statement and I looked to the maid whose head was bowed as she stared at the ground, probably feeling embarrassed.


    "Well, I don''t need a servant at the moment. I''d probably call for her when I do, but I have something for her." The Princess turned her attention to the maid, looking at her from her head to her toes as though she was trying to ess her based on her appearance.


    "What could it be?" I asked; a bit happy that she found her good enough to do something in the Pack. She looked like she just wanted to be rid of her and I didn''t want that. It was too early for us to have issues, especially because of a maid, so I was d it wasn''t going to be a problem.


    "I''ve known this servant for a while," she began. "She''s the daughter of my maid back in my Pack and she has a reputation for being so good at cooking. What I suggest is that you should assign her to the kitchen as I''m certain that she''ll fit in perfectly there."


    Aurora''s POV


    I was left with my mouth agape by the words that proceeded from the mouth of the princess. It was something that I never expected to hear from her and I didn''t know why she had to say that, especially when no one asked her to do so.


    I wondered why she thought so low of me; why everyone always looked down on me. It was something that I had experienced all my life and the harder I tried to change that perception, the more I put myself in even more positions to be treated that way.


    Just thinking about all that, always made me weak. It caused me to be engulfed in an overwhelming sadness; one that I was never able to get over.


    I thought hard about what the Princess had just said and I didn''t know if it was a good thing or a bad one. As much as it hurt to be put away like that, I could take some sce in the fact that I loved to cook.


    To me, it was more than an honour to be tasked with cooking for everyone in the Pack. Eating was the most important activity and I was tasked with ensuring that the food was properly made. Their satisfaction was ced in my hands. It wasn''t bad at all.


    "Let it be so, my dear." The Alpha said to Princess Sophia before turning to me. "Henceforth, you are assigned to work only in the kitchen. I do trust that the Princess'' testimony of you is urate as I''m not used to eating food that isn''t well prepared. Be sure not to disappoint. It will be in your best interest to do your job effectively as I''m not known for my patience and tolerance. Am I clear?"


    "Yes, Alpha." I forgave him for his long speech as he had never tasted any food made by me. If he had, he''d have known that none of his chefs was half as good as I was. Experience, they said, was the best teacher and I was keen on making good of that adage.


    With that, he turned to leave, with the Princess by his side and I noticed that she reached out with her left hand and held on to his right, intertwining their fingers together before turning to look at me. She gave me a wicked grin and smirked before they finally walked away.


    Good riddance.

 The Savior

    Aurora''s POV


    Days passed in the Pack and I continued doing what I loved to do the most; cooking. Yet, it didn''t feel as good as I thought it would.


    Getting to a new Pack, I expected a certain kind of treatment from the maids in the Pack. I certainly didn''t expect to be treated like I used to be, in my Pack. Since they barely knew me, I assumed that they were going to be nicer.


    How wrong I was! From the first day that I set my feet in the kitchen, it was clear that they didn''t like me at all. From the way they looked at me like I was some kind of alien, to the way they hissed whenever I passed, they made it clear that I wasn''t wee there.


    I saw the way they smiled at each other; how they always shared augh and were super helpful to one another and I wondered why mine was so different. They wouldn''t even respond to my greeting at all, no matter how much I greeted them. They had such a disgusting attitude that I could barely stand them. Yet, I did all in my power to get on their good side. But it only made things even worse. Not even one of the maids was on my side.


    I took a small knife and began to cut the vegetables which I had already washed a few minutes before that. I needed to be fast as the Alpha required vegetable sauce and he didn''t like being kept waiting for any reason.


    "Ugly duckling!" One of the maids screamed in my ears, while the other maidsughed so hard. I pretended to not hear her and focused on what I was doing. Then she walked straight to me, probably angry that I didn''t respond to her taunting.


    "You did hear me, didn''t you, duckling?" She asked again, this time, pulling my hair with her right hand, as she attempted to somehow yank it off my head.


    "Won''t you say something?" Another maid asked and before I could know what was going on, I was surrounded by about five maids.


    Pushing off thedy who held onto my hair, I dropped the knife that I held in my hands to avoid the temptation I felt to use it on one of them. Yet, I wouldn''t speak to them. I just stared at them, wondering why they all felt the urge to bully me.


    "How dare you?" One of the maids asked disdainfully, seeing that I pushed the other one away. She grabbed me by the neck and pped me hard across my left cheek.


    I felt like shouting but I didn''t want to give them that satisfaction. Rose leapt and growled within me but I did all I could to keep her in check. "Don''t hit me again," I said to the maid but the words had barely left my mouth when another pnded on my cheeks.


    "Let her be," a voice called out from behind the maids, causing them all to draw back.


    I spotted a man whose face was very familiar approaching me. He pushed thest maid who still had her hands on me away, before drawing me closer to him.


    It was no one else but Alpha Dn; Alpha Bane''s stepbrother. He was the least I expected toe to my rescue and I couldn''t help but tremble at his presence.


    Alpha Bane''s POV


    It was a brilliant morning and I barely had anything to do in my pce, so I thought it best to head over to the kitchen to see Aurora and check up on her as I always did.


    As I got there, I looked through the kitchen door and saw that a few maids surrounded her and tried to bully her which subconsciously drew a huge frown from my face.


    I decided in my heart that I wasn''t going to let that happen. I was going to not just stop them but to sternly warn them that a repeat of such ugly behaviour will never go unpunished in the Pack. I had always instructed them to treat others with respect. They were only miserly maids, yet they felt a need to maltreat another maid. I wasn''t going to have that at all.


    Just as I tried to step in and ameliorate the situation, I noticed that there was someone else there. It was Dn. He had gotten to the ce first and I didn''t know how. "What on Earth is he doing here?" I asked myself.


    He stepped in and stopped the maids from causing any further harm to Aurora. I saw him push a maid aside, screaming at the maids at the top of his voice for such a thing to never repeat. He did all that I had in mind to do. There was nothing left, except staring at them.


    Then, I saw him draw Aurora closer to himself, wrapping his arms around her in a hug. She hesitated a bit, as she seemed a bit scared, her trembling fingers a testament to that. But within a short time, she was bold enough to wrap her hands around him too, which drew a huge grin from Dn''s face. He must have enjoyed every moment of that.


    I knew that I had no right to be pissed but I felt jealousy flow through me as they hugged. A surge of anger overwhelmed me and I couldn''t exin the reason behind that. All I knew was that I wasn''t happy that she and Dn looked to have be a bit friendly.


    After a few minutes, they let go of themselves and just stared deeply into each other''s eyes. That was when I decided that I had seen enough. I turned around from behind the kitchen door where I watched them and angrily walked back to my room. All the time, I kept wondering if he only decided to get close to her because of me.

 The Confrontation

    Alpha Bane''s POV


    The news about the new chef; Aurora, and my brother, Dn spread like wildfire in the Pack. Every Tom, Dick and Harry knew that they had be best friends ever since the previous incident.


    Since that day, Dn made it a habit to always visit Aurora in the kitchen daily to check up on her and share a fewughs. It was so frequent that I barely had any time to see her at all.


    As I took a stroll from my pce to nowhere, in particr, I saw a few maids walking toward my direction and sharing a few words so I slowed down my pace so I could hear what they were talking about.


    "Could it be true that those two are already in a rtionship?" One of the maids asked the other one. They seemed unaware of my presence in the area as they freely chattered.


    "It seems so," the other maid replied. "Yet, we must tread with caution. It wouldn''t be great to spread such news to others, only to find it untrue. Surely, we''d be in trouble for that, wouldn''t we?"


    "I still think they look amazing together though. Have you seen them talk in close quarters or stare into each other''s eyes whilst having their hands interlocked?"


    "I have, and it''s just pure bliss. In a way, I envy the new girl. She has only just arrived and here she is, having such a bond with the Alpha''s stepbrother. That ugly girl! Who would have thought?"


    I couldn''t stand their talk anymore so I quickly increased my pace, making myself visible to them. The look on their faces was priceless. I could sense that they weren''t sure if they were in trouble or not. How could they, when they were carelessly throwing words around without being sure of who was hearing them?


    "The walls have ears," was a saying they had failed to embrace. It was going to cost them one day. I was very sure of that. It just wasn''t that day as I didn''t have the time. I walked past them like they weren''t there, unsure if they greeted me because I paid no attention to the idiots.


    "My Alpha!"


    I saw a maid running toward me as fast as she could and I had toe to a halt. She seemed to bear important news as nothing else I could think of could justify the speed in her tiny legs.


    "What is it?" I asked as she got to me, panting so hard.


    "My Alpha," she began, pausing again to take in another deep breath. "Today is the day of the council meeting and I was told by the elders to inform you as quickly as I can as the meeting will soon have tomence."


    The council meeting was the least of the things on my mind. Indeed, I already forgot that it was to be held on that day. I had other pressing issues to handle and


    I wasn''t going to let the meeting distract me.


    "I need you to summon Aurora immediately," I ordered. "Tell her that I need her here immediately!"


    She nodded and left, while I stood there, waiting for Aurora''s arrival.


    Aurora''s POV


    As I walked to the ce where I was told that Alpha Bane stood, waiting for me, I couldn''t help but think. It was a surprise to me that he had called for me to see him. It was something I never expected.


    I walked as fast as I could. It was never a good thing to keep your Alpha waiting and I didn''t want any trouble at all. As soon as I got to him, I bowed my head in honour. "Good day, my Alpha," I greeted.


    "How are you doing today, Aurora?" He asked, again to my surprise.


    "I''m good. Thank you."


    "Well, I didn''t just call you for the sake of it," he began, slightly lowering his head as though he was trying to avoid eye contact. "I have noticed that you and my brother have developed some type of... friendship, if I may call it that. It''s something that I do not appreciate."


    "Can I ask why my Alpha?" I subtly questioned. My friendship with Alpha Dn was the best thing that had happened to me in the Pack. He was the one who always stood up for me, protecting me from those bullies. I wondered if Alpha Bane just wanted to see me suffer in the Pack.


    "You must keep your distance from Dn, by all means, necessary," he continued. "I don''t like the rumours that are flying around in the Pack concerning both of you. Besides, Dn is not the good man you might have thought he is. There''s a whole lot that you don''t know about him."


    "Why would you say something like that?" I was enraged by his words and I didn''t see why he''d talk about Dn that way. "I think you should mind your business instead!"


    As the words left my mouth, I felt a strong urge to say even more but I held back, as hard as I could, knowing that my outburst wasn''t the wisest thing to do. He just stared at me with his mouth wide open. I guess he struggled to believe that I could speak up that way and that only worked to get me even more upset.


    "Alpha Dn is the only person in the Pack who sees me beyond the physical scars that I have," I continued, finally giving in to the urge I had in my heart to speak. "He''s the only one who has treated me so well since I arrived here so if you expect me to leave him, you just have to be joking."


    I felt tears streaming down my eyes as I spoke and I knew that if I stayed longer, I''d cause more damage to myself than I''d already done. All the while, Alpha Bane kept mute, only looking at me and letting me pour out all that was in my heart.


    Still very hurt, I turned around and walked away from him. "Aurora!" He kept calling out but I wouldn''t say anything to him. I just had to leave.

 Investigations

    Alpha Bane''s POV


    I sat on my bed and thought deeply about what happened earlier. As I reached deep into my thoughts, I realised that contrary to what we all previously thought, Aurora didn''t have scars on her face at all. She also wasn''t ugly at all as others have said that she was. She was a lovely girl with a beautiful soul. It was amazing how I hadn''t seen her in that light all this while.


    Yet, I still didn''t believe her words. Perhaps it wasn''t because they weren''t true. Maybe, I just didn''t want to believe it. I mean, she was the daughter of amon maid. How could someone like that be my destined mate? Even the goddess would forbid that. An Alpha cannot be mated with a maid. I had never heard about that before in all my life. It just couldn''t have been true in my case.


    But there was something that got me thinking a lot. Her scent was different. It was strong; much stronger than that of Sophia whom I felt was my destined mate. Her scent was just so pure. It was so tangible that I could even dare to touch it with my fingers. It smelled so real and that only made me more curious. "If she is no mate of mine, how then is her scent so alluring?" I asked myself.


    I stood from my bed, eager to get to the root of the matter but clueless about exactly how I was supposed to do that. I pped my face a few times, as I tried to dig deep to find a suitable idea but none was forting. Then I remembered just what to do.


    "Mark!" I screamed at the top of my voice. I didn''t need to do that but I did so anyway. Mark was my Beta and I could have simply reached out to him through my mind link. Instead, I chose the path of the vocal cords.


    "Yes, my Alpha," he answered, getting to my room as quickly as he could.


    We were close friends. We had been that way since we were younger. Yet, Mark never dishonoured me for any reason. He barely even addressed me by my first name, even though I had told him that he could.


    "I need a favour from you, Mark. Think you can be of help to me?" I asked with a smile on my face.


    "Anytime, my Alpha," was his answer. "I''m always at your service, dear friend."


    "Sit."


    I walked back to my bed, with Mark walking closely behind me as we both sat to talk. From the way he looked at me, I could tell that he had an idea about what it was that I wanted to talk to him about.


    "It''s the new maid, isn''t it?" He finally said, confirming my thoughts.


    "Yes, it is," I affirmed. "I need to find out something important about her and I need you to do that for me."


    "What exactly would you have me do?"


    "I need you to investigate thedy. Find out all that you can about her and let me know. Don''t leave any details behind. There''s something strange about her. I haven''t said this to anyone else and I wouldn''t want it to be heard from anyone else. It''s her scent. She smells like sweet cinnamon and I can''t hold it in once she''s around. It overwhelms me. Like she''s..."


    "Your mate?"


    "Yes, Mark, but I have a mate already; the Princess. Is it possible to have two mates?"


    Mark narrowed his eyes as he too was puzzled by my situation. "I''ve never heard of anything like that all my life, but we both know that there''s always a first time."


    I didn''t want to believe that he thought it was possible. It was just absurd. The goddess couldn''t have been so cruel to make two women have to battle for one man. If that were to be the case, there might have been a need for both women to fight for the position of Luna and the loser was sure to feel sad and betrayed. It made no sense to me at all.


    "If I told the Princess what I thought, she might not take it lightly. So I have decided to keep it away from her until I''m certain that what I think is the truth. Please be thorough in your findings. Leave no stone unturned. Be as discreet as possible too. I wouldn''t want to hear rumours that I''m stalking a maid through my Beta."


    "Sure thing, my Alpha. I''ll get to it immediately. You can use the mind-link when you want to call me in future," heughed. I''d have alsoughed but I was in no such mood. I was faced with a serious situation and I needed a serious face to match it.


    "I''ll have that in mind. That doesn''t mean I''ll do it though." With that, he turned around and left the room while I stood and stretched a bit.


    The thought of Aurora and Dn being together still irked me badly. I paced around the room, fuming so hard. I could say for sure that I was jealous; more jealous than I felt previously.


    I was supposed to be so upset about how she spoke to me but somehow, it got me even more endeared to her as I had never seen that side of her before. Yet, I knew I couldn''t allow that to happen again. I had to do something to make sure of that.


    I wished that there was something I could do to halt their rtionship, but I didn''t see the possibility. I was also convinced that Dn got close to her for a reason. He had always been so selfish and maniptive and it was only going to be a matter of time before he''d show his true colour.


    Getting to my bathroom to have a shower, a thought struck me so hard and for the first time that day...


    I smiled.

 New Ideas

    Aurora''s POV


    The sounds of crickets kept ringing in my ears as I tried in vain to get some sleep.


    I turned from side to side but all of my efforts were in vain. I was restless. The thoughts in my head wouldn''t let me be, no matter how hard I tried to push them away.


    "Ahhh!" I gasped as I heard something that sounded like a hand on my door knob. I waited a bit to see if the person was going to knock but I heard nothing else.


    Keen to know if someone was there, I walked quietly to the door and gently opened it but I saw no one. It was dark, but I could have spotted a figure if there were any. "Oh, wow!" That was all I could say.


    I didn''t just get worked up at the thought of someone knocking on my door for nothing. I had thought it was probably Alpha Bane on the door. Every sound I heard around my room seemed like it was done by him, even though he had never been to my room. I didn''t even think he knew where I stayed, save that I was at the servant''s quarters. Yet, I was still scared somehow.


    Ever since ourst encounter, I could never get my mind off what happened. It was a disaster of a meeting and it was all my fault. There were a thousand and one ways that I could have handled it. Yet, I chose to do it my way. I chose to yell at the alpha of the Pack that I found myself in. How could I have done that?


    I almost cursed myself for letting my emotions get the better of me. I was stronger than that. Control had never been my strong suit but I had always found a way around it. Perhaps, it wasn''t to be.


    Indeed, he wasn''t of no me himself. He was at fault and as much as I did not respond the best way, it didn''t mean that I was wrong; not necessarily, all I told him was simply the truth. There was only one little problem. He was the alpha and I was his servant.


    It was bad enough that he had refused to pick me as his mate, despite all I said to him. I had no other choice but to move on to someone else who did care for me; like Dn. There was no way that I was going to let him stop me from making friends with other people in the Castle. That''d be very unfair.


    No man ever ate his cake and had it back. No man ever tossed another in the air and told him where to fall. Those were words from a wise man. I made up my mind that I was going to meet new people and live my life the way it pleased me whilst serving him faithfully as I ought. It was my job anyway; serving others. It has always been my job.


    As I slowly walked back to my bed, I felt a tingle in my stomach at the thought of Dn which made me pause abruptly. I couldn''t stop a smile from springing forth on my face. Just the thought of him did a lot to me.


    I sat on my bed and began to reminisce about the things he always did for me. The length he had to go through to make sure that I was happy, the help he never failed to render me even when I didn''t feel like asking; they were all so fresh in my head.


    "Is this love that I''m smelling?" Rose asked, leaping a bit with joy on my inside. She seemed to be so excited for me, even though she knew that Dn wasn''t my


    mate.


    "Love? Come on, Rose. It can''t be love, can it?" I asked, even though I knew the answer. Somehow, I forgot that I couldn''t hide it from my wolf. " Okay. Okay. Fine!


    I mean, it''s okay to feel something for someone, right?"


    "It''s not bad at all. I''m d that you''re finally happy after such a long time. I get that he''s not your mate and that''s a huge problem, but yeah, I just want you to be happy anyway."


    With the way she stressed the "Huge, "I knew she wasn''t particrly happy about what I felt but she was happy for me and that was all that mattered. Dn was the man I needed Bane to be; loving, caring, affectionate, everything I needed in a


    man.


    I had thought a man couldn''t look at me without turning away to spit on the floor until Dn came into my life. He showed me that genuine affection did exist. He was my knight and shining armour.


    With the thoughts, came a wave of sleep, finally finding its way to me after a long absence. I joyfully shut my eyes as I felt some peace like I''d never felt before. Then a thought came suddenly to my mind, drawing a grin from my cheeks.


    Princess Sophia''s POV


    As I left my room and headed toward Alpha Bane''s chambers, I thought about the numerous things that I could do with him. For quite a while, we hadn''t had a good time together and it was no fault of mine. The fault was all his. He barely had time for me. It was either one thing or the other and I was keen to put a stop to all of that by spending some time with him whether he wanted it or not.


    Yet, it wasn''t just that, that had me marching to his ce as quickly as I could. I had a n. I called it the perfect n. It was the best way that I could think of, to handle him based on my recent findings about his ordeals.


    Just the previous day, I was told by a maid that he had summoned Aurora without letting me know. How could he have thought about something so ridiculous, talk more of doing it? I was so pissed that I wanted to confront them immediately, but I was always rational in my thinking. There were always better ways to handle certain situations.


    Yet, I couldn''t get it off my head. The maid imed to have seen them talk for a moment before Aurora finally left. It took some self-control to resist the urge to rest my palms on the left cheek of the innocent maid for a crime she didn''tmit. I was that upset. I was curious too. I needed to know what it was that they talked about.


    Getting to the door, I knocked, and without waiting to hear anything from him, I opened it and walked inside. Bane was pacing around and I sensed that something was wrong with him. He looked lost in his thoughts and didn''t seem to notice me until he got to the end of his room and turned back around.


    Then our eyes met and he quickly stopped walking, staring at me like he''d seen a ghost. That was my chance, or so I thought. I smiled at him, walking to him and caressing his cheek with my right hand.


    "Is anything bothering you, my Alpha?" I asked him, but he didn''t respond. He seemed uninterested in whatever it was that I had to say and instead of talking to me, he tried to walk past me, drawing my ire.


    "Why wouldn''t you talk to me?" I screamed at him. "Are you acting this way because of that slu..."


    I was so close to revealing the real reason why I was there and at the wrong time. Thankfully, I was able to get hold of myself but I had already seeded in getting his attention, although not in the way that I''d have loved to.


    "What were you saying?" He asked, suddenly realising that he had a tongue. "You should finish up what you were saying to me."


    "Don''t worry about that," I calmly replied, still wearing a frown. "I can''t remember and I think I need to give you some space. You don''t seem in the mood for a conversation."


    I turned around and slowly walked away from the room, dragging my feet as I did,


    to show my annoyance and hoping that he''d try to stop me.


    He didn''t, and it only served to worsen my mood, deepening my hatred and


    jealousy toward Aurora. If I ever wanted to deal with her mercilessly, there was no better time.

 Happiness Is Free

    Aurora''s POV


    I yawned aloud as I felt the rays of the sun warming up to me in my bed and slightly caressing my eyes. I raised my right hand and shielded my eyes with it as I gently stood, doing my best to maintain someposure.


    My head was a bit hazy as I could still recall all that happened the night before, only stopping at the time I smiled hard after getting a beautiful thought. I guess that was when I fell asleep.


    I gathered some strength and managed to pick myself up from the bed. Then I headed toward the bathroom to have a bath. Before getting there, I decided to have a look at the time so I looked at the clock which hung by the side of my bed and it was already a few minutes past 7.


    "Damn it!" I screamed aloud as I rushed into the bathroom and turned on the shower. I had somewhere to go and I needed to leave very early.


    It was only after I had turned it on that I remembered that I still had my nightwear on. How stupid was I! I stepped away from the stream of water and turned off the shower. Then I tossed my nightwear to the bed and went in to have my bath.


    In about ten minutes, I was done having my bath and I rushed out of the bathroom and quickly went to my wardrobe to get my clothes. I always loved it when I stepped out of the bathroom naked. It was more like a ritual to me. I never liked taking clothes with me to the bathroom to change; not even underwear.


    I put on a ck gown which was given to me by my mother. It was the only gift that I had ever received from her on one of my birthdays. On that day, it came to me as a shock as she never remembered to wish me a happy birthday for any reason. Not only because she didn''t care about saying it, but she also couldn''t even remember the day as I always had to remind her, even though it always changed nothing.


    Wearing the dress brought back memories; good memories of what I always craved, even though it never happened, nor will it ever. Ibed my hair and went to the mirror to have a final look at myself and everything was set.


    I opened my door and looked to the right and then, to the left to see if there was anyone around but there wasn''t. I didn''t want to be seen by anyone as the n I had required a lot of stealth. If I were to be found, I was certain that I''d never be allowed to go that far without anypany.


    After considering all that Dn had done for me, I thought it wise to do something for him. I wanted to do something special for him to make him feel as special as he was to me and what better could I have done except what I knew how to do best?


    Cook.


    It came with its troubles. I couldn''t cook for him with the foodstuffs that were avable at the castle. I''d be stoned for stealing and also given further


    punishment. That wasn''t part of the n. I needed to buy some foodstuffs to make the food.


    Thankfully, I had saved up some good cash so I quickly took the money from beneath my pillow where I hid it and off I went.


    As I walked down the corridor, I kept tiptoeing and hoping that no one would spot me. Little did I know that there was a huge stone right in front of me and as I turned around to see if anyone was watching whilst still moving forward, I dashed my right foot hard against the stone, almost drawing a cry from my lips.


    I held the scream in, as much as I could, knowing what fate awaited me if I was caught trying to leave the Castle. It may have been assumed that I wanted to escape from the Alpha and given how ourst meeting went, I wasn''t certain that I was going to get a favourable judgement from Alpha Bane.


    Ignoring the pain, I managed to keep walking until I left the building,ing out in the open and admiring the brilliant sunlight. There was no one in sight, much to my surprise and it dawned on me that it was a divine arrangement; well, at least, I thought so.


    I walked as fast as I could, panting all the way, and in about thirty minutes, I began to hear the loud voices of children who danced around with huge smiles on their faces.


    "Buy two apples and get one for free!"


    "An orange today, and a mate tomorrow. Your choice!"


    The women who sold in the market used the different strategies known to them to try to get the customers to buy from them. They stared at me in delight. They had found a fish to catch.


    I walked around, trying to locate the things I needed to buy and when I found them, I took my time to select the best of them. If I was going to do something for Alpha Dn, I swore that it was certainly going to be worth it.


    After coursing around the market for hours, I finally got all that I needed and all that was left was just to prepare the delicacy. As I began to head back home, it dawned on me that it was quite unfair to form an opinion about someone without getting to know the person and his side of the story.


    I had thought that Alpha Dn was a cruel man. As soon as I noticed that Alpha Bane was my mate, I concluded in my heart that his brother had to be the bad one. I was wrong. Indeed, he was quite the opposite of what I assumed he was. Bane too. People were never really what they seemed. Well, except for me. I looked like a wretched servant and that was exactly who I was.


    I had no friends at all and I had always craved one. In Alpha Dn, I had someone who gave me the slightest hint that I could have a chance of being friends with someone. Nothing appealed to me more than that. It was something I wanted and I was going to do all that I could to make him my friend.


    "Perhaps, after enjoying my lovely delicacy, he''d get more endeared to me and we will finally be very good friends," I said to myself as I kept on walking.


    Halfway through the journey, I decided against going back home. I needed to spend some time alone. It had been so long since I had a good time. Icked a lot of fun because no one else wanted to y with me. I decided to be my ymate.


    Instead of going to the Castle, I turned to my right and headed to the forest so I could have some good alone time. As soon as I got there, I plucked a few leaves and threw them up in the air, as I tried to see how many I could catch. Then, I ran around the ce, dancing cheerfully till dusk.

 Caught

    Alpha Bane''s POV


    Another morning and another day to have a pointless meeting with the so-called elders of the Park. It was a meeting that I couldn''t avoid, else, I''d have skipped it without even blinking.


    As the men spoke, I just stared at them, one after the other, as they all tried to make their points known, leaving insults, one to the other, in the process.


    "Stop!" I screamed, hearing enough of their nonsense. "We must do away with our differences and look to achieve ourmon goal. If we end up killing ourselves, of what use would that be to us? Would our enemies not rejoice over us? Would our dignified Park not be put to shame? How can the elders who are thought to be the custodians of great wisdom, act as though they need the same?"


    My words seemed to get to them as they paused a bit, and then their silence turned to murmur as each had something to say to the other but was no longer keen on making a fool of themselves in the process.


    "Elders, let us put our heads together and find a way to ensure that this Pack reigns supreme in this vicinity," I continued. "We must ensure that our borders are heavily guarded and no intruder is allowed to tell the story of his illegal entrance into ournds. We must instil fear in the hearts of the people around us. We must make them fear this Pack!"


    The elders nodded their heads in affirmation; a sign that I was heading in the right direction and for once, we were on the same page. Somehow, it caused me to smile.


    As I tried to say something else to them, I noticed ady approaching from the gates. I paused and looked more closely to see that it was Aurora. She was briskly walking and dancing with a smile on her face. I could have been forgiven for thinking that there were no troubles in life due to the way that she behaved. I also wondered where it was that she wasing back from.


    From the way she was dancing, it was clear to me that she hadn''t seen me yet. So I stared at her for quite a while in sheer fascination, forgetting for a split- second that I was addressing the men beside me. Then I decided to call her so I could hear for myself what she had to say


    "Aurora!" I screamed at the top of my voice, causing her to freeze, immediately stopping the dance she was so fully enjoying.


    Aurora''s POV


    "How? What exactly is going on? Why did it have to be now that he''d be outside? What am I going to do?"


    I had so many questions on my mind but no answer whatsoever to any of them. I felt my leg stuck on the ground like I was held back with some glue. I contemted doing a lot of things even though they looked stupid.


    For example, I thought for a second that it was going to be best to simply run as fast as my legs to carry me to avoid being captured by Alpha Bane or any of his men but I knew it was a horrible idea as soon as it came. Then, I began to think about the different things I could say to him to get him to refrain from punishing me. I knew that I was in trouble.


    I finally turned around to him in great fear as I felt my heart try to run away from my chest. My hands trembled and my bag nearly fell off but I managed to hold onto it in the best way that I could. I almost regretted carrying it in my hands instead of on my back and I did well to change that. As I fixed my gaze on him, I didn''t know what to say. I wondered if I was to answer him whilst still standing there or to walk across from him. The confusion got the best part of me.


    I had vited his order to never leave the Castle on my own. I was asked to always have another maid with me whenever I had to step out of the Castle. It was both for protection and to prevent me from trying to escape regardless of how I felt. That vition meant that I was in for a very serious punishment as it was a grievous offence. That, coupled with the way that I had treated him thest time we met, pointed only to one thing... I was in serious trouble.


    I walked very slowly toward him, shaking all the way, and I noticed that he hadn''t broken his gaze on me at all. He just stood, staring at me without blinking and I got even more scared than I already was. He was probably thinking about the different ways that he''d make me pay for what I did. I thought that my fate was already decided and it was just a matter of hearing what he had to say. So I kept walking to him.


    Befuddled as I was, I got to where he was and bowed to greet him. "Good day, my Alpha," I greeted, with my head still bowed and my fingers tightly clenched together, as tears began to build up on my face and hands.


    "Good day," he greeted too, much to my surprise. He didn''t sound overly upset but I wasn''t to be fooled by all of that. I knew there was something wrong and it was only a matter of time before I''d go in for it.


    I raised my head and looked into his eyes, patiently waiting for him to say a word, with anxiety written all over my face as my heart beat so fast in a strange rhythm.


    "Where did you go?" Alpha Bane finally asked, breaking the awkward moment. It was only then that I decided to save myself from his ire at all costs. I thought long and hard in just a few seconds and thankfully, I was able to cook something up very quickly.


    "I...I was sent on an errand by the Head chef, my Alpha," I lied in a stutter, which threatened to expose me. I hoped that he believed me as it was the only thing that I could think of at that moment. I couldn''t tell him the truth. It was going to be the end of me.


    I wasn''t unaware of the dangers that came with lying. I knew how dangerous it was, especially if the Alpha was able to find out. It was my job to ensure that it never happened, even if I had to tell more lies in the process.


    Unlike what I had expected, he took it well and we talked for quite a while until he cast his eyes on my bag. "What''s in there?" He asked. "Let me have that."


    "You''re looking a bit pale," I said to him, doing my best to change the topic. "Have you been thinking a lot?"


    "Not really, but sometimes, an Alpha has to think about a lot of things."


    "I think you should give yourself a little bit of rest, you know. You do need it."


    It worked. In a few minutes, he had forgotten that he wanted to have her bag and soon, it was time to handle other pressing issues. "You can go now, Aurora."


    Delighted, I scurried away with my backpack, smiling all the way.

 The Shocking Discovery

    Aurora''s POV


    The sweet aroma of the meal I had just finished preparing for Dn coursed through my nose, and made its way to my brain, sending a signal that I was on the right track. Yet, I didn''t want to believe it. I had to know for myself what exactly I had just done.


    I grabbed a small spoon, with which I took a bit of the meal to taste and just like it looked and smelled, it tasted nice. Had it not been that I wanted to give everything to Dn to show him how special he was to me, I''d have taken a bit of it for myself. Self-control wasn''t as easy as I used to think it was; especially when it had to do with a beautiful delicacy.


    I took out a fanciful sk and with the cooking spoon, I put the food inside the sk and packaged it in a brightly coloured yellow leather bag. Then, I put a stainless spoon inside the bag and took off from the kitchen to find Dn so I could present to him the delicious meal that I had specially prepared for him.


    I sauntered around the Castle, as I tried to locate the exact room that was his. I had been there a few times but I always had a little difficulty navigating my way to his room. I didn''t have to walk for long before I found it. I got some help on the way.


    The help came in no other form but Dn''s voice. As I got to a room, I heard him say a few words inside and I knew I was at the right ce; right in front of his door.


    It wasn''t just his voice that I heard. It seemed to me that he was in some kind of a meeting so I drew closer to the door to hear more clearly what was going on inside the room.


    As I got there, I noticed that there was someone else inside talking to Dn with a voice that I couldn''t recognize. I tried to see if there was a hole or a little space by the side through which I could see what was going on inside but there was none. So I resigned to eavesdropping from where I stood.


    What got to me most was that it wasn''t just a conversation, it was a very heated one and tempers seemed to be on the rise. I looked down to see what I had in my hands and wondered if it was going to be right to knock and hand the food over to him.


    It wasn''t. I was so sure of that. If there was ever an inappropriate time to meet Dn, that was it. He was so busy and besides, he also wasn''t alone and I wondered what the result could have been if I tried to walk inside the room that instant.


    Having someone around meant that we were not going to be alone to enjoy the moment. There was no way I would have been able to tell him that I prepared the meal myself and that was the essence of the whole n. Of what use would it have been to let him have the food if he wasn''t going to know it was made by me?


    None at all.


    I also didn''t want to hear my name fly around for the wrong reasons. The walls and ears; so did whoever it was, that was with Dn. Showing up there was likely to bring up gossip about a maid who was caught personally serving one of the king''s sons. I wasn''t ready for such drama.


    Just as I turned to leave, I heard something that sounded like Alpha Bane''s name and I suddenly stopped. Rose kicked out inside me; a sign that there was a problem somehow. "You should go back and find out what''s going on," she urged, as I went back to eavesdrop some more.


    At first, I was reluctant. It wasn''t ideal to poke my nose in the affairs of someone else and I was well aware of the consequences of being caught. But Rose was quite persuasive as she didn''t let me have any peace of mind. So I heeded her plea and returned to my former position, just behind the door.


    "I hate that idiot!" Dn screamed aloud. "He thinks he''s better than everyone, yet he''s nothing but a stupid coward. I had him beaten in the first fight, only for him to quit. I''m going to get rid of him by all means. He, who has my birthright in his hands must be made to see his maker. "


    I was stunned by those words. I had no idea that Dn had such ns against his brother. He was defeated fair and square. I never knew that there was bad blood still lingering between the two.


    "But he is your brother, your blood. Doesn''t that mean anything to you, Dn?" I heard the other person ask him but his mind was already made up.


    "I don''t care what he calls himself," Dn continued. "All I know is that I need him out of the way and I''m going to make sure of that. On the eve of the next werewolf market day, I''ll carry out my n."


    "In two days?"


    "Yes, that''ll be the perfect day to get the revenge that I''ve so craved for such a long time. I have to take back the throne which he stole from me without shame. I must retrieve what rightfully belongs to me. Life has never been known for giving things to people who think they deserve them. With life, it''s always a matter of who wants it more. If it''s yours, you have to prove it by going after it and possessing it. That''s exactly what I intend to do. I am going to be the new Alpha. I will take back my Park!"


    Suddenly, as I inadvertently moved the hand with which I held the bag containing the food, the spoon hit the sk and made a noise and Dn immediately stopped talking. They must''ve heard the noise and I was certain that he''de for the door in no time.


    With so much fear creeping into me and finding its way around my body, forcing me to tremble and panic uncontrobly, I quickly fled as stealthily as I could, from the corridor of the room, cursing the spoon as I ran.


    Dn''s POV


    As I spoke to my best friend concerning my n to destroy Bane, my so-called brother, I heard the sound of metal just outside of my room and I immediately stopped talking.


    "Did you hear something?" I asked my friend and he nodded.


    "Someone must have been listening to our conversations so far, man. We have to see who it is and deal with the person very quickly to avoid being exposed."


    I stretched out my hand toward him, urging him to stay put while I went across to


    the door to see who it was that was listening to our conversation.


    On getting to the door, I quickly opened it and brought my head out, hoping to catch the person unawares but I was met with no one. I looked to the right and the left but to my surprise and relief, there was no one around.


    "There''s nobody here, man," I said to my friend as I shut the door, and walked back to him so we could continue our discussion.


    "What if there was someone there? What if he or she ran away immediately? You do know that this n must not get to the ears of Alpha Bane or else, he''d be prepared for what is toe..."


    "Don''t you dare call him that around me," I angrily interrupted, so angry that he dared address Bane as the Alpha in my presence. "When you''re with me, it''s Bane. He''s no Alpha as long as I''m concerned. Is that clear?"


    "Yes. I''m sorry about that."


    "Good. About your question, I don''t think that anyone was there. However, if there was, I''d find out. I have my ways of doing that. What''s more important to me is that I''m going to take that moron''s life at that event. He wouldn''t even know what hit him."


    "And how do you intend to do that, if I may ask?"


    "Very simple. Bane always loves the high ces. He''s too high-minded and that would be his downfall...literally. I n to push him off a cliff on that day when he''d least expect it and I think I''d carry out that action myself. What do you think about it?"


    "Well," he said to me, with a bit of scepticism in his voice. "I think it''s a brilliant idea; one that requires a lot of work and urate calction as there can be no mistakes. It''s not something we can''t pull off. If you''d be needing my help, you know you can always count on me."


    "You''re looking at your next Alpha. Your services will not be forgotten, dear friend."

 Caught Again!

    Aurora''s POV


    It was deep into the night and everywhere was as silent as a graveyard. I sought sleep but it was nowhere to be found. Iy still for a moment, with my eyes shut, trying desperately to sleep, all to no avail. Then I turned to the right and the left, and still, I couldn''t sleep.


    I was restless. My mind couldn''t be rid of what I heard earlier behind Dn''s door.


    It kept ying over and over in my head and as much as I tried my hardest to get it off, I simply couldn''t.


    I knew that things weren''t so smooth between Dn and Alpha Bane. I mean, how could it? Dn had just lost out on the opportunity to be the Alpha by losing to his brother so it was only natural that they weren''t on good terms.


    I too was also an object of quarrel, between the pair and as much as I didn''t want that, there was nothing I could do about it. Yet, it wasn''t enough reason for such kind of an atrocity. It was something that I couldn''t fathom.


    In all my dealings with Dn, I never perceived him to be that kind of a person. How could he be nning to take the life of his brother? What sort of beast does that? I was perplexed and left to throw questions to the ceiling above me with no answers in return. How could he have done this? To think that I was just about to give him food to endear him to me.


    My mind went back to the day when I was called by Alpha Bane to his chambers. I remembered how he warned me sternly about his brother and how I vehemently refused to believe him, to the extent of talking back at him in a rather rude manner. I could see how so wrong I was and how right he was about his brother. I should have hearkened to his words, but all I had was regret.


    Now, I had to bear the burden of bearing the biggest secret of all; the knowledge of what was toe and I didn''t know what to do with it either. At first, I felt it was going to be better to simply lie on my bed and do nothing since I was in no ce to talk about it. However, it wasn''t so easy. Knowing that someone was going to die and refusing to act on it was an act only super easy to people without a heart. I did have one.


    I sprang up suddenly from my bed, much to the annoyance of Rose, my wolf, who didn''t seem pleased with my actions.


    "Stay put, Aurora. You''ll get yourself killed," she advised. "He wouldn''t even believe you if you told him."


    There was truth in what she said but I wasn''t willing to listen to that. If saving a life was going to cost me my life, then so be it. I put on my slippers and began walking toward my door, intent on sneaking into Alpha Bane''s chambers.


    On getting to the door, I remembered that wearing slippers wasn''t the best way to stay unnoticed so I took them off and left the room.


    I moved slowly, as stealthily as I could, tiptoeing all the way and praying to the goddess in my heart to not be found. As I walked, Rose kept telling me to get back to my room in different ways.


    "Get back to your room this instant, Aurora! Why are you being so stubborn?"


    "Please, Aurora, this isn''t worth it at all. Let''s just stop here and return. I have a bad feeling about this."


    In my heart, I knew that I was doing the right thing. It was true that I might not have been Alpha Bane''s real mate, and I was only a lowly maid who didn''t deserve an audience with the Alpha, but he didn''t deserve to die that way; no one deserved that. I had to tell him what I heard. Whether he was going to choose to believe it or not, was dependent on him.


    I tiptoed from my room to the big Castle, coursing through the hallway which led to Alpha Bane''s room. Usually, it was a short walk but because I had to be so slow, it looked like a journey of a thousand miles.


    In a few minutes, I was almost there. I paused a bit, took a deep breath, and continued walking, thankful that I was almost there. Then I heard a voice; a very familiar voice that stopped me in my tracks and got me rooted in the same spot.


    It was Sophia. Somehow, she appeared from nowhere and I didn''t know what else to do or what to even say to her.


    "What exactly are you doing here, witch?"


    Princess Sophia''s POV


    I was very shocked to see Aurora loitering about on the Castle premises. Of all ces that she could have gone to, it had to be close to Alpha Bane''s chambers. I smelt something fishy and I wasn''t about to let it slide for any reason.


    "What exactly are you doing here, Aurora?" I asked again, as she just stood still, without saying a word further confirming my suspicion that indeed, she was up to something.


    She finally turned around, left with no choice as she must have known what awaited her if she dared to defy me. "I... I¡ª"


    "Cat got your tongue?" I asked her as impatience got the better of me. I needed answers very quickly too and was in no mood for any sort of games.


    "I was having a bad night, unable to get some sleep, so I thought I needed to clear my head," she exined with shaky lips. She wasn''t such a good liar. "I thought I''d feel better if I just walked around, ma''am."


    I raised my right brow in doubt as I didn''t believe a word that she had said. I knew she was lying. There was no way truth could have proceeded from the mouth of a desperate maid like her. I knew what she had nned and I was keen to make sure that she failed.


    "I think you''ve walked around long enough then," I said to her, taking a few steps toward her. "You must think that I''m stupid but I''m not. You''re the stupid one for thinking that way. I know what you''re here for and I must warn you to be very careful. Leave here this instant and return to your chambers before I get more livid than I already am."


    As she turned around and walked back, I realized that I wasn''t done berating her so I thought it wise to add a few more words for good measure.


    "This has to be the first time that I''ll ever see you wandering about, especially in this part of the Castle. If I ever see you here, I''ll make sure you pay dearly for it," I threatened her, scowling to show the seriousness in my words. "You''re nothing but a mere ve and you should be grateful to be one of the maids in this Royal Castle. I wonder why Alpha Bane insisted on bringing in a lowlife like you to this ce. Move away from here and never return, you ugly witch!"

 Uncanny Suspicions

    Alpha Bane''s POV


    Two Days Later


    "Father, the werewolf market day hase and I must head to the next Pack to honour the event. If you would bless me, father."


    I bowed my head a bit to show my respect as my father walked down from the throne toward me with a huge smile on his face. He looked so proud to have a son like me and why wouldn''t he?


    On getting to where I stood, he tapped my back three times and ced his right hand on my head, uttering a few words of prayer to the moon goddess before pausing to look at me very carefully.


    "Go well, my son, ande back to me soon. The elders will give you a letter to give to them," he turned to one of the elders in the room who quickly stood and handed a note to him. "Tell the Alpha that I was the one who gave it to him. He''ll understand why. There are issues that we didn''t conclude thest time that I met him. Hopefully, this should handle it."


    "Thank you, father."


    I looked around to see some elders whispering to one another with smiles on their faces. They looked like people who had no care in the world. Perhaps, they didn''t.


    It was the day when the leadership of the Pack usually met to discuss pertinent issues and most importantly, to make merry. In front of all the elders were jars of wine and tes of well-fried pieces of meat which they devoured happily.


    "Where''s my brother?" I asked Mark, who was by my side the whole time.


    He turned and looked around but Dn was nowhere to be found which was quite strange. We had talked about the issues concerning the boundaries of the Pack and how to deal with the reckless rogues that threatened to disturb the Pack for as long as they were around, all in his absence. It had never happened before.


    Dn was almost always the first to arrive whenever the meeting was held. It was something that endeared him to our father as he admired his punctuality. At some point, I had that feeling that he wanted him to be the Alpha and not me, especially after how he treated my mother; a crime which I never forgave him for. Well, I made sure that didn''t happen.


    "I can''t find him," he said to me. "I think I should ask the guards.


    I motioned to him to let me do that myself and walked to one of the guards who stood beside the centre table. "Have you seen Dn?"


    "No, my Alpha. He hasn''t arrived."


    I asked the same question to three more guards but the answer was the same. Then I thought it best to ask the guard at the door, knowing that he was the best ce to spot all entrances and exits. I called out to him and he immediately ran to where I was.


    Just as I opened my mouth to speak, Dn walked into the room and he looked to be in a very boisterous manner. As he got inside, I perceived a very strange aura around him and it was very negative. Whenever I felt that way, it was only a sign that there was something wrong.


    As I watched him move, I did my best to shake the thought off my head as I assumed that I was probably overthinking. Besides, there was nothing to be afraid of when it came to my brother.


    Since I beat him to the crown, we had been on very good terms. Surprisingly, he didn''t make a fuss about it. Instead, he showed great reverence and respect to me and did not quarrel with me over that. Not until Aurora came into the picture.


    It was only then that we began to talk less and if anyone was to be med for that, it was me. Apart from that, we were alright, so I just kept that thought away from my head.


    "Wee brother," I said to him, extending my right hand for a handshake.


    Instead of stretching forth his hand for a handshake, he grabbed my hand instead and pulled me in a hug. "Go well, my brother. The goddess is with you, my Alpha."


    Every suspicion I had in my heart was dropped and I even felt so stupid for feeling the way that I did. I was so genuinely stunned by his immense show of affection that I nearly teared up a bit.


    I hugged him back with joy in my heart as we said our farewells. As I walked away, I saw him stare at me intently and I waved one more time before leaving the


    room.


    Aurora''s POV


    I felt cold hands all around me as I struggled to get a hold of myself. I kept thinking about what to do as the dreaded day hade. I couldn''t let Sophia cause the death of her mate. If only she knew what Dn nned, she''d have let me talk to Alpha Bane that night.


    I sat up on my bed, thinking hard and long about a way of sneaking out of the Castle. It was a difficult task, but one I had to embark on. If there was even the slightest chance of sess, I had to take it.


    I stood from my bed, ready for whatever was toe. Walking out of my door, I looked to my left and my right and saw that no one was looking. Then I moved gingerly, cautiously looking out for any of the guards but somehow, they seemed to be upied with something else.


    It was as though there was a special asion going on, as Alpha Bane''s father and some elders sat and talked in the throne room, as I sneakily walked past them.


    Just as I was about to get to the entrance, the pin which I used to hold my hair together fell to the floor and I heard a noise from inside that sounded like the guards were about toe out, so I ran as fast as my legs could carry me out of the Castle without looking back.


    It was only after I got outside that I noticed that no one was after me. I was just being chased by my thoughts and shadow and I hit myself in the head for it.


    I bent low and watched the carriage where Alpha Bane was moving and I saw that


    there were others following behind. Immediately, I stood and ran toward the carriages as they slowly began to make their way out of the Pack.


    "Oof!"


    I jumped with all my might and seeded in holding onto one of the carts as it kept moving. I felt my legs being dragged on the floor as I clenched my teeth and hung on.


    Then I ced my left hand on the carriage too and pulled myself up into it with a look of satisfaction on my face. Sess atst!


    I hid my scent to avoid being caught as the thought of Sophia looking around for


    me crossed my heart. "Don''t fret, Aurora. You can do this," Rose encouraged me, seeing that I was gripped with fear.


    With clenched fists and a bent head, I said a simple prayer to the moon goddess.


    "Help me."

 The Attack

    Aurora''s POV


    The carriage kept moving for several minutes and it looked like we would never reach there. I brought my head out a bit to see if I could recognize where we were but I couldn''t. I wondered how long it was going to get to wherever we were going.


    Suddenly, the carriage lurched to a stop and I heard the horses neighing about. My hands began to tremble as I was thrown into panic. Something was wrong and I knew it. Rose did too. She did her best to keep me calm.


    I had a very bad feeling deep inside of me. I had to find out what exactly was going on and I couldn''t do it from inside the carriage. Yet, I was scared of leaving there, to avoid being caught up with whatever it was that was going on.


    My curiosity got the better of me, and I tried to leave the carriage. But I was halted by sounds if war. There were loud noises and screams from the men as they looked to be fighting amongst themselves. Then I heard the dreaded sound of gunshots and knives nging against each other. I heard the sound of fallen men, as they screamed in agony. Going out didn''t seem a great prospect anymore.


    As much as I wanted desperately to save Alpha Bane''s life, I didn''t sign up to die. My aim was to tell him what Dn had in store for him so he could escape. I never knew that I''d find myself at the scene.


    As I kept contemting, I felt a force out me out from nowhere and I couldn''t understand it at first. Then, I tried to resist but it still forced me to move, this time throwing me to the ground as I hit my hands on the ground and cursed aloud.


    It was Rose. It had to be her. She just couldn''t stay away from the fight. "Don''t do this, Rose," I muttered under my breath, but she wouldn''t listen.


    The noise continued and it looked like there wasn''t going to be an end to ug. I looked up to see masked men all around, in heatedbat with Alpha Bane''s men. They looked to be having the upper hand as Alpha Bane''s men were taken unawares by their ambush. Yet, they fought with all the strength they could muster.


    I walked around a little bit, as I tried to look for Alpha Bane. The men paid no attention to me. They were all so engrossed in the fighting, with each man intent on destroying the other.


    Yet, I remained afraid, taking note of each man that I walked past just to be sure that I was safe. Then, I saw him, fighting with a masked man who seemed to be very skilled.


    Alpha Bane was known for his superior fighting skills. No one could match him in a one-on-onebat in the Pack. But this was different. It wasn''t a fair fight. It was an ambush set up by cowards who couldn''t manage to fight him face to face. Yet, it was a fight that he had to win as his life depended on it.


    As they kept on fighting, I noticed that the man wasn''t just trying to kill him. Instead, he kept pressing with so much aggression as he looked to push Alpha Bane backwards by all means.


    That was when I remembered what Dn had said to his friend. Behind Alpha Bane was a cliff; the very cliff that Dn told his friend that he was going to push Alpha Bane off. Alpha Bane had no idea what was going on. I had to stop the masked man.


    I ran toward him as fast as I can, not minding how tattered I looked or the fight that was going on without me. I just wanted to save Alpha Bane at all costs.


    As I drew closer, I saw the masked man try to push Alpha Bane off the cliff. "Noooo!" I screamed, still running so fast, even though I knew it was almost impossible for me to stop him.


    Then Alpha Bane turned to me and we locked eyes. He staggered a bit, but he didn''t fall off as he did his best to regainposure.


    Alpha Bane''s POV


    As I locked hands with my assant, I tried my hardest to push him back but my hands got weaker and weaker with each passing time. Then I heard a familiar voice. "Noooo!" It screamed and instantly, my wolf howled from within me as I fixed my gaze on Aurora; the maid who imed to be my one true mate, and she gazed intently into my eyes too.


    I was shocked and I wondered what on Earth she was doing there. How was she even able to leave the Castle without being spotted by any of the guards?


    My assant also turned to look at her as we both saw her running so quickly toward us. Then he turned around quickly and I felt a fist on my face, forcing me to let go of our hold to ce my right hand on my face. It was an opening that he relished.


    He pushed me one more time; this time, without any form of resistance from me as I got a little bit distracted and it worked out for him. He had the advantage and no matter how hard I fought to push him back, I knew it was only a matter of time.


    As he kept pushing, I felt something give way from underneath me and I turned to see what it was. I was at the edge of the cliff. I thought about all that was going on and realized that my assant had it all nned out and I yed into his hands.


    "Damn it!" I cursed aloud, before looking up at the shock of my life. Aurora was by my side and my assant had mysteriously fallen to the floor, although he kept swinging the sword at us for reasons only he, could say.


    "What happened here?" I asked myself, struggling to wrap my head around what exactly went on. Whatever happened was in the twinkle of an eye and I had never seen such a thing in my life.


    Our eyes locked again; Aurora and I, as she grabbed me, doing all she could to save me from the impending doom that stared me in the face.


    She pulled and pulled with all the strength that she could muster and suddenly, it seemed like we were making some progress. "Hang on, my Alpha. I''ll save you." Those were Aurora''s words to me and it seemed to trigger something inside of


    me.


    I did as I was told, hanging on with all that was in me, in hope that I was going to be rescued. Her efforts were abortive, and it was all in vain as all of our efforts were made of no effect.


    The stone gave way and we both lost our bnce and fell off the cliff. Then, I heard a very loud shout from Aurora. It was thest thing I heard.

 Strange Abilities

    Alpha Bane''s POV


    As I opened my eyes, I looked to my right and I saw that Aurora fell from the cliff with me. I looked down to see the fate that awaited us and luckily, it was ake; a hugeke, but nothing that I couldn''t handle. I just hoped in my heart that we weren''t going tond on a rock or pile of stones.


    Wended with a huge thud inside theke and luckily for us, there were only a few stones there. I looked across to see Aurora who was struggling to hold her own in the waters. I almostughed at her for not knowing how to swim but there were more serious issues. She was drowning.


    I swam to her and lifted her out of the water, before dragging her to the shore. She coughed profusely as we got to thend and I gently lowered her head onto the floor when she got a bit stable.


    I wasn''t hurt. I just had a little scratch on my left hand so I was d. It wasn''t the same for Aurora. She had some bruises on her legs and her right hand, although they were quite minor.


    As I stared at her, I kept thinking so hard about how she got here. She wasn''t supposed to be here for any reason. No maid should have gotten involved with what happened to me.


    Mmmm!!


    Aurora coughed out water from her lungs and it was then I remembered what I was supposed to have done from the start.


    cing my hands on her stomach, I pressed them down at intervals until she was done spitting out water from her mouth.


    She regained some strength and tried to get up but it proved too hard for her as she looked to be in pain.


    I looked around to find something that might have been of help and thanks to the goddess, I saw a tiny green nt, very close to theke and I knew exactly what to do.


    I had known about the nt for a very long time but the name was something I wasn''t familiar with. mother used to use it to treat my wounds whenever I had an injury. It was finally time for me to use it on someone else.


    I stood and walked to the nt, plucking a few leaves from it and returning to Aurora. Then, I took some time to squeeze the leaves, before applying them to the wounds, drawing a little cry from her. It may have hurt so much but it was exactly what she needed.


    "How did you get here, Aurora? Why did youe here?" I asked, fixing my gaze on her and still tending to her wounds, but she said nothing.


    Then I noticed something off. It was as if a spark was ignited whenever our hands got in contact with each other. I looked into her eyes and she did the same which made me yearn to kiss her lips.


    I bent low in an attempt to kiss her and she didn''t resist. She looked eager to do the same but I felt it might have been wrong to take advantage of her in that situation so I kissed her forehead about three times instead as she wrapped her hands around me, breathing in very heavily as she held me.


    "Do you feel better now?" I asked Aurora as she sat up and tried to get up. I stood and helped her stand to her feet, holding onto her until I was certain she could stand on her own.


    "Yeah, I guess so," she said to me, coughing one more time. "I feel much better. Thank you, my Alpha."


    "You''ll tell me why you came here, won''t you?"


    "Not now, please. Once I regain some strength, I''ll do that."


    We walked slowly, moving our eyes around to see if we could locate a safe ce somewhere where we could rest as we could not go back to the Pack just yet. Aurora didn''t look strong enough for that kind of trip and it was also possible that those meny in wait for us, just in case we didn''t survive.


    "Here. Let''s rest here," I said as we got to a very vast forest.


    Aurora''s POV


    In the evening, I woke up from a little nap and saw Alpha Bane standing right next


    to me and looking like he was about to go somewhere.


    "Where are you going?" I asked him. "You don''t know anywhere here? What if there''s danger ahead?"


    "You should get some rest, Aurora. I''ll be right back before you''ll even know it."


    With that, he just turned around and was about to walk away but I had to cut him short. I needed to know where he was going as I couldn''t risk losing him; not just for his sake but for mine too. I didn''t know my way back home.


    "We won''t stay hungry here because we''re not familiar with our surroundings. I need to get us something to eat so we can regain some strength. Just stay put, I''ll be back before you''ll know it.


    I nodded, showing that I was convinced by his exnation and I let him leave. He dashed off at a very fast speed which every werewolf would be proud of. Then I walked to the thatched mat we had made earlier and there, I sat, waiting for him to return with whatever he got.


    It was pretty dark but it didn''t matter. I used my wolf senses to see very clearly and so there was no need for light. All I needed was Alpha Bane by my side and I couldn''t wait for him to return.


    Secondster, I heard the sound of oneing out from the bush and I immediately stood up, just in case it wasn''t him. I wasn''t going to be caught unawares by anything at all. It wasn''t my time to die.


    "Hey, rx, it''s me," Alpha Baneughed on seeing my folded fists and fighting stance. I was a woman ready for battle.


    He took out some fresh fruits from a little bag that he made with leaves. "Here," he said to me, handing a few fruits over to me before digging his teeth into the one he held.


    "How''s your wound?" He asked me, eating his fruit so hungrily.


    "I don''t feel pain anymore," I replied, looking at the areas where I had some


    bruises to see that they had all healed. "They are all gone, Alpha."


    As soon as I said that, I noticed a change in his countenance as he looked worriedly surprised and confused at the same time. He came closer to have a look himself and he saw that there were no wounds anymore.


    "Only the blood of an Alpha can heal this quickly, Aurora. Is there something you''re not saying to me?" He asked.


    I didn''t understand what was going on. How on Earth was he suggesting that I could be an Alpha? How ridiculous!


    "I don''t understand what you''re suggesting but I''m very sure that I''m not an Alpha," I exined, still surprised he could think that way. It was so funny that I almostughed, but I had to maintain myposure as I was talking to my Alpha. "Ever since I was a kid, I''ve always been bullied by everyone around me, so I grew a tough skin. That''s why I have a very strong healing ability."


    He shook his head, refusing to believe what I had just said to him. "You know, things might be a little moreplicated than you think, Aurora. What I''ve shared with


    you is a truth that has beenmunicated for ages. My father learned it from his father and his father before him and I learned it from him. People don''t just learn to heal this fast. There is..."


    As he kept speaking, I just stared at him, dumbfounded and at loss for words. Not wanting him to find out that I wasn''t getting his point, I forced a smile off my face and gazed at him with immense attention.


    If only he knew who he was talking to, he wouldn''t have made such huge ims.

 Sore Heartbreaks

    Alpha Bane''s POV


    Turning around and facing her squarely, I thought about something that I hadn''t considered for a while. She didn''t know me as she ought to. There were several parts of me that she wasn''t aware of and I felt she needed to be.


    "You know, Aurora, there''s something I''d love to say to you," I began, gazing intently into her eyes. "We''re very much alike in more ways than you know."


    She narrowed her brows a bit and I got the signal that she didn''t believe me. I expected that. I was an Alpha after all and she was a servant; my servant. Things were supposed to be very easy for someone of my status.


    "When I was just a little kid, things weren''t this way," I continued, drawing even closer to her and holding her hands so subtly. I saw how keenly she looked at me and it made me morefortable to open up. "I grew up knowing exactly what suffering meant as I was victimised in my father''s house. My dad married my mom first before we learned that he got entangled with Dn''s mother. It was after the news became open that things began to get worse. He''d treat me and my mother like we didn''t exist, as if Dn and his mom were the only ones he had."


    I paused a bit to take a deep breath. It was my way of not letting myself drown in my emotions. The thoughts of my childhood were beginning to get to me. They were memories that I never wanted to remember for any reason.


    "The worst happened when Dn''s mother was made Luna, instead of my mother. It was the most heartbreaking thing that my mother had ever faced. Yet, she stayed. Despite the different pieces of advice that she was given, she wanted so much to be with my father because she loved him so much. She had to face the consequences; she and her son, which happened to be me..."


    Before I could say one more word, she reached out to me and began to caress my cheeks, shoulders and my hands so gently. I thought she felt pity for me and I usually didn''t like that, except on this asion, it came from her and it felt so good that I didn''t want it to stop.


    I shut my eyes in ecstasy as she ran her hands all over my body. It was like a dreand in reality.


    "See, Aurora, I can''t deny the fact that I do have feelings for you," I confessed, causing her to draw back a little to maintain eye contact. "I''ve always had feelings for you. The only problem was that I couldn''t get myself to trust you or believe what you told me about being my one true mate."


    "And why''s that?" She asked.


    "Well, after all that my mother went through at the hands of my father, just so she could be with him, you can understand my concerns and doubts, right?" I asked her. "I do know that Princess Sophia is my mate. She''s the daughter of an Alpha too and it makes much sense that we''re fated to be together. Mates of people in the royal family are usually people of high calibre. Besides, I''ve also marked her."


    I felt so bad as the words came out of my mouth. I didn''t want to sound that way but I had no choice. I had to tell her the truth. She deserved to know everything.


    "I do have a feeling that something is wrong with my rtionship with the Princess," I continued, bowing my head a bit. "I know this in my heart. Yet, I cannot abandon her. That''ll make me just like my father or even worse. I just can''t..."


    I looked up at Aurora after I was done talking to her to see what her reaction was.


    Aurora''s POV


    My hands immediately dropped from Alpha Bane''s shoulders as soon as I heard his words and I covered my face with my palm for a few seconds, thinking hard about what he had just said to me as I didn''t know exactly how I was supposed to take it.


    My heart was broken into several pieces and it didn''t look amendable. It was the least I expected from Alpha Bane. I couldn''t get myself to believe that after all the chemistry I felt between us, this was going to be the oue. I had thought that we could have a chance to be together, no matter how bleak it looked. I guess I was wrong.


    He kept staring at me, probably hoping to hear me say something. I wasn''t in that mood and I didn''t even know what exactly I was supposed to say. Not that I didn''t want to, but I just couldn''t. If I tried to, I may have ended up crying instead of talking. It was a crushing blow dealt to me straight to my heart and all I could do was sob on the inside.


    If I could cry without looking stupid, I''d have done that. I was overwhelmed by my emotions and I wanted so much, to just cry and let it all out. It was Rose, who kept telling me to hold back my tears. "Have yourself some dignity," she advised repeatedly, each time I tried to break out in tears.


    As bad as I felt, I knew I had to settle for the obvious. It was clear that I had to do that. I didn''t see any other way around it and as much as I''d have preferred it to happen some other way, it simply wasn''t to be. It was time to move on, knowing that Alpha Bane was never going to be mine. He was Princess Sophia''s mate and I was certain it would remain that way.


    "Won''t you say something to me?" Alpha Bane asked, reaching out to hold my hands.


    I took my hands away in sheer disappointment. I didn''t want to have any form of contact with him at that point. Then I felt a tear try to sneak out of me and I immediately sniffed it in. I didn''t want him to know that I felt bad. I didn''t want toe out as desperate.


    "I do understand where you''reing from," I finally said to him. "Really... I do. No one will feel happy to be left by a loved one for someone else. I don''t wish the same for Princess Sophia. Yet, I have just one request to make amidst all that''s going on and I hope it''s one that you can grant me, my Alpha."


    "What is your request, Aurora?" He asked in a very low tone.


    "I''d love to be allowed to go back to my Pack as soon as we leave here," I revealed, still fighting back the tears. "That way I wouldn''t have to see you anymore and for any reason at all."


    "Why would you want that?" He asked, baring his palms.


    "It''s quite simple. Why do I need to leave this Pack? I have no idea what exactly


    I''m doing in this Pack. Please, you have to let me go."

 Unanswered Questions

    Alpha Bane''s POV


    I couldn''t ept all that she said. There was certainly no way I was going to let her go away. My mind wouldn''t let me do that. I needed her around me. She had to understand that.


    It wasn''t just me who thought that way. My wolf too. I was surprised to hear him continually howl from within me; proof that I was making the right choice.


    As strange as it was, I had toe to one singr conclusion; I just might have been stuck with both women. It felt like I was a curse that I had to bear; just like my father. Perhaps, it was something that ran in the family. All I knew was that I couldn''t let her leave the Pack for any reason at all.


    Aurora was a woman that I couldn''t bear to lose, no matter what. I needed her so badly and I had to make her see that.


    Reaching out to her with my right hand once more, she drew her hands back, just like she did before, but this time, I wasn''t about to let her get away with it.


    I forcefully grabbed her hands with mine and kissed her knuckles. Then, I leaned in and kissed her on the cheek. "Please, don''t leave yet," I begged her, hoping to convince her to stay.


    "I''m so sorry, Alpha Bane, but I can''t stay here," she said, with her eyes full of tears. "I have to go away from here; away from you, and I need to do that as quickly as possible."


    She freed her hands from mine and continued with her speech. "I can''t stay here with you any longer. I can''t even spend the night here with you. I''m terrified of being left alone with you by my side as I''m not sure what''s going to happen and we have to be careful; both of us. Can we leave now?"


    Her words felt like a sharp de, piercing my heart so deeply, with no intention to be taken out. I felt so hurt by all that she said as it made me feel like I was a very horrible person.


    I wanted so badly to say something. I wanted to counter those words of hers. I needed her to see me differently. Yet, I knew it wasn''t the best thing to do. She spoke like one whose mind was already made up and I could understand her.


    Seeing no need to argue, I stood to my feet and helped her up. It was finally time to leave. The Blue Moon Pack was quite some distance away from where we were but somehow, we had to get back.


    Aurora''s POV


    Alpha Bane grabbed my hand and helped me stand to my feet, never taking his eyes off mine as he did. I bent a bit to avoid eye contact as it was beginning to make me a bit ufortable.


    "You know the way back from here?" I asked him, as I didn''t seem to know where exactly we were to go and I dreaded being lost.


    "Yeah... Sure, I do," he replied with a smile. "I''ve been here quite several times... Well, not exactly here, but I''ve passed through the roads above us to get to neighbouring Packs, so yeah, I''m quite familiar with this area. We only have to find a way around this area to get to the top without having to climb."


    That was fair enough. At least, he did have an idea, even though he wasn''t so certain. We walked at a very slow pace for a while until I decided it wasn''t going to work that way. I had a feeling that he was stalling on purpose and I wanted us to be out of there.


    The journey was a very awkward one as we spent about fifteen minutes without saying a word to each other. Then I felt it was on me to break the awkward silence between us and I did.


    "What about your men and the carriage? We could get back faster if we found them on our way, you know."


    He turned to me and shrugged. "I don''t know. It''s either one of two things. They might have gone back to the Pack to call for help as soon as they couldn''t find me."


    "What''s the other option?"


    "The assassin may just have killed them all. He and his men were very skilled and they took us unawares. I can''t say it''s beyond them to achieve that feat, despite the toughness of our men."


    I froze on hearing that statement. The mention of the assassin brought a thought into my mind. I still hadn''t told him the reason why I went there in the first ce and he hadn''t asked again since thest time.


    I was d he didn''t. I wasn''t in the mood to share such information and I did not even want to have a deep conversation of any kind with him. I guessed he had forgotten all about it and so, I felt no need to push it any further.


    After walking for about twenty more minutes, using our hands to separate the leaves that seemed to prevent us from moving forward as quickly as we wanted, we noticed a narrow passageway by our right and Alpha Bane paused to give it a long stare as though he was contemting taking that route.


    "Does it look familiar to you?" I asked, trying to find out what exactly was going


    on.


    He didn''t say a word to me. Indeed, he might not have even heard me. Instead,


    he began to move in that direction and I slowly followed behind. "Come," he said, motioning with his left hand for me to follow, without even looking backwards. If he did, he''d have noticed that I already was.


    "I think I''ve seen this ce before," he said to me, increasing his pace. "We should walk faster.".


    In a few minutes, I began to notice that we were getting too familiar territory. I saw the redbud trees which I noticed as soon as I got out of the carriage on the day of the attack and I knew we were close.


    "Faster," I called out to Alpha Bane. "We''re almost there."


    "Then we should slow down," he replied, promptly slowing his steps. "We don''t know if those men are still here."


    We stealthily walked until we got to where the carriages were abandoned and there was no one there; only the dead bodies of the warriors of our Pack and those of the assassin''s men.


    Alpha Bane took his time to walk to every man that fell whilst protecting him. From the way he looked at them and the tears in his eyes, which he held back from flowing from his cheeks, I knew that he loved them so much. It was an emotional moment and I gave him some time to grieve his men, standing by a corner and watching him.


    "Let''s go home," he said as soon as he got done and we walked back to the Pack, with him in front of me.


    After about thirty minutes, we finally got to the border of our Pack and we stared each other in the eyes. We were finally home.

 Cheats

    Alpha Bane''s POV


    The Next Day


    I still felt a bit drowsy as I sat in the pce, alongside my father and the elders for


    a very crucial meeting which I had called immediately after I returned.


    I was unable to get good sleep. I wondered who it was that orchestrated the attack against me. I didn''t have so many enemies. I didn''t even have any enemy that I could think of. I also didn''t know what it was that I could have done to warrant such an attack from someone. It wasn''t just any kind of attack; they were out to take my life.


    Something else that got me intrigued was that they knew exactly where I was going andy in wait for us. It wasn''t a surprise attack by any means. It was a nned, strategic attack and it took us unawares. I was so sure that anyone who did that was someone on the inside; perhaps, one of the elders who might have had a certain dislike for me due to reasons best known to him. I couldn''t think of anything else.


    "Wee, elders of the Blue Moon Pack," my father said loudly as the entire eldership stood from their seats and bowed a little to show their respects before sitting back down.


    He cleared his throat before going on. "We all are aware of the incident that brought us together. Yet, I think it''s important that I state it anyway. My son, Alpha Alex Bane, was on his way to an asion after ourst meeting but he wasn''t able to get to his destination. He and our warriors were ambushed and attacked by an assassin and his group of miscreants who thought they were strong enough to kill my son. Today, he''s here, right in front of us, hale and hearty, but that doesn''t mean we would let it slide. Shall we let the one who has touched the tail of a tiger go scot-free?"


    "Never, my Alpha!" They screamed at the top of their voices. Some with so much passion and anguish possibly for what happened, the others in a lethargic manner probably because they didn''t mean it.


    "So we have gathered here, not just to point out an obvious problem, but to get a solution for it. Does anyone have anything to say?"


    One of the men stood and my father sat back down, so he could hear what the man or anyone else had to say. I watched on without saying a word.


    "You have spoken well, my Alpha," he began. "I must say that the enemy is not far away from us at all. I suggest that we consult the priestess of the moon. Surely, she''ll have the answer to the questions in our hearts."


    "That''s a brilliant suggestion," another elder said, getting up to make his point. "I''d love to ask a question. Alpha Alex, were you able to identify any of the assants during the fight?"


    "No," I answered. "They all wore masks. None of them showed their faces."


    The talk went on for about an hour, with none able to bring forth a solution that was eptable to everyone else. The more it lingered, the more I got annoyed. I wanted to get my hands on whoever it was that tried to kill me. I needed to give him a piece of his own medicine.


    "I already have a few men investigating the issue and I know that in a short while, they''ll be back with answers," I disclosed. "Yet, we must all y our part in this matter. Anyone who gets any valuable information should not hesitate to reach out to me."


    They all nodded.


    Then it urred to me that I didn''t ask Aurora why she followed me to that location in the first ce. I had forgotten about that after tending to her wounds. How could I?


    I felt she must have known about the attack. Perhaps, she was there to warn me not to go there. As I kept thinking about it, I had a very bad feeling about the whole thing.


    By the time I regained myself after thinking for a while, I heard my dad end his closing remarks, signifying the end of the meeting. "Thank you so much, elders, for being here. You honour me."


    I waved at them and they walked away, one after the other as my father walked across to me, probably looking to hold a conversation with me. I didn''t want that. I had to find Aurora.


    "I''m sorry, father. I need to be somewhere else right now. I want to meet Aurora so I can hear her side of the story. That''s if you would permit me to do so, father "


    He smiled and gave me a pat on the back. It was all I needed.


    I walked away from the pce and into the corridor, praying in my heart that Aurora hadn''t left the Castle already. She had already hinted that the previous day and so I had to increase my pace to stand a chance of seeing her.


    However, as I proceeded down the passageway, I began to notice a scent; a familiar scent. It was Sophia''s. I was so sure about it, even though there was something wrong with it.


    My wolf kept kicking and pestering me to find out what was going on and I tried to ignore it. Yet, it persisted and wouldn''t let me rest no matter how much I tried to. I had no choice.


    I followed the scent, abandoning all thoughts about seeing Aurora and it led me right in front of a room; Sophia''s room and there, I was met with something shocking.


    I heard moans as I got close to the room. The closer I got, the louder it got and I also noticed that there was no guard around, which was quite strange.


    I put my ear close to the door, just to be sure that I was hearing right because I wasn''t inside the room and so Sophia had no business moaning. I was right and whatever it was that was going on there, she seemed to be enjoying it so much.


    I pushed the door open and my mouth was left ajar. My brother, Dn, was on top


    of my mate, Sophia, and they were having some great sex! They turned around, startled on seeing me and Sophia quickly grabbed a dress to cover herself


    I couldn''t control my thoughts as I felt so betrayed by both of them. I didn''t know exactly what to do.


    Princess Sophia''s POV


    On hearing the sound of my door suddenly being pushed open, I got startled and I immediately turned around and grabbed my clothes to cover myself. I didn''t know who it was that was foolish enough to open my door without knocking and I decided in my heart that I was going to punish that idiot, regardless of who it was.


    I had thought that it was going to be a maid but I was met by a very familiar face which I never expected.


    Alpha Bane...


    How on Earth was he there? I was told that he left for the neighbouring Pack and I didn''t think he''d be back so quickly. I turned to Dn who looked like he had seen a ghost. Indeed, we both felt like we had seen a ghost.


    I didn''t know what to do next. I didn''t know if I was supposed to run out of bed or


    try to exin myself to him and before I could even open my mouth, he dashed toward Dn and pounced on him without saying a word to him.


    He hit him multiple times on the face swinging wildly with both hands as Dn tried in vain to cover up. I could see Dn''s ears reddening as he kept getting hit and I saw him scramble in search of an opportunity to escape but Alpha Bane gave him no such space.


    He was relentless in his attacks, alternatively using his elbows to smash Dn''s nose, as he screamed aloud. His eyes were so red and I could see the anger in them. He was a beast unleashed and I wondered what was going to be my fate once he got done with Dn.


    "Ahhhhh!" I screamed as loudly as I could, covering my ears with my palms and hoping that someone was going toe in and somehow put the chaos to a halt.

 Flopped Plans

    Dn''s POV


    My face was sore and I could feel blood trickling down from my nose as Bane continued to hit me as hard as he could with Sophia screaming for him to stop. He was like a madman unchained. The fury in him was uncontroble.


    It wasn''t that he was stronger than I was. I was just taken unawares; coupled with the momentary guilt that I felt on seeing him. But all that didn''t matter at the moment. All that mattered was finding a way to leave the room and the Pack altogether.


    I grabbed his right hand as he tried to hit me once again, and rolled to my left, evading his attempt to hit me with the other hand. Then I threw two punches in his direction just to distract him a little bit and enable me to find a way to escape.


    It worked. He ducked, avoiding my punches but then I pushed him with both hands with the greatest force I could muster.


    He didn''t fall as I thought he would, but he moved backwards, creating the perfect opportunity for me and I grabbed it with both hands.


    I went straight for the door without looking back at all and immediately opened the door. He dived and held onto my leg in a bid to stop me but I stamped my right foot on his arm, breaking the hold, before running out as fast as I could.


    I was half-naked but I didn''t care. Of what use was a fully dressed man if he had not his life? None! I dashed toward my room, hopeful that Bane wasn''t behind me.


    As I ran, I could see some guards and maids gawking at me as if I was mad. If I had my way, I''d have turned around to teach them the lesson of their lives; one that a few of them might not live to tell others. But all those meant nothing at the time. I was intent on getting to my room as my life depended on it.


    I knew it wasn''t going to be long before Bane would send the guards after me. I never epted him as the Alpha but I wasn''t stupid enough to not recognize that he was. It was only going to take one word for all the guards there to gang up against me. Any n that I had to make needed to be done with some urgency. I wasn''t prepared to die just yet.


    As I got to my room, I saw my personal guard, standing right in front of the door. "Why wasn''t I told about Bane''s arrival to the Pack?" I screamed at him with rage in my eyes before walking into the room. "Shut that door!"


    He walked in and closed the door behind me and then proceeded toward me. "I''m so sorry, Sir. I didn''t..."


    "Get out of this ce right now!" I barked at him, unwilling to listen to whatever flimsy excuses that he had to give. "Stand outside the door and make sure no one gets in here until I''ve gone out. Call Johnny right now and tell him that he should be here this instant. I don''t need to tell you how urgent it is, do I? Get to it!"


    He bowed, turned around and walked away, shutting the door as soon as he left.


    As soon as he left, I began to wonder how Bane managed to survive, talk more of getting back to the Pack so quickly. I was told that he was pushed off the cliff, just like I nned. How on Earth did he manage to survive?


    It only meant one thing; I had sent a bunch of ipetent fools in the name of assassins who failed woefully in their job and had the guts to lie to me that they had done the job. I wished I couldy my hands on one of them. I was so livid as they had managed to draw my ire.


    My door swung wide open and I gasped, thinking it was Bane. Thankfully, it wasn''t. It was Johnny, my friend. He responded to my call very swiftly.


    "You should knock before entering my room, shouldn''t you?" I asked, wondering why he felt the need to just barge into my room.


    "I''m sorry. I didn''t mean to disrespect you. I was informed about the urgency of the situation at hand, so I didn''t want to waste any more time," he apologised, and I got his point.


    "We have failed, Johnny," I said to him. "Bane managed to survive the attack. I need to get out of this ce this instant before he''de for me. That''s why I called you. We''re going to use that secret pathway that you talked to me about a few months ago."


    "Then we have to get going," he said to me, opening the door. "Time is of the essence."


    Alpha Bane''s POV


    For years, I had wondered what went on in the minds of insane people. I wondered how they were able to survive and what it was that made them do the things that they frequently did.


    I didn''t need to think about that anymore. I was just like them. My brain seemed to have ceased its functions and my emotions got the better of me against my will. I was raving mad and my senses seemed a long distance from my grasp.


    "How could you do this to me, Sophia? I trusted you with everything in me!" I felt so badly like hitting her flush across the face but I managed to hold myself back.


    "Please, Alpha, I don''t know what came over me. I swear to you, I didn''t mean to... I just- I can''t even tell what happened here, my Alpha. Please forgive me."


    She begged and rolled on the floor before me but I wasn''t to be moved by all of that. She had betrayed me with my brother. How despicable! If I hadn''t found out, she might have gotten pregnant and tagged the son to be mine.


    Maybe that was the n; Dn''s n. Maybe since he couldn''t beat me to be the Alpha, he thought it would be better to have his son as the next Alpha under the guise of being my son. Such wickedness. I couldn''t stand being in the same room with the harlot.


    "Guards!" I screamed, as eight guards ran into the room immediately. I needed to get to the root of the matter as soon as possible and I knew just how to do that.


    "Four of you, go to Dn''s room and drag him to this very room. Don''t let him get away. From now, every privilege he has as a Prince has been stripped from him. Move quickly!"


    As they left, I turned to the other four guards and pointed to Sophia. "Pick up this slut and take her away to the dungeon where she belongs! Lock her up and make sure there''s no way she can escape!"


    The men grabbed her and began to drag her away from the room while I watched on. I didn''t mind that she was half-naked. As one of the guards turned toward me as if to suggest that fact, I motioned to him to continue moving.


    "Please, my Alpha," she kept begging as they dragged her away. "Don''t do this to me. I''m so sorry."


    The more I heard her apologise, the more I got pissed off. If she was going to be sorry, why did she do it in the first ce? How could she expect me to believe that she was sorry for sleeping with my brother in my absence, while I was busy fighting for my life? She must have thought I was a fool.


    As they left the room, I couldn''t help but turn to the bed where they had sex earlier on. I could barely still believe what I had seen with my own eyes. I spat on the floor in utter disgust, full of regrets for ever having anything to do with both Dn and more especially, Sophia.


    Without thinking twice and unable to wait for the guards that I had sent out earlier, I stormed out of the room and headed straight to Dn''s room so I could get a piece of him myself.

 Never Ending Chaos

    Aurora''s POV


    There was a lot of noise in the Castle and everywhere was in total disarray. It was nothing short ofplete chaos and as much as I was still in my room, I could sense it so strongly.


    I stood from my bed and walked to my door, very keen to know exactly what was going on. As I opened the door, I saw everyone running helter-skelter as if they had no purpose. Some maids and guards walked around at a very quick pace while the others stood in twos and threes, discussing in whispering tones.


    I walked up to one of the maids who was walking past me in the direction of Alpha Bane''s quarters and held her right hand to get her attention. "Please, what''s going on here?" I asked her as she halted to respond to me.


    Instead of talking, she dragged me by my left hand and took me to a secluded area, away from all the eyes and ears and there, she began to tell me what happened.


    "There was a meeting in the pce this morning concerning what happened to you and Alpha Bane yesterday," she began. "After the meeting, Alpha Bane decided to go to Princess Sophia''s room to see her and when he went there, he was met with something too big for mouths to speak."


    "Please, tell me," I implored, as my curiosity got the better of me.


    "He saw Dn in the Princess''s Room! They were making love on her bed. How despicable!"


    I almost screamed but I put my right hand over my mouth. It was an abomination to lie with the mate of your blood. How on Earth could they have done such evil?


    My jaw dropped and I couldn''t hide the shock that I felt. After all that Alpha Bane had to say to me because of the princess, this was how she was going to pay him back.


    She was the only reason why Alpha Bane couldn''t embrace me as his mate. The fact that he had marked her even made me more livid, but it wasn''t just her that I was angry at.


    Dn too. I mean, how could he have done such an evil thing? After plotting the death of his brother, he had the guts to sleep with his mate. I wondered if both Dn and Princess Sophia were in, on the n to kill Alpha Bane. There was nothing beyond those two.


    "Thank you so much," I thanked the maid, after she tapped me on my hands, bringing me back to my consciousness. I had drifted away in thoughts and I didn''t even know.


    She smiled at me and turned around to leave, but then stopped abruptly and walked hastily back to where I was. "I forgot to let you know. There are rumours that Dn might have run away from the Castle with the help of his guards. No one is quite sure about that but the rumours are growing stronger."


    "What about the Princess? Did he leave together with the Princess?"


    "I heard the princess has been locked up in the Castle''s dungeon where she remains until this moment, waiting for the appropriate time for interrogation."


    I was shocked. Everything seemed to be happening so fast. I stood, hands on my waist as I wondered what I had to do next. I contemted going to Alpha Bane''s room but I didn''t know if he was in a good mood.


    I watched the maid walk away from the corridor to nowhere in particr.


    Alpha Bane''s POV


    I sat in the throne room with a heart full of anguish. I kept alternating my gaze, from the ceiling to my left and then to my right.


    My father and the elders all sat in the room wearing gloomy faces. Yet, I knew that it wasn''t all of them that cared. I knew those that didn''t. Those old grey-haired fools whose bellies were their brains. I was sure that one or more of them had a hand in what was going on.


    The news of what happened spread like wildfire and soon enough, everyone in the Pack became aware of what was going on. But it wasn''t that, that brought us all together in yet another emergency meeting. It was Dn.


    When we arrived in his room; the guards and I didn''t see him there. We looked around the room for any sign of him but there wasn''t any. Then I sent some guards to find him everywhere in the Pack but they came back with no positive


    news.


    I was angered. I wanted nothing more than toy my hands on that stupid brother of mine. I needed to beat him up very badly. I needed him to pay for his crimes; with his life if possible. If he could do all that to me, he wasn''t incapable of taking my life just to be the Alpha. Too bad, he didn''t seed. But I was sad that I couldn''t get my hands on him.


    "I let him get away," I kept muttering repeatedly, as my heart got filled with rage with each word. Then I stood to my feet, still muttering the same words.


    "Hey, son, you should calm down," my father said to me, as he spotted my angered disy.


    I was having none of it. Nothing was going to stop me. I was determined to go to the ends of the Earth if I had to, just to find my brother. I didn''t want to think so much about the Princess as I didn''t know what to do with her or what to even think about it.


    Then I saw a guard running toward me through the door and I recognized him. He was the same guard that I sent to run an investigation about Sophia so I could understand why I had two women who seemed to be my mates.


    "I need to see you now, my Alpha," he whispered. "I have very urgent news for you. It''s very important."


    I turned to my father and gave him a nod to signal that I had to be somewhere else and he gave me a knowing look. "Father, could you help oversee Dn''s case while I briefly handle a very urgent matter?" I asked, hopeful that he was going to consent to that. He did and I turned around and moved with the guard. As we walked, I wondered if I had made the right decision by abandoning the meeting to meet him. But then I thought to myself that if he had toe to me, then it has to be due to the issue of scent that I had with both women. Even though I was very upset and in no mood to say a lot, I needed that piece of information.


    We walked out of the throne room and through the corridor as he led me to a ce that he failed to mention.


    I got a bit wary of him, wondering if Dn had sent him to get me to him. "Did he send you?" I asked the guard, who turned around, looking quite surprised at the question I asked.


    "Did who?"


    "Did Dn send you to me?" I asked again, this time with a very stern look as I watched him closely to see if I could spot anything that might have shown he was trying to hide something.


    "No, he didn''t," he answered, still looking puzzled. "I haven''t set my eyes on him in a long while."


    "Then, where exactly are you taking me to?" I enquired one more time.


    "Don''t worry about that, my Alpha. Just follow me. You''ll find out once we get there."

 Sore Penalties

    Princess Sophia''s POV


    The Next Morning


    Locked up in the dungeon, I had a lot of time to think about my life and all that I had made of it. I began to rethink most of my decisions, and I regretted most of them.


    I screamed aloud as tears flowed freely to the ground from my eyes without restraint. My nose wasn''t left out. Mucus just oozed out of it, with some of it, finding its way into my mouth.


    I regretted everything that had happened; every single thing! If I knew that I''d end up in such a horrible ce, I would never have tried that.


    I knew I was aughingstock outside there. It was probably going to be the news on everyone''s lips. No one was ever going to want to hear my side of the story. They''d rather judge me. That''s what people were good at anyway; judging others.


    Since I got locked up, I''d barely had anything to eat. Not that I wasn''t hungry or anything but they always came in with very slimy food which disgusted me so much. As much as I was very hungry, I''d rather let hunger kill me before eating that thrash.


    Besides, I hadn''t taken my bath either nor had I brushed my teeth since the day that I arrived. I smelled so bad and was so irritated with the way I looked. They were out to make my life hell.


    As I cried, I remembered all that I''d had to go through ever since I was a little girl. I thought about all I had to do so I could get to where I was. I threw all that away. I ruined everything, just by one very foolish act...


    I chose to listen to Dn. It was my fault. I let myself be used by that idiot. I let him deceive me and I was left to pay for it. If only I had stayed away from that snake.


    As I kept crying and mming my hands on the floor, I heard the gates to the dungeon begin to jingle and I looked up, full of surprise, to know who it was that wasing inside.


    I felt it was probably the guards but it was a surprise because the guards never came by that time. They usually arrived about an hourter than that time. So I assumed it was a matter that required some urgency and hoped that I wasn''t in more trouble than I already was.


    Before I could see the faces of the people who were walking into the dungeon, I realised that their voices were very familiar and I sat up on the floor in shock.


    The door finally swung open and I nced up, very anxiously, to see who it was and it was exactly who it seemed to be...


    My parents.


    My jaw dropped open in shock as I realised that the news must have spread so fast and far that it got to my parents far away in the Silver Moon Pack. There was no other reason why they''d havee to see me if they hadn''t heard what happened.


    They weren''t alone. Mrs Scott came alongside them and I was so happy to see her and to know that, even in this period of grief and trouble, she thought it wise to be there for me.


    As much as I was happy to see them, I felt embarrassed as I didn''t know how to face them after all they might have heard. I felt they were all probably very ashamed of me and could barely stand my presence and it hurt me so much.


    As they came closer, I couldn''t hold back my emotions any longer. I stood and ran to hug them, even though I was in chains. I didn''t mind the fact that my clothes were dirty and very tattered.


    "It''s alright, my child," said my mom, as they did their best tofort me. "We''ll get to the root of the matter. We''re here for you."


    I looked to the ground, as I wondered what I was supposed to say to them. I had


    to make sure they were on my side. They were my only hope.


    "I wasn''t outrightly caught cheating with Dn," I lied, biting my lower lip. "He forced me to be with him. I was threatened by the man and no one wants to hear my side of the story."


    "I''m so sorry about that, my love," my father said, patting my back. "Soon, this truth will be out and everyone that had a hand in this will have to apologise to you."


    He drew me in and hugged me tightly as tears kept flowing from my eyes. I looked at my mother to see if she bought what I sold to them but it didn''t look to be so.


    Her visage remained the same and I knew she didn''t believe a word that I said. I wanted her to, and I also didn''t want us to have such an awkward moment so I let go of my dad and hugged my mom too.


    Aurora''s POV


    I tried in vain to reach Alpha Bane so we could spend some time talking about very crucial matters but my efforts were all in vain. There was barely anything that


    I hadn''t tried, yet, it seemed as if we weren''t just meant to talk.


    I needed to tell him everything that I knew concerning the situation at hand. I felt like he needed to know what was going on around him and that all that was happening were bigger and deeper than he might have thought.


    He was only aware that Dn had an affair with his mate. What he didn''t know was that his brother had nned to get him killed and he had to be aware so he wouldn''t be taken by surprise.


    I went to his room three times, the previous day, but I didn''t seed in seeing him. He had been so busy and always had numerous visitors to receive and so he had no time for someone like me.


    I got dressed, early in the morning, intent to gain an audience with Alpha Bane at all costs. I got frustrated with all the rejections by his guards for one reason or another other and I was determined to find him somehow.


    I walked out of my room, without wasting any more time and I headed straight to the throne room, where I suspected that Alpha Bane was going to be, probably alongside some elders in case there was a meeting going on.


    As I got close, I began to hear some noises so I walked faster so I could find out what exactly was going on. I went to the door and heard the voices more clearly. There was an argument going on in there; a heavy argument. It seemed like some people were in disagreement with something that had been said by one of the people there. There was chaos in there.


    Yet, I wasn''t to be fazed by all that. I had a goal and I wasn''t going to allow a simple argument to put me off. I had to keep going.


    I gently opened the door and tried to get in but I was impeded by one of the guards who stood right in front of me with a frown on his face, made even scarier by his bald head. I tried to say something but I couldn''t because of his visage. He wasn''t weing at all.


    "What are you doing here, maid?" He asked in a rather disdainful manner that might have made one fail to realise that he too, was just a guard. I almostughed at him but I thought it best to respect myself.


    "I want to see Alpha Bane," I replied, but he simply shook his head. "The information that I have is very important and it has to bemunity very quickly."


    "At the moment, the Alpha King isn''t receiving anyone as he''s very busy inside. You may need toe backter if you want to see him. He can''t leave what he''s doing at the moment, even if he wanted to."


    It was just like the other times. Yet, another excuse. Yet another reason why I couldn''t see Alpha Bane, nor tell him what I wanted to, as he was very busy.


    I turned around, feeling dejected as I slowly walked back to my room.

 Secrets Unveiled

    Alpha Bane''s POV


    I stood in the middle of the strange room that my guard led me to with the witch who lived there by my right and the guard by my left hand. My head was full of so many things that I had never imagined could be possible in my whole life. If I wasn''t so sure about what went on around me, I''d have sworn it was a dream.


    My mouth went open and refused to close as I was shocked to the marrow by all that the witch had said to me. Yet, I believed herpletely. I knew all that she said to me was true.


    "Sophia isn''t who you think she is," she had told me as soon as I got there before she went on to say several things about her that both I and the guard found very surprising.


    "She''s not the Princess. She has fooled you all," the witch revealed, further exposing the lies that we had thought to be the truth for such a long time.


    "How sure are you about all that you said to me?" I asked the witch, just to be sure that she wasn''t making things up.


    "I wouldn''t say it if I wasn''t sure," she replied. "The goddess forbids us from telling lies."


    "So what do we do?" I asked, to no one in particr, as I hoped that either the witch or the guard might have a better idea because I didn''t.


    I thought it was going to be a bit too harsh to order her execution. Besides, it was certainly going to cause a quarrel and probably a war between my Pack and the Silver Moon Pack. Not that I feared such, as the Silver Moon Pack was no match for us in any way. Yet, it was always better to have peace than to fight wars. You can never tell who''s going to die.


    I also didn''t think that I could allow her to remain in the Pack because it''ll be proof that I was a weak leader and people could easily override me. I had to find a way to handle the incident without making any party aggrieved except the offender and I didn''t know how to.


    "Maybe, she could be punished for what she did," the guard suggested but I wasn''t buying that. Mere punishment was never enough for that sort of crime.


    "I think I know what to do," I said to them. "I''ll..."


    As I tried to say something else to her, one guard ran into the room, breathing hard, as he stopped right in front of me.


    "What is it?" I asked, curious to find out why he had to run that fast.


    "My Alpha," he began, pointing toward the door. "It''s the Princess. Her parents, the Alpha and Luna of Silver Moon Pack are here in thisnd."


    "Are you being serious?" I couldn''t believe what I had just heard.


    "Yes, my Alpha. They''re in the dungeon already with the Princess."


    I was livid. How could they have gotten the information so quickly? I wondered who it was that leaked such sensitive information to them. If it had travelled that far, there was a huge chance that we''d be aughingstock to neighbouring Packs. How pathetic!


    After a few minutes, I thought it was probably for the best. If they were here, then I could simply share the secret with them. It was already so heavy in my chest and I wanted so badly to let it all out.


    "Wait for me in the throne room," I said to the witch before tapping my guard on the shoulder to indicate that we were to leave together. "I''ll be there in a jiffy."


    We both left the room, my guard and I, and headed straight to the dungeon in a hurry. As we walked, I couldn''t help but imagine how the meeting was going to happen. I thought about the different hurtful things that I wanted to say to Sophia and I just couldn''t wait.


    On getting to the dungeon, we opened the door and walked in to see the Alpha and Luna of the Silver Moon Pack, standing beside their daughter. They turned around on hearing our footsteps and immediately froze on seeing me.


    "Good day," they greeted but I was in no mood for such things. I walked past them like they weren''t there and headed straight to Sophia. Then I saw Mrs Scott, Sophia''s maid and real mother and it changed everything.


    I wondered what that traitor was doing in my Pack. She couldn''t even let the Royal family do their thing and how could she? It was personal to her too. I walked straight to her and stopped very close to her, staring into her eyes with one thing in mind.


    "You''re Sophia''s mother, aren''t you?" I asked, much to the shock of everyone else as they gasped audibly.


    I turned around to see Sophia who looked so tattered and wretched. I wanted to see how she''d react. She looked so shocked and I wondered if it was because she wasn''t aware of the truth or because she didn''t think I''d find out.


    I smirked at her and turned back to the snake, waiting for her to answer the question.


    Princess Sophia''s POV


    I couldn''t believe my ears. If there was ever a word greater than shock, it was exactly the way that I felt.


    All of a sudden, I began to panic as confusion got the better of me. I turned around to Mrs Scott, Aurora''s mother and my personal maid waiting to see what she was going to say.


    She said nothing. She remained mute and just kept looking at Alpha Bane who stared daggers at her. I couldn''t understand why she would behave that way. I wondered if there was any truth in what Alpha Bane was saying.


    "I asked you a question, woman," Alpha Bane said to her, narrowing his brows this


    time. "Are you the mother of Princess Sophia, the serial cheat?"


    The question seemed to get her infuriated. Her eyes turned red and tears gathered in her eyes waiting for that extra push to flow down her cheeks. Yet, in the midst of all that, she remained mute.


    Then I looked at her hands and saw that they shook in a tremulous manner. She was panicking and I could see it. Somehow, it made me very uneasy. If she panicked this much, it must have meant that there was truth in what Alpha Bane was saying. That was what I thought. I began to see what the future possibly held in store for me. I was a princess on the verge of bing a servant''s daughter.


    "I have no idea what you''re talking about."


    I looked up, just to make sure I heard correctly. I did. She denied Alpha Bane''s ims right in front of everyone.


    "I have only one daughter," she continued. "Her name is Aurora and not Princess Sophia. Your ims are very false and I''ll plead that you stop saying such things."


    I exhaled in relief and turned to my parents but before I could let out a smile, Bane pped his hands twice.


    "You''re a liar!" He screamed at her, almost looking as though he wanted to hit her. "Aurora, the maid, is not your child and you know this quite well. Why won''t you just tell the truth, woman? For how long would you keep lying and deceiving everyone? You''re a snake! Admit it! Say it, woman, you''re Sophia''s mother."


    As he spoke those words, I could see the anger in his eyes. I turned around to see that just like mine, everyone''s eyes were on him.

 More Secrets Unveiled

    Alpha Bane''s POV


    The shock on everyone''s face was expected. It was the same way that I felt when


    I heard the news from the witch. I didn''t understand why the stupid woman wouldn''t tell the truth despite all I''d said to her. She was just a chronic,


    unrepentant liar and I was certain it was only a matter of time before I''d have her put to shame.


    I knew that even in a thousand years, there was very little chance that she would admit to what she had done because she was going to risk a lot. There was a lot for both her and her daughter to lose.


    The Luna might have her executed if she found out that she had the guts to switch her child with the Luna''s. It was a crime punishable by death; for her and her daughter if she had a hand in it also.


    The Alpha and Luna would have felt so horrible knowing that their child had lived so many years as a maid while they had had to take care of the child of a maid as if she was theirs. Such betrayal was hardly ever going to be forgiven and I was certain that Mrs Scott knew it.


    I repeated the question and when she didn''t say anything else, I knew it was time to try something new; something that will make her have no choice but to reveal whatever it was, that she was hiding.


    "If you''re not the mother of the Princess, why did youe to visit her since you''re nothing but an ordinary maid to her?" I asked, hoping to break her.


    "Well...I- I am the maid of the Princess," she stammered, probably unsure about exactly what she had to say to not get into trouble. "I just wanted to check up on her. Ever since she left, things haven''t been as good as they used to be. I admit that I''ve missed her, but that''s simply because she''s friendly. Nothing else."


    She slightly bent her head and I waited for her to raise it again. Then, I smirked at her and coughed twice before saying all that was on my mind.


    "You can''t keep lying, especially when the truth is so ring," I began to say to her in the presence of everyone else. "I didn''t just hear all about what happened between you, the Princess and Aurora. I have found the witch that helped you do it."


    "What witch?"


    "The witch who helped you with the scent and mask replication," I replied, doing well to keep my eyes focused on her so that I''ll see all of her reactions. "You tricked me and of course, everyone else into believing that Sophia was my mate and I was foolish enough to believe it."


    I paused a bit to observe the environment and then I continued.


    "Ever since I first noticed that Sophia was my mate, I had always been very suspicious about the whole thing and when Aurora told me that she was my one true mate, I knew there was some truth in what she had said, even though I fought so hard not to believe her at all. Until Dn..."


    "Uhm..."


    "Don''t say a word, woman! I''m not done," I rudely interrupted her. "It was only until this serial cheat, Sophia, had sex with my brother, Dn that I came to know some part of the truth. Her scent changed that day and I could sense it so strongly. That was how I was led straight to her room, where I found out that she wasmitting the atrocity."


    "Please, you should stop, Alpha Bane," Mrs Scott pleaded, probably hearing enough but I had more to say.


    "I inquired from a witch, my guard and I and that was when we learned that there was a kind of dark magic which could make someone change his or her scent but at a very big cost. I was told that the cost was that the person would lose his or her wolf. "


    I looked around at the faces of the Alpha, Luna and Sophia herself who looked so engrossed in the talk and I smiled. They looked so surprised at all that they heard; all except Mrs Scott who looked so scared.


    "Confess, Mrs Scott! Say the truth right now, you and Sophia. What is it that you''re hiding?"


    Princess Sophia''s POV


    "This is bullshit, Alpha Bane! Nothing you said makes any kind of sense," Sophia rebuffed. "I still have my wolf and I''ve never lost it in my life. How then can you exin all that you''ve said to us here?"


    I paused a bit and swallowed my spit, squeezing my face to show the pain she felt. I was so hungry and I didn''t know how to help myself. I couldn''t eat that nonsense that I was served but I knew that I also couldn''t survive without food. Yet, I had more pressing issues to concern myself with.


    "It couldn''t have been my scent that you heard," I continued. "It must have been something else. You must have gotten all these things mixed up somehow. My wolf is very much alive in me and we talk every day. What are you even saying?"


    As I got done speaking those words, I felt a bit confident that he was wrong. Yet, what he said terrified me so much. They were all so new to me but the boldness with which he said those words made it very difficult to discard them as nothing. The more he spoke, the more confident he looked and I couldn''t help but give all he said a thought. Turning to Mrs Scott, I saw that she too, was also terrified and I wondered what her reasons were.


    "There''s something that you all must understand, although I do think that Mrs Scott understands it more than all of us," Alpha Bane said with a smile. "It might interest you to know that Mrs Scott''s wolf is gone. In this dark magic, it''s possible to use the wolf of a rtive instead of yours. In this case, it can only mean one thing. If she could lose her wolf for your sake, then it means that you are rted somehow."


    I quickly turned to Mrs Scott and gazed intently at her, shocked to hear all that was going on. My parents did the same. They couldn''t believe their ears. The words that were uttered by Alpha Bane were too much for us to bear.


    Suddenly, Mrs Scott looked so flushed. She looked short of words. She opened her mouth thrice to speak but on all three asions, she was unable to do that. It only fueled the thought that Alpha Bane wasn''t making things up.


    "Won''t you say something?" Alpha Bane asked, taunting Mrs Scott for her inability to speak.


    "I- The thing is that I... There''s a-" Mrs Scott suddenly began to stammer, unable to say anything tangible. "I can exin this, I promise. I..."


    "Enough!" My mother screamed, raising her right hand. She had had enough of the back and forth and she wasn''t willing to keep hearing everything that was being said. Instead, she decided to put an end to the debate.


    "We''re going to do a blood test so we can conclude on this once and for all and we''re going to do it quickly," she proposed, much to the delight of Alpha Bane who nodded in affirmation.


    "I agree," he supported, with a smirk on his lips as I watched on.


    "Guards," he called out to the guards who came to him very quickly. "Fetch me the witch immediately."


    My heart kept beating so fast as I stood, rooted to a spot, trying to connect the dots.

 The Witch’s Revelation

    Alpha Bane''s POV


    We all stood, anxiously waiting for the witch to arrive. Minutes seemed to us like hours as everyone eagerly anticipated the witch and whatever it was that she had to say. I wondered what took her so long as we had waited for over ten minutes.


    The witch, as I heard, was never one who was renowned for her speed. She was famed for always taking her time regardless of how urgent the situation was. I had expected the guard to try to get her to hurry up a bit. I guess he didn''t have that power.


    After another eight to ten minutes which seemed like an eternity, the witch finally walked into the dungeon, as slowly as I expected, with the guard right behind her.


    In her hands was arge cbash which she held very delicately with both hands, put out in front of her as she walked into the dungeon. I noticed that the guard carried a bag too. It most certainly belonged to her as I was so sure that he didn''t leave the dungeon with a bag.


    As she got to the centre of the dungeon, she dropped the cbash on the floor and turned to look at each person that was present. Then, she got to Mrs Scott and paused, before letting out a wry smile which she held on for about half a minute, as the woman kept vibrating.


    She turned back around and carried the cbash, this time, she danced around us with it, pausing briefly on getting to each person before proceeding to the next. I guessed it was all part of the ritual. Although it was quite weird.


    She stretched forth her right hand and the guard immediately bent and began to search the bag for something as we all fixed our gaze on him intently. He searched for a while but didn''t seem to find what he was looking for. Then he tried to leave, probably feeling he had left it somewhere but the witch shook her head, with her hand still outstretched.


    He bent again to look for it one more time and this time, he dipped his hand further inside and brought it out with something inside. With a smile on his face, he walked to the witch with the stuff in his hand.


    As he handed it over to her, I saw exactly what it was. It was a small knife and I wondered what it was for. "Does she n to kill anyone here?" I asked myself. I''d heard a lot about witches and how weirdly they were said to act at times, so I expected anything from her.


    She took the knife and returned to the centre of the room. Then she motioned to Mrs Scott and Sophia to approach her and they did, albeit reluctantly.


    She stared at Mrs Scott for a moment and then she squeezed her face so tightly. "Stretch forth your right hand," she ordered her and she immediately obeyed without any hesitation, although she seemed very afraid. The witch pierced her hand a little with the small knife, causing her to jerk a little and blood dripped from her hand into the cbash.


    She then turned to Princess Sophia and did the same to her. Then she kept the cbash on the floor and waited for something to happen. I didn''t know what it


    was.


    "If indeed this woman is the mother of the youngdy, then the blood will turn ck after two minutes. If not, then it''ll stay the same."


    We waited for a good two minutes and it seemed like nothing was happening. Mrs Scott looked up at the witch with a smile on her face like she had won a trophy but the witch smiled back and pointed back to the cbash.


    We all looked back at it to see that it had turned ck. It seemed she had celebrated too soon. As everyone else raised their heads, she kept hers fixed on the cbash. The shame was unbearable. She was probably confused and short of options.


    Everyone in the room turned to me in shock as they kept staring. I wasn''t fazed nor was I surprised. I had a very nonchnt look as I had expected that result since the witch told me before that. It was their unbelief in my words that caused them to be that shocked.


    "I might know who the real daughter of the Alpha and Luna of the Silver Moon Pack is," I dered, as though they were both not present.


    "Who is it?" The Luna Queen asked, very curious to find out who her real daughter was.


    "Go into the Castle and bring Aurora, the maid, to this ce, guard," I ordered one of the guards as he bowed his head and went to do as he was told.


    I watched Princess Sophia''s jaw drop as soon as she heard that name. "No. No," she repeatedly muttered in a very low tone, shaking her head but it was none of my business. I had no pity whatsoever for her.


    Princess Sophia''s POV


    I watched the guard walk out of the dungeon so he could call Aurora who was probably in the Castle whiling away her time on nothing relevant. As I saw him move, I was so full of an inexplicable fear coupled with a fit of anger that knew no bounds.


    I couldn''t believe this was happening to me. How on Earth was I to bear being a royal child for so many years, only to turn out to be a mere servant?


    It was unthinkable, yet, it wasn''t just that that got me irate. I was going to be a servant and the person to take my ce was that stupid Aurora? That maid? I couldn''t get myself to believe that she was of a royal bloodline. She didn''t look like it and definitely didn''t act like it. She deserved to be left as a maid as she had no ss at all.


    I turned to look at my supposed parents; the ones I''d called my parents ever since


    I was a little girl and I saw my father, looking at me too. I saw the pity in his eyes


    as he kept his gaze on me and I expected the same from my mom.


    It wasn''t to be. She only had her eyes fixed on the door. It was as if I didn''t even exist. She was only keen on seeing her real daughter as if I was a fake. She didn''t even care about how I was feeling at that moment and it crushed me.


    I wondered if it was just that easy for her to be rid of me that way. I mean, it wasn''t my fault that they were lied to. I had nothing to do with it. I didn''t have to pay for the consequences of all that. Knowing the truth didn''t stop me from loving her any less. So I wondered why she couldn''t even care about me.


    I turned to Aurora''s mother; or should I say my real mother but she had her eyes on others there. I felt it was out of shame for what she had done. I loved her, but she went too far. Yet, I had her to thank for whatever part of royalty that I enjoyed until that day, even though it was nothingpared to living a life that was all a


    lie.


    As I looked back at my father, I felt very emotional. A lot of things began to y in my mind. I thought about how life was going to be for me from then henceforth and there was nothing good about it. I only saw a life of struggles, pain, rejection and humiliation in front of me and I couldn''t help but sob.


    I felt tears flow down my cheeks and fall to the floor as I let out very soft sounds.

 Confessions

    Aurora''s POV


    I sang aloud as I did the dishes very slowly. There was no one to supervise my work so I did as I pleased. I had gone to Alpha Bane''s room earlier that morning so I could see him but I heard that he wasn''t around.


    I wondered what exactly was happening with him and with everyone else as there seemed to be a certain aura in the Castle that I couldn''t exin.


    Suddenly, I heard footsteps approaching the kitchen and I immediately stopped singing and focused on what I was washing to avoid being scolded, just in case it was the chief maid. I sneakily peeked toward the door to see who it was that wasing so I could know what to do next.


    It was a guard. I heaved a sigh of relief and turned to face him so I could greet but instead of stopping or trying to walk past me, he began to walk toward me as if it was I that he specifically came to see. That was weird, so I said nothing and let him get to me.


    "Aurora," he said, as soon as he got to where I was. "Alpha Bane wants to see you immediately. You have toe with me at once."


    I was shocked to hear that as I never expected anything like that. But at the same time, I was quite happy. I finally had what I was looking for brought right to me


    after so many days of fruitless trials. I had the chance to talk to Alpha Bane about everything I knew concerning Dn''s threats and ns to take him out so that he could be the Alpha.


    He turned around and I immediately followed behind, hoping that he was to take me to Alpha Bane''s room. However, after walking for a while, I noticed that we were headed somewhere else and I wanted to ask him but somehow, I refrained from doing so and just followed behind.


    After a while, I realised what was going on. He wasn''t taking me to Alpha Bane''s room or any other ce that I might have thought of in the Castle. Instead, he was taking me to the dungeon and I was quite surprised.


    I began to wonder if I hadmitted any crime, but I thought that if I did, he wouldn''t have allowed me to freely follow him. He''d probably have held me or tied me up somehow, so I wouldn''t escape. So I felt there was something else going on that I wasn''t aware of.


    On getting there, I saw Princess Sophia who was all tied up inside the dungeon and surprisingly her parents; the Alpha and Luna of the Silver Moon Pack and my dear mother were all present there. I wondered how they were able to hear what happened as I was only able to know what went on because of the maid that shared the news with me. How could it have gotten to them so quickly? I had no answer to that.


    Before I could ask what was happening or even call out to my mother who didn''t even care to throw a nce at me, I saw Alpha Bane open his mouth to say something and I immediately turned my focus to him, keen to hear what he had to say.


    "Aurora here is the real daughter of the Alpha and Luna of the Silver Moon Pack."


    Everywhere went quiet and my jaw dropped. I didn''t understand exactly what was going on and I wondered if I heard correctly. It seemed like it was a dream or he was out of his mind to suggest such nonsense.


    "I knew this on the day she had an injury and healed quicker than any other wolf I''ve ever seen. She has the blood of an Alpha," he continued, getting me even more confused.


    I looked at everyone else around there and they were just as shocked as I was. All except my mother, who looked very tense instead. She looked like she knew all that was going on and I couldn''t ce my hands on why.


    I walked slowly toward him, unable to let what he was saying sink inside me. "What exactly is happening here?" I screamed, with my hands over both ears of mine.


    Alpha Bane''s POV


    Aurora looked so shocked and I knew she had to. I mean, she never expected any of that and it all came as a huge shock to her.


    "You need to calm down, Aurora," I said to her. "You''ll understand all that I''m saying in very little time, okay?"


    She took a deep breath in and then breathed out. "How am I going to understand that?"


    "You can perform the test," I said to the witch and she responded with a nod.


    She turned to Aurora and let out a very spookyugh. I''d heard so much about witches and those waves ofughter of theirs and sometimes, it made me wonder a lot. "Was it worth it? Could they not do without all those?" I''d always ask myself. I never got to understand why they all had to be that way. Maybe it was just their thing but yeah, I didn''t see the need for that.


    "Stretch forth your right hand," she said to her and she quickly did. She seemed afraid of the witch too. Everyone seemed to be afraid of her except the royals.


    The witch tore her skin a bit with the little knife and let her blood flow into the cbash. Then we waited for her as she began to test the blood.


    "This could take a bit of time," she said to us as we waited patiently for her to finish her rituals.


    As we all waited in suspense, I saw Aurora shaking a bit which was normal. She was going to find out her true identity. Her status was going to change from amoner to a royal. It was a big deal and I was very happy for her and to be the one that made it happen. It was the least that I could do for her.


    After a few minutes, the witch got done with the test and turned back to us to announce the results. Everyone gazed at her in anticipation. It was a piece of news worth waiting for.


    "It is true," she finally said, breaking the suspense. "Aurora is the real daughter of the Alpha and Luna of the Silver Moon Pack. Behold your Princess; Princess Aurora!"


    "How''s that even possible?" The Luna Queen yelled. "How is it that she''s my real daughter? I carried Sophia right from the day that she was born. This is impossible, witch!"


    "Confess, you snake," the witchmanded Mrs Scott to everyone''s shock. "Tell everyone the truth about what happened and how exactly it happened."


    "I... I don''t know what you''re talking about," she stammered, with sweat dripping from her face onto the floor. But the witch was having none of it. She struck her with her staff and she fell to the floor, screaming and wailing.


    She didn''t even swing hard but Mrs Scott looked to be in unbearable pain. I began to understand why they feared the witch. She was true, a powerful being.


    "Confess now!" She barked at her again and this time, Mrs Scott was more than willing to do that.


    "It''s true. Princess Sophia is my child," she began to confess as everyone stared at her in amazement. "I had the babies switched at birth through one of the maids who was my good friend. I wanted my child to have a taste of royalty after how horribly I was being treated at the time. I..."


    She kept going on and on as everyone just opened their mouths in bewilderment. The Alpha and Luna Queen too stood amazed and I wondered what would happen next.

 Subtle Twist Of Fate

    Princess Sophia''s POV


    Saying that I was shocked at all that was happening would have been a great understatement. Sadly, I didn''t have any better word for the way that I felt.


    I watched as Aurora''s mother; if I could still call her that, given she had been confirmed to be my real mother, confessed in the presence of everyone and I didn''t know exactly how to feel about that.


    "You have to forgive me," she begged with tears in her eyes. "I just had to switch them up. I didn''t have any other choice. I had never imagined that my daughter would live the kind of life that I lived. A life of pain, sorrow, anguish and irrelevance. J wanted something better for her. I felt she deserved something better. What mother would not wish to have her child do better than her?"


    She waited a bit as if she was expecting an answer to the rhetorical question that she asked, and when none was forting, she went on.


    "I did what I did many years ago to guarantee that for my daughter; to give her a better life," she continued, still sobbing. "I wanted her to wake up in the morning and not bother about what she was going to eat or drink or how she was going to serve someone else or get punished or beaten up for each mistake she made, just like her mother. It was so selfish of me and I know that, yet, it was the best I could do for my daughter."


    As I heard those words, I felt a tear drop from my eyes and I noticed that she avoided any form of eye contact with me as she spoke. Everyone else just stared at her with utter disgust and she deserved it. No one could dispute that fact.


    "I have paid for my crimes in the cruellest of ways. I lost my wolf just so that she could end up with Alpha Bane, cementing her ce as royalty and making sure she was never going to live a life of suffering." Turning to my "mother," she said, "I know I should have thought about your child, who had to spend her entire life as a maid instead of as royalty, but at the time, I wasn''t thinking about that. I was just being a mother."


    She did all she did for my well-being. I knew that and it almost made me not think of her as evil. But then, I couldn''t help the anger that arose from within me. She was simply very wicked and unapologetically so and I felt like walking right up to her and pping her hard right ac oss the face. But she was my mother and she loved me. How could I hate someone like that?


    I began to understand why she was the way she was. I knew why she loved me so much, even more than Aurora, who was supposed to be her daughter. It wasn''t that it didn''t feel weird at all at the time, I just brushed it aside, thinking she was just a very loyal servant who had some issues with her child.


    The fact that she had to go through the great length of getting a mask for me, just so I could win Alpha Bane''s heart at the expense of her child was something that baffled me. Yet, I was naive enough to dismiss it as just loyalty. I felt I deserved everything that I got from her. I was the Princess after all, so I deserved such treatment and even more.


    Just then I remembered something that struck me so hard; the chef, who said a lot about me to Aurora before she died.


    It dawned on me that it was my mother that had her killed and it was all because of me. That thought caused me to shudder as I realised the length she was willing to go to achieve her goal.


    Mrs Scott''s face looked ghostly pale with so much fright as she got done with her confession. She knelt before my father and mother, awaiting judgement.


    Not knowing what else to do, I ran to my parents, dragging my chained hands and feet as much as I could to get to them. I couldn''t have myself dragged into this mess that my mother had created; a mess I had enjoyed all my life. I couldn''t bear being abandoned by the royal family. I might not be their real child, but I''d been their daughter for many years. Surely, they weren''t about to let that all go. I had to make sure of that.


    "She has to be lying, mom," I said, trying to see if I could get them to disbelieve her ims, as true as they were. "Dad, you can''t believe her, right? I mean, how could she have done all that?"


    My words didn''t seem to yield anything fruitful. If anything, it seemed to annoy them the more as they just stared at me nkly and said nothing. I had to try something different.


    "Even if her words are true, mom," I continued, changing up my tactics with the hope that this one was going to be more effective. I couldn''t bear to lose them. They were all I had. "I had no idea whatsoever. She didn''t say anything at all to me. It''s all her fault. Dad, please listen to me. I didn''t know about these. I''m innocent. She''s the one to me. You both are my parents and I''ve known you all my life as my parents. Please, don''t abandon me for a crime I didn''tmit. I''m innocent. It should count, right?"


    As I spoke, they just nodded their heads and said nothing. I felt they didn''t believe me and I couldn''t contain my emotions anymore.


    I suddenly began to cry as I fell to the ground, hitting it with both hands in pain. I kept wailing aloud, unsure of what to do next. Then I felt a hand on my back, moving back and forth.


    I looked up and saw that it was my dad. He knelt beside me with his left hand on my back. It felt so good.


    "Don''t cry, my love," he said to me.


    Aurora''s POV


    I struggled to get my mouth to close but it wouldn''t. It stayed wide open as shock crept down my spine.


    I began to connect the dots as I thought back on how I was treated by my so- called mother. I realised why she always found a way to hit me or just yell at me for no just cause.


    I thought she hated me back then. Now, I was certain that she did. She was so inhumane in her treatment of me that I wondered how possible it was for someone to treat her child like that.


    At some point, I resigned myself to the fact that she couldn''t show love since she was unable to show that to me; not until I saw her showing that to Sophia. That was when I realised that she only had a problem with me, but I didn''t know why.


    It was only now that I realised that it was because I wasn''t her child. My crime was being the unfortunate child of the Luna Queen.


    As I stood, still in shock and full of disbelief, I turned to my real parents and was shocked to see themforting Sophia. I couldn''t believe my eyes.


    It was clear to me that despite all that had happened, they still had feelings for Sophia and it didn''t just upset me; it irritated me so much and I was so hurt.


    I understood them. They had spent a lot of time together as a family so it was certainly going to be tough to let go. Yet, it pained me to hear them tell her that she was still their daughter regardless of whatever had happened. It was like they didn''t care.


    "Guards," the Luna Queen, who was my mother, called out. "Take this wicked woman out of here! We''ll deal with her ordingly when we get back to our Pack.


    I swear by the goddess, she''ll pay for all of her crimes!"


    When I saw that they cared less about seeing me, I got angrier. They didn''t care about my feelings; only Sophia mattered to them.


    I felt a tear roll down my cheeks and I quickly wiped it away. "I need a moment to process what exactly is happening here," I muttered out loud as I stood and began to walk out of the dungeon.


    I thought they''d follow me but they didn''t. I nced at them and saw that they didn''t even see me leave. I turned and walked away. I did hear some footsteps behind me but I didn''t care. It was probably one of the guards going about his own business.

 Disgusting Behaviors

    Alpha Bane''s POV


    I followed Aurora out of the dungeon down to the Castle''s garden. I noticed that she wasn''t aware she was being followed. She probably just needed some time alone but I didn''t want to afford her that as I thought differently. I felt what she needed was someone to talk to at that moment; someone to diffuse the whole situation and put her at ease.


    As she sat on the pavement there, I sat beside her and she quickly looked at me, a bit startled, as she didn''t expect to see anyone besides her, talk more of me.


    "Rx," I said to her to get her at ease. "It''s just me."


    I saw that her eyes were watery. She wasn''t crying at the time but it looked like she had been crying inside the dungeon and her visage wasn''t good at all. I thought she must have been overwhelmed by all that had happened and all she had heard and witnessed inside there. Even for me, who wasn''t directly involved in the whole matter as much as she was, it was still a lot for me.


    "It''s alright," I said to her, gently cing my right hand on her shoulder tofort her. "It''ll all be over, Aurora. Just take it easy on yourself."


    Even with my words, she still seemed to remain in a gloomy state and I couldn''t understand why. For sure, she had been through so much and it was quite a thing hearing that you had been suffering all your life and being treated like a servant even though you were true, the child of the Alpha. It was even more hurtful that those who made your life hell were the people who should have been your servants. I knew how bad she must have felt about all that.


    Yet, I did feel like she was supposed to take the news better. As much as it reminded her about so many ugly things, it also helped her understand what her real identity was.


    I thought she''d be happy to know who she was. I felt she was going to be happy to know that her suffering was over and all life had in store for her were good tidings. It was something to be very happy about. I hoped that even though she didn''t show it, she was probably happy inside and how better to find out than asking?


    "How do you feel about being of royal blood? I guess it feels great, doesn''t it?" I asked her, with a huge smile on my face.


    "Why did you do all this?" She asked in a surprisingly harsh tone. Thest thing I expected was for her tosh out at me. I didn''t know why she had to do that. "Why are you so happy about all that has happened so far? Why does it seem like you''re overly pleased with the recent happenings?"


    I was confused. Why was she asking such questions? I struggled to understand where exactly she was driving, but I thought it best to answer her anyway.


    "I''m happy because you''re no longer going to..."


    "Don''t bother answering anything," she said, abruptly cutting me off. "I know exactly why you''re so happy. You only like me because you''ve realised that I''m the daughter of an Alpha. When I was only a lowly maid, trying to tell you things I knew were true; things like the fact that I was your mate, you chose to outrightly reject me instead of listening to what I had to say. Now, you''ve suddenly developed some time for me. How sweet!"


    "You have to calm down, Aurora, don''t be this way with me," I said, trying to get her to stay calm as I believed she was letting things get to her more than they should. "It was only normal for me to doubt your words. Anyone in my shoes would have done the same, Aurora. Let''s not make a big deal out of this "


    "A big deal, you say?"


    "Of course. We don''t always get to see amon servant mated to an Alpha. With all that''s happened, we can see why it happened that way. You weren''t really a servant, were you? I''ve never heard of any Alpha mated to a maid. Can you me me for not believing in that possibility? I would have..."


    Before I could finish what I was saying, she spat at my feet. "You disgust me!" She screamed at me in anger, much to my shock as my eyes widened in fury.


    Aurora''s POV


    "You disgust me!" I screamed again, just in case he didn''t hear it well the first time. I didn''t just say it for the sake of it. He did disgust me and I had to let him know.


    I had thought he''d apologise for being so insensitive but he didn''t. Instead, he decided to defend himself which to me, was a very foolish way to behave. I thought he was more mature than that but I was very wrong about that.


    "I hate your attitude, Alpha Bane. You are such an unreasonable person."


    "Hey, rx, Aurora. I''ve told you this before and I''ll say it again. Please, calm down and think this through. You don''t have to get all worked up about this, to be honest."


    "Really?" I asked, raising my brows to express my annoyance with all that came from his mouth.


    "Besides, I''m beginning to love you back too, Aurora. Could you just try to have a rethink, please? I don''t think all these are necessary. Let''s just move forward."


    "I can''t and won''t stay with you, Alpha Bane!" I barked at him, smelling insincerity in his words and actions. "You only like me now because I have always been of help to you. I saved your life, didn''t I? You don''t like me, nor love me at all. You just want to be with me now because somehow, I''m of some use to you. That''s what all you royals do, isn''t it? You use others and toss them aside when you''re done with them."


    I saw him re up as his eyes turned red at my words. He certainly didn''t like them and I couldn''t care less because I was convinced I was only saying the truth and nothing else.


    "You''re just so ungrateful, you brat!" He yelled at me, forcing a gasp out of me. That was unexpected. I hadn''t seen Alpha Bane in that sort of mood in a long time. "I helped you find your biological parents and this is all I get for it instead of your gratitude? After all that I have done for you, you decide to treat me this way? Why on Earth would you be this way? Thanks to me, your status in this Pack has changed for the better. You were called from the Castle kitchen. I''m the reason why you won''t be going back there. Doesn''t that mean anything to you?"


    His words annoyed me and showed me just how selfish he was. He only thought about himself and all that he had presumably done. He probably felt like I was supposed to lick his feet to repay him for doing the world for me. Not me though. I was never going to do that.


    "I can''t ept being refused by you, Aurora. I''ll never ept that," he disclosed, staring into my eyes with a mad rage in his eyes. My wolf felt it too and wanted to react but I asked her to remain calm despite her best efforts to gain control. It seemed like something got into him as I wondered why he said those words to me as if he owned me. He didn''t. No one did. "I had just gotten betrayed by Sophia, who I thought was my mate. I can''t bear to have you refuse me just because you love that cheat of a brother that I have, named Dn."


    "I don''t understand you. What exactly are you talking about?" I asked, quite confused and unsure of what he implied. "How do you..."


    He stood and immediately grabbed my neck before I could finish what I was saying and growled at me. He squeezed on it lightly and drew his face very close


    to mine like he was trying to kiss me or something like that.


    "Do you want to mate with my brother, Dn, instead of me?"

 Moody Thoughts

    Alpha Bane''s POV


    "Do you want to mate with Dn, my brother, instead of me?" I asked Aurora again, with my hand still firmly ced on her neck.


    The more I looked at her, the more I felt the rage building up on my inside increase. I hadn''t been that mad in a long time and I couldn''t exin exactly how I felt.


    All I could say for sure was that I had this subtle nudge to squeeze tighter as I let my emotions get over me. I kept squeezing, and although it was still not with excessive force, it was enough to make her struggle to break free in pain.


    She said nothing, which seemed to further infuriate me. But then I looked into her eyes and saw that she was tearing up. She was in pain and I was the reason why. Suddenly, my tempers weren''t ring anymore. I calmed down all of a sudden and began to feel empathy instead of anger.


    As her tears dropped to the floor, I looked at her hands and saw that they were shaky which convinced me that she was trembling in fright.


    "Damn it!" I cursed, wondering what exactly hade over me as it was quite strange. It wasn''t like me to get that aggressive, especially when it was ady in question.


    I quickly removed my hand from her neck and thought about what to say next. I was certain that there was no amount of pleading that could salvage the situation but I just had to try.


    "Please, Aurora," I begged her, hoping that somehow, it was going to get her to listen to me. It didn''t. She just stared at me and said nothing. I thought I should try one more time.


    "I don''t know what I was thinking Aurora, I should never have done this. I can''t exin what just happened to me. You have to listen to me. I''m very sorry..." I kept on saying, over and over again, all to no avail.


    She sniffed and before I could finish what I had to say, she stood and ran away without caring a bit about what it was that I had to say to her.


    As she hurriedly left, crying all the way, I hit myself very hard with my palms. It was all my fault. I could have prevented all that had happened. What a fool I was!


    I couldn''t quite exin what went on inside me; why I felt so angry and enraged. I couldn''t tell why I asked her that question. I regretted every bit of what I said and I was at a crossroads. Follow her? Let her leave for now?


    I had no answers to those questions as indecisiveness became a buddy to me. I walked a few steps in her direction and then thought again following her. I felt it was only going to make things worse than they already were. So I had to let her go so she could have some time to herself. Besides, that was the very reason she went to the garden in the first ce. Perhaps, I should have let her have that instead of talking to her that way. I should have given her some space.


    As I began to walk away from the garden, I felt something wet touch my face. It wasn''t about to rain so it couldn''t have been that.


    I lifted my right hand and that''s when I saw that there was some blood there. I didn''t notice it earlier. Then, it urred to me that I must have gotten injured during my fight with my useless brother, Dn.


    "Damn it!" I cursed out aloud. I never liked it when I bled for any reason. I didn''t know why I never noticed that I had such an injury. It was good that I finally saw it


    I hit my hand on my head as I tried to stop the bleeding as much as I could, before gently walking away.


    Aurora''s POV


    As I scampered through the garden, tears flowed down my cheeks in a very quick manner as I did all I could to make sure that I didn''t cry out loudly. I had to be strong for myself, even though strength was a virtue I struggled to reach, at that moment.


    I had gone to the garden to have some time to myself but Alpha Bane wouldn''t let me. He was just too selfish and full of himself to let it happen. Instead, he decided to make it all about himself as he always does, which only served to annoy me.


    I thought about a ce that I''d go to without him following me there. As I walked, I turned back a little to make sure he wasn''t following behind. If he was, I already nned to run as fast as my legs could carry me until I was out of his sight. Thankfully, he wasn''t. I saw him walk in the opposite direction. Good riddance!


    I wished that I would never get to talk to him again in my life. He was so insensitive that thinking about it was capable of causing me to throw up. How could he talk to me that way, talk more of squeezing my neck? That was the height of it. Perhaps, he still saw me as that servant that he could treat anyhow he wanted. He felt he owned me. I could never be a Princess in his eyes, but that was who I had be and he had to ord me that respect regardless of how he felt.


    After walking for a while, I decided that my room was the best ce for me as it was going to afford me the privacy that I needed. All I needed was to walk inside, lock the door and sit or lie on the bed. It was as straightforward as ever or so I thought.


    It wasn''t to be so. As I got close to my quarters, I noticed that people looked at me more than usual. Something was wrong somehow and I couldn''t ce my hands on it.


    Some smiled at me for no reason. Others just kept staring at me without saying a word. The maids and servants who used to be mean to me all gazed in admiration. There was a whole different aura around the ce.


    There was only one thing that could have caused that. The news of my true identity must have spread to them and it only made me more worried.


    It was probably a shock to them all and I didn''t know how they''d take it. What I knew was that it was going to draw a lot of attention to me and I didn''t want that at all. I just wanted to be left alone and allowed to do things like everyone else. Although, I couldn''t deny the fact that I was happy that no one was going to order me around like I was nothing anymore.


    "Is it true that you''re a Princess?" One of them asked as I walked past her. "What can you say about the recent news we''re hearing, Aurora?" Asked another, making me wonder if they were maids or investigative journalists.


    I ignored them all and walked even more quickly until I got to my room. Then I sighed in relief and walked in, shutting the door behind me but forgetting to lock it.


    As I plopped down on the bed, it afforded me the room to sob even harder and I did. It was then that I began again to recall how my biological parents ignored me after such a revtion. It was bad at the time but there in my room, it was even


    worse.


    I wondered if they hated or despised me so much that they could not even check on me. Even after such a long time, they didn''t even bother to search for me. I could''ve sworn that they didn''t notice that I left the dungeon a long time ago. Perhaps, they were ashamed of me. Maybe, I wasn''t worthy to have them as my parents or, at least, they didn''t think that I was.


    I wished so hard that the chef was still alive. I wanted so badly for her to have witnessed this moment; the moment that she had always talked about. She was the only one whose care for me was genuine. She loved me with all of her heart and I loved her too. Sadly, she had to lose her life just because she was trying to help me. If only she could see what I had be...

 Brewing Plans

    Dn''s POV


    Still, on my way out of the pce in a carriage that was arranged by my friend, a few guards in the carriage looked out for any signs of anyone who might have posed a threat to our escape.


    I got some news from one of them who had stepped out a bit to get some food so that we all could eat, Bane didn''t follow us, and neither did he send any guards


    after us.


    I knew how foolish Bane was. What I didn''t know was the extent of his folly. If I were to be in his shoes, I would never have allowed him to escape. I''d have sent so many men after him knowing that he was always going to be a threat to the throne. Perhaps, he thought me to be a coward, or he was a coward himself. I swore that this decision of his was going to haunt him for the rest of his miserable life, which I hoped wouldn''t be that long since I had a n in ce.


    It was a relief knowing that the coast was clear for my friend and me but I did my best not to show it. If I were to lead a rebellion with those men, I needed them to see that I possessed limitless courage and didn''t have any fear at all for Bane and whoever was on his side. Fear was a sign of weakness and no one was ever going to remain loyal to a weak man; especially one who was fighting against authority.


    "What''s the n now?" Johnny asked, drawing closer to me but knowing where to stop.


    No matter how familiar and friendly we were, Johnny always knew his limits and was very careful not to push them. It was for a good reason too as he knew too well what I was capable of, even to the best of my friends. He knew when to talk, when to keep mute, when to suggest things and when to simply follow instructions. That was one of the things I loved so much about him. He was never one to challenge my decisions, except in a few cases when he politely suggested contrary things when it was needful to do so. Even then, he was still wary and afraid. It was a perfect friendship.


    "What are you going to do now?" He asked, with a very concerned look on his face. "Bane knows everything that has happened. He''s aware and I''m certain he''s not happy about that. Especially now that he caught you having sex with his mate which by thews of thend, is a very big crime against him. He must surely be plotting against you but I''m sure you have a n. You always do. What could it be this time?"


    I hissed and ced my left hand on the injury that I sustained on my right hand. It was still bleeding and was quite painful so I used a small bandage to cover it.


    "You see, my friend," I exined to him, exchanging the look of pain on my face with a grin. "This war is not over. In fact, it''s far from over and that''s what Bane doesn''t understand. For now, he has won the fight but the war is far from finished. I won''t let him go scot-free from all that he has done to me. I''ll be back and when I do, I''ll be much stronger. He won''t be able to stand me. He won''t know what hit him. I''ll be there when he''d least expect and take everything that he''d stolen from me in the twinkle of an eye. I''ll make him see it before I take his miserable life!"


    I clenched my teeth as I felt a sharp pain. I rubbed it a little and ced my hands on myp. Then I paused to see the look on Johnny''s face. I needed to see if he had doubts or if he was a believer. I didn''t want to work with people who had doubts concerning my ns and visions.


    "For now, all we need to do is to find a ce to rest our heads," I continued, seeing that he looked invested in what I had to say. "We need to find a ce to stay for the meantime whilst finalising my ns. When everything has calmed down and it seems like all is well, that''s when we''re going to strike. What is it they say about revenge, my friend?"


    "It''s best served as a cold dish?"


    "Correct! That''s exactly what we''re going to do."


    He nodded and we proceeded on our journey. As we moved, my mind wouldn''t stay in a ce as it wandered freely. As much as I had a n, I wasn''t unaware of the dangers ahead. Defeating Bane was never going to be an easy feat. There was no fun in easy stuff either.


    Princess Sophia''s POV


    Still locked up in the dungeon, I sat on the floor and thought long about my life. I was like an animal; my hands and feet were all chained and it brought me to tears.


    I was a Princess. For sure, it had been proven that I wasn''t by blood but to me, it changed nothing. I was still a Princess. Royalty was a thing of the mind and I was always going to be more of a Princess than that swine called Aurora!


    I still couldn''t believe that Mrs Scott was my mother and not Aurora''s mother. The more I thought about it, the more I developed a hatred for her and in just a matter of hours, it was an intense hatred that had built up in my heart.


    It wasn''t her fault. Yes. Yet, I couldn''t help but ask myself why she had to be my mother. "Why not the Luna?" I asked myself, still in tears. "Why did it have to be you, woman? I hate you. I hate you so much. I wish you could just die and leave my life for good. I wish everyone could have a memory loss so that you''d be forgotten; wiped away from everyone''s head, and I''ll finally be free from you and your ill luck!"


    I screamed and mmed the ground as if she was right there with me. I just couldn''t help myself. The whole situation drained me so much and I didn''t know what else to do about it.


    As I recalled all that happened, I felt consoled by the fact that there was a glimmer of hope somehow. All hope was not lost. I remembered how my parents, although not biologically, made peace with me andforted me when I fell to the ground. It was clear that they still loved me so much, just like I still loved them. They didn''t toss me aside because they felt like I wasn''t their child. They looked to have epted me anyway and it ddened my heart.


    My face began to beam with smiles and I wiped my tears away as there was no need for them. I recalled how Aurora ran away from the dungeon after the truth was revealed. She was probably sad that her true parents didn''t run to her when they found out the truth. They chose to stay and console me instead. It must have made her so mad knowing that they chose me over her. The more I thought about it, the happier I got.


    I tried to cover my mouth with my right hand as Iughed out loud. That was when I heard the sound of the chains; a reminder that I was still bound and the smiles immediately disappeared from my face.


    "They promised that they''lle and get me out of this cell," I said to myself, recalling the promise that my parents made to me. Since they even assured me that they''ll never stop loving me like their own child, I knew it was only going to be a matter of time before I''d be freed.


    I sighed, as a thought suddenly came into my mind. But then, I was interrupted by the opening of the door of the dungeon as two guards walked in with food and water in their hands for me.


    This time, it wasn''t the slimy thing that they used to bring to me. They decided to get me something worthy to be presented to a human. I guessed my parents had a hand in it.


    The guards dropped the food and turned to leave but I didn''t like the ce where they dropped it. "Hey! Bring the food to me! Why would you keep it at such a distance, you idiots?" I barked at them for their insolence.


    They came back and did as I said before finally walking away, but not before some parting words from their Princess.


    "You''re all morons, all of you! I''ming!"

 According Respect

    Aurora''s POV


    The next morning, I woke up from my bed, feeling a tad weak after a long sleep. I had fallen asleep in my thoughts and any time it happened, u always woke up feeling very drained.


    All that I could think of were the events of the day before. I had wished that Alpha Bane wouldn''t chase after me as I left the garden, yet as I recalled that he didn''t, it made me feel somewhat. Deep down, I had expected him to do that. I wanted to have to escape from him and to get that feeling that he wanted me. I couldn''t understand why he''d just let me leave that way.


    It left me feeling so sad and empty. It reminded me that people never truly loved or wanted me. The chef was the only exception, and it saddened me so much that she was no more.


    I began to doubt Alpha Bane''s so-called feelings for me. I wondered if they were even real or if he made them up just to find another avenue to use me as much as he wanted to.


    I felt like if he did love me, then he wouldn''t have let me leave like that. He''d have tried to fight. It should have been me, trying to stop him from talking to me or reaching out to me. He should not have been the one to do that. Unless, of course, he didn''t care about me and his love for me was a farce. Maybe it was. Perhaps, no one loved me.


    As I remembered how hard he gripped me by my neck whilst staring right into my eyes, I felt even worse and was more convinced that he probably didn''t love me as he said to me.


    Everything that happened the previous day got me in a solemn mood. The words said, the events that happened, everything. Nevertheless, I had to move forward. I wasn''t going to let myself be dragged down by anyone or anything.


    I got up from the bed and walked to the bathroom to have my bath. I took my clothes off, stretched out my hand and tossed the clothes onto my bed. Then I put on the shower and let the water flow from the crown of my head, down to my feet. As it did, I assumed it was washing away my pain and sorrow and I prayed the same to the moon goddess, hoping she''d finally be able to hear me.


    I got done having my bath and I quickly put on a yellow dress and walked straight


    to the servants'' quarters. As I arrived, there were already so many maids there and they went about their duties with aplomb.


    U noticed that the maids began to murmur as soon as they spotted me there. Then suddenly, everyone began to bow and greet me.


    I didn''t like that at all. It made me very ufortable and all of a sudden, I became very much uneasy. I felt there was simply no need for all of that. I''ve worked with them for quite a while so I expected them to act a bit differently.


    I sharply left the servants'' quarters and went straight to the kitchen where I used to prepare meals. It was like a home away from home because I spent more time in the kitchen than in my room and not just out ofpulsion, although I always had to do it, but because I loved to cook.


    However, I was met with many eyes as the maids left what they were doing and began to bow and greet. "Stop that, all of you!" I screamed at them, feeling increasingly more ufortable but they didn''t.


    "Ma''am, we were told to address you this way," one of the maids said to me very politely. "It''s an order by the Alpha King himself and we dare not unt it."


    Before I could step further into the kitchen, I saw ady approaching me very quickly from inside the kitchen and I paused to wait for her. I was so keen on what she wanted to say to me.


    "Good day, ma''am," she greeted, bowing a little. "I''m the new head Chef."


    I was shocked. That was my position. It had been taken from me even without my knowledge. I got the message they were trying to pass. Everyone had begun to treat me like royalty.


    It was true that my parents hadn''t acknowledged me yet, but everyone here had been instructed to do that. Deep down, they had epted that fact. I wondered how long it was going to take them to say it to me in person.


    Raging, I didn''t know exactly what to do. Seeing that I was still angry at Alpha Bane, I was unsure as to I was supposed to confront him about the issue. Instead, u turned away from the kitchen and began to run back to my room, with tears in my eyes.


    Alpha Bane''s POV


    "Alpha, all the instructions that you gave concerning Princess Aurora have been put in ce," said Mark Donald, my faithful Beta.


    I had reached Donald a few hours earlier through a guard and instructed him to head straight to my room so we could talk about crucial matters in the Pack. There were two major issues of great concern to me; Dn''s case and Princess Aurora''s.


    My face softened as soon as I heard that name and the frustration that I felt earlier seemed to go down a bit. Even though I was slightly angry at her for leaving the way that she did, I couldn''t help but wish that I was going to see her again soon. I also hoped that then, she''d let me talk to her. But until that time, I had to be sure that she was alright.


    "How is she doing?" I asked Donald, as he tried to sit.


    "She''s alright, my Alpha. I heard that she has been in her room all day."


    I sighed. I knew why she was that way. It was only a matter of time.


    "What about Dn? I asked you to assign some guards to tail him and bring him back if possible. Is there any news about that yet?"


    "None, my Alpha. There''s no news yet. Although, some of the men are still on it as we speak," he said, bowing his head a bit to show his disappointment and remorse for not bringing positive results in the job that I had given to him.


    That wasn''t the sort of news that I wanted to hear. I needed something that''ll put a smile on my face and not make me even angrier than I already was. Knowing the kind of man that Dn was, I knew it was only a matter of time before we''d see him again. I wanted so badly for us toy our hands on him.


    Just then, I felt something sharp in my skull. The pain was so much that I had to hold my head with both hands as I groaned aloud.


    "What''s wrong, my Alpha?" Donald asked, drawing closer to me.


    I put out my right hand to him, suggesting that he should note any further. I didn''t want him to pity me for any reason. I was the Alpha. I didn''t need pity. All I needed was fear and reverence.


    Yet, he pressed. He gave me no rest and I couldn''t keep him away for so long because the pain was unbearable.


    "Fine," I finally said to him, knowing there was no way I could keep it from him any longer. "It''s a wound that I have on my head. It doesn''t seem to want to go away."


    I pointed to the wound on my head so he could see for himself. It wasn''t bleeding any more. Indeed, it had healed already as my wolf was a very strong one. Yet, somehow, I kept feeling some pain there and I couldn''t exin why.


    "You should get some rest, my Alpha," Donald advised. I didn''t think I''d pay attention to such advice because I didn''t want to look weak and vulnerable; even


    to him. I''ll send for the Royal doctor toe and see you. He''ll properly look at it and tell you exactly what you''ve to do."


    I almost let out a "Thank," but I stopped just as I was about to say it. I was grateful. He could see it in my eyes, but I couldn''t get myself to thank him.


    "I appreciate your concern," I said to him instead, so it wouldn''t look like heboured or would stillbour in vain.


    He smiles and turns around to leave while Iy back on the bed very slowly to avoid the pain.

 Family Summons

    Aurora''s POV


    A few dayster...


    The days passed by so fast and before I could even know it, it was already three days since I discovered my true identity... three whole days!


    Since I wasn''t a ve anymore and no one needed me to do anything, I thought it best to remain in my room and just spend some time alone.


    For three days, I stayed in. I only had my bath, ate, thought for a long time and slept when I felt the need to. Nothing else mattered to me at the time as I didn''t want anything to do with anyone. I just needed to be by myself. Besides, it wasn''t like anyone wanted to be with me either. So I didn''t feel guilty about my decision.


    Thankfully for me, just as I desired, no one came to the room to call for me or anything like that. Everyone just forgot about me and probably went about their different businesses as usual and as much as it gave me some sort of relief, it also angered me a bit.


    Ever since I got back to my room from the garden, Alpha Bane had said nothing to me at all. I didn''t hear from him at all for the entire three days. He sent no guards to summon me and he didn''te for me himself.


    I had my doubts earlier but they weren''t doubts anymore. I was certain that he didn''t have any feelings for me. He was only toying with my emotions and the moment I spoke to him about it, he realised that he had been caught and never came to me again.


    He did want me though. I saw it in his eyes when we spoke. I saw it when he held me by the neck and looked into my eyes. I saw it when he apologised to me, just before I left the garden. It was clear.


    Yet, it wasn''t because he loved me. It was because he needed me. He couldn''t do without me. He only wanted me for his selfish gain and nothing else. His professed feelings for me were just not real at all.


    I wondered why most people from Royal families were that way. They cared only for themselves and sometimes, their families when they weren''t quarrelling. I hoped I''d never be that way. It was a prospect that scared me so much.


    Since I wasn''t wanted by anyone in the Pack, I didn''t think it was of much use being there. No one wanted to talk to me and I didn''t want to talk to anyone either. So, I felt it was going to be great if I simply ran away from the Pack and everyone in it; my parents included. I thought it was going to make things easier for everyone.


    I''d heard about people who did that. They''d leave their Pack and head to other Packs to be lone rogue wolves there. They have no ranks, nor are they respected by the members of the Pack, but they have the chance to make their friends and just live their own lives without anyone telling them what to do or having to face being falsely loved.


    In another Pack, I''d only have to find a ce toy my head. I wasn''t at all bothered about how I was going to survive as I knew just how. I had some great cooking skills. I knew that if I simply opened up a restaurant or something like that, I''d thrive.


    The problem was that escaping from the Pack was no easy feat, especially when everyone knew that I was the Princess. All eyes were going to be on me and any attempt to leave was most likely going to be spotted.


    It was true that Dn did just that, but it was different. There was chaos in the Pack so he used that opportunity to leave. There was nothing like that anymore in the Pack. It was going to look so strange to the members of the Pack. None could understand exactly how I felt inside.


    Right beside the mirror, where I sat, I began to y with my hair, staring at the mirror to see how silly I looked doing that. It was up to me to make myself happy; to put a smile on my miserable face and remind myself that it was not all bad.


    Then I heard a knock on the door. I thought I was mistaken at first because no one ever knocked on my door unless it was time to bring my food to me. I had only just eaten, so I wasn''t expecting anyone toe to my room.


    I hesitated a bit until I heard it the second time. Then, I was sure that it was a knock on my door and I stood to get the door.


    "Who''s there?" I asked, as soon as I got to the door.


    The person probably didn''t hear my question and for ack of patience to ask it again, I just opened the door to see a maid standing behind it with a smile on her face. I felt a strong urge to p that smile off her face because nothing was funny about life but I had to have some restraint.


    "Good day, ma''am," she greeted, still smiling and I nodded to show that she could continue to state why she was in front of my room. "The Alpha and Luna of the Silver Moon Pack asked for you, Princess. They want to see you, ma''am."


    I was shocked and didn''t know exactly what to do or say at that moment. I just stared dumbly at the maid, lost for words and short of ideas. She was probably stunned to see me that way too. I was never known to gawk at people but this was different.


    "Princess, the Alpha and Luna of the Silver Moon Pack would very much love to see you," she repeated, this time waving her right hand in front of me to help mee back to reality, seeing that I looked so lost.


    The gesture caused me to blink my eyes in surprise and I wondered what my parents wanted to say to me. They stayed for three days without saying anything


    to me and now, they suddenly wanted to talk to me. How convenient!


    I opened my mouth to tell the maid to return to them bearing news that I wasn''t going to them for anything at all but I stopped myself from doing so at thest second. It wasn''t the wisest thing to do at that moment and I knew I had to be smart.


    "Wait outside for me," I said to her, forcing a smile off my face. I didn''t want the maid to sense any form of animosity between my parents and me as I knew so well that most of them loved to gossip. They''d do anything to get news concerning any one and spread it so quickly as if they were being paid to do that.


    "I need to dress up so we can meet them," I continued. "I mean, there''s no way I could ever meet them dressed like this. Right?"


    The maid nodded and left my room, heading to somewhere else that I didn''t know of, while I shut my door and went into my wardrobe to pick a dress, appropriate for the asion.


    As I searched for the dress I''d love to wear, I kept on thinking about the meeting and what it was probably all about. If they wanted to see me, then it had to be to discuss something very important and I wondered what was important enough for them to ask the maid to call me, especially since it was clear that they didn''t like me at all.


    Because if they didn''t, they''d have summoned me earlier. They wouldn''t have waited for three days to do that. The more I thought about it, the angrier I got and the more I wanted so badly not to see them but I just knew that I had to.


    "These would do," I said, picking out a very casual blue blouse and a ck skirt to go with it. It was a meeting with my parents anyway. There was no need to go over-the-top for it. At least, that was what I thought, especially after the way they treated me. They didn''t deserve anything more than that.


    I got undressed as quickly as I could and began to put on the ones I picked. I had


    a long day ahead of me and I hoped with everything in me that I wasn''t going to end up disappointed once again.

 Brokering Peace

    Alpha Bane''s POV


    My vision was a bit hazy and my head still felt very heavy but I couldn''t let the situation at hand linger so I arranged a meeting between Aurora and her parents.


    It was clear that it was telling on Aurora as she couldn''t quite embrace her new identity. As much as I knew the part I yed in making it worse, I knew that the problem originated from that revtion. We were quite fine before then.


    I garnered some strength and made my way to the throne room where the Alpha and Luna of the Silver Moon Pack already sat, waiting for my arrival and that of Aurora.


    "Greetings," I said to them, walking slowly to my seat as they nodded in response before saying back to me in unison as if they had nned it before my arrival, "Greetings, Alpha Bane."


    As I sat, I noticed a certain uneasiness between them and I knew something was off. It wasn''t unexpected as it took a lot to get them to show up for the meeting.


    Before sending the maid to call Aurora, I had met her parents in a bid to get them to have a chat so that they could reconcile but three times, my efforts ended in futility. They always had one reason or another why they couldn''t make it to the meeting.


    It was only after I made a case out of it that they agreed to meet with her. Even then, they didn''t sound convincing. So it was no surprise to see that they were kind of nervous.


    "You do have the time to talk to Aurora today, don''t you? I''m sure you didn''t think you came here just to talk to me," I said to them. I added thest line when I remembered that I hadn''t specifically mentioned to them that Aurora would be arriving that instant.


    "I don''t think we''re ready for that, Alpha Bane. Perhaps,ter on, we''d be, but not at the moment," said the Luna as both of them nodded.


    I was enraged by those words as I struggled toprehend how a mother could shy away from having a candid conversation with her daughter whom she had only found out about. It seemed very strange to me and I wanted so badly tosh out at them.


    "Why would you say something like that?" I asked with a very firm voice.


    "Well, we''re still in huge shock over everything that had happened concerning this and have been trying to process it all,* she exined. "It''s like being hit by a very strong horse. I can''t..."


    "This is going to be very difficult," the Alpha King cut in. "We''ve known Sophia all our lives before this sudden twist of fate and it''ll certainly take some time to grasp all that''s happening."


    As they talked, I began to understand where they wereing from and what they were driving at. There was a lot of sincerity in their voice as they spoke with a lot of genuine passion.


    "As it stands," the Luna continued."We can''t even tell if she''s going to ept us after everything she must have gone through, either in our hands, in the hands of our daughter or the hands of the other maids in the pce.


    I stared at them in pity as their words hit me hard. They were just confused and didn''t know what to do, just like any parent could have been in that situation.


    "I can''t..."


    The throne room door suddenly opened up as the Luna Queen still spoke and Aurora walked in with the maid behind her and bowed a little.


    I couldn''t help but admire her attire. It was simple, yet elegant. I gazed at her face and for the first time, I began to see that she was truly a beautiful woman. The minor facial scars on her face did nothing to remove that fact. How could I have been so blind?


    As she looked up and our eyes met, my heart twinged.


    Aurora''s POV


    As I stepped into the throne room, I did my best to avoid any sort of eye contact with Alpha Bane. I wanted to stay angry at him so badly and having some sort of eye contact with him was never going to help me achieve that.


    Yet, it wasn''t easy. With each passing second came a very strong urge to just damn my feelings and look at the guy. Rose didn''t make it any easier for me as she kept calling out to him and it did make me want to get upset with her.


    She knew all that I had gone through in his hands. She knew how badly he had consistently treated me. Yet, she still yearned for me to be with him. I also felt the same way, but she wouldn''t let me pretend that I didn''t want it either.


    I looked up and saw that he too was staring at me and it caused me to slightly shiver. I couldn''t exin what happened next but I know that our eyes remained locked and none of us was able to look away. It was magical.


    We stared at each other for a while when someone in the room cleared her voice forcing us to break our gaze. I quickly jerked back to consciousness and saw that it was my mother. I felt a bit embarrassed that she caught us at that moment. I didn''t know how long we stared at each other.


    "Good day, Alpha Bane, "I greeted him, biting my lower lip. Then I turned and faced my parents wondering what I was even going to say to them.


    Then my mother approached me and I wondered why she was so bold to do that. I didn''t know what her n was but I was keen to find out. I noticed that her lips quivered so I took it that she too, didn''t know what to say or how to say it.


    She got to me and spread her arms as she tried to hug me but I was having none of that. I took a step backwards to avoid her attempt and judging from the look on her face, she was shocked.


    I turned to my father to see that his mouth too was widened. They probably didn''t know how angry I was at them so I kept a passively angry face.


    "Why am I here?" I rudely asked, wanting so badly to get it over with. Their presence was beginning to irritate me and it made me ufortable.


    "Why is everyone in the pce suddenly treating me so differently?" I turned to Alpha Bane and asked him before my parents could say a thing. I felt it was simply a mixture of pretence and hypocrisy as they didn''t mean all that they did. It was probably an obligation that everyone had to fulfil and it made things even worse. At least, people were more honest with me before then.


    There was silence everywhere and from the way he reacted, I could tell he wasn''t expecting that question. I caught him off-guard and he needed some time to process my question.


    Before he could answer, I noticed that he suddenly began to rub his head with a look that depicted pain even though he tried to suppress it. I could tell that there was something wrong with him but I resisted the urge to ask what it was. Instead, I waited patiently for him to answer what I had asked him.


    "Princess Aurora," he began, staring intently at me as he seemed to have ovee the pain that he previously felt. "I apologise for any inconvenience caused during this period. You''re being treated this way because you''re of Royal blood and everyone is aware of it. It''s an abomination for you to work as a servant in this Castle or anywhere else. That job is for maids."


    I almost scoffed andughed at his remarks. I opened my mouth, hoping to tell him that I''d been working as a servant all my life. Perhaps, he had forgotten that already, and I needed to remind him.


    Before I could say a word, he began to speak to me instead and I had no choice but to listen to what he had to say.


    "I''ll let you talk with your parents now," he said, turning to his Beta and motioning to him to leave.


    It was unfair. I felt like I had been set up by Alpha Bane and I didn''t take it lightly. I stretched out my hand to protest but he and his Beta walked away, leaving me all alone with my parents.

 Passing Judgement

    Alpha Bane''s POV


    I left the throne room, with Donald behind me as I headed straight to the dungeon where Sophia and her wicked mother were. It was about time. Something had to be done to those traitors in my Pack.


    "Are you going to pass a verdict on them now?" Donald asked, sounding surprised that I was headed there.


    "Yes."


    We kept walking and Donald said nothing else afterwards and so we walked to the cell grounds in silence.


    As we got to the dungeon, I decided to head over to Mrs Scott''s cell first before going to see Sophia. I saw a few guards; about 7 in number and I called them to follow me.


    We got in there and I immediately hissed at the sight of the woman. She looked at me with pitiable eyes but I wasn''t moved by that. Anyone in her shoes would have done the same thing to get some pity. I wasn''t foolish enough to buy all of that.


    "Guards!" I called out to the guys behind me, pointing to three of them as soon as they got closer to me. "Grab this woman very tightly so that she won''t do anything funny and bundle her to the throne room in her chains. I''m going to pass my verdict on her in the presence of Aurora and the Alpha and Luna of the Silver Moon Pack."


    "Yes, Alpha," they chorused before walking down to where Mrs Scott was. The look on their faces showed that they were intent on following their instructions as they should and I was d to see that.


    As they grabbed her, she looked like she wanted to say something; an apology or a plea, but somehow, the words wouldn''te out of her mouth. She was teary- eyed and I wondered if she regretted her actions or was just that way because she had been caught.


    I watched the guards lead her out of her cell and head to the throne room. Then I snapped my fingers at Donald who seemed so engrossed with what went on with Mrs Scott, so he could follow me as I moved.


    We walked quickly to Sophia''s cell which wasn''t far away from her mother''s cell and in about two minutes, we were right in front of the door of the dungeon.


    As I opened the door, Sophia quickly turned to see who it was that entered the dungeon. The look on her face was priceless. It was more of a shock than anything else and it was written all over her. Clearly, she wasn''t expecting to see


    me.


    "You''re here to release me, right?" She asked, forcing a subtle smile off her face but I just stared at her wondering how she could have conceived such a thought after all that she had done to me.


    "Please, Alpha Bane," she begged. "I''m sorry for all I''ve done to you. Forgive me, please. I''ve suffered so much here."


    "Stop!" I screamed at her, hearing enough of her nonsense. "Today is the day that I''ll pass my verdict on you."


    "But... You can''t do that, Alpha Bane. There''s no way that I''ll..."


    "Guards, take her away. If she resists, drag her to the throne room by any means necessary.


    "1


    Four guards rounded her and pulled her up despite her attempts to resist. I turned around and began to walk back to the throne room.


    "Let me go! Leave me alone!" She screamed as the guards followed behind with her in their grasp.


    Princess Sophia''s POV


    The guards mercilessly dragged me out of the dungeon, despite my attempts to resist. They kept pulling and pulling as hard as they could and I screamed at the top of my voice to see if it was going to change anything.


    It didn''t. They just kept moving and Alpha Bane walked in front with his beta as we all headed toward the throne room.


    I got tired of screaming and resigned to my fate that I was going to be judged on that day. There was nothing else I could do but hope for a favourable verdict from Alpha Bane who didn''t seem at all pleased with me and for good reason too.


    As we got to the throne room, the guards dumped me beside my mother who was already there before we arrived. They must have gone to her cell first before heading over to mine.


    I couldn''t look at her. I didn''t want to behold her for any reason. I couldn''t ept that she was my mother even if she was. There was no way that I could have been the daughter of amon maid.


    I looked around the room and spotted Aurora standing beside her parents; the parents that she stole from me and I could feel fury coursing through me.


    I hated Aurora. I''d hated her all my life. But this was different. There was something passionate about the hatred that I felt for her as I saw her close to my former parents. I felt like a dagger was used to pierce my heart and I swore in my heart to deal with her mercilessly.


    I developed a n on that spot, still staring at her but I knew that I had to take things one step at a time. The first thing I needed to get was my freedom, and then I could begin my revenge on her.


    I looked at my father, or should I say ex-father and he just had a solemn look on his face. However, my mother looked very indifferent. She had quite a neutral expression and it didn''t surprise me. I already knew that she didn''t love me as much as my father did. The only thing that got me surprised was the fact that she had already spoken to me on that day that she arrived, now she acted like we barely knew each other.


    As I thought about all that was happening, I locked eyes with Aurora who just looked in my direction and my expression immediately changed. But before I could say a word, Alpha Bane cleared his throat and I knew it was time for his verdict.


    "Instead of passing a verdict on these two, I''d rather stand back and let you do it since it rtes to you more directly," he said to my father, who looked quite shocked at the gesture.


    Alpha Bane stepped back and my father moved forward and stood very close to me and my mother. "This woman would be taken back to the Silver Moon Pack and my wife and I will get a suitable punishment for her when we get back."


    Alpha Bane nodded in agreement and it was my turn. He stared right into my eyes and that instant, a tear suddenly fell from my face onto the ground. I bowed my head in shame, not knowing what to expect.


    "Alpha Bane, would you not pass your punishment on her for cheating on you with your brother?" He asked Alpha Bane, leaving me wide-mouthed. I couldn''t understand why he''d ask him that question. It was as if he was desperate to see me get punished.


    Everywhere went silent as embarrassment coursed through my body.


    "I have forgiven her already. Besides, she has suffered for her crimes since then so I''m alright. The ball is in your court."


    I felt some relief upon hearing those words. I never imagined that Alpha Bane was ever going to forgive me after what I did to him. I didn''t know how genuine his im was but I did hope that it was true and my heart was ddened. Yet, I wasn''t unaware that it was far from over. I still had to convince my father to let me go free.


    As I waited for my father to pass judgement, I looked at his face and saw that he struggled to say what he had in mind. Then, I began to sob. I couldn''t contain the emotions anymore. My fate was in the hands of my loving father who was faced with no choice but to dere a just sentence. I couldn''t stop the tears from flowing.


    Then an idea popped up in my head. I realised that I could actually cry so hard to influence his decision and so I began to cry even harder. It worked so well on the day that I was revealed to be the child of Mrs Scott even though I wasn''t faking it on that day. I hoped that as I did cry, it was going to touch him once again so he''ll grant me a favourable judgement.

 Partial Verdicts

    Aurora''s POV


    As I stood, awaiting the judgement that Alpha Bane had reserved for Sophia, my mind shed back to what had happened earlier on before the arrival of Mrs Scott and Sophia alongside Alpha Bane.


    As soon as Alpha Bane left the throne room, my parents immediately drew closer to me, with my mother still looking a bit frustrated that I didn''t hug her back.


    "We''re so sorry for not getting back to you on that day, after the revtion that you are our daughter," my mom pleaded. "I''m so sorry about that. It was never our intention to do that. We didn''t know exactly how to feel at that moment and so we were confused. Please, forgive us."


    I didn''t want to hear anything that they had to say. I was sure that they were only saying it out of necessity. Anyone who had any form of love for his or her child would have been there for that child. They didn''t even care, nor did it bother them that I was rocked by the revtion. They were too busy tending to Sophia who was the child that they loved.


    I waved them off sharply, putting out my right hand to show that I had heard enough of the crap that proceeded from their lips. "I''m going to need some space to process all these. I don''t want anyoneing to tell me what to do. I know the next thing on your mind is to tell me to follow you to the Pack and start my role as your daughter; the princess of the Silver Moon Pack. I just need some time first."


    "No problem, child. You can take all the time that you want. We''ll be here, waiting for your answer," she said with a very beautiful smile and quite a calm voice.


    The Luna Queen was a nice and understanding woman. I could tell by the way she spoke. She didn''t try to object or enforce her will. She didn''t even put any form of pressure on me and I loved that.


    It didn''t stop me from wanting to run away from the Pack, although it did make me think twice as I wondered if they genuinely wanted me and if I was only putting them off because I didn''t want to believe that.


    I was brought back to the present by the voice of my father who cleared his throat as he stood to pass a verdict on Sophia. There was silence everywhere as we waited for him to say what he had in mind.


    "I''d love to take Sophia back with me to the Silver Moon Pack since she didn''t do anything wrong to us. It was you that she wronged and since you have forgiven her, I believe she''s free toe home with us. We''ll know what to do with her when we return to the Pack since she''s not our real daughter."


    Those words stung my heart like a bee and I was greatly infuriated. I had thought that they''d just banish Sophia so that we could all have peace of mind. That was the fair and reasonable thing to do at that moment. What on Earth was he thinking? I felt like charging at him and everyone else around and hitting them so hard that my hands bleed. I was so angry.


    The verdict only served to remind me that I was going to fight for the right to be loved by my parents with the imposter, especially since it was very clear that my father loved and always favoured her even after finding out that I was his true child. If it ever came to a point where he''d have to choose between one of us, I felt he was always going to pick Sophia over me.


    I turned to Sophia who was all smiles and as our eyes met, she shot me a look that sent shivers down my spine. She had achieved what she wanted. She had gotten my parents to choose her one more time, not minding how I was going to feel in that situation. She had won that fight and I knew that there were other fights in store for us. Sophia was never one to give up. Me, neither.


    As my father got done talking, he stepped back to where he previously stood and we all waited for Alpha Bane''s response. I threw a nce at him with a very squeezed face to show my displeasure at his words.


    I turned to look at Alpha Bane and caught him also looking at me so I quickly diverted my eyes and folded my arms. It was no time for stares. I needed him to do something. I wanted him to overrule my father''s verdict. It was his Pack after all, so they''d have to respect his wishes. Even my father knew it. It was either Alpha Bane didn''t know that or he too didn''t care about how I felt at that moment. I hoped for the former.


    Sophia kept looking in my direction at intervals, smiling all the time and I pretended that I didn''t see her. I did and it made me very angry. Indeed, there was tension all around and I had begun to feel it.


    Alpha Bane''s POV


    As soon as the Alpha of the Silver Moon Pack got done with his speech, there was silence everywhere and the ce was like a graveyard. The only difference was it was full of humans who were very much alive.


    I cleared my throat and gestured to some of the guards toe forward. "Take these prisoners back to their cells," I ordered them, as they bowed and proceeded toy their hands on Sophia and her mother.


    "Please, Alpha Bane, Sophia should be kept in a good room, at least," the Alpha king pleaded.


    I didn''t like the suggestion at all. Yet, it wasn''t always that an Alpha stooped so low


    to beg for a request or favour. I thought it was best to allow it.


    I watched the guards forcefully lift them both from the floor where they sat. They led them by hand out of the throne room and into the different ces they were assigned to.


    Then I turned to Aurora''s parents to see that their hands were locked together. They needed that strength that always came from holding the hands of loved ones. I assumed it was to give them the relief that they so desired.


    Aurora was very close to them too. She just stood a few centimetres away from them. I turned to her and tried to say something to her.


    "Aurora...."


    She raised her hand as soon as she heard her name. "Please, I''d love to be excused."


    She turned to her parents and bowed a little before making the same request. "I''d love to use the bathroom. Can I leave?"


    They nodded.


    I knew she was tantly lying. There was no truth in her words. She didn''t need


    to use the restroom. She just wanted to avoid me at all costs.


    I felt so bad that she didn''t want to talk to me. I had put in so much effort just to get back on talking terms with her but it seemed like the more that I tried, the worse it got.


    It was so bad that my head and chest hurt on realising that she was ignoring me intentionally. I thought about several ways to get along with her but none was forting. I was so confused.


    She smiled at her parents and walked past me quite slowly, before leaving the throne room.


    After she had gone, I turned to her parents who looked dejected as they too, weren''t sure of what they were to do concerning Princess Aurora.


    "How was your talk with her?" I asked them, curious to know exactly what they had discussed when I was away, even though I knew that it wasn''t in my ce to know what they talked about. It was a family affair.


    "It didn''t go as well as we nned," the Alpha King echoed. "But I think we made some progress."


    "You n to take her back to your Pack?" I asked the Alpha and he nodded.


    "We need to take her back home so that we can take good care of her," the Luna Queen added. "But at the moment, she''s not so willing to head back with us. We hope it''ll change in theing days."


    "How sure are you that she''lle around?"


    "We can never be so sure about these things. We can only hope and pray to the Moon goddess to grant the desires of our hearts."

 The Garden Encounter

    Aurora''s POV


    As I walked out of the throne room, u thought about where to go next. I knew I had told them that I''d be going to the bathroom but it was a lie I had to tell. I had to leave that ce, by all means, to get some alone time as it seemed that every time I spent with them ended up making me even sadder.


    I walked slowly past the bathroom as I headed toward my room but then a thought came to my head. I had a feeling that if I didn''t show up at the throne room early enough, it was quite possible that someone woulde to find me in my room and I didn''t want to be found. So I decided that it was going to be best for me to head over to the garden. No one was going to think I was there. That''s what I thought in my heart.


    I turned back around and headed to the garden as quickly as I could before anyone else could spot me. As I walked, I looked around quite often just to be sure that I wasn''t being followed.


    In a few minutes, I was standing right in front of the garden. The sweet smell of cinnamon filled my nose as I stared at the brightly coloured flowers of different species all around the garden.


    It was one of the reasons I loved going there. The serenity of the ce and the lovely smell of different flowers. The sight too was so majestic; it was a wonder to behold. Anyone who needed peace could always find it there. It was the most perfect ce I knew of in the Pack.


    I sat on a small stone carving in the garden, only big enough for two people to sit and turned around a bit to see if anyone was around. There was no sight of anyone around. The onlypany I had were the little flowers that were around and I stretched forth my right hand and grabbed one of them, putting it in my nose and smelling it. It smelled so good.


    I ced the little flower on myp and my mind strayed as I began to think back to the conversation that I had with my parents earlier. I knew what they wanted. I knew that they were keen on having me return to them as their countenance showed they were being quite honest.


    Yet, I still felt somewhere within me that it wasn''t the best thing for me to do. Especially after the verdict that my father passed on Sophia despite all that had happened. He didn''t even think twice to ask for her to be released to him. He just did his best to get Alpha Bane''s punishment out of the way so that he could take his daughter home.


    I recalled how he pleaded to Alpha Bane for his daughter to be kept in a good room instead of the dungeon, although she wasn''t his daughter.


    Those thoughts angered me so much as they kept acting like she was their child even when it was clear that she wasn''t. They still had that affinity for her regardless. She was still their daughter in their eyes. And I was just that girl that was found to be their daughter.


    Although, I couldn''t me them for thinking that way, knowing it was quite tough to erase so many years spent together. I might not have done things differently if I were in their shoes, except being there for my daughter too because she too was human. I felt so bad and wished everything could just go away in the twinkle of an eye. If only it were that easy.


    I thought back to the look on the face of Mrs Scott earlier in the day and I couldn''t help but tear up, as I felt a tear drop from my face. I recalled all the wickedness shown to me by the woman ever since I was little. I never knew she could plead for her life. I never knew she could try to prevent herself from feeling pain. If she knew how much it hurt, why then did she derive joy in inflicting it on someone else?


    I remembered the days that I had to go without food and all the beatings that I received in her hands for no reason at all. She just hated me for being her child; or should I say, for acting as her child since I wasn''t hers.


    The more I thought about it, the more rage built up on my inside and I felt like tearing something apart. I noticed that I had started bing too emotional and whilst that wasn''t a good sign, I just couldn''t help it.


    Another year fell down my cheeks and I wiped it quickly with my right hand, yet, more tears kept streaming down my face.


    Furious, I wiped my face once again, but as I did so, I heard some footsteps behind me and instantly froze, wondering who it wasn''t. Then my wolf picked up Alpha Bane''s scent and I cursed inwardly, wondering what exactly he was doing there.


    Alpha Bane''s POV


    After Aurora left the throne room, I was certain that she wasn''t about to go to any bathroom. She was simply avoiding all of us and it wasn''t hard to say why.


    As soon as her father passed the verdict on Sophia, I noticed a sharp change in Aurora''s countenance and I knew she wasn''t pleased with everything that happened.


    After a few minutes, I decided to step out and look for her as it became even more obvious that she wasn''t going to return to the throne room.


    I went straight to her room to check if she had gone back there to have an alone time and when I got to the door, I saw that the ck metal door was locked from the outside and so there was no way that she was in there.


    I stood by the door, thinking about where she might have gone, scratching my head in the process. Then I saw a guard, walking past me but slowing a bit when he saw me.


    "Greetings, my Alpha," he greeted and I responded with a wave.


    He tried to keep moving but looked quite reluctant so I knew there was a problem. "What is it?" I asked him, as I felt he just needed a push to say something.


    "It''s the Princess. She''s not in her room. I saw her heading to the garden earlier on."


    If I hadn''t known how lousy that guard was, I''d have been tempted to give him a promotion for spotting my need and being keen on being of help to me. Yet, I stated in my heart that I was going to reward him for his help and just waved to him to leave.


    I quickly walked to the garden as quickly as I could, hoping in my mind that Aurora wasn''t up to something stupid. As I walked there, I remembered what happened thest time we were there and it got me a bit discouraged.


    On arriving at the garden, I heard her sniffles even though I hadn''t set my eyes on her yet. I knew it was hers because her scent saturated the whole air and filled my nose, bringing delight to my soul.


    I followed the smell and began to walk in that direction. That was when I noticed that she was crying and my chest immediately tightened. I picked up the pace and


    in a short moment, u saw her petite figure, standing and staring around. I froze a bit before continuing my journey as fast as I could.


    "Hey, Aurora," I greeted, as I stood by her side and before she could say anything, I asked her a question. "Why are you crying?"


    She turned and faced me with her eyes widened. "How did you know I was here?" She asked.


    Instead of replying, I decided to focus on the matter at hand. "Why are you crying?" I asked again.


    My question seemed to have triggered something in her as her surprised look switched to that of anger. "What I do is none of your business, Alpha Bane!" She screamed at me without minding how I''d feel.


    I wanted so badly to tell her that it was because she was my mate but I held myself back.


    Suddenly, she bowed at me as I looked on in shock. "I''ll be leaving the garden for you, dear Alpha. Let me find somewhere else to stay."


    She began to walk away but I couldn''t let her as I was angered by her actions. "Come back here!" I screamed, grabbing her hand and whirling her in motion until her body was stered to mine in something that looked like a hug.


    Time seemed to freeze as our eyes locked together for a few minutes with each of us unable to move. It was a surreal feeling and I had a strong urge to lean in a bit and nt my lips on hers.


    Suddenly, I cleared my throat and she quickly let go of me and hissed. I could see clearly that I affected her somehow because she was insanely blushing but I didn''t want to push it.


    "Please stay with me, Aurora," I said to her. "I want to talk to you


    "I need us to maintain our distance. I thought you should be smart enough to get


    the memo," she said, quickly ring up. "I don''t need you around me, Alpha Bane. Get the hell out of my life!


    "Damn it!" I cursed regretfully as she just walked away.

 Increasing Hatred

    Princess Sophia''s POV


    I sat on my bed, caressing it with both hands. After spending such a long time in the dungeon, I realised just how much I had missed my room.


    I stood and went to the mirror, just beside the bed and had a look at myself to see what had be of me. I looked very pale but at least, I could console myself with the fact that I wasn''t dirty any longer. My hair was well packed together and the blue dress I had was sparkling. I had my golden ne on as my mother; the Luna of the Silver Moon Pack, always told me to never put it off. I looked like the princess that I was.


    As soon as I was taken to the room earlier that day, I was given ess to my clothes and I quickly ran to the bathroom and had a wonderful cold bath; my first in so many days.


    At one point, I felt like not leaving the bathroom as the cold shower made me feel so rxed. I thought hard about all I''d been through and I began to understand how people felt when they were imprisoned. Before being there, I never knew how bad it was.


    Sitting back down on my bed, I heard a knock on my door and I wondered who it was. I hoped it was Alpha Bane trying toe to my room to talk things out with me. Perhaps, it was possible that we could even reconcile and things would get back to normal. I had lofty hopes. I loved him so much.


    "Come in," I said, adjusting my position on the bed and putting up a very apologetic face to convince him.


    My door was opened and I saw a youngdy walk into my room with a silver tray in her hand which contained food. I was highly disappointed and I couldn''t even hide it, nor did I want to. All I felt like doing at that moment was to get up and knock the food out of that moron''s hands. I was so mad.


    "Why did you disturb my sleep?" I asked the maid harshly. I lied because I didn''t know what else to pin my anger and annoyance on so it''ll still make some sense. "Answer me, you idiot!"


    "I''m... I''m so sorry, my Princess," she apologised. "I didn''t mean to interrupt your sleep. Please, forgive me."


    "Sorry for yourself, you fool!" I barked at her, not caring about whatever she had to say. I couldn''t believe I had waited and adjusted myself so well for just amon maid who had nothing to offer. Well, except for the stupid food that she had in her hands which I wanted nothing to do with.


    "Drop it on the table and leave this ce immediately!" I screamed at her.


    The maid walked to my table, which was very close to the window and there, she dropped my food. Then, she turned around and walked away as I had instructed her to do while I just hissed at her as she left.


    I stood from my bed and walked to my table, pulling out the blue, stic chair beside it and sitting down there. I stared at the food that she served me and while it looked appetising. I simply had no desire to eat it.


    There were severalps of deep-fried chicken which I loved so much. It was my favourite and it was probably why it was made for me in the first ce. But Icked the appetite to eat it and I even considered calling one of the maids to dispose of the food since they weren''t worthy to eat food made for the Princess.


    In the end, I thought against it, knowing that I needed to eat something, even if I didn''t feel like it, especially after losing a lot of weight due to theck of food for so many days in the dungeon.


    I dug in and began to eat mindlessly as fast as I could. I couldn''t wait to be done with it. I couldn''t even say how the food tasted as I could barely take note of that. All I wanted was to be done with it and in a few minutes, I was. Such a relief!


    I pushed the te to one side and washed my hands thoroughly and then went back to the bed andy down. I hoped to get some good sleep so I wouldn''t have to think about a lot of things anymore as they were beginning to cause my head to ache.


    It was not to be. I sought to sleep with all my heart but I just couldn''t find it. I rolled to the left and the right, feeling very disturbed. Indeed, sleep was very far away from me so I just stared nkly at the ceiling.


    My mind went back to the moment when I awaited the verdict from my father. Although I was scared, I did know that he loved me so much and would never want any evil to befall me for any reason. It was something that I could always count on with him. I wished I could say the same about my mother, even though I knew she did love me too... just not like my father.


    I thought back at the verdict that he made and it ddened my heart. He loved me so dearly that he made sure that I didn''t return to that ugly dungeon and instead found myself in a veryfortable room in the Castle. It was a thing of joy.


    Whilst I was very grateful to him for the freedom that I had received and thefort that I enjoyed, there was still a part of me that remained very unhappy and it was always going to be because of those two.


    Alpha Bane and Aurora; they were the reason that I could never enjoy peace of mind and no matter how hard I tried, I could never get over them nor could I take my mind off them.


    I wondered what Alpha Bane was currently doing as I began to miss him. I wished he was by my side. I wished he was beside me, right there on that bed, consoling and assuring me that he was always going to be there for me, just like he used to say to me every morning when we woke up and every night before we went to bed.


    He was the sweetest man that I had ever seen or known. He made me feel so loved and special and I fell madly in love with him for that reason and because he was the Alpha of course.


    "You did this to yourself, Sophia," my wolf berated me, still unhappy because of what I had done with Dn. "If you weren''t so foolish, he would never have left you for any woman; not even Aurora. I warned you severally about that snake. I told you to have nothing to do with him but what did you do? The same thing that you always do, despite all I try to tell you. You chose, like always, to do things your way. Where has that led you to now?"


    I covered both my ears with my hands, sick of hearing what my wolf had to say. Although I knew it was true, I didn''t want to hear any of that. I couldn''t even understand why she had to say all those to me, seeing that it wasn''t going to help me in any way at all. It was only going to make things worse than they were and I didn''t see a need for all that.


    Yet, she wouldn''t keep shut. She kept screaming in my ears and no matter how hard I tried to shut them, her voice echoed deep inside of me and I couldn''t bear it anymore.


    "You alone are to me for all of this," she continued, keen on being a nightmare to me during the day. "Now you''ve lost him forever. Besides, he''s not your mate. If only you had had some restraint, he''d never have found out. This is your own doing. Now, you have to live with it for the rest of your life, knowing that you could have had a better life; a life with Alpha Bane, but you blew it by sleeping with his brother because of your unending greed and insatiable nature..."


    I couldn''t let her finish her talk as it bothered me so much, especially because all she said was true. Yet, I didn''t believe that I would never have Alpha Bane to myself. It was a lie. I chose to see it as one. I had to find a way to make sure that he was mine in the end. The one who had thestugh alwaysughed best.


    "Stop!!" I yelled at the voices in my head as I couldn''t take those words anymore. "Keep shut, right now. Be quiet! I don''t want to hear anything from you anymore. You have to stop!"


    I held my head with both hands as the ache got worse. "I have to do something," I said to myself, over and over again, as I thought long and hard about what exactly I was going to do.


    My hatred for Aurora kept growing inside me and I knew that I had to deal with her to stand any chance of being with Alpha Bane.

 The Brief Departure

    Aurora''s POV


    The next morning


    I walked into the throne room, early in the morning, wearing a frown as I would have rather been in my room. Alpha Bane and my parents were already seated there as they awaited my arrival.


    It was my parents who summoned me through one of the guards. He had mentioned something like they were to leave the Pack for some reason but I didn''t pay enough attention to hear what it was that they were going to do.


    As much as I had seen the throne room for quite a long time, I remained fascinated by the elegance it oozed. The golden chairs were only found in the Blue Moon Pack as no other Pack had the luxury of owning them. Yet, it wasn''t just their chairs and the magnificent throne which stood several inches above the ground with a well-designed structure that looked like a staircase that allowed the Alpha to climb on it and sit; the tables in the room were also made of pure gold except for the small stool which was always in front of the Alpha''s throne which had a top made of silver and the legs of gold.


    I couldn''t tell what the walls were made of but they looked a bit shiny and stony at the same time. It looked like it was made of ss and a bit of stone but I couldn''t exin how. There were rumours that some parts of the Castle walls were made of diamond but that was just an exaggeration. I had heard someone mention something like a luxurious lime ster. I felt it was the finishing used for the walls.


    "Wee, Aurora," Alpha Bane said to me as I forced a smile out of my face and nodded in response. I still didn''t want to say a word to him but I had to act normal in front of my parents who I also didn''t want to talk to.


    I looked around the room in search of Sophia but she was nowhere to be found. That was quite strange, given that they had already embraced her as part of the family.


    "Our child, we called you here to let you know that we''ll be heading back to our Pack for a very urgent meeting but in the next two days, we promise to be back," said my mother as she walked up to me.


    She paused on getting to where I was and stroked my face with her right hand and I did enjoy the moment. I felt loved after so many years of never having it and deep down, it felt so strange.


    I had been so deprived of love that it became a part of me. I thought at some point that I was simply undeserving of it and with all that kept happening with Mrs Scott, Sophia and Alpha Bane, who was supposed to be my mate; I had no reason to not think that way.


    "Honey, I do hope... Well, I and your father hope that by the time we''re back, you''d have been able to decide on whether you''d be going back to our Pack with us," she said, still stroking my face as she could probably tell that I loved it based on how I reacted.


    I just nodded my head, saying nothing as I stared nkly at both her and my father who had moved a bit closer to me. I didn''t know how to behave around them. I didn''t know what was appropriate and what was not and I certainly didn''t know how to feel around them. Things were still awkward. Everything was new to me and I was scared of giving my all, only to find myself shattered once again like I was so used to.


    She embraced me and this time, I let her do it, even though I didn''t wrap my hands around her. She broke the hold after a while and left and my father drew close to me and also embraced me.


    After the formalities, my father looked at Alpha Bane and bared his hands. "Where''s Sophia?" He asked.


    "She''s probably in her room," he answered,ing down to us from his seat.


    "We should go meet her before we leave," my mom said as Alpha Bane nodded and began to lead us to her room.


    We walked down the passageway till we got to her room and then we knocked on her door.


    "Come in," she said and we all walked into the room and saw her lying on the bed. On seeing us, she immediately sat up to receive us and my mother drew close to her."Sophie, we''re about to leave for a meeting in the Pack but we''ll be back in two days. We''re surely going to miss you, my love."


    She stood from the bed and ran to my parents, embracing them as they held onto her too.


    "I''m going to miss you both too," she said to them, still holding them for a while before releasing her hold.


    All of a sudden, she looked to wipe something away from her cheeks and I looked closer to see that she was tearing up. She had feigned fake tears to convince them that she did care that they were leaving.


    It seemed to work as the expression on their faces was that of concern but I wasn''t one to be fooled by her antics. I could see through her bluff and knowing how pretentious Sophia was, it wasn''t so difficult to spot.


    I just rolled my eyes as I watched her hug my parents once again.


    Alpha Bane''s POV


    I watched all that transpired between Aurora and her parents and all through, my eyes were on her alone. I had no idea if she knew that I was watching her but I just couldn''t stop staring.


    As we walked from the throne room to Sophia''s room, u stopped at intervals to look back just to see her beautiful face. And just as soon as we got to the room, I stepped back a little for her and her parents to walk into the room first, since they were the ones who wanted to see Sophia. I watched Aurora walk and I wondered how I missed the elegance in her step. She was a sight to behold from any angle I looked at her.


    I watched on as her parents hugged Sophia in what was a very emotional moment before they finally broke the embrace. Then, they both walked over to me with huge grins on their faces.


    "Farewell, Alpha. Farewell Luna," I said to them both forck of any other words to say.


    "Thank you so much, Alpha Bane. Thank you for everything," the Luna said to me. "I can''t express just how grateful we are for how you handled everything about this case."


    "I didn''t do it for you, "I bluntly responded. "I did all this because of Aurora."


    Everywhere went so silent as all eyes got fixed on me. They all looked so shocked at my words and didn''t expect me to say that but it was nothing but the truth and I refused to take it back. She was the reason why I did all that I did in the first ce. No one else could have made me go through all of that except her.


    I turned to Aurora hoping to see how she would react and just like I expected, she too, was surprised and her mouth was wide open.


    A guard walked into the room, breaking the silence that was desperately waiting for someone to break. "Greetings, my Alpha," he said to me, before taking some time to greet Aurora''s parents, Aurora and finally Sophia, one after the other. It must have been a huge chore for him.


    ?


    "The carriage is ready, my Alpha," he revealed, everything is ready, Sir." "Okay, we''ll be going there now. Lead the way " I said to him, as he walked out of the room slowly, so we could follow him behind.


    We all went outside, following his lead as he led us to where the carriage was. We paused and said our final goodbyes as the Alpha king and Luna Queen went into the carriage so that they could leave.


    Mrs Scott was there too. She was all tied up at the back area of the carriage, with her face bowed as she was probably ashamed of herself. I wondered what the judgement on her was going to be given the gravity of her crime against the Royal family of the Silver Moon Pack. Death; a very slow, gruesome death was usually the punishment for such crimes. In some Packs, such an offender was forced tobour for so many years before being either executed or banished with one of the limbs taken off, but it remained to be seen if they were going to temper justice with mercy.


    Only time could tell. It always did.

 Severe Pain

    Princess Sophia''s POV


    I watched as my parents left the Pack and as the carriage drove away, I watched on with a smile on my face which I did my best to maintain as soon as they could


    still see me.


    As they got out of sight, I turned around and my eyes met with that of Aurora. Immediately, I saw her, and the smile on my face disappeared as I stared at her in utter disdain.


    Aurora disgusted me so much and if it wasn''t a crime to kill someone, I''d have killed her already without thinking twice. The thought came to my mind time and time again and it took abination of self-control, fear of the consequences and ack of opportunity to stop me from carrying it out.


    As we stared each other down, I was surprised to notice that Aurora didn''t back down at all. She kept her gaze on me and never took her eyes off me. It had never happened before and I felt I was in dreand. It could not have been real.


    She kept staring at me without flinching and I wondered where she got such audacity from. Perhaps, she might have forgotten who she was; Aurora, the ve girl who was only good enough for the kitchen. She might have been the real child of my parents, but she was no Princess; just an elevated maid. She needed to be reminded of who it was, that she was talking to and it was my duty to help her with that.


    I walked briskly toward her, so I could confront her face-to-face and teach her a lesson that she was never going to forget. My parents were not around and so there was no one to stop me from doing what I intended to do. At least, that was what I thought before proceeding to her but just as I got close to her, I was met with a huge surprise.


    Alpha Bane appeared from nowhere and suddenly wrapped his hands around Aurora''s back as though he wanted to have a word with her.


    I was stunned and my jaw dropped as soon as I saw this. Aurora noticed and gave me a smirk which further infuriated me so badly that I wished I could do something very bad to her that instant. She had the nerve to get on my nerves. She was without any fear whatsoever and it still baffled me.


    I watched them as they turned around to leave with Bane not even caring to throw a nce at me. He didn''t care about me anymore and it was quite obvious. I wish he did but that was the reality of things and it saddened me greatly.


    As they walked away until I could not see them, I remembered the words of my wolf and I held my hands over my ears and screamed aloud. I began to doubt my sanity as it was clear to me that I was out of my mind or very close to that.


    Very furiously, I stomped back into my room, stamping my feet on the floor and hitting the walls at intervals as I went.


    Alpha Bane''s POV


    I noticed that Sophia and Aurora have some sort of a stare down and I knew it was only a matter of time before things would get pretty ugly. I approached them very slowly, doing well to keep my distance so I could see what would unfold.


    It was only after I noticed that Sophia had begun to walk toward Aurora that I felt the need to step in. I didn''t want things to get ugly. I couldn''t let it happen. So I quickly walked to Aurora and ced my hands on her shoulder, forcing Sophia to stop right in her tracks.


    As I ced my hands on Aurora''s shoulders, I was shocked that she didn''t remove my hands. I looked at her face for a moment, just to be sure that it was real. I was even more shocked when we began to walk without any protests from her. I couldn''t believe what was going on.


    At that moment, I began to see the possibility of us being together. It looked like a reality waiting to happen and my joy knew no bounds. I had waited so long for that moment and atst, I was finally where I wanted to be; by her side, and walking hand in hand.


    After thest talk that we had, I felt so foolish for attempting to hold her shoulders or evene any close to her. It wasn''t my intention to do that but somehow, I found myself doing just that. I was d that I did, though. How could I have known that she''d let me if I didn''t try?


    As we walked down the corridor, I noticed that she kept looking at her back at intervals and I didn''t know why she did that. She just wouldn''t stop, and each time I opened my mouth to talk, her expression didn''t let me say a word. She looked a bit disturbed and absent-minded at the same time so instead of initiating a conversation at that point, I decided to wait for her to rx a bit so that we could finally talk.


    All of a sudden, she looked back one more time and stopped moving. "Thank goodness," she muttered and I began to wonder if she was talking to me or someone else.


    Just as I was about to find out if it was me she was referring to, she instantly took my hand from her shoulder and I was quite shocked. I wondered how she was able to switch up so quickly.


    "Don''t look so surprised," she said to me. "I only allowed you to touch me that way because I was trying to prove a point to someone. I didn''t know that you weren''t aware. I mean, we did have a discussionst time, didn''t we?"


    That was when I realised what just happened. I was severely hurt and confused at the same time. I found out that she didn''t let me because she was cool with me, but because she was just using me to get back at Sophia. I had never felt so humiliated in my life. The Alpha of the Blue Moon Pack was being used as a pawn in a game. The pain was so deep.


    "What point were you trying to prove, Aurora?" I asked, trying to find out exactly what her motive was, but she didn''t reply.


    "Thank you for your time," she said instead as she quickly walked away, leaving me speechless.


    I wondered why she was so hell-bent on making my life a living hell. She was so keen on seeing me suffer and it was unfair in my opinion.


    "You deserve it, Bane," my wolf said to me from within me. He growled at me to show the seriousness in his words. "She did all she could to get close to you in the past but instead of epting her, what did you do instead? You refused to believe her. Instead, choosing to call her all sorts of names and as if that wasn''t humiliating enough, you decided to take it up a notch..."


    As he spoke, I began to recall all of those events and my heart was so full of regrets. I imagined how bad she must have felt while I treated her with such disrespect.


    I recalled the first day she came to my room and how I humiliated her and even threatened to call security to bundle her out of my room. I remembered making her look stupid, just because she was bold enough to tell me the truth. I felt like I was a horrible person. Perhaps, I was.


    "You couldn''t just leave her back in her Pack but you decided to take her along with you as your ve, just to satisfy your curiosity," my wolf continued. "You deserve everything that you''re getting now and even more. What did you expect? That she''d embrace you with open arms now that she can see that she doesn''t need to since she''s a Princess? You had her, Bane, but you messed up badly. The mate bond you have is the only thing that can salvage the situation, but you must be patient or you''ll lose her forever."


    When he got done speaking those words, I felt a splitting pain in my skull as a lot of thoughts filled my head. But it wasn''t the thoughts that caused the pain as I was familiar with what was going on.


    It was the injury that I sustained in my fight with Dn. Somehow, the pain


    refused to stop no matter how hard I tried to make it go away.


    I ced my hand on my head and walked briskly to my room, as I groaned aloud


    in severe pain.

 Snide Remarks

    Aurora''s POV


    Two dayster


    I stepped out of my room and headed to the throne room straight away as a guard informed me that my parents had returned from the Silver Moon Pack.


    I wore the same milk-coloured nightgown that had light blue spots that I went to bed with and a pair of white slippers to see them as I didn''t have the time to change.


    Somehow, I felt a bit excited to hear that they were back but it wasn''t like I really wanted to see them that much. The truth was that I just couldn''t exin how I felt at that moment so I just felt it was best to leave that instant to meet them.


    As I got there, I saw that Sophia had only just entered, so I hastened my pace so I could meet my parents at the same time, as they were already waiting for us at the centre of the room.


    As we got close to them, they proceeded to hug Sophia first, as they always loved to do, before they hugged me. I began to feel so awkward again. I was upset too, but I tried to push it off my chest so I wouldn''t seem so childish.


    "How are you doing, mom? I''ve missed you both so much," Sophia said, doing her best to get on their good side. Such hypocrisy. It disgusted me as I hated to see people pretend to be who they''re not just so they can get favours. It was an irritating behaviour; something that wasn''t contrary to Sophia''s nature.


    "We''re doing well," she replied. "Thank you."


    "Where''s Alpha Bane?" My father asked, staring in my direction.


    "Yes, that''s true. Where did he go?" My father also asked, with his eyes firmly fixed on me like I was his keeper.


    I didn''t understand why they''d direct the question at just me and I didn''t find it pleasant either. Why on Earth were they waiting for an exnation from me about where he was? Alpha Bane was a grown man, capable of taking care of himself and I wasn''t married to him or anything of that sort so I needed them to stop.


    "It''s highly unlikely for Alpha Bane to not be here. It''s not like him at all," I answered. "But he could be in a meeting or wherever he deems fit. I mean, he''s the Alpha after all, isn''t he? I don''t know exactly where he is at the moment."


    "Indeed, you don''t," Sophia said in a very mocking tone. "I mean, how wouldn''t you? When you always follow him around like a deer."


    I quickly turned to Sophia on hearing those words as they stung my heart like a bee. She was simply stupid for making such a statement but I was determined to let it slide so I said nothing.


    "You''re not good at anything, Aurora. Is this how you wanna be Princess?"


    That was it for me. She had bitten more than she could chew and I knew that instant that I had to put her in her ce.


    "Shut the hell up, Sophia!" My mother yelled at her, as I was just about to say something. I was very surprised and happy at the same time. It was so unexpected in a very pleasant way.


    "But mom..." Sophia tried to argue but the Luna Queen was having none of that.


    "I said you should keep quiet this instant, Sophia. No more words from you, you hear me?" She said to her, quickly interrupting and shutting her up once again, much to my delight.


    I was happy to see my mom stand up for me and when I saw the genuineness in her eyes, I was pleased to know that she did love me.


    "Okay, everyone," my father cut in, probably trying to diffuse the tension in the atmosphere. "We need to eat, rx and discuss leaving the Pack soon."


    Thest part took the smile off my face and instantly changed my mood as I didn''t want to talk about that just yet, nor did I want to leave the Pack but I did my best to hide my expression.


    My parents walked in front and I followed behind but Sophia refused to walk with us. It was probably because she was upset but that didn''t matter to me. I didn''t care about whatever she wanted to do. I had more important things to concern myself with.


    Princess Sophia''s POV


    I watched Aurora leave with my parents and I was so full of rage. I wanted to show my disapproval by staying behind as I hoped it would make theme back and maybe, try to get me in a better mood, but they just moved on without


    me.


    They had found a recement already and were no longer in need of me. There was no other exnation for that behaviour of theirs. I was left to stand and watch in despair while that stupid Aurora took away everything that I had.


    Indeed, she was out to do that and there was nothing anyone could have told me to change how I felt about her. She wanted everything I owned for herself. First, it was Alpha Bane, as she always shamelessly sought opportunities to meet with him even though she knew we were together at the time. Now, her focus was on my parents as she did her utmost to steal them from me. I swore in my heart never to let it happen, although I didn''t know how exactly I was supposed to achieve that.


    I thought it best to head to my room to cool off a bit since they had all forsaken me. I ruffled my hair as I stormed off the throne room in anger.


    As I walked down the hall, I received stares from maids and guards alike who gaped like they had seen a ghost. Usually, I''d have stopped to give them a piece of my mind but I didn''t have the time. They weren''t worth it. I simply walked past them and focused on the problem I had at hand.


    "I hate you, Aurora! I can''t wait to get rid of you, bitch!" I cursed aloud, still on my way to my room.


    Before I got to my door, I signalled to one of the maids to draw closer so I could ask her a question.


    "Where''s Alpha Bane?" I asked her once she got to me.


    "I don''t know where he is, ma''am. I don''t think I''ve seen him for a while now. I can''t..."


    "Piss off!" I yelled at her seeing she had nothing serious to offer me in terms of answers. I had to move on to more important things.


    It was at that point that I realised that I hadn''t seen him in a while either. Ever since that incident where he stopped me from destroying that snatcher, I hadn''t set my eyes on him.


    I wondered where on Earth he was. It was unlike him to be that scarce and while we didn''t get to talk at all since I was freed, I used to see him around.


    I thought about going to his room but the thought was dead on arrival. I couldn''t do that no matter how hard I tried to. I was certain that he must have warned his guard to not let me anywhere close to his room after all that I had done. The thought that I was not going to be anywhere close to him anytime soon pained me so much that my chest got tightened thinking about all of that.


    As I opened my door, a sneaky idea suddenly came into my head. It was the most perfect n that I had ever thought of in quite a long time. But there was a problem; indeed, two problems that had to be handled first.


    The n could only be carried out when I got back to my Pack and I needed the help of my real mother to carry it out; a woman whom I had failed to acknowledge or say a word to, ever since she was convicted of a crime shemitted for my sake.


    I thought of several ways that I was going to approach her concerning the matter and how she was going to respond to me. I doubted if she would be willing to be involved in such a n, after just being held hostage for a crime she alreadymitted. I didn''t know the exact words that I was supposed to say to her to get her to let go of my actions and do what I wanted her to do.


    Notwithstanding, I knew the love of a mother and how powerful it was. That knowledge made me certain of what I was about to do. It might not be an easy thing to convince her but I was so sure that it was possible. If it was possible, then I was certainly going to try it out.


    The thought of carrying out my n sessfully brought a lot of joy to my soul as I couldn''t help but smirk.

 Sick Bouts

    Alpha Bane''s POV


    Iy on my bed, feeling so sick. I touched my head from time to time, just to be sure that my wound had indeed healed as I was still shocked at how I could still be in such pain when my wound was healed on the outside.


    It was something that I had never experienced in my life. It looked so new to me and I wished I didn''t have to experience it. I never imagined at any point that I''d be unable to stand and move around the way I wanted to. I never pictured myself confined to my bed for any reason.


    Indeed, I had always thought that it was only old men who had the right to be bedridden. In my mind, I tagged any young man who was bedridden as a weakling who couldn''t muster up the strength needed to stand up and go about his business. Never did I imagine that I''d be that man. I''d have used less harsh words if I did.


    My instinct told me to keep the news between myself and just a few people. I did just that. It was only my father, my Beta and a few close guards of mine that knew of my condition and I hoped to keep it that way. I didn''t want any unnecessary drama or gossip spreading all around the pce about the Alpha who can''t stand.


    News like that was capable of making my subordinates look down on me and that is what I didn''t want. Whenever the fear factor got removed from a leader, a lot of things were bound to go wrong. It was a very dangerous game in any Pack, especially one like mine which had a lot of crises already due to all that was happening. I was wise enough to understand what I was trying to avoid.


    On the day that I realised that the pain was too much and wasn''t something that could let me move around as I used to, I called in my guard and asked him to call in two other trusted guards...


    "I need you to go to my father and Donald and tell them that I need them very quickly," I said to them before giving them an instruction concerning how they should handle the news. "I don''t want to hear a word about this in the mouth of anyone in this Pack. If I find out that any one of you decided to tell someone else who isn''t here about my condition, you''ll be in very big trouble."


    They nodded and left the room to do as they were told and they had kept their word to me and weren''t looking to break it. They were the men that I could trust and I trusted them wholly because for many years, they had proven themselves to be worthy of that trust.


    I heard a knock on my door and I wondered who it was that wanted to see me. It hadn''t been so long since I finished speaking with my dad and I wasn''t expecting anyone.


    The door was opened and I stared at the door intently to see who it was. It was Donald and he walked in with caution, turning to look right and left before shutting the door behind him.


    As he walked in, I adjusted a bit so that I would not only hear him clearly but also be able tomunicate effectively. "My Alpha," he began to say. "I bring news that the Alpha and Luna of the Silver Moon Pack have arrived from their Pack as they had said. I heard they''re in the throne room as we speak."


    "I hope they arrived safely, Donald?" I asked, trying to be sure that there was no problem at all. My condition was already a huge burden to me. I didn''t want any other burden to be added to that.


    "Yes, they did, my Alpha," he replied, much to my relief. "They did. They also said that they''d be leaving tomorrow."


    "So soon?"


    "Yes... They''ll also likely leave with both Sophia and Aurora."


    As soon as I heard that, I was greatly pained as I knew I was going to lose Aurora, probably forever. I didn''t want her to leave. I''d have given anything to see her stay but I knew it wasn''t in my ce to get her to stay in my Pack. She had to want it and from every indication, I felt she wouldn''t.


    "Did Aurora ever ask about me?" I asked Donald, hoping that she must have mentioned my name to him or any of my guards, even though she wasn''t happy with me. I knew we weren''t cool but I didn''t think she hated me. She was probably just acting out of anger due to the way I treated her in the past.


    "No, my Alpha," he replied, bowing his head a bit and looking to the floor. "She didn''t say anything at all to me."


    I was crushed the more. It was one of the saddest things I had ever experienced; having to know that someone I cared so much about didn''t give ten cents about


    me.


    I had been away for a few days and seeing that it was unlike me to do that, she was supposed to have reached out somehow. Differences or not, I thought she still cared about me and would have been concerned about me. I guess I was wrong. Perhaps, she had written me offpletely, while I was there, thinking there was still a chance for us both.


    Nevertheless, I tried to act cool as I didn''t want to give Donald the impression that I wanted so badly to have her around. I didn''t want him going around and trying to help me with her. I just wanted to bear the pain alone.


    "I think that you should try talking to Princess Aurora again. It could help you fix whatever issues you have with her," Donald suggested but I didn''t give it so much thought. I had my reasons.


    "I have already tried talking to her," I sighed. "She''s still angry about all the things that I did to her. She kept mentioning it over and over again, ring up each time as it seemed like the memories made the situation worse. So I think it''ll be very unwise for me to talk to her concerning these matters."


    "Have you tried exining things to her very calmly?"


    "I have, man. She doesn''t want to say anything to me, nor does she even want to hear me out. Each time I try to exin myself, she just finds a way to cut me short or just walk away so that I wouldn''t get that chance. It''s almost as if doing that gave her a lot of delight and I don''t know exactly what to do."


    "Then it might be that you''re not the right person to get the job done," Donald said with a wry smile on his phone.


    "What do you mean?" I asked, very curious to know exactly what he was driving at. I needed to get the solution to my problems and I did think that he might have the answers that I needed.


    "Just give me the go-ahead and you''ll be d you did," Donald assured me. "Allow me to talk to Aurora about the illness. Perhaps, it could change her mind and cause her to stay in the Pack."


    "No, don''t do that, Donald," I voiced to my Beta who looked keen on carrying out the n on my behalf. "I don''t want to bother Aurora. It''ll be best if she just leaves the Pack without seeing me, as setting my eyes on her would make me very hurt and I don''t want that."


    Dn nodded but from his reaction, I could tell that he wasn''t being entirely honest with that nod. He just wanted to say it so I would calm down, while he goes to break the news to Aurora and I didn''t want that.


    If Aurora was to stay back in my Pack, I wanted it to be because she wanted to and not because she was forced to do so due to my condition. It was her love that I craved and not her pity. I hated being pitied by anyone. The situation didn''t change that.


    "Don''t try anything funny, Donald," I said to him, just to make sure that he didn''t disobey my instructions. The fact that I wasn''t so strong physically didn''t mean that I was going to let him do as he liked. I was his Alpha and he had to obey my every instruction.


    "Don''t tell her anything concerning my ill health for any reason. It''s not a plea, Donald. It''s an instruction. I do hope you understand what that means."


    "I won''t tell her. I promise."


    With that, he left the room and I was left all by myself. I touched my neck and noticed that my temperature wasn''t hot any longer. The fever that had persisted for a very long time was finally gone too. It was a thing of joy.


    I stared dreamily at the ceiling for a while before finally shutting my eyes to sleep. It was time.

 Worrying Thoughts

    Aurora''s POV


    I paced around in my room, full of worries as I couldn''t stay a second without being deep in thought. I hadn''t seen Alpha Bane for two whole days and it wasn''t like him.


    Alpha Bane wasn''t a man that shied away from responsibilities or even loved to delegate duties that he could carry out himself unless it was needful to do so. He loved to be involved in whatever was going on. Getting his hands dirty with work was what he derived joy from doing. It was a big part of him.


    I knew I was very wrong for not asking after him earlier on until in the afternoon. I had simply assumed that he was doing something so important and since I was mostly indoors, it didn''t ur to me that he never stepped out to do anything. Maybe, he did. Perhaps he travelled somewhere else and didn''t tell anyone. He might also have just decided to step away for a while. I couldn''t just wrap my head around what was going on and I didn''t like it one bit.


    I tossed my clothes, one by one from my wardrobe to my bed so I could fold them properly and pack them inside my box. As I tossed them, I contemted if I was making the right choice.


    My parents were to go back to the Silver Moon Pack; my Pack, and I was to go with them. I wasn''t so sure about my decision yet but the fact that I was packing up told me all that I needed to know.


    While a part of me wanted to stay, I felt it would certainly be better if I left with them instead. Besides, if I stayed, I''d have to put up with Alpha Bane for as long as I remained there. If I didn''t, there was no reason why I was to be allowed to stay there as he was the only thing that connected me with the Pack.


    Staying there with him also had other consequences. I''d be affording Sophia some valuable time with my parents and seeing that I refused to go back with them, they might just choose to ept that she was their only child and let me go for good.


    If that happened, I was going to be in trouble for sure. There was no way that I could go back to my Pack, expecting things to remain the same. It would most certainly be impossible and it''ll all be my fault.


    Leaving with them was the best option and despite my reluctance, it was something that had to happen.


    I felt bad that I wasn''t going to see Alpha Bane before leaving if he didn''t show up in the morning. It didn''t look like he was going to do that. There was no sign of him anywhere close to the Pack.


    I had asked some of the maids in the afternoon if they had seen him anywhere around the Pack but they all imed they hadn''t. It led me to conclude that it was either that they had no idea about his whereabouts or he instructed them to say nothing to me.


    I walked around the Castle, trying to find someone who knew anything at all about where he was but my search was simply in vain as he was nowhere to be found. I had to return to my room so I could do the other things that I needed to do.


    As I got done tossing all my clothes on the bed, I walked to the bed and sat. Then I began to fold the clothes, one by one, before carefully putting them into my travelling bag in a hurry. I needed to be done with that so that I could get some sleep after a long day.


    As I kept on packing, I heard my wolf whimper within me and I didn''t know why. I just decided within myself to stop worrying about Alpha Bane anymore, since it was of no use.


    I felt I might have been spending my time worrying for nothing at all. He might have decided to obey all that I said to him. He might have decided to give me the space that I so desired of him and because of that, he had instructed his guards and maids to say nothing about him to me.


    I did like it. I loved it even. I was very happy that he had decided to let me rest. Yet, I wasn''t happy about it. I kind of missed it. I missed being followed around by Alpha Bane. I missed being told that he loved me. I just missed everything that I didn''t want from him anymore. It was a very weird feeling.


    As I was still in my thoughts, I heard a knock on my door and I was quickly brought back to reality. The dress I had in my hand fell to the bed. I was a little startled. I wondered who it was that knocked on my door since I hadn''t sent for any maid nor did I tell any guard toe to see me. Besides, it was alreadyte at night so there was no need for anyone toe to see me.


    Instead of assuming, I felt it was best to go find out who it was myself and know what he or she hade for. Although, deep down, I had a feeling it was one of the maids who might havee for one lousy thing or the other.


    As I got to the door, I took a deep breath and then opened it up. Then, I suddenly gasped as I didn''t expect to see who I saw right in front of my door. It was Donald, Alpha Bane''s Beta. What exactly was he doing outside my door?


    He had a very mysteriously sneaky look on his face and I wondered what was going on with him. It did cross my mind that it could have something to do with Alpha Bane but I wasn''t sure.


    "Why are you here?"I asked him. "I haven''t seen you in my room before."


    "It''s about Alpha Bane, Aurora," he replied, just as I had previously thought. "I need to talk to you about him and it''s very urgent."


    "Wow. I was just thinking about him a moment ago before you got here."


    He just smiled and walked into the room as I stepped aside to let him get inside. Then I shut the door to hear what he had to say. If it was about Alpha Bane and also at night, it must have been something very important.


    "On that night he fought with Dn, his brother," he exined. "Bane was stabbed with a pocket knife which led to an injury."


    "I didn''t see the wound all these while. Howe?" I asked, quite surprised to hear that he had an injury. I had seen him quite a several times after the incident and he seemed quite fine to me. I didn''t notice any sort of cut it bleeding on his head so I was shocked to hear all that from Donald.


    He just chuckled a bit and scratched his head with his right hand before continuing. "The wound has healed up. It did, a long time ago but the pain didn''t. It just wouldn''t go away. Since then, he has been having very serious internal pain and fever which seem to be growing worse with each passing day."


    My hands immediately went to my chest as I couldn''t quiteprehend all that I heard. I never knew that he was battling with something like that all the time and I was so busy thinking only about myself. I felt like a horrible person and I couldn''t help it.


    "How is he doing now? I asked him, with a concerned look on my face. As much as we had our problems, I didn''t want any harm toe to him. I could never wish for that. I just wanted us to go our separate ways so that each of us could live out our days in joy and happiness and not in pain.


    "Well, I''ll be very honest with you, Princess Aurora. Alpha Bane isn''t okay at all. He has also not been in the best of moods too. When I left his room earlier today, he was still lying unconscious in his bed, unable to move or say anything at all."


    I began to panic upon hearing those words and dropped the clothes that I had picked up to fold. "Where is he?" I asked and he just chuckled.


    "You need to calm down..." he said, but I couldn''t let him finish whatever it was that he had to say. He had no right to tell me to calm down. He didn''t know exactly how I felt inside.


    "Don''t tell me to keep calm, Donald! I can''t keep calm!" I half yelled at him with guilt taking over me.


    While I was busy giving him attitude, Bane was suffering in pain and I didn''t even bother to check up on him. It was weird too for me as I imagined that my wolf should have picked up some kind of feeling.


    I began to wonder if Donald was lying. I wondered if it was just a trick to get me to talk to Alpha Bane but I was also aware that tricks also had limits. This was an expensive joke; one that no one was supposed to try for any reason at all.


    "Alpha Bane is in his chambers," he suddenly said, cutting into my thoughts and without saying a word to him, I got up from my bed and immediately walked out of my room so I could meet Alpha Bane.


    I heard Donald''s footsteps as he trailed behind me.

 The Surprise Visit

    Alpha Bane''s POV


    My head still ached a lot and I put my left hand on it, hoping to ease the pain that I felt. I groaned aloud as I struggled to get some sleep to no avail.


    The Pack healer was supposed to get some pills for me to help me sleep better but for some reason, he didn''t arrive early enough. I resolved in my heart to make him pay for it if there was no tangible reason as to why it happened. But I had to see him before I could do anything like that.


    As I stretched a bit on the bed, trying desperately to find my way to dreand, I heard a very resounding knock on my door and I wondered who on Earth had the guts to knock on my door like that.


    If it were to be a guard, I''d have made sure that he paid for it. I knew what being in my condition meant. I knew it could cause a few people to try to undermine my authority because, at the moment, there was nothing I could do. However, I resolved to make them all pay for their insolence the very second I got better. Indeed, I swore it and I meant every word.


    Before I could even tell the person toe in, I saw my door swing open and a figure walking right through it. I was enraged. What stupid audacity! I was so angry that I wanted so badly to deal with the person harshly. Then, I wasn''t anymore.


    It was Aurora. I couldn''t believe it. As she walked straight to where I was, I sat up immediately.


    It felt like the pain was gone or I had simply forgotten about it. All I could think of that instant was Aurora. I was so shocked to see her. It was something I never imagined would happen, but there I was, beholding it all.


    As I opened my mouth both in surprise and in an attempt to say something, I spotted Donalding into my room from behind her. That was when I put two and two together and I just put my hand on my face to express my dissatisfaction.


    It was pretty clear what had happened. He must have told Aurora about my illness even though I sternly warned him not to do that. He even promised me that he wouldn''t. Such low value he had on his words. It was nothing short of appalling.


    I looked at Donald with a very painful look. I made my countenance look like I was in more pain than I was, just to drive my point home. Instead of looking worried or a bit tense, he just smirked at it.


    I hated it when he did that. He had done it so much that it had be a part of him. Sometimes, I felt like he couldn''t help but do it. Yet, in that situation, I didn''t think he was going to try something like that. Not with me, his Alpha.


    The atmosphere was still a bit tense as silence reigned supreme in the room. Everyone was expecting everyone to say something; well, I couldn''t have been so sure but from how I felt and the way they both stared, I was surely not far from the truth.


    "Uhm..." Donald finally said, breaking the awkward silence and then clearing his throat. "I''m going to take my leave now, Princess Aurora."


    With that, he bowed before her and before me too and then paused to throw me a very sneaky nce which got me even more annoyed.


    I resolved in my heart that I wasn''t going to let that slide for any reason. He was going to pay for treating me without any respect whatsoever. I swore in my heart to deal with the moron as soon as I got well enough. He should have expected that too.


    As he left, it was just Aurora and me in the room. We were finally alone and that only served to increase the awkwardness between us. We said nothing. Instead, we stared at each other with none of us even opening our mouths.


    I, for sure, wanted to talk to her. Indeed, I had been looking for an opportunity to do just that. But here I was, with that opportunity in front of me and I suddenly froze.


    I didn''t know what to say to her at all and I guessed it was the same with her since she also said nothing. She just stood there, staring at me but I could deduce a lot from her facial expression.


    She looked very sad and it broke my heart as I never wanted to see her that way, nor to be the reason she''d be that way.


    "Hello," I finally muttered to her so we could get talking. I reckoned that one of us had to break that awkwardness and I decided to take the initiative.


    "Hey," she replied with a smile, but I couldn''t tell if it was forced or not. But I was happy that she even wanted to talk to me; to respond to my greetings and with the way that she gazed at me with keenness, I was more willing to press on with further questions to get us talking.


    "Why are you here, Aurora? You said that you wanted nothing to do with me thest time we spoke," I said to her, trying to let her know why I looked shocked upon seeing her. "Did you juste here because you heard that I was very ill?"


    She tried to speak but the words didn''te out. She looked like she was taken aback by what I had said to her and I could totally understand her. She probably didn''t expect me to deduce the reason for her visit, nor did she know that I''d say it the way I did. I had to.


    I didn''t want her to be with me because she felt pity for me and not because she wanted to be with me.


    Now more than ever, I was shocked wanting to know why she was here...

 Intimate Moments

    Alpha Bane''s POV


    I continued to stare at Aurora, different thoughts going on in my head.


    I was better off knowing that she didn''t care than having to cope with her pretending to care for me. If she didn''t want me like she said thest time, then she did not need to be with me. It was better for her to be elsewhere, where she truly wanted to be.


    Besides, her parents were leaving the Pack for the Silver Moon Pack the next day together with Sophia. It was an amazing opportunity for her to leave with them and be rid of me for good. It was the best she could do for herself, even though I didn''t want that.


    Deep in my heart, as I asked her that question, I wanted so badly for her to say no. I wanted her to tell me that it wasn''t because of my ill health. I wanted to know that she wanted to be with me. I craved it so badly as I waited earnestly for her to say a word to me but she didn''t.


    "If you''re here because of my ill health," I continued, looking to discourage her from staying. "I''m getting better already. You can go now. There is no need to be here with me because of that. Don''t worry about me at all, Aurora..."


    As I kept talking, she ignored my words and began to walk toward me and then she sat on my bed, just beside me. I was forced to stop talking, puzzled by her actions. I didn''t imagine she''d do that. I had thought that she''d leave the moment I told her that it was okay to do so. She didn''t.


    As the bed dipped, she ced her right hand on my forehead and it felt so... I couldn''t exin the feeling but it was something close to magical or anything else of this nature. I found myself reacting to every touch and every movement of her fingers around my head.


    I shut my eyes in ecstasy and suddenly I felt so much better. I wished she''d never take those hands off my head. It felt surreal.


    She knew exactly what she was doing too. She moved her fingers in a very slow rhythm, circling my forehead and caressing my cheeks. Then she took her hand to the back of my head and began to caress it.


    At that point, I couldn''t even see her. I just kept leaning my head in any direction that her skilled hand moved as I moaned in ecstasy. She knew just how to make me forget my problems and she did it so well. I was in a different world right on top of my bed.


    Then I finally opened up my eyes and saw that she, too, was staring at me intently. Our eyes were locked together and I couldn''t help but admire the beautiful woman right in front of me.


    I smiled.


    Aurora''s POV


    I couldn''t understand what hade over me. All I knew was that somehow, I found myself, touching Alpha Bane''s head and rubbing soothing circles around him.


    Instinctively, I just needed him to be alright And I thought that since it was an ache in the head, rubbing my hands around it gently was going to do the magic; at least, for a while.


    "How do you feel?" I asked him after working my magic for a little while.


    "I''m better. I''m much better now that I''ve seen you, Aurora. I''ve missed you a lot."


    That was unexpected. I didn''t think he''d say anything of that sort, but I liked that he said it. He wasn''t alone in that.


    "I miss you too," I said to him, doing my best to not show the shock on my face which urred due to his words. I couldn''t help but tell him the truth because as much as I wanted to deny it, I was acting solely based on instinct.


    Turning to him and smiling, I cleared my throat. "How are you feeling, Alpha Bane?" I asked again, wanting to know exactly what was going on.


    "My head still hurts a bit and..."


    As he spoke, he burped which showed that he was hungry so I decided to ask him just to be sure.


    "Have you had anything to eat?"


    "No, I haven''t. Not yet."


    "I''ll be right back."


    I quickly stood from the bed and went straight to the kitchen from his room to make him some food. "Ma''am, you''re not supposed to make any dishes here. Please, let us help you."


    "Don''t worry. I can help myself.


    "


    I didn''t want anyone getting involved with Alpha Bane''s food at that time. I wanted


    to make it for him myself. I was the best cook and so it was my food that he needed; not that of any other maid.


    After a few attempts, they finally decided to give up trying and let me make the dish for Alpha Bane. It didn''t take so long; just about twenty minutes and I was already done.


    I dished the food out on a te and carried it to his room. Then I dropped it on the bed, just beside him. "Here it is. You should eat," I said to him as he sat up a bit.


    I dropped the food on hisp and watched him eat his food with relish. From the look on his face, I was certain he was enjoying it and it delighted me.


    I seized that opportunity to take his bandage away and put a new one on. I didn''t feel awkward anymore as I decided to put my anger aside for the meantime and just take care of him.


    "This food tastes really nice, Aurora. It''s almost as good as something I made myself," he joked, causing me tough so loudly as I hit his shoulder a bit.


    There was no way he could have meant that. No one could cook nearly as well as I could both in his Pack and in mine. It had to be a joke and so Iughed as much as I could

 Staredowns & Spats

    Aurora''s POV


    The Next Morning


    I opened my eyes and I couldn''t believe what was happening. I saw a body beside me and on closer look as my vision got clearer, I saw that it was Alpha Bane.


    It wasn''t just the fact that I slept beside him that got me surprised. It was the fact that my arms were wrapped around him in a cuddle.


    I took my hands away from his body as I recalled all that happened the previous night and instead of being upset, I was quite happy. I also noticed that he looked so much better that morning and it made me even happier.


    I faced him and stroked his hair gently as he slept and I watched the way he reacted, even though he was unconscious


    After a while, I decided that it was time to get out of bed and I did just that. I stood, adjusted my dress and prepared to leave his room. I had a very tough decision to make too as my parents were to leave that morning. Leave with them or not? Time was always going to tell.


    As I began to walk toward the door, I heard Bane groan from behind me. Then, he began to call out my name from the bed. I froze and turned to look at him with a smile on my face. I couldn''t help but blush as it was so adorable.


    I watched him search around the bed for me as he kept moving his hands. It was so amusing and got me emotional too. My chest clenched at the sight of it.


    Shaking my head and discarding the thoughts so I wouldn''t fall any deeper than I had already fallen for him, I quickly left the room and began walking down the corridor as I headed straight outside to see if my parents were already there waiting for me and Sophia.


    Just as I had predicted, as soon as I got outside, I saw that the carriage that my parents nned to travel with was already ready and I looked around to see if I could spot them.


    I couldn''t for a while but then I saw theming from the left side of the carriage, chatting andughing. They must have gone over to the front area and were probablying back from there.


    I smiled at them as they approached me and they did the same. They looked so happy to see me. I was happy to see them too. But the smile was soon knocked off my face as soon as I spotted Sophia by their side.


    That snake! I hated her so much and I knew the feeling was mutual. She was always so full of herself and for no reason at all. She wasn''t even of royal blood and so I didn''t know what made her feel like she could still boss me around and carry herself up and down like she was something.


    I ignored her and walked over to my parents waving my hands and letting the smiles reappear on my face.


    Princess Sophia''s POV


    As soon as Aurora came to meet with my parents, they instantly stopped talking to me and turned all of their focus to her. I couldn''t contain the anger and jealousy that built up inside me that instant. It was so annoying; just like everything that had to do with her.


    It was even worse for me because I had only just cracked a joke for my parents which I was sure was going to get them tough out loud. They were almost there and I could see their cheeks getting wider just before they saw that moron. She ruined my joke and made it look like it wasn''t funny. But it was; it was really funny, the funniest joke I had told in a while and she just happened to show up right on time to ruin it! She was just a pain!


    I couldn''t let them see that I was jealous or anything. It would have been proof that she was gaining the upper hand. I couldn''t grant her that pleasure of having one over me. Never! I just had to maintain my visage as if nothing was wrong. Even though I knew that something was.


    " Hey, mom. Hey, dad," she greeted us as soon as she got close to us.


    "Hey, Aurora," my mom greeted as my dad just nodded to acknowledge the greeting and smiled at her.


    "Why are you not dressed yet, Aurora," mom asked her, seeing how shabbily she dressed. "Where are your bags?"


    Aurora paused a bit and bit her lip and I interpreted that to mean that she was probably about to make up a flimsy excuse as to why she wasn''t going to go back with us.


    our


    I didn''t have an issue with that, especially since Alpha Bane was nowhere to be found. It was only going to be a matter of time before she''d be irrelevant there without Alpha Bane''s presence and she''ll have no choice but to return Pack. Only then, I''d have carried out my n and established myself as the true princess and she''d have no ce there either.


    "Mom," she began to exin. "I''d have loved to go with you. I want that so much, but I just can''t leave now."


    "And why''s that?" My father asked, visibly unhappy with her decision to stay back.


    "Alpha Bane is sick and I''m catering for him for now. I''d be back once I''m done taking care of myself. He needs me now and I just can''t leave him alone at this crucial time."


    My parents gasped, very surprised at the news. I was surprised too and also very upset as my eyes shot daggers.


    I couldn''t believe that Bane was sick and I wasn''t aware. He did not think about saying something to me but he chose to open up to the lowlife. I felt greatly insulted by that.


    I had asked the maids about him but they always maintained that they had no idea no matter how hard I pressed. One of them even swore by the goddess which made me believe what they had to say. How then was Aurora able to get such information?


    "What exactly is the problem with the Alpha?" My mom asked Aurora as I listened with all keenness to know what it was that troubled him.


    "It''s his head. He had an injury on his head and the pain has refused to go away. He has been indoors all this while, groaning in pain. It hasn''t been easy for him at all."


    "How pathetic. We wish him the best recovery by the goddess," my mom said to her, cing her hands on her waist and shaking her head.


    "I understand you, my child," said my father. "You can take some time and be back when he''s fine."


    "Thank you, dad."


    I turned to her as soon as I heard those words, I turned around and shot Aurora a re and to my surprise, just like thest time, she did the same. Her audacity marvelled me. The young fearful maid, now stood fearlessly before me, doing her utmost to challenge me.


    I knew exactly what to do. As I opened my mouth to give her the insult of her life, a guard ran to us panting.


    "The carriage is set for departure," he said to us. "We will leave on yourmand, my Alpha."


    My parents asked the guard a few questions which I presumed he answered satisfactorily as I didn''t notice anyone scolding him. They just nodded when he got done exining himself and he left them.


    Soon, we were all set and we proceeded to the carriage. As we got there, about to get inside, my parents stopped and turned to Aurora.


    "Take great care of yourself and also Alpha Bane, my darling," said my mother to Aurora. "We hope to have you back home soon."


    She drew Aurora in and hugged her tightly, shutting her eyes to show the emotions involved. I was certain she loved her dearly.


    My blood boiled as I saw them and u had the urge to do something stupid but I


    held myself back, knowing it wasn''t going to be of any profit to me.


    As she broke the hold, my mother turned to me. "You should hug Aurora goodbye, Sophie."


    I didn''t want to and nothing was going to make me do that. Instead, I preferred to snidely wave at her and then climbed into the carriage, ready to head back home.


    All the time, she just stood there and made no effort whatsoever to exchange pleasantries with me so I had no obligation to do the same. Although, I''d have shunned or snubbed her, had she tried. Yet, she didn''t and that was all that mattered.


    In the carriage, I faced away from Aurora, unwilling to have a look at that loser. We were going to meet, sooner orter.

 More Electric Moments

    Alpha Bane''s POV


    I sat at the dining table with Donald sitting in the opposite direction as we shared a meal. As usual, the meal was prepared by Aurora as she did well to ensure that she made everything that I ate all through that period.


    "This food is so good, Alpha Bane," Donald proimed. "I can''t get enough of it."


    I smiled. I already knew how good she was and he did too. The only thing was that each time he mentioned that the food of a particr maid was a level above the others that he ate, he didn''t know that it was from Aurora.


    "That''s normal," I replied. "Aurora''s meals are usually that way. You know all of those times that you always requested more food after eating? She''s always the one behind it."


    "You don''t mean it, do you?"


    I shot him a knowing look and nodded. "Yes, I do mean it."


    We went back to enjoying our meals for a while without saying a word to each other as each of us ate as fast as we could because we kind of enjoyed it too much.


    As we ate, I wondered if it was the right time to ask the question that I had in mind. I had held it in for a while but I knew that it was probably going to change the mood and tone of the conversation. Yet, it had to be talked about.


    "Why did you talk to Aurora concerning my illness, Donald even when I strictly warned you not to?" I asked him out of nowhere. The food he just put into his mouth almost dropped as he was taken unawares by the question.


    "It was for your own good, my Alpha," he replied, continuing his eating. "Didn''t you like it? I mean, I heard that the Princess slept with youst night. I heard that you bothy on the same bed and it makes me wonder what could have happened there. But that''s none of my business, isn''t it?"


    I was embarrassed by his statement and I didn''t know exactly how to react. His ims were true and I never thought he''d be informed about all that. I decided to deal with the guardter on; whoever it was that told him.


    The statement also brought back memories of that night as I kept thinking about it. I remembered how happy I was with Aurora very close to me, wrapping her arms around me in a cuddle that I could never forget in my entire life. The fact that we stayed that way till the morning was something that ddened me. I wished I could recreate those memories again. It was one of the best moments of my life.


    "I don''t want you to do anything contrary to my orders anymore," I sternly warned him with a very serious look on my face. "Do not try it for any reason or you won''t like what will happen to you."


    I was still livid due to what he did. Under no circumstances was he supposed to disobey me that way. He was only alive and without any punishment because he wasn''t just my Beta, he was my friend and I had to treat him differently; giving him the benefit of doubt. Although, it was something that he seemed to be abusing and taking undue advantage of. I had to put an end to that.


    "We both know that you''re not going to do anything about it," Donald said as heughed which got me wide-eyed as I never expected an answer like that. I let it slide as if nothing happened. It wasn''t worth it.


    He must have thought that I was joking but I wasn''t. I just hoped that it won''te to that point where I''ll have to show him that I''m being honest with him. Knowing who he was and how loyal he had always been, I doubted if such could happen. Yet, I knew that if it happened once, it can always happen again.


    We diverted the conversation and began talking about the Pack boundaries and how to keep the reckless rogues in check. They had been showing signs of a revolt but we had everything under control as our Pack warriors always ensured that no one dared cross into our territory.


    As we kept talking about other stuff andughing at the jokes that we told ourselves, we heard a knock on the door which caused us to stop talking to see who it was that knocked.


    "Come in."


    The door was gently opened and it was Aurora. She walked in majestically and headed toward us as Donald immediately stood, and walked in the opposite direction, abandoning the food that he had almost finished.


    As he got to her midway, he bowed and she smiled at him. Then he left the ce, leaving just Aurora and me in the room.


    She pulled a chair close to where I sat and sat, cing her hands on the table. "How are you feeling today?" She asked.


    "I''m feeling so good, my dear. I don''t have any headache at all," I said to her, very happy to finally be free of the wicked headache that wouldn''t let me be. "I think you might be my antidote, Aurora."


    Sheughed upon hearing those words and that was my cue to take it a step further. "Come on, eat with me." I took a spoon of rice and attempted to feed her and quite surprisingly, she opened up her mouth and ate.


    Then she grabbed a spoon which I offered her and began to eat the food with me.


    Aurora''s POV


    In silence, we did eat for a while as I enjoyed the wonderful delicacy that I had made for Alpha Bane. The food was super delicious and I was very proud of myself. I also did well looking at his face anytime he took a spoon of rice into his mouth. I wanted to be certain that he, too, was enjoying the food.


    "What about your parents?" Bane asked, breaking the silence between us. "How are they?"


    "They''re good. They''ve left already. They left with Sophia for the Silver Moon Pack."


    "Oh... That''s true," he said, scratching his head. "I must have lost track of time due to all that has happened to me, so it must have slipped my mind."


    "Don''t worry about that," I said to him. "I did send your regards to them and they sent theirs to you. They even prayed for you to get better before sending their good wishes. I..."


    "Why didn''t you go with them?" He asked, cutting me off. "You were all supposed to leave at the same time, right?"


    "Yeah, we were, but I changed my mind at thest second as I felt it was better to stay with you until your health got better."


    He looked touched by this as his visage immediately changed. I was d he appreciated my humble gesture. The look on his face told me all that I needed to know and I smiled a little bit.


    Our eyes met and we gazed at each other at a standstill. I was unable to take my eyes off him and it was the same with him. It looked like time had been paused so that we could have that moment. It was our moment. We owned it.


    Little by little, our faces began to draw closer as we kept our eyes locked. The distance between us kept bing smaller and smaller until we were just inches away from each other; about to lock our lips together for what I could have sworn would be a very passionate kiss.


    Then the door opened up and Donald walked in, forcing us to adjust ourselves. "Damn it!" Alpha Bane cursed while I blushed uncontrobly as we separated against our will. It was good seeing that he was annoyed by an interruption in our meeting. He just wanted it to be the two of us. Just the two of us.


    We both turned to Donald to know why he just barged into the room like that. I wanted to find out why because he had left on his own ord as soon as I got into the room. If he wanted the three of us in the room, he''d have chosen to stay instead. But, he didn''t. He chose to step out and afford us some privacy. What changed?


    "Alpha Bane," he began as we listened attentively. "Your father will be here soon. He''s already on his way to this ce and he wants to see you."


    On hearing that, I knew that my time was far spent and I had to take my leave. There was no way I was going to be in the same room with Alpha Bane and his father, especially when they probably had some very critical matters to discuss. "I''ll take my leave now," I said to Alpha Bane and Donald.

 Suicidal Thoughts

    Princess Sophia''s POV


    Some Days Later in The Silver Moon Pack


    After a few days in the Pack, I felt ufortable already. There was no ce that


    I set my foot in that I wasn''t being gawked at by the people around.


    Even the guards and the maids weren''t left out in the attempt to humiliate me. Everyone seemed to act so weird around me and there could have only been one exnation for that.


    The rumours had spread so fast like wildfire and just as they got to my parents, causing them toe to the Blue Moon Pack, it had gotten to everyone else.


    Just about three days before, I overheard one of the maids telling another maid how I cheated Alpha Bane and was disgracefully sent back to this Pack. She even went further to add that I wasn''t the real daughter of Alpha and Luna.


    "Then why should we still give her any respect?" I heard the other maid say to her with a very disdainful look on her face. "She''s an embarrassment to the Royal family and the Pack atrge. She doesn''t deserve any respect."


    "She did return with the Alpha and the Luna of the Pack and so we ought to treat her that way for now. But once they finally denounce her, we''d have no choice but to treat her ordingly. Not like it''ll be tough for us to do that. I''ve been waiting for this all my life."


    Those words stung my heart and I wanted nothing else but tond a few right hands on their cheeks for good measure, but I knew it would only serve to make things worse, so I just walked past them.


    I didn''t let it affect me so much. They didn''t matter to me at all .I still lived in the Castle and my parents didn''t reject me nor show any signs of that. They embraced me with open arms, as their daughter and that was all that mattered to me.


    I had my maids who had no choice but to do as I pleased and I had all the luxuries that I used to have before I left for the Blue Moon Pack. It was as if nothing happened at all and I had my parents to thank for it. It was only a matter of time before the other ones woulde around. I had to make sure of that. It was exactly why I wanted to get back.


    I had a n. It was one that I needed to carry out very effectively and I stepped out of my room, dressed in a simple brown-coloured gown. I was intent on making sure it was sessful.


    "Hey, take me to the dungeon. I need to see Mrs Scott," I ordered a maid, but she didn''t look at all pleased with my instruction.


    "I''m sorry, ma''am, but the Alpha warned that no one was to visit her without his permission..."


    "Shut up and take me there or you''ll regret it for the rest of your life!" I yelled at her, forcing her to bow and lead the way.


    As we got to the smelly dungeon, I scrunched my face up in disgust but then I had to stayposed and act very cool. We walked for a while until we finally located my mother''s cell. Then I motioned to the maid to wait outside.


    My mother looked so horrifying. She was bruised, tattered and also looked a bit tired and I felt no pity for her.


    I walked in there and went right in front of her, looking at her from head to toe "You deserve this and everything else that''lle your way, woman," I said to her which caused her to look at me with shock.


    "Please, my child. Help me. Do something. I need to get out of here," she begged shamelessly


    "I''ll never acknowledge you as my mother, woman. Never call me that in your miserable life!" I spat on her. "I came here to save you from your sufferings, but perhaps not like you''d have wanted."


    "Anything, Princess...Anything."


    "Well, you''d have to poison yourself with a substance that I''ll bring to you very soon."


    "What? I can''t do that. Why would you want me dead?" She asked.


    "So that the rumours will stop spreading! I have to be the Alpha and Luna. I can''t afford to stay anywhere else and if you have any love for me, then you''ll do that for me."


    Her eyes widened in horror as she looked up to me with a sympathetic look. "I can''t do that. Please, I can''t do that. There has to be another way, Princess."


    "There are other ways, Mrs Scott. What I''m offering you is a chance to die a very peaceful death," I told her, reminding her of what her fate was going to be without my help. "I''ll have no choice but to talk to my father; the Alpha to execute you by the sword or by hanging and I don''t think you want that... Do you?"


    "Please, Sophia," she cried and begged. "Don''t do this to me. All that I did, I did for your sake. Please, do not let me die. I know that I might not have been the best but I am your mother. Please, don''t do this."


    I saw tears freely roll down her eyes onto the floor as she kept on pleading. It didn''t matter to me. They all fell on deaf ears. My mind was already made up and there was nothing that she or anyone else could do to change that.


    Whatsoever she was facing, she brought upon herself, even if I was the reason why. If she didn''t switch me, I''d have had no desire to be the Princess. I had no choice but to maintain the status that she gave to me at all costs. Even at the cost of her miserable life.


    "I''ll be back soon," I said to her as I began to walk away. "I''ll be back with the poison that you''re to take. You should make peace with yourself. You need that."


    I left the dungeon,ughing wickedly..

 Mute Conversations

    Aurora''s POV


    I handed over a few drugs to Alpha Bane to help him get better and he took them from me and hesitated to take them.


    "Come on, don''t tell me the Alpha of the Blue Moon Pack is afraid of taking drugs," I mocked him, in a bid to get him to take the drugs but he just stared at it.


    He had been taking those drugs for a very long time and while there was a massive improvement, he simply got tired of taking them. He hadined about it to me several times, threatening to toss the drugs all away so he could have some rest.


    I had to remind him that those drugs were the reason why he could get any form of rest because the ache wouldn''t have afforded him such a luxury. He knew it was the truth. He just had to take them.


    He finally threw them into his mouth and swallowed them with the aid of a ss of water and his face was as strong as a stone. It was clear he didn''t like it but yeah, no one ever liked to take drugs. I''d never seen anyone who did, all my life. It was just something very necessary for anyone who looked to recover faster after an ailment.


    After he got done, I packed up the cases of the drugs, stood from where I sat and dropped them in his drawer. Then, I went right back across his chambers to where he sat and I sat there too.


    "There''s something that I''d love to discuss with you if you don''t mind," I said to him.


    He had been looking at me so intently all through the time that I''d been there and the stare began to make me ufortable.


    It was at night and it felt so intimate. It was already bad enough that I was in the same room once again with him, doing my best to control my emotions as it was clear that I had begun to feel something for him. The way he stared at me seemed to suggest that he was out for something more and I didn''t feel ready for it, especially with the news that I wanted to deliver to him.


    "What is it that is bothering you?" He asked, looking so concerned, as he should. I had been looking after him for several days, and so it was only fair that he''d be bothered about anything that bothered me too.


    I paused a little bit, thinking about the best way to break the news as I was certain that he wouldn''t want that at all. It was something that had to happen eventually, no matter how he''d feel so I just decided to break the news to him anyway.


    "Well, I''ll be leaving this Pack to return to my Pack in two days. I thought it''d be best if I let you know on time so it wouldn''t take you by surprise."


    I looked down the whole time as I didn''t want to see what his face would have looked like as I made the statement. It was only after I had said thest word that


    I looked up to hear what he''d have to say about it.


    It took some time for him to say something. He looked shell-shocked and just stared at me nkly with his mouth slightly open.


    I could feel a lot of tension in the atmosphere and for a while, no one spoke a word to the other. He did try to say something but I felt his mouth move more than words, as they failed to produce any sound whatsoever. That''s how I knew that the onus was on me to break the awkwardness that had lingered for so long.


    "Say something, Alpha Bane. You can''t just be mute about the whole thing," I finally told him, breaking the long period of silence.


    He cleared his throat and adjusted himself on the bed, still looking a bit clueless. I hated it when he was that way.


    I don''t even know what to say right now, Aurora," he said, scratching his head and looking to the ceiling before continuing. "You''ve only been with me for a short time. Don''t you think you should, maybe, just stay for a while longer? I mean, I''d appreciate that a lot..."


    "Don''t say that, Alpha Bane," I interrupted him, on hearing what he had to say. "I''ve been here for almost a week since my parents left the Pack. That''s quite a lot of time in my books. Besides, you''re getting better and I''ve been noticing a lot of improvements ever since you began to take these drugs. Indeed, I think you''ve even fully recovered."


    He sighed on hearing those words but I didn''t let that stop me. I had to say what I had to say.


    "I''m only telling you this because I want you to have an idea of my departure. I don''t want it to take you by surprise as I''m..."


    He reached out his right hand toward me as I spoke and began to caress my hair slowly. I had to admit that it felt so good. At first, he flipped a hair that seemed to have fallen in front of my face and then he began to fondle my hair.


    I just stared at him as he kept doing what he was, without even thinking if I wanted it or not. All of his focus was on the hair and I loved it so much. He just couldn''t get enough of it.


    Then he suddenly paused and looked into my eyes and that was when I froze. I wasn''t done talking and I was still trying to tell him to let me get some words in. Somehow, he was seeding in making me keep shut, but I had to say something.


    "Alpha Bane, I know how this might be for you. I feel the same way about leaving but..."


    I abruptly stopped talking as soon as his hand made contact with my skin. It felt surreal and I didn''t know exactly what to do at that instant. I hissed and my breath hitched that instant, forcing me to immediately stop talking.

 Stubborn Resolve

    Alpha Bane''s POV


    I continued to caress her hair paying no attention to what he was saying. But then, she didn''t want to yield at all. He just kept talking and talking so I had no choice but to pay attention.


    "If there was any other way to do it, I''d have taken that part, trust me, but there isn''t. I can''t do anything else, Alpha Bane."


    I felt so hurt deep inside of me that she was about to leave. I didn''t want her to leave at all. I needed her to stay with me and I didn''t think she wanted to leave too but I just had to make sure.


    "Have you made up your mind to leave this Pack already? Is that what you really want to do?" I asked, hoping she''d say something that I''d like.


    "Yes, I have. It''s what I want to do, Alpha Bane."


    As soon as she said this, she quickly shook her head off, forcing my hand to drop onto the bed. That hurt me even more as I noticed that my eyes began to dim.


    "What are we going to do about our mate bond if you leave the Pack, Aurora?" I asked her, trying desperately to keep her with me. "These past few days have been an eye-opener to me as I''ve realised just how much I love you Aurora. I''ve fallen for you more than I''d ever done and your presence means so much to me. I''d realised how blind I was before and I apologise for that."


    "Is that the only thing that you feel for me?" She asked me. It was a question that got me confused as I struggled to see where she was driving with it. She was fond of finding a fault or two in whatever I said to her which made me wonder if I was ever going to be able to please her. "From all that you''ve said, I think there''s something I can deduce."


    She looked unimpressed and showed no signs of emotion, unlike what I had expected. I had expected those words to permeate her heart and cause her to change her mind concerning what she decided to do. I wanted her to see reasons with me as to why she was to remain in my Pack beside me as my mate.


    If only she could see what I was telling her in the light that I needed her to. If only she could just acknowledge our mate bond. Then, she would have had no need to go back. She''d have ruled by my side instead so we could rule together. It was a possibility that I could see very clearly. I just didn''t know why she just wouldn''t see that.


    "You only fell in love with me because I''ve been of help to you; taking care of you, making food for you to eat, making sure that you''ve been taking your drugs and having proper rest. Like I told you thest time we spoke about something like this, you always only want me because I''m useful to you. If I wasn''t, I''m certain that you wouldn''t even blink in my direction but here we are."


    Those words seemed to trigger me as they weren''t true. Well, that was what I thought. I loved Aurora genuinely and it wasn''t because of anything she did for


    me.


    I felt a strong connection with her; one I was also very certain that she felt although she did her best to suppress it. It was so unfair for her to judge me that way as I felt I didn''t deserve that. I deserved better than that by far but she was just hellbent on seeing reasons why she wouldn''t just ept that I was truly in love with her.


    "That''s not true, Aurora. That''s not what I meant at all," I said to her in my defence. "My love for you has nothing..."


    "I don''t want to hear anything about this anymore," she said, rudely cutting me off to say what was on her mind, irrespective of what I thought about it. It made me feel like I was an unimportant member of the rtionship that we shared since it was only what she thought was ounted to be anything and my words were thrashed. "I''ve already made up my mind about this, Alpha Bane. Nothing can or is going to change it concerning this subject matter. It was decided long ago and I n to carry it through. As much as you want me here, there''s a need for me to go to my Pack so that I can acquaint myself with my kingdom. There are a lot of ces that I wasn''t allowed to go to as a servant. As the Princess, I have to get to know those ces and know them. What Princess is in the dark concerning her kingdom?"


    After saying those, she stood from the bed, intent on leaving and that was when I asked her one crucial question.


    "I asked you about our mate bond and you haven''t said anything concerning that. What are we going to do about it?"


    She froze, just as I had expected, and then she coughed a bit and took a deep breath. "I haven''t decided yet and so I know exactly what to tell you for now. Soon, I will, but I''ll appreciate it if you don''t drag this topic any further as I need to leave this instant."


    I nodded and spotted a fake smile. It was no use pushing it if she wouldn''t want to say anything about it. I just had to let it slide for a moment.


    As she turned and walked away from the room, my chest squeezed. I knew deep down that it might have been thest time that I was going to see her before she''d leave for her Pack and my wolf affirmed that within me too.


    Then I began to wonder why she kept making things so difficult, even after thosest few days that we spent together when things seemed to have been working just fine for the both of us.


    I began to question why she stayed behind to treat me if she felt nothing for me as she made it look. Tired of all that was happening, I copsed on my bed in anger and frustration.

 One Last Goodbye?

    Aurora''s POV


    It was finally time to leave the Blue Moon Pack as Alpha Bane was already much better. I recalled thest few days that I spent with him and a smile appeared on my face.


    Thest few days had been so good for me as I''d gotten the chance to feel important and see Alpha Bane for who he was and not from a distance. Our rtionship got better and better with time and it made me quite happy.


    I remembered the talk we had two nights before this morning and I got a bit angry at myself for speaking to him that way. I knew he didn''t deserve to be talked to in that manner. Those words that I spoke to him were too harsh and I even barely gave him a chance to say anything.


    Yet, I didn''t do it to spite him or make him feel bad. I was only trying to create some space between us as I felt it was very necessary for us, especially because I knew that I was going to return to my Pack anyway, regardless of the oue of the talk.


    I knew better than to think my actions were going to be enough to create the distance that I wanted between us. It wasn''t the first time that I tried. He had also tried that at the beginning of our rtionship, yet, somehow, we always found ourselves back together.


    I recalled all of the happy times that we had when I was treating and catering for him. I noticed just how it served to bring us together more as I got closer to him than ever before.


    Although we got so close, Alpha Bane didn''t try anything intimate with me. He did well to understand that there were times for everything and that period wasn''t one for that. Such an understanding man he was.


    As I folded one of my dresses, I wondered why I still didn''t want to ept him as my mate. It looked so weird to me because he did everything just right all through my stay and I even thought that I''d jump on it as soon as he suggested it. But I didn''t.


    Just as I was still deep in my thoughts, as I packed up my clothes, I heard a knock on my door. "Princess," a voice called out from behind my door and I assumed it was one of the maids. "Your carriage is ready, ma''am."


    "Okay."


    I packed my clothes faster so I could meet up as I didn''t want the driver of the carriage to wait for long. In a few minutes, I was done packing my things and I picked up my bag and left my room, albeit sadly, as I walked outside to the carriage which was already waiting for me.


    As I got to it, I began to think about Alpha Bane again. I knew too well that he wasn''t going to bid me farewell, even though I wanted it so badly as it''d have made me feel a bit better. He was currently in a meeting and that was also exactly why I chose that time to leave.


    As much as I''d have loved the moment if he had bid me goodbye, I wasn''t unaware that it would have also made it harder to leave too. It would have hurt both of us to see that we had to go our separate ways and so in that light, I thought it was best to have a silent goodbye; the kind only voiced in the mind. I arranged my luggage properly in the carriage as quickly as I could but just as I got done with that, I heard some footsteps approaching.


    "Princess Aurora," someone called me from behind. It was none other than Alpha Bane. I turned around to see him running so quickly to meet me and I suddenly froze.


    Alpha Bane''s POV


    I ran as fast as I could to catch up with Aurora as I didn''t want her to leave without seeing me.


    From the way that she looked upon seeing me, she had probably thought that I wasn''t going to be there to bid her farewell. She wasn''t far from the truth though.


    I didn''t n to be there at that time. Indeed, I had nned within me not to show up at all so that I wouldn''t have to bear the pain of seeing her leave. I wanted to just hold onto the beautiful moments that we shared and ignore anything else. But I didn''t know what happened to that n. All I knew was that it failed woefully, as I found out that I just couldn''t let her go that way. I had to be there myself to bid her goodbye one final time.


    I got to her and before I could say a word, she already opened up her mouth to say something. "Why are you here?" She asked.


    "I just came here to tell you goodbye, Princess. I couldn''t let you leave without doing that."


    "I thought you were supposed to be in a meeting right now. You shouldn''t have gone out of the meeting just toe here. I didn''t have a problem with you not being here. I understand."


    "The meeting can wait, but I would never have been able to forgive myself I''d you left without me saying goodbye to you. I just couldn''t bear it, Aurora. You''re very important to me and a vital part of my entire life."


    I pulled her in and wrapped my arms around her lightly in a hug, pressing my chest against her bosom as I shut my eyes. At that point, nothing else made sense to me except her and the love I had for her as I was wholly overwhelmed by emotions.


    "Thank you so much for all that you did for me, Princess Aurora," I thanked her to show my gratitude for all the sacrifices she had to make for my sake.


    I was sad that she was leaving, but I had failed to remember that she could have left earlier with her parents but chose to stay because of me. That alone was worth thanking her for and I had taken it for granted, only putting forward my need to have her with me.


    "I''m so sorry for the way that I treated you in the past, Aurora," I apologised. "If I could roll back the hands of time, I''d have done things very differently. I do hope you''d find it in your heart to forgive me for all of that Aurora. I promise to make it up to you, provided that I get the opportunity to do that in future..."


    While I spoke, she ced her palms on my cheeks and stared deeply into my eyes, causing me to hold on a bit. Then suddenly, she pulled me in for a short kiss. That was very unexpected and I froze that instant with my eyes widened. Her lips were so soft and it felt so good. Yet, I had no idea why she did that but I was very d that she did.

 A First Real Kiss

    Aurora''s POV


    I didn''t know what came over me. I just found myself pulling Alpha Bane in without any notice and locking my lips with his in a short but passionate kiss that felt so good.


    As soon as our lips touched, my wolf leapt with joy and I just couldn''t stop. A tear almost fell from my eyes in the heat of the moment but I did all that I could to hold it in as I didn''t want to show him that he affected me any more than I had already shown him by drawing him in for a kiss.


    Finally able to find some strength to resist the instinctive urge that had taken hold of me, I managed to pull myself away from the kiss, albeit reluctantly but Alpha Bane seemed to not be in the mood for any of that.


    He tackled me very quickly and pulled me in for yet another kid but unlike the previous one, this one was quite lengthy.


    This time around, I didn''t attempt to hold back. Instead, I let all of me get immersed in the kiss as I relentlessly kissed him as though I intended to chew his lips and he did the same.


    We circled our tongues, with each person trying to effect dominance as we allowed our passions to get a hold of us. I kissed him with reckless abandon and we couldn''t care less about the people who were around.


    There were guards and maids in the area, some of which were with the driver of the carriage, some came together with Alpha Bane while the others were just passing by but stopped on noticing that I and Alpha Bane were speaking.


    All of those didn''t matter. I kept going and we kissed so deeply in the presence of all that were there. Alpha Bane too, didn''t care. He showed so much passion in what he was doing and he was a very good kisser. I wondered how many lips he kissed to get that good but I did well to get my mind off that very quickly and enjoy the moment.


    My wolf wasn''t left out. She roared from within me and I loved it. It was her sign of approval for what I was doing with Alpha Bane.


    Even with all of that, I still didn''t know why I just couldn''t ept Alpha Bane as my mate once and for all. I wondered why I just couldn''t bring myself to do it.


    "It''s your stupid pride, Aurora," my wolf said from within me and I hissed at her in my mind. She was just a killjoy, never knowing when to stop with her hard-hitting truths


    Alpha Bane broke the kiss and gently squeezed my palm before bringing up my knuckles for a kiss. He kissed them and held onto my hand still. He didn''t seem to want to let go. It looked like he wanted to hold me until I''d change my mind about leaving and decide to stay with him instead. That was never going to happen.


    "This isn''t the end for us," he said to me, gazing into my eyes so deeply that it seemed as if he was talking straight into my soul. Every word he said had a strong impact on me. "I''ll never give up until I make you mine, Aurora. You just watch and see."


    I loved the way he sounded. His assertive possessive words made me happy as I derived pleasure in hearing him talk to me that way. It felt so nice and I couldn''t exin why. I never liked it whenever anyone talked to me and tried to act as if they owned me but here I was, right in front of a man who was doing just that and it felt good instead. Life was just an unpredictable bastard... Feelings too.


    I did my best to not show how affected I was by his words. I didn''t want to give him that pleasure of knowing that he was somehow getting to me. That might have caused him to try to persuade me onest time and I didn''t trust my resolve to keep him at bay once again. It was better to make sure he didn''t try that at all. Prevention, they''d always say, was always better than cure.


    Alpha Bane finally let go of my hand and allowed me to head to the carriage. I slowly took a few steps back from him, whilst still staring at him before I turned around and got into the carriage.


    "Goodbye, Aurora. I''ll see you soon my love," he said to me, causing me to blush at his words.


    A part of me wanted to stay back even though I had told myself that it was never going to happen. Leaving him wasn''t as easy as I had thought it''d be and it was at that moment that I realised how hard it was to let go.


    "Goodbye, Alpha Bane. I wish you all the best. I know I''m not going to be around anymore but that doesn''t mean you should stop taking your drugs. I''ll find out and I''ll kick your ass!"


    We bothughed so hard before he waved at me and I did the same to him.


    "I''lle to get you someday, Aurora. I swear it to you today. You just wait. It might not be so long from now as I don''t know how long I can survive without you. I''ming for you, you hear me?"


    I said nothing in response. I just smiled sadly as the carriage began to move. I nced out through the carriage window and began to wave at Alpha Bane once again, bidding him goodbye.


    Then I felt something in my eyes. Tears began to slowly build up as I saw him wave at me too. Soon enough, the tears that I held back for so long surprisingly suddenly began to fall from my eyes

 Preparations For The Princess

    Princess Sophia''s POV


    The day arrived when Aurora informed my parents that she was going to return and preparations were in ce. After spending a lot of time with Alpha Bane, she finally decided that it was time toe back to our Pack. I guessed that the Alpha had no use for her anymore and decided to send her back to us. Good riddance. I knew it was only a matter of time before Alpha Bane would see her for who she was... a nobody.


    My parents couldn''t let it just be a low-key urrence. Instead, they did all they could to make it look more important than it was.


    Not that I thought it was important at all. It was just the arrival of Aurora... Nothing more than that. It wasn''t like she was someone special or important. She was the same miserly maid that ran errands for all of us back in the same Pack. All those arrangements and preparations just served to make me very annoyed and angry and I wished there was something that I could do to stop it but I couldn''t see any.


    The whole pce was buzzing and it irked me. There was no decorum anywhere as the maids and guards kept moving from one ce to another carrying out one task or the other as instructed by the Luna or the Alpha King.


    What made it even worse was that I had never been treated that way before by my parents. I''d gone to several Packs on official duty as sent by my father but I had never received a wee like this. No one had ever thrown me a party nor prepared avish feast in my honour; not even when I was still regarded as. Their real daughter but just on knowing that Aurora was their child, they already nned something as huge as that.


    It served more to fuel the rumours about her being their real child and me, being born by someone else. It served to substantiate the rumours and further made the task of changing things even harder. I couldn''t let things get out of hand. I had to do something about it. First things first, I had to go see my mother who was in the kitchen.


    I walked to the kitchen very angrily and saw a lot of maids running helter-skelter trying to fix something up. I saw my mom also. She was organising the maids and showed them the type of meals that she wanted them to prepare.


    There were ingredients for the preparation of assorted dishes only fit for royalty and they were doing that for a mere servant. It was so shameful and disgusting that they could all go that low. If I had my way, I would have smacked the faces of all of those maids.


    I scoffed and walked straight to my mother and bowed on getting to where she was. "Why are you going through all this stress just because of the arrival of one person?" I asked her, as she turned to listen to me. "I mean, we all just arrived some days ago to this Pack. We were all together. The Alpha, the Luna and the Princess And no one received us this way. The maids and the guards didn''t wee us like this. Why are you doing that for Aurora?" I asked, rolling my eyes to express my dissatisfaction.


    As soon as I got done speaking to her, the Luna Queen queen turned to me looking a bit shocked to hear my words. I too was shocked that she was shocked. It was clear that I wasn''t on good terms with Aurora. I also thought the idea to do all that was very ridiculous but I couldn''t say that to her myself.


    "This person isn''t just an ordinary person," she exined. "Aurora is my daughter and this is the first time that I''ll be acknowledging her as the Princess so she deserves every bit of whatever we''re doing here. I need you to understand that."


    The statement hurt me even more, especially when she referred to her as her daughter and as the princess. It felt so bad as my chest tightened in immense jealousy.


    I said nothing after that, choosing to leave the kitchen instead so that they could continue doing the nonsense that they had decided to waste their time on. There was nothing else that I could do as I was pretty convinced that there was no way that she was going to change her mind.


    Just as I was just about to leave the kitchen in shame, I saw one of the maids rush into the kitchen with so much speed that I suspected that she bore a piece of news with great importance.


    "The Princess is here," she said whilst panting hard. "Princess Aurora has arrived!"


    The Luna Queen and the rest of the maids squealed as I covered my ears with my hands not wanting to let their noise pollute my ears. Before I could know what was going on, the Queen rushed past me in a hurry so she could go and wee Aurora. Then the maids followed suit, except the ones who were assigned to different jobs in preparation for the grand entrance of the stupidest Princess wannabe that had ever existed in Aurora.


    I rolled my eyes in disgust but decided to follow them. I had to know exactly what was going on, especially with that swine back in the Pack.


    I was so angry and disgusted, but I just had topose myself or else I would go nuts.


    I walked out of the kitchen and headed outside with several thoughts in my head. One of the major thoughts that kepting over and over in my head was how to get rid of her. I needed to be rid of that girl by any means possible. I just had to find out the means that were going to work well.

 Aurora’s Arrival

    Aurora''s POV


    It was evening and I had only just arrived at the Pack. Everywhere seemed to be very busy and I wondered what was going on.


    Men and women, boys and girls were all running around the ce doing one thing or the other. I had never seen the Pack that busy all my life and it made me wonder what I had missed since I stayed back in the Blue Moon Pack.


    As I got close to the house, one of the maids saw me and ran back into the house, probably to inform my mom and dad that their child had arrived.


    The guards that I saw bowed at the sight of me; the maids too, as they all showed great respect to me. That was how it became clear to me that the news had spread to my Pack. They were aware that I was a Princess; the true Princess of the Pack, and not that imposter called Sophia.


    "Wee, Princess," one of the guards said to me, just beforeing closer and helping me carry my luggage. It was so thoughtful of him as I did need some help.


    "Thank you."


    Soon after, I saw my mother,ing out of the house with a few maids behind her and she walked faster on seeing me and I did the same.


    She spread her arms and hugged me tightly as she got to me and I didn''t do the same, shutting my eyes as I did. I realised that I had missed her so much. She was the parent who I was so sure was on my side.


    As she broke the hug, she stared deeply into my eyes and smiled. "Wee, my child," she said to me.


    "Thank you so much, mum."


    We got to the door of the pce and as soon as we walked in, I saw so many people there. My father, some of the elders and some other people sat there,ughing and talking. It felt so good to be home. There was no ce like it.


    "Wee back, Princess," the people chorused as soon as I stepped into the pce, with everyone bowing as I smiled and nodded in acknowledgement and then walked past them.


    "All these people who are gathered here, are here because of you," said my mother before she went to attend to something that a maid had pointed out to her.


    That was when it dawned on me that it was a wee celebration for my return. I was very happy with the gesture as I never expected any of that. I wondered who came up with the idea and something told me that it was my mother. It was so thoughtful of her.


    The maids brought food to the pce and everyone cheered aloud and began to eat. I could see the joy on all of their faces; all, except one person.


    She was none other than Sophia. As I looked in her direction, I saw that she had a te of food and a few drinks in front of her but she wasn''t eating. It made me very angry and I couldn''t hold it in.


    "Why are you not eating your food?" I asked her in the presence of everyone as the room which was full of so much noise became as quiet as a graveyard.


    Sophia gasped, looking so shocked and I did think that she might refuse to answer my question. However, what happened next got me even more surprised.


    "Answer her, Sophia, why aren''t you eating your food?" The King asked, which made me so happy because he was usually always on her side and as he had asked the question, she had no option but to answer since he was the Alpha King.


    I smirked at her as she began to speak involuntarily with my heart filled with so much joy. "I''m having a runny stomach, dad. That''s why I don''t want to eat anything."


    From the look on her face, I was so sure that she was telling a lie. I scoffed as soon as she got done telling her stupid lies which even a five-year-old child wouldn''t have bought but I refrained from saying anything else to count her as I didn''t want to create a scene anymore.


    "I think there''s something else bothering Sophia. She doesn''t seem to be saying everything that she should be saying. I feel there''s something deeper than what we''re all seeing that''s causing her to react the way that she is. Maybe, she should say it in the presence of everyone here so that we can all hear and understand her better," my mom said, sounding so sure about what she was saying with a straight face to go with it as she looked intently at Sophia, who struggled to avoid having any form of eye contact with her.


    The elders seemed to agree with what she said with each of them nodding their head.


    "Let her speak her mind."


    "She should tell us all that we need to know. If there''s a problem, we want to hear it."


    Some of the elders who were bold began to voice their own opinions one after the other, with each showing strong disapproval of her actions.


    "There''s no need for all of that," my father interrupted, as everyone immediately became mute. "We should all focus on the food before us so that we can enjoy it. Today is a day of happiness. My daughter is back to the Pack and is amongst us as part of the Royal family where she belongs. Today is for celebration alone and we must all respect that."


    There was a calmness in the atmosphere as soon as he got done speaking and I wondered if he made that statement for me or to protect his golden Sophia. I was a bit displeased with the statement but it wasn''t all bad as I got Sophia embarrassed.


    I turned to Sophia and smirked and she did the same to me. Then we all focused on eating the food in front of us. She too ate the food and it made me wonder if the presumed stomach ache had automatically gone away.

 Missing Aurora

    Alpha Bane''s POV


    Some Days Later


    I walked down the streets of the Pack veryte at night with Donald, my Beta, as we tried to find a way to handle the Dn problem. It was something that had lingered for a long time and due to my illness and everything else that happened in the Pack, it looked like something that had been forgotten. It wasn''t. It was just kept by the side.


    It had been a long while since I had a very good walk and I was happy to have one that night. That was why I had to ask Donald to have that conversation on the streets and not inside. I''d been inside for far too long and it was time to try something else.


    "What''s wrong, my Alpha?" Donald asked with a concerned look on his face. "It seems like there''s something off about you today. Would you care to share with me?"


    "There''s no problem, Donald," I answered, unhappy with his attempts to pry into my matters. "Could we just focus on what we have at hand? That''s why we''re here; to talk about Dn and not me. Let''s confine our talk to that, okay?"


    "Yes, my Alpha," he replied with no argument at all, which pleased me. I didn''t want him to press on the issue at all. There were things that a man had to handle on his own.


    "It''s been so many days; weeks even, yet we don''t know where Dn is nor have we found any trace of him. What do we do?"


    As I asked the question, it took my mind back to what that bastard did with Sophia and it got me mad. But when I remembered that it was the same thing that made me investigate the birth of Aurora and drew me closer to her in the process, I felt it was worth it.


    For what it was worth, it enabled me to realise that I didn''t have two mates as I had thought. One was my mate and the other was a fraud. Without that singr act of theirs, I might have never gotten to find out the truth and I''d have still been living a lie.


    Aurora too. She''d have remained a servant, confined to the kitchen where she''d have probably prepared dishes until herst breath while someone else was out there, living the life that was made for her; the very life she deserved from birth.


    I missed Aurora. I couldn''t stop thinking about her at all. Every minute and every second, she was all that I could think of. It was as if my mind was made to store images of her.


    The past few days made me realise just how much I loved her. She was so tender and gentle and her loving hands felt so good on my body. Sometimes, when I slept, I dreamed about her caressing my head and my whole body as I smiled in sheer delight.


    I wished so much that she''d somehow find her way to me. I wanted to go to her but it didn''t look likely since she had only just gone back to her ce. It was a miserable situation to be in and I couldn''t get my mind off her.


    "Alpha Bane," I faintly heard someone call me but I didn''t think it was anything until I heard it the second time.


    That''s when I realised that I had drifted into my thoughts without even knowing it. "You can see that you''ve not been paying any attention to me," Donald said, trying to prove his point concerning me not being myself.


    "I''m so sorry Donald," I apologised, raising my hands in the air. "I apologise for getting distracted and once again missing the conversation."


    "No problem, my Alpha. It''s okay. I just want to know what it is that is bothering you. You know that I''m your Beta and would do anything to help you get over it."


    "Don''t worry about that, Donald. I''m doing alright. It was just an honest mistake, that''s all. I''m all good man,e on!"


    I tried to sound a bit lively to convince him that all was well but the look on his face suggested that he was having none of that. He just looked at me as if he had something in mind and I immediately stopped my act and returned to my normal visage.


    "I know what the problem is, my Alpha," he finally said to me, just as I had suspected. "It''s Aurora. You still miss her a lot."


    I froze a bit, wondering how he knew and on realising that he might have just been guessing, I decided to pay no attention to that. "That''s not true, Donald. You''re just making up stuff."


    "Am I?" He asked, looking so confident in his usation. "I have seen you several times sneaking into her chambers at night for the past few days. You can''t tell me it''s nothing, can you?"


    There was no denying it. It was the truth and there wasn''t anything I could say to change his mind because he had evidence.


    "What are you going to do about her since you can''t leave or forget her? I mean, you can''t live this way forever, can you?"


    "I have no idea, Donald. I''ve thought about it for a while and I can''te up with an answer to that. Firstly, I need to find a way to go to her Pack to see her."


    "Nothing stops you from doing that. Why not go there tomorrow morning so that you can talk to her?"


    "That won''t be possible," I refuted. "I just can''t go to her Pack like that. It''ll be strangely odd."


    He just smirked and then smiled at me. "There''s an uing grand annual werewolf festival that''s going to take ce soon in the Silver Moon Pack and you can simply go there without the need for any excuse.at all. What do you think?"


    I loved the sound of that as it got me very ted. I just nodded my head in approval as he smiled, satisfied to have provided a solution to my problem, as he always did.

 Bitter Remarks

    Aurora''s POV


    I stood from the bed where I sat to think a bit about my life and decided that it was finally time for me to get about the Castle. It was still tough for me to adjust to the way that I was being treated by everyone in the Pack.


    I stood and left the room, heading to the Servant''s quarters where I used to stay so I could meet some of my old friends and do a little catching up. It was high time


    I did that. Besides, I missed them a lot.


    As I got there, I saw a lot of them and I walked up to them to strike up a conversation.


    "Good day, Princess."


    "We''re happy to have you here, Princess."


    "Wee back, Princess Aurora. I''m so happy to see you."


    I kept hearing the word ''Princess'' so much that I thought I''d go deaf if I heard it one more time. Everyone acted very weirdly. I mean, these were people that I used to talk to, endure beatings and share beautiful moments with. They all acted like it wasn''t just me they were talking to; like they saw some sort of stranger that they hadn''t seen before.


    What marvelled me the most was that they all bowed as soon as they saw me which made it quite difficult for me to connect with them on a personal basis. Everything just seemed very strange to me and I didn''t like that.


    "Hey guys, enough of all of that," I pleaded with them. "You don''t have to call me that, please. No matter what has happened or will happen, I''ll still be the Aurora that you have always known


    Even the maids who used to make fun of me; the ones that derived so much joy from mocking and humiliating me cowered before me. As I walked past them, I saw them tremble with so much fear. After all that they did to me, they must have thought that I''de back to deal with them. I didn''t have that time. I was just surprised that they could do that.


    "Please, where''s the new head maid?" I asked them.


    It was previously Mrs Scott, but she was locked up in the dungeon, so I knew that there had to be someone else and I had to meet her. It was not proper for me not to get acquainted with the head maid of the Pack. She needed to meet with me too.


    "She''s in the kitchen, Princess. She had been there for a while," one of the maids answered and I just muttered a little "Thank you."


    Just as I was about to leave so I could find the woman, I saw Sophia and two of her maids walking into the quarters. The second she saw me she immediately began tough and then she stopped abruptly to make a snide remark which hurt me so much.


    "If it isn''t the new Princess."


    Princess Sophia''s POV


    "If it isn''t the new Princess," I mocked Aurora, as I looked to get her upset. My maidsughed out loud, much to my delight and the look on Aurora''s face made me happy.


    "You must be very stupid for saying that," Aurora screamed at me. She didn''t take it lightly at all and that was okay. I had expected a reaction from her as she had begun to grow some wings ever since she learned that she was the real child of my parents. It was quite understandable too.


    "I think you''re the stupid one here, Aurora. You think you can juste back here and walk around like you own this ce?"


    "Well, I do own this ce. Who are you, daughter of a miserly servant?"


    I felt a strong urge to p the hell out of her but I didn''t think it was so wise to do that. It was better for me to keep using words to get to her until I''d seeded in striking a sweet chord.


    "Even though you''re the real child of the Alpha and Luna of this great Pack, it doesn''t change the fact that they''d never stop loving me and treating me better than their real child. I see how horrible that makes you feel. I''m sure you''ve noticed that the Alpha King loves me so much. Surely, that does bother you, doesn''t it? That someone else gets to enjoy the love of your father because you''re just not good enough for him."


    She scoffed and walked closer to me a bit and I thought she was about to get physical so I too readied myself for any oue.


    "I don''t care how my parents treat me or you, Sophia. It doesn''t matter to me. I don''t concern myself with such irrelevant things. What matters to me is that I''m their real child and the heir to the throne. It might also be worth noting that I''m the rightful mate of Alpha Bane, the strongest Alpha King in the werewolf ns. Think you can top that or would you get the hell out of my sight?"


    The statement about Alpha Bane hurt me so badly. I had started the fight to get to her somehow but she managed to turn the tables. I had been thinking so much about Alpha Bane, praying daily to the goddess for a second chance with him, all to no avail. I wondered if the goddess did exist because it seemed she never wanted to hear my prayers.


    There, Aurora was, rubbing it on my face that she owned Alpha Bane and I didn''t. It was something that I couldn''t bear and I opened my mouth to give her an insult that she was never going to forget.


    Then a guard suddenly rushed into the quarters to speak to Aurora. "Princess Aurora, the Alpha King and Queen would love to see you."


    Aurora smiled and waved snidely at me before turning around to leave and I got so mad. I stormed out of the quarters in fury as my maids followed behind.

 Story Time…

    Aurora''s POV


    I sat on my bed, as the maids in my room tidied up the ce. It was night already and somehow, I felt a bit sleepy but I had to wait for them to get done.


    Earlier on, when they began to sweep the ce, I had picked up a rag to clean the windows, but they wouldn''t let me.


    "You should not be found cleaning," one of them said as they all began to plead with me not to do any work. "The Alpha wouldn''t be pleased to hear that his daughter was cleaning up her room when the maids were around. That is our job, my Princess. We love to do it, especially for you."


    Knowing that there was no way that I was going to win, I just took the rag and walked to my seat. Then I used it to clean my seat before sitting on it, just so it''ll be that I did something. I wasn''t used to doing nothing. It was a part of me to always get busy.


    Before that night, I had always made sure that everything or almost was always done before the arrival of the maids. When they came, I usually asked them to leave since there was no need to be there seeing that I had already done all the work. It seemed to displease them a lot and it made me feel somewhat. I did hope that they''d be happy to see that their jobs have already been done and there was no need to do anything else. They weren''t.


    They had told my mother about it, and she instructed them to go to my room earlier at night. She also told me to do my best to see that I allow the maids to do the jobs that they should do as it was going to make things a lot easier. After a few protests here and there, I finally decided that I was going to let that happen, but not outrightly though. Sometimes, I just couldn''t help it.


    "We''re done, Princess," one of the maids said, after they were done packing up the tes that I used to have dinner and also catering for my needs that night. "Is there anything else that you''d like us to do for you?"


    "No, there isn''t. I''m all good, thank you.",


    They looked at me and smiled a little, before turning to leave the room. It seemed to me that they were surprised that I had thanked them for doing their work. They probably never received such from the others, but I wasn''t everyone else. I was Princess Aurora. I knew how tedious it was to do their jobs because I''d been there. I had to appreciate them because it wasn''t an easy task at all.


    Once they shut the door, I stood and carried my chair to the ce where my mirror was, positioning it opposite it and sitting down there, facing the mirror. I began to recount the time that I had spent there in the pce. I had been there for several days, yet, I just didn''t seem to be able to adjust. I couldn''t get used to how the people were treating me, probably because not so long ago, I was with those same people and they didn''t treat me nicely at all. All of a sudden, they all treated me so special.


    Not wanting to overthink stuff, I quickly stood and went to the bed to get some good rest. Iy on my bed, facing the ceiling as I suddenly remembered Alpha Bane.


    I didn''t have the time for that and so I did my best to shake my head so that I could remove the thought of my head but I just couldn''t. It kept oning back to me over and over again. It was very obvious that I missed him; something I didn''t want to admit.


    "You just can''t deny it, Aurora," said Rose from within me. "You do miss him a lot." "No, I don''t," I denied, trying to fool even myself.


    Rose justughed out loud which annoyed me a bit because I knew exactly why sheughed. "Every single night since you left the Pack, you''ve barely done anything aside from thinking about him. How can you exin that?"


    I sighed, knowing that she said nothing but the truth. Indeed, she was right. I just couldn''t seem to get him off my head no matter how hard I tried. I missed him so badly.


    While I was still thinking, I heard a subtle door on my door and I knew exactly who it was. There was only one person who knocked that way and even though she coulde in when she pleased, she always waited patiently for me to ask her to do so.


    "Come in, mom," I said to her as she gently walked in and turned a bit to shut the door. Then she walked straight to my bed and sat on it, staring at me.


    She had been doing that for so many nights. No night passed that she didn''te to my room to spend a bit of time with me. ording to her, she was making up for lost time and I loved it so much.


    I also grew quite fond of her as she showed me love in its purest form. Who could have believed that thedy that I thought didn''t care about me did so in her heart? She had shown me nothing else but love and care; the kind that people had to pray to the goddess for.


    I sat up on my bed and hugged her warmly. "How are you doing, my sweet Princess?" She asked me as soon as we broke the hug after about a minute or


    So.


    "I''m good, mom. What about you?"


    "I''m alright. It feels great knowing you''re doing so well. I hope you''re not finding so much trouble sleeping as you didst night?"


    "I''m not, mum. I''m all good," I lied as I didn''t want to tell her that I was so she


    wouldn''t have to ask me more questions that I''d not want to answer.


    "What about a bedtime story?"


    "What about it, mom?"


    "I could tell you one... That''s if you don''t feel too old for all of that."


    "I don''t, mom. I''d love to hear it," I answered, very eager to know what was so


    special about bedtime stories.


    "Once upon a time..."

 Dylan Talks

    Aurora''s POV


    The Next Day


    I sat in the dining room with my family and Sophia as we had our family dinner. It wasn''t always that we had dinner together but on that day, my parents thought it was going to be better if we did that so that we can all get a bit morefortable with each other.


    I knew that they were referring to Sophia and me but what they didn''t know was that I had no ns of beingfortable with that girl. All I wanted was for her to be relegated to the servant''s quarters. I was also certain that she wanted the same. The only thing that happened when we were together was trouble and I was ready for more than that if she so craved it.


    "There''ll be an uing werewolf festival that''ll be held in this Pack in theing days," said my father, breaking the silence that has previously reigned. "It''s an annual festival that always happens by this time of the year in any Pack that has been selected. This time, our Pack was chosen to host it and so we must make sure that we don''t embarrass ourselves in the presence of the other Pack Alphas and members atrge."


    "Would Alpha Bane''s Pack grace the asion?" Sophia suddenly asked and the second I heard that name, I froze instantly and turned quickly to look at Sophia.


    "Most of the Pack Alphas and their people will be present in the festival as it''s a highly respectable one amongst all the Packs in the area," my father exined. "However, there are a few times when some Pack Alphas and their members decide to boycott the asion. It does have consequences unless they have a tangible reason as to why they did that. I wouldn''t know if Alpha Bane or his father would grace the asion as expected."


    I was filled with disappointment on hearing those words as I wondered if he was even going to show up. I didn''t know if his health had be better already or if he''d love to embark on a journey so soon. I did wish so much that he would.


    I was still lost in my thoughts when my mother began to speak and it was only after she had called my name that I became aware of my surroundings.


    "Princess Aurora and Princess Sophia," she called out as I frowned a bit in displeasure at Sophia being referred to as Princess. I was the only princess in the Pack. The only child of my parents. "I need you two to start preparing for the festival. By tomorrow, I''ll delegate the duties so everyone would know exactly what to do. Is that okay?"


    We both nodded and silence returned to the room as each of us resumed our eating.


    Alpha Bane''s POV


    The search for Dn continued and for days, no one could still tell where it was that he went. I was beginning to get so frustrated about the whole thing and so I thought it best to talk to my father about it.


    I went to the throne room, where he already sat, having a few drinks and I stopped right in front of him to greet him. "Greetings, dad," I said to him. "Greetings, my son."


    I sat on one of the chairs and proceeded to say what I had in mind. "Dad," I began. "I''ve been quite bothered about my brother Dn and our inability to locate him..."


    "I can''t say it doesn''t bother me either, son," he said to me, sping his hands together.


    "I''ve been wondering what he''s up to and I''m sure that he''s up to no good at all. That betrayer! I wish I could find him, dad. I want to get my hands on him but it seems like he has disappeared into thin air as no one seems to have seen or heard anything that concerns him. I find that to be quite strange, dad."


    "His mother hasn''t been herself too, ever since he left the Pack," he revealed, although I couldn''t care less about the woman. I didn''t like her either. She was a very horrible person to my mother and me. "She seems to be running mad and crazy as she misses her son so much and can''t wait to set her eyes on him again."


    I hissed. She could''ve died for all I cared. "She had barely evene to apologise for what her son did," I scoffed, seeing no need to offer any sort of sympathy to her as she too didn''t offer any to me, after all, her stupid son did to


    me.


    "It''ll be much better for Dn to never step foot in the Castle or I''ll be forced to slit his throat without mercy. He has bitten more than he can chew and I''m going to stop at nothing to see that he pays dearly for all of his crimes and with his life! Such a coward!"


    I was mad and I already imaginedying my hands on the bastard, beating him to


    a pulp, despite different attempts to stop me by people and slitting his throat right in front of everyone. I wanted him to die a very shameful death but I didn''t want anyone else to take his life.


    He was my brother and it was my duty to end him. I was more than happy to do that. No one else had that right. It was mine alone.


    "You need to calm down, Alex," my father said to me. "I don''t want you to make any rash decisions. Calm down, my son."


    It was easy for him to say. Besides, I couldn''t me him for doing that. No father could ever want his son dead. I expected nothing else from him. Besides, Dn''s mother still warmed his bed at night. Such things never allowed men to think with their heads anymore. He said what everyone in his position would say. Sadly, I wasn''t in his position and I was never going to change my stance.


    "I can''t do that, dad," I said to him very bluntly. "It''s not possible. What I said, I''ll


    carry out if given the opportunity. Indeed, I promise you that, dad. I think we should leave that and talk about something else though. Can we?"


    "Of course."

 Alpha Bane’s Surprise Arrival

    Alpha Bane''s POV


    Some Days Later


    It was a day to the festival and I prepared to head over to Aurora''s Pack. I took a look at my clothes which hung in the wardrobe, thinking of the particr one that I was going to wear.


    I had a ck suit that I always donned on very special asions but somehow, I wanted a piece of clothing that''ll make me feel very free. I also wanted nothing borate as I felt looking casual and simple would fit me best.


    After all the things that had happened, thest thing I wanted was attention. If it were possible to be there and out without anyone else noticing me except Aurora, I''d have done just that.


    But I knew that it wasn''t possible, yet with a dress so informal, I was bound to escape a few eyes for sure.


    I grabbed a Skye blue t-shirt that hung in my wardrobe and tossed it on the bed. Then I picked out a pair of ck jeans trousers and also ced them on the bed, just below the ce where I had dropped the t-shirt.


    I stepped back a bit and looked at thebination and it was so nice. I loved it already, even when it hadn''t touched my body. I knew the exact footwear that was fit for the asion too; my lovely ck sneakers. They felt sofy each time I put them on.


    "Alpha Bane," Donald called out, gently opening my door without even knocking. Everything is set and we''re ready for you now."


    "Is that why you can''t simply knock beforeing in? Are you out of your mind?"


    "I''m sorry, my Alpha. I was in a hurry to pass the message and I forgot. My apologies, my Alpha."


    "Thank you for the information," I said to him before resuming what I was doing earlier.


    I quickly put on the trousers and fastened them with my thick, brown leather belt. Then I wore the t-shirts and the pair of sneakers and I was ready to go.


    I walked to the mirror to look at myself onest time before travelling, and I couldn''t help the smile that appeared on my face. I was pleased with what I beheld. A handsome man, indeed!


    I walked out of my room, and my guards who were just outside the door, waiting for me to finish with my dressing followed me behind as I walked to the carriage.


    On my way, I saw my father,ing out of his room and walking in my direction and so I had to halt to know what he wanted to say to me.


    "Go well, son," he said as soon as he got close to me. "Don''t worry about the Castle, I''ll take very good care of it as I did for so many years."


    "Thank you father," I replied, so sure of his capabilities. I even felt he''d do a better job than I''ve been doing since I became the Alpha as I knew that I''d never been able to match the standards that he set in the Pack. He was a living legend. "I''m sure you''ll do just that and more. It''s not in doubt at all."


    "You honour me with your words, son," he remarked. "What about Aurora? Are you going to have a chat with her when you finally get to see her right there in her Pack?"


    I smiled. He too had noticed that I loved and missed Aurora so much. If only she could see how much I did love her, she''d have had no reason to reject my advances. She didn''t. Not yet.


    "Yes, I will. For sure. It''s the main reason that I''m going there in the first ce, dad. I do hope to bring her back with me to the Pack."


    "For all our sake, I hope so too, my son. I wish you good luck. The goddess is with you."


    He pulled me into a warm embrace and I left with my guards to the carriage that was prepared for me.


    Aurora''s POV


    "You''re just good for nothing, Aurora! Why can''t you just do the simple things as you should instead of just being sozy?" Sophia asked, trying all she could to get me upset.


    Sophia just kept being so bratty about everything and I hated it so much. It was too bad that my mom had to pair me to supervise the work with the idiot. She wouldn''t have had the opportunity to do what she was doing.


    "If you say you''re a Princess, then you should know how to coordinate things," Sophia continued ranting. "Perhaps you''re so used to being the servant that you don''t know how to supervise others. You might as well grab an apron. That''s the only thing you''re good at."


    "You should try shutting your mouth, Sophia," I replied, as she began to get on my nerves. "Mind your business. You have your maids to supervise, but you won''t do that. You''ll prefer to meddle in my matters because you''re just nothing without me. You can''t get over the fact that I''m preferred to you by our parents, can you?"


    "You''re just a crazy ve, Aurora and that''s all that you''ll ever be. You can never amount to anything at all. Without me, this whole arrangement would fail woefully."


    "Says thedy who can''t even hold her ce in a man''s house! You should be quiet, Sophia. If I were you, I''d be ashamed of myself. Thankfully, I''m not, but I can see that you''re not just an embarrassment, you''re also shameless! Grow up, kid."


    We kept going back and forth until one of the maids ran to us bearing news. "The most prominent Alpha in the n has arrived."


    I was shocked on hearing that as the guests weren''t supposed to be in our Pack until the next day.


    "Who is this person?" I asked, eager to know who it was that decided to arrive a day before the asion.


    "It''s Alpha Bane; the Alpha of the Blue Moon Pack."


    My mouth dropped open in shock as I heard the name. I couldn''t believe my ears. Alpha Bane decided to grace the asion,ing even a day before. Several thoughts hovered around my head as I thought hard about what I was to do next. But my thinking didn''tst long as I was brought back to consciousness by Sophia who foolishly squealed out loud like she had any role to y in the whole thing. I hoped that one day, she''d see that she''d never had anything to do with Alpha Bane anymore. It''s the fact that she still dreamt about that after all that she had done that baffled me the more.

 His Preferred Choice

    Alpha Bane''s POV


    As I got into the pce of the Silver Moon Pack, I was weed by the Alpha King and the Luna Queen who smiled at the sight of me.


    "Wee, Alpha Bane," they both said in unison before the Queen decided to add a few words to that. "We''re so happy to have you here. Feels good to see you again, good Alpha."


    "Feels good to see you too," I said to them with a huge grin on my face.


    I got to where they were and I extended my right hand to each of them and they did the same as they shook my hands.


    Then I heard some footsteps and looked in the direction that it came from. There I saw Princess Aurora and Sophiaing toward me in majestic steps.


    My mood got ted immediately as I noticed how pretty Aurora looked. She looked even prettier than she was when she was in my Pack. "My goodness," I said within me, gushing at her immense beauty. It was clear that she was so well taken care of as her beauty knew no bounds.


    "Wee, Alpha Bane," they both greeted me before turning to face each other and then turning back to look at me.


    "Hey, Aurora. Thank you," I greeted Aurora, ignoring that serial cheat called Sophia. I didn''t have her time and I already made up my mind to forget that she ever existed. She was dead to me.


    After what she did to me, she ceased to exist in my eyes and that was for her good. It was the only way that I could let her walk freely. If I ever remembered that she was real, u didn''t know what I''d have done to her so I did well to always ignore her as if she was never there.


    "How are you doing? It''s been so long, you know."


    She bent a little and covered her mouth with her right hand as I asked the question and I noticed she was blushing.


    "I''m doing well," she finally said, turning to look at me with a smile on her face, only to see that I was staring at her.


    "What?" She asked, slightly hitting my left arm as she kept on blushing. I was d to see that I had such an effect on her. "How are you doing too, Alpha Bane?" "What do you think?"


    "I think you''ve been doing quite well without me, big man."


    "Well, when you put it like that..."


    We bothughed hard. It was an amazing moment and I wished it couldst forever. "It''s never quite that way," I confessed. "Things have never been the same since you left. You''ve been greatly missed by me."


    She paused and fixed her gaze on me for a few seconds. It was almost as if she was trying to find out if I was being truthful by looking into my soul to see for herself.


    "What do you see? You think I''m being untruthful?"


    "No... Not that. It''s just..."


    "Alpha Bane needs to get some rest right now," the Luna Queen said, interrupting our discussion at a very crucial time and leaving me somewhat disappointed. But I knew there was going to be time for thatter. I hoped so and was determined to make that happen. It was the only reason why I came to the Pack after all, not some festival that I couldn''t care less about.


    "I need one of the maids to take him to a room," the Luna Queen continued. "Hey. May, could you take Alpha Bane to one of the veryrge rooms for dignified guests? He does need to get some rest."


    The maid quickly ran to Alpha Bane and took his bag from him which he held in his left hand. "Ensure that he''s given a well-prepared meal as soon as he''s ready. Let the chief chef know that, okay?"


    "Yes, ma''am," the maid responded and tried to lead the way but she was stopped by Sophia who stood in front of her.


    "Don''t worry, May," she said to everyone''s surprise. "I''ll do it myself."


    The atmosphere got very tense that instant and everyone just stared at each other. Her speech got me so irritated as I couldn''t understand how she could be so shameless.


    After all that she had done, she didn''t even feel ashamed of herself, after all, she did in the past. She decided to act like everything was okay between us, probably as a show to the people around. What a fool she was! I was never going to let her get close to me. I opened my mouth tosh out at her but I felt a gentle tap behind me and I turned to see who it was.


    It was Donald. He wanted to say something to me and I leaned in to hear what he had to say. As he spoke, I felt my countenance change from that of annoyance to a wide grin. Sophia might have wondered what went on. She must have thought that Donald was on her side. She didn''t know what was going on.


    "I''d love Aurora to take me to my room instead. I''d be much morefortable in her presence than in the presence of any other person."


    Sophia''s brows narrowed as I could see the anger burning within her. It didn''t matter to me. She meant nothing to me. Aurora''s eyes widened as she too was in shock. I hoped she liked the idea.


    She looked at her father and then at her mother as everyone else stared at us. "Go on," said the Luna Queen. "Help him with his stuff. Please, May, you can follow them too and make sure the room is all tidied up? The Alpha needs to be veryfortable."


    We walked to the room that was reserved for me with my guard and entourage walking behind. I didn''t even think about turning to look at Sophia whom I knew was livid. I had to get some rest.

 Suicidal Blackmail

    Princess Sophia''s POV


    As I stood there, hands on my waist, and eyes on Alpha Bane and Aurora who held each other''s hands as they walked away, I was so full of rage.


    I couldn''t believe what just unfolded before my eyes. If I had known, I''d have avoided the stunt that I tried to pull off. It backfired mercilessly and I wished so badly that I could turn back the hands of time.


    How could I have ever believed that I''d be so humiliated? I couldn''t take my eyes off them as I knew that all the other eyes in the room were on me. I didn''t want to see how they looked nor strain my ears to hear all of their whispers. I almost wished that the ground would open up and I''ll just be swallowed up but I didn''t. I didn''t want to die. I just wanted the life I craved.


    I heaved and clenched my teeth as they almost got out of sight, not minding that people might have been observing all that I was doing. All that mattered to me was what I had to do to break that union.


    I heard something that sounded like my name but I didn''t pay attention. I was so deep in my thoughts and I wanted nothing to stop me. The task ahead of me required some focus.


    "Ah!" I gasped as I felt a pair of hands shake me, snapping me out of my reverie. Then I saw the same pair of hands being waved in front of me and I wondered who it was.


    It was my mother. She must have been calling or saying something to me and I didn''t hear her.


    "I''m sorry, mom," I apologised, bowing my head a bit to show how sorry I was. "What do I need to do?"


    "I need you to go to the servant:s quarters and make sure that everything is set for tomorrow''s festival. Since Princess Aurora is with Alpha Bane, you''ll have to handle a few responsibilities given to her."


    "Okay, mom." I bowed, before leaving the room to go inside the Castle.


    I wasn''t in the mood to give any instructions to anyone. I knew that my mother would get angry if she found out that I didn''t do as she asked, but I had to handle some pressing matters first. I only hoped that I''d be back in time to talk to the servants.


    I walked to the dungeon sneakily, looking to my left and right just to make sure that no one was looking. I couldn''t afford to be seen by anyone.


    As I got there, I walked into my true mother''s cell and saw her lying on the floor, worn out and tired as usual. "Have you thought about the discussion that we had thest time?" I asked her.


    She pulled herself up from the ground and sat up while I walked toward her until I was standing right in front of her.


    A lot depended on her answer. I nned to test the portion on her to know how effective it was first, before using it on Aurora, if I found it to be effective. It was my grand n to take her out and it just hinged on the decision that my mother was willing to take.


    "I can never do that, child!" She yelled at me, which seemed to get me very upset. "I can never kill myself. Not for you nor for anyone else. It''s insane you''re asking that of me."


    "You''re just a good-for-nothing human being, woman!" I yelled at her too in anger, failing to understand why she just wouldn''t do that for her child. "You have to do what I ask of you or I''ll make you pay for it!"


    "You can do what you want, kid! I don''t care at all. I mean, how could you even treat me this way?"


    I gestured to her to get her voice lower but she didn''t give heed to me. "Despite knowing all along that I''m your mother, you let me go through all this pain and misery. You know that all that I''d ever done, I did for you. I wanted you to have a better life. You''ve known this all these while I, yet, you made everyone think that you had no idea. You snake! I don''t want to expose you, child. You''re my child and I''ll always love you but you have shown me that love is not always reciprocated even between a mother and her child."


    "You should keep your mouth shut before anyone else can overhear you. I don''t want any of thating to haunt me now that I''m so close to getting what I want."


    "Aren''t you just so selfish? Here, you are, trying to get me to kill myself for a crime you''re perfectly aware of. If only they knew how fake your tears were on the day the truth was revealed. I will give it to you though. You''re a very good actor. You managed to fool them all, but you can''t fool yourself. I expected you to fight for me; to stand by me and seek to see me freed but you want me dead instead!"


    "Please, stop."


    "I won''t stop!" She screamed even louder. "You''re a very baddy and daughter. I almost regret having to call you my child. You''re evil!"


    Iughed hard at her, knowing that a snake always birthed something long. "I took all of my habits from you, didn''t I?" I asked. "It''s not my fault that I''m the way that I am. Indeed, it''s yours. I inherited all of these you''re seeing from the genes you gave to me. I had no part to y in this. You made me who I am, mom! That''s why we''re so simr, isn''t it?"


    "You''re nothing like me, Sophia. I''ll never get rid of myself," she said with tears in her eyes. She was hurt but I didn''t care. I was hurt too. She hurt me with her words and refusal to do what I asked. Yet, she too didn''t care. "I''d rather the Alpha King pronounced the verdict than let myself die by the hands of some child that I gave birth to myself. It''ll never happen."


    I huffed, full of anger. She even had the guts to call me by name. I had warned her to always add my title to my name. "Firstly, it''s Princess Sophia," I said to her, rolling my eyes. "Secondly, you''re going to regret what you''ve just done. I''m going to make sure that you''ll die a brutal death. This, I promise you, mum. "


    She said nothing else and I just turned around and walked away but not without throwing in a few words for good measure. "This is not the end, woman. I''ming for you. Never forget that. I''ming, mom, and I''ll have your head."


    I cursed her in my mind as I left the dungeon. I didn''t know what else I was supposed to do to break her resolve. Just as I lifted my head after walking out of the dungeon, I stumbled into Donald and froze.


    I didn''t know what to think. He probably heard all that we discussed. Perhaps, he didn''t. I couldn''t say. But I hoped he didn''t.


    "Hey, Princess. Greetings."


    "Hey, Donald. How are you?"


    "I''m alright, thank you. What about you?" He asked with a smile on his face.


    "I''m good too. Thanks."


    I waved and walked past him. I felt a tad relieved that he seemed so cool and


    rxed. He didn''t sound like he heard anything at all. Hopefully, he didn''t. I prayed


    in my heart to the goddess for that to be true. Not like I thought she ever did anything good for anyone but I had to try.


    "He was probably just walking about, nothing much," I thought to myself, trying to convince myself that it was just nothing.


    Then I paused and turned around to ask him about Alpha Bane. But I stopped myself at thest minute and instead, hurriedly walked to my room.

 Helping Alpha Bane

    Aurora''s POV


    We got into the room which was a bit tidied up but not in the way that I''d have loved it to be. The maids had cleaned it up about five days ago but there were a few finishing touches that needed to be taken care of.


    "Hey, take care of the bed, please," I said to one of the maids who quickly ran to get it done while I turned to the other one. "There''s a broom by the corner. If you could use it to tidy up this ce. I''d appreciate that."


    "Yes, Princess."


    I signalled to another maid to unpack his bag and put some of his clothes on a hanger before hanging them in the wardrobe and she quickly got to it.


    Then, I stood back and watched them carry out their tasks very dutifully. It was as if they all wanted to do it for me as they ran the errands with a lot more enthusiasm than I used to see them have. It was a wee development.


    "They love you, don''t they?" Alpha Bane asked, gently stroking my left hand with his.


    "Well..."


    I looked at him and we both smiled at each other, but then I had to quickly turn my gaze away from him so that I could focus on the maids as they did their jobs. I couldn''t afford to make any mistakes at all.


    As they worked, I felt something around me. I was so sure that Alpha Bane had his eyes on me. It got my legs a bit shaky and caused me to almost turn around, but I didn''t. I pretended that I was unaware and said nothing to him.


    After a few minutes, the maids were done and they all lined up in front of me, waiting for the signal to leave if I was satisfied with their service. I was. They did even more than I had expected.


    "Thank you," I said to them, motioning to them to leave the room.


    As soon as they left, I turned around to Alpha Bane as it was just the both of us in the room. "Everything''s all set now, Alpha Bane," I said to him.


    He was already walking toward me. He didn''t waste any time at all. His face was all smiles and I couldn''t help but return the gesture.


    "I''m happy to see you again," he confessed, as soon as he got to where I stood. "I''ve missed you so much, Princess Aurora and I hope you can forgive me for what I''m about to do right now.


    Before I could say a word, he pulled me in and wrapped his hands around me in a tight hug. I could feel his heart beating so fast and I wondered if he felt mine too. It was cute. I loved to see what effect I was having on him.


    I didn''t want to let go. He didn''t want that either. So, we held on to each other for a few minutes with none wanting to break the hold. "You''re so beautiful, Aurora," he whispered into my ears which made me blush. "You''re the most beautifuldy that I''ve ever set my eyes on and not just in appearance but also your heart. You''ve got the purest soul ever."


    I finally broke the hold and drew my head back a bit. I needed to see his face as he said those words as they did get to me so much. I could feel the tension being built up in me. The atmosphere was a very heated one.


    After staring for a while at ourselves, Alpha Bane finally leaned in, as if he wanted to kiss me and I waited in anticipation, but just as he was about to go through with it, the room just busted open and Donald walked in.


    "Damn it!" Alpha Bane cursed as we quickly sprang apart from each other''s arms.


    Alpha Bane''s POV


    Even after I and Aurora got disentangled, I cursed inside of me, so angry that Donald had to choose that moment to get in.


    It wasn''t his first time. It was almost as if he always timed those moments just so he could ruin them. It was starting to get to me. He was getting on my nerves.


    I turned to Aurora who looked embarrassed and blushed uncontrobly. As much as I did love the lovely pink patches on her cheeks, I didn''t appreciate Donald interrupting us when we were just about to lock lips. He ruined something so magical and he had to have a good reason for that or else...


    Just as I was about to ask him why he came to my room, I noticed that he was about to say something so I just let him go first.


    "My apologies for barging in that way, my Alpha. Greetings, Princess," he said, bowing before us both. Then, he turned to me and winked at me. "I''d love to tell you something very important in private."


    I didn''t see a need for that. Princess Aurora was ady that I loved so much. If I could hear it, she could too, could. I didn''t mind having him share the information in the presence of both of us. It was perfectly fine by me.


    "You''re good, Donald. You can speak up. I don''t have an issue with Princess Aurora knowing what you''re about to say to me."


    "Uhm..." Aurora began, opening her mouth which I guessed was due to shock. Then she turned and smiled at Donald. "I''m going to give you both some space. He''s right Alpha Bane, some things should be between you and your Beta."


    "There''s no need for that at all," I protested, wanting her to share whatever thing I was being told. I felt it was going to make her feel very important and let her know that I had ns to get her opinions heard should she finally choose to be with me.


    She just winked at me and began to walk away, much to my disappointment. I had expected that she''d stay after my protest. After all, the news was for me and if I decided that it was okay to share it with her, then it was supposed to be enough to get her to stay there and listen to whatever Donald had to say.


    "I''ll see you soon. Could be at the festival or after the festival, okay?"


    I nodded and she walked away and shut the door behind her while I turned to look at Donald with a huge frown on my face.


    "I swear, if this isn''t important, Donald, I''m going to have your head for it," I said to him but he didn''t seem so concerned so I thought it wise to get myself heard again. "If whatever you have to say to me isn''t of grave importance, Donald, I won''t wait for execution. I''m going to strangle you myself with my bare hands!"


    He justughed and walked straight to my bed and sat. I stared at him for a few seconds and then walked over to him and had a seat too. "What is it this time, Donald?" I asked, this time with a calmer voice as my anger was a bit pacified. "You wouldn''t believe me if I told you, my Alpha..."


    "I wouldn''t believe you?" I cut in, wondering what he came to do exactly. "If you didn''t think that I''d believe you, why on Earth did you bring the news to me in the first ce?"


    "Hey, take it easy, my Alpha. It wasn''t literal. Of course, it''s something important that I''vee to share. Not so long ago..."

 The Festival

    Aurora''s POV


    Day of the Festival


    It was the day of the festival and I was all hyped up for it. I''d never witnessed it all my life and I couldn''t wait to be out there.


    Right in front of me was a long, emerald green dress which was adorned with golden stones. I had never seen a dress like that all my life; not until two days ago when it was brought to my room by a few maids.


    It was the perfect clothing for the festival; a dress capable of turning eyes and with the figure that I had, there was just no way that any man or woman could pass by without noticing my presence.


    I took out the dress from the hanger and the maids who were with me took it from my hands and began to adjust it very well to make sure that it was perfect. Then they handed it over to me so I could put it on, waiting patiently by the side so that they could offer help if I needed it.


    Knock knock!


    "Come in."


    My door was opened up and my mom walked into the room with a smile on her face. I had the dress in my hand and was about to put it on before she walked in so I just smiled at her and then donned it with the help of the maids.


    "You look astonishing, my Princess," she said to me with a smile on her face. "Your beauty knows no bounds, my child."


    I blushed. I loved it when she spoke to me that way. It always made me so happy and I always listened keenly with the hope that she was going to say something nice to me.


    "You know," she continued. "This dress used to be mine. I was the one who told the maids to bring it to you. You didn''t bother to ask, did you?"


    I shook my head. "It looked too good and I knew it had to be from either you or dad."


    "Well, I was the one who told them to do so. I gave it to you because I need you to look so good at the festival. This is your first festival as a princess and you have to look ravishing. Everyone must know that you, my child, have arrived."


    "Thank you so much, mom," I said with happy tears brewing in the corner of my eyes. It was a gesture that I appreciated so much and I couldn''t thank her enough for it.


    No one except her had treated me with so much care and affection. I was d I got to find out the truth. I was having the best period of my life and it wasn''t just about the change of status. I did miss the work part of my life. It was a fact that I could see genuine love from everyone around me, especially my parents. It was something that I never thought I would receive in my life.


    "Don''t cry, my darling. You don''t want to stain your makeup do you?"


    I put my right hand over my mouth andughed hard. I didn''t expect that at all. Sheughed hard too. Guess the joke was good for two.


    We spoke for a little while, as I tried to find out exactly what usually went on during the festival so that I wouldn''t look so confused when I finally stepped out. She was patient in her exnation and it ddened my heart. She was the mother that I had so yearned for so many years.


    "I''ll need to leave now, Aurora," she finally said, after a few minutes of very crucial chat. "Let me head out there and see what''s going on. I need to check up on the others and make proper preparations. Today''s the big day. Everything has to be done perfectly."


    I nodded and she pecked me on the right cheek and left the room.


    Alpha Bane''s POV


    I put on my white apparel with my diamond chain as I finally decided that I had to look important. Not that I loved that but if Aurora was going to be there, then I had to look my best.


    As I put on my clothes, Donald sat on my bed polishing my ck pair of shoes which I nned to put on for the asion.


    "You remember what I discussed with youst night, right?" He asked me, still polishing the shoes as I walked across to the mirror to see how I looked.


    "Nice," I muttered to myself, impressed with what I saw and forgetting to respond to Donald''s question.


    "Alpha Bane..." Donald called out, bringing my attention back to where it was supposed to be.


    I recalled all that he said to me that night. A part of me never wanted to believe all that he said;rgely because it looked impossible for someone to be that callous, but I knew that Donald was never one to tell a lie.


    "You won''t believe that I caught Sophia talking with her mother in the dungeon even after strict warning for no one to go there. I heard everything that they said, Alpha Bane..."


    Those were the first words that he spoke to me concerning all that happened and from then henceforth, until he was done with his story, my mouth remained wide open.


    Donald had only decided to take a little stroll around the Castle when he began to hear a few sounds that came from the dungeon area. That''s when he walked closer to hear a bit more and then he perceived it was Sophia and Mrs Scott.


    Sophia had gone to the dungeon to ask her mother to take her life using a portion she''d given her. It sounded strange to me that someone could suggest that to a woman who birthed her. She was nothing short of a beast.


    I began to understand that there was no repentance in thedy. She was only bound to do even more evil. I wasn''t going to let her do that. It irked me so much to have had anything to do with her. She was worse than a devil.


    No matter how bad I knew she was, I didn''t think she was capable of murder. Yet, there she was, trying to take the life of a woman that sacrificed her all for her. As much as Mrs Scott did something very evil, it was all because of her and the news that she was even aware of it all that time and just pretended not to know, even making things worse.


    How could she have known all that and made no effort whatsoever to free her mom? Instead, she chose to take her outpletely. Her wickedness knew no bounds.


    "I haven''t forgotten one bit," I said to Donald, snapping back to reality. "Today, I''ll be on the lookout. The truth has to be revealed but it''s going to be at the right time. I don''t want to ruin anything at all. The timing just has to be right."


    "So how would you know when the timing is right?"


    "Good question, Donald," I said, smiling and buttoning the top of my apparel. Then, I turned around to Donald, who was staring keenly at me, hoping to hear what I had to say. "I''ll watch how Sophia would treat Aurora today. I need to see how she''ll rte to her. I don''t know what her intentions toward her are, especially since her mother refused to take the portion. It''s the only thing that''ll make me reveal such a secret, especially in the presence of so many people and I promise you; I won''t hesitate to expose her if she tries anything funny."


    "You, my Alpha, are a very wise man," Donald said, patting me on the back. "Your shoes are ready to be worn. Are you?"

 Fake Behaviors

    Princess Sophia''s POV


    The ce was bumming with noise springing forth from numerous people gathered together in the hall. The festival was upon us and peopleughed and chatted amongst themselves, eager to see what was going to happen in the event. Me too. I was all prepared for what was toe.


    "This is gonna be one hell of a festival, my brother! I''m super pumped, are you?"


    "I''m only here for the women from the other Packs. Who knows who the goddess would choose to bless me with today?"


    "Fortune shall shine on me today. The Silver Moon Pack is hosting for the first time. There have to be some great tidings!"


    Peopleughed and made tons of remarks concerning the festival with much enthusiasm. Some were a bit too enthusiastic and I found it to be very funny. Nevertheless, I had to put my focus on where it should be.


    I stood right next to my dad whose face was beaming with smiles as he looked around the hall, probably trying to find out which Pack was represented and which one wasn''t or trying to locate just one person amongst the entire wolves in attendance. I had the same thing in mind. I was on the lookout for Aurora.


    Dressed in my elegant blue gown which I had kept until the festival, I had no doubts that I was going to look best at the festival. Seeing the people who had already arrived, I was on the right track.


    My long, blue dress, my lovely red heels, and my stunning makeup made me look so stunning. As I looked at myself through the mirror, just before I stepped out of my room, I knew that I was going to turn heads. I almost pped for myself. It was how impressed I was.


    I wanted to know what it was that Aurora was going to put on. I knew she must have received some new clothes but being the maid that she was, her choice of outfit was always going to be mediocre, just like her. She had no ss or taste whatsoever and so I expected nothing more than a sheer disgrace of an outfit. I just had to see for myself.


    After a few minutes of peeking around in search of her, she was still nowhere to be found. She had probably felt too ashamed to show her stupid face. Perhaps, she must have seen what others wore and ran back to hide in her room.


    Yet, I needed her to be there. She had to. All the jabs that I had in my head for her weren''t supposed to be in vain. I had to use them on someone and she was the perfect one for that.


    "Oh, there she is," I subconsciously mouthed as soon as I saw Aurora,ing into the hall through the door.


    "Doesn''t she just look so wonderful?" My father asked, spotting her too.


    She did. I didn''t like that at all. But it wasn''t that she had a great outfit that made me so mad, even if it was part of it. It was the dress she wore. It was familiar.


    It didn''t take me so long to remember who it was that I found the dress on many years ago. It was my mom''s. I couldn''t believe it!


    My mom had never given me any of her clothes ever since I was little. She always kept her dresses aside, as if it was a tradition for her not to let someone else wear her dress. Now, she thought it best to hand her gown; one of the best that she had, to Aurora. That was so unfair!


    As she took gentle strides into the hall, I could tell that all eyes were on her. I turned around just to make sure and yeah, everyone paused to admire her breathtaking beauty. She seemed to have noticed too as she smiled and didn''t let it go off her face for a second.


    I noticed something else; something that I had thought was impossible. She had no scars at all. Her face was so smooth and her beauty radiated so much.


    I bit my tongue in anger as I saw my n crashing right in front of me. Yet, I knew that there was always a way to get whatever I wanted. I just had to find another one.


    "Wouldn''t you head over there and talk to your sister?" My father asked, narrowing his brows to show his displeasure.


    "Yeah... Sure, I''ll do that," I stammered, trying to make up something as an excuse. "I just wanted her to get a feel of the whole thing before I''d approach her.


    All eyes were on her, dad. I didn''t want to ruin the moment. I''ll go to her now."


    He smiled and nodded and I began to walk toward Aurora, thinking of what exactly I was going to say to her. I wore a smile all the way through. I needed to make a great impression.


    Aurora''s POV


    One of the guests walked up to me with a smile on her face and I stopped to know why she was there.


    "You look so beautiful, my Princess," sheplimented me. "Over there as I stood, I couldn''t help but admire how amazingly breathtaking you are so I decided to head over to you and tell you myself."


    "Thank you," I muttered, with so much appreciation for the gesture. "You''re not from this Pack, are you?"


    "I''m from the Red Light Pack, Princess and it''s a pleasure meeting you."


    "You too... Uhm-"


    "It''s Angie..."


    "You too, Angie," I smiled at her as she nodded and left.


    Then I looked up, wine ss in my right hand, to see Sophia taking fast strides toward me and I wondered what on Earth she wanted with me. I was so sure that whatever it was, it couldn''t have been any good.


    Knowing how bratty Sophia was, I readied myself for what was toe. She was surely going to throw a few jabs and try to poke some fun at me and that was fine by me. I had a few things to say, myself.


    "Hey, Aurora," she greeted on getting to where I was. "You look great. How are you doing?"


    "I''m great, Sophia. How are you?" I asked, quite surprised that she acted quite nice. I wasn''t to be fooled though. I knew deep down that it was all an act and I chose to y along.


    We talked for a bit, ying a bit of catch up, and then much to my surprise, she suddenly grabbed my wrists.


    "What''s the problem?" I immediately asked, with a furious look on my face. I didn''t expect her to go physical with me. Not there, in the presence of everyone.


    "Hey, slow down, Aurora," she calmly said, calming me a little. "I just want to take you to a part of the hall where we can have more fun. That''s all."


    "Okay."


    She led me by the hand and we walked down the hall to an area where a few girls already were. They were all dancing but paused to say hi when they set their eyes on me.


    I quickly recognised them. They were Sophia''s friends and they had always despised me. It was clear to me why she took me there. She wanted to humiliate me somehow and with the help of her friends, it was only going to get easier.


    I didn''t want to be so quick to conclude though. So I decided that it was best for me to watch what would unfold.

 Silent Observations

    Alpha Bane''s POV


    I stood in a corner, observing what was going on. I loved what I saw. I loved the way the ce was decorated; the red flowers mixed up with white ones. I loved the sweet smell of rose flowers in the air. I loved the way that the people buzzed with happiness as they drank wine from their cups and chatted with one another. The festival was going on so well.


    Yet, I wasn''t there for all of that. I came to the Pack for something else. The festival was merely an excuse that I held onto so I could do what I wanted to; see Aurora.


    From where I was, I spotted Aurora talking to a certaindy with red hair. They seem to be getting along so well and I could tell by the way that Auroraughed.


    Then I saw Sophia, heading toward Aurora with a huge grin on her face and my interest aroused. I fixed my gaze on them very intently, keen on noticing anything odd so I could intervene.


    A few minutes in, it looked like everything was under control. There were no signs of animosity between them. Shockingly, it did seem like they were getting along. They even shared augh or two, much to my surprise.


    I couldn''t help but notice Aurora''s outfit and how perfectly it fit. It was a very long, green dress with golden stones all around it. It seemed perfect for the asion, especially since green was the official colour of the festival.


    As I stared at her, admiring every bit of her beautiful body, I hoped that she could just turn around and look my way, even for a few seconds. I kept calling out to her in my mind as I craved to be noticed by her. It wasn''t to be.


    Suddenly, I saw Sophia reach out and grab Aurora''s hand and I became suspicious. The grip looked like a tight one and from the way that Aurora responded, I had even more reasons to be concerned. "Why would she hold her that way?" I asked myself.


    I took a few steps forward so that I could get a clearer picture of what was going on and know exactly when I was supposed toe in. Just as I was about to follow Sophia''s lips so that I could hear what it was that she was telling Aurora, I heard a huge noise from the hall. Everyone began to p and cheer and I wondered what was going on.


    "Greetings to everyone in this Pack for this festival," the Alpha King began, with his cup of wine in his right hand and his left hand raised to acknowledge our presence. "All the Alphas and Lunas and the council of elders from the different Packs who thought it necessary to grace this asion and this humble Pack with their presence, I greet you all!"


    There was a scream from the wolves in the Pack as the people screamed and stamped their feet on the ground in joy.


    "I''d love to make a toast," the Alpha King continued, narrowing his brows, before clearing his throat. "But before then, I''d love to say to you all once again that I''m grateful to see you."


    I loved the way that the man spoke. His words oozed confidence merged with great respect for others and I loved that so much. Although we were of the royal family, no one needed to abuse the people who were below him.


    "I''m d to announce to all of you that this Pack has been making tremendous progress in recent times. We''ve had a lot of buildings erected. We have also managed to keep the rogues at Bay as well as provide much-needed care to strangers who found themselves in this Pack."


    Everyone pped their hands and he spoke. Some nodded their heads to show their approval. Everyone was happy with what they heard.


    "Everything has been going so well in this Pack and for that, I''m going to make a toast." He raised his right hand with which he held a small cup containing red wine. "A toast to the growth of the Silver Moon Pack!"


    "Aye! Aye! Aye!" They all chorused stamping their feet on the ground, as was the custom. They too had wine in a small cup and they also lifted it.


    "To my lost daughter, whom I have found, in the person of Sophia, let''s make a toast!"


    The people cheered aloud, jumping and dancing as they drank their wine. I had forgotten all about Aurora and Sophia but at the mention of the name, they returned to my memory.


    I quickly turned my gaze back to where they previously stood but they weren''t there anymore. As the people pped and hit their cups together for the toast, I scanned through the area in search of Aurora. Then I spotted a group ofdies at a corner in the hall and sought to see if she was there.


    I saw Sophia first. She just stood and muttered a few words but I didn''t know who she was talking to. But there were people around her; a few girls, and I guessed they were her friends. I could see them all dancing to the music that was ying with their faces full of smiles. There was no sign of Aurora.


    The uproar died down and only the music could be heard but somehow, I still couldn''t see Aurora.


    I began to get a bit worried. Where could she have gone? I wondered what Sophia and her friends might have done to her. "Damn it!"I cursed aloud, knowing what Sophia was capable of and regretting that I allowed myself to be distracted instead of keeping an eye on her as I had nned.


    Then I saw her. She was somewhere between Sophia and the otherdies and she looked a bit puzzled. It was like she was there against her will and if that were to be the case, I couldn''t let it happen. I swore in my heart to not let Sophia have her way at the festival at the expense of Aurora.


    I looked at the girls again and this time, I noticed that they weren''t just dancing. They wereughing disdainfully and pointing fingers at Aurora.


    I felt rage build up in me instantly as I knew exactly what was going on. I couldn''t understand why they''d never let Aurora be for once. Sophia always made it a point of duty to make her life a living hell, despite her efforts to avoid any form of trouble.


    I turned to Donald, who was by my side the whole time and his visage told me all


    that I needed to know. He too was aware of all that was going on.


    "Donald, I need you to go check what''s going on over there. Be discreet, as always. I''ll be waiting."


    He nodded and slowly began to walk toward them. As he walked away, I prayed in


    my heart that Sophia would fall into my trap. I couldn''t wait to let the cat out of the


    bag.

 Mockery & Insults

    Aurora''s POV


    As I walked with Sophia to the part of the hall where her friends were, I let my mind wander to all that happened before then. I remembered the moment that I walked into the hall which was full of people. I heard so many screams from tons of folks who were probably overwhelmed with the euphoria of everything that was going on.


    It wasn''t hard to say why. We prepared so well for the asion and our efforts finally paid off, just like I had expected.


    I noticed that the voices of the people went down a bit when I walked in. People paused to take a look at me. Wolves from every Pack must have heard about all that happened and were keen to see the Aurora that had be a princess.


    Yet, I was a bit confused. They didn''t know me from anywhere. How was it that they seemed to suddenly recognize that I was the one?


    It made me wonder if someone on the inside had said something to any of them. That was when it dawned on me that it was no handwork of anyone. It was all my doing.


    For so many years, my mom had graced that event. Most of the Alphas and their Lunas had also paid courtesy or business visits to my parents at one point.


    So it was inevitable that they had seen her wear the exact dress that I had on. That''s how they were able to tell. Plus, I felt like I looked so good in them. Anyone could be forgiven for concluding that I was royal just by seeing me like that. It was the best that I''d appeared in such a long time.


    I looked in the direction where I felt my dad was going to be and he didn''t disappoint. He was there, turning his gaze from one point to another, as he always used to do on asions. It was always tough getting his attention whenever there was a festival held in the Pack. He always seemed to be looking for something that probably never existed.


    Sophia was there too. She was by his side, with her head bent. I wondered if it was the shame of seeing me as a princess and the news that flew around or if she was just lost in her thoughts. In any case, it was none of my business and I couldn''t care less about whatever she wanted to do. It was her decision to make.


    "Hey, Aurora. Enjoying yourself yet?" One of the girls asked as I was brought back to reality.


    I almost nodded but then I realised that it was probably not a question asked to know what or how I felt. It was asked to mock me. They had somehow deemed me fit to be used as theiric relief. I was never going to let it happen.


    "Hey, you can talk to us, Aurora. We don''t bite, do we?" One asked as the others shook their heads and waved their index fingers from side to side. "Besides, you''re the Princess. You have no reason to be afraid of anyone; not even us, right?"


    They turned to themselves once again andughed so hard. Sophia didn''tugh. She just kept staring at us, probably trying to see what my reaction would be.


    "How has the life of royalty been for you so far, Aurora? Is it something you''ve been enjoying?" Sophia finally asked, looking to get me to say something but I was determined not to.


    Instead, I turned my attention to what was going on elsewhere in the festival. There was music ying and a fewdies were at the centre of the hall dancing, with their hips vigorously shaking. It was the kind of dance that most men loved to see; especially the unmarried ones.


    Rumour had it that many of the women in the Pack got their husbands after dancing like that. Festivals like that were also the best ces to disy all of that. Since many wolves came from different Packs, it was an opportune time for people to find their mates who were in other Packs and get hooked up with them. "You wouldn''t say anything?" One of Sophia''s friends asked, tapping me on the shoulder which got me a bit infuriated but I chose to say nothing at first.


    "She must have been having it so hard over there. Perhaps, that''s why she can''t say anything at all," another said, as they all turned to look at me.


    I looked like a dot in a circle, as they all surrounded me. Each of them threw jabs


    at me at will and they allughed whether it was funny or not.


    I felt like throwing a punch or two at one of them. I wanted so badly to set an example for anyone who was unfortunate enough to be the scapegoat. But I had


    to refrain from that. If there were to be any form ofmotion, it was definitely not supposed to be from me at all. I had to be more mature.


    "Maybe, she just can''t fit in there. She''s not really a Princess after all, even if her blood suggests that. There''s more to royalty than blood, you know."


    Sophia nodded, affirming what her friend had just remarked. That was when I knew that I''d had enough.


    "I''m leaving," I said, just as Sophia was about to open her mouth and say something else to me.


    Then I began to walk away from the circle, but I felt a hand grab me by the wrist to prevent me from leaving their midst. It was Sophia. She held onto my wrists so tightly.


    "You can''t leave so easily, Princess. Not so easy, my dear," she said, as she turned to look at me.


    I tried to remove my hand but her hold was a very tight one.


    Princess Sophia''s POV


    I had to make Aurora look like a fool at the festival. It was my goal right from the start. I needed to get her to regret being a part of my family. She had to pay for stealing my parents from me. I hated sharing anything with anyone. I hated her too.


    As she tried to leave, I knew I couldn''t just let her do that. I had to make her struggle. I had to show everyone just how weak she truly was and knowing who she was, I was so sure she would do her best to not make a scene.


    "You''re only a servant, Aurora. I need you to understand this very well," I said to her. "You just can''t walk out on high-ss wolves like us, can you?"


    It seemed to please my friends as they allughed so hard at her. I could see the embarrassment on her face as we teased and taunted her.


    She said nothing. All she did was try to break free from my grip. She did her utmost to wriggle her hands-free but I didn''t let her. I held onto her with all my strength, doing well to maintain eye contact with her.


    From the look on her face, it seemed to me that she was shocked to know that she couldn''t break free of my powerful hold.

 Caught Red Handed

    Alpha Bane''s POV


    "You''re right, my Alpha. Princess Aurora is in a bit of a mess right now," Donald said to me as soon as he returned from the errand that I sent him concerning Sophia and Aurora. "Your assumptions were right."


    I knew it. There was no way that Sophia could let Aurora be. Not in this world, nor in the next. I was slightly disappointed that Aurora fell into her trap. When I saw them having that discussion, I knew that she had something up her sleeves. I was very wary and I felt like Aurora should have also been careful too. Perhaps she was too keen on having peace reign between them.


    If I hadn''t been so distracted by the toast that the king made, perhaps, I''d have somehow stopped her from moving with Sophia to the ce where her friends were. I''d have prevented all that from happening.


    "What exactly is going on there, Donald? I need to hear everything so I can know what to do next."


    "When I got there, I noticed that they were taunting her and she couldn''t speak back. Well, she tried but she was outnumbered. They were just too many and threw so many jabs at her at the same time. There was no way she could deal with all of that. She''s in a mess, right now."


    Those words got me so infuriated. I had thought that it was best to remain where I was and just observe what was going on. That was Donald''s advice. But the pain in me, caused by what I heard, wouldn''t let me do that. I wanted so badly to head over there and scream at Sophia and those morons that she called her friends. Enough was enough!


    After thinking for a few minutes, I thought going over there was the best option. I quickly began to walk toward them with rage in my eyes and my heart. "Hold on, Alpha Bane. You need to think this through so you won''t make a mistake," Donald said, reaching out to grab my hands but I brushed him aside. I knew what he wanted to do. He didn''t want me to do anything stupid and just as he told me earlier he wanted to stop me from causing a scene.


    At that point, I didn''t care. I didn''t want to hear anything from anyone, Donald included. I just wanted to get there as quickly as possible so I could stop whatever was going on. Even if I wasn''t going to scream or do anything like that, I still had to take Aurora out of that ce as she seemed to be in a bit of a struggle.


    I walked past Donald and hit off his hand with mine a second time when he tried to hold me back. I had to give those fools a piece of my mind. They had no right to treat the Princess like that. They probably didn''t know that she had all of the authority as the Princess of the Pack. She too, may not have known the full extent of her authority. Time always reveals all things.


    As I got close to the ce where they were, I couldn''t believe my ears. "How on Earth could Alpha Bane be mated with amon maid? May the goddess forbid it! It is unbelievable, my friends. Servants belong with their fellow servants and not with royalties; talk more of the Alpha of our noble Pack."


    They were throwing shades at her and making a mockery of the Princess and they were bold enough to use my name for that. I didn''t like them but they were too insignificant for me to concern myself with. The only one that I needed to take care of was Sophia and I was prepared to make her pay if she made me take that step.


    "What is going on here?" I asked, causing them all to gasp. They didn''t expect me to be there. I had walked so stealthily so that I wouldn''t be noticed by any of them and it worked out just fine.


    The girls began to look at themselves. I saw one, who wore a red top and had long brown hair, pinch herself. Sophia looked shocked too, and although she did her best to hide it, she just couldn''t stop her mouth from being wide open.


    I walked to Aurora''s side and ced my hands on her shoulders, hoping in my heart that she wouldn''t try to hit my hand off. That would have been very embarrassing, especially in the presence of everyone else.


    I noticed that Sophia held onto her wrists and I shot her a mean stare which propelled her to reluctantly let go of Aurora.


    That area of her hand was already reddened; a testament that she had held onto her wrists for quite a while and to me, that wasn''t okay. Yet, I chose to bide my time. I didn''t want to cause a stir ormotion at the festival unless I absolutely had to do it.


    I pulled Aurora closer to me as soon as Sophia let go of her hand and fortunately for me, she didn''t push me away. Indeed, she seemed pleased that I did that. She held onto me too with her left hand around my back.


    Then I remembered what happened thest time. How I stopped her from being confronted by Sophia and how she let me do that only to hit my hands off when she was done using me. I hoped that it was different this time. I felt so horrible thest time and I didn''t know how I was going to take it if it was fake. Yet, it was better than being embarrassed on the spot. Everything was better than that.


    Aurora seemed to be a bit nervous. She couldn''t take her eyes off Sophia for once. It looked to me like something about Sophia fascinated her because she wasn''t staring at her with a frown or anything like that.


    Sophia too stared at Aurora with a smirk. She had passed her message loud and clear and Aurora got it so well. She winked at her at one point which seemed to trigger Aurora but she kept mute.


    "I overheard what you guys were saying a few moments ago," I said to them. "One of you even dared to mention my name too. I''d love to know what exactly is going on here."


    They looked at themselves, surprised that I had heard them. They did look scared and that was good enough for me. They had every reason to be. I was the most powerful Alpha and they had no right to mention my name.


    One of thedies tried to sneak out behind Sophia but I stretched out my hand to let her know that it wasn''t alright to do that. Then I turned my attention to the rest of them.


    With a smirk, I bared my arms, waiting for them to say something to me.


    "Won''t you talk to me, guys?"

 Public Love Confessions

    Aurora''s POV


    Seeing Alpha Bane head over to where we were, gave me great joy as I was beginning to wonder what else I was going to do to escape the situation that I was in. Sophia wouldn''t let go of my wrists and I didn''t know how to free myself in that situation.


    I felt weak. I never imagined that I''d be unable to free myself from Sophia''s grip. I wondered how she was able to hold onto me so strongly. It was something that I couldn''t exin.


    Thankfully, Alpha Bane came to my rescue. I knew he came for me. I knew he hade to save me and that alone gave me so much joy. Yet, I felt even happier when I turned to see the look on Sophia''s face. She looked like she had seen a ghost. She probably didn''t expect him toe over. At that instant, it was clear from her eyes that she knew her n had hit a rock. That rock was Alpha Bane.


    I turned back to Alpha Bane and saw that he was looking at me. His eyes were steady and assured; like he was trying to tell me that everything was always and he had it all in control, without saying a word. I got the message loud and clear. I hope thedies got it too.


    They said nothing after the question that Alpha Bane asked them and for good reason too. How were they to tell him how they''d been bullying the Princess of the Pack in a renowned ceremony without any form of shame?


    "Well, I did hear some of the horrible things that all of you said to the Princess and I must warn you," Alpha Bane warned very sternly. "You should never speak to the Princess in that manner. You have no right to make jokes about my woman!"


    Thest line got everyone''s attention. Me too. I was shocked to hear him say that in the presence of everyone. Sophia too. She and her friends threw cursory nces at themselves with their mouths wide open. Yet, Alpha Bane looked defiant.


    "This is going to be thest time that any of you willy your filthy hands on her or throw jabs at her. I''ll make sure that you''ll live to regret it if you ever tried it, especially, you miserly peasants who have no right to be anywhere near her. You do know what would happen if the Alpha King heard about this, right?"


    "Please, don''t tell him," one of them begged. "It won''t happen again, we promise." "You better do as you have said, or you''ll certainly regret it!"


    Sophia stamped her right foot on the ground in frustration. It wasn''t that obvious but I spotted it and it only made me smile a bit.


    "I love you, Aurora," Alpha Bane dered, turning to look at me. "There''s no way to separate us in this world or the next."


    It felt like a dream. I didn''t envisage that the festival was going to go that way. I never knew that Alpha Bane would be so bold to dere all of that. It was all so surprising.


    "No matter what Sophia or any other person chooses to say, nothing can stop me from loving you, Aurora," he continued. "I don''t care about your former status in this Pack. I love you for who you are, Aurora and I am so grateful that you''re mated to me. I don''t believe it was a mistake, even though you''ve refused to ept me for so long."


    As he said all this, I couldn''t help but gasp in shock. I wanted to say something but I didn''t know exactly what to say. It was all too much for me.


    Princess Sophia''s POV


    I stood, with my friends next to me, watching everything that unfolded. I was so disgusted that I almost threw up at the sight of their stupid disy of affection. It wasn''t difficult to get me very upset, but they took it up a notch.


    I was livid; so much that I wished for nothing more than to tear them both apart with my bare hands. Yet, I knew impossible things and that was one of those. There was nothing that I could do and that knowledge made me get angrier.


    I looked around at my friends and noticed that they were conversing. I paused. I needed to hear exactly what they were talking about. I hoped that they were probably talking about how they were going to help me topple the idiot called Aurora but they weren''t. They had something else in mind.


    "They do look good together, you know," one of them said. Wendy, she was called. "I think they''re a great match if we''re being honest with ourselves. What do you think?"


    "As much as I hate to say it," replied another one of them. "You''re right. They look like they were made for each other. I mean, look at them, see how they''re staring


    at each other with dreamy eyes. I wouldn''t be surprised if they kissed right in front of us."


    "I think you''re taking it too far."


    "I don''t think so, Wendy. You just watch out and see."


    I couldn''t believe my ears. My friends were actually talking about Aurora and Alpha Bane in a stupid light. I couldn''t believe that they could do that to me. Right before me, they were shamelessly aligning themselves with the enemy.


    I boiled with anger, yearning so much to p them hard across their faces. "Fools!" I yelled at them, paying little attention to the people around me. "Be quiet this instant! You all should be on my side. That''s what friends are for, isn''t it? How can you all also turn your backs on me because of... Because of this-"


    Remembering what Alpha Bane said just a few minutes before that, I couldn''t call Aurora the name that I had in mind. The name stayed on my chest and despite it being so heavy, I just had to hold it inside. All I wanted was to let it out.


    I turned to see that people had begun to look in our direction. It must have been because I raised my voice. It wasn''t my intention to get the attention of everyone, especially not in that situation. Yet, it was the reality and I didn''t know what to do about it.


    Alpha Bane turned to me with a look that sent shivers down my spine. Then he took his gaze away from me and turned to the people.


    I watched him closely, trying to observe what he was going to do next. He dipped his hands in his trousers and I noticed that he grit his jaw. Aurora was by his side. She had shamelessly walked closer to him so that everyone would think that she was better than me. She only had them fooled. It was only a matter of time. I knew I was going to make them see that she was nobody.


    "Greetings, distinguished wolves from all the prestigious Packs in the region!" He yelled as I stared at him in dismay. "I have a special announcement to make to all of you; one that I am sure you all want to hear."


    All eyes were on us with everyone looking so keen on finding out what he wanted to say. I was too. I was worried to bits.


    I felt my hands begin to tremble as I wondered what he wanted to reveal. I knew somehow that it had to do with me but I didn''t know exactly what it was.


    That made me scared. Aurora turned back and looked at me in a way that got me even more worried. It seemed he had already said something to her about it previously but I wasn''t sure. I just guessed because she wouldn''t stop staring at me with a huge smile on her face.


    Alpha Bane coughed, clearing his throat, and opened his mouth to speak.

 Exposing Sophia

    Alpha Bane''s POV


    "If I could have your permission, Alpha King," I appealed to Aurora''s father. It was true that I could speak as I wanted but courtesy demanded that I did that since I was in his Pack. "This news is a very important one and I''m certain that everyone here would appreciate it."


    "Go ahead, Alpha Bane," he replied with a nod. "You always have my permission."


    I nodded my head to show my appreciation for his gesture and then I turned to Aurora to give her one final stare. She was looking at Sophia at the time but the moment I turned to look at her, she did too. It was as if she was aware that I''d look that very instant. It felt good too.


    "Thank you everyone for granting me this audience that I can speak freely to all of you with you all listening with rapt attention. I do not take this for granted," I began. "I''m grateful to everyone who came from far and near to grace this asion. This festival is nothing without dignitaries like you. Again, I thank you all."


    I noticed some uneasiness with Aurora and I turned around to look at her. She was all sweaty and I wondered why she was so bothered. Perhaps, she must have had a feeling that I was going to say something drastic based on what happened thest time and she was right. I just needed her to know that I had everything under control.


    "Please, be calm for me. I got this," I said to her, as she tried tomunicate with me with her eyes. She looked so curious to know exactly what my announcement was all about but I just smirked. She was going to find out, just like everyone else. Scratching a package that will soon be open was always of no use.


    I looked back up at the people at first, and then I turned and looked at Sophia before clearing my throat.


    She, too, was very nervous. It was almost as if she knew what I wanted to say; like she was begging me to hold back. But it was all toote. She made me do it. If only she had acted a bit more responsibly. If only she had just allowed Aurora to have a wonderful festival without trying to embarrass her.


    All those didn''t matter anymore as my mind was made up. I just wanted nothing more than to get it all over and call her out for who she truly was...


    "A traitor!" I screamed, turning back to face the crowd. "That''s what Sophia is. She''s a very big traitor. All these while, she had feigned ignorance concerning the fact that she was not the true child of the Alpha and Luna of this Pack. Yet, she knew everything."


    The whole ce went cold and people began to look at themselves in shock; just the way that I wanted it. I took it as a cue to continue with my speech knowing that everyone was keen on hearing what I had to say. Perhaps, everyone but Sophia.


    "She had been aware of the truth all this while. She knew that Aurora was the true Princess of the Pack, but she chose to keep it to herself, and even nned with Mrs Scott to ensure that it was so. She''s nothing short of a selfish and heartlessdy in whom no repentance can be found!"


    As soon as I got done with the speech, I turned around and locked gazes with Sophia who was visibly shocked.


    Princess Sophia''s POV


    I was in shock. Alpha Bane saying all that he said in the presence of everyone at the festival was something that I never expected.


    To me, it was the height of wickedness and insensitivity. If there was ever a bad time to say something like that, it was at that point.


    I felt like jumping up and disappearing from there through the roof or just bing invisible. Anything to keep me out of everyone''s sight was perfect for


    me.


    But it was never an easy feat to get what you wish for. It was the same for me. Everyone stared at me with very disgusting faces and I began to think about what I had to say to get myself out of that mess.


    Yet, it wasn''t just what he said that left me puzzled; it was the fact that he revealed a secret that he should not have known. I wondered how he managed to get his hands on that piece of information.


    That was when I remembered what happened thest time I went to see my mother. "Donald," I murmured inaudibly. He was there the previous night when I went to my mother and I didn''t think much about that.


    I should have asked him a few questions then, just to know if he heard the


    conversation that I had with my mother. If I had suspected that he knew something, even in the slightest way, I''d have more readily found a way to get rid


    of him before he''d speak to the Alpha. Such a snitch he was!


    I let out a hiss, convinced that I was done for. If he heard all that I said to my mother, it was almost going to be impossible to convince everyone that they were telling lies. I folded my hands in shame and just looked on. I had to hear all that they had to say.


    "She went as far as going into the dungeon where her mother, Mrs Scott, has been locked up for a long time, asking her to take a poisoned portion so that her secret will be protected," Alpha Bane continued, showing no mercy at all for me, nor any sign that he was going to stop. "What kind of daughter treats her mother that way? What child will ask the mother to kill herself so the truth can be concealed? Sophia is a monster!"


    He just wouldn''t stop. He kept going on and on about all that he knew. What was more painful was that he kept his gaze fixed on me and I didn''t know why. I always felt it was disrespectful to look one in the face and say things like that. Everyone was shocked. I heard murmurings, springing forth from the crowd as people pointed fingers in my direction at will. I turned to my friends too. Surely, they were supposed to be by my side. It was they, who should have stood by me.


    They didn''t. They scowled at me too, just like the rest. At a time when I needed them the most, they chose to abandon me. I hated them immediately. I never expected such from them.


    I opened my mouth to talk but the words just won''te out, no matter how hard I tried.


    "That''s not all," Alpha Bane went on, very keen on tarnishing what was left of my image and reputation. "She, with the help of her mother, did a spell to replicate Aurora''s scent so that she could be mated to me. With that, she was able to fool me into thinking that she was my mate and not Aurora. How cruel!"


    There was an uproar as soon as he said those words. If the festival wasn''t being held in my Pack, they might have attacked me or anything like that. Thankfully, it


    was.


    Alpha Bane took two steps toward me and stopped to ask, "Can you deny that all that I just said isn''t true in the presence of everyone here? Can you boldly say that I''m telling lies?"


    I just stared at him with my mouth wide open. I had nothing to say.

 Trapped

    Aurora''s POV


    I was shocked to my bones as I struggled to believe what Alpha Bane just said. It was too much for me to handle. I had never imagined that Sophia was well aware of all that went on all these while and just pretended not to do it.


    Sophia was a lot of things. She was a liar, a bully, a teaser, a control freak and so much more. But I never believed that she was capable of doing everything that Alpha Bane used her of.


    How could she attempt to kill her mother? How wicked could one be to do something like that? There had to be some sort of exnation for that.


    Alpha Bane said all sorts of things, including the fact that most of the things that I had thought were the handiwork of Mrs Scott were ns done by both of them. She was the snake that I had always thought she was, just worse.


    If indeed, she had known that I was the Princess and not her. If she had been aware of the change of her scent, just for her to be with Alpha Bane instead of me. Then, she was of all people most wicked and she had to pay for it all.


    I hated her so much. The hatred that I had for her was already so much due to all that she did to me in the past and the way she still acted toward me. From what I heard, I hated her even more


    I looked at my father and mother to know how they''d react. They looked shocked too as they both had their hands on their waists. My father, especially, looked so disappointed and I saw his eyes tear up a bit. His golden child had forsaken him. It was so much for him to bear.


    Holding Alpha Bane''s hand tightly, I squeezed it to get his attention and I seeded. He stopped talking instantly and turned to look at me.


    "Are you sure of what you''re saying?" I asked, keen to be sure he wasn''t making a mistake or talking based on spection.


    He just smirked again and caressed my hair very gently. "You don''t have to worry at all," he said to me with a grin. "I can''t speak without evidence. That''ll make my information hearsay. I have concrete evidence that she did everything that I said."


    I sighed in relief and nodded to show him that I believed him and he smiled in return. "Donald," he called out to his Beta, who showed up immediately. "Please, tell us what you have to say."


    "Okay, my Alpha."


    Donald turned around to the rest of the people and cleared his throat to begin, as everyone else paused to pay attention to what he had to say including me.


    Alpha Bane''s POV


    "It was just so long ago when I felt a need to take a stroll in the Pack," Donald began to exin as everyone listened with rapt attention, just as I expected. The allegation that I made was a very strong one and so it was important for everyone to listen carefully so they could spot the truth from the lies.


    Knowing who Sophia was, I knew she was going to try to deny it soon enough and so I needed to bring so much proof that she''d look like an idiot doing that... If she already didn''t look like one to everyone else. To me, she was the biggest idiot I''d ever known.


    "...That was when I heard some soundsing from the dungeon and I decided to check exactly what was going on inside," he went on, much to my delight. "I was surprised to see that it was Princess Sophia and her mother; Mrs Scott, having a discussion. I had been told that no one was permitted to visit the woman so it made me quite curious to see her there but I thought it was because she just wanted to see her mother so desperately. It wasn''t to be so..."


    Sophia stretched out her hands as if she was trying to get him to stop but Donald just rolled his eyes and continued. "I heard her tell the poor woman to drink poison that she was going to give to her so she''d know if it''ll be effective against Princess Aurora. I knew she despised Princess Aurora. I just didn''t know it was so bad that she''d want both her and her mother dead. She said all sorts of despicable things to the woman who vowed not to yield to her ckmail."


    As soon as he got done, I stretched my right hand and shook his hand. "Thank you, Donald, for speaking the truth," I said to him. He bowed and returned to his former position which was behind me.


    Then I turned to face Sophia whose face was already red and severely sweaty and watched to see what she was going to say. She wasn''t going to stay mute forever. She had to try to confess or defend herself. At least, I hoped that she''d do that, but she didn''t. She just kept looking at everyone.


    I turned to see that I wasn''t alone in wanting to know what she had to say. Everyone else had their eyes on her; her friends too. She seemed to have gotten the cue and she finally coughed, ready to speak.


    "I... It''s not true," she stammered. "Everything that has been said here is a very big lie. This... This just has to be a joke!"


    I spat at her in fury, so pained that she chose the path of lies. "How shameless could you be, Aurora?" I asked her with gross disdain. "Is there no end to this madness of yours? Do you not have a ce in your heart for honesty and repentance?"


    "I''m... I''m not lying. It''s just..."


    "We have evidence, right in front of you, yet you''re choosing to lie. Okay, where did you gost night?" She trembled a bit, as she didn''t expect that question, and then she opened her mouth to probably tell another lie so I had to make sure that she didn''t. "It might interest you to know that I know about four guards who can confirm that you visited the dungeonst night."


    That was it for her. She knew she was done for. She opened up her mouth and shut it almost immediately. She had two options; lie and have me call the guards which were going to be very embarrassing, or simply say the truth and apologise for her wrongs. There was no getting away from what wasing for her and she could feel it. Everyone could see it too.


    She stood on shaky legs, looking so confused and all. The ever-defiant Sophia looked like one very timid child who had just broken a te while doing the dishes. It was a lovely sight to behold, especially because her friends had also turned on her. They, too, never believed that she couldmit such a crime.


    She was lost for words and it was understandable. There was barely anything that she could say at that point. I just smirked at her once again and then looked up to the Alpha King.

 Sophia’s Final Judgement

    Princess Sophia''s POV


    I didn''t know which was worse; the fact that everyone''s eyes were on me, or Alpha Bane''s eyes which never turned in any other direction save mine.


    I was utterly humiliated in the presence of everyone at the festival and Alpha Bane showed no signs of slowing down. He just wanted it to be that way. He had developed so much hatred for me and could I me him?


    As I stood there, face to face with him, I recalled all that I did to him. I remembered how he looked the moment he saw me with his brother in the room having sex. It was a devastating moment for him and me as he resigned to have nothing to do with me anymore after the incident.


    As I clenched my fists in fear, I wished I could turn back the hands of time. I wished there was something that I could do to change or remedy the situation but there wasn''t. I just had to face what was right in front of me.


    I didn''t like that he wanted me to answer his questions. There was nothing for me to say to him. I had done my best to deny it but it seemed like it was a waste of time. They had far too much evidence.


    I turned to my parents; my father especially, as I had the notion that my mom was already just waiting for something to happen to me so that she''d finally let me go. From the way that she treated Aurora, it was clear that she always preferred her to me in every way. It was almost as if she was desperate to rub it on my face that I wasn''t her real daughter.


    My father, on the other hand, was always on my side. He loved me to bits and despite all that happened, he still stood by me, assuring me that he was never going to leave my side. With all that he heard, it was always going to be very hard to fulfil that promise. I hoped for that but I wasn''t a fool.


    His face told the whole story. His eyes were teary and he could barely take his eyes off me. He didn''t say a word, but his visage spoke volumes. I could see and feel the disappointment springing forth from within him.


    He must have felt so betrayed. Perhaps, in his heart, he nursed the thought to head straight to where I was and hit me so hard. He wasn''t that kind of man though. He would never hit ady.


    Just then, Alpha Bane walked toward me and asked a question. "Can you say that all that I''ve said here isn''t the truth?"


    I said nothing to him. I felt like hitting him so hard for all the pain he had caused


    me. He decided to meddle in matters that didn''t concern him. If only he had stayed on his own. If only he had tried to mind his business, my secret would have never been revealed. We''d have all been alright and I wouldn''t have had to face the humiliation that I was facing. If only...


    It seemed like my father already had his answer as he sniffed back some tears to my shock. I''d never seen him cry all my life and it caused my heart to faint. I hated myself for all that I had done. I hated the way that I had treated him. I despised myself for bringing shame to a man who had shown me nothing but love all my life.


    "I''m so sorry, dad," I begged him, going down on my knees. "I don''t know what came over me. I''m so sorry. I''d never intended to hurt you or anything like that. I hate myself right now, dad. Please, forgive me."


    He looked intently at me and shook his head. "I can''t believe thatdy who has been my child for so many years would deem it fit to lie to me this way," he said, bowing his head and scratching his head with his right hand. "After everything that I''ve done for you, Sophia. I''ve always loved and cherished you so much, even to a fault, yet this is how you repay me?"


    "Please, dad. Have mercy on me," I kept pleading to him for his mercy. "Don''t turn your back on me, dad, even if I deserve that right now. Please, don''t leave me, dad. I swear I''ll never lie to you again. I promise, dad. I swear it."


    "I did everything for you, Sophia. Even when I found out that you weren''t our child,


    I epted you and still showered you with so much love. Why then would you do this to me and your mom? How could you be so wicked and heartless?"


    It was clear to me that he was never going to forgive me. I could tell not just by what he said but by the way that he said it. I knew that I was in trouble. What I didn''t know was how much trouble that I was in. My mind wouldn''t stop thinking about it.


    I turned to my friends, not knowing what else to do. I hoped that they were going


    to help me beg my father but their faces didn''t look weing at all.


    "Please," I begged them. "You have to help me beg him. Please, my friends, help me out."


    My pleas fell on deaf ears as they paid no attention to me. They even spat on the floor where I was. All, except for one who looked quitepassionate but probably didn''t want to get on the bad side of the other ones.


    They all sneered at me, refusing to offer any form of sympathy. If only I had known that they were that way, I would never have been friends with any of them. They aided me to taunt Aurora and even encouraged me to do so. Suddenly, they decided to abandon me in my weakest moment so that they wouldn''t be said to have anything to do with Sophia the traitor. It was such an eye-opener.


    My father, too, turned his focus elsewhere, paying no attention to any of us. He didn''t even look to be listening to anything that I had to say.


    He cleared his throat and turned back to me all of a sudden, letting go of the hands of my mother who had held both his hands to offer him some sce. "You''re a traitor, Sophia," he began. Those words hit me so hard, especially because they came from him. "You''re nothing but a traitor and you have to be treated as one!"


    The entire crowd began to scream at the same time. "Traitor! Traitor! Traitor!" They all chanted in unison, at the top of their voices and I just watched them with tears in my eyes, still on my knees.


    "I''ll never be able to forgive you for now," He said to me. "Not after what you have done. The fact that you tried to kill someone just makes me hate you, even more, Sophia. How could you?"


    He turned around to the guards and with his fingers, he signalled for them toe and they did. "Take her to the prison immediately and lock her up! I''ll decide what to do with her in theing days. Leave now!"


    They grabbed my hands quickly and began to drag me away as I did my best to resist them, kicking away into thin air for nothing. "Please," I cried to my father in thest attempt to get him to forgive me. I didn''t want to go back to a dungeon after thest experience. "Please, forgive me, dad. I''ll never fail you again."


    He said nothing and the guards kept dragging me to my soon-to-be abode.

 First Kiss

    Alpha Bane''s POV


    The guards dragged Sophia out of the pce as everyone watched on. Her vain attempts to break free of the hold of the guards only served to amuse all that was around. The almighty Sophia, as she thought herself to be, was being dragged away bymon guards to be thrown into the dungeon, where she belonged, just like her mother. They belonged together, by each other''s sides.


    I was so full of happiness and I felt an instant reliefe over me that instant. Her imprisonment was long due. It only needed someone to be brave enough to make it happen. I was that brave man and I couldn''t have been prouder.


    It ddened my soul to know that Aurora was going to have no more obstacles on her way to bing the sole heir of the Silver Moon Pack. It was no less than she deserved. She had suffered for way too long and needed that breath of fresh air. She was finally going to have it.


    Sophia too was going to get the punishment that was due to her. Indeed, it was justice served on a tter. I hoped for her sake that she''d enjoy it. Wickedness did have consequences. It was something she was about to find out in no distant time.


    I turned to face Aurora, wanting to know how she''d react to the fate of her foe, but I was cut short by the ring eyes of the Alpha King and his Queen who were looking back at me.


    The King looked solemn, as expected. I didn''t expect anything less from a man who just sentenced his child to the dungeon after being lied to and betrayed by the same. I felt sorry for him. It was surely a bad moment for him, but I was sure he was always going to get over it. It was just a matter of time. He made the right decision, even if he didn''t think that way at the time. He was soon going to realise that.


    Surprisingly, he shot me a thumbs up to show his appreciation to me for revealing the truth and making sure that Sophia was put in her rightful ce. As much as it was painful, it was surely a relief to them to get the lies out of the way and face the truth squarely. I was d that I made it happen.


    I felt a nudge on my side and I turned to see who it was, even though I already knew. No one else there could have had the guts to do that except Aurora. "Why did you decide to expose Sophia?" She asked me with a keen look on her face but before I could answer she opened her mouth to say something else so I held on a bit. "How were you able to find out everything that she did? It''s no easy thing, you know."


    As I looked down at her, I felt my eyes glint with happiness. "I did it all for you, Aurora. Only for you."


    Aurora''s POV


    My heart melted at Alpha Bane''s words. I couldn''t believe it. He had gone through all of that stress just for me. It sounded too good to be true. No one had ever gone through so much for me. I had never thought myself to be worth all that trouble but he was beginning to give me a new perspective on what I truly deserved.


    "I''m so happy to see that you''re happy, Aurora," he continued, further making me smile harder. "Your happiness is of utmost priority to me and I can''t trade it for anything at all."


    I blushed. I couldn''t see it but I could swear that my cheeks turned pink. It looked like he spotted it and I noticed a huge grin on his face. He must have been d that his words were affecting me and why not? They weren''t just mere words. He proved them with his actions which made them even more believable.


    "From where I stood, right over there," he said, pointing to where he was before he came over to where I and Sophia stood with her friends. "I sensed that you were ufortable and when I looked over and saw Sophia, I wasn''t surprised. Knowing how Sophia is, I was so sure that she must have been trying to insult and humiliate you in the presence of everyone all these while and it was something that I couldn''t take."


    I almost shed a tear as it was exactly what happened. Just like I thought, he was able to sense that I needed his help and arrived just at the right time to fend off Sophia and her cohorts. It was great to know that someone was looking out for me. I loved that feeling.


    "I''d also been thinking so much about how I could make Sophia pay for daring to cheat on me," he added. "It is something that has always been on my mind and I craved an opportunity to make it happen. When Donald informed me about what transpired between Sophia and her motherst night, I knew it was the perfect chance that I had to strike. I couldn''t let that opportunity go to waste. I didn''t know when I was going to have that sort of chance again."


    Finally, I felt a tear drop from my right eye as I recalled all that Sophia had done to me. I remembered all the humiliation that I faced at the hands of her and her stupid maids. Even though she was well aware that I was the child of the Alpha King and Queen, she didn''t relent in making me feel like being a maid was my rightful ce.


    She did all she could to make me believe that I was no good; that I was only useful in the kitchen as a cook. She''d hit me whenever she pleased and yell at me for her pleasure. She was everything horrible I could ever see in a person.


    As my mind kept reminiscing those moments, more and more tears dropped down my eyes with some rolling down my cheeks. "It''s over," Alpha Bane said to me, using his right hand to wipe the tears from my eyes.


    As his hand touched my skin, it felt so good and I leaned in to enjoy the moment. He got the cue and immediately leaned in for a kiss, nting his lips on mine.


    At first, I tried to pull away, but the urge was too strong for me to fight and even though I was aware that the festival had continued, I gave in to my desires and kissed him back so passionately.

 Kingly Summons

    Alpha Bane''s POV


    With our lips still locked together, I circled my tongue around hers, feeling even morefortable as time progressed. I noticed that at first, she tried to pull out but I held her head in my hands and tried to force the issue by kissing her deeper.


    It seemed to work just fine as she kissed me back and never made any other move to pull out. Indeed, our tongues did battle for supremacy and I felt I was having the upper hand until she moved hers faster and I got lost in the moment.


    I moaned softly in immense ecstasy as she moved her hand to my head and gently caressed it. I moved mine to her buttocks and squeezed it as we kept battling with our lips. She seemed to like it and I was d. I never wanted us to break the kiss. I wished it could evenst forever, but of course, that was never going to be the case.


    All of a sudden, I heard a noise from the people. It was as if we were the subject of their shouting and cheering as I heard them p their hands too. Aurora must have felt the same as I felt her slowly reduce the intensity of her kisses. It was almost time for the inevitable. We had to break the kiss.


    Finally, we broke the kiss and turned to the crowd to see what was going on. Everyone''s eyes were on us. Many looked curious while others looked very happy as their faces radiated with smiles. They all seemed impressed by what they had


    seen.


    As I gazed at them, I noticed something that I didn''t notice since the festivalmenced. Each Pack showed up with very simr attires except for their Alphas who, as expected, wore more sophisticated apparel. It didn''t cross my mind that it was necessary. People in my Pack wore different outfits and they still looked great.


    I turned to Aurora who stared at me with dreamy eyes. She smiled as soon as I looked at her and I did the same. She looked ever so beautiful. So much that I wanted to grab her hands, pull her in and nt my lips on those soft lips of hers in another hot kiss. I knew it wasn''t the right thing to do at the time. I had a better n.


    Grabbing her right hand, I began to pull her toward the centre of the festival ground so that we could share a dance. It had been so long since Ist danced with anyone and I needed to do it with her.


    She obliged and moved with me in style. She walked in counted steps, careful not to walk too fast or too slow. She knew how to make an appearance alright and I loved it so much.


    It defied ims by Sophia that Aurora had no clue what ss was. Indeed, she seemed to have more clue about it than Sophia herself. It was quite ssless to end up in a dungeon.


    Just as we were about tomence, with everyone suspending what they were doing, just to watch us do our thing, I noticed a guard walk hurriedly into the venue and head straight to us.


    I ignored him at first, hoping that he was probably noting to say anything relevant. Instead, I looked into Aurora''s eyes and brushed her cheeks lightly with my fingers. "Are you ready?" I asked her. She responded with a nod.


    I held her hands with mine and moved to the left so she could do the same but


    then I felt a tap on my shoulder which forced me to change my focus.


    I hated to be distracted by anyone, but if there was ever any time for a distraction not to happen at all, that was the time. I turned around to see who it was that touched me and hoped for his sake or hers, it was worth it.


    It was the guard; the same guard that I saw just a while ago walking toward us, so


    I was keen to know why he was there. "What news do you bear?" I asked him in a very stern voice.


    I didn''t show any signs of anger or annoyance. I just looked at him with a very straight face, showing zero emotions as I didn''t want him to get scared or to feel toofortable.


    "It''s the Alpha King, Sir," he exined with shaky lips. Perhaps, my efforts didn''t help at all as he still looked so scared. "He...He wants to see you outside the Castle. He''s waiting there for you to meet with him."


    "Thank you." I nodded and he left.


    I turned back to Aurora whose eyes were on us, probably wondering what the guard was saying to me. His voice was very low, as it should be, so no one else heard him speak but me.


    I walked across to Aurora and stretched out my right hand. She grabbed it and I pulled her closer, positioning my mouth very close to her ears. "I''ll be stepping out for a while. It''s something that I need to handle as quickly as possible."


    "What is it? What is the matter?" She asked.


    "It''s nothing you should worry about, my dear. I''ll have it all sorted out in no time. I just need you to do something for me, please."


    "What''s that?"


    "Just in case I don''te back until the end of the festival, which is very likely, please do go to my chambers and wait for me there. I''d love to meet you there if you don''t mind."


    I left her hand and turned around to leave but she grabbed me, stopping me in my tracks. "Why?" She asked, eager to get an answer from me but my mind was made up.


    Unwilling to answer her question, I winked at her instead and then leaned in to hurriedly kiss her before finally turning to leave.


    As I walked to the door, I spotted that guard, very close to the door waiting for me


    toe and I followed him outside to where the Alpha King was.


    He just stood there, outside of the Castle, which was quite unlike him, and waited patiently for my arrival. As I got to him, he extended his hands toward me in a handshake and I did the same. We shook hands and it was time to get to business.


    "It''s a pleasure meeting you once again," he began, as I listened keenly.

 The Strange Guard

    Princess Sophia''s POV


    It''d been two long hours since I was brought into that stupid dungeon and I was so full of anger. It was already getting dark and my hopes of being allowed to spend the night elsewhere were vanishing into thin air with each passing second.


    As the guards brought me inside, I noticed something. The cell where my mother was kept was just opposite that, which they put me inside. I did my best to plead with them to put me in another cell but my pleas fell on deaf ears.


    "So bold of you to try to pick out the cell you''d want to be locked up in, Princess," one of them mocked as they dragged me into the cell and began to chain me up.


    "She still thinks she''s a Princess," said another, as they allughed in unison. "The earlier you realise that you''re no princess, the better it''ll be for you. You''re just like us; the daughter of a maid. You should have spent all these years working with us and helping out with so many things but you were up there in the Castle parading as the Princess..."


    "Hopefully," the first man cut in. "If she''s set free; and that''s a very big if, then she might be quite useful as a maid in the pce. At least, she''ll be able to have some relevance."


    Theyughed and left the ce after properly chaining me up, while I thought


    hard about what I was going to do to them. "You''ll regret this, all of you," I swore in my heart. I was determined to make them pay at all costs. They had written me off too soon and they were going to be sorry. I was so sure about that.


    As I stared at the ceiling, I was quite happy to know that luckily for me, there was a wall demarcating my cell and my mom''s. Although we were close, there was no way she could have been aware that I was just in the cell opposite hers. She''d have been so ted if she was aware. She''d probably think she''d won some sort of a lottery.


    Ever since I arrived at the cell, I did nothing else but cry. I didn''t try to hold back the tears. I let them flow freely from my eyes as I was overwhelmed with pain and anguish.


    It hadn''t been so long since I was freed from the dungeon in another Pack. Now, I was being held in chains in yet another dungeon in my Pack. I wondered how I let my life move from being a respected royaldy to a prisoner.


    If only I had just stayed away from that woman that called herself my mother. If only I didn''t visit her in the cell to convince her to make a sacrifice for her child whom she imed to love. There was no way that I would have been exposed. I regretted my every act. Perhaps, it''ll have been better to pay someone to do it for me. That way, no one would have suspected.


    I didn''t know what next I had to do to escape my predicament. There was no way that I was going to let myself stay there for far too long. It was almost a certain death or banishment; two oues that were unfavourable to me.


    In a few days or weeks, a judgement would be pronounced by the Alpha to determine my fate. That stupid Aurora and Alpha Bane would be there to witness the fate that they had brought upon me. I had to do something to prevent that. I needed to find a way.


    I growled angrily at the thought of Aurora. She was the cause of all that was happening to me. She was nothing but bad luck and I wished for nothing more than to have her taken out.


    As I growled, the chains in my hands and my feet rattled heavily and I felt my inner wolf fight its way out as ws sprang from my fingers. With them, I scratched at my arm unfazed by the blood that oozed. To me, they were the blood of my enemy; Aurora, who I was going to take out.


    As I was thinking, I heard a very soft knock on the cell door and I began to readjust a bit. I lifted my swollen red eyes very slowly to see if I could spot who it


    was.


    I had no clue whatsoever and the harder I tried to guess who the visitor might have been, the more confused I got. A lot of thoughts ran through my mind at that moment.


    I thought about screaming aloud or just asking who it was, but before I could even say a word, the cell door opened gently and although the lighting was quite dim, I noticed the silhouette of a guard and my brows furrowed.


    "Who are you and what are you doing here?" I asked as fear began to capture my soul.


    I wondered if Aurora had sent someone to my cell to kill me instead of waiting for the judgement to be passed. Maybe she got scared that my father was eventually going to have mercy on his beloved daughter; she and Alpha Bane alike. I had this feeling that she had used some sort of witchcraft to blind Alpha Bane, preventing him from seeing that she was no good for him. He was more like herckey, going through all sorts of trouble just to please her. It was so pathetic!


    Each time I thought about it, I almost lost some respect for him. He was an Alpha; the strongest Alpha in thends, even stronger than my father whose praises were sung in every single Pack. Yet, for Aurora, he had be a little man who had no will of his own. He spent most of his time chasing after her when it was her who should chase after him. That was how things always worked. The Alpha was chased by thedies and not the other way around. It didn''t look normal to me.


    I sat silently with the footsteps of the guard ringing in my head as I watched him approach me. I struggled to free myself from the chains so that I''d be able to defend myself but there was no breaking free. It was so tightly fit that I could do nothing to escape. I had to sit there and resign to my fate. I just hoped it wasn''t what I had in mind.


    The closer the guard got, the more visible his face became. I gazed intently in his direction so I could make something out of his face. Then, all of a sudden, he was standing right in front of me, and I could see a face that I could certainly recognise. What I didn''t know was what he was doing in my cell at that time and how he knew that I was locked up there.


    "Ivan!" I called out with a gasp, very surprised to see him there.


    "Princess Sophia..." He called out too on seeing my face.


    I smirked.

 Marking Aurora!

    Aurora''s POV


    It had been over three hours since the festival ended and Alpha Bane was still nowhere to be found. I had gone to his chambers as he had instructed before leaving the Castle, albeit a bitte. Since I was a bitte, I had thought that he''d be waiting for me but s, he wasn''t even in his chambers.


    After a short while, I considered leaving, as something told me that he might have gone somewhere else. But then, I knew that there was no way he wouldn''t return to his chambers no matter where it was that he must have gone. It was only going to take some time before he''d be back so I just had to wait.


    I sat on his bed, waiting and wondering why he wasn''t there yet. I wondered where it was that he went that caused him not to return after such a long time.


    Yet, there was something else that bothered me even more than that. I didn''t know why he asked me to wait in his chambers. It was a mystery to me; one that I couldn''t wait to unravel.


    In a few minutes, I saw the door fling open and I immediately got startled. Then I saw that it was him between the doorpost and I calmed down a bit.


    I stood and walked over to him. "Hey," I greeted. "Wee. You did take some time to arrive."


    He nodded and walked inside and I gently shut the door before turning back to face him. I heard from one of the guards soon after he had left the Castle that he went out to meet with my father. I struggled to believe that because he''d normally say something to me if that were to be the case, but he didn''t. I also couldn''t understand why he didn''t want to tell me where he was going.


    That alone, made me think that there could have been some truth in what the guard said to me but I wondered what exactly they were going to be discussing. Then, it urred to me that they were both Alphas and so they had numerous Pack issues to talk about if they so pleased. But if it was my father he met, they''d have been done with the meeting a long time ago. Something was wrong.


    "Was it my father that you were talking to all this..."


    Before I could finish my sentence, he grabbed me in his arms and immediately pulled me in, much to my shock. I tried to pull away but he was just too strong for me and he reached in and ced his lips on mine in a kiss.


    I didn''t return it as I was so surprised that he did that without my consent. I was also puzzled because he kissed me so hurriedly, suggesting that it wasn''t just a kiss, it was a means to an end.


    Right there, I knew what was about to happen. I didn''t want it but my wolf seemed to want it so much. She leapt with joy from within me and no matter how hard I tried, she wouldn''t stop persuading me to go for it.


    I began to struggle, hoping to get him to let me speak to him. I had to tell him that he should take it easy because he was moving too fast; way faster than I wanted him to.


    "Slow down," I uttered in a muffled voice and luckily for me, he obliged and tore his lips from mine to my delight.


    I took a deep breath and then looked up at him. There were so many emotions in his eyes. They were dark red and he looked so starved of something that wasn''t food.


    I knew what it was. It was time to finally mate and mark and I could sense it. The thought of that sent beautiful shivers down my spine in anticipation of what was to


    I smiled shyly, ced my right hand behind his head and pulled him in for a kiss. This time, I kissed him so passionately and he did the same. It felt so good.


    As we made out, I guided him to the bed and pushed him down onto it. It was time...


    Alpha Bane''s POV


    As we got to the bed, Aurora pushed me with just two fingers and I fell hard on the bed. Thankfully, the foam was so soft and my blood was hot so it didn''t matter. I just wondered for a split second how I was able to go down from such a feeble attempt. I guess that''s where I wanted to be anyway.


    She wasted no time jumping on me and I quickly turned her over and began kissing her on the neck, while she rubbed the back of my head with her skilled fingers. It felt so good that I moaned aloud in pleasure.


    I couldn''t let her do all the work. I had to return the favour. I kissed her from her neck to her toes and back up, before kissing her lips so much that it felt like I was about to chew them.


    All of a sudden, I stopped and grinned at her. Then I ced my hands on her dress and tore it, revealing her blue-coloured bra that struggled to contain her firm breasts. I took those off too and began to fondle her breasts, causing her to moan too and I loved it.


    She raised her hands and let them rest on my chest and then she began to unbutton my shirt in a hurry. As soon as she got done, I helped her take off my shirt and I did the same with my trousers as we were both naked on the bed, about to experience the inevitable.


    The tension was so much as we were both panting hard. None of us wanted an end to what was going on. We had to do it. It was the only thing on my mind and hers.


    Looking straight into my eyes, she guided me into her, moaning aloud as soon as I got in. She kept rocking her hips toward me at a controlled rhythm with her eyes shot in ecstasy. I loved the way she looked. She looked even more beautiful beneath me.


    I let her wrap her legs around me so she could guide me in deeper and Iy on her chest, letting my chest feel the softness of her bosom as she held my head with her left hand and ced the left on my back.


    I kept thrusting in and kissing her on the lips and the neck simultaneously, drawing even louder moans from her. Then I found a sweet spot on her neck and immediately sunk my teeth into her, forcing a yelp out of her, although she didn''t try to pull me away.


    I had marked her. It was the best moment of my life.

 Playful Moments

    Alpha Bane''s POV


    The Next Morning


    I woke up feeling a tad tired. I stretched myself on the bed, managing to put my right hand over my mouth as I yawned aloud.


    Indeed, I had quite some night to remember and the smile on my face told the whole story. It was an experience that I hoped would happen again and again. "Such a beautiful moment," I said to myself in a whisper.


    Turning to my left, I saw Aurora, who was still sleeping on the other side of the bed. She looked as beautiful as ever and the rays of early morning sunlight that shined on her face made her radiate even more.


    I counted myself so lucky to have her. I felt like it was something that I didn''t deserve; a perfect gift from the Moon goddess that I cherished with everything in


    me.


    As I stared at her in amazement and genuine awe, I made up my mind that I was never going to let her slip away from me no matter what. I was determined to keep her by my side and make sure that she had no reason to go elsewhere. She was my priceless jewel.


    I stroke her hair with my left hand, marvelling within myself that she was all mine. I couldn''t believe how lucky I was! I had marked her and she let me do it. We had consummated our love and I couldn''t contain my joy.


    I drew closer to her and nted a kiss on her forehead and she moved a little. But she didn''t wake up. She just moved a bit and went back to sleep without opening her eyes at all. But there was a slight change in her visage. It was as if she was smiling in her dreams.


    I turned around and began to get up from the bed. I had hoped to freshen up quickly and go on with the activities of the day. But as soon as my legs touched the floor, I felt a movement on the bed and I turned around to look at Aurora once again.


    This time, she was awake. She looked drained from the previous night as her eyes were still a bit red. "How wasst night?" I asked her with a smile on my face.


    She didn''t say a word and I noticed that she was blushing profusely. She wouldn''t even turn to look at me. When I pressed on I, she covered her face with the nket and I heard her muffledughs from underneath it. She was so shy and I loved it.


    Yet, I wasn''t about to let her have her way. I reached out and forcefully removed the nket to reveal her beautiful face but she covered it again.


    "You can''t hide forever, you know," I said to her, holding onto the nket to take it off but she held on tightly to it too, to prevent me from carrying out my intentions.


    "You''re such a big baby," she said to me, refusing to let go of the nket. "Who would''ve known that you loved to y so much?"


    "I don''t love ying, my dear. I love ying with you. Now, let me see your face this instant!"


    We kept onughing and ying with the nket. It was such a beautiful moment.


    Aurora''s POV


    After enjoying all of the fun with Alpha Bane, I decided that it was finally time to have my bath. So I got up from bed and went straight to the bathroom to do the needful.


    I brushed my teeth and had my bath as quickly as possible. Then I quickly wore a long green casual dress which I had taken to Alpha Bane''s chambers the previous night, just in case I slept over in his room because he didn''t return. I never knew that it wasn''t going to be the case. I slept there for some other reason and I was very thankful that I came with it.


    If I didn''t, I''d have had a hard time going back to my chambers. Alpha Bane had torn my dress during our magnificent encounter the previous night; an action that I very much consented to in my heart. Thankfully, with this dress, I didn''t have much to worry about. I just had to put it on and I''d be ready to go. I did just that.


    "I''ll be taking my leave now," I said to him in a soft tone. "I wouldn''t want any guard or maid to know what transpired between usst night. That magical moment has to stay with us for now."


    "You''re kidding, aren''t you?" He asked, scratching his head with his left hand and grinning widely. "There''s no way we can hide that. I mean, everyone around knows what happened between us yesterday. We filled the entire Castle with our screams and pleasured echoesst night and there''s no way anyone could have missed it. The whole Castle shook because of us. How could they have missed that?"


    I blushed. He just reminded me of what happened the previous night. It was a memory that I sought to hold onto for the rest of my life. I''d never felt such pleasure all my life. I just let him have his way with me and it pleased me so much.


    He was right. We didn''t try to be silent the previous night. We let our emotions get the better of us and we freely yielded to them. That was the only way we could have enjoyed it as much as we did. It was our first time and the night where I was marked. I wasn''t about to ruin it by paying more attention to carefulness than to the immense pleasure and emotions that I felt at the time. It''d have been folly. I was no fool. If it was happening, I had to relish every moment. I did.


    I smiled at Alpha Bane, walked up to him and kissed him on the right cheek. Then


    I slowly began to walk out of the room, only turning briefly to look at him.


    His eyes wouldn''t look elsewhere. They were only focused on me. I knew that at that point, he wasn''t going to mind us doing a repeat of thest night. I wanted it too but the time wasn''t right. So I just walked away.


    "When are we going to see each other again?" He asked, just as I got to the door, causing me to pause.


    "Later this morning, I guess. During breakfast at the Royal Dining. You''re going to be there, right!"


    "Sure. I will," he replied. "But that''s not exactly what I was asking."


    "Oh!" I eximed, understanding what he meant. "This evening. Afterwards, we must have rested very well. Is that okay?"


    "Sure. I can''t wait."


    He blew me a kiss and I did the same, before finally leaving the room.

 Motherly Assurances

    Aurora''s POV


    It was time for breakfast and I sat at the dining table, alongside my parents and Alpha Bane. Alpha Bane sat next to me and it was a mistake that I allowed.


    As we kept eating and talking, he kept touching me from under the table which, as much as it felt good, made me very ufortable, especially since my parents were there.


    "Hey, you''re distracting me," I said to him in a whisper, trying to hit his hands off me but he was having none of that. He loved what he was doing and nothing was going to make him stop. After a few fruitless attempts to get him to stop, I finally gave up and let him have his way.


    Luckily for me, my mother decided to talk about something quite interesting, forcing him to pay attention. "How was the festival, Alpha Bane?" She asked him, as he immediately took his hand out from beneath the table.


    "It was amazing. I must admit, my expectations were met and exceeded by far. It was by a long shot, the best that I have attended so far. You did a very great job and I mustmend the entire Pack for their efforts."


    My dad was pleased to hear that. Even more than my mom who had asked the question. U could see it in his eyes. There was always this thing with men and their egos. They always loved to have it massaged.


    "I agree, mom," I said, even though I wasn''t asked. "This was my first and I must say that it was worth all the stress and hassle. I think the maids and guards in the Pack deserve some sort of reward for all they did to ensure that it was a sess. This festival will surely be talked about by everyone who came right until next year''s festival."


    "And they''ll have it," my father affirmed. "Nobour deserves to be left unrewarded and although they did all that they were supposed to do, I can''t deny that they took it up a notch. I watched them work through fatigue and exhaustion, just to ensure that we weren''t made aughing stock to all the Packs that graced the asion. They will surely be rewards, my child. You can count on that." "Thank you, dad."


    I looked to my right and saw a maid who was trying to pick something up in the sitting room. She was all smiling so I guessed that she must have overheard what was being talked about. I was happy.


    In a few minutes, we were all done eating and my father stood and cleaned his lips. Then he cleared his throat and looked at Alpha Bane. "We need to continue our discussion from yesterday, Alpha Bane. We should head outside."


    I was curious as I wondered what the conversation was all about. If they couldn''t finish it yesterday, then it surely had to be something very serious. "What is it that you''re discussing with my father?" I asked Alpha Bane in a very subtle voice.


    "It''s a secret, my love; one that isn''t in my power to reveal at this time," he winked at me. "In due time, you''ll know. Please, don''t forget our date this evening. "


    He leaned in and kissed me for about a minute, right in front of my parents. I was a bit embarrassed but he didn''t care. If he didn''t have to leave, I was so sure that he''d have kissed me for much longer. Thankfully, he didn''t.


    As he turned around and walked away with my father, I never took my eyes off him. I watched him as he walked to the door and left.


    "Aurora," my mom called me, bringing me back to reality as I turned to her and blinked twice.


    "What''s going on between you and Alpha Bane, my child?" She asked, looking so curious and understandably so.


    "Well, mother, after spending a lot of time with him these past few months, I think I''m slowly falling in love with him."


    She looked at me keenly and I wondered what was going through her mind. I didn''t know if she was going to be happy for me, especially since he had a thing with Sophia.


    "From the way he''s been acting around you and the kiss that I just witnessed, I do think the feeling is mutual. He has told you that he loves you too, right?"


    "All the time, mom," I answered cheerfully. "He says that all the time and he does show that he means it in his actions. It''s quite easy to love him, mom. He''s amazing. I love him too, mom. I love him so much."


    My mom''s eyes suddenly got teary. She reached out and grabbed my right hand and then kissed my knuckles. She was so emotional and it almost made me cry too.


    "I''m so happy for you, my child," she said to me. "I''m so d to see you this happy. It''s what you deserve and I am sorry that I wasn''t able to offer you that for such a long time."


    "It''s alright, mom," I said to her, eager to see her stop crying. "It''s fine."


    "No, my child," she countered. "It''s not alright. Something like that could never be alright."


    As she spoke, I could see the genuineness in her voice. She looked truly sorry for all that I had been through even though it wasn''t her fault at all. I could see the love in her eyes; how she cared for me and wanted nothing but the best for me and I wondered how life would have been if only I hadn''t been switched with Sophia.


    I wished that the hands of time could be turned. I''d have had no need to deal with all the trauma and pain that I endured as a result of all that happened. I would not have suffered the cruelty of Mrs Scott. I would have found out just how valuable I was on time. I could have enjoyed love in its purest form from a young age. Sophia and her mother did take so much away from me. They made me believe that a lie was the truth for several years.


    I cursed them in my heart. I wanted nothing more than for them to reap what they sowed. That selfish pair! They deserved whatever they were experiencing in that dungeon. It was where they truly belonged.


    "Every day in this Pack, I''ll do all that I can to make it up to you, my darling," she vowed. "I''m thankful that Sophia is no longer here. She''s out of our lives for good, never to return. I''ll show you all the love and care that I failed to show you when you needed it."


    I nodded as I felt tears rolling down my cheeks. Then I immediately reached out to her and wrapped my hands around her in a hug.

 Father And Son Talks

    Alpha Bane''s POV


    I and the Alpha King stepped out of the Castle and went for a stroll just outside. As we walked, I kept throwing cursory nces at him waiting for what he was going to say to me.


    "I''m curious to know what your ns for my daughter are, Alpha Bane. You haven''t been entirely open about that to me and I do want to know," he finally said without as much as looking at me. He just kept walking slowly and I did the same.


    "That''s because I haven''t thought much about it in all honesty," I answered. I knew he''d have some reservations with that answer of mine but I had to tell him the truth. "Well, I do intend to take her back with me to my Pack. Of course, with your permission and hers."


    He stopped abruptly on hearing that and I knew for sure that he didn''t want that. Yet, I had to let him say it. Assumptions were never the right way.


    Heughed. That was unexpected. "Don''t you think it''s too early for that?" He asked.


    "It isn''t. I think it''s been a long timeing. It''s something that should have happened a long time ago had we not faced countless hindrances."


    He looked at me keenly, probably trying to understand what I had just said. He didn''t know our story and I felt it was time to let him know everything that had happened between me and Aurora in the past.


    "From the first day that I saw her at the duel that I had with my brother, I knew that there was just something different about her. I''d never been distracted by anydy in my life before then. I almost lost my life because of that. It was clear to me that I had fallen in love with her and from the way she looked at me too, I could tell that she loved me too."


    "You do know that looks could be deceiving, right?" He asked, still struggling to believe what I was saying.


    "Can a mate bond ever be denied? If Sophia hadn''t disguised with the aid of her mother, we''d have been here a long time ago. You might not have known but the first time I came to this Pack, Aurora had sneaked into my room that night to tell me that she was my real mate; even before the duel."


    The Alpha King gasped in disbelief. "What are you talking about?" He asked, looking so serious.


    Iughed, wondering why he acted so seriously. "I was just in my room, trying to get some rest when I heard footsteps approaching the room. I didn''t know who it was, so I took cover behind my door so that I couldy hold of the person and teach him or her a lesson. Lo and behold, it was Aurora and I wondered what she was doing in my room. That was when she told me that she was my true mate. I did feel it in me at the time but I couldn''t get myself to believe that a stranger was my mate, especially since she was a servant. Little did I know that I was toying with destiny."


    The Alpha King had a very strange look in his eyes as soon as I was done with my story. I could tell that he has a lot going through his mind. Me too. I didn''t know how he was going to take all that I said to him but I had to be frank. If I was going to ask for his daughter''s hand in marriage, I had to be very honest. Besides, honesty and integrity were my watchwords. There was no need to conceal things.


    "It''s clear to me now that my daughter does like you a lot," he admitted. "It''s only a woman who truly loves a man that can go through that length just to be with him."


    I nodded in affirmation. He was beginning to see things my way; just like I wanted him to. I hoped that he was going to consent to my request. Only then was my dness going to beplete.


    "It''s a beautiful thing to see that despite all the hurdles and challenges, she didn''t give up," he continued, still looking sober. "Indeed, just as they always say, love is worth fighting for. It is worth giving your all; your life, even when it doesn''t seem like the right thing to do at the time. Love is to be cherished and not regretted, regardless of the oue. Love is the greatest."


    As he spoke, I knew exactly why he said what he said. It was clear that he was talking about Sophia and his love for her. I could see him almost tear up and I wondered how hard it was for him to fight that urge. He had been through a lot.


    "I agree. It must''ve been so hard for her all these years. She kepting forward and I kept pushing her away because I had thought that Sophia was my true mate. Each time I did that, I saw just how pained she was. I was in pain too. I just didn''t want to betray Sophia. Little did I know that it was her who would do that to me."


    "Well, to be honest, I don''t want Aurora to leave us so early," he said to me in a very emotional tone, just like I expected. "We''re still only adjusting to her as our daughter. However, if she does want to leave with you, just like you want, then I''ll obey her wish. I''ll let her leave with you."


    "Thank you so much," I thanked him profusely with my heart so full of gratitude. I''m grateful for this."


    "When would you be leaving my Pack for yours?"


    "I''m not so sure about that for now. There are still a few things that I need to handle. But I''m guessing that I''ll be leaving in a few days from now," I said to him. "I''m also yet to discuss with Aurora concerning this and so I can''t say for sure what''s going to happen. I do hope I''ll be done with that very soon."


    He smiled and nodded. "You have my blessing, Alpha Bane."


    "Thank you."


    "So tell me. How has your stay been in this Pack? Surely, you must have seen a lot of things that you can do better in yours from your short stay here, right?" He asked as we continued walking.


    "You do know that I can''t consent to that even if it''s true, right?"


    We bothughed hard and kept talking. It was a stroll to remember.

 Couple Times

    Aurora''s POV


    It was evening already and I decided to visit Alpha Bane in his chambers. We had agreed that we were going to meet but it wasn''t time for that yet. I couldn''t wait. I had a lot of things on my mind and my curiosity got the better of me.


    Without knocking, I pushed the door open with force and immediately barged into the room, hoping to get him startled since he wasn''t expecting anyone at that time.


    He wasn''t startled one bit. He just adjusted himself on the bed to see who it was that got into his room without his consent. On seeing that it was me, he took a deep breath. He was probably very annoyed at the guts of whoever barged into his room but on seeing that it was me, he had to calm down.


    His frown turned to a brief smile as I got to the bed and sat by his side. He didn''t look to be in the mood for a chat. He looked so exhausted.


    "You wouldn''t keep lying on your bed, would you?" I asked him, forcing him to stand to his feet as I did the same.


    "I was just having some rest." His brows were so narrow and he looked like he was about to cry.


    I almostughed at the way he said it. He sounded like a kid who had been deprived of what he truly wanted. I just wanted some time with him so he could make my curiosity go away.


    He stared at me for a while as I said nothing and then, he pulled me into a hug and kissed me. I loved it when he did that. It made me feel wanted and it wasn''t a feeling that I was used to in the past.


    "I''ve missed you so much, my love," he said to me, causing me to giggle with a blush. He had that over me and he always did well to use it. I loved the way he was with words, they always melted my heart.


    "I''ve missed you too," I muttered softly to him as he caressed my right cheek with his fingers.


    "I''m curious though, we weren''t supposed to meet at this time, right? It was to be after dinner. Why the sudden change? You do know that we''d have some time to ourselves by that time, right?"


    Too many questions. He loved to do that a lot. I wondered how many of them I was supposed to answer or if I was supposed to answer any of them at all. Nevertheless, I just smiled at him and licked my lips.


    "Nothing has changed. We''re still going toe back here after dinner if it pleases you. I just wanted toe here first."


    His mood seemed to be lightened by my response. He led me to the couch in his room and we both sat. "How did your day go, my...?"


    "I''ve been very curious about something," I said, cutting him off. I just wanted to get it off my chest.


    His brows were raised and he ced his hands on the chair and asked, "What is it that you want to know?"


    I cleared my throat, ready to throw what I had. "I''m curious about what you and


    my father talked about during your stroll with him earlier. I''ve not been able to get


    it off my mind and I want to know what you both talked about."


    Alpha Bane''s POV


    Iughed so hard at hearing that question from her. I thought she was over it. I didn''t know that she was still very curious to know what I and her dad talked about.


    I wondered why she had toe to my chambers so early even though we already had a meetingter that night. I had thought that whatever it was, must have been of utmost importance to her. I never knew that it was that question.


    "Hey, I''m being serious here. I don''t know what''s so funny about what I just asked," she reiterated, looking annoyed.


    "I know that you''re serious," I responded because it was never in doubt. "I''m certain that you wanted to know what I discussed with your dad. That''s not why Iughed. Iughed because it''s not something I can tell you for now. It''s men''s talk. You don''t have to know, at least for now."


    She rolled her eyes and hit the table in front of her lightly in frustration. I loved to see her throwing tantrums. It was quite funny but knowing how she reacted previously, I knew better than tough at that moment.


    "You can tell me. You need to tell me. I want to know. Why won''t you tell me?" She kept on pestering me, hoping to get me to budge but I wasn''t buying any of her antics. I was determined to keep that information to myself until it was time to talk about it.


    "Okay, okay! Fine. I''ll let you know after dinner. Is that okay?"


    "No, it''s not," she replied, defiant to have it her way and unwilling to give in to any sort ofpromise.


    "I can''t wait until we''re done with dinner," sheined. "That''s quite a long time. Besides, if you could tell me then, you can also tell me now. What could be so important to you that you''ll choose to hide it from me despite my constant pleas to hear what it is? Why won''t you just give me what I want so I''ll be on my way?"


    Knock! Knock!


    She was interrupted by a resounding knock on my door. "Come inside," I said to whoever it was that knocked as we suspended our discussion and waited for the person to get in.


    It was a maid, dressed in a shabby yellow gown. She had a broom in her hands and I wondered why because my room had just been swept about an hour earlier. She bowed on seeing us and I nodded in acknowledgement.


    "What brings you here?" I asked.


    "The Alpha King and the Queen asked me to call you both to join them for dinner. It has been served."


    "Okay. Thank you," I said to her as she turned around and left.


    I stood and held Aurora''s hands as she pouted. Then, I kissed her gently and


    smiled and although she was upset, she didn''t resist.


    "I''ll tell you everything as soon as we''re done with dinner," I reaffirmed. "Let''s go have some dinner. I''m famished."


    She reluctantly agreed and we walked out of the room together.

 Couple Talks

    Alpha Bane''s POV


    After the dinner with Aurora''s parents where we had an amazing time, eating and chatting about so many things, we finally decided it was time to retire to our chambers.


    We thanked them and walked out of the dining room with our hands held together. I noticed the way that her parents stared at me. It was a mixture of dness and a bit of uncertainty but I knew that with some time, I was going to be able topletely win them over, just like I did with Aurora and was still doing.


    Slowly, we walked down to the corridor and headed to my chambers without saying a word to one another. I thought hard about how I was going to break the information that I had in mind to her and I wondered how she was going to take it. I couldn''t help but think that if she knew what I talked to her dad about, she might not have been in such a hurry to have us talk about it.


    I didn''t like the silence between us. It felt awkward and I wanted to change that. So I turned to look at Aurora and suddenly, I got an idea.


    Reaching out to her side, I tickled her lightly, forcing her to jump a bit in


    excitement, with a face full of smiles. She took her hands away from mine, trying


    to protect herself from further attacks but it only served to make me more annoyed.


    I tickled her about three to four times before we finally got to my room. She walked straight to the bed and sat while I shut the door before joining her.


    "We need to talk," she said to me as soon as I sat on my bed. "I''ve not forgotten about your promise to tell me everything about your meeting with my dad once we were done with dinner."


    "I do love how inquisitive you are," I chuckled. "But at this rate, it could also be the death of me."


    I kissed her on the forehead, knowing that she loved that a lot and I took her hands in mine. Then I began to kiss her palms relentlessly as she patiently waited for me to say something to her.


    I paused and stared at her as she stared daggers at me. It was clear that she couldn''t wait to hear what I had to say. I wanted to stall for a bit more but she looked to not be in the mood for such games.


    I cleared my throat and she took her hands away, probably to pay more attention as I spoke. But I wanted that contact with her, I couldn''t get enough of it, so I reached out and slowly stroked her beautiful hair.


    "Apart from everything that your father said to me, I''d also like us to talk about our future, Aurora."


    "I''m listening," she said with a nod and I began to speak.


    Aurora''s POV


    "Apart from all that I''ve said to you, there''s nothing else that your father said to me."


    I took some time to ponder on all that he had said to me. I was quite d to know that my father had to pull him out to talk to him about his intentions for me. It showed just how much he cared for me.


    I''d always thought that he didn''t care about me that much. Even after the


    revtion, he seemed to only care about Sophia. Well, more than he cared for me and it always upset me, although I did my best to hide it from him. I didn''t want to look jealous, even if I was.


    "Now that I''ve given you the answers that you desired of me, I think it''s time to get some of mine. I need to ask you some very personal questions."


    I nodded shakily and held his palms which I had let go of earlier, squeezing them lightly as if I was trying to show him some support.


    "Go on," I said to him, eager to know what he had to tell me. I was quite certain that it had to do with us but I wanted to know exactly what it was.


    "I want to know if you''d want to be with me for life, Aurora. Would you?"


    I watched his eyes glow as he spoke. There was a lot of intent in his words. He meant every word that proceeded from his mouth.


    I curled my brow andughed very hard. "What are you talking about?" I asked. "I''m already your mate and your future and so I''m stuck with you for life, whether I want it or not. Well, I do want it."


    "Well, in that case, I''d be leaving the Pack for mine in a few days and I''d love you to follow me home. I''ve always thought that our ce is together, by each other''s side and I''d very much like you to be with me in my Pack."


    I paused again. I never imagined that possibility even though it was ring at me all that time. My instinct was to say yes at once but I knew it wasn''t a decision for me to rush into. I had to think about it for a while.


    I only just began to get acquainted with my newly found parents. We were still in the adjustment process and it was kind of sudden to just leave them at the time and so I was at odds with myself.


    I was torn between my instinct which wanted me to go with him and my quest to get to know my parents more. I knew the decisiony with me in the end but I couldn''t help but also think that my parents might not be so happy with what I wanted to do.


    There was Sophia too, who as much as she was in the dungeon, was still in the Pack. The possibility of me being elsewhere with her in the Pack gave me some concerns too.


    "Although I want to be with you more than anything else," I said to him. "I''m still adjusting to my parents and that could be a challenge at the moment."


    "I know this. I thought about it and I''ll respect your decision if you chose not to leave with me now. I mean, you can always meet up with meter. I just wanted you to know, that''s it."


    I nodded at first, seeing how sad my response made him. Then I suddenly burst intoughter, unable to hold it in any longer, and hugged him.


    "I''ll go with you," I said to him.


    His mouth went wide open. He didn''t believe what I said to him so I had to nod to let him know that I meant it. Yet, it wasn''t enough for him. He was just so curious and couldn''t contain his excitement.


    "You mean it?" He asked.


    "Yes."


    He leaned in and kissed me passionately.

 Plotting, Plotting

    Dn''s POV


    "Hey, man, get over her now before I make you!"


    "You wouldn''t dare try to raise a finger at me. I''ll rip your head off your neck before you know it, man. You can''t mess with me. Nobody does."


    I heard the sound of two rogues quarrelling for reasons best known to them. Usually, I''d simply scream from my window for them to keep mute before I''d make them but on that asion, I just let them have their fun.


    Soon enough, I heard the sound of a bottle being broken on something that I guessed was the head of one of the rogues and a fight ensued. There wasmotion everywhere and I heard loud voices of other rogues who probably rushed there to break the fight or simply enjoy the beautiful spectacle. There were always more of thetter than the former.


    After I escaped from the hands of my brother and whoever was on his side, I found refuge with the rogues with the help of my friend, Johnny. Contrary to what I used to hear about them, they were quite weing.


    I only had to beat five of them before they wholeheartedly epted me into their fold. They were peace-loving people too. They never let little differencese between them. Instead, they drew a line and fought amongst themselves until there was a clear winner. That way, there was peace; asting kind of peace.


    When Johnny suggested that we should go to theirnd, I hesitated a bit. I didn''t want any trouble at all and I felt they were just barbaric sets of people who didn''t have any feelings. But then he exined their ways to me and it kind of suited me perfectly. It was the kind of ce that I wanted to be in at the time. That wasn''t the best part though.


    He assured me that nobody was going to search for us there because it was quite far from our Pack and no one wanted to be there. They hated the wolves with Packs so much and that was why they sent five rogues, just to see if I was worthy to be part of them. A test that I passed with ease. None of them could match my strength and brute force.


    "I see these folks are still fighting," Johnny said, walking into my room with a smile.


    "Do they ever stop?" I asked. "It''s better here than over there though. At least, I get to walk freely without any fear of being arrested by a guard."


    "That''s true. Besides, no one is chasing after you anymore. Bane and your father have all given up and have moved on with their lives..."


    "I know that for a fact but sadly, I haven''t moved on with mine," I answered with a wicked smile springing forth because of what I had in mind to do. "This is the perfect ce to be. From here, I can n my revenge and I won''t rest until I get it too."


    "Well, about that," said Donald to me, as he came a bit closer to me. "I got a piece of news that you will be interested in."


    I adjusted myself on the chair, eager to hear what he had to say. I had told him to


    be on the lookout about five days before that as I needed to be kept abreast with the happenings outside of the Pack of rogues.


    "Shoot!"


    "It might interest you to know that Sophia is not the Princess of the Silver Moon Pack..."


    "You got to be joking. You''re joking, right?" I asked in surprise and disbelief. "That can''t be."


    "Well, it is. I was as shocked as you are or even more when I found out. It turns out that her mother is amon maid in the Pack and Aurora is the child of the Alpha King and Queen of the Silver Moon Pack!"


    I wiped my eyes with my hands just to make sure that I wasn''t dreaming. "Aurora?" I asked. It couldn''t be. She was just a maid from the Pack that they took along with them. How then was she a Princess?


    "They were switched from birth ording to what I heard. Sophia''s mother did that. Now, both she and her mother are currently locked up in the dungeon back in their Pack for the various atrocities that they hadmitted shamelessly." "Serves them right. Not like I care much about what happens to them. It''s none of my business. I mean, who am I to judge anyone else except Bane?"


    "There''s something else you might want to know," Johnny dered, scratching his head. He only did that when he didn''t know how to present a particr piece of information and it only meant one thing; it was something that I wasn''t going to like.


    I nodded. It was the sign he needed to proceed. "Bane is now mated to Aurora, as


    I heard. They''re both together in the Silver Moon Pack as we speak."


    I was shocked by the marrow and wasn''t pleased with all of that. I shook my head


    in annoyance but then a thought sprang up in my head and I looked up at Johnny and smirked.


    I thought about letting him know what I had in mind but it was going to ruin all the fun and I didn''t want that. I always loved to have that atom of surprise, even with those who worked with and for me. I believed that if a man was fully known by another, then that man isn''t powerful anymore.


    "What about the n that we made earlier on?"


    "Which n? We have so many ns. Forgive me for not knowing the exact one you''re talking about."


    "The spies. The ones you said you were going to get," I exined so he could remember what we had discussed. "I want to know if you have made arrangements to have them nted in both Packs so that we can put our ns in motion."


    He nodded and I smiled. That was all that I needed. "Thank you so much, Johnny. You''re a good friend and your help will not go unrewarded, not when I''m alive and breathing. I''m grateful. You can go now."


    It wasn''t always that I got myself to thank people in that manner. He knew that too. I had a belief that people had to work so hard to deserve to be thanked. It wasn''t something to give to just anyone.


    "Johnny," I called out to him as he got to the door. "Go get me some female rogue wolves for my pleasure. I need some beautiful damsels to pass the night with."


    He bowed and left to do as he was told.

 Visiting The Dungeon

    Aurora''s POV


    "Hey, it''s already afternoon. How did I not know?" I said, gently pping Alpha Bane''s arms.


    "Time flies, you know." Heughed, stroking my hair a bit.


    I had been in his chambers since morning and we''d been doing a range of things; ying, cracking jokes,ughing, talking, and several other things that certainly included eating twice in the same morning.


    "I never knew that you were a foodie. I thought it was me."


    "Looks can be deceiving, you know." Iughed.


    It wasn''t that I usually ate a lot. I was just so hungry at the time and I couldn''t even exin why. I just knew that I enjoyed the food far too much and I couldn''t help but have another go at it.


    "Maybe, it''s your cooking. The food tasted so good that I couldn''t have enough of it," I praised him.


    "You can say that again, my love," he bragged. "I get that a lot."


    I grabbed his hands and stared into his eyes with my lips pouted. I wanted to make a request and I didn''t know how he was going to take it. I had made up my mind to do what I pleased though. I just hoped he''d be receptive as it was going to make it much easier to carry it out.


    "I have a request to make. Could you promise me that you''ll grant it?" I asked, trying to fool him into epting it before saying a word to him about it.


    "I can''t do that. I need to hear it first. I mean, what if you wanted me to give you my head on a tter?"


    I pinched his hand. I was never going to ask for that. Nevertheless, he was right. He wasn''t about to let himself get fooled by this woman. I had to let him know what I wanted.


    "I need to go to the prison today," I began. He moved away from me a little to have a better look at me. It was enough to make me understand what he felt but I chose to go on. "I want to go see Sophia in the dungeon."


    "Why, Aurora?" He asked, baring his arms and looking shocked. "You don''t have to go there. I don''t want you to go there. I''d rather have us let them be where they are while we focus on the things that matter."


    "I''d rather not," I replied, eager to go there. "It''s something that I need to do and I''m going to do it."


    "Fine. Let''s go."


    "Right now?"


    "What do you think?"


    We left the room and proceeded to the dungeon. Alpha Bane said no word to me.


    It was clear to me that he wasn''t happy. But I had to do what I had to do.


    As we got there, the guard who stood by the entrance bowed and opened the cell for us. "Thank you," I said to him as we both walked inside.


    Alpha Bane suddenly grabbed my hands so tightly. Perhaps, he was scared for me. He wanted me nowhere near Sophia but I wasn''t scared of her.


    I spotted Sophia on the floor as we walked in. She sat there and looked to be muttering a few words to herself like a mad woman. We walked slowly toward her and that was when she noticed that people were in her cell.


    She immediately scrambled to her feet on seeing us. "Why are you here?" She asked.


    At first, I said nothing. Instead, I just stared at her. Besides, I wasn''t obligated to answer her questions. She was in no ce to throw questions around and I was only going to say something when I felt like it.


    "The Almighty Sophia in tatters and in the dungeon. What an irony," I muttered to myself,ughing snidely.


    "I said, what are you both doing here?" Sophia asked again, this time with a loud voice. Perhaps she heard what I said earlier as she seemed angrier than she was when we came in.


    I walked close to her, removing my grip from Alpha Bane. "I just came here so that we could iron things out and also see how you''re faring."


    She spat at me and I jumped back to avoid being touched by her sputum. "I don''t need your useless pity. Keep it to yourself!"


    "I don''t have any pity to give to you either," Iughed, before crouching to knee level. "How are you doing Sophie? How''s the prison treating you?"


    Alpha Bane''s POV


    I watched on, as Aurora took her hands away from mine and walked to Sophia to talk to her. They exchanged a heated conversation for a short time and then she stood.


    "Are you done?" I asked her and she nodded, taking a step back until she was standing next to me.


    I turned to look at Sophia and Aurora lightly touched my left hand. "Would you love to say anything to her?" She asked.


    "No. I have nothing to say to this woman."


    I didn''t want to give her the pleasure of hearing from me. I was truly done with her


    and there was no going back. We didn''t have anything else to talk about.


    "We should go now," I said to Aurora and she nodded.


    We turned around to leave and just as we stepped out of the cell, I was held back


    by Aurora, much to my surprise.


    "What is it?" I asked her. "Is there a problem?"


    "I''d love to go see Mrs Scott in her cell too," she said.


    I could see from the look in her eyes that she meant every word. She wasn''t going


    to take no for an answer and I didn''t understand why she was so stubborn.


    "Is it necessary?" I asked her, trying to get her to see that it isn''t worth it.


    "Yes, it is. Well, to me it is," she answered defiantly. "I''m still trying to find some form of closure and if I''m to achieve that, then I have to do this now."


    I couldn''t understand why she was so keen on meeting her. She was only going to remind herself of all the pain that the woman caused her which was probably going to make things worse than they already were.


    "She is the root of all of my problems, not Sophia. So, I must have a word or two with her."


    I said nothing else. It was no use. I just saw her turn around and walk toward the cell where Mrs Scott was being held and I followed behind.

 Cruel Reality

    Princess Sophia''s POV


    I watched as Aurora and Alpha Bane walked out of the dungeon together and I was full of rage. They held their hands together as they walked, which further served to make me even angrier.


    I saw Bane rub her shoulders and I didn''t know if he had to, or if he just wanted to piss me off. He even muttered a few words into her ears and they bothughed so loudly.


    That stupid bunch! The sight almost made me run mad, but I was already mad. My clothes, my face, my hair, my smell; everything about me proved that I was truly insane. I had chains on too. It was never a smart decision to leave a mad woman without chains. I think they knew that already.


    I hissed and began to tug at my chains, causing some bruises on my hands. It felt so good as much as it pained me a lot. The pain always reminded me that despite my horrible predicament, I still had some life in me.


    I yelled as loudly as I could, due to the pain that I felt. Yet, I didn''t stop tugging at those chains. I cared less about the injury that I was inflicting on myself. What I cared more about was that, which was inflicted on me by those two humans who had sworn to make my life a living hell or much worse than that.


    "Who the hell does she think she is?" I said to myself, wondering what on Earth gave Aurora the audacity toe to see me in my cell.


    That was the height of it. It was an insult of very high magnitude; one that I was unwilling to let slide.


    She had the nerve to say all manner of rubbish to me with her eyes fixed on mine. She didn''t even flinch one bit. It was unlike her. She had begun to develop wings and I knew that someday, I was going to get the chance to clip those wings of hers. What an honour that would be.


    I heard footsteps approaching the cell and I thought for a moment that they wereing back to my cell. "Moon goddess," I pleaded, with tears in my eyes. "If indeed you''re as real as everyone thinks you to be, then this I beg of you, dear one. Help me get free from these chains, even for a few minutes so I can give that slut a piece of myself. Do not deny me this."


    I tugged on the chains once again but it wouldn''te off. It only caused me even more pain and I spat on the floor, feeling so hopeless.


    "Do not deny me this," I kept muttering repeatedly as I tried to pull myself free. My voice kept increasing with each passing second as I felt more pain and desperation.


    The cell door opened and I saw two people walk inside. Tyler wasn''t the person that I had expected.


    A white-haired man who I was very familiar with and a young maid walked into the cell and it just made me angrier. The man had been a guard for over twenty years. I have known him since I was very little. He was a faithful servant to my parents and the Pack atrge.


    I felt my eyes go red on seeing them and my eyes shot daggers at them."What are you doing here?" I asked, but they said nothing.


    They simply dropped a tray in front of me containing the food that I was to eat. I''d been so hungry, waiting for the time when they''d finally get me some food. Yet, it Did stop me from getting so upset.


    "Stupid servants! You can''t say anything unless daddy allows you to. How pathetic! Does it mean y''all can''t take care of yourselves and have no mind of your own? Talk to me, morons!"


    They gasped, visibly startled. They didn''t expect me to react so angrily. I guessed they didn''t know me that well.


    I kicked the tray, scattering its content in rage. If only I wasn''t bound, they''d have never attempted to snub me regardless of any stupid instruction they might have received from anyone. They''d have bowed and cowered in front of me at the sound of my voice. All thanks to Aurora, I was nothing but aughingstock to everyone.


    They turned around to see that the food had spilled everywhere but there was nothing they could do at that point. So they looked at themselves, nodded their heads and left the cell very slowly.


    "Go on, morons! Go on, you fools!" I yelled. "That''s all you''re good at anyway. Turn your backs and leave, cowards!"


    I kept screaming at the top of my voice as they left the cell and gently shut the door. Then I cursed the Moon goddess in my heart for failing me once again, just as she had always done all my life.


    I stood to my feet and thought about the different ways that I was going to get my hands on Aurora. But I had to leave the cell first and although I had a n in motion, there was nothing concrete about it.


    Yet, I knew I was going to leave somehow. That wasn''t the way I was supposed to go and I knew it. My escape was an inevitability that everyone had to embrace. It was only a matter of time.


    "Tick Tock! Tick Tock!"I whispered with a smile on my face. I shut my eyes and saw what the future held for me.


    I saw myself having a fight with Aurora in her room after I had escaped from the dungeon. I pushed her so hard that she fell and hit her head on the wall and fell to the ground.


    Then I jumped on her and hit her face relentlessly with my fists, over and over again as blood from her face sttered on the wall, but I wasn''t done.


    I stood and watched her lying almost lifeless on the floor, badly beaten and battered and I grinned widely. She was finally getting all that she deserved and I was only nature''s tool to ensure that she received it.


    Picking up a small dagger from her table, I knelt beside her and grabbed her hair pulling her up a bit. "Please," she begged, with thest strength she could muster.


    Iughed so hard. "Not so tough anymore, are you?" I asked, before slowly slitting her throat, and enjoying the look on her face as she struggled to live.


    "Don''t struggle," I advised. "Just give in. When death knocks on the door, all you have to do is to open up the door and embrace it."


    I dropped the knife as soon as I got done taking her out and I felt so much relief. It was all that I had been dreaming of and it felt so good to finally get to achieve it.


    "You''re done fooling yourself, aren''t you?"


    My wolf called out to me, snapping me out of my trance. It was all in my head. I still had my rags on with chains on my hands and legs. Life was a cruel reality.

 The Decision

    Alpha Bane''s POV


    "This meal tastes so good," the Alpha King eximed as he took a spoon of the meal in front of him into his mouth.


    I saw the way that he chewed so dly with his eyes partially shut and I knew he loved it so much.


    I did too. The meal was so delicious and I knew why, even though he didn''t. Telling him why seemed like a nice idea to him.


    "I agree," the Luna Queen affirmed, as she had a spoon too. "This food reminds me of a long time ago."


    I turned to Aurora to see what her reaction was going to be. I wanted to know how proud she was of the reactions elicited by her parents.


    Her face was a little bowed. She was probably feeling a tad shy and I could understand why. Her parents didn''t know, but she had gone to the kitchen to make the food herself instead of the other maids. She wanted them to have a spectacr meal and she had seeded. They were so in love with the meal.


    Me too. I loved it so much. It was one of the best meals that I had ever tasted. But knowing how good Aurora could cook, it was no surprise to me that it turned out so good.


    "That''s what you get when you eat lunch courtesy of Aurora," I finally revealed, much to the shock of her parents.


    "Aurora? You made this?" The Luna Queen asked as both she and her husband turned to Aurora.


    She could only nod, with her face still bowed. I loved the way she looked when she was shy. There was a certain innocence in her visage.


    "I thought it was going to be nice to make the food for you both, myself. I wanted to thank you for all that you''ve been doing for me so far; for all the love and care showed toward me..."


    "You don''t have to do that, sweetie," her mother cut in. "We love you so much, Aurora. You''re our child. There''s no need to try to impress us or anything of that sort."


    "She''s right," the Alpha King affirmed, nodding in approval of his wife''s words. "Yet, I must say that I appreciate this wonderful gesture of yours, my daughter. This is the best meal that we''ve had in a while and to find out that it was made by our daughter, only serves to make it even better. Thank you."


    Aurora smiled a bit and nodded as everyone returned to their food. I cleared my voice and began to speak, "I intend to take Aurora with me to my Pack in theing days.".


    The Alpha King was already aware so I faced Aurora''s mother immediately after making the statement to see what her reaction was going to be.


    Taking Aurora''s hands, I asked her, "Do I have your permission?"


    She stopped eating her food immediately. It was like she was paused as she just stared at Aurora and me without saying a single word. The atmosphere was tense as I didn''t know how she was going to take it.


    All through my stay in the Pack before then, I noticed how much she loved Aurora. She always visited her in her room and the look on her face always told me she loved her daughter so much.


    As she kept staring at us, I noticed the build-up of tears in her eyes. Aurora too. I heard her sniff and when I turned to her, she too had tears in her eyes.


    I brought my palm to Aurora''s face and wiped the tears that streamed down her cheeks. Then I kissed her on the right cheek tofort her. It was a difficult ask for both her and her mother; one that I just had to make.


    The Luna Queen wiped her eyes and seemed to calm herself a bit. "Do you want to go with him?" She asked Aurora who looked to be surprised to hear the question, further increasing the tension already built up in the atmosphere.


    Everyone waited for what Aurora had to say.


    Aurora''s POV


    "Do you want to go with him, Aurora?" My mother asked again after I''d stayed for


    a while without giving her an answer.


    "Yes," I said, sniffing.


    It wasn''t the easiest thing for me to say at that moment, nor was the decision so easy to make but it was something that I had to do.


    "I want to go be with Alpha Bane since he''s my mate and my ce would always


    be with him. We''re already nning our future together, mom."


    Alpha Bane chuckled on hearing those words and without any invitation whatsoever he lent his voice to the matter. "It''s true," he affirmed. "We''ve also talked a lot about our wedding. You know, how it''s going to be, who we need to invite; everything about our wedding generally. Aurora has..."


    I quickly hit him on the hand and he got the message and kept mute. He was saying more than was needed and I didn''t appreciate that.


    He wasn''t always that way. Indeed, h


    I had never known him as a chatty person. It seemed to me like my presence in


    his life brought out that part of him that I loved on certain asions but not all.


    Yet, it was better than the gloomy part of him. That part was no fun.


    The room got silent as he kept shut and we both waited for my mother to say something.


    "Well, as much as I''d have loved you to stay here instead, for now, I respect your decision and I''m with you every step of the way, my daughter. You have my blessing."


    I smiled, very delighted with her response. I turned around to Alpha Bane who was pleased too. My father had already given his consent and she was the only one between us going back to the Blue Moon Pack together.


    The atmosphere returned to normal and everyone went back to their food, which must have felt abandoned since we opened up about our n to leave together.


    Well, except for my dad. He had been eating his food since then and his te was already empty. He smiled at us as we began to eat again, and rubbed his stomach.


    I was amazed. Everything was working ording to n. The excitement in me could not be contained. Yet, I felt a bit nostalgic and something in me did wonder if I was making the right choice at the time.

 Surly Plans

    Princess Sophia''s POV


    "Ugh! Ugh!" I moaned as Ivan, the guard, rammed his member into me with great


    force and pace.


    He was very good at that; much better at it than at the job of a guard which he had at the pce.


    He kept thrusting deeper and deeper and I just shut my eyes and enjoyed the moment. He was too good and with all due respect, better than Alpha Bane at what he does best.


    Not that Bane wasn''t good or anything. He was. Ivan was just better and I couldn''t exin why.


    He was an Alpha, and so he possessed superior strength and skill, yet he was outmatched by amon guard. Perhaps, it was because he didn''t love me. Maybe he wasn''t so enthusiastic about it. I did feel it sometimes. Just like I could feel exactly how Ivan felt about me as he did his thing.


    Ivan was in love with me. He had fallen head over heels for me and I knew it. Ever since he came to the dungeon and found me there, he hadn''t misseding to see me for even a single day.


    He was always the only one by my side. He never let me stay alone for too long, always stopping by to check up on me or for some good sex which I always enjoyed.


    I was quite sure that he felt that I felt the same way about him. How wrong he was. As much as I was fond of him and loved his sex game, I merely thought him to be a very goodpanion. Nothing more. I was nowhere close to falling in love with him. My love belonged to one man; Alpha Bane, and he had made a mess of it.


    I wanted my rtionship with Ivan to be strictly based on our sexual escapades. I didn''t want either of us to think of it as anything different. But then, he failed at that and decided to let his heart get involved, which seemed to get me a bit upset at first.


    But then, I thought about it again and realised that it wasn''t so bad. It was to my advantage even. "I am going to take advantage of Ivan," I whispered to myself as soon as I got to understand what was going on.


    I made up my mind that I was going to use him to do my bidding and then see where it was going to lead us. I hoped I won''t fall for him along the line. He was very charming and so I had to tread with caution. I wasn''t going to let this guard catch me off guard.


    "Mmm!" He moaned aloud and I knew he was close. I rocked my hips toward him to make it even more difficult for him to hold on and I smiled. I loved to do that. It gave me the sense that I was in control. That sense of dominance alone got me even more aroused.


    In a sh, he twitched and took out his member from me. He knew better than to let himself finish in me. As he copsed to the floor, I sighed heavily and sat on the floor, staring at him.


    He must have thought that I was admiring him but I wasn''t. I was staring at the perfect pawn in my game and ns. No one was better for me to use to actualize all that I had in mind.


    "Alpha Bane and Aurora stopped by earlier to pay me a courtesy visit," I chuckled. "They thought it wise toe to check up on me."


    "To check up on you? Why would they want to do that?" He asked.


    "Isn''t it obvious enough? To mock me. They came here for the sole purpose of humiliating me and making ridicule out of me and they did. They even held hands on their way out and made jest of me,ughing so loudly and pointing fingers. They had a good time at my expense and they''ll surely regret it."


    "You have to calm down, Princess."


    "I wish I could, Ivan. I do," I countered. You won''t believe that the idiot told me she had no pity for me and made very sarcastic, condescending remarks to me. If my hands were free, I''d have pped the living daylight out of her. Nevertheless, that time wille. I saw it very clearly."


    "I understand. Yet, you have to rx. You can''t let all these get to you," he pleaded, before kissing me for a while.


    Then, he ced his forehead on mine. He must have felt something magical because he wouldn''t take them off. I didn''t. But I had to let him have his moment.


    I cleared my throat so he could return to his senses. "What''s happening in the pce? I asked you to help me figure that outst time, right?"


    "You sure did, and I did exactly that."


    I nodded, d that he was good at following instructions. Alpha Bane and Aurora n to leave the Pack in no distant time," he began. "I heard that they have the permission of both the Alpha King and the Luna Queen. They even gave them their blessings."


    "That can''t be!" I screamed, full of anger. "Any idea when exactly they''re to leave the Pack?"


    "Not at all, but there are rumours that they wouldn''t be here for up to a week. I heard they''re somewhat in a hurry to leave and I suspect that it''s the reason why they came here to see you. Perhaps, they wanted to behold you onest time before they''d leave and if that were to be the case, they probably also went to see your mother."


    "She''s not my mother! My mother is the Luna Queen of this Pack!"


    "I''m sorry, Princess," he apologised. "They must have gone to see Mrs Scott too."


    "Better."


    I hated that woman. She imed to be my mother but she was always causing me trouble. She couldn''t even consent to my request to get rid of herself for my gain. I guess she didn''t love me that much or even at all. The feeling was mutual.


    "They can''t leave," I muttered repeatedly in a very low tone. I grit my jaw in anger, wanting so badly to inflict some pain on someone.


    "Go on," I said to Ivan. "What else can you tell me? We need to find a way to get rid of that pair and I''m very sure that you can help me."


    "I can, and I will. We just have to..."

 Eternal Promises

    Aurora''s POV


    Two Days Later


    I picked up my big, travelling bag from the wardrobe and dropped it on the bed. I loved the bag a lot because of its blue colour. Each time I saw it, I always took a break from whatever I wanted to use it for, just to admire it a bit. Blue was my favourite colour.


    Opening it up, I took out all the clothes inside, one by one and tossed them on the bed. They were not properly arranged and I had to make sure they were.


    The ones in the wardrobe too also had to be put inside the bag. So I took them off their hangers, one by one and tossed them on the bed too.


    Then I finally began to fold the clothes, one after the other, as I carefully put them inside the bag as they should be.


    "These need to go," I said, on seeing some of the clothes that looked a bit worn out. I was going to get new ones at the Blue Moon Pack anyway. Alpha Bane had already promised me that.


    Indeed, he even told me to only take two or three clothes because he was going to change my entire wardrobe. He promised to get so many clothes for me until I was tired of them. I believed him. Yet, I had to take some of my clothes with me.


    Those clothes were more than just dresses to me. They carried with them so many beautiful memories and some ugly ones too which made the good ones even more beautiful.


    As I tossed the worn-out clothes to a corner in the bed, I couldn''t help but take my mind back to all that had been happening to me for a very long time.


    Although it has been a while, I still struggled to believe that my fate had indeed changed; that I wasn''t that lowly maid anymore but a Princess.


    Back then, as a maid, I''d have been so grateful to have some of those clothes that I thought to be worn out. Most of them were better than the clothes that I used to wear back then as a maid. Now, I had better stuff and could have even more just by simply asking.


    Not only was I a Princess, but I was also the mate of Alpha Bane, the Alpha of Alphas, desired by all the maidens in every Pack. He was mine and I was his. He had even marked me to show his desire to be with me for life, just like I wanted to. It was such a beautiful experience and I loved every bit of it.


    To top that, he cherished me so much. I could see it in his eyes every time he looked at me. I could hear it in his voice each time he spoke to me. He was the perfect man and I was more than lucky to have him.


    I dropped the dress that I held in my hands as I began to get very emotional. I felt the urge to cry and I tried to hold it back a little. The nice thoughts were slowly being reced by those that reminded me of who and what I used to be.


    I remembered all the humiliation that I faced at the hands of Mrs Scott whom I thought was my mother. The way that she always hit me in front of everyone, how she loved to embarrass me, and how she never wanted anything good for me.


    Just as a tear fell from my eye, u heard a knock on the door and immense began to adjust. I quickly wiped the tear away as I didn''t want anyone to know that I was crying. Besides, I felt it was a maid who probably had something to say to me and I didn''t want her to see me crying.


    "Come in," I said, as I heard the knock again.


    I coughed twice and cleared my throat as I waited to see who was at the door. The door opened very gently and it was my mom. I straightened up as soon as I saw that it was her and put a smile on my face.


    "Wee, mom," I greeted her as she walked into the room.


    From the way that she moved, I knew what wasing. She didn''t say a word to me. She just kept her gaze on me as she walked and I took that as a cue to get to my feet. I did just that.


    As she got to me, she spread her arms and wrapped me in a big hug and I did the same. She held onto me for over a minute and ced my head on her shoulder. I enjoyed the moment.


    Her love for me was so pure that I could feel and touch it. "Good day, my child," she said to me as we finally broke the hug.


    We sat on the bed and she took a look at my pile of clothes. "I see you''re getting ready, my child," she said.


    I nodded. "I have to start early to pack them so that I won''t be under any pressure. Have you had something to eat yet?"


    "Yeah. Sure. I did that just beforeing here. The maids haven''t brought your meal?"


    "Not yet, mom. But I''m certain they''ll do that pretty soon."


    "They''d better," she said, rolling her eyes. "They shouldn''t keep you waiting for any reason."


    "I''m alright, mom." Iughed. She was always fond of trying to make sure everything was done right for me. She cared for me like I was a little child. It felt unnecessary sometimes but it was cool too.


    She picked up one of my dresses and began to fold it and on seeing her do that, I did the same. I was d she hade to help me pack up. The clothes were so much too. It was very thoughtful of her.


    "Thanks, mom," I thanked her as we continued to pack. She just smiled and nodded.


    "As you''re going to the Blue Moon Pack, I''d love you to understand that you should be very careful. Don''t trust anyone there except Alpha Bane. Take your time to observe the environment first before anything else. Not everyone would be happy with your new status as their Luna Queen. You must understand this, child."


    She was right. As much as I''d been there for a while, I had to tread with caution. Knowing who Sophia was, I wonder if there was anyone like her in the Pack and if there was, then there was a need to be extremely careful.


    We spoke for a long time and as usual, enjoyed herpany so much. But every talk had an end. Ours too. We stood and shared a warm hug as soon as we got done and I couldn''t help the tears that flowed down my eyes.


    "I love you, Aurora. I''m going to miss you."


    Her voice gave her away. She too was crying and it made me hug her even tighter.


    "Don''t worry, mom. We''ll always visit from time to time. I won''t stay away from you for long. I''ll always find my way back home to see you. I promise."

 Leaving Blue Moon Pack

    Alpha Bane''s POV


    The Next Day


    The sun smiled at me as its rays coursed through my window and rested on my bed. The days had fun so fast and it was finally time for me to leave the Silver Moon Pack.


    Taking thest of my folded clothes, I put them inside my travelling bag and closed the bag.


    "You do love all the blue shirts of yours, Alpha. I''ve noticed that you''ve been wearing them more often recently and since you didn''t fold this one right here, I''m certain you''re about to put it on."


    I smiled at him, knowing where he was driving. Blue was a colour that I normally didn''t fancy at all. White and red were more my thing. I even preferred yellow to it.


    "It''s Princess Aurora''s favourite colour, Donald," I said to him smiling. "A man gotta do what a man gotta do, right?"


    "Ain''t you a softie now, dear Alpha?"


    "You should watch your tongue, boy!" I yelled at him.


    "My apologies, Alpha. I was only trying to be honest," he smirked, holding back theughter that I could spot from his countenance.


    He wasn''t far from the truth. I had never imagined myself having to go all out to impress anyone. I had always thought that I was the one who deserved to be impressed since I was the most powerful Alpha in the vicinity. Little did I know that there was a woman far stronger than me in the sense that I did all of it, to make her happy and I didn''t regret it one bit.


    The more I tried to impress her, the more I had the urge to even do more. Donald could see that. He had been with me for so long and so he knew everything about


    me.


    I picked up my blue shirt and began to put it on. As I did, I spotted Donald


    "I''m sorry. I just can''t help it."


    "Get lost! How do I look?" I asked, as soon as I finished dressing up.


    "You look great. You''ll look much better with your shoes on," he added, pointing at my shoes.


    "Oh. Thank you."


    I had forgotten to put my shoes on. I was a bit nervous and I couldn''t help it. The thought of taking Aurora back home with me was too good to be true and I feared she might change her mind if I didn''t act fast, especially with her closeness to her mother.


    I put on my shoes and walked to the mirror to see how I looked. "Not bad," I muttered and then began to leave the room.


    "You''re leaving already?" Donald asked, as I paused and turned to look at him. "What do you think?"


    "You won''t eat the food that the maids brought for you?"


    "It''s already toote for that," I brushed it off. "They can have it. I''m sure they''ll love to eat food specifically made for the Alpha."


    I walked out of the room and on getting outside, I spotted Aurora, standing beside


    the carriage alongside her parents. They were already waiting for me.


    I wondered how it''ll have been if I had decided to eat the meal. They''d have had


    to stand there for far too long which wasn''t right. I turned to Donald, who was just


    behind me and gave him a knowing look. He just shrugged his shoulders.


    I walked to them with a smile on my face and they smiled too. I thought about tendering an apology for keeping them waiting but I had to battle with my ego and it eventually won so I kept it to myself.


    I stretched forth my right hand toward the Alpha King instead for a handshake and we shook hands. Then I waved at the Luna Queen who nodded in acknowledgement.


    Turning to Aurora, I pulled her in and hugged her. Then I drew back a little and nted my lips on hers.


    I noticed that there was something off about her. "Why are you looking so moody, my love?" I asked her.


    "I''m fine. Don''t worry about me."


    I knew she was hiding something. Her visage told the whole story. She could even barely look at anyone''s face including mine. She just kept staring at the floor and I imagined she was holding back her tears.


    I felt like asking her further what the issue was but knowing her, it was best to not do that, especially since she was likely not going to bulge. I was only going to seed in getting her more upset and I didn''t want that.


    I turned to her parents one more time so we could say our final goodbyes.


    Aurora''s POV


    I watched as Alpha Bane spoke with my parents and I turned my face away. My heart was very heavy and I kept sniffing back the tears that threatened to fall down my face.


    I couldn''t ce why I was that emotional as I thought I had made peace with myself concerning leaving the Pack. I didn''t know it was going to be that hard. It was only after I woke up that morning that it dawned on me that it wasn''t as easy as I thought.


    I felt a hand tap me and I looked up to see that it was my mother. She must have sensed the way that I was feeling. She had left thepany of my father and Alpha Bane and came across to talk to me.


    She opened her arms and I just fell in there as she hugged me rather tightly, allowing me to set my emotions free. I held onto her very tightly too as she caressed my back.


    "It''s alright, my child," she reassured me. "All would be well and soon, you''ll get used to the Blue Moon Pack."


    "But I''m going to miss being here, mom," I sobbed.


    "Don''t worry, my child. You''ll be good. Just don''t forget everything that we talked aboutst night, okay?"


    "Yes, mom." I nodded and wiped the tears away from my face.


    Breaking from the hug, I turned to my father who was waiting for us to get done talking so he could talk to me.


    "Be well, my daughter. Always remember that you have a home here too. It''s something you must have at the back of your mind. I trust you''ll be fine, and with Alpha Bane by your side, I''m even more confident. We will miss you so much."


    "I''ll miss you too, dad. Thank you for all that you''ve been to me."


    He smiled and Alpha Bane came across to me and grabbed my hand. We walked to the carriage and he helped me get into it. Then he got inside too and it was time to leave.


    As the carriage moved, we waved my parents goodbye until we were so far off. Then I dragged my face from the window and dropped my head on Alpha Bane''s


    arms.


    I sobbed.

 Home, Sweet Home

    Alpha Bane''s POV


    We had travelled for several hours and it was beginning to get dark. The sun had turned slightly red and looked to be moving slowly out of sight.


    I took a look at the surroundings and I could recognize where we were. We were only a few hours away from the Castle and I couldn''t wait to get there.


    We stopped at intervals during the journey as we needed to take a few breaks. Some were for us to get down from the carriage and stretch our legs a bit, while the others were for us to get some food so we wouldn''t die of hunger.


    If we hadn''t stopped to take those breaks, we''d have probably been at the Castle already. Nevertheless, they were worth it and they had to happen.


    "Can we take a final break here?" The driver asked, on getting to the closest stop to the Pack.


    I thought about it for a while, knowing that there was no other stop after that one until we''d got to the Castle.


    "No," I replied, eager for us to get back home quickly. "We should keep moving. I need us to get to the Castle on time. When we get there, we can get all the rest and food that we want."


    The driver kept moving and I stared down at Aurora who was already fast asleep. She''d been sleeping for so long and I guessed it was because she had cried too much.


    After shedding a lot of tears, she was bound to be that tired. She also didn''t take so much food as she imed shecked the appetite for it, regardless of how much I begged her to eat something.


    I leaned in and kissed her on the forehead as I gently caressed her hair. She looked so beautiful and vulnerable and it felt so good to have the task of keeping her safe andfortable.


    We were finally going to be together in my Pack and I thought about what our future was going to be like. I was the Alpha and soon, she was going to be unveiled as the Luna of the Blue Moon Pack. I wondered what it would be like to rule the Pack with her by my side. "Such a beautiful sight it would be," I thought to myself.


    I wondered which part of her the people were going to see more; the soft, tender, loving side of her or the tough, no-nonsense side of her, or even abination of both. It was only time that could reveal that and I hoped she was going to make a great Luna, just as I''d always thought she would.


    As my mind kept wandering from one thing to another, I remembered something very important. I had been thinking so much about how we were going to rule and all but almost forgot the most important part of our future; children. I had no idea if she wanted to have kids and how many she was willing to have.


    "Sir, we''ve arrived at the Castle."


    I was cut short in my thoughts by the voice of the driver who had parked the carriage right in front of the Castle. I didn''t know how many hours had passed with me deep in my thoughts. It was a delight to know that we were finally home.


    "Hey, love," I whispered, gently tapping Aurora''s arm to get her to wake up. "We''re home."


    Aurora''s POV


    I felt a tap on my right arm and I immediately woke up. "Ah," I voiced out, still eager to get some more sleep.


    "We''re home," I heard Alpha Bane say, as I slowly sat up to make sure that we were indeed at the Castle. We were. We had finally gotten to the Blue Moon Pack; my new home and I just wanted to get to the room and sleep some more.


    Alpha Bane got down from the carriage and helped me alight too. Then we both began to walk toward the building.


    To my surprise, I saw that the Castle grounds were already filled up as maids came toward us to wee us. It seemed a bit strange to me because it was already night.


    Then I spotted a womaning out of the house and I immediately knew who it was. It was Dn''s mother and she wasn''t even trying to pretend. She gave me a dirty eye and then winked at me with a very sarcastic grin and I found it rather ufortable.


    "Can you see the way that this woman is looking at me?" I asked Alpha Bane as he turned to look at her.


    "Don''t pay any attention to that woman, my love. She isn''t worth it at all."


    He drew me in and kissed me which calmed me down a bit. I loved that he loved


    to spontaneously do that. It always surprised me in a very pleasant way.


    He grabbed my hand and we calmly began to walk toward the building as the maids walked behind us with a few still in front of us.


    "Hey," I greeted some of the maids, waving my hands at them as we walked and they did the same. Well, they also bowed, which was expected and Alpha Bane seemed to love that a lot.


    Just as we were about to get into the house, Alpha Bane''s father stepped out with a huge smile and with his hands spread out wide. "Wee, my son," he said to Alpha Bane as they embraced. He seemed so excited to see his son and I was happy for him.


    They didn''t always get along as Alpha Bane always talked about his preference for Dn. It was only after he had beaten Dn that his father seemed to have some respect for him.


    It was made worse by the fact that he chose Dn''s mother over his mother. It was something that Alpha Bane could never get over and I knew that even as he held his father with his eyes closed, the thought never left his mind.


    They broke from the hug and the old man turned to me. I loved to think of him as kind as he had never been rude or cruel to me since I got to know him. Sometimes, he acted like he didn''t care. Other times, he showed me care andpassion as much as he could.


    This time, he moved from Alpha Bane and stood right in front of me, still smiling. "Wee back, my daughter."


    I was still so shocked to hear him call me that, as proof that he did ept me as


    his daughter-inw, when he wrapped his hands around me in a hug.


    I gasped at first, as it was unexpected, and then I hugged him back. He parted my back a few times and my heart warmed at the gesture.


    Then we all walked inside the house with the maids still following closely behind.

 Spy Talks

    Dn''s POV


    "Dn, I just got information from our spy in the Silver Moon Pack that Princess Aurora and Bane have left the Pack. I heard they were headed to your Pack where Princess Aurora would be named Luna."


    It was only early morning and I had only left my room to the conference room where Johnny and a few guards were. Not that there was a time for bad news, but


    I didn''t expect to get that kind of news that early.


    My nose red as anger coursed through my veins. I was jealous too, and unashamedly so.


    No matter how hard I tried, nothing seemed to ever go my way, but with Bane, it was quite the opposite.


    Everything he touched turned to gold. He had all things working out for him, just the way he wanted it to and it always got me so upset. Why not me?


    He fixed his eyes on the throne; on my throne, a throne that was my birthright, just as my father always told me when I was younger, even in his presence. He wasn''t content with ying second fiddle as was his rightful ce. Instead, he reached out to forcefully grab my throne and despite my best efforts, he did.


    It wasn''t just the fact that he got his hands on my throne that annoyed me. It was how he went about it. He was down in our first bout. I had him where I wanted him, but instead of yielding, he decided to trick his way into having the match rescheduled to ater date. That alone served to demoralise me and he took his chance. We both know that I was the better and stronger man. Our father did too.


    As if that wasn''t enough for him, he decided to bring Sophia, his mate, to the Pack which was alright. We were all expected to do that anyway. But then, instead of focusing on the woman, he also had his eyes set on Aurora, who I had managed to befriend. Such greed! He was bent on having everything to himself and leaving me with nothing. That was unfair.


    Yet, when he saw me with Sophia, he looked like he had been betrayed. Such a stupid hypocrite he was. He acted like he had been so faithful to Sophia, when in fact he had always had an eye for Aurora and might have had one or two nights of pleasure with her.


    I saw the way he looked at her. I saw how she made him feel. He wanted to enjoy something that he wouldn''t let another enjoy. That was his nature. Everything was to be his and nothing for others.


    His rtionship with Aurora was proof of my assumptions. As soon as Sophia gave him a reason to, he quickly jumped into Aurora''s arms and made it his home. He had twodies at his disposal, while I hid away in thend of the rogues, having to make do with their low-ss women. How could he be so lucky?


    Filled with rage and fury, I hung my fist on the chair where I sat. "Calm down, Dn. Please," Johnny pleaded, as I tried in vain to keep my temper in check.


    "Sophia is still in the dungeon," he continued. "They left her there to suffer. Ever since they locked her up there, her life has been very miserable. They even barely give her new clothes to change in. Our spy has been checking on her daily and her condition hasn''t changed at all."


    I smirked on hearing that. All the anger that I felt quickly wiped away as I became so full of reinvigorated hope. My face lit up as I felt a grin springing forth on my face.


    "What''s up, Dn?" Johnny asked, seemingly spotting the change in my mood.


    I smirked again, a bit surprised that he hadn''t seen what I had, based on what he said to me, seeing that he was so good with ns.


    "Do you remember the day that I told you that I had an idea concerning Sophia?"


    "Yes, I do. I can remember very vividly," he said with a nod and I cleared my throat.


    "Hey, guards,e on over here," I called out to the guards who quickly drew closer to me. "I intend to find a way to kidnap Sophia so we can bring her here."


    The room got very quiet as everyone turned to look at each other. They all pondered over it, Johnny too. From the look on their faces, it seemed to me that they didn''t buy into the idea; at least, not wholeheartedly and I was annoyed with theirck of vision.


    "Dn, while your idea sounds like a good one to me, and probably to everyone else here, you seem to be forgetting one crucial piece of information."


    "What is it, if I may ask?"


    "Kidnapping Sophia won''t be an easy task. It''s a task that is sure to prove very difficult," he countered, as I waited for him to finish what he had to say. "The Pack and the dungeon that Sophia is in, are very heavily guarded and passing through those guards and breaking in would be nearly impossible in my opinion."


    I scoffed, refusing to see any sense in what he had said. Indeed, it was heavily guarded but that didn''t mean that it could not be permeated.


    "If the prison or dungeon or whatever you want to call it was that heavily guarded, how is it that the spy that we assigned there has been doing his duty so well daily?"


    Johnny gasped on hearing my question. So did the guards. They didn''t think of it that way and I couldn''t me them. That was exactly why I was the one fit to lead them. They couldn''t do without my expertise. They needed me even more than I needed them. But I did need them still.


    "Think about what I''ve said and you''ll see that we have a chance to bring her here."


    Johnny nodded in agreement and that was my cue to move forward. "We will kinda Sophia and bring her here so we''ll be able to work on some of our ns together. I''m sure she''d love that too," I said, standing to my feet. "If we''re going to cause some chaos, we''ll be needing all that we can get and Sophia can help us so well."


    Although I knew that Sophia wasn''t going to be so happy with me, after all that happened, I knew she was certainly more than bittered about her condition and if I found a way to release her, then we''d be more than even.


    I also knew how much hatred she was surely going to have for everyone who had


    a hand in keeping her in that condition, including Aurora and Bane. She was the perfect asset for the job at hand.


    "You''re right, Dn," Johnny agreed, and weughed and shook hands for what was toe.

 Special Intimate Moments

    Aurora''s POV


    The Next Day


    Iy on the bed still resting even after barely going anywhere all through the day. I just felt so weak andzy for no real reason and I thought the best way to handle it was just to lie on the bed and only get up when it was time to eat some good food.


    I was in Alpha Bane''s room. Well, it was our room as all of my properties were brought into the room by the guards, despite my protests.


    I didn''t want to stay there at first. I wanted to return to the room that I stayed in thest time that I was at the Pack.


    I thought it was going to be better as it would afford some privacy to both me and Alpha Bane. Whenever we wanted to talk, I could either go to his room or he''de to mine.


    "We can even pass the night in each other''s room," I said to him, trying to convince him to let me stay in a different room.


    He didn''t want that. He kept on pestering me and applying a lot of pressure to cause me to yield to his demands instead of mine.


    "There''s no need to stay in separate rooms," he said to me. "We''re mates and will rule this Pack together. By staying together, we''ll always have each other''spany and our bond will only grow even stronger."


    There was nothing that he could do, that he didn''t say to me to convince me to move into his room and stay. In the end, it was too much for me and I saw that he was never going to give up or change his mom so I yielded.


    The door flung open and Alpha Bane walked into the room, whistling. "I know it''s our room, but I think you should knock," I said to him, chuckling.


    "In your dreams!" We bothughed as he approached me. "Don''t tell me you''ve been on the bed since I left this room."


    "What do you think?" I stood up and walked to him and we shared a brief hug. "I''ve missed you so much, my love."


    Unlike me, Alpha Bane had been so busy all through the day. He had told me he''d have a good time with me but he had been getting tons of calls from the guards for one thing or the other.


    Since morning, I''d only seen him twice and it was already evening. He looked so exhausted and I could tell from his disposition.


    "How did your day go, love?" He asked.


    "It was very boring. One of the most boring days I''ve ever experienced in my life and by a mile too."


    As I spoke, he gently caressed my cheeks whilst fixing his gaze on me and smiling. He must have loved the look on my face whenever Iined because he always did that. It was almost as if he asked me questions, expecting me to have oneint or the other.


    "I''m sorry about that. I know I was supposed to have been here with you all through but I just had to leave. I..."


    "You don''t have to exin yourself," I cut in. "I understand. I know that you had to do what you had to do. There''s nothing wrong with that at all. As much as I''d have loved you to be here instead, I can''t say that I don''t understand that you needed to be elsewhere at the time, handling the matters about the Pack. You''re the Alpha after all, aren''t you?"


    "Thank you so much for your understanding," he smiled, stroking my hair. "It means a lot."


    As he did all those, he probably didn''t know that I was slowly getting aroused. When I saw him walk through the door, I immediately got excited, after being away from him for such a long time. Having him touch my cheeks and hair in such a loving manner slowly drove me into wanting to toss him on the bed and have my way with him or let him have his way with me. Whichever was the case, I needed him so badly.


    "Soon, you''ll have to attend these meetings with me as my Luna," he continued. "The people will look up to you for effective leadership and I''m certain that you can give them that."


    I shrugged, unsure that I could do the job but I knew that with him by my side, I had all the help that I needed to get things done.


    "To make amends for my failure to be here today, u promise to take you on a stroll tomorrow. How''s that?"


    I squealed in excitement. "I''d very much like that!" I eximed. "But there''s


    something else that I want and I hope you can help me with it."


    I led him to the bed and began to undress him.


    "Have you had something to eat?" He asked.


    "Yeah. Sure. The maids brought my food in here. What about you?"


    "I have, but I''m so hungry now... for you!"


    As he said that, our wolves sparked and our minds got linked. As I blushed due to his words, I felt the desire that was ignited in me and from the look on his face, it was pretty mutual.


    yfully, I moved my shoulder away from him but he just grabbed Ms and drew


    me closer, before cing his lips on mine as we began to share a very passionate kiss.


    I pushed him to the bed, just as I had nned and we resumed kissing.


    Alpha Bane''s POV


    Inded on the bed with a thud as Aurora pushed me. Then, she climbed on top of me and began to kiss me passionately with her soft, sulent lips which I could never get enough of.


    I reached out to her back and unhooked her bra, letting it fall off as I began to caress her back, all the way down to her backside.


    I rolled her around and got on top so I could have a clearer picture of her beautiful breasts which always drove me nuts. All my control was always gone at the sight of those beauties. As they pointed at me, I loved to think of them as my weak points. I had no choice but to ce my lips on them and begin to suckle while she rubbed my head so gently with her skilled fingers, further taking me to Dreand.


    Aurora knew exactly what she was doing and she did it so well. Even when I was in control, I still felt like she was. She knew the right buttons to press, including turning me back around and licking my belly button as I moaned in pure joy.


    She took my trousers off and my boxers with it and then stroked my member a bit


    with her hands..."Are you ready for what is toe?" She asked.


    I nodded and felt something warm around my member. I was in for a long evening.

 A Plan In Motion

    Princess Sophia''s POV


    I sat down in the cell, looking and feeling dejected. It had been several hours and no one hade to give me food so I could shout and rant at them for my pleasure.


    I had thought that Ivan should havee by then. Perhaps, he''d be with some food that I could eat. I''d also missed him. I needed thepany of someone; anyone before I''d run mad.


    One. Two. Three. Four. Five.


    I stared at the ceiling and began to count numbers hoping that it was going to help me fall asleep. It didn''t work. I only felt my mouth slightly begin to ache as soon as I got to a hundred and twenty.


    I paused, and looked around the cell, trying to see if there was some kind of loophole for me to escape. I had nned to somehow try to make my way out the next time I''d be temporarily freed from those big, strong chains so that I could change clothes, but there was no sign of an escape route. My parents weren''t in the mood to pronounce judgement on me and I couldn''t tell if it was a good or bad thing. It was all that kept me alive and in the Pack but I didn''t know if that was a good thing either.


    Just as Iy on the floor, not knowing what to do next, I heard the door of the cell make a sound and I quickly sat up.


    I turned to see who it was that was entering my cell and as soon as my cell door opened, I saw Ivan walking through the door and I felt a bit relieved. Indeed, I was happy because I was finally going to have somepany. I had almost died of loneliness.


    But then, I noticed that someone was behind him. I heard footsteps behind him and then on a closer look, I saw a figure following him behind and they were both walking toward me.


    Ivan had nevere to my cell with anyone. He always came alone, especially since he knew what mostly happened after each visit and how people weren''t supposed to find out.


    I got a better look at the other guy as he walked to Ivan''s side and I got even more scared. He was so huge that Ivan, who was a big guy, appeared small before him. He was a giant of a man.


    As they got closer, I began to think the worst. "Who is he, Ivan?" I asked, trembling. "Were you both sent by my parents to pass some sort of judgement on me? Talk to me, Ivan!"


    "Hey, rx, Princess. It''s not that," he said, trying to get me to calm down but I couldn''t. I felt that he had been sent to get the job done since I''d least suspect him. I felt betrayed too. I never knew that he''d consent to something like that after all that he said to me about helping me break free from the dungeon.


    "We mean no harm, ho... Princess." He almost let our secret out in that instant but did well to correct himself. We couldn''t let our secret out. Not before anyone else. "We didn''te here for any judgement whatsoever. Ouring is for a different purpose; one that I feel might interest you."


    I took a deep breath as the hefty man approached me. I was a bit morefortable but I was still a tad cautious. I couldn''t tell if he was trying to goad me into losing my guard so that they could strike. Then again, I asked myself what chance I stood against them if they intended to attack me. They didn''t need to deceive me at all.


    "I''m Daniel. You can call me Dan," he said, as he stood in front of me. "I''m a spy from the Red Rogue Pack and I was sent here by Dn."


    "Dn?" I asked, a bit surprised to hear that name after such a long time. Ever since that incident at the Blue Moon Pack, he had disappeared into thin air and no one had heard from him since. I never knew that he went to hide amongst the rogues. Such a smart guy, he was.


    "Yes. I have a message from him to you but before I can tell you, I''d love to know if you can remember Dn and if you''re willing to listen to anything he says, especially since he wants to help you get out of this miserable cell. This ce is no ce for a Princess, and I''m certain you''ll find life morefortable outside here."


    I dimmed my brows as I began to think about all that he had said. "I know Dn very well," I said to him, as I felt a blush creep up my cheeks on remembering our sexual escapade. How could I have forgotten? It was one of the reasons why I was in jail; the major reason, yet, it was such a pleasurable moment that stayed in my heart.


    I looked in the direction of Ivan to see if he noticed any change in my countenances. I couldn''t have him suspecting anything in my behaviour as he was key to my freedom. Thankfully, he didn''t look like he did. He still looked and acted normal, wearing a very concerned look on his face.


    "Well, Dn sent me here to let you know that he has a n in motion," he exined. "He ns to kidnap you from here and take you to the Red Rogue Pack. From there, we all will put ourselves together and draw up a n on how we can get rid of Bane. We can''t afford to let him live as Dn''s return to the Pack depends on that. Is this something you''re willing to help us with?"


    "Sure," I said with a smile, repeatedly nodding my head in excitement. "He has to pay for all that he has done with me and I''ll make sure of that. Just get me out of here, please."


    "Be rest assured that we''ll do that."


    He smiled and walked away from the cell as I squealed happily. "How were you


    able to get in contact with Dn?" I asked Ivan.


    "I told you that I''d do whatever it takes to get you out of here, didn''t I?" He smirked.


    I scoffed within me but I had to show my gratitude outwardly so he wouldn''t


    suspect a thing. "Thank you so much, Ivan."


    "You know what I''d love more than thanks?"


    "Come here boy," I said to him, blowing a kiss to him. "Give me some sugar. I''ve


    been waiting all day for this."

 Derogatory Statements

    Aurora''s POV


    I slowly walked out of my room full of sadness. I had waited so long for Alpha Bane to arrive so we could go for the stroll, just like he promised but he was nowhere to be found.


    Very early in the morning, one of the guards came knocking on our door and Alpha Bane went to open up. They spoke for a while. I heard the guard say something about Alpha Bane''s father. Then he left and Alpha Bane walked straight to the wardrobe and began to search for a shirt to wear.


    "You''re leaving?" I asked him, but he didn''t say anything. He probably knew why I asked. He had assured me that he was going nowhere. He promised to take me for a walk. Yet, he was about to do exactly what he said he wouldn''t.


    "Don''t worry, my love," he finally said to me. "I''ll be quick. It''s a matter of urgency and my dad wants me there now."


    I nodded, believing his words. I even smiled when he kissed my forehead before leaving. "I''ll be here before you know it," he said.


    Little did I know that it wasn''t going to be the case. I waited for hours but he failed to return. Perhaps, what he went to do was quite bigger than he had imagined. I didn''t want to me him. I had to give him the benefit of doubt.


    As I walked down the corridor, my maid by my side, I couldn''t help but imagine how it''d have felt had Alpha Bane decided to ditch everything else to walk with me. As much as it might not have been the best decision for both him and the Pack, it was a gesture that I would have most certainly appreciated. It just wasn''t to be.


    I got out of the building, and into the streets, still casually taking gentle strides. I tried to enjoy the moment the best that I could. Even if he wasn''t there, I still had to have fun and make myself happy. At least, I thought so.


    "How do the royals in this Pack treat the maids?" I asked the maid who was assigned to me. "Please, tell me the truth."


    "Well, not bad at all. Sometimes, as expected, they could be a bit harsh but that''s mostly when we deserve it. Except for Dn''s mother, everyone else is so nice to us."


    "She''s not nice to you?"


    "Sometimes, she is, but most times, yeah. Yet, I''m no one to judge her or anyone for that. I''m just a maid. I can be treated in any way the royals deem fit."


    I nodded and we kept walking. Just as I walked past the garden, with the maid behind me, I turned my neck to say something to her, still moving forward and I saw her pointing to my front.


    "Ma''am..."


    "Ahh!" I gasped as I felt something that felt like a human hit me. I turned around to see that it was Dn''s mother whom I bumped into.


    I didn''t know that she was walking toward me from the opposite direction. I didn''t even see her at all and since she had probably seen me, I felt she should have easily avoided the collision since the road was quite vast.


    Our eyes locked and I felt a chill running down my spine that instant. She didn''t look happy at all. She looked at me with so much disgust, as if I had offended her or something but I had no memory of something like that happening.


    It was clear to me that she didn''t like me. She was like that with me the first day time I arrived at the Pack so this one was only a confirmation. What wasn''t clear to me was why she didn''t like me.


    As I stared at her, I began to feel my legs shake. Yet in another Pack, I already had an enemy. I thought it was all going to end with Sophia. Little did I know that there was someone on the other side waiting for me to arrive so she could pounce


    on me.


    I continued walking with the maid, eager to avoid her at all costs. I didn''t want any trouble and I felt the best way to avoid it was to simply leave the area.


    She had other ideas. As we just passed each other, she held my hand, stopping me in my tracks and stared at me in a very condescending manner.


    "Why didn''t you greet me, young girl? Do I look so small to you?" She asked, weighing me with her eyes.


    "I''m so sorry, ma''am. Good day," I said to her even though I didn''t mean it. I just hoped it was going to be enough to help us avoid her troubles but she was determined to go on.


    "You''re so useless. You know that right?" She insulted me, eyeing me from head to toe. "You''re nothing but a gold digger! You are just with Alpha Bane because of what he owns. You just want to be the Luna of the Pack. Just a little taste of power and you''re already running helter-skelter, looking for any opportunity to grab more power. But I ask you a question, youngdy. Are you not ashamed of yourself? Even just a little?"


    Those words hurt me so much and I didn''t know exactly how to react. I couldn''t tell why she thought so low of me. I never wanted anything that had to do with power. I never even imagined it. Had Alpha Bane not revealed the truth, I''d have been very content with my position, just like I''d been for so many years. She was simply being rude and arrogant for no just cause.


    I opened my mouth to talk but she brought her right hand in front of my face to shush me. "I liked the other girl; Sophia is her name, right?" She continued. "She was a lot more sophisticated and fitting for the position. Not to sound insulting or anything of that sort, but you look like someone from the gutters. I''m sure you can attest to that if you''re being true to yourself but yeah, I know your type. You lie even to yourselves."


    I felt so insulted and I wanted to say something to her. I couldn''t let her keep saying such things to me because she felt she could. But my lips weren''t as bold as I was. They kept trembling, but I was determined to talk.


    As I managed to get myself to open up my mouth, I heard a voice from afar and I instantly froze. It was Alpha Bane''s voice. It seemed like he was also taking a stroll with his guards in the garden.


    I turned around to see him and there he was, just a short distance away from us.

 Alpha Bane To The Rescue…

    Alpha Bane''s POV


    As I walked down the street with Donald and the rest of my guards, I couldn''t help but think about all that I said to Aurora both the previous day concerning our stroll and in the morning before I left.


    I had thought that I''d just head out and handle business very quickly without any issues at all, but it wasn''t to be so. There were several things to be done and they all required some good time, which made it nearly impossible for us to have that walk.


    Yet, I believed it was going to happen. I just wanted to get done with all that was on my te so I could get back to the room and plead with her to go out with me, even if it waste.


    Knowing how much she had longed for it, I did not doubt that she was going to yield to my request. I was going to pester her until she''d give in. I knew she would. She just had to.


    As we walked, I began to feel a bit uneasy. It was a very weird feeling that I struggled to exin. "Hold on," I said to Donald, as we got very close to the garden.


    "Is there a problem, my Alpha?" He asked, walking past me and trying to survey the area.


    "Something''s wrong. I can feel it. I just can''t ce my head around what it is but something''s just off."


    I motioned to him and the guards to keep walking and I walked in front of them but I''d barely taken ten steps when I stopped again, feeling the same way.


    This time, there was something different. I wasn''t in doubt about what was going on. "It''s Aurora, " I said to Donald, recognising what was happening. "She''s in some sort of trouble. Something''s not right with her and I can feel it. It''s my wolf, trying to let me know that she''s in a very ufortable position. I need to find her right now and make sure that she''s alright."


    We walked quickly to where Aurora was. I didn''t know exactly where she was but I just kept moving in hope that I was going to find her. My wolf knew and I followed his lead as he instinctively told me what to do. I was very grateful for the wolf bond.


    The more we walked, the more I felt strongly that we were close to her and in a few minutes, I could smell her. I could also smell someone else; it was a very familiar scent and we walked faster to see what was going on.


    As I got to where she was, I saw that she wasn''t alone. Dn''s mother was with her and they were certainly not having a friendly chat. I already knew that she didn''t like Aurora at all and if I felt ufortable, it was certainly because she was hurting her so badly.


    I wanted to immediately start screaming at her, knowing fully well that it could never have been Aurora causing the trouble but I didn''t want to be used of taking sides and drawing assumptions, so I chose a better path.


    "What''s happening here?" I asked, turning to Dn''s mother to hear what she had to say but she said nothing.


    It looked like she was talking before I arrived and in my presence, she suddenly


    went mute.


    U turned around and looked at Aurora whose face showed a very pained look. That was all I needed to know that whatever was happening there wasn''t good in any way.


    I hissed and turned to Aurora''s maid. "What happened here?" I asked her, knowing she had no choice but to answer my question and she could never tell me a lie unless she didn''t value her life and freedom so much.


    "As Princess Aurora and I were taking a walk, she identally bumped into Luna Zara. She got angry andshed out at the Princess who apologised to her afterwards. But then, she decided to call her names. She said she was a gold digger who only chose you so she''d be the Luna of the Pack because she''s power-hungry..."


    "She said all those?" I asked, struggling to believe all that I heard.


    "Yes, my Alpha. She evenpared her to Princess Sophia and said she was much better than Princess Aurora. She said she looks like someone who was from the gutters and wasn''t fit to be the Luna of the Pack."


    I turned to Aurora as the maid spoke those words and I could see how much those words hurt her. I wondered why that woman had to be so mean for no just cause. I knew she had never liked me and I didn''t expect her to. I didn''t like her either.


    She was the mother of my fiercest rival and she got married to my father and became Luna at the expense of my mother. We were bound to have disagreements.


    What I couldn''t understand was how Aurora got involved in all of that and I was keen to stop it. I wasn''t going to allow her to intimidate Aurora, not when she was my mate and Queen.


    "How dare you talk to Princess Aurora in that manner?" I yelled at Zara, as anger got the better of me. I was so mad that I felt like tearing her apart that instant, just like I wanted so badly to do to her son if he hadn''t escaped. I still nursed that thought, just in case he wanted to return someday.


    "Never in your life should you talk to her in that manner. Don''t even think about it or you''ll leave to regret it. You have no such rights and you must learn to mind your business. You can''t just go around being a busybody. Sometimes, there''s a need to have some respect for yourself!"


    She didn''t say a word but from her expression, I could see the boldness she had earlier, leave her. She cowered at my words and she had to. Those threats of mine weren''t empty and she needed to tread with caution if she wanted to remain on my good side.


    "If you dare to talk badly about Princess Aurora ever again," I harshly warned her again. "I''ll see to it that you''re sent out of the Castle with immediate effect!"


    "Impossible! You can''t do that," she protested. "No one can send me out of my matrimonial home. Not even you, Alpha Bane."


    "Try me," I scoffed. "You can look around you. Do you see your son? Just try me."


    She turned around very angrily and walked away while I hugged Aurora tightly, not minding the presence of everyone around us. "Are you alright?" I asked her.


    "Yes."


    "Let''s have that walk now," I said to her, dismissing everyone else except her maid.

 The Lead

    Dn''s POV


    I sat on the couch and chewed on a little stick as I waited for the arrival of my men. They had been gone for a while and the day of their return hade.


    Yet, there was no sign of them anywhere. I didn''t want them to get into the Pack without me knowing that they had arrived and so I left my room so early in the morning and sat on the couch in the sitting room, with a few guards by my side, as usual, anxiously waiting for them to return.


    As I turned around and saw the guards, a feeling of happiness sprang up within me. "I need some water immediately," I said to them as one of them quickly left to get it.


    In about two to three minutes, he was back with a ss of water in hand and after handing it over to me, I looked at it for some time and decided not to drink it, since


    I wasn''t thirsty anyway.


    "Here," I said to him, handing the ss of water over to him as he looked so shocked."You can have it. Drink it "


    "Thank you," he said, taking the ss of water from me. He stared at me for a bit before drinking the water.


    "Good," I said, with a smile on my face. He must have thought that I probably didn''t trust him or something like that. How wrong he was!


    I was only trying to test out my powers with him. Although I was in the Pack of the rogues, I was treated like a king. I felt like a King.


    At some point, I began to think about staying there since I had all the privileges that I craved back in my Pack.


    A rogue Pack was still a rogue Pack. Anything could happen at any time, especially when one would least expect it. They were called Rogues for a reason. Besides, through them, I had gotten some experience on how I was to rule a Pack and I couldn''t wait to do it in my Pack, where I truly belonged.


    "Has anyone seen Johnny?" I asked the guards but they all shook their heads.


    I began to wonder if anything had gone wrong somehow or if they were caught. "What if they were right about the security?" I asked myself, trying not to concede to the thoughts in my head but it was so hard. I couldn''t afford to lose two of my trusted men, especially Johnny, who wasn''t only an asset but my best friend. "He''s going to be so..."


    I heard some voices down the corridor, very close to the parlour and I sat up in anticipation. It was Johnny''s voice. I was so sure about it.


    The door opened and Johnny and the spy walked in full of smiles and I finally got myself to calm down a bit. From the look on their faces too, it seemed to me that their journey was either partly or fully sessful. I just had to hear what they had to say.


    "We have some great news for you, Dn," said Johnny as they walked to where I sat.


    "Can I sit?" Asked Danny, the spy and I nodded.


    He and Johnny sat beside me as Danny proceeded to tell me what happened in the Silver Moon Pack.


    "So I got through to Sophia through the help of one of the guards in the building," he began. "Ivan is his name. He let me get into the dungeon when no one was watching. He did give me a warrior''s attire, just in case and I put it on."


    "What about Sophia?" I asked. "How did she react when you told her that I sent you?"


    "Well, she looked a bit stunned at first and I became concerned if she knew who you were but she imed that she knew and so I went on to tell her everything you told me concerning the n to break her out of the cell and bring her here to you so that we can continue our ns to strike Bane when he''d least expect." "You did great, Danny," Imended him. "Surely, you''ll get your reward once I get on that throne."


    "Thank you so much," he bowed. "Sophia was so excited when I told her about the n. She was so eager to join us and deal with Bane so well. She''s looking forward to the day we''ll break her out of her cell."


    I was ted on hearing that. Our n wasing along. It was only a matter of time now as I was one step closer to defeating Bane and taking back my birthright.


    "We have to get to work as soon as possible, now that we have the chance and an inside man who would be keen on helping us. Who knows? He too might want


    to join us. The earlier we take action, the better it''ll be for us."


    They both nodded in agreement.


    "How discreet would we be, Dn?" Johnny asked. "I feel we need to kidnap her in a way that no one would know or suspect anything. Before they''ll know what''s going on, she should have already been gone. What do you think?"


    "I think you should leave everything to me, Johnny. I have a n and my n is a perfect one. Trust me when I say that it''s certainly going to be very fruitful without a doubt."


    "Okay," he nodded.


    "This calls for a celebration guys. A big celebration! Go get some women and wine, Johnny, let us drink and have the time of our lives! We deserve it, don''t we?"


    Johnny nodded and proceeded to get the women.


    Alpha Bane''s POV


    "How has the Pack been faring in my absence?" I asked my father, as we both sat in the throne room.


    "I told you that I was going to handle things very well, didn''t I? The Pack has made a lot of progress since you left and we''ve managed to seal off our borders with most rogue Packs, just like you instructed."


    "Thank you, father. I''m thankful."


    All of a sudden, a thought came across my mind concerning Dn. I remembered that for a long time, he looked like a forgotten man instead of a haunted man. We were to track him down and deal with him ruthlessly regardless of where he was, although I had given the instruction, I didn''t know if anyone followed it.


    "What about Dn, dad? Have you made time to send spies to check out the neighbouring Packs to know where he had gone to hide? He couldn''t have gone


    so far."


    "I have, my son. Indeed, we even have a lead," he replied, much to my surprise. "I got some information that Dn might be hiding away in a Rogue Pack not so far from here."


    I raised my brows in surprise. "Why didn''t you tell me this?" I asked.


    "I didn''t want to disturb you since you only just arrived."


    I shrugged but said nothing about that, even though I didn''t think it was enough reason to not tell me something of that magnitude.


    "What''s the progress, dad? We need to act very fast. Do you know the name of the exact Rogue Pack so we can decide when to strike that food?"

 The Alpha King’s Visit To The Dungeon

    Princess Sophia''s POV


    It was so early in the morning and I wondered why I felt so hungry. My stomach rumbled and I could hear it growl.


    If only I could give it what it wanted. I was at the mercy of my parents as they chose when I was supposed to be served food. If they decided that I was supposed to eat just once in a whole day, then I was going to be served once.


    What they didn''t know was that Ivan always found a way to get food for me. Just like the previous night, I had nothing to eat. Well, food was served to me but the maid and guard that brought it looked at me disdainfully and I kicked the te away in anger. It was only then that I realised that I had nothing else to eat and I was quite famished. They just cleared the ce and took the te away. Stupid fools.


    Luckily for me, Ivan arrived just in time and he got me some food. I was so pissed and angry that I didn''t even let him touch me and thankfully, he understood my mood and let me be. Not without leaving the food behind, which I enjoyed so well.


    I didn''t know why my parents would choose to treat me so badly despite all we had been through together. Despite what had happened, I didn''t think I deserved to be treated the way I was.


    I wasn''t the one who switched myself. It was my mother who did that. I had just been born at the time; how on Earth was I supposed to have stopped her?


    It was only after I had grown up a bit that she told me. I was already eighteen. What was I supposed to do? Tell my parents that they weren''t my parents? Leave my position as a Princess which I had enjoyed for eighteen long years and be a servant? Would they have done the same if they were in my shoes? Certainly not and they knew it. They just thought it wise to use me as a scapegoat.


    They didn''t care about how I felt concerning the whole situation. I


    No one did. They were only so keen to judge. It wasn''t easy for me at all. I had already gotten so used to the life of royalty that I didn''t know how I was to survive outside of it.


    Besides, I was going to be met with ridicule and insults and even some physical abuse from the maids, guards and anyone else whom I might have stepped on his or her toes in the past. The people might have made me aughing stock and I would have to bow my head in shame wherever I went, for a crime that I didn''tmit.


    The only crime Imitted was being born. If I wasn''t, I''d have had nothing to do with the chains around my hands and my legs. I would never have needed to have sex with a guard, not for my pleasure but for favours.


    Well, I had more pressing issues to concern myself with. My stomach still called out to me for help and I hoped that Ivan woulde. I doubted that though, especially with the way I treated him the previous night.


    The door to my cell suddenly opened and I turned around with a smile, hoping that it was Ivan. It wasn''t, and the smile was knocked back off my face as I beheld the two people that I didn''t want to see for any reason.


    My parents walked into the dungeon, side by side, probably to pay me a courtesy visit as they didn''t look like people who had a verdict to pronounce. They were alone too. They''d havee with some guards if they wanted to pass a verdict.


    "Leave here, this instant!" I yelled at them with anger in my heart. "I don''t want to see any of you. Get out!"


    I shook the chains vehemently as if I could break free from them. I just wanted to take a break from the hold, hit those two so hard and then return to the chains if I had to. Their presence in my cell irked me.


    They stood their ground, unwilling to go anywhere. Instead, my father walked toward me, leaving my mother behind and stopped a bit close to me. "This is my dungeon. This cell is my cell," he said with a defiant look on his face. "The right to decide what happens here belongs to me and not you. You have no such rights here, little one I decide what I want to do and what I don''t. Yours is to do what you''re asked. You''re a prisoner, under captivity. I''d be more humble if I were you."


    My mother walked slowly and stood by his side and I patiently waited for them to tell me why they were there.


    "We came here to inform you that we have decided to banish your real mother, never to set her feet in this Pack again. What she did was deserving of death but we have chosen to tread the path of mercy."


    "I don''t care," I said, rolling my eyes. "You can do whatever you want to do. It''s none of my business."


    "You don''t care about your biological mother? Do you not see her as your mother?" My father asked, with his eyes so wide to express his shock.


    "I don''t care," I snickered.


    They sighed, turning to look at each other. "We''d also want to ask you what punishment you''d want us to give to you. It''s been so hard for us to think of what to do with you, Sophia. Even though you rebelled against us and did so many bad things, we still see you as our daughter in a way as we''ve shared so many memories."


    As my mother spoke, she seemed sincere but I didn''t care. I knew she had never liked me as I thought she should.


    "If you hadn''t done what you did," my father added. "You''d have remained my favourite human till now."


    I didn''t believe him. He was probably just saying that to make me feel like it was


    all my fault. That''s what people were good at; pointing fingers at others and making them look bad when they were in fact, the bad ones.


    "If I was really your favourite person, you wouldn''t have thrown me into a dungeon and ripped me off my title as Princess. You don''t like me. You both don''t and I regret being your daughter!"


    The statement seemed to trigger something in them. It looked to have angered them and I could see it in their eyes. I didn''t care. I was only being honest.


    They turned around, seeing that I wasn''t in the mood for any of their talks and began to walk away. "We''ll be back," my father said as they left. "That''s a promise.


    As they left and locked the door, I ced my hands on the ground and screamed aloud with tears dropping from my eyes.

 Bonding Time

    Aurora''s POV


    Darkness filled the entire room as Iy on the bed, waiting for Alpha Bane to return. After our stroll, he decided to go to his Beta andplete the discussion that he was having with him because it was so serious and needed to be talked about.


    At first, I tried to protest as I wanted him with me and not anyone else. Especially, after all, that Dn''s mother said to me, which I struggled to let go of, I needed someone by my side. I needed him by my side as he was the only one capable of making me calm down.


    But I did understand that I couldn''t have him at that point because he had other pressing matters at hand and they were, I dared to think, more important than keeping a lonely girlpany.


    I thought about my parents and my Pack atrge. I was having a good time there for the first time in a very long time. The people in the Pack were starting to treat me so well. I knew it was because I was the Princess but yeah, it still felt very good.


    My parents? They were so loving. My mom, most especially, always ensured that I wasn''t alone and didn''t feel as lonely as I currently felt in the room, with no one to talk to, just waiting for Alpha Bane toe to my room and save me.


    Going out too didn''t seem like the best thing to do. I could never tell when I was going to run into that hateful woman and with Alpha Bane not around, I didn''t know what the oue was going to be.


    As I was still lost in my thoughts, I heard a knock on the door and I wondered if it was Alpha Bane. It seemed quite weird as he normally never knocked.


    "You cane in," I said, eagerly waiting to see who it was.


    "Oh. Anna..."


    It was my maid. I had told her toe to my room at that time so she could help me run some errands. She was the reason why I didn''t run mad earlier on as she came to keep mepany. She loved to do that. I was d she enjoyed mypany as I did hers.


    Earlier on, I decided to make some food for Alpha Bane and Ann was very helpful to me. She helped me cut the things I used to make the food and even offered to help me make the food but I insisted on doing it myself.


    "I need you to do something for me, Anna. Please help me check on Alpha Bane. He''s runningte already. Find out why he''s not here yet and get back to me, okay?"


    "Okay, Princess."


    She turned around and left the room while I tapped the bed with my fingers feeling so uneasy.


    In just about four minutes, she was back. She knocked on the door and I came in at my signal. "Alpha Bane will soon be here, ma''am. He''s already on his way to your room."


    Before I could thank her, Alpha Bane walked past her into the room and I squealed. I couldn''t contain the excitement within me and didn''t know what came over me. I sprang up from the bed and ran to him, embracing him a big hug.


    "You smell nice," I said to him, as the sweet scent of his perfume filled my nostrils. "Thank you."


    "I''ve missed you so much," I said to him, pulling him in for a kiss. I turned to see the maid bow her head in embarrassment and I almostughed.


    "You can go now," I said, and she turned around and did just that, leaving just me and Alpha Bane in the room.


    I held his right hand and dragged him to the bed and then I began to slowly remove his clothes. "You''ve had these the whole day, aren''t you ufortable? You need some air."


    I took off his shirt and admired his wonderful physique. "Tell me, how did your day go?"


    Alpha Bane''s POV


    "Well, it was stressful as always. You know, Pack matters and all. Does it ever end?"


    She smiled a bit and I loved it so much when she did that. She was so cute and innocent, yet, she was fierce when she needed to be. All these qualities made me love her even more.


    "I spoke with my dad for quite a long time today. We took time to talk about different matters and one of the things we talked about was Dn."


    "Dn," she asked, looking shocked, as she adjusted herself on the bed, probably to pay more attention to the news that I bore. "What happened to him?"


    "We got the news that he is hiding away in a nearby Rogue Pack. We don''t have the name of the Pack yet, but there are only a few rogue Packs around us so it shouldn''t be so hard to locate him and make him pay dearly for his crimes. We''ve sent some guards to act as spies in those Packs and soon, I''m sure they''ll bring us some good news. You just wait and see."


    She smiled, this time very broadly. It was clear to me that she was ted for me but I noticed something else. It wasn''t just about the piece of information that I just gave her. She seemed super hyped up to see me tonight and I loved it. I never knew it felt that good to be wanted; to be loved and craved. I wanted it to never end.


    "It seems like I''ve gotten very used to having you around," she winked at me. That''s why I always miss you so much when you''re not around. It makes me feel like a part of me is missing and you''re that part of me."


    I shrugged. Although my heart was warmed by her words in a very nice way, I


    couldn''t help but let my mind drift off to other things.


    I suddenly thought about buying her a ring and just getting married to her. As I


    stared at her, I imagined how beautiful our children were going to be and I couldn''t wait to carry our child. I didn''t know when I began to smile because of those thoughts.


    "Soon enough, all these will be a reality; our reality," I murmured within me before I saw a hand waving right in front of me very repeatedly.


    "What''s going on?" She asked, but I didn''t want to answer. I didn''t think it was important to do that.


    "Don''t worry about that," I said to her smiling.


    "I made you some food. I''m sure you''re famished after such a hectic day," she shrugged.


    I pulled her in for an embrace in appreciation for her gesture and then kissed her briefly.

 Hastening Plans

    Dn''s POV


    The Next Morning


    "Bend down properly girl, I need to feel you more!" I screamed at a young female rogue as I went in and out of her in very quick strokes.


    I bent her over and began to thrust my member deep inside her as she moaned in pleasure. It felt so good that I shut my eyes in ecstasy.


    I had had sex with severaldies in the Pack but she was different. Something about her made me want her so much and I just kept going on and on.


    I felt her stop pushing herself toward me and I didn''t like that. So I grabbed her neck with both hands and thrust in with reckless abandon as she kept screaming in pleasure.


    I could swear that she had never had a man like me; a real man, who knew exactly what pleasure was, and how to give to any woman of my choice.


    I went out of her and turned her around so that I could see her voluptuous bosoms as I guided myself back into her and resumed my thrusting.


    This time, I took time to suck on each nipple and then moved my lips to hers and passionately kissed her as I enjoyed her.


    Then she ced her right hand on my head. I felt she was probably carried away by what was going on but that was no excuse for such behaviour. Her duty was to lie there and do exactly as told. It wasn''t in her ce toy her filthy hands on my head and although it did feel good having her run her hand through my skull; even drawing a few moans from me, she had no right to do that.


    "Get those stupid hands off me!" I yelled at her as she immediately did that. "Don''t do that again."


    I saw that she trembled after that and I had to make her rx. Sex was better when both parties were rxed and I knew exactly what to do.


    I drove deeper and deeper into her, adding even more strength to my thrusts and caressing her breasts with both hands. I was going to pleasure the fear out of her and I did just that. In no time, she was screaming my name all over the room.


    All of a sudden, my door opened and someone entered without knocking. I abruptly paused to see who it was and it was my friend; Johnny, who rudely barged into my room.


    I was very angry. How dare he? I felt a strong urge tosh out at him for daring to intrude on my privacy. No one had the right to do that. Not even him, my friend.


    "I''m so sorry, Dn, he apologised. "I know that I shouldn''t have barged into your room this way. If it was something that could wait, I''d have surely waited outside for you to be done. I didn''t also know what was going on in here and again, I apologise. I came here bearing very important news that couldn''t wait. The news is also only good for your ears alone."


    On hearing his words, I had no choice but to calm down since it wasn''t his fault. If it was that important, then he just had toe in. But, it had to be that important as I was prepared to let all hell break loose if he interrupted me for nothing relevant. I wasn''t going to take it lightly for any reason.


    I roughly pushed thedy out of the bed and she fell with a thud, staring at me in shock. "Leave here this instant!" I yelled at her as she scampered to see if she could take any of her clothes before leaving.


    She was stark naked but I didn''t care. It was none of my business. Her job was done, albeit not even fullypleted due to Johnny''s interference and she just had to leave.


    "Can I grab my clo...clothes?" She stammered, looking so pitiful. If I was in a better mood, I might have considered her request.


    I wasn''t. I didn''t want her anywhere around the room at that point. "Leave here this instant or I''ll make you regret it. Don''t make me say this again," I frowned at her as she immediately turned to leave, bowing her head in shame.


    I caught Johnny staring at thedy with a pitiful look on his face and I didn''t find that funny. "You''re such a weakling, aren''t you?" I snidely remarked, annoyed that he was buying into the youngdy''s antics. "What brought you here? It had better be worth it or else..."


    "I just got some news from our spy, Danny, that there could be a problem with our n," he dered.


    "A problem? What happened?"


    "The spy told me that our location seems to have been uncovered by Alpha Bane. As we speak, they know that we''re in this Pack and it''s only a matter of time before they''lle after us, Dn. What do we do?"


    I couldn''t believe my ears. It had to be a joke. When we arrived at the Red Rogue Pack, we never knew that anyone was going to trace us to that ce. Besides, we left no trails behind, so anyone who had any sort of idea about where we were must have been close. Perhaps, just like we sent a spy to find out what was going on there, they probably did the same and I had no clue who it was.


    "This can''t be happening," I muttered repeatedly. "Not now at all. This is just not the time for all of this. Not now that we''re so close to getting what we want."


    I paced around the room with annoyance, kicking the wall as I got to it. We had to act fast. We couldn''t let them beat us for any reason. I had to think of something very quickly.


    "Danny told me that they know that you''re in a Rogue Pack not so far from their Pack. Now, they''ve sent even more spies and have begun to organise their warriors for a sudden attack. "


    That was all it took to convince me that he wasn''t joking. They did know that we were close and it was going to be disastrous to let them strike first.


    In anger, I hit a ss vase in the room so hard, allowing it to crash to the floor.


    ''The investigation was said to have been led by your father, Dn. It was he who sent the spies to find out where you are."


    "We have to hasten Sophia''s kidnap and immediately draw up alternative ns," I said to him, disappointed that my father could do something like that. I felt betrayed by him. "I need you to head to the quarters of the Rogue Alpha. I''d love to discuss this with him before things get out of hand. Do this immediately. There''s no time to waste.


    He nodded and I excused myself from the room, intent to take a stroll and think about a lot of things.


    I knew that our sess or failure depended on me and what I thought. I couldn''t let us fail for any reason. We just had to win.

 Relaying Wedding Plans

    Alpha Bane''s POV


    As we walked down the streets, I stared at my father''s face for a while as he walked beside me. I didn''t know how to start saying what I wanted to say and how he was going to take it but I was quite certain that I needed to.


    "You seem to be looking at me way more than normal, son. Is there a problem?" He asked with a smile on his face and I couldn''t help butugh.


    "Not so, dad. It''s just that there''s something I''d love to talk to you about, if you don''t mind," I chuckled.


    He stared at me for a while, probably wondering what it was, but after a while, he took a deep breath and ced his hands on his waists. "Go on, my son. You can always talk to me about anything you want. I mean, that''s what I''m here for, isn''t it?"


    "Thank you, father," I said, scratching my head and clearing my throat so that I could talk to him properly. "It''s about Aurora. I need to tell you something about her."


    "What happened to her?" He asked, looking a bit worried.


    "No. No. Nothing happened to her. It''s just that I n to make her solely mine," I said to him but he seemed to not be getting my point. "I n to get married to Aurora. I want to wed her as soon as possible."


    Heughed aloud, much to my annoyance. He must have thought that I was trying to pull his legs or tell a joke but I wasn''t. It was something that I had made up my mind to do. If not, there''d have been no need to even bring her with me back to the Pack.


    "How do you even want to do that, Alex?" He asked, struggling to control hisughter as much as he could, all to no avail. "It doesn''t seem like something you may want to do now."


    I smiled, knowing that I came to him very prepared. I dipped my hands into my pocket and took out a huge, sparkling diamond ring. I turned to look at my father''s face and saw how surprised he looked.


    His eyes were so wise, probably because he never thought that I was so serious about it and he was also probably amazed at how costly the ring must have been. That''s what I thought though. What I was so certain of was that he was shocked.


    "Where did you get this?" He asked, still unable to close his mouth. That only made me even happier because my father wasn''t an easy man to impress.


    He wasn''t a man who was moved by material things. Gifts and all seldom touched him. I''d only seen him get so happy about a gift and it was given to him by Dn''s mother. Apart from that, he never seemed impressed by anything or anyone too.


    "I had Donald call the most expensive jeweller in the Pack and luckily for us, this was still avable," I replied, raising my right brow. "We were even told that it was thest of it and if we hade about an hour or twoter, we might not have been able to get it. I don''t think I was fortunate, as they tried to imply though. I think it was fate."


    Still in shock, he stretched forth his hand and I handed the ring over to him so he could have a clearer look. "This piece is beautiful," he muttered, still admiring the beauty. "I didn''t know you were this serious, Alex. I''m super surprised, son. Wow."


    "Well, I am."


    "Don''t you think it''s rather too early?" He asked, handing the ring back to me.


    "It''s not, dad. It''s long overdue in my opinion," I countered. "I have already marked her back in her Pack when I went for the annual festival. Now, we''ve been living together in the same room ever since we returned from her Pack so why the wait?"


    "Is this why you brought her back with you?"


    "It is. Why else would I do that? I have even discussed this with her parents and they gave me their blessings. They were very happy to receive the news and it pleased me so much. Now, I''m here to get your blessings too."


    I waited for him to say something but he didn''t. He just kept looking at me and I did the same. While we did that, several thoughts ran through my mind. I wondered if he didn''t want us to get married. I felt like he might not like Aurora, much like Dn''s mother.


    Well, I had already made up my mind to do what I wanted. I was going to marry her whether he wanted or gave his consent to it or not. Yet, I wanted his consent and blessings. It was never a good thing to start on something as important as marriage on a bad note. Regardless of how he treated me before, I still believed in my father''s blessings.


    Suddenly, he pulled me into a hug out of nowhere and I gasped in surprise. "You have my blessings, son," he said to me. "Congrattions to you both. Go ahead and wed her as soon as you want. I have no doubts that you both will make a great couple."


    I smiled, still holding onto him. My fears were taken away by his words and I knew I was one step closer to my goal. There was no one hindering us from carrying out our ns as all the parties involved had given their consent.


    I thought about my mother too. If only she were still around, she''d have blessed our union too. It was something I always dreamed would happen. Unfortunately, it just wasn''t to be.


    "Yourte mother would be so proud of you, Alex, if she were still here," my father added as if he was reading my mind at the time. "I''m so sorry about the way that I treated you in the past. I admit that I was very wrong and should never have made you and your mother go through all that you did. From the depth of my heart, I apologise to you my son."


    "I''m just very happy to know that we''re close now. Whenever I look at how we are today inparison to how we used to be, I''m amazed. It''s something that puts a smile on my face and I''m thankful for that."


    I quickly brushed off his apologies as I didn''t want to think much about what had happened in the past. I didn''t want my mood to change that instant so I chose to focus on the present.


    I spotted a figure from the corner of my eyes, as I still held on tightly to my father. It was Dn''s mother, hiding in the corner of the Royal garden and she looked so sad and angry.


    Her nose red and I noticed her take deep, long, breaths. I was so sure she wasn''t enjoying the sight in front of her. I didn''t care. That was her business, not mine. But then as she kept eye contact, I felt chills and I needed to say something.


    As I broke the hug, I noticed that she had quickly disappeared from where she was hiding. Coward! I''d have given her a piece of my mind.


    "What''s the matter, son?" My father asked. He had probably noticed that was looking elsewhere and it got his attention.


    "It''s nothing, dad. Don''t worry about that. I''m here now. Can we take a stroll back to the Castle?"


    "Sure, son."

 Love Sick Fool

    Princess Sophia''s POV


    "Not again," I muttered under my breath as I caught a glimpse of Ivan walking into my cell with something in his hands.


    As usual, I suspected it to be food as he was always fond of bringing that to my cell. It was a gesture that I very much appreciated. What I didn''t appreciate were his constant visits as I was beginning to get tired of all of that.


    As much as I loved the food as it saved me from a whole lot of problems mostly caused by me, I knew it was his tactic to buy himself a moment or two to talk to me and I despised that fact.


    As he slowly walked in with a smile on his face, I felt so tempted to just walk up to him and knock that smile off his face as quickly as possible. But I couldn''t. I was restrained by the stupid chains and even if I wasn''t, he was too useful to me for something like that to be done. Yet, I craved it so much.


    I wondered why he didn''t just send a maid or another guard; just anyone else, to get it. It''ll have been much easier that way as I wouldn''t have to bother about a lot of things.


    "You know you could have just sent someone else and saved yourself all the stress," I remarked in a coy manner, as soon as he dropped the food in front of me."You don''t always have to do these things yourself, you know."


    "I know that, Princess. I''d have done that but I couldn''t. I''d even told a maid to get it before calling her back. I just wanted to see you, Princess. I''ve missed you so much and I just felt the need to be around you."


    He paused and looked at my face. He probably wanted to know how I felt and as much as I wanted to hide the disgust that I felt, it was just so hard to do that.


    "I heard that the Alpha King and the Luna Queen came to see you here in your cell the other day," he added, after observing my visage. "I also wanted to know what they discussed with you. I was very curious."


    I was irked by that statement. "Did he just have to be a busybody?" I asked myself, struggling to find out why he was just so nosy. I just wanted to send him out that very instant as I felt so much anger inside of me.


    But on second thought, I knew I had to calm down and take things easy. Treating him badly might have felt so good at that time but the consequences were surely going to be dire. He had been so helpful to me for the past few days; more than anyone else that I could remember and he did things for me with so much dness in his heart. Although, I didn''t know if it got me even more pissed.


    I was already on his good side and it was important for me to stay there. Looking at all that he had been doing and the way he always rted with me, the only way that I could reciprocate that energy was to just talk to him. That was all he wanted; to see that I enjoyed hispany. Even if I didn''t, I had to try somehow to pretend that I did. Yet, it got increasingly harder each day.


    "Well, they came here to pay me a courtesy visit, in their words. They wanted to know how I was faring in the dungeon that they kept me in," I narrated. "They told me that they were going to banish Mrs Scott from the Pack. I wonder if they''ve done that already. Then they asked me what punishment I wanted..."


    "That''s ridiculous!" He interjected.


    "You can say that again, Ivan. They simply wanted to mock me and they seeded. When they saw that I wasn''t going to yield to their cheap tactics of making me feel like they had any kind of love for me, they had no choice but to leave the cell. I did throw it in somehow that I regretted being their child though. I just had to."


    "I don''t know why but I keep having this feeling that they''re going toe around," Ivan said. "I think they''ll likely let you go soon without any form of punishment."


    I didn''t care. I had already made up my mind to despise them and never imagine anything gooding to me from them.


    "I''m not going to wait around for their mercy. I''m not that pathetic. As soon as the door opens up, I''ll be out of this stupid Pack for good, never to return, unless there''s a revenge mission to carry out.''


    "Now that you mentioned, my Princess, Dn will soon be here with his people to rescue you and since you''re going to run away with him, what n do you have for us?" He asked.


    I paused, trying to get his question very well, which I did after a few seconds. "What ns are you even talking about?" I asked him, feigning ignorance.


    "I''d love to leave with you to Dn''s Pack, my Princess," he confessed. "I can''t afford to be here without you. Ever since we reunited here, I said in my heart that I wouldn''t let you go anymore. I''ll go with you wherever you choose to go."


    I was livid. How dare he mention that to my face. I knew we had a lot to do with each other and indeed, it was capable of blinding people from proper reasoning but he seemed to be forgetting that I was the princess and he was just a guard. We were just having a fling, nothing else. Someone like him should have known that and had it not been for my chains, he''d have had no guts to say something like that or even mean it.


    "You can''t follow me to his Pack," I said, rolling my eyes. "If you do so, the guards in the Pack will quickly notice my absence and it''ll be easier to track us and get me back here in the cell. Is that what you want?"


    "But I can find a way for us to do it without getting noticed," he tried to convince me. "I can..."


    "All the ns you have in your head are probably just uncalcted risks which may lead us into further trouble. I might even get killed too. If you truly want me to be free, then you''d allow me to leave the cell with Dn''s men without you."


    He shook his head for a while and then nodded in agreement. "It''s fine. As long as you''re safe."


    He looked disappointed but I was ted. It was my n to finally be rid of him because as much as he loved me so much, I didn''t feel the same way. I just wanted to use him and after my escape, he''d be a liability to me and I didn''t want that.


    He drew close to me and touched my cheeks, trying to lean in for a kiss but I pushed him away. "I can''t. Not right now. I''m so tired and I just want to rest."


    He stood, clearly unhappy and turned to leave and I knew I had to do something to appease him. "Hey, Ivan," I called out to him as he turned around. "I won''t be tired forever, you know. You shoulde backter so we can spend some time together. I''d love that."


    He finally smiled and nodded his head before turning to leave while I just snickered.

 The Surprise Proposal

    Aurora''s POV


    "Where are you taking me to, Alpha Bane?" I asked, as he grabbed me by the hand and began to move forward.


    Earlier that day, Alpha Bane asked me to take a walk with him to the garden and I didn''t know why, especially because he had told me the previous night that he had a hectic day ahead of him.


    "What do you want us to do there?" I asked him, still looking a bit confused.


    "We can''t go for a walk again or we can''t enjoy the view of the garden, my love?" That was it. I had no answer to his questions because there was nothing to say. It was clear that we were certainly going to be at the garden and I just left him and began to prepare.


    As we left the room, I saw him put something into his left pocket. It was ck but I couldn''t particrly say what it was. I just told myself that I''ll carefully observe him so I''ll know exactly what it was.


    As we got to the garden, Alpha Bane paused to look at me. I gazed into his face and I was reminded of how handsome the love of my life was. When he smiled at me, staring at me with those beautiful eyes, I just felt like jumping into his arms that instant.


    He reached out to his pocket and took out the ck stuff that I saw him put in there. It was a blindfold and he waved it in front of me. "This is for you, my love," heughed.


    "No way. I''m not going to let you put that on my face. Why would you do that?" I asked,ughing and stretching my right hand to take the blindfold from him but he just kept moving it away from my reach.


    "What if I told you that I have a surprise for you and so I need you to put the blindfold on so I could take it to where it is, would you put it on?"


    "Do you have a surprise for me?" I asked, very excited. No one had ever given me anything as a surprise. Well, Mrs Scott did, but all she gave me were unpleasant surprises.


    "Yes, I do," he said with a nod. "Now, can you please put this on?"


    He handed the blindfold over to me and I put it on myself. Then he went behind me and tightened it so that I wouldn''t be able to peek through it or anything like that.


    It was as if he knew my n because heughed aloud when he was tightening it. He must have noticed that I had made it slightly loose just in case my curiosity got the better of me.


    Grabbing me by the hand, we walked for several minutes and I wondered when it was all good to be over. I had no idea what he wanted to show me and why my eyes had to be closed.


    "Please, where are you taking me to?" I asked again, wishing I could just take the blindfold off.


    "You should guess, my love. Try it out. We''ll soon get there."


    "Well, I hear the sound of flies and crickets and I think we''re close to the centre of the garden.


    "Wow. You''re right, my dear. You do know this ce a lot, don''t you?"


    "I try," I giggled. "Now, tell me what I want to hear."


    He said nothing. He was suddenly mute and left my hand too. I was so full of curiosity as I wondered what was to happen next.


    I waited for him to untie since I guessed we had arrived where he wanted us to.


    He did. He took his time though, making sure that I felt so anxious all the way.


    As soon as he was done, I opened my eyes, beheld the scene in front of me and gasped. It was so beautiful.


    There were red flowers everywhere, interspersed with beautiful blue ones and their smell? Simply heavenly. The entire ce was decorated with beautiful candles that were lit. It was as romantic as ever.


    I turned to face him, wondering why he had to do all that and I saw that he was on


    his knees behind me, holding a box with a ring.


    I gasped and put my right hand over my mouth.


    Alpha Bane''s POV


    I gauged her reaction, hoping that it was going to be a positive one and on seeing how she gasped, Iughed. I knew my n was sessful as it had gotten to her. "This is the best time to go for it," I thought.


    "Will you marry me, Princess Aurora?" I asked her, still reaching out to her with the ring in my hand.


    When she said nothing, I took it as a cue to go more. "I can''t wait to spend the rest of my life with you, my love. Being with you has brought me nothing but joy and happiness and I can''t thank you enough for all that you''ve done for me."


    I noticed that she was about to tear up; proof that my words affected her and I smiled subtly and continued. "I also want to apologise again for not believing you at first. I know it''s a thing of the past now, but I''m truly sorry for all of that; for all I made you go through."


    "Isn''t this too fast?" She asked, with tears dropping from her eyes. "Although we''ve talked about it, I didn''t expect you to propose this quickly."


    "It''s not," I answered, very sure I was doing the right thing. "It''s what I want to do. I love you, Aurora and if you''d ept my proposal, I''d be the happiest man in the world without a doubt."


    She giggled amidst the tears and nodded her head. "Yes, I will marry you, Alpha Bane," she said, much to my pleasure.


    She stretched out her hand and I put the ring on her finger with delight. I didn''t know exactly how to express my joy.


    She stared at the ring on her finger to see if it fit well and it did. Then I stood to my feet, pulled her in and kissed her passionately, holding the back of her head with my left hand for support.


    "Thank you, my love," I said as we broke the kiss.


    "What of your father?" She asked. "Does he know about this?"


    "Sure, he does. I''d been nning this for a long time so it was inevitable that I had


    to tell him. He gave us his blessings too. Now, I''ll have to tell your parents about the proposal."


    "We just returned from there. How do we do that?"


    "That''s what the messengers are for, isn''t it?" I chuckled, and she pped my hand softly as weughed. "I''ll be sending one to your parents to share the good news with them, my love."


    She nodded and this time, pulled me in for yet another kiss as the sun began to set. I knew, deep down, that the night was going to be a long one.

 Discussing With The Rogue Alpha

    Dn''s POV


    "He''s ready to meet you, Dn," Johnny said to me as I stood from my bed, ready to have a much-needed discussion with the rogue Alpha.


    "What''s his name again? I asked Johnny. "I tend to always forget it even though I know that I shouldn''t."


    "It''s Big Sam. That''s his name."


    I smirked. I wondered why they called him Big Sam. Yes, he was huge, but not that huge. He wasn''t huge enough to be addressed by that name. Unless there was something else about him that was that huge.


    "Thank you," I said to him, brushing the thought aside very quickly and walking to the door, before remembering something I needed to tell him.


    "You do remember what I told youst time concerning Bane and Aurora, right?" "Yes. Keep an eye on her. Check."


    He smiled and I didn''t know why. It was a very serious matter that didn''t call for anything like that but I didn''t have the time.


    I walked out of the room and went straight to the Rogue Alpha''s pce, walking right into it without knocking. I didn''t think I needed to do any of that. I was Dn Bane, after all.


    As I got in, I took my time to have a good look at my surroundings and for a rogue Pack, the pce was beautiful. I loved the transparent ss table at the centre of the room and although his throne was made of wood, it was very shiny and looked so strong. It also seemed to have a carving of his image on it. In all, it was quite impressive.


    The Rogue Alpha sat on his throne, with his hands ced on both arms of the chair and his feet on a small, wooden stool right in front of him. As I walked past him to a sofa in the room, I noticed that he kept staring at me, following me with his eyes as I walked all the way.


    I sat, not waiting for anyone to ask me to. Then I made myselffortable on the chair and turned to look at him.


    "Greetings, Big Sam," I said to him. The name still sounded a bit weird to me but I just had to call him that.


    "Greetings, Dn. Wee to my humble abode. This Pack is graced to have you among us. You called for us to meet."


    "Yes, I did. I needed us to talk about something very important; something that I want to carry out as I feel you can be of great help to me."


    "Let me hear you then," he said and gazed intently at me with rapt attention.


    "Well, I n to take down the Blue Moon Pack..."


    "Isn''t that the Pack where you came from?" He asked, abruptly interrupting me which didn''t please me at all. He could have simply waited for me to be done before saying such to me but I let it pass. I had no choice.


    "Yes, it is," I answered, taking a deep breath to keep my temper in check. "I n to attack them soon when they least expect it. I need to take down Alex Bane at all costs and I''ll be needing your help to achieve that as I can''t do that alone."


    I looked at him wondering what his response was going to be, given that I had nothing to offer them in return at the time. I could only make promises if I was able to usurp Alex Bane and until then, I was pretty useless to the Rogue Alpha.


    "I knew that this day woulde," he uttered with a smile which got me a bit confused. "You know, we are also from the Blue Moon Pack but we were banished by your father. Since then, we''ve been hoping to exact our revenge. Our grievances against him and the entire Pack still live fresh in our hearts and we won''t let them go. Most people in this Pack just weren''t so courageous and so we kept our revenge mission on hold. With you, I''m certain that we''ll all have renewed strength and desire to do what we have always wanted to do. So yes, I ept your proposal. It''s an offer too good to turn down."


    I was ddened by his words. Once again, my n was moving the way that I wanted. I just needed to get Sophia out of there and then we could properly draw a n that''ll help us get what we truly deserve. If we won, the rogues were going to be allowed back into the Pack.


    "Why are you really doing this, Dn?" The Rogue Alpha asked. "I know you''re the son of the Alpha King."


    "My father betrayed me, as he did all of you," I hissed. "Now, I''ll do whatever it takes to bring him down."


    The Rogue Alpha smirked. "That''s the spirit," he said with a smile. I could tell he was so happy to finally get a chance toy his hands on my father. "Be rest assured that I''m with you all the way, Dn. You just have to rx."


    I nodded my head to show my gratitude but before I could say anything else, Johnny and a guard behind him dashed into the room in a hurry and I wondered why.


    "What''s the matter?" I asked but they didn''t look willing to talk about it.


    "It''s something urgent, Dn," he finally responded. "We need to go outside."


    I shook my head, refusing to go anywhere with him as I saw no need to do that. "You should speak," I said to him, but he seemed hesitant. "Big Sam here is on our side now, so he should be aware of whatever we choose to do. You can tell me anything right here. There''s nothing to hide from our ally."


    Dn gulped, realising that he had no other option but to spill everything right there.


    "There''s news flying around that Bane has proposed to Aurora and she said yes," he exined. "I heard that they''ll soon start their preparations for a wedding. What do we do?"


    "Our n is moving in the best direction," I smirked. "We could even decide to strike on their wedding day when they''ll least expect it. We''d be turning their joy into pain and death."


    "What do you mean?" Johnny asked.


    "Don''t worry about that," I waved him off, a bit absentmindedly. "We''ll be kidnapping Sophia tomorrow instead of the day that we previously agreed to do that. We have no more time to waste and it''s clear right now that the earlier we move to strike, the better for all of us.


    "I agree," Johnny dered, nodding his head. The Rogue Alpha did the same, seemingly pleased that we wanted to be quick with our ns and I was sure that he too couldn''t wait to get in on the act. I was yet to exin to him where and how he and the members of his Pack were toe into the n.


    Johnny bowed and then turned around to leave the room with the guard so he could begin to organise the kidnapping squad while I turned to face the Rogue Alpha so we could resume our discussion.

 The Kidnap

    Princess Sophia''s POV


    Iy down with my eyes shut for a while, yet, I was unable to sleep. I couldn''t exin why I was so uneasy. It was as if something was going to happen. Good or bad, I couldn''t tell, but I knew something was about to happen. At least, that was how I felt.


    I sat up and listened to the crickets who sang aloud with reckless abandon, caring less about who was craving for sleep, and the hand they had in preventing that.


    I did love their crooked voices. They reminded me that things were never how they seemed. The nights were always presumed to be silent since most people would have already slept. Yet, it wasn''t. It was just as noisy as the day all thanks to the crickets. We just felt it was quiet because we usually fell asleep before they''d begin to sing their songs and the dream maker held every one of us bound in the sleeping world so we wouldn''t get to wake up.


    I turned to look at the cell door when I heard a sound, but there was no one there. The sound was a very faint one so I wondered if it was real or if it was just in my head.


    I stayed still for a while, trying to see if I could hear any sound again but I didn''t. "What''s with my thoughts?" I asked myself, wondering why my thoughts always seemed so real to me.


    I decided toy back down to see if I could finally get some sleep but just as my back touched the ground, I heard another sound and quickly sprang up.


    I felt my body begin to quiver as I wondered what was going on. I felt deep down


    that perhaps, my end was near. Maybe, a few guards had been sent by my parents to stealthily get rid of me so they wouldn''t have to make the


    pronouncement while staring me in the eyes. I always knew they were out to get rid of me.


    I began to mutter a few words within myself, not knowing what else to do. I thought about screaming but I imagined it was going to be of no use since they had the permission of the Alpha King and Queen of the Pack. So I just resigned to my fate.


    A few minutes passed, yet there was no sign of anyone and the fear in me only increased more. I felt sweat drop from my face onto the floor as I waited anxiously for something I wasn''t even sure of.


    Suddenly the door of the cell slowly opened and it dawned on me that I wasn''t out of my mind. I was right all along. People were trying to get into my cell and they had somehow managed to open the door despite all the other guards that should have ensured that it never happened.


    It was no visiting time. From the way that everywhere looked, I could swear it was midnight. So I knew that anyone who was in there came for something more than just a courtesy visit. I had to look to see who it was.


    A hefty man stepped in first, and then two other men walked in behind me, as they walked straight to where I was. I noticed another person walking into the cell too and it looked like he was the one who opened the door for them.


    As they got closer, I had a clearer view of who they were. The frontman was Danny, the spy who Dn had sent to talk to me about the n to break me out and the man who opened the door for them was Ivan.


    Dn was serious about his ims. They were there to rescue me. I had some hope that they were going to arrive but I never imagined that it was going to be that soon. But I was delighted; very delighted.


    "How were you able to get in here undetected by the other guards?" I asked Dn with a very soft tone.


    "We had a maid cook their food with a sleeping potion that I gave to her and so they''re all asleep for now. We have to leave here as soon as possible, Princess," he answered, still in a very low tone.


    I was very ted, though I struggled to express it because we needed to be as discreet as possible to avoid getting detected. If we were caught, it was likely to be the end for all of us and despite my father''s ims to love me, he was likely to have no choice but to get me executed alongside the others and I didn''t want to die. I was far too young for that.


    "Give me your hands," Ivan said as he began to unlock the chains one after the other until I waspletely free of them. It felt so good to be free once again.


    I stood to my feet and felt the urge to just jump up and scream but I wasn''t stupid.


    I just smiled to show my appreciation without saying a word.


    "Follow us," Danny said, as they led me out of the cell.


    I saw the guards lying on the floor and snoring and I knew that whatever portion was used, was a very strong one.


    I saw Ivan move in a different direction than I knew and I held his hands to find out what was going on. "We have to go through the back," he whispered. We can''t follow the gate as we''ll risk being caught and no one wants that. There''s a carriage waiting for us behind the dungeon. You just have to follow us."


    I nodded and we proceeded. The men walked in front and I just followed behind very cautiously. I thought in my heart that if there was a sign of danger, I was going to divert to my right or left and make my way out of the Pack myself. I hoped it wasn''t going to get to that.


    In a few minutes, we were already at the back of the dungeon and true to Ivan''s words, there was a carriage waiting for us. I quickly walked past the men and headed straight to the carriage so I could make my way out very quickly but I was held back.


    I turned around and as expected, it was Ivan, looking very sad. He pulled me in


    and we shared a hug. I heard him sob and it made me feel a bit bad.


    "I love you so much, my Princess," he dered, still in tears. "I wish you well and I


    hope that after everything, we''ll be reunited someday."


    "I hope so too," I said to him, just so he''d be a bit happy.


    He leaned in for a kiss and I let it happen. It was ourst day together so he


    deserved it for all the goodness that he showed me. I ced my palm on his cheek and kissed him more passionately and from the way he moaned, I was sure that he loved it.


    "We don''t have much time, we need to leave now," one of the guards said as we finally broke the kiss and said our goodbyes.


    I got into the rickety carriage and sighed in relief. As it began to move, I couldn''t help but wonder how easy the escape n was.

 Bad Nightmares

    Aurora''s POV


    "No! Don''t do that!" I screamed, running as fast as I could back to the Castle wheremotion reigned. I saw a man trying to stab one of the guards just outside the Castle and I tried to stop him but it was toote.


    I stepped out of the Castle at noon, hoping to take a stroll to the garden for the first time in a while. I had only gone just halfway when I heard someone screaming from the Castle in a high-pitched voice and I immediately turned around.


    A man''s shout became that of several men as I heard loud noises both of voices and the feet of men. I also heard the sounds of horses that probably carried men on carriages.


    The Castle had been attacked by people that I didn''t know and I needed to head back to check what was going on. On second thought, I withheld myself from moving, wondering if it wasn''t just better for me to simply turn back around and run away from the Pack or just hide somewhere to make sure I wasn''t seen by the enemies.


    "Alpha Bane. I need to see Alpha Bane," I thought aloud as every thought of running away vanished and I immediately began to dash toward the Castle. I hoped to get there early enough to meet Alpha Bane and help him wade off the intruders. I couldn''t afford to lose him.


    In a few minutes, I got close to the Castle, able to see it from quite a distance, just as I was able to see an enemy lift his knife to stab one of our guards; the chief guard precisely, who was the strongest of the warriors.


    I screamed for the assant to not do it but it was already toote. He stabbed him right in the heart and I saw blood trickle to the ground from the guard''s mouth and chest. It was a horrific sight. One that caused a lot of panic in my heart and certainly in the hearts of the other guards.


    On getting to the Castle, everywhere was in total disarray. Several guards were lying on the floor and I could recognize most of them. I quickly ran to the stairs and began to climb wondering what on Earth was going on.


    I didn''t see the assants anymore, just dead bodies everywhere with their blood all spilt on the floor.


    I got to Alpha Bane''s room and kicked the door open and I couldn''t believe my eyes. He was bleeding profusely and convulsing. He had been attacked and left for dead. The person probably left him that way to suffer before dying an agonising death.


    "Stay with me, my love," I cried, cing him in my hands, not knowing what to do. He was on the brink of death and I could see it. "Don''t leave me. Stay with me. Stay..."


    His hand went limp and his eyes shut and I knew what had happened. I also heard the screams of little children and I couldn''t take it anymore.


    cing my hands over my ears, I screamed with all the strength that I could muster and suddenly my eyes opened up and I was awake.


    It was all a dream; a nightmare, if I were to call it what it was. One that I hoped never to have again.


    My entire body shook uncontrobly as I sat up on the bed. I didn''t want to shut my eyes mistakenly and head back there. I wanted nothing to do with that dream.


    I struggled to catch my breath, cing my right hand on my chest as I took long, deep breaths. I panicked so much that it felt like my heart was going to walk right out of my chest and find a new home.


    I turned around to see Alpha Bane who just stared at me. He must have woken up when I screamed aloud. Only a dead person could stay asleep after that.


    I let out a little smile on seeing him. It was good to know that he was still alive as the dream looked and felt so real.


    "What happened?" He asked in a very gentle voice and I took two deep breaths first. Yet, I couldn''t say a word. I just opened up my mouth but no words came out.


    "Come here," he said to me, pulling me into his arms which seemed to make me calm down a bit.


    "I had a nightmare, my love," I began, with my hands refusing to stop shaking. "In that dream, we were attacked by some people and they ughtered the people in this Castle, men, women, children. They spared no one. You were killed too. I held you in my arms and witnessed your dying breath. It was so real. It felt so real. I can''t exin exactly how I felt. It..."


    "Shhh," he ced his hand over my mouth. "Rx, my love."


    I couldn''t. I felt tears trickle down my eyes as I stared at him.


    Alpha Bane''s POV


    "Take it easy," I consoled Aurora, trying my hardest to get her to rx and stop crying but nothing I did seemed to be working at all.


    She just wouldn''t stop. She was affected by the dream she had and the possibility of losing me was something she couldn''t ept.


    "Please, stop crying, honey," I kept pleading with her, time and time again. "You''ll hurt yourself over nothing."


    "This is not nothing," she countered rather angrily. "You don''t seem to understand all I''ve been saying to you. I said you were killed by your enemies, right here, inside your room. This is where you were left to die. Just there, right in front of the table. I watched as blood oozed uncontrobly out from your throat as youy on the floor, lifeless. Can''t you understand me?"


    She kept repeating those words over and over again, not minding how it made her look. If I didn''t know her so well, I''d have said she was going insane. She wasn''t. She was just so concerned about me but I didn''t see the need to be so fidgety.


    "Nothing would happen to me, Aurora," I said to her. "It''s just a dream. Nothing else. We all have dreams right? Justst night, I dreamt that I was swimming in a river and automatically found myself in the room, talking to you, still wearing the same clothes. However, the clothes weren''t wet. They were dry like I never went swimming and I couldn''t exin how I got to the room without stepping out of the water until I woke up. It was a dream. Anything can happen in your dreams. It doesn''t mean anything."


    "My dreams are not that way. They usuallye to pass," she said, refusing to be calm. "Right from when I was younger. My dreams, especially ones like this, always came to pass. That is why I''m more than scared about everything."


    At that point, I felt some kind of chills within me and I began to develop a bad feeling about the whole thing but I thought it best to wave it off.


    I kissed Aurora on the forehead and smiled at her. "Everything will be fine, my love. Just rx."


    I helped her lie back down and caressed her hair until she fell asleep again.

 Sophia’s Arrival To The Rogue Pack

    Princess Sophia''s POV


    "Ahh!" I said a bit loudly as I stood from my lying position. I felt pain all over my body; my head, my neck, my back, everywhere. I tried to stretch to see if there was going to be any difference but there was none. I was in serious pain.


    I must have slept with the wrong posture so it was bound to take a little time to heal. As soon as the journey began, I justy down in the carriage and slept the sleep that had eluded me all through the night. Since it was midnight and the ce was so dark, I was within my rights to fall asleep.


    I lifted both hands of mine as I stretched once more. Rays of light shined inside the carriage to signify that it was sunrise already. We had journeyed all night, yet we weren''t at the destination yet. I began to wonder just how far the ce was and if I was being taken to the right ce at all.


    I noticed that the carriage had slowed down a bit so I assumed that we were probably almost there or even there but probably not at the exact building we were supposed to be at.


    I looked up, hoping to see some nice things. I expected to see and full of beautiful flowers and people who wore amazing apparel but I was met with something else.


    I was shocked to see bushes all around and dirt littered all over the floor. I saw flies flying around as the birds pped their wings and flew around in excitement.


    The smell too. It was horrible and took me down memoryne. There was only one set of people who had such an awful stench. The Rogues. It had to be them. They smelled like shit and I couldn''t stand them at all. Now, it seemed I was right there in their midst, with nowhere to go.


    I lifted my brows as we drove into the wooden gates that I had spotted from afar. As I saw the gates, something in me told me that it was where we were headed but I refused to believe it. The environment looked so messy. I was hoping that since we were heading to the abode of the person in charge, the area should have looked very tidy. How wrong I was! It seemed to me like the Rogues had nothing to do with the word, ''Tidy.''


    "Where is this ce?" I asked the guard close to me but he simply ignored me and kept looking straight ahead and it annoyed me. He was just a guard. He had no right to treat me that way and if I had my way, I''d have dealt with him mercilessly. He was simply lucky to have met me when I''d been stripped of my powers as a Princess. If only I could get it back quickly enough. It was part of my ns to do that.


    "Where are we headed?" I asked him again, aware that I was pestering him. This time, he turned around to face me and gave me a very haughty look that immediately sent shivers down my spine. He looked like he was ready to hit me with his fists. I didn''t know him from anywhere, so I kept wondering if I''d offended him and how.


    "We''ve reached our destination," he said to me with a straight face. "You''ll know more when you get to meet our master."


    That was all it took. I kept mute and waited for the carriage to stop and soon enough, it did. The guard got down first and then helped me get down too.


    I took a deep breath and tried to look around to observe my surroundings but before I could do that, the harsh guard grabbed me by the wrist and pulled me rather violently. "Follow me," he yelled at me as he kept moving.


    I grumbled, hoping to get him to treat me better. "I''m ady. You should be more gentle. You don''t have to pull me this way," I protested but he didn''t care. He just kept pulling me against my will.


    Dn''s POV


    "She''s here, Dn. The abduction was very sessful, just like you said it''ll be," Johnny said to me with a smile on his face as I stood from my bed to wee our new guest.


    "Am I ever wrong?" I asked him with a smirk on my face, before tapping him on the left shoulder and walking out of the room. "Where is she?"


    "Eighth room by the left."


    "Thank you." I walked down the hallway to the room where Sophia was kept and opened the door very slowly before majestically walking into the room.


    I wanted to make my entrance very dramatic and I did. I knew she might have had her doubts as to whether it was truly me or someone else trying to deceive her through me.


    The second she set her eyes on me, she immediately got up from where she formerly sat with shock written all over her face. From the way her mouth went open, I could tell exactly what she had in mind.


    "I thought all these were a joke when I heard about your request and all. I felt someone might just have been using your name to try to carry out his schemes,* she said, still looking marvelled. "Now that I''ve seen you, I can truly believe that it''s true."


    I just smirked and ran my eyes through her body hungrily. She didn''t look like she used to. There was a clear difference.


    I noticed that she had gotten a lot slimmer than thest time we met and she also looked so tattered. I felt it was the way that they treated her there. They must have starved her sometimes and made her have her bath less frequently as she did have some sort of stench that I didn''t like, although it was nothingpared to that of most of the Rogues.


    "I need to leave now, Sophia," I said to her, scratching my hair. "The maids will attend to you. They''ll help you clean up before serving you some food. After that, please find a way to get some rest. You need it. I''ll also advise you to take your time to get used to your surroundings."


    She seemed to have something to say but I didn''t have the time for all of that. "I''ll be back here in two days so I can talk to you and then, we''ll have a very crucial discussion concerning our n. This n has already been mapped out. We need to strategize as we''re in the execution phase."


    As I finished talking and turned to leave, I heard her make a sound and I began to get upset as to why she just wouldn''t be quiet.


    "Whatever it is you have to say would have to wait," I interrupted her. "I have very important matters to attend to right now. Do have a great time here, Sophia," I said to her and I left the room with my guards following behind.

 Worse News

    Alpha Bane''s POV


    Two Days Later


    I sat in my throne room with Donald by my side as I kept reflecting on my proposal to Aurora. I wondered what would have happened if she hadn''t epted. It''ll have crushed me so badly. Thankfully, she did and all I had was pleasant memories of


    it.


    I turned to look at Donald. We had been in the room for several minutes, yet no one had said a word to the other. We both sat quietly, waiting for the return of the messenger that we sent to the Silver Moon Pack so he could tell us how it went.


    From the way Donald looked at me, it was clear that he had something in mind to say to me. Something was bothering him.


    I knew it was about the proposal. Ordinarily, I''d have informed him of my ns earlier on. Indeed, he''d have been the one to n everything but I just wanted to do it alone. It was so special to me and I needed to handle it myself. Although, part of the reason why I didn''t tell him was that I didn''t want him to know if she rejected me. Thest thing I wanted was to be taunted by my Beta.


    "It''s the proposal, isn''t it?" I asked, staring hard at him to make sure he wasn''t going to tell a lie.


    He paused for a while, saying nothing and I felt he was wondering if he should open up or not. I kept my gaze on him, intent on getting him to say something and it seemed to be working by his bodynguage.


    "Well, I''m so happy for you, my Alpha," he began, exactly the way I knew he was going to start. "I felt so ted when I heard that you got engaged with Aurora. It''s been a long timeing and I''m very proud of you..."


    "But..."


    "I''m more than surprised that you didn''t tell me about it or contact me for the arrangements," he confessed, facing the floor. "Usually, you''d tell me these things and leave me in charge of them but this time, you chose to do things quite differently. I am very certain that you have your reasons for doing that but it doesn''t stop me from, you know, thinking about it and shrugging my shoulders from time to time."


    "It wasn''t my intention to make you feel that way and I''m sorry about that," I apologised. "I just wanted to handle this one myself for once. I had this n in my head and I felt like I could perfectly execute it exactly the way I thought about it."


    "Did you?"


    "Certainly. I outdid myself, even. You should have seen the look on her face when she saw all the flowers and candles all around. She was so impressed and I loved it. Who knows if it got her a step further to ept the proposal?"


    "Who knows?" Donaldughed. "She has made you such a lovebird, you know."


    "And I don''t regret it one bit. She''s made me see a part of my life that I never knew existed. I''m sure that you never knew it existed too, but here we are."


    "So what''s next on the list now?" He asked me, looking very excited. His formerly gloomy face didn''t exist anymore and I was happy about that.


    "The wedding. We have to talk about the wedding, but first, let''s take a stroll, shall we?"


    He nodded and we both left the pce and walked out into the streets. I needed


    us to get some fresh air and I felt the discussion was going to be better if we were outside.


    "The wedding? What about it?" He asked.


    "It''s specifically why I called for you, Donald. I wanted us to talk about the wedding preparations."


    He was ted. I could see it in his eyes. He abruptly stopped and turned to me, eager to hear what I had to say.


    "The wedding is going to happen soon," I continued. "It''s going toe sooner than most would expect, including Aurora herself. I want it to be a very spectacr asion, and that is why I have called you to help me make that happen."


    "I''m highly honoured, Alpha for the privilege. As always, I''ll make sure it''s a decision that you''ll love to make again," he bowed and then looked up again at me with a huge grin. He seemed to have hit the jackpot and that was something that I loved him so much for. He was always willing to get things done for me and even got sad when I didn''t give him the opportunity. He was the best Beta I could have ever wished for. I wasn''t going to tell him that though.


    "My wife will be in charge of the decorations. You know how good she is, right? She''s going to ensure that the ce looks perfect for the asion at hand."


    "I agree. That''s a very good n."


    I knew how good his wife was. She had handled three asions in our Pack and they were all wless. People from other Packs who graced the asion never stopped talking about how amazing the ce looked. I had no doubts that she was going to do exactly what was asked and even more.


    "I wouldn''t want to inform Aurora about all that we''re doing. I don''t want her to know that I''m making arrangements for our wedding. If we let her know, she''d want to help with all of that and no one can stop her from doing that. Not even me, and I don''t want that. So, I''d let her know when we have already gone far and everything is settled."


    Donaldughed uncontrobly, covering his mouth with his right hand. "Don''t worry, my Alpha. I''ll take care of everything. She won''t have to lift a finger."


    Suddenly, I saw two guards and the Royal messenger running toward us and I wondered what was going on. They looked as if something very bad had happened and I needed to know what it was.


    "What''s happening?" Donald asked me, noticing that they were running toward us. "I hope all is well."


    Soon enough, they came to a halt, right in front of us and we didn''t have to guess what was going on. We only had to ask.


    "What''s happening?" I asked the messenger, who stood in front of the guards.


    "We went to the Silver Moon Pack, just as you sent us, my Alpha, hoping to deliver the news of your engagement to the parents of Princess Aurora but just as we got done delivering our message, they gave us a message of their own to deliver to you and the message is a very bad one."


    "What message is that?" I asked, very curious to know what was going on.


    "We were asked to let you know that Princess Sophia was kidnapped by unknown people. No one knows how they managed to get into the cell and the guards too had no exnation as to how they were unable to spot anyone going in to abduct her. We were told that they all woke up from their sleep and she was nowhere to be found."


    I couldn''t believe my ears. "How on Earth could that have happened?" I muttered to myself.


    I paced around in shock, wondering what exactly I was to make of that news. "The entire Pack and Castle is in chaos," the messenger continued. "They''re trying to get a lead on what happened from what their Alpha King said to us. They said she was kidnapped in the night, but no one has any trace whatsoever." "This is bad news," Donald mumbled and I nodded in agreement. "Damn it!" I cursed out loud and continued yelling in anger and frustration.

 Increasing Bad Feelings

    Aurora''s POV


    The entire ce was silent as the night hade upon us at the Blue Moon Pack. Yet, there was no sign of Alpha Bane and I began to get worried.


    Since he left me in the morning to attend to some Pack duties as he called them, I hadn''t set my eyes on him. He had assured me that he''ll likely be back early, as was his new habit, but just like the previous times, he failed to show up.


    Yet, this was a bit different. Unlike the other times, he had stayed out toote and it was beginning to bother me. He knew the state that I was in, due to the nightmare that I had some nights ago. It was supposed to be enough to get him to return earlier. Something didn''t feel right about all that was happening and I had to find out.


    "Anna!" I yelled, calling the attention of my maid so she could step out with me. I intended to leave my room and I didn''t want to go alone. It was prettyte and it wasn''t so advisable to tread those paths alone, especially in this Pack.


    I heard a knock on the door and I knew that it was Anna. "Come in," I said to her as she pushed the door open and walked in.


    "You called, ma''am."


    "Yes, I did," I said, getting up to my feet. "I need us to take a walk. I want to find Alpha Bane wherever he might be."


    "Ma''am, can I suggest something?" She asked timidly.


    "Sure. You can always do that."


    "Thank you, Princess. I wanted to suggest that we could wait for him here instead. He''s the Alpha of the Pack. Nothing will happen to him. He''ll soon be here before you''ll even know it. If that''s the reason why you want to find him."


    "I can''t do that, Anna. Trust me, I thought about that. I''ve been waiting for him since morning and he hasn''t shown up. I have to find a way to locate him myself. Besides, I haven''t left this room since morning so it''s not a bad idea to do that now. Let''s go."


    Walking past her to the corridor, she did the same and helped me lock my door so that we could leave. We walked down the corridor until we got outside and we began to walk slowly.


    As we walked, I took my time to look in every possible direction, just in case we could spot him somehow and not miss him whilst walking. It was going to be bad if we somehow missed him and ended up spending a lot of time looking for someone who had probably gone back to the room.


    As we walked, I spotted some maids somewhere in front of us. They seemed to be conversing so I walked closer to hear what they were talking about.


    Luckily for me, they didn''t see me. They were so engrossed with what they were talking about that they didn''t see me get even closer.


    I still couldn''t hear them properly as they spoke in whispers but I heard one of them mention Alpha Bane''s name. They were probably gossiping about him and I didn''t find it amusing. Yet, I wondered why they''d do that. Perhaps, something was wrong, I thought and I decided to ask them.


    Before I could say something to them I heard another one mention his name in a rather suspicious manner. She said something about him screaming but I couldn''t really get a hold of the exact words she used. My curiosity was piqued even further.


    I walked to them faster, stopping right in front of them and they immediately stopped talking upon seeing me. "Greetings, Princess," they said in unison with each bowing in a show of honour.


    I looked at their faces and their hands and I noticed that they were shaky. They were probably afraid that I was going to scold or punish them for gossiping during thete hours.


    I smiled at them to get them to calm down a little. "Have any of you seen Alpha Bane?" I asked them politely.


    "No, ma''am," said one of them, with the others shaking their heads.


    "What then were you all talking about since I am more than certain that I heard you all talking about Alpha Bane some moments ago?" I asked, angered by their unwillingness to say the truth. I wondered what they were trying to hide from me. They seemed hesitant to answer my question at first, which further got me upset. I had already chosen to forgive them for gossiping when they should not have been doing that, yet, instead of showing gratitude and doing better, they still chose to conceal something that important from me.


    "If you don''t tell me what I need to know right now, I''m going to rescind my position concerning you all," I threatened them with a fierce look on my face so they''d know that I meant every single word that came out of my mouth. "You don''t want to know the punishment that I''m going to mete out to each of you."


    They turned and looked at each other and then shrugged their shoulders. "You really haven''t heard what has been trending in the pce, my princess?" One of them finally asked.


    "No, I haven''t. I''m very confused here. What exactly is going on?" I asked.


    "Well, we heard... It''s a rumour but most people are iming that it''s the truth. We heard that Princess Sophia was kidnapped from the dungeon in the Silver Moon Pack and right now, the Pack is in chaos."


    I opened my mouth in shock, not knowing exactly how to take the news. The dungeon was always very heavily guarded, especially from intruders so I wondered what had happened.


    "Was there any news of a fight?" I asked.


    "None of that, ma''am. We heard that it happened in the night and no guard saw anyonee to take her from the dungeon."


    "No. No. It can''t be true. Those rumours are probably unfounded and I believe there''s nothing to them. It''s... It''s just not possible at all."


    "I''m afraid, it is, "confirmed a guard who was just behind the maids. I hadn''t spotted him before then and I just remembered that a guard was always stationed with some maids at night.


    I immediately realised why Alpha Bane hadn''t returned home since he left in the morning. This was a huge problem; one that I had no solution whatsoever to.


    If she had been kidnapped, I was almost certain that it wasn''t just a kidnap, it was probably a nned rescue. Knowing who Sophia was and what she was capable of, I couldn''t help but think that she had a hand in the abduction and if she did, she was probably somewhere, nning her revenge on me and my parents. She was never one to let things lie.


    I felt chills all over my body and clutched my stomach as thoughts of the dream I had some nights ago began to show up in my head. I was overtaken by fear and there was little I could do to fight it.


    I immediately began to walk toward the throne room to find Alpha Bane. I knew that the maids were still talking to me but I paid no attention to them. I had to meet Alpha Bane. It was the priority.


    Hearing some hurried footsteps behind me, I knew it was Anna, scurrying to catch up with me.

 Enemies Truce

    Princess Sophia''s POV


    I yawned, feeling a bit tired from too much talk, but I couldn''tin. I wasn''t forced to talk by anyone at all. It was something that I chose to do and yeah, I loved it.


    Ever since I arrived at the Pack and Dn walked into the room to visit me, I hadn''t seen him that much because he scarcely came around that area and he never stepped inside to see me. I heard that he was always so busy with the Rogue Alpha and had little or nothing to do with anyone else apart from his Beta and trusted guards who always moved around with him.


    I wasn''t surprised at all by that. He told me that already, the first time he paid a visit. He said we''ll only meet when he has something to tell me. As much as I didn''t exactly expect him to do that, seeing that I had just arrived and there was always this tendency to see new guests, he stayed true to his word.


    Well, that distance did help in a lot of ways. If he wasing around more often, I''d have had less time to blend in with the environment. Thankfully, he wasn''t and because of that, I got pretty ustomed to the environment quicker than I expected.


    For sure, it was a Rogue Pack and I never expected to find myself anywhere near that kind of Pack in my life. When I was younger, I resented rogues so much and wanted nothing to do with them. I still did loathe them, but not as much as I used to. With age, I began to understand that people weren''t always what they were said to be. It was the tellers of the stories that controlled the narrative, painting the people they loved as good and the ones they didn''t as bad, just to fulfil their agenda and turn others against them. I knew that game so well.


    These rogues weren''t bad at all. They were so good to me. I got everything that I wanted just by asking for it. They didn''t look to be doing all of that because of Dn''s instructions. Far from it. These folks looked so naturally hospitable and if I didn''t hate their environment, untidiness and their lifestyle generally as they still lived barbaric lives, I''d have preferred to have my rest there.


    Yet, there was an enemy to vanquish. Some people had to pay for all that they had done to me. They couldn''t just go scot-free. I was never going to let that happen. I was going to make them pay until I was satisfied, knowing that in most cases, unfortunately, satisfaction was a product of death.


    "Princess Sophia, how about the stroll that we talked about yesterday? Are you still down for that?" Asked a youngdy who also sat on my bed.


    "Yes, Princess, you promised you were going to tell us stories on the way. I hope you''re not about to change your mind," another affirmed, as they looked at me with pitiable faces.


    I loved those girls, all four of them, but it was the first one that spoke to me, who was a blondie with sea blue eyes that I loved the most, especially because she was so beautiful, and somehow, she didn''t need to be reminded to keep things neat; herself included.


    "Yeah, I''m up for that. Why not? I''d love to have a stroll with all four of you. We can talk about all the things that go on in my Pack. You know, all the good stuff."


    "What about the bad ones?"


    "I''m not about to ruin my mood and yours, am I?" I chuckled. "I..."


    Before I could finish my sentence, the door was flung open and Dn walked in apanied by some guards. He didn''t look so happy and his long, hard breaths did little to suggest differently.


    "Leave here at once!" He barked at thedies who instantly scurried outside at hismand, leaving just the both of us in the room, together with his guards. He turned to his guards and gave them the eye, and they all stood just outside the door.


    I stood and walked to meet him, doing my best to force a smile out of my face even though I didn''t feel like smiling. The atmosphere was already too tense so I didn''t want to add to it. Normally, I''d have talked back or yelled or even made my own remark but this was his territory. I was to have some gratitude for his kindness toward me. Although, I knew that he saved me for his selfish purposes. There was no changing him for life.


    You''re looking very good now," he smirked. "Much better than the tattered state you were when you came in."


    I hated the snide remark that he made but there was barely anything that I could do about it. I just nodded my head and gulped like an obedient kid. "Thank you for your help, Dn. I appreciate it. How are you doing?"


    "I came here to talk about our ns and the truce between us," he said, waving away my concerns. "I want to know if you''re truly ready to help me."


    As he got done with those words, I felt a surge of anger slowly building up in me. "I can''t wait to make Aurora and Bane pay for all that they''ve done to me," I said with my eyes dimming.


    It had been so long since I felt such an outburst of rage. I hadn''t turned for so many years and it felt so good to feel that powerful. The only problem was that Aurora wasn''t there to feel my might. The rage was so much and I knew there was only one way to appease me; handing Aurora to me. Taking her life was going to give me the peace that I so craved.


    I felt my wolf wse out of my hands and my hair sprouted from my skin. After holding in so much anger for a long time, my wolf had finally had enough and decided to take control.


    "Calm down, Sophia," Dn said, stretching his hands to touch me.


    "I can''t calm down!" I yelled in rage. "Anytime I remember all that they did to me, I can''t help but boil inside. I need toy my hands on them and may them pay. I''ll do that. I swear I''ll...!"


    "Keep quiet this instant!" Dnmanded, barking so loudly at me.


    Somehow, it got to me and I immediately got quiet with my wolf elements, going back in, leaving me in my human form.


    Taking a step toward me, Dn ced his hand on my shoulder. "Calm down, Sophia. I have so many ns and I just need you to trust me," he gently said to me. "Do you trust me?"


    "Yes, Dn. I trust you," I replied with a nod.


    "Good," he said with a smile on his face as he grabbed my left hand. "Let''s head outside so we can talk better, shall we?"


    I nodded and we both walked out of the room.

 Evil Distractions

    Dn''s POV


    I grabbed Sophia''s hand and together, we walked out of her room so we could take a stroll and talk about a lot of things on the road.


    I also had other ns but I was only going to let her find out when we got to our destination. It was my intention for us to head to the woods as the ce was always very serene and devoid of any form of involvement of any kind by any third party.


    The guards followed behind but I didn''t want them to. I wanted us to have some alone time, but I also knew the dangers of not having the guards close to me in a Rogue Pack. It was a mistake that could spell doom for anyone, no matter how powerful the person was. This was a truth that even the Alpha King was aware of. He never stepped out to do anything without having his guards around. If he had to do that, who was I to do things differently?


    I turned to the guards and signalled for one of them, who was in charge of the rest to draw near to me and he very quickly did so. Then I whispered in his ears exactly where I wanted them to stop whilst being on the lookout for anything strange as I and Sophia proceed further to talk privately.


    He nodded and I knew I was good to go. He was my head guard for a reason. He had never failed in his service to me; not even once, so I trusted him with all of my heart.


    As we continued our walk, I stared at Sophia, admiring her beauty once more, as I used to in the past. She seemed to have noticed and shied away from any form of eye contact but I was sure I was going to have my way in the end, one way or the other.


    "So, the n; my n, is to have my revenge on Bane for all that he has done to me," I began to exin my ns to her. "He stole my birthright; my rightful ce as the heir to the Throne of the Alpha of the Pack and now, he''s the one who sits there every day, while I''m nothing but a prodigal son in the eyes of my father who now works against me, his son?"


    I was so angry that I forgot that it was supposed to be a private talk. I didn''t know when I yelled and when Sophia turned to look at me, I immediately knew that I had to do better.


    "I understand you, Dn," she said, much as I expected. No one ever seemed to understand but they always imed they did. "I know exactly how you feel at the moment because I feel the same way. I''ve experienced this too. Indeed, you saved me from the hands of the people that I called my parents for so long. I know how it feels to be betrayed by the people you felt were supposed to be by your side. It''s not your fault. It''s theirs. You don''t have to be so hard on yourself.


    "I don''t want your enticing words and your sympathy. I don''t want to be pitied by you or anyone else," I said to her, just to let her know that I''m not needy for all of that. "I''m perfectly alright. You don''t need to bother about me. What I do need is just for you to be with me as we fight this battle against Bane together. I need to trust that you''ll be by my side. That''s all."


    "I will, Dn. You can count on me for that. I''ll fight with you until all of our enemies have been vanquished."


    As we kept talking, I didn''t notice that we had spent quite some time doing that. We were already in front of the woods and it didn''t even ur to me.


    I turned around to check on the guards and I saw that they had stopped some distance away from where we stood, just like I had instructed and I was very pleased.


    "I spoke with the Alpha of this Rogue Pack and he agreed to help us," I revealed to her. "He imed that they were all part of my Pack before my father decided in his folly to exile them, so they are just as keen to vanquish Bane as we are. I didn''t even need to try so hard to convince him. He was so pleased as he said they have been looking for someone who would help them achieve their ns of revenge so that they could have their homes back in the Pack. I''m that man."


    "Do they have what it takes to help us?" She asked with a smirk. "You know just how protected your Pack is. It''s the most powerful Pack and the warriors are very well trained."


    "Rx. There''s no need to fret. He has all it takes," I said, trying to calm her down. "These rogues have been training so hard ever since they were exiled. Remember that they too are from my Pack which means they are also well trained. Some of them were warriors too. Now, they''ve been able to train even more warriors who are as strong as can be. They can match the warriors of my Pack in skill but more than that is their hearts and driving force. They''re doing this for their forsaken fathers and the future of their children. That extra motivation will serve us well."


    Sophia smiled softly. She was very happy. She looked to think about it a bit and then she squealed. It was looking more real to her; the revenge n, and she could see the sess that awaited us, just like I wanted. I was happy too.


    As she rejoiced, I saw that it was my chance to carry out the other n that I had; the one that did make me want us to go to the woods instead of her room.


    I pulled her in for a hug and while she seemed shocked, she did return the hug and I smiled. "We''re going to win," I assured her.


    As I pulled away from her, I pressed my lips against hers in a brief kiss and from the way her eyes widened, she didn''t expect that. "I''ve been willing to have you under me for such a long time, Sophia," I said to her.


    She tried to hesitate, moving back a bit. "Are you reluctant because you''ve been having sex with that guard, Ivan?" I asked her, causing her to gasp.


    "How do you know this?" She asked.


    "I know much more about you than you can even dream of," I smugly told her. "Just forget about all of that. They don''t matter at all. I just want us to have fun. You know that thest time, we weren''t able to fully enjoy ourselves because that stupid guy walked in on us. This is our chance to fully experience the moment. Besides, I know that you''re attracted to me and you cannot deny it. Just give in to your desires. I''m burning too."


    I walked toward her as soon as I was done talking and as much as she stepped back, it wasn''t with the same intensity as thest time. As I grabbed her hands and pulled her in for another kiss, she kissed me back relentlessly, even cing her hands behind my neck as she jumped on my body.


    A night to remember loomed.

 Cancelled Plans

    Alpha Bane''s POV


    The Next Day


    "That was so careless! How could they have let that happen?" My father raged, tapping the floor with his feet in annoyance. "How is it possible that all the guards were present, yet she was carted away so easily? There was no form of violence. Nothing. They just came into the Pack at night, picked her up and left the Pack without any interruption? There''s something that we''re not being told.


    I agreed. There was something strange about all that happened. It didn''t seem normal at all. As he said, I felt that there was something deeper than what we saw on the surface. I just couldn''t ce my hands on it.


    I turned around to Aurora and there was a look on her face that also suggested that she had her concerns too. She wore a squint and looked to be lost in thoughts. All three of us were so lost in all that was happening as we sat in the throne room, with each one of us, pausing at intervals to scratch our heads.


    "You''re right, father. I think there''s more to this than meets the eye," I affirmed. "How were they able to get into the cell? It had a lock and a key. I strongly think that they had someone on the inside working for them. The Alpha King and Queen have to look into the matter from this point of view. Any sessful attack with very little effort involves so much effort behind the scenes. I wouldn''t be surprised to hear that they had more than one person doing their bidding and if that''s the case, the ce isn''t safe at all for anyone, especially those in the royal family."


    "You''re right," Aurora concurred. "If the guards woke up to see that she was gone, there had to be a reason for that. What if they were giving sleeping portions? That''s possible, isn''t it?"


    "They should be smarter than that. Guards should always be cautious of their drinks," I countered.


    "What if it wasn''t in the form of drinks?" She asked, forcing me to think deeply. "What if they were working with a maid who put those portions in their food so that the guards will be fast asleep and they can do whatever they want?"


    "What about the key to the cell?"


    "They could have either also had a guard working with them who helped them open the door, or simply searched the pockets of the guards working close to the dungeon to get the keys and open the door."


    She made a lot of sense and I wondered why I didn''t think about it that way. That was even more reason for me to have her by my side as soon as possible. She was smart as she was beautiful.


    Just then, a thought came to my mind and my eyes dimmed. "I know who must have orchestrated this kidnap," I suddenly voiced out to everyone''s surprise.


    "Who are you talking about?" Aurora and my dad asked in unison.


    I held Aurora tightly by the wrist and faced my father. Then I cleared my throat to speak. "I think Dn is behind all of this. I mean, there''s no better exnation for all that''s happening. It just has to be him.


    "How do you know that?" Asked my father, who stared at me in disbelief. He must have wondered how his son was able to pull off something like that from a ce of hiding but I didn''t. I knew what Dn was capable of and I did not doubt that it was he who did it.


    "I have a very strong intuition that Dn is behind all of this. I can''t quite exin how but I''m certain that it''s him. My intuition is never wrong and I''m even more sure of it this time."


    I turned to Aurora to see what her reaction was but she seemed indifferent. She looked to have a lot of things on her mind and I couldn''t me her one bit for that.


    We


    After finding out from a few maids, which was what she said to me, immediately approached me and asked me what we could do to help. I had no idea because as much as we had heard all that happened through the messenger, we hadn''t heard what happened from the mouths of her parents themselves.


    It was also true that even they, at the time, had very little idea about what was going on and so she suggested to me that we should head back to her Pack so we could ascertain exactly what happened. She believed that by the time we''d be there, they''d have uncovered so many truths that we weren''t aware of and I agreed with her, albeit a bit reluctantly because it was certainly going to affect our ns.


    Dn had spoken to his wife concerning the decorations and she had agreed to do it. We had even begun to buy some of the materials needed for all of that, unaware of Aurora whom I wanted it to be a surprise to.


    "We''d be going to the Silver Moon Pack to see Princess Aurora''s parents. When we get back from that trip, we''d talk more about Dn, dad. We''d also proceed to attack that Rogue Pack that he''s hiding in. He might not even know that we know where he is. By the time we''d strike, neither he nor those barbaric wolves would know what hit them and this time, we must be ruthless. We can''t afford to show any form of mercy. They deserve none of that.


    He nodded and I smiled at him. I loved that he was always open to my suggestions regarding any issue at all. It felt good to know that he trusted in my decisions and deemed me worthy to lead the Pack.


    "What about the wedding, Alex? What would happen to the wedding now with all these things that are happening?" He asked, turning to look at Aurora.


    She leaned closer to me and opened her mouth to talk.


    Aurora''s POV


    "Any preparation for the wedding will have to be halted for now. We can''t afford anything to distract us."


    "But it won''t," Alpha Bane protested. "We can have it handled somehow, while we both focus on the matter at hand."


    I didn''t want any of that. I wasn''t even in the right frame of mind to think about a wedding. My parents were in grave danger and so was I, because I knew that there was no way Sophia would be free and she''d let me be. If all that Alpha Bane said concerning Dn were true, then he was also in grave danger.


    "I just want it to stop. There are several lives at stake here. Who knows what would happen if we had that wedding now? What if Dn and his cohorts show up there and meet us unprepared, drunk and having fun?"


    "She''s right, my son. Halting those ns is for the best. We can continueter when things are a bit calmer."


    I was d that his father agreed with me. With that, I was sure that Name wouldn''t protest anymore. He didn''t.


    He just stayed silent and looked sullen.

 Diminishing Worries

    Aurora''s POV


    "Please, help me with the yellow top," I said to Anna, pointing to a dress hanging in the wardrobe.


    She went over to get it as I put thest of the clothes into my bag, except the one she went to get. "Here it is," she said, handing it over to me as I folded it and put it into my bag. Then I zipped it up and was ready to go.


    "You look so beautiful, ma''am," Annaplimented me, and it somehow brought a smile to my face as I deeply appreciated it, especially because it was heartfelt.


    "Thank you," I said to her, before picking up my bag to leave the room but she stopped me.


    "I''ll help you with that, ma''am," she said, grabbing the bag from my hands and standing just behind me.


    I nodded in appreciation and then walked out of the room with Anna, walking closely behind, holding onto my bag.


    As we got outside, I saw that the carriage was already there and Alpha Bane stood outside, waiting for me to arrive as he bid farewell to his father.


    "There she is," he said as soon as he sighted me. "We''ve been waiting for you for quite a while now."


    "I didn''t know you were going to be out here so early," Iughed. "I''d have thought against taking my time."


    "It''s alright," he said to me as I got close to him. Then he nted a kiss on both cheeks and then on my lips. "I''m just d you''re here now."


    I turned to his father and bowed in respect. "Greetings, Princess Aurora," he responded. "May the goddess be with you both as you go to your Pack to meet your parents."


    "May it be so," I affirmed and then turned around to get into the carriage.


    Anna walked ahead of me and dropped my bag at the area where Alpha Bane''s bag also was and then she turned and stood right next to the carriage.


    As I fixed my gaze on her, she looked like she was about to cry. In the few days that we had spent together, she had grown an attachment to me and I too was very fond of her.


    "I''m going to miss you, Princess," she said to me, a bit teary-eyed.


    It caught the attention of Alpha Bane, who stopped to look at her in shock. He must have wondered what made the maid get so bold to freely express herself in that manner before me. It was love; the love that we both shared.


    She did all in her power to make me happy andfortable, without looking upset or frowning her face because she was forced to do it. She was more than happy to do things for me and I also always treated her gently and with respect, as I did with the other maids. It seemed she was the only one who appreciated it and I loved her even more for that.


    "I''ll miss you too, Anna," I said to her, pulling her close and wrapping my hands around her in a hug whichsted for more than two minutes. The tears did roll down but it wasn''t just from her eyes but from mine too. We had created a very strong bond. "Don''t worry, Anna. I''ll be back pretty soon. Just be good for me, okay?"


    "Okay, ma''am. I will. I hope to see you soon."


    "You will," I said to her, finally breaking the hug.


    With the help of Alpha Bane, I finally got into the carriage but before he stepped in, he spent about two to three minutes, sharing a few words with his father.


    I stared at him from the window of the carriage, but my mind was elsewhere. I thought about a lot of things, but most of all, I was so afraid that something bad was about to happen.


    So deep was I, in my thoughts that I didn''t even notice when Alpha Bane got into the carriage. I saw a hand repeatedly wave in front of me and that was when I was brought back to my consciousness.


    "What''s wrong?" He asked, with a concerned look on his face.


    "I''m scared. I''m deeply scared, "I replied with no form of hesitation at all. "I have a feeling that something bad is about to happen. I can sense it so strongly and after that dream that I had..."


    "You''ve still not let go of that dream since then?" He asked, grabbing my hand.


    "I haven''t. I can''t. No matter how hard I try, I still see glimpses of it and the way that I feel about it is still the same. Nothing has changed. That''s why I''m so convinced that something really bad is about to happen, my love."


    "Please, don''t think that way," he said, doing his best to console me but I know what I felt. I know exactly what went through my mind. I could feel the shivers down my spine each time I thought about that dream.


    It was too strong for me to neglect; like a deep warning of what was toe and no matter how hard he tried to convince me to let it go, it only felt like he was goading me to ignore the inevitable. That was simply going to be suicidal.


    I wanted so hard for him to just ept that the dream was right. I needed him to prepare himself so he wouldn''t be taken unawares for any reason whatsoever. I wanted no mistakes. We had to be ready for the magnitude of an attack that I saw in my dream.


    "Aurora, I want you to be calm," he kept saying to me over and over again. "You need to calm down, my love. This is my promise to you; I''ll protect you with all of my life. As long as I''m alive, I''ll never let anything happen to you."


    "And just like in my dream, if you''re not?" I asked, knowing that my question could have been misunderstood.


    "I''m not going to die. I''m not going anywhere. If there''s an iing war like you said, we''re going to win it and there''ll finally be some peace in thend once and for all."


    I gazed deeply into his eyes to see how serious he was with that statement. I needed to make certain that he wasn''t just saying it to please me but that he meant it. He did. At least, that was what I thought and I was very d.


    I leaned on his shoulder, finally willing to trust him. I hoped within me that he was going to do all that he said and that the goddess would be on our side to grant us the victory that we so deserved in the face of our enemies.


    I heaved a huge sigh and knowing the journey was a long one, decided to shut my eyes as the carriage finally drove away.

 Sultry Advances

    Dn''s POV


    I coughed and scratched my head. The weather seemed a bit too dry and I didn''t like it one bit. It was unexpected too.


    Standing from my bed, I walked slowly to my table and poured some water from my jar into my ss cup. It wasn''t that I was that thirsty. I just had nothing serious to do and I needed to pass time.


    I sat back down on my bed and took a sip of my water. Then I began to think hard about my ns to destroy Alex and how soon I was supposed to attack.


    Left for me, I''d have loved to attack him very quickly, but there was this voice holding me back from doing so. It asked me to hold on until I was sure that the coast was clear. It was my wolf. He always thought he knew it all.


    After what we did in the Silver Moon Pack; abducting Sophia, I was certain that there was unrest in the Pack. No one expected it at all. They all thought it was impossible; Johnny and Danny thought so too. Yet, I was able to make them see that with me, nothing was impossible. I showed them what it felt like to have a true leader above you and not some clueless, pathetic wolf, like Alex.


    Knock! Knock!


    "Who is it? You cane inside," I said, taking another sip of my water.


    Johnny walked into the room, holding a piece of white paper in his right hand. Much to my surprise, he decided to move away from his usual casual buttoned shirts, putting on a yellow t-shirt instead.


    "I see you felt like appearing different today. Any secrets?" I asked with a grin.


    "None at all, Dn. I just felt it was about time I tried something new and different from what I used to."


    "How''s it going for you, my friend?" I asked with a chuckle.


    "So far, so good, Dn," he answered, shrugging his shoulders. "I''ve been getting a lot ofpliments so I think it''s alright."


    He walked to the chair beside my table, pulled it back and sat on it. He seemed a


    bit happy so I guessed that whatever news he bore was something pleasant. Yet,


    I couldn''t be so sure. Johnny was always as unpredictable as ever.


    "What brings you here to my room?" I asked him. "I can''t remember fixing a meeting with you, my friend.


    "I''m your friend. I don''t need an invitation or a meeting to meet up with you, do I?" He asked as I shook my head and motioned with my hand for him to go on with why he came to see me. "Ie bearing news about Bane..."


    "What about him?" I asked, quickly sitting up, full of inquisitiveness.


    "I got some news from a reliable source that Bane has been made aware of Sophia''s kidnap. I was told that a messenger whom he had sent to the Silver Moon Pack to tell Aurora''s parents that he had proposed to Aurora and she had agreed to marry him, came back with the news."


    "Go on," I said to him as all he said earlier wasn''t news to me. I already knew that long before he arrived through a few sources of mine. As much as I kept him in charge of making sure that I had all the information that I needed, I couldn''t risk letting him or anyone else be my only eyes and ears. I would have to solely depend on them. I was never one to do that.


    "Well, you should also know that he has made a journey to the Silver Moon Pack because of the situation at hand," he continued. "He left not so long ago and I don''t know how long he intends to stay there."


    "I had predicted this," Iughed. "This was exactly how I envisioned this to be. I had a very strong feeling that Alex was going to head over to that Pack. Did he go there alone?"


    "No, he didn''t," answered Johnny, shaking his head. "Princess Aurora travelled alongside him. They made the journey together."


    I snickered, and then stood from my bed and stretched. I heard a few bones crack and I felt so relieved afterwards.


    "Everything seems to be falling in ce," I said to him, marvelling at how things were just working out in my favour, even without me having to force it or put in so much effort.


    "Yes. Indeed it is," he concurred. "The only thing left for us to do is to strike them and I believe we should do so very soon as they''ll least expect it. Their focus isn''t on us at the moment but on what just happened. I''m certain that we can use this distraction in our favour. You''re finally going to take your rightful position and no one can stop you this time..."


    "Say no more, my friend," I interrupted, with a huge smile on my face. "I have all of this under control and I know exactly what to do next. You''re right. I am going to regain my ce in the Blue Moon Pack. There''s no stopping me this time and I can feel it so strongly."


    My wolf growled within me. For the first time in a long while, he agreed with what I said and it made me even more confident. I just couldn''t wait to carry out all of my ns.


    Just as we kept talking, I heard another knock on the door and we paused to know who it was, but before I could say anything, I saw my door swing open and


    ady standing right on my doorpost.


    It was Sophia. She slowly walked in as I gawked at her.


    Princess Sophia''s POV


    I knew that Dn wasn''t going to be pleased with me walking into his room without his permission but I couldn''t care less. I had a n in mind and as I walked inside, I stared right into his eyes to see what his reaction was.


    I wore a very sleek, red gown that exposed my cleavage. The slit was very high; so high that my panties were slightly visible. On my legs were beautiful leg chains that I stole from Mrs Scott.


    Dn loved leg chains and I knew it. In one of my discussions with Alpha Bane back when we were still together, he mentioned it to me and since then, I held it so tightly in my memory.


    I saw his eyes roam over my attire with his mouth slightly open. I could tell that he liked what he was seeing and I was pleased with that.


    However, it wasn''t just him that found me attractive. Johnny couldn''t take his eyes off me. He stared at me so intently that it was almost like he was lost. I couldn''t help but blush a little.


    "You can leave now, Johnny," Dnmanded him, standing to his feet, which made me know that he had noticed that Johnny was staring.


    As he walked away, Iughed so hard, knowing that Dn was jealous. "You''re jealous, aren''t you?" I asked, stillughing.


    "I have nothing to be jealous of," he abruptly denied, but I knew he was lying. It was his ego at y and I could understand that.


    "Take off your clothes," he calmly said, further proving to me that he was highly aroused by my dressing.


    I did as I was told and slowly began to take my clothes off. "What were you discussing with Johnny?" I asked.


    "It''s not important. It''s something you don''t need to know," he replied but I wasn''t having that as an answer.


    I eavesdropped on them and so I heard a few things that they talked about and they were quite important. I wanted to hear more from him.


    "You said I was part of the n," I insisted. "Why then can you not talk to me about something that important?"


    He stared at me for a while. Perhaps, he tried to know if he could talk to me about it or not. I hoped in my heart that he would.


    "Fine," he finally said, as I subtly smiled. "We were just talking about Alex. He has information that you were kidnapped and both he and Aurora are currently in your Pack, hoping to speak to your parents."


    I heard all that I needed and it was time to reward him. I got closer to him and pushed him to the bed. "Let me show you why I came here," I whispered to his ears as I climbed on top of him.

 Mother-Daughter Talks

    Alpha Bane''s POV


    We got to the Silver Moon Pack and the carriage stopped for a bit before continuing to move. The driver must have forgotten that it was at the Castle that we were supposed to stop and not at the entrance of the Pack. His clumsiness was second to none on that asion.


    I heaved a sigh of relief that we had finally gotten there as the journey took way more time than I had expected. I thought we should have arrived way earlier than that.


    For some reason, the driver decided to be as slow as a slug and we took about three to four more hours than we normally used to, to get to the Pack. Yet, all of that didn''t matter. We had finally arrived and that was all that was important. It was only going to be a matter of time before we''d be in front of the Castle. The journey was worth the while.


    J turned to Aurora, who looked so weary all through the journey. Indeed, she slept for most of it and even when she stayed awake, it was almost as if she still slept as we barely said a word to each other.


    She didn''t look so gloomy anymore. There was a different look on her face. She seemed happy; very happy as she looked out from the carriage.


    As we got to the Castle, the carriage finally came to a halt and I looked out to see the Alpha King and Luna Queen standing outside and already waiting for us.


    I wondered if they had somehow sensed Aurora''s presence nearby or if they were told by members of the Pack who saw us enter the Pack in the carriage. In any case, it felt good to find them waiting for us to arrive.


    I got out of the carriage, hoping that Aurora wouldn''t do the same. I wanted to be the one to help her get down. She didn''t. I turned around and reached out to her with my hands and she grabbed them and I slowly helped her get down, earning a beautiful smile and a nod from her.


    She walked straight to her parents and hugged them one after the other; her mother first, and then her father, as I stood right behind her, waiting for her to be done so I could say my greetings to them.


    "Greetings, Alpha Bane," said the Alpha King with a smile, stretching out his right hand for a handshake.


    "Greetings, Alpha King," I greeted, firmly shaking his hand and staring right into his eyes.


    I loved to do that. My father taught me that it was a sign of strength and always showed the other person that you''re a wolf who can never be intimidated by anyone. Ever since I learned that, I always loved to do it, even when it was ringly unnecessary, like on that asion.


    "Greetings, Luna Queen," I greeted Aurora''s mother and she nodded in acknowledgement.


    "You''re wee to this, Pack, as always, my people," dered the Alpha King, with his arms spread out wide. "This is your home too."


    A few servants walked out from the Castle and came to us, taking our luggage to help us keep them in our respective rooms. "We''ll be staying in one room," I said to them so they wouldn''t keep the bags separate.


    As we walked in, Aurora stood next to her mother as they began to converse. They talked as if her dad and I didn''t exist. It was just so hrious. I knew they had a lot to catch up on but then, it just seemed so weird.


    "Women talk, aye?" The Alpha King asked,ughing as he patted me on the back. "You should expect these things, Alpha Bane. That''s just how women are. You can''t change them."


    He dragged me with him, pulling me by my left hand as he led me into the Castle so that we too could have our talk. I loved it. We too could have our fun without the women.


    Yet, I couldn''t help but wonder what they were talking about. Indeed, I thought I heard my name being mentioned in their discussion, albeit very faintly. Perhaps, she wanted to find out a few things about me. I just had to take my mind away from all of that.


    As we walked in, some guards and maids greeted me and I just waved at them as I walked past.


    Aurora''s POV


    I was so happy to see my mother again. It felt so good to see her even though it hadn''t been so long since I left the Pack. I had hoped to see her soon but not that soon. It was probably the only good thing that came from the news concerning Sophia.


    "How are you feeling?" She asked as we slowed our pace so we could talk a lot more before we''d all get settled down.


    "I''m good, mom," I answered with a smile. "How have you been??"


    "I''ve been great, sweetheart. Your dad and I have been getting along as always. What about you and Alpha Bane? We got the news through the messenger that you sent to us not long ago. Congrattions, my child. How have you been coping with him so far?"


    "It''s been so great, mom," I excitedly replied. "He''s the best in the world without a doubt. He treats me like a Queen. He has made me feel more loved than I ever felt that I deserved..."


    "You do deserve to be loved," she cut in.


    "He has proved that to me over and over again and I can''t be grateful to him enough for that," I continued, with a smile on my face. "I keep growing to love him, more and more, with each day that passes. I love him so much and he loves me so much too."


    "This is beautiful, my daughter. I''m very happy to hear that. There''s something else that I noticed."


    "What is it, mom?"


    "You''re glowing so much. Much more than thest time that I saw you. You look so happy now."


    As soon as she mentioned that word, I felt a wave of sadness engulf me. All my excitement went away, and my mood dampened immediately.


    I looked at my mom and I could see the change in her visage too. She had also noticed that something was wrong with me.


    "What is the problem?" She asked, a bit surprised by the instant change in mood.


    "It''s nothing, mom. I''m good. Let''s just keep talking," I denied, not wanting to talk about what was bothering me yet.


    "You have to say something," she pressed, keen on knowing what my challenge was. "Anything that bothers you is my problem too and you have to share it with me."


    "Well, I''m very scared, mom," I confessed, staring right into her eyes. "I had a dream."


    "What dream?"


    "Not just once, mom. I''ve had that same dream a few times in the past few days," I revealed. "It''s like I''m being sent a message through that dream and I have this feeling that something bad is going to happen. I mean, Sophia just got kidnapped and we can''t even tell how or who did it. I''m scared because in that dream, a lot of people were ughtered, including Alpha Bane who died in my arms. I can''t get it out of my head. I don''t want anything bad happening to anyone that I love."


    There was silence between us and I didn''t expect that. I had thought that she''d say something to me, perhaps, to get me to calm down or something but she didn''t. So I turned to look at her.


    She just stared at me, looking scared herself. "I''ve also been having very strange dreamstely," she revealed, making me even more scared. I''ve been nning to go see a witch who can exin what''s going on with me."


    I was in shock. If it wasn''t just me having those dreams, then there was a chance that they weren''t just a farce like Alpha Bane kept saying they were. They were true.


    "I''d go with you, mom. We''ll go see the witch together when you''re ready. When would that be?"


    "Tomorrow. We''d go there tomorrow," she replied and I nodded. "Enough of that, my dear. What would you love to eat? Are you hungry?"

 Pleasure Filled Nights

    Aurora''s POV


    Iy on the bed with Alpha Bane by my side and I gently stroked his right arm, sniffing his sweet scent in delight.


    It felt good lying next to him as we hadn''t set our eyes on each other since we arrived in the morning. We had gone our separate ways, with each person having a chat with one of my parents. It was only during dinner time that we were finally able to see each other.


    We barely spoke a word to each other during dinner too. There was an awkward silence as no one seemed to want to talk about the subject matter that brought us to the Pack in the first ce. Each person waited for the other person to say a word first and no one was willing to take that bold step; not even Alpha Bane himself.


    It was a dinner to forget, unlike the previous ones that we had had together in the past. I couldn''t wait for it to be done and once I noticed that Alpha Bane was done, I dropped my spoon and tapped him so we could retire to the room and we did.


    As wey on the bed, I felt so bored so I stopped stroking his arms and hugged him instead. Thankfully, he did the same and we remained in a cuddle which felt so good.


    "It''s just so surprising that it has only been a few days since we were in this very room, holding ourselves this way," said Alpha Bane, as he nted a kiss on my forehead. "I had thought that it was going to be a long time before we''d find our way back here but here we are."


    I chuckled, knowing that I felt the same way. However, I felt a tear roll down my cheek as I sniffed to hold it back.


    "What is the matter?" He asked, looking down at me. "What''s going on, my love?"


    "As much as I''m d we''re here," I answered, still fighting hard to hold back my tears. "We''re not here for something good. We''re here for something bad and I don''t like the idea that we only had toe because of the problems that we have."


    "I understand," he said to me, cupping my cheek with his right hand and smiling at me. "We''ll get through all of this, my love. I promise. You just need to calm down and let things be for now. We''ll ovee every obstacle in front of us."


    I knew those were just sweet words aimed at making me feel better when I shouldn''t. Things weren''t going to be any better just by his words. A lot had to be done to achieve it and I didn''t know if we were going to be capable of doing that lot.


    "What is it that you were discussing with my father earlier?" I asked, trying to change the topic so I wouldn''t get more upset that he was trying so hard to make me think that all that I was thinking was false.


    "It''s nothing you should concern yourself with. We just ran through a few things; you know, business and all. Nothing that should make you feel somewhat. I promise," he said to me, still cupping my cheek.


    I nodded and suddenly turned away from him and said nothing. For a while, silence reigned in the room as I assumed he was surprised by my reaction too.


    I wanted so badly to tell him about the discussion I had with my mother but then, I didn''t know how he was going to react, especially with the way he was going about the whole thing.


    "My mom and I are going to see a witch tomorrow," I finally muttered, still facing away.


    The silence continued so I decided to turn around and see his facial expression. He just stared at me, looking puzzled and I thought I should say a few more words to him but I decided to let him say something to me first.


    "Is that what you both talked about today? Why do you want to go to a witch?" He asked, sitting up a bit. I could tell from his eyes that he didn''t like the idea one bit, but I was going to do it anyway.


    "Just like me, my mom has been having strange dreams for a few days now," I exined, hoping to get him to see sense in what I was saying. "Her dreams began at the same time mine began and when we talked about it, it was almost the same. The only difference was that she didn''t see you die and in hers, the fight broke out in this Pack and not yours. Everything else was identical. So we decided..."


    "You decided without me?" He asked, with his voice raised slightly.


    "We had to. We just had to. I mean, I''ve not been feeling optimistic about the entire matter, same with my mother. We decided that we wouldn''t let whatever we saw in our dreams happen and to stop it, it''s necessary to find out exactly what it means. That''s why we want to go to a witch. We need to ensure that everything standing in our path can and will be taken away and we believe that the witch will have the answer to all of our questions. I need you to believe that too."


    His temper seemed to have calmed down a bit as he bent low and kissed my forehead. "Even though I appreciate your concern so much," he said to me. "I don''t want you to get so worked up about this. I disapprove of you going to see the witch with your mother. If she wants to go there, that''s on her. She can. I can''t tell her what to do as it''s not in my ce to counsel her. However, you will not be leaving with her. We''ll stay here and figure out how to get rid of the problem that we have and together, we can achieve that. That is what I believe to be true."


    "I don''t believe it. I don''t think it''s a problem that anyone can solve; not even you, my love," I objected. "I know what I saw. I can feel it inside of me. Let us find out what the problem is through the witch, then you can be better prepared for it. Only then, will I believe that you can solve it. A man can only solve a problem that he''s aware exists. The witch can give insight into the future. She can help us handle the present."


    He just shook his head in refusal. He wasn''t going to let me no matter how hard I begged him. "I can''t continue if this is how it''s going to be. I can''t let the people that I love the most die without even attempting to help them. I''ll see you tomorrow. I''ll be in the room further down the hallway."


    I turned around and began to make my way out of bed but he grabbed my hand, holding me back. "Fine," he said, looking so upset. "You can go with your mom. You can do whatever you feel is right. I won''t stop you, my love. However, whatever it is that the witch will say to you is none of my concern. I wouldn''t believe a word of it."


    "I''ll make you believe it, my love," I snickered, yfully pping him on the wrist. "Don''t be such a bore, my love."


    I pped his wrist two more times and he decided that it was enough, grabbing my hand and yfully twisting it a little. "Hey, that''s rough," I protested.


    "Rough is how I love to y."


    "Then, maybe it''s time for us to stop ying," I said to him, winking at him.


    "Sure," he affirmed, immediately pulling me closer and nting his lips on mine in a deep passionate kiss, as we both began to take off each other''s clothes.

 The Trap

    Alpha Bane''s POV


    "Hey, you''re way too slow, my love," I taunted Aurora who was doing her best to dress up before me.


    I zipped up my trousers and I was done. She was still struggling to wear her shoes and I keptughing and pointing at her.


    She looked up at me, with a very annoyed look on her face. "Stop that," she warned but I just keptughing. The way she looked made the situation even more hrious.


    "Okay. Okay. I''m sorry. I just wanted to remind you that I''m always a few steps ahead," I subtly mocked her yet again, in an apologetic way.


    "Well, I''m done too," she said, standing to her feet. "You only won because I let you win. I heard that Alphas never took losing very well."


    I loved it when we yed that game. Well, mostly because I was very certain that


    I was going to win. Just like a lot of women, dressing up quickly wasn''t Aurora''s strong suit. It was mine. Sometimes, I had to slow down to make it look a bitpetitive. I dared not say that to her.


    As she drew near to me, there was a knock on the door, immediately forcing me to face the door, not knowing who it was.


    "Come in," I gently said as we both waited to see who it was that almost met us unprepared.


    "Greetings, Alpha Bane. Greetings, Princess." A guard opened the door and walked into the room looking a tad puzzled to see us all dressed up.


    "What brings you here?" I asked, with a straight look on my face. I didn''t appreciate being visited by that time and I needed to make him see that.


    "It''s the Alpha King. He sent me to you, sir. He said he wants to have a word with you and that it''s a matter of urgency."


    I bent a bit, wondering why the Alpha King needed to see me that urgently. I knew it must have had something to do with Sophia''s kidnap and all of that but I had no idea if he had gotten any new information. I had made other ns with Aurora but unfortunately, they had to wait. I knew she wasn''t going to be so thrilled with that but then she knew what had to be done. Besides, she too, had her ns forter that morning.


    I turned to her and nted a kiss on her forehead. "You know that I need to go, right?" I asked her, as I noticed she didn''t look too pleased.


    "Yeah, I do," she answered, faking a smile.


    "Thank you. See youter, honey."


    I walked out of the room and followed the guard to the throne room, trying to think of what the issue might have been as we walked. I knew there was no need for


    that since I was always going to find out about getting there. Yet, I still felt like doing it. I wanted that satisfaction that came from being able to urately guess things correctly.


    "Greetings, Alpha King," I hailed him, as I walked into the throne room.


    "Greetings, Alpha Bane," he responded with a smile. "I''m pleased to see that you answered my call. Thank you."


    I nodded and walked to a seat. "You can sit down," he added.


    "Like you might have guessed, I called for you because of the issue that we have at hand concerning the kidnap of Princess Sophia," he began to exin. "I, my wife and the best of guards around in this Pack still haven''t been able to ce our hands on exactly what happened. It has been a mystery to us for so long and if we can''t exin what happened, how do we go about solving it?"


    I faced the ground, unsure about what to say to him. I had a different opinion from that of the crowd and I didn''t know if he was going to be willing to buy it.


    "You want to know what I think about this?" I asked him, looking straight into his eyes.


    "Sure. That''s why I needed you to be here. We must be able to figure out exactly what we have to do next because a lot depends on it. If indeed, she was kidnapped as we feel, then we need to know where she was taken to so that we can bring my daughter back. The people who took her have learned how to enter this Pack without any form of resistance. We must figure out the mole and fortify our security..."


    "All these things can''t be determined if we fail to see the whole picture." "And what is the whole picture?"


    "This was not an abduction; at least, not in the way that you might see it," I said to him. "I believe that this was a well-orchestrated n of both Sophia and someone else. It was an escape and not a kidnap and wherever she may be now, I''m very sure that she''s doing very well."


    He stared at me for a while, probably trying to make sense of all that I was saying. "I think you''re quite right, Alpha Bane. Somehow, I''ve been thinking in this light."


    "You are right to think that way, Alpha King. I have a strong intuition that she didn''t work alone. I mean, she couldn''t have. She was locked away in her cell and so there was no way she could have done it all by herself. There is a spy in this Pce and if we are to stand any chance of solving this problem, then we have to find and deal decisively with this spy before things get out of hand."


    "What if the spy left with them?" He asked.


    "It''s not possible," Iughed. "Anyone who has this kind of n cannot afford to be in the dark. They''ll always want to know how things are going in this Pack. It''s important to them if they want to attack us again. They''d need to find out what our ns are, so they could perfectly counter them without stress. So, I''m certain that our spy is here in this Pce."


    "If that''s the case, then we must find a way to nail that bastard before he does more harm to us. I have to also fortify the Castle even more. I''ll be bringing more guards to the Castle to offer maximum protection. We can''t have people freely gain ess to this Castle. It''ll mean the end of us."


    "An impending war ising and the Pack has to be prepared. All the borders have to be well guarded too. It''s how we checkmate the people going in and out of the Blue Moon Pack. We station guards from different areas who barely know themselves. That way, it''s more difficult for anyone to strike a deal with them since a number of them won''t consent to it."


    "Thank you so much, Alpha Bane. Your counsel is very much appreciated," he said with a huge smile. It was such a relief for him to hear that there was a way that he could protect himself and his people from those intruders.


    "We need to set a trap for these folks," I said in a whisper. There were guards in the room and I didn''t want any of them to hear what I had to say since I didn''t know who the mole was.


    "What trap do you have in mind?" The Alpha King asked, in a low tone too.


    I looked around and spotted the guards in the room who seemed to not be paying attention and did their best to look elsewhere but I knew that hearing was done by the ears and not the eyes.


    I leaned in to whisper into the ears of the Alpha King.

 Visiting The Witch

    Aurora''s POV


    Shortly after Alpha Bane left the room, I sat back down on the bed, wishing that I had told my mother that we should meet the witch earlier. If I had known that he''d leave me as usual for yet another chat with my dad, I''d have done just that.


    I cupped my cheeks with my palms, wondering what the meeting was going to be like. I heard that witches were very powerful beings who knew the past and the future and I''d let a few of them but I didn''t know the particr one that we were to


    see.


    Deep down, I knew we were going toe back with very bad news but I somehow hoped that I was going to be wrong. "Let me head to my mother''s room. Perhaps, I can get her to move with me now," I muttered to myself, standing on my feet and heading to my door.


    On opening the door, I gasped. My mom was right in front of the door, with her right hand lifted as if she was just about to knock. It was a beautiful coincidence.


    "Good day, mom," I greeted her, as she smiled and pulled me in for a hug, before kissing me on the forehead.


    "It''s good to see you, child. It seems you''re all set."


    "Yeah... Sure. I''m ready to go,'' I stuttered.


    "Follow me."


    She walked in front of me and I followed closely behind, wondering where the witch''sir was. We left the Castle and walked quite a distance, passing through a small forest that I''d only been to once when I was asked to fetch some firewood as a maid.


    As we got to a certain point, my mom turned to me, putting a finger in front of her mouth to let me know that silence was needed.


    We slowly approached an area that had a red material all around it and I saw a woman right there in the middle saying a few words that I couldn''t hear because I wasn''t close enough.


    She looked so scrawny and old with grey hair all over her body. Unlike what I heard about witches and what I had seen with my eyes, she looked very frail. It took me a while to remember that their powers weren''t found in their physique.


    As we got to where she was, my mom stretched out her hand to the side to stop me from moving any further. It must have been that visitors weren''t allowed to go past that point without her consent, so we just waited for her to finish up with her incantations.


    "Why are you here?" She asked, as soon as she was done.


    "I thought she''s supposed to know everything, mom. Isn''t she?" I asked, wondering if she just had to ask or if she was in the dark. If she couldn''t tell why we were there, I couldn''t believe that she''d know how to help us with our problems.


    "We''re here because we have been having very strange dreams for the past few days and we can''t seem to say what exactly the dreams are trying to reveal to us," my mother replied. "We thought it best toe to you so that you can help us with this problem."


    "You thought well," the witch replied, drawing something on the ground with a stone. All the while, she hadn''t even turned to look at us. She just kept drawing stuff on the ground with her back facing us. Witches were always known for their arrogance. She was no different. "Tell me your dream.''


    "In my dream, I saw a lot of people in my Pack being ughtered without mercy. Surprisingly, I didn''t see my husband but I saw my daughters, Aurora and Sophia, on opposing sides. There were so many deaths; men, women and children. I couldn''t see the faces of the assistants but I could hear themugh aloud while the entire Pack was full of cries and screams. We were being annihted, right before my eyes. I had this dream time and time again... The same dream, and I can''t seem to get it off my head."


    "Speak, young one," the witch ordered, causing me to get startled a bit.


    "In my dream, I saw some men get into the Blue Moon Pack with their carriage. They ughtered all that was in their path, leaving no survivors on the way. I had to run back to see what was going on but on getting there, almost everyone was already dead. I went upstairs to check up on Alpha Bane and he was on the floor, with his neck shed and on the brink of death. I watched him die as I held him in my eyes. I can''t forget that dream. It feels so real each day and I''m so afraid."


    Silence reigned in the room as soon as I got done speaking. We waited patiently to hear what the witch would have to say. She stopped writing on the floor and turned around to face us. Then she took a very deep breath.


    "You''re right to feel bad about the dreams because the danger is trulying," the witch finally said to us. "There''s no running from it. You can''t hide from what must be. I see it hovering over your heads like a swarm of bees."


    I gasped, clutching my chest as I heard those words. From the look on my mother''s face, she too was immensely terrified.


    "In theing days," the witch continued. "You''ll notice a change in Aloha Bane. He''ll change the way that he treats you, but it wouldn''t just be you. He''ll treat everyone else the same way. You might struggle to recognize him and probably question if he''s truly the man that you''ve grown to love. There''s a brutal side of him that has stayed hidden for far too long and it''s time to let it out. He shall have very little time for the people he loves, and that includes you, Princess Aurora. You must have this at the back of your mind as you begin this journey."


    I felt a hand on my shoulder and it was my mom''s. Somehow, she knew that I was beginning to get very emotional. I was on the brink of tears. Yet, the witch wasn''t done just yet and we both had to listen.


    "During those times, you should do well to not push him away. Don''t confront him either. Instead, you must embrace gentleness because a lot would be going on with him in his mind. You can''t afford to add to his many problems, even though you''d have your own problems."


    I tried to hold those tears of mine back but I couldn''t. They just kept flowing freely down my cheeks and I let them be, surrendering to my inner feelings.


    "What about your wedding?" The witch asked, not caring whether I intended to cry my heart out.


    At first, I was shocked, since I had never said a word about it to anyone. I wondered how she got to know but a nudge from my mum brought me back to my


    senses.


    "She''s a witch, isn''t she?" She asked.


    "Yeah." I cleared my throat and continued. "We decided to put it on hold because


    of all that has been going on. I decided to halt the preparations."


    "You shouldn''t do that," the witch objected. "Don''t halt it for anyone or anything. Go ahead with your preparations."


    I was stunned by her words as u had thought that I did the right thing. Alpha Bane''s father thought the same too.


    "I''ll do as you said," I said to her, deciding to trust her words. "I''ll continue with the wedding preparations."

 Message Threats

    Dn''s POV


    "Dn, I don''t think this is a very good idea. I think you need to think this through first. It could backfire, especially since we don''t have a definite n."


    I paused a bit, trying to make it seem like I was giving thought to everything that Johnny said but I wasn''t. I was Dn, the true heir of the Blue Moon Pack and I did only what I felt was good. Besides, I was much smarter than both he and the messenger standing by his side.


    "You''re right, Johnny," I smirked. "We don''t have any ns at all, but I do. I have a well-thought-out n and in due time, I''ll let y''all in on that but not yet. It''ll ruin the surprise and the fun thates with it. That wouldn''t be fair, would it?"


    "But..."


    I red at him and he immediately stopped talking. He was beginning to get on my nerves. I hated his recent habit of challenging my decisions. He must have thought that he was better or smarter than me, simply because I chose to give heed to his counsel. I didn''t like that at all, especially because he wasn''t.


    "This is the best thing to do and you know it. For how long do you want us to stay silent? It was you who came to tell me that they know where we are. If they are aware of our location, for how long must we keep mute?"


    "For as long as we can, Dn," he replied. I sensed a bit of anger in his voice. "We can''t invite a problem that we''re not capable of handling at the moment. We need toy low for now as we keep drawing our ns so that when we do attack them, they won''t know what hit them. I thought this was our n all along."


    "Indeed, it was, but ns change, don''t they?" I chuckled. "We can''t afford to fight the Blue Moon Pack on a neutral basis. As much as we have help from the Rogue Alpha, we both know that it''ll take more than that to defeat the Pack. That is why I need to send a message to them. I need to send a warning; something to put fear in them. We need fear on our side. Every great warlord will always tell anyone who cares to hear that the greatest ally isn''t your fellow warriors from neighbouring Packs, but fear. With fear on our side, there''ll be no stopping us at all. I need you to see that, Johnny."


    "Is sending a message to your father the best way you know to put fear in their minds?"


    "Do you know any better alternative?" I asked, and as I expected, there was no response. "Good. Let me do my thing then."


    I turned to the messenger whom I had asked to get writing material so he could write the letter as I said the words to him. "Are you ready?" I asked him, very keen to pour out the words as they lined up in my mind.


    "Yes, sir. I am."


    "Father, I need you to know that I still love and care about you and whatever it is that is about to happen has nothing to do with me. You and your son, Alex have brought this upon yourselves and I have no choice but to do what I''m about to do.


    In a few days, I''ll being to the Pack to visit you. We''ll have a good old family reunion. I hope to see my sweet mother so I can kiss her. I''m sure she''d be very happy to see me. I hope you would too, my dear father.


    I''ve made new friends too; quite a number of them. You know, I''m not as lonely as you might have thought I am. I can assure you that they''ll being over with me so I can properly introduce them to the family. I do hope you''d be ready to receive us. It should be a fast reunion and it''ll end in my long-awaited coronation as the Alpha of the Blue Moon Pack.


    I hope some people wouldn''t have to give their lives to the cause. I''d love to avoid it at all costs. I just want to pay you a friendly visit. Expect me in no distant time and always be ready. I could just be behind you, right now, dad. Who knows?"


    As soon as he wrote thest word and turned to look at me, Sophia appeared from nowhere, walking into the room with confident strides.


    "You can leave now. I need to have some time alone with her," I said to Johnny and the messenger who immediately left the room.


    "What was the discussion about, Dn?" She asked, as soon as she got close to


    me.


    I kissed her lightly on the lips and it felt so good. "Can we take a stroll?" I asked, offering her my hand.


    She nodded and grabbed my hand as we walked out of the room.


    Princess Sophia''s POV


    Holding onto Dn''s hand, we walked out of his room and into the open space. I waited patiently for him to say something as he seemed to be enjoying the walk more than I had expected, given that he always did his best to deny the fact that he was madly into me.


    "You''d tell me what you were talking about back in the room, wouldn''t you?" I asked again, in case he thought that I had forgotten.


    "Yeah. That''s why we''re out here," he replied with a smile. "You don''t ever give up, do you?"


    "Never."


    "Well, it''s about the n we have concerning Alex and my throne," he exined. "I intend to send a warning message to them today or tomorrow."


    "Why would you want to do that? It''ll make it clear to them that we''re going to attack them, taking away our precious element of surprise," I countered, failing to understand why someone as smart as I thought he was, would be willing to make such a stupid mistake.


    "You think they don''t know that we''d attack them soon?" Heughed. "I know my father and Alex so well. They''re already preparing for an attack from us or preparing an attack themselves. What I''m doing here is to instil fear in them. I need to make them see that we''re not afraid of them. I need them to see that we''re not at their mercy, as they may have thought in their minds. They need to see us as a threat; a real threat..."


    "Are we?"


    "You don''t believe that we are? With the number of troops we have on our side, coupled with the fear that I''m instilling in them, there''s no way we won''t take them down for sure."


    Looking into his eyes, I could see that he meant every word that came out of his lips and somehow, it gave me confidence.


    "Would you want us to attack your Pack or mine if we decide to take the fight to them?" He asked.


    I was thrown aback by that question as u never expected it at all. It was something that I needed to think about and I did just that. They were all in my Pack and so fighting there made some good sense. Yet, I also felt that his Pack was weaker without Alex and if we attacked them first, we''d be able to destroy everything and everyone there and lie in wait for them to return. We''ll be fighting them on our own terms and since Dn knew much about his Pack, it will also be an added advantage.


    "I..."


    I was interrupted by the sight of the Rogue Alpha who we spotted walking toward them. He didn''t look bad at all.


    "Greetings Dn," he said to him before turning to look at me. "Greetings, Princess Sophia."


    "Hey," I said to him with a wave as he smiled at me in a very naughty way and even winked.


    It was clear to me that he was into me and I loved that. I always loved to have the attention of men; especially handsome ones like him.


    I winked back at him and bit my lower lip, making it so hard for him to take his eyes off me.


    It was only after I felt a sharp pain on my left hand caused by Dn''s fingers that I realised that he had been noticing all that was happening and he wasn''t happy about it. I looked up at him and saw the way he scowled at the Rogue Alpha who stared back at him defiantly. It was a very tense atmosphere and the only thing that rescued the moment was that the Rogue Alpha finally decided to leave us and walk away.


    "What just happened?" Dn asked me very rudely, immediately letting go of my hands.


    "Nothing," I innocently replied, baring my arms. "We just exchanged pleasantries with the Rogue Alpha, didn''t we?"


    "You must think that I''m stupid," he yelled. "You were flirting with him, right in front of me. Have you no shame?"


    "I don''t know what you''re talking about, Dn. I was..."


    "Keep it to yourself!" He screamed at my face before turning around and storming away from the garden, leaving me there alone.

 Family Discussions

    Aurora''s POV


    "You know that you have to chew your food responsibly," u said to Alpha Bane, who was making some ufortable sounds as he chewed on his food. "I don''t know why you''re being unnecessarily aggressive."


    "Hey, stop that," my mom said, lightly hitting my right hand. "You don''t need to talk to him that way."


    "Don''t mind her," Alpha Bane interjected. "She''s always fond of saying such things to me. I guess I''m used to all of that by now. Besides, if the meal wasn''t so tasty, I''d have had no need to chew on it so fast."


    Everyoneughed, including my father. He seemed to have gotten the joke more than everyone else.


    "Since she came back here, she has taken over the job of cooking from the maids. I''m sure they''d be wishing she''d never go back with you," added my father.


    "Are you sure that you''re not speaking your mind, somehow?" Alpha Bane smirked. He must have noticed that my father did want me to stay back somehow, even though we all knew that it was only for the moment.


    We resumed our eating as I watched everyone dig into their meals with relish. I loved the sight. It was always a thing of joy whenever I saw people enjoying a meal that I had prepared. There were only a few things that I couldpare with that.


    "So tell me," began Alpha Bane. "What happened earlier today, Aurora? You told me that you''d be going to see a witch alongside the Luna Queen. What about it? How did it go?"


    I bit my lower lip in surprise. I knew he was going to ask that but I had thought it was going to be done inside; when we must have returned to the room.


    Besides, he had told me the previous night that he wasn''t going to believe a word from the witch so I wondered why he had to ask the question.


    "It went well," I quickly said, unwilling to go any further until we had gone back to the room. I didn''t feel sofortable having to talk about it with everyone else. I also wanted him to plead with me before I''d say a word to him. I wished my mom thought about it the same way.


    "Indeed, it did go well," she affirmed, smiling at Alpha Bane, which gave me the impression that she was about to go further.


    I pinched her from under the table but she quickly shook my hand off, ring at me, before turning back to Alpha Bane to continue her story.


    "The witch was very open to us," she began to exin, as I gave up trying to stop her. "She asked us to tell her everything concerning the dreams that we''d been having and we took turns doing just that. As soon as we got done, she began to mutter a few incantations as we waited patiently to hear what she had to say..."


    "I wish I could understand why she had to do all of that instead of simply telling us what we want to hear. It''s not like she or anyone she was addressing could understand those iprehensible words."


    "Careful, my child," my mother warned. "Some things are beyond you and this is one of them."


    I smirked in disbelief while she went on with her story. "She agreed with us that there was danger lurking around us. She said that the danger was imminent and there were a lot of things that we were to expect in no distant time. As we pondered on those words, she began to talk about the wedding..."


    "The wedding?" Alpha Bane asked. His eyes got slightly widened as he paid even more attention to what was being said.


    "Yes, the wedding," I answered, seeing the need to continue from where my mom had stopped. I turned to my mother who seemed pleased to let me continue and I did just that.


    "The witch asked us to go ahead with the wedding," I revealed. "She said it was of no use putting preparation in thend. She told us that it would hold something meaningful in our lives and we should not halt it for anyone at all."


    "That can''t be!" Yelled my father in disbelief. I could hear his breaths getting faster as he almost seemed to be fuming. "Things could go very wrong if we continued with the wedding because of the issues that we have at hand. We..."


    "We''re going to go through with it," Alpha Bane interrupted very coldly.


    I wasn''t surprised that he did that. It had always been his n. He never for once supported the idea of halting the ns and so I knew exactly what he was going to say.


    He reached out and held my left hand with his right, lightly squeezing it as he gazed into my eyes. "What do you want us to do?" He asked me. "Should we go with the wedding?"


    I paused a bit, just to make sure it was the right thing to do. "Yes," I finally said. "I want to go through with it. I just want to do this and be done with it."


    He nodded.


    Alpha Bane''s POV


    As we got done eating, I noticed that the Alpha king''s face wasn''t the brightest and I could understand why.


    He was very terrified and for good reason. Every father would be terrified to have his child in harm''s way but it wasn''t just his child that he was concerned about.


    If news of the wedding spread and either Sophia or Dn decided to attack us, then everyone''s life would be in danger; his, his wife''s and that of the entire Pack.


    But I wasn''t afraid of that. There was no need to fear. All that we needed to do in the face of danger was to be prepared for it. That way, we''d be more than ready to face it head-on and with the goddess on our side, victory was a sure thing.


    I turned to Aurora and noticed that she looked so worried again. She had been very cheerful until we had that discussion. All of a sudden, her mood changed and she looked so gloomy.


    "Hey, don''t be this way. You''re causing much harm to yourself by thinking too much," I said to her in a whisper, cing my hand on her back and moving it in a circr motion in a bid to get her to rx. "Take it easy, my love. Everything''s going to be alright. I need you to trust me on that. It''ll be fine."


    She stared at me as if to ask me if I was sure about what I was saying. I could read the unspoken words written all over her face and I nodded to reassure her that I meant every word that proceeded from my lips.


    "It''s almost time for us to get to the root of the matter at hand," said the Alpha King after clearing his throat. "We''re going to have a culprit by tomorrow or the next."


    "How, dad?" Aurora asked. "How are we possibly going to do that?"


    "Well, Alpha Bane here shared a very good n with me earlier today. I believe that it''s going to prove very effective in letting usy our hands on the bastard behind all of these. We can''t have a mole right inside this Castle, move freely and plot even more evil against us. This has to end. I have to put an end to all of this."


    "I agree," my mom concurred. "If we must have victory in the end, then we must take away every advantage that they have and an inside man is one of the greatest advantages that an opponent can have. It''s more difficult to defeat an enemy in friendly regalia."


    "We''re going to set a trap for the culprit," my father continued.


    "A trap?"


    "Yes. Some maids are going to gossip about a bounty being set on anyone who helped Princess Sophia escape from the dungeon. Any guard that reacts in a certain way would be apprehended. The culprit can''t afford to hide. It''ll be very clear that fear would grip him."


    "This is brilliant, dad. I love the idea," I smiled before turning to Alpha Bane. It was exactly the kind of news that I hoped to hear. "I''m so proud of you foring up with such a beautiful idea, my love."


    I hugged him very tightly and he did the same. Then I kissed him briefly on his lips. "Can we head back to the room now?" I asked him since we were done having dinner.


    "Sure."


    We stood, hand in hand, and said goodnight to my parents before retiring to our


    room.

 Prophecy Prediction

    Alpha Bane''s POV


    "The maids have been instructed on what to do. They''re carrying out the n as I speak to you," the Alpha King revealed to me as I smiled in delight. "Sincest night, they''ve gone around the entire Castle, relentlessly talking about it and trying to figure out who the mole is amongst the guards."


    "Has there been anyone yet?" I asked, intently gazing at the Alpha King as he sat on his majestic throne.


    "If there have been, we''d have been sitting here with the fool right in front of us, thinking about the best way to teach him a lesson that he''d never forget."


    "That''s if he lives long enough to remember the lesson," I threatened. I was so full of anger for whoever it was as I hated treason with passion. No guard had any right to betray his Pack. It was why I hated the Rogues so much and couldn''t wait toy my hands on them. Luckily for me, I was going, to begin with, that culprit so I could have a feel of what was toe.


    "If I see him here," I warned. "I might be forced to kill him myself with my bare hands!"


    "Let''s take things easy, Alpha Bane. Remember that if he is the mole, then he has leaked information concerning our Pack to someone on the outside. We need to question him first to find out who he''s working for and what he has told them already..."


    "Then I can kill him?"


    "No. Not that. For him to say all of those things, he might need to be promised that he wouldn''t be killed. Perhaps, we could send him to exile or something like that. We need that information more than we need him to lose his life..."


    "We need them both and we can have them," I disagreed. "Nothing stops us from beating the truth out of him. I will make him so terrified that he''d have no choice but to say what he needs to say and then I''ll be rid of him. Such a guard doesn''t deserve to live. If we send him out of this Pack. Who knows if he''d reunite with our enemies and make us regret that mistake?"


    The Alpha King paused a bit and just stared at me. He looked at me like I was some kind of a stranger. He had never seen me that upset and I could understand that. I hadn''t been that upset anywhere close to him.


    "Still, we don''t have to kill him, Alpha Bane. We can keep him locked up until the war is over. Once that happens, we''ll..."


    He was cut short by the entrance of two huge guards who had bald hair. They walked right into the throne room with each man holding one arm of another man, struggling with all of his might to break free from their grasp.


    "Ivan?" The Alpha King yelled, so surprised to see the man.


    I recognized him too. He was a man who was very much trusted in the Pack, especially by the Alpha King, as he always let him have ess to the dungeon very freely.


    "How could you do this?" The Alpha King asked, looking very betrayed.


    I was stunned but I didn''t want to draw any conclusions as there were a lot of reasons why a guard could have been brought to the throne room. He could have been caught in theft or perhaps, disrespected another guard who was of a higher rank.


    "What happened?" I asked the other guards.


    "He fell for the trap, Sir," said the guard by my right-hand side. "The maids caught him panicking and making some strange movements as soon as he heard about the bounty. That is how we knew that he was guilty and so we decided to bring him here."


    I stood from my chair and walked slowly to where they were. Then cing the index finger of my right hand on his jaw, I lifted his head so he could look into my eyes. "Is this true?" I asked him in a very low tone. I needed him to be asfortable as ever while answering the question.


    I could feel him shake as I stared into his eyes. He was very terrified and he couldn''t say a word which seemed to annoy me even more. I saw sweat drop down from his face as his teeth made sounds from rapidly hitting each other. His eyes were so wide too. Yet I didn''t know if his silence was a sign of fear or a show of defiance.


    "I said, is it true that you''re the mole?" I yelled, this time in annoyance as I sought to shoot out my ws and dig them right into his eyes. If he was the spy, then he didn''t deserve to see any more than he deserved to live. Indeed, without his eyes, there was nothing he could see to say to his partners if they did call on him.


    "Ye-Yes," he coughed, a bit unintentionally before squeezing his face to show the seriousness in his words and probably show us that he wasn''t so scared anyway. "It''s true and I don''t regret it one bit. Besides, I didn''t kill anyone nor did I cause any harm to anyone in the Pack. I simply let Princess Sophia escape because she was being unjustly held captive. I did what I did to protect the woman that I love."


    Everyone in the room gasped. I turned to the Alpha King whose jaw immediately dropped. That was unexpected. Who could have known that Sophia could go as low as being with a guard?


    I was so full of fury at his words and I immediately spat on his face in disgust and then without thinking twice, I hit him flush on the face as hard as I could, forcing him to cough with blood spilling from his mouth.


    Aurora''s POV


    As I walked down the hallway, on my way to the garden to spend some time there alone, I saw a few maids walking and chattering.


    It had been so long since I was in the garden and so I thought it wise to just get there and be by myself. I also wanted to say a prayer to the goddess concerning all that I heard from the witch so that I''d be able to do all that she asked of me, seeing that they weren''t the easiest things to do.


    As I walked past a couple of maids, I heard them say something about Alpha Bane and I slowed my movement, so I could hear what they were saying very well.


    I couldn''t. They seemed to have noticed and quickly spoke in low tones. I noticed that the ones that saw me first didn''t speak at all again which made me wonder what they were trying to hide from me and why.


    "Hey, you two. Come here at once," I said to the maids from whom I heard Alpha Bane''s name.


    As soon as they came to me, they bowed their heads and I nodded to acknowledge that their greetings were well received. "What are you people talking about? I heard you both call Alpha Bane''s name. Why?"


    "It''s the culprit, my Princess," one of them immediately answered. "The culprit has been caught. He was caught by some maids and a few guards after he fell for the trap set by the Alpha King and Alpha Bane."


    "Who is he and where is he now?" I asked, musing that I never got to hear things until they were toote. It was a frequent urrence that wasn''t pleasant to me at


    all.


    "He''s currently in the throne room. The guards led him there not so long ago. The culprit is..."


    I immediately left them and began to walk toward the throne room. It was no use hearing his name when I could see him for myself. I had no time to waste and luckily for me, Anna, walked out of her room and I asked her to walk with me to the throne room.


    As I got into the room, I saw a very enraged Alpha Bane, hitting a man with his fist over and over again, even though he was already bloodied.


    He had gotten the man to the floor and climbed on top of him, freely swinging his fists very wildly as theynded on the man''s face.


    The man''s screams were very faint. He might have been so weak after such an onught. "You need to calm down, Alpha Bane. Stop it. You can''t kill the man. We need him to give us the information that we need," my father pleaded with him but he wouldn''t listen.


    I put my hands over my ears and screamed as much as I could. He turned to see who it was and our eyes locked. Just then, I remembered the witch''s prophecy about Alpha Bane and how he was going to change and be much more aggressive. His eyes were so red.

 Rage & Demons

    Alpha Bane''s POV


    I couldn''t believe my ears. The young man didn''t only admit tomitting such a heinous crime. He imed to have no remorse for it.


    As I kept swinging wildly at him, punching away at his face, something in me told me that the pain that I was inflicting on him was due to something much more than his confession to his crimes.


    I couldn''t get over the fact that he shared a bed; well, technically a dungeon floor, with a woman I used to share a bed with and he was unashamed to admit it. It was his guts for me. He wasn''t even afraid that he was right in front of two Alphas.


    The more I thought about it, the more I increased the intensity of my punches. He deserved nothing less than death and I was very much d to provide it.


    Not that it would''ve helped a great lot but Ivan refused to say a word about the person that sent him despite my best efforts. "Who hired you?" I asked over and over again, but I was met with the same answer. Silence.


    "Talk to me, Ivan. Who sent you?" I asked. I needed to beat the answers out of him somehow. He had to give them to me or die by my hands sooner than I had nned. He was going to die anyway.


    "Stop it!" The Alpha King yelled from behind me but I wouldn''t stop. I just couldn''t. It felt so good and I couldn''t deny it. I wanted to stop. I said to myself a few times but my hands won''t stop.


    Soon enough, the Alpha King resorted to pleas as hismands meant nothing to me. Ivan''s screams slowly faded into muffled sounds as he had lost a lot of strength.


    As I raised my hand to deal a fatal blow to him, with my ws shot out of my hands, I heard a very loud scream in the direction of the entrance to the throne room and I immediately turned to see who it was.


    It was Aurora. I couldn''t believe it. My hang immediately remained in the air as I froze. I didn''t expect her to be there at that time. I didn''t know what to say to her as the words eluded me. I could only open my mouth in shock.


    I felt the rage inside of me slowly go away. The redness of my eyes became a thing of the past as my eyes got back to normal. I could tell because I couldn''t feel that anger in me anymore. Her presence took it all away.


    She looked at me with a very strange face causing my face to flush. She looked afraid; terrified even. She was stricken and her legs were shaky.


    As our eyes locked together, she opened her mouth like she was going to say something to me but she didn''t. Instead, she just kept looking at me in disbelief. Suddenly, she turned her gaze from me to Ivan, whose head I still held with my left hand.


    I quickly let go of his head, letting it drop to the ground with a small thud. Then I slowly got up and took a few steps backwards from the man before turning to see how many guards were around.


    "Take this man to the dungeon," Imanded two guards by the door as they quickly ran to carry out the instruction. "Ensure that you lock him up and guard the ce very well. Be on the lookout, just in case he''s working with someone else in this Pce. We can never tell."


    They nodded and began to walk away but then I remembered a few things that I wanted to add. "When you toss him into his cell, give him some water to drink and let the man rest," I further instructed them. "With his hands and legs, all chained up of course. Let him recuperate for what is ahead. It would be a lot if he doesn''t quit trying to show how strong he is and just tell us what we want to know. Get to it now, boys!"


    They finally walked away and I thought about the next thing to do. I didn''t know what Aurora thought about the whole incident or how she was going to see me. She had never seen me in such a mood all her life and her visage showed it. But the man had to pay for what he did. I was only carrying out an act of justice. Nothing more than that. I hoped in my heart that she was going to see it that way.


    I dashed toward her and held her hands but she flinched, hitting them away, still looking stricken. "The words of the witch areing to pass," she muttered, more to herself than anyone else as she kept staring at me like some clueless ghost.


    It was clear that something was running through her mind and it wasn''t good. She was more terrified than I expected her to be and I felt it was due to the words of the witch.


    "I can''t believe it," she kept saying, over and over again, not turning away from me for once.


    I was confused. I couldn''t understand why she said what she said. I thought they had told me all that the witch said to them, including the wedding. I didn''t know what else they didn''t say to me and for what reason.


    I began to regret letting her go there. It was clear to me that the witch had gotten into her mind, just like many witches did when the person who went to see them went unprepared. I wanted to avoid that at all costs but Aurora kept pushing for it. Now, I had to bear the consequences of that action with her.


    "What exactly are you talking about, Aurora?" I asked her, trying once again to hold her and failing. "What is it that the witch said to you?"


    She said nothing and it angered me a bit but I tried to keep calm. I had to. "What is it that bothers you, my love?" I asked again, hoping that she''d talk to me but she didn''t.


    She simply bowed her head and I saw something that looked like a tear, dropping from her eyes. She drove me nuts. She wouldn''t even let me console her or tell me what the problem was. I was in a position where I knew not what to do next.


    "Hey, you should say something," I pleaded further. "What did she say to you?" She took three steps backwards and turned around. Then she slowly walked away, pausing for a bit to look at me, before shaking her head and continuing her walk.


    "Damn it!" I cursed, very livid. I was so mad that I began to hit the wall with my fists as hard as I could.


    "You need to calm down, Alpha Bane," the Alpha King said to me. "I believe you''re taking things way too far. You must take control of your emotions. You cannot let them control you or you''ll end up being a tyrant. Power without control usually means the end of a man. You must get a hold of your feelings. That way, you''ll be able to do things better. Don''t worry about Princess Aurora. I''m sure you both wille around soon."

 Secret Suspicions

    Dn''s POV


    "There''s trouble outside!" Johnny yelled, barging into my room as I spoke with Sophia.


    As he opened the door, I heard somemotion outside and I immediately walked out of the room to check out what the problem was.


    I saw four rogues fighting. Each held a long stick with which they hit themselves with no mercy whatsoever.


    It seemed to me that all four had a big issue with themselves. I had thought that it was a fight of two against two but it wasn''t. They all fought whoever was closest to them while the other wolves surrounded and cheered them on as they kept at it.


    I turned to Johnny wondering why he''d call me out for something as trivial as that. It was a rogue Pack and so these kinds of fights were expected. It wasn''t the first time that it happened. Indeed, a wolf lost his life thest time and the entire Pack moved on as if nothing happened.


    "Is this why you called me out of my room?" I asked Johnny, so full of anger. "Is this why you barged into my room, uninvited when I was having private time with Sophia?"


    He took a few steps backwards, shaking his head. "I thought it was something you''d want to handle, especially because they are slugging it out just outside your room," he stuttered in fear.


    "Then you should have easily handled it, shouldn''t you?" I yelled, grabbing him by the cor and pushing him to the wall.


    "Don''t you ever interrupt my meeting for unimportant news like this," I warned him sternly. "I will not take it kindly from you or anyone else. Do I make myself clear?"


    He nodded and I let go of his shirt. "Now, go find something better to do with your life."


    I turned around and walked back into the room, wondering why he''d do what he did. Then it dawned on me. He had eyes on Sophia. He was probably unhappy that I was spending so much time with her. Such guts. He was lucky that he was my friend. I needed him. I needed him so much.


    "Hey. What happened?" Sophia asked as I walked into the room still full of anger.


    "It''s nothing you should bother yourself with," I replied, before seeing the smirk on her face. "Fine. There was a scuffle outside. I think it''s still going on. I can''t believe that Johnny would call me out for something as trivial as that. How am I supposed to separate fights between these lowly rogues? He must think so low of me because of the situation I''ve found myself in."


    "Calm down, Dn," she said, rubbing her palm around my head in a circr motion. I was always calm whenever she did that. It felt so good that I shut my eyes to savour the moment. She seemed to have noticed as I heard her giggle.


    "Maybe, he didn''t mean it in the wrong way," she said, kissing me on my shoulder as she kept rubbing my head.


    "Then he should think better, instead of taking any decision thates into his head without properly checking if it''s worth taking... I"


    My speech was interrupted once again by a knock on the door. "Who''s there?" I asked. "You cane in."


    The door opened and it was Johnny again. He didn''t look like the man who was put in his ce just a few moments ago and I wondered what had brought him back again.


    "You again?" I asked. "What is it this time?"


    "It''s the Alpha King from Mansoor Pack," he said with a smirk. "He''s in the Pack now and currently heading towards this ce."


    "Okay. I need to get to him immediately then. We need to discuss some good business," I said, standing on my feet and helping Sophia up so that we could head out of the room.


    "Who''s this Alpha King?" Sophia asked. "I''ve never heard of him."


    "That''s because I''ve never mentioned him to anyone except for the Rogue Alpha and Johnny. We aren''t close in any way but we do have one thing inmon; hatred for Alex and my father. Well, I used to be part of his enemies but since I want them dead, fate has indeed brought us together. I hope my talk with him will be very fruitful."


    "I hope so too," I concurred, as we kept walking.


    "Dn!" The Alpha King yelled on seeing me. "So good to see you again after thest time. We sure don''t have fond memories of ourst meeting but I hope we''d create better memories this time."


    "I hope so too, Alpha Dwayne," I smiled, extending my hand for a handshake as he did the same. "I hope for something more pleasant this time. Anything but two men doing their best to help each other lose their heads. I''m thankful we both failed."


    Weughed so hard. It wasn''t so funny back then. We were determined to kill each other. Now, we intended to channel the same passion to my father and Alex Bane.


    "Hey, prettydy," he greeted Sophia, seemingly sizing her up from head to toe with a stare that screamed lust.


    I didn''t like it at all. He should have seen that she was with me. It was never great to be disrespected and I had hoped that we were going to start up our newfound rtionship based on trust and mutual respect.


    One was already off the table and the second was bound to be nonexistent with time. I just stared with my mouth wide open as he shamelessly gawked at her.


    "Hey, handsome," she replied, waving at him with her right hand before winking. "Wee to the Pack."


    "Thank you," he said, licking his lips. "Such a beautiful woman like you belongs somewhere better. I mean, you look stunning, woman."


    "You don''t say." Sophia reached out with her right hand and he shook her softly before bringing her hand up to his face and kissing it. "You seem sweet, Alpha King. I''m Sophia by the way; the Princess of the Silver Moon Pack."


    I couldn''t believe my eyes. Not only was the man flirting with Sophia, but she was also offering no resistance. Indeed, she was edging him on by flirting back. She was so shameless.


    I tapped her on the shoulder, just to remind her that I was right there but she swiftly brushed off my hand and kept on with what she was doing which further got me annoyed.


    I couldn''t tell the Alpha to stop even though I badly wanted to. I needed his help and if I were to get it, I had to stay put. I couldn''t do anything to make him angry or else he''d change his mind and I knew that there was hardly a chance for us to beat Alex without his help.


    "Could we go inside, to my chambers, so we can properly talk, man to man?" I asked with a smile on my face. "I can''t keep a man like you standing outside for so long."


    "Sure. Thank you for your kind gesture." He turned to Sophia and said, "She''s going with us, right? I think she should hear what we have to say too. Perhaps, she might have things to contribute. Who knows? I do want to talk to the prettydy afterwards."


    I didn''t want that. His words only made me very jealous. I felt like ripping his heart out that instant but I had to maintain myposure by all means necessary. I didn''t want him to even notice that I wasn''t pleased.


    "She can join us," I said with a smile. "She''s always free to join us."


    As we walked to the room, I decided within myself to have a very stern talk with Sophia. I needed to earn her that I''d never allow anyone else to have. She was exclusive to me and it had to remain that way.

 Willing Apologies

    Aurora''s POV


    The room was a bit dark and I knew that the evening hade. As I sat on the bed, I kept trying to put myself together but it wasn''t working at all.


    I tried to force myself to sleep a few times but it wasn''t to be. Sleep was far away from me; farther than my fingers could reach.


    Images of Alpha Bane demolishing that man kept shing in my head over and over again. No matter how hard I tried, I just couldn''t seem to get it off my head.


    I was stricken with fear ever since I witnessed that encounter. I couldn''t imagine that he could do something so horrible. The man was already out. Yet, he didn''t stop hitting him, letting the blood of the man ssh on his face without even caring one bit.


    It was true that the man deserved what he got. Indeed, he couldn''t have expected anything less than that after what he did. We were on the brink of war just because of his singr action. But that kind of beating was best suited for the guards, yet, not to that extent.


    Alpha Bane looked like a beast enraged. He looked like he had finally been set free from his cage and poor Ivan was the first to taste his fury. I wondered what had be of him.


    Alpha Bane too, hadn''te to see me since then. As much as I feared having hime around me, something in me did expect him toe to look for me, especially since I wasn''t in our chambers. I was in another room in the Castle where I usually loved to sleep back then before we left for his Pack. We used to sleep separately then.


    Iy on my bed again to sleep, rolling around as much as I could, but u still couldn''t. I wasn''t hungry either. The only thing that seemed to matter to me was the witch''s prophecy about the change in the character of Alpha Bane and how it was already ying out in such a short period.


    As I yet thought, a knock on my door broke me out of my deep thoughts and I wondered who it might be.


    Since I''d had nothing to eat, I assumed that it was just one of the maids and I was in no mood to entertain anyone. "Please, go away. U don''t want to talk or attend to


    anyone at the moment. You maye backter," I said, still lying down.


    I heard the knock again and I raised my brow, wondering why the maid just


    wouldn''t listen. U didn''t stand though. I had no time for that.


    The door went right open and standing right behind it was Alpha Bane. My chest immediately tightened on seeing him.


    He was sweating profusely and looked to be breathing heavily, making me wonder


    if he had been running. Stepping into the room, he locked the door behind him and turned to look at me as our gazes


    Alpha Bane''s POV


    As I got into Aurora''s room, panting heavily, I turned around and shut the door behind me. Then I took a few steps toward her before pausing abruptly.


    I gazed deeply into her eyes to see how she''d react. I knew she was still angry at me for what happened earlier and I wanted to make amends. I didn''t want to have any lingering issues with her.


    I continued my walk to her, murmuring some words in my head that I knew not what they meant as I walked, hoping that she''d find it in her heart to forgive me and move on from what happened in the pce.


    "What are you doing here, Alpha Bane?" She asked, sitting up on the bed and keeping her gaze fixated on me.


    "I went to our chambers to look for you earlier but you weren''t there," I sighed. "So, I thought it best toe here to see if I could find you here and thankfully, we''re here. I also came to apologise to you for what happened earlier. I assure you that I didn''t intend for it to be that way. I never intended for you to see what happened.


    "I''m not surprised one bit," she said, much to my surprise. "The witch had already prophesied concerning this. She told me that you''ll change; that you''ll be an entirely different person and it''s already beginning to happen."


    "You don''t have to believe that, my love. There''s nothing to be afraid of..."


    "But I''m already afraid," she cut in with tears building up in her eyes. "I''m so scared of what you''re about to be. When I looked into your eyes, I saw something that I''d never seen before. I saw a kind of rage that I never knew existed in you. My father called out to you but you wouldn''t stop. You looked like a beast unhinged. I knew at that moment that this was not the man that I fell in love with. What is happening to you?"


    I bowed my head in embarrassment. I understood all that she had said and knew exactly how she felt. I let my anger get the better of me and while I felt it was justified, I couldn''t help but feel like I should have had a bit of restraint somehow.


    "Please, Aurora, forgive me," I pleaded. "I know that my actions weren''t in line with what they should be and I deeply apologise for that. I don''t know what came over me..."


    "That''s exactly the problem," she cut in. "I don''t know what to do with all of these. If you can''t have control over your emotions, then it''ll only be a matter of time before you''d be transformedpletely into something else."


    "That''ll never happen, my love. I promise. I''ll never let that happen," I held her hands and stared right into her eyes so she could see just how much I meant the words that I said. "Look, there''s nothing to be worried about. I don''t want you to be scared of anything at all. Whatever it is that the witch said to you concerning me will never happen. This is why I didn''t want you to go see her "


    "Hey..."


    "I''m sorry. I just don''t want you getting worked up over something that will never happen," I went on. "It''s me, Aurora. It''s me and it''ll always be me. There''s no reason to fret. I was just overwhelmed by anger after all that the man did. That''s all. Please, forgive me, my love."


    "Are you sure that this wouldn''t happen again!" She asked, freeing one of her hands and wiping her tears with it.


    "I can''t promise that, knowing what lies ahead of us. There might even be a point where I have to be even more ruthless and decisive if we''re ever going to survive. Yet, this is what I promise. I''ll do my best to keep my emotions in check, only doing things when they ought to be done. Please, forgive me."


    "Okay," she muffled, wrapping her hands around me as we hugged. "Thank you so much, my love."

 The Traitor

    Alpha Bane''s POV


    The Next Day


    Standing from my bed very early in the morning, I raised both hands and yawned aloud. I was barely able to get some sleep as I had so many things running through my mind so I was still very tired.


    Yet, I had to be somewhere. Part of the things that filled up my mind was uncertainty about what Ivan said to me. I couldn''t quite believe that he had said all that he knew. I felt he was holding something back and I knew just how to get it out of him.


    Slowly, I crept out of the bed, fixing my gaze on Aurora to make sure she wouldn''t notice. I had told her that I''ll leave the house the previous night but I didn''t tell her where. I didn''t want her to ask me either because I knew she''d want to be there with me which would ruin the entire n.


    I opened my drawer and took out my small knife, staring at it for a few seconds before putting it into my back pocket. "I hope I won''t get to use you," I whispered to the knife.


    Taking a final look at Aurora who was still fast asleep, I tiptoed out of the room and gently shut the door. Then, I heaved a sigh of relief at the sess of my first line of action, hoping that the rest of the n was going to be that sessful.


    I took slow, calcted steps on my way to the dungeon, thinking about the different ways that I was going to make Ivan speak. The easiest of them was to simply ask him to speak and watch him do so. Yet, I knew it was probably not going to work that way. I knew that some type of force might have to be employed by me once again if I wanted to get what I wanted. I didn''t want that.


    Aurora was so mad thest time. If I had to do the same thing the day after I just apologised to her, it wasn''t going to look good. It would all but prove that whatever the witch had said to her was through, although it wasn''t. Giving her that impression wasn''t the smartest thing to do.


    Yet, I had to get the job done. I needed answers. Without those answers, it was quite likely that our enemies were going to seed. The lives of everyone in my entire Pack and hers depended on those answers.


    I got to Ivan''s cell and kicked the door open. He gasped in surprise and turned around to face me.


    "Happy to see me?" I asked, with a wicked smile on my face; the type that suggested that I wasn''t done inflicting pain on him.


    He didn''t say anything. He just kept looking at me with a pitiable face but I did not pity him. He deserved none. All that he deserved was suffering, pain and death.


    "Today, I''m here to get the answers that you failed to give me thest time," I began. "I think you must have forgotten to spill a few things and I can pardon you for that. I mean, with all that beating, one is bound to forget a few things. I''m guessing you''re ready to talk to me now, aren''t you?"


    I walked slowly toward him, very pleased with what I saw. He was a bloodied mess, just as I expected him to be.


    After getting him thrown into the dungeon, I instructed the guards to beat him up mercilessly and starve him so that he could learn a lesson. With the way he looked, I felt they must have taken it a step further, much to their credit. They must have enjoyed it more than I expected.


    "You still won''t say anything to me, Ivan?" I asked again, seeing that he stayed mute. "I came here for answers and I''m not going to leave here without it..."


    "Then, you might as well, sit beside me in this cell. We''d make lovely roommates, don''t you think?" He smirked.


    I felt like smacking his face at that moment but I took a deep breath and held myself back. I had a n and I needed to stick to it.


    "You''d tell me why you did what you did and you''d tell me the truth this time," I barked, hoping to intimidate him. "Who knows if you even did what you said you did? I mean, men can do so many stupid things just because of a woman."


    "Stupid things?" He asked,ughing. "You mean like not being able to punish your victim because a woman walked in? Did she tell you not to hit me anymore, Bane? Is that why you can''t seem to let your hands fly?"


    "Watch your words," I warned.


    "Or what?" He looked straight into my eyes without any form of fear. "What would you do if I don''t stop?"


    "Nothing," I replied, which seemed to surprise him as he raised his right brow. "I mean, I don''t want you to stop talking. I just need you to tell me what I need to know so that I won''t have to get it from you myself. Nevertheless, you''ve proved incapable and so I''m going to help you out."


    I reached out to my back pocket and took out my small knife. Then I brought it up to my face and licked it. I could see the fear on his face as I drew closer to him with the knife.


    "Maybe when I chop off your fingers, one after the other, you''d be more willing to speak to me," I threatened with a huge grin, squatting beside him. "But I can''t underestimate your resolve. You''re a very strong man and I do think you''d be able to bear the excruciating pain without speaking a word. That''s exactly why I''d love to also chop off your tongue afterwards. If you won''t speak, what''s the use of the tongue?"


    "Please...Please, don''t do this. Have mercy, please," he begged in a stutter as his eyes widened in horror. It was the proof that I needed that I had finally broken his resolve.


    "Then you''d do well to speak up before I change my mind."


    "I''ll tell you everything. Just don''t use that on me," he said.


    "Go on," I nodded.


    "Okay. All that I said in the pce was true. I was a spy and I connived with Princess Sophia to plot her escape. It was Dn. He was the one who orchestrated the whole thing..."


    "Dn?"


    "Yes. He sent a man here. A big, bald man, who worked together with me to guarantee Princess Sophia''s safe escape. I''m also certain that they''re not nning to attack this Pack but yours. Dn and Princess Sophia are joining forces and you''re their target."


    I was so full of anger as his involvement was more than I had imagined. He knew that they were after my life and he helped them still. I felt like holding onto his neck and squeezing the life out of him. Yet, u had to keep my cool and I did my best to do that.


    "Why did you do that?" I asked.


    "It was because of Sophia," he confessed. "I''m in love with Princess Sophia."


    "You''re a fool," I sniggered. "Sophia is a very promiscuousdy and a serial cheat. She''s not someone that any man should fall in love with and I''m a hundred percent sure that she doesn''t even feel the same way about you."


    "I know that," he revealed, much to my bewilderment. "I was just hoping that with time, she''d grow to love me too."


    I couldn''t hold back anymore. Iughed so hard at his words and wondered how he allowed himself to be so naive. She had used him and he just let himself be yed by the woman.


    "When was thest time you talked to Sophia?" I asked him, folding my arms. "Ever since she left, I''ve not been able tomunicate with her."


    "Then you have all the answers that you need concerning her love for you," I said, standing to my feet and turning to leave the dungeon. "I''m not done with you yet though. Enjoy your stay here in the dungeon for now."


    "Please, I''m truly sorry for all that I did. Forgive me. Have mercy on me."


    He begged on and on as I walked away from the cell and shut the door. He wasn''t worthy of any reply.

 Wedding Plans

    Aurora''s POV


    "Who could have thought that a trusted servant in this Pack would turn out to be a traitor?" My father asked Alpha Bane as they conversed.


    I sat on a sofa in the throne room, close to where Alpha Bane and my father sat as they talked about what had happened earlier.


    I wasn''t in the mood for too much talk so I just decided to watch them talk and listen very closely to whatever they had to say.


    I was as shocked as my father upon knowing that Ivan had a hand in all that was going on. He always seemed to me as someone so innocent. He never looked like a threat. Not even for once. I couldn''t quite get why he''d betray this family and the Pack atrge. He was well taken care of.


    "The young man confessed to everything that he did," Alpha Bane revealed. "He told me that he connived with Sophia to set her free from the dungeon but he was not alone."


    "He couldn''t have been alone," my father affirmed. "There must have been someone on the outside who paid him to do it."


    "Well, you''re right about having someone on the outside who got him to do his bidding," Alpha Bane smiled. "But he wasn''t paid for it. He did it out of his free will."


    "Why would he do that?"


    "Because he ims to be in love with Sophia! What a joke! How can any man be in love with such a woman? To make it worse, he knows that she doesn''t love him. Yet, somehow, he believed that it was going to change and that she was eventually going to fall in love with him. Now, where is she and where is he?"


    My father bowed his head and I knew he was sad. As much as Sophia was all that Alpha Bane suggested, she was still his daughter and I could tell he still loved her so much despite all she did to him.


    "The outsider; the one who worked with Ivan to free Princess Sophia. Who is he?" My father asked, raising his head and looking at Alpha Bane.


    "It''s Dn; just like I had suspected..."


    "Dn?" Asked my father with his mouth wide open. Mine was open too as I didn''t expect that.


    Thatbination only proved one thing; there was certain danger lurking and we had to prepare even better because Dn knew all about his Pack while Sophia knew all about ours. Whichever Pack they''d decide to attack, they were surely going to have an idea of how to go about it and it was bad for everyone.


    "Yes, Dn. They are working together and they n to attack soon. The attack is to happen in my Pack and not here. That was their n ording to Ivan."


    "What if he was lying? What if Ivan is still trying to deceive you?"


    "He''s not. I could see on his face that he was being honest. I made sure of that," Alpha Bane assured him. "Now that we''ve solved this mystery about how Sophia was able to disappear from her cell very mysteriously, it''s time for us to head back to my Pack but we won''t be going alone. We''ll be going with Ivan since he''s now a traitor to both Packs."


    "I''d rather he stays here," objected my father. "I''d love to keep an eye on him."


    "I know that Alpha king, but there are other factors that you must consider. It is those factors that drive me to take him with me."


    "Factors like?"


    "Ivan knows this ce very well. He knows the nooks and crannies," Alpha Bane exined. "If he was able to get Sophia out of this ce, how can you be sure that he won''t free himself too? He could already be nning his escape right now as we speak. But if he goes with us to my Pack, then he''d be stuck. He knows nothing there and also has no friends. That way, we''ll keep an eye on him and ensure he won''t be a problem in future."


    As I listened to his speech, I got even more scared. I became worried about the wedding, wondering what was going to happen there.


    Since we got intel from Ivan that the attack was to happen in the Blue Moon Pack, it meant that we had to do the wedding on time to avoid being unprepared. If the witch didn''t ask, I''d still have loved us to wait a bit till after the war before tying the knot. Whatever we had to do, had to be done quickly. Time was of the essence.


    "Aurora!"


    "The wedding... The " I blurted out unintentionally. His call had snapped me out of my thoughts and I didn''t know when the words slipped from my mouth.


    "What about the wedding?" Alpha Bane asked.


    Alpha Bane''s POV


    "The wedding has to be done on time," Aurora spoke with frightened lips. "We need to hurry everything up or risk not doing it at all. We can''t afford to have them attack us when we and everyone else in the Pack are rejoicing and making merry. That would be such a disaster as they''ll entirely wipe us all out. I''m just so afraid, my love "


    "You don''t have to be," I said, trying to get her to calm down. She was always getting so worked up over nothing and it wasn''t good for her or anyone else.


    "The Prophecy of the witch," she continued. "It''sing to pass. The dangers that she prophesied are very close to us. I can feel it so strongly around us. Can you not feel it too? She asked us to ensure that we do this wedding. I don''t know whether it''s going to have any bearing on what is toe. I..."


    "Shhh!" I shushed her, walking over to her and holding her hands. "Don''t fret, my love. We''re going to pull through with this wedding. It''s not in doubt at all. I just need you to take things easy for now. Let me handle these things. Trust me to put things in order. Trust that I have all of these in control."


    I felt her breath be a bit slower and I knew my words were doing wonders, as I expected them to. "I was able to get information out of Ivan, right? I handled


    it, just like I assured you that I would. I need you to believe in me once again. Let me do what I know how to do. Have some rest. You need it."


    I pulled her in and hugged her as a myriad of thoughts ran through my head. I was getting tired and frustrated about everything that was happening around us, including her refusal to let go of whatever the witch must have said to her. Everything was making me feel so ufortable, but I just wanted her to be happy. I needed her to be.


    I let her go and nted a kiss on her forehead first, and then on her lips and let my lips dwell on hers for about a minute before finally breaking the kiss and gazing deeply into her eyes.


    "Go get some rest, okay?"


    She nodded and walked out of the throne room to our room while I returned to continue my conversation with the Alpha King.

 Cheating Slut

    Princess Sophia''s POV


    "This looks great," I muttered to myself as I grabbed a pink coloured dress from my wardrobe.


    It was one of my favourite dresses as it always aided me in seducing any man that I wanted to. It was my sex charm and it wasn''t hard to tell why.


    It was a very skimpy sleeveless gown that almostpletely revealed my breasts. It exposed the sexiness of myp and allowed whoever I wanted to show it, to see and appreciate drool at the sight of it.


    I was a hotdy and every man around me knew that. So it was quite easy for me to have the exact effect that I wanted to have on any man, especially with the set of killer dresses that I had, to make it even easier.


    After the chat with Dn and Alpha Dwayne from the Monsoon Pack, I was led out of the room by Dn but not before the Alpha King handed a piece of paper to me, unbeknownst to Dn.


    As soon as we got to my room, Dn kissed me on the cheek and told me that he was going to be back soon. Then he turned around and left.


    I sat on the bed and took out the note that was handed over to me by Alpha Dwayne. "I''d love to see you soon, prettydy. I like you already. We should talk," was what it said and I licked my lips immediately after I was done reading it.


    I didn''t need a second invitation. With Dn gone, it was my chance to get to his room as quickly as I could so that we could talk. Knowing that he was going to want to have sex with me, I made it clear in my mind that I wasn''t going to let it happen; not until I had teased him and made him crave me so desperately.


    I walked to the door and looked to my left and my right. There was no sign of anyone and that was my cue to quickly head over to his room.


    On getting there, I knocked and on hearing that I shoulde in, I quickly got inside and shut the door.


    "I see you honoured my invitation, Sophia..."


    "Princess Sophia," I interjected, not taking too kindly the omission of my title.


    "My apologies, Princess. I''m d you chose toe. You know, when I first saw you on my arrival, I knew that you were special. I felt this connection between the both of us and I''d love us to explore that."


    Iughed inside of me but I held myself from expressing it. Connection. He must have thought that I was stupid and naive. How lowly!


    What he didn''t know was that I only went there because I liked him too. He was the kind of man that I needed to satisfy my cravings. He looked more than capable of handling a woman.


    More than that was the way he looked at me. He was simply a naughty boy and his bright green eyes made it even more difficult to resist his charm.


    As I fixed my gaze on him, I could already see myself being held down by his mighty biceps, as he thrust his member deep into me with all the strength he could muster. Given his very muscr frame, it was certainly going to be a lot of strength.


    "And how are we going to explore that?" I asked him, feigning ignorance.


    He smirked, standing to his feet as I once again admired his height. He looked six feet, seven inches or a bit more. For sure, I had no way to properly determine that, but yeah, he was a very tall man.


    He walked to me and held my hands. "How about we start by getting to know each other a bit intimately?"


    He bent low to kiss me but I simply stepped backwards and freed my hands from his, but I didn''t say a word, nor did I take my eyes away from his.


    I could see and feel the tension building up within him as I seemed to resist him, without fully resisting him, giving him some hope that he had a chance and probably needed to try harder. It was exactly what I wanted to do to him.


    "I know exactly what you need," I said to him, biting my lower lip.


    Before he could say a word, I pushed him back towards his bed, with just a finger of my right hand. It was quite funny how sex could make able-bodied men look like weaklings.


    I pushed him down to the bed, still with the same finger and then climbed on top of him. "Not now," I whispered in his ears. "I''ll be backter in the evening."


    With that, I stood and began to walk out of his room while he bared his palms in frustration. Then I blew him a kiss as I got to the door, before leaving the room.


    I got done dressing and it was finally time to head back to Alpha Dwayne''s room to finish what I had started. I couldn''t wait to feel him inside me as I''d been craving for a real man to handle me.


    Surprisingly, I had thought that Dn was capable of doing that. On the day that we were caught, I med theck of satisfaction that I had on the fact that we were stopped halfway. But after a series of sex with him, it was clear that he just couldn''t satisfy me.


    The meeting with Alpha Dwayne was an opportunity that I had to make good use of. I had hooked up with the Rogue Alpha a few times too and while he was good; much better than Dn and very aggressive; I hoped that this Alpha was going to be even better.


    As usual, I opened my door and looked to see if there was any sign of someone passing by. I couldn''t afford to be seen by anyone; not even the maids, as I knew just how Dn was going to react if he found out that I was having sex with Alpha Dwayne or anyone else.


    I gently tiptoed out of my room and began to walk quietly, towards Alpha Dwayne''s private chambers.


    Just as I rounded a corner in the quiet hallway, I spotted a maid approaching and I stood still and held my breath to avoid being noticed.


    Then, I quietly hid behind one of the walls and waited for her to pass. Luckily for me, by the time that I looked out from my hiding ce to see what was happening, she wasn''t in sight anymore and there was also no sight of any maids or guards.


    I heaved a sigh of relief and quickly walked to the Alpha king''s door. I knocked once, very gently and without waiting for any response, I walked into the room. I couldn''t afford to be found outside his room by anyone.


    On shutting the door after I had walked in, I turned around to see that he was already naked in his dimly lit room. He only covered himself with a wrapper.


    I loved that he was ready and waiting for him. I must have turned him on so badly earlier on; so much that he just couldn''t wait to get inside me.


    I smiled and winked at him and then gently began to take off my clothes in front of him, further getting him even more aroused.


    "Come here, please," he begged, taking the wrapper away from his body and revealing his very huge member.


    If I had any doubts, they were all wiped away at that instant and all I could think of was letting him have his way with me.


    I quickly walked to him and grabbed his member in my hands with a huge grin on my face. "This is gonna be so much fun."

 Scary Thoughts Again

    Alpha Bane''s POV


    Some Days Later


    "You can go ahead, Aurora. I''ll be right behind you," I said to Aurora who stood beside her mother, right in front of me and the Alpha King.


    I needed to thrash out a few things with him before going into the carriage, especially since he wasn''t going to my Pack with us.


    "Don''t be long," she replied, as they both walked toward the carriage, talking as they moved.


    "I won''t, my love. I promise."


    "I love the way you both love and respect yourselves. It''s a beautiful sight, Alpha Bane," the Alpha King said with a smile on his face. "You remind me of how I and her mother used to be when we were still very young, like the both of you."


    "You''re still that way, even now," I said to him. "You both look inseparable. I am even in shock that she agreed to go with us to my Pack."


    "She has to. I know, it took a lot from her to do that. She can''t miss the wedding of her darling daughter. I''d have gone with you too. No father would love to miss the special day of his child, but an Alpha has to do what he has to do."


    "I understand. Sometimes, we make such sacrifices, even though it may not feel good at all. Yet, the people on the outside barely understand us. To them, we''re beings without emotions who only do things for the good of the Pack."


    "Indeed," he concurred. "They''re right about the second. The Pack alwayses first. Yet, that doesn''t mean that we have no emotions. It is our emotions that guide us as Alphas and keep us from being tyrants. It''s why we put the Pack first instead of our families, understanding that the rest of the Pack aren''t worthless, but are deserving of our love and protection, just like our families."


    As we slowly walked, I couldn''t help but see the truth in what he was saying. Each time I walked about in my Pack, I always noticed a few gloomy faces, amidst some others who stared in awe. If only they knew what we had to go through by the virtue of being the Alpha of the Pack, perhaps, they''d have had more sympathy for us.


    "When would the wedding be held? Any idea yet?"


    "None yet," I answered as I hadn''t quite given it any thought. I only knew we were going to have our wedding but since the preparations hadn''t gone so far, I couldn''t ce my hands on when exactly it would happen.


    "It needs to be quick though," he advised. "The earlier we get done with it, the more prepared we''ll be for Dn and his proposed attack."


    "I''m sure you want your wife back as soon as possible," Iughed. "Don''t worry, she''ll be home in no distant time."


    "The troops too. They''ll be with you as soon as you make contact. If you hear anything about Dning to your Pack, do reach out very quickly."


    I nodded. Just as I tried to say something to the Alpha King, I heard a sound to my right and I quickly turned to see who it was.


    I spotted a few guards, dragging Ivan to another carriage. The Alpha King finally consented to my request to take him with me and I was d.


    "Thank you," I said to him and he nodded. "I guess I''ll be seeing you soon then." "Indeed, you are."


    We shook hands and I walked to the carriage where Aurora and her mother were already waiting for me.


    Aurora''s POV


    "Mom, I''m scared," I said to my mom as we got into the carriage.


    Alpha Bane and my father were still having a conversation and so I felt the need to share my fears with my mother before he''d join us.


    I had no idea that my mother was going to join me on the journey. I was so ted when she told me that she was going to travel with me so she could witness my special day and also help out with the arrangements. I wished my father could have joined us too but I could understand why he had to stay.


    Yet, I was so scared. I didn''t know what would happen when we got there. If for any reason, Dn decided to attack, my mother too was in harm''s way and that was not alright.


    I had heard a few tales about her experiences in wars. I heard she fought so valiantly and was well-feared and respected by all. Yet, those were so many years ago, long before I was born and I didn''t know if she still had it in her. Even if she did, it was still a dangerous thing to be in a war.


    "Don''t be scared, my child," said my mother, in a bid tofort me. "I''m right here with you and I''m not going anywhere my darling. There''s no need to be afraid."


    "That''s one of the reasons why I''m so scared, mom. You''re here with me and if an attack happens, you''re already in harm''s way and it''ll be all my fault. If not for this wedding, you''d have been in our Pack, away from any form of chaos."


    "I''d rather die by your side, my love, than hear of your death from our Pack," she stroked my hair. "Here, I can make sure that no one would harm you at all."


    I wished in my heart that I could believe all that she said to me. Not like I didn''t believe her. I did. I just didn''t think she could do what she said because I knew how dangerous Dn could be. I had heard about him from some of the maids too and since he was with someone as cunning as Sophia, there was barely anything they couldn''t do."


    "I''ve been having some dreams, mother," I revealed to her, looking up into her eyes. "I''ve been having bad dreams. So many of them and they never seem to stop."


    "Have you told Alpha Bane?" She asked, with her mouth wide open.


    "No, mum. I haven''t. He doesn''t seem to have my time so often so I haven''t had the chance. Besides, he''d likely brush them aside. I don''t want him to know about them yet."


    "Well, it''s your choice. I''d always advise openness in any situation at all. So tell me, what are the dreams about?"


    I''d already opened my mouth to speak before realising that I didn''t want to share them with anyone yet. I closed them back and just stared at her nkly.


    "Hey. You have to say something to me," she tried to convince me. "You can''t just keep it to yourself, can you? I''m your mother."


    She kept on pestering me with so many questions and I could tell that she was never going to give up. I resigned that I was going to tell her and I had to do that as quickly as possible before anyone else woulde.


    "Okay, a few days ago," I began. "I..."


    "I''m so sorry that I took longer than I had expected," Alpha Bane cut in, arriving at the carriage and catching us unawares. "Pardon me."


    I quickly turned to my mother, locking eyes with her. I couldn''t say a word about


    the dream anymore as I wanted it to be a secret.


    "I''ll talk to youter, mom," I muttered to her.


    She nodded, and I ced my head on Alpha Bane''s shoulders just as the carriage began to move.

 Wedding Strikes

    Alpha Bane''s POV


    I sneaked out of our room and headed straight to the throne room, where I was very certain that my father was waiting for me.


    Ever since I and Aurora got to the Blue Moon Pack, just a day ago, she had glued herself to me, refusing to give me any sort of space.


    It was a bit annoying at first, but after a while, it became even more annoying, not because she wanted to be close to me. I loved that fact. But because she was just so scared. I was so sure that it wasn''tpanionship that drove her to me. It was fear.


    She was scared of everything. The Aurora that I knew was beginning to look like someone else. No amount of words that I said to her was able to make her change what she had in mind. She held onto her thoughts like a gue and they affected her drastically.


    As I left the room, I heaved a sigh of relief, finally breaking free from her. I knew she was going to notice my absence in no distant time but I must have gotten to the throne room before then.


    "Greetings, my son," said my father as soon as my feet stepped into the throne


    room.


    I turned to him and smiled. I hadn''t met with him since I got back to the Pack and he looked so happy to see me. Me too. I was delighted.


    "Thank you, father," I greeted, before walking down to a chair and sitting.


    "It seems like you just woke up from sleep, son."


    "Not really. But I''ve not been awake for so long," I replied. "A guard informed mest night that you wanted to see me very urgently this morning. Is there a problem?"


    "There is. You may want to have a look at this one yourself," he said, handing a piece of paper over to me.


    I took it from his hand and opened it up to see what it was. It was a letter and I knew whose writing it was. It was no one else but Dn.


    He threatened toe to the Pack and attack us and the more I read the letter, the angrier I got. I could feel my face squeeze more and more as I kept going through it.


    "Such guts," I uttered, as I got to the end of the note. I couldn''t stomach his audacity. I couldn''t understand why he''d think that he had such power to do all that he said he was going to do.


    He made it seem like we were at his mercy but I knew that we weren''t. It was the other way around and I had to let him know.


    "I''ll be writing back to that idiot," I told my father. "I''m not going to let this slide at all. Dn has bitten more than he can chew and I must write to him at once."


    "No, you wouldn''t son," he objected. "That''s exactly what he wants and you''ll only be ying right into his hands. Is that what you want?"


    "Well. No, it''s not."


    "Good. It''s not necessary at all. We have more pressing issues to concern ourselves with," he went on. "We have to continue with our ns. This letter is something that we must ignore. We can''t let him make us take actions that will only end up in his favour. We must be smart enough to beat him in his own game. Whenever he decides to attack us, we''d certainly be ready for him. I''m sure of that."


    Immediately after he said those words, I noticed that his head dropped. His countenance quickly changed and his mood got sour.


    I could understand why. No father would have been happy to sit with one of his children, drawing a n on how to foil the attack of another child of his. It was so heartbreaking for him to know that his son was plotting against him. I was so sure that if there was a way for the fight to be avoided, he''d have grabbed it with both hands. Sadly, there wasn''t, as neither I nor Dn were ready to have any sort of peace.


    As I tried to stand, hoping to get close to him and perhaps, offer some words of constion, he looked up at me, seemingly over the ba mood as his visage seemed to have changed.


    "What''s the progress so far based on your visit to the Silver Moon Pack?" He asked.


    I coughed, clearing my throat as I adjusted myself to my seat. "Well, we found out who helped Dn get Sophia out of the dungeon," I revealed. "He''s called Ivan. We brought him here to the Pack so we can further investigate him and make sure that he won''t escape for any reason."


    "He''s in the dungeon now?"


    "Yes, he is. He''ll be there for a very long time. He''s quite lucky to still have his life with him. He''s one of a select few who don''t deserve to take in air. He confessed to all that he did, iming to have done all of that because of the love that he has for Sophia. Can you imagine that?"


    "Such guts! Isn''t he amon guard?"


    "Maybe not somon. He was highly ranked in his Pack but yeah, he''s a guard so I don''t know how he could have even imagined that he stood a chance with Sophia. We''ve not talked about how promiscuous she is. That''s not all though" "What else happened over there?"


    "There was a witch. Aurora and her mother went to her to ask her some questions and she made some prophecies."


    "You know how much I don''t believe those witches, right?" He asked. "I''m so wary of those folks as they''ll stop at nothing to make people fear them. Lies aren''t very far from them either."


    "I know that dad, but this is different," I exined. "I, too, had my doubts in the beginning but somehow, I''ve been able to see that there could be truth in what she''s saying."


    "How''s that?"


    "Some of her prophecies have alreadye true, right in Aurora''s Pack," I revealed. "I don''t know how but it seems like she just says the right things. Besides, she''s also in support of my wedding with Aurora and has asked us to go on with it, despite all that''s going on..."


    "You do know that there are dangers, right?"


    "I know that," I answered. "Yet, it''s something that I have to do. Who knows? It could be an opportunity for me to gain the upper hand in this fight."


    "How so?"


    "We could set a trap for Dn with the wedding," I suggested. "We could make him think that we''re unprepared and when he decides to attack us on my wedding day, we''ll be ready."


    He paused for a bit, looked up and thought about what I had said. Then he fixed his gaze back on me and shook his head.


    "We shouldn''t do that. I mean, it''ll be so obvious. Dn wouldn''t be foolish enough to attack that day as he''d feel we''d be prepared to face him on that day. You two should go on with the wedding as nned. It''s your happy moment. You deserve it."


    I didn''t like the idea one bit. Something told me deep down that he was going to strike us on that day but not wanting to argue with my dad, especially after seeing that he did have a point, I decided to let it slide. I also wanted Aurora to be happy on our day, instead of concerning herself with our fight with Dn. She had gone through so much and I didn''t like it at all, nor did I want to add to it.


    "It''s fine, dad. At least, Princess Aurora would have some time to rest from all of the troubles for once."


    "Don''t worry, my son. Soon enough, all will be well. I promise you that."


    I nodded.

 Stiff Warnings

    Dn''s POV


    "Hey, Johnny. Thank goodness you''re here," I said, as soon as I saw Johnny walking toward me as I stood outside my chambers. "Do youe bearing good news?"


    "Ie bearing news," he replied, shaking his head. "It''s certainly not good news though. It''s more on the bad side."


    "What happened?" I asked, with my palms bared as I wondered what must have gone wrong.


    "It''s about Alpha Bane and Aurora."


    "What about them?"


    "They''ll be going ahead with their wedding regardless of the message that was sent to them," he revealed. "I heard that preparations havemenced in earnest."


    "That''s not such a bad thing, is it?" I asked, looking to exploit the opportunity the best way that I could.


    "That''s not all," Johnny continued. "They''re back to the Blue Moon Pack and they have Ivan with them."


    "Ivan? What do they want from the man?"


    "They were able toy their hands on him somehow. I heard that they got him to tell them that he was the one who helped us set Sophia free. Such a coward! He couldn''t even hold on a bit after all that we agreed."


    "Let''s head outside," I said to him, immediately walking down the corridor as he followed me behind. As we walked, I began to ponder on what he had said, trying to see if there was anything I could do about it.


    "Well, we both know that Ivan isn''t of much help or use to us anyway," I chuckled. "I mean, he''s only a means to an end, isn''t he? He doesn''t matter to me at all and I don''t care what happens to him from now on. He''s a disposable part of the n and if he takes the fall for what we have done, then we simply have him to thank for that, don''t we?"


    He nodded and I loved that he agreed with what Imunicated. Unlike before, we weren''t always on the same page and it did give me some sort of concern. Thankfully, things began to change between us. At least, I felt it did.


    "What I''m enraged about is that Alex still lives his life as if nothing is going on," I confessed. "Even after the threats that I made, he still dared to go ahead with the wedding n. He must consider me weak and my threat insufficient. Perhaps, I need to show him that I''m not here to joke at all."


    "How do you intend to do that?" Johnny asked.


    "Simple. Since he has decided to go ahead with the wedding, we''re going to use it to our advantage," I suggested. "We''ll attack them on their wedding day when they least expect it. I want us to give them something memorable on their wedding day. If we''re to teach them a good lesson, that day would be our best chance to do that."


    Johnny stared at the ground for a few seconds and then looked back up at me. "I don''t think we should do that, Dn. We could be ying right into their hands."


    "What do you mean?"


    "If they decided to go on with the wedding despite the threat, don''t you think they''ll be very much prepared for any attack?" He asked. "It could even be a trap. I''d suggest that we should leave them alone to go through with their wedding, and then attack themter on when they least expect it. If we want to surprise them, their wedding day won''t be of much help to us in that light."


    He was right. I could see why I still needed him despite my stubbornness in consenting that he was indeed a very smart person. "Okay then, we''ll..."


    I was interrupted by the sight of Sophia and Alpha Dwayne who walked by, talking andughing. They seemed to have not noticed us as we stared at them and Sophia did all she could to make contact with him at all times.


    I couldn''t understand why she was overly friendly with the man. It got me upset, especially when she ced her head on his shoulder for a few seconds as they talked andughed. Then she grabbed his hand and I saw her caress it as they walked.


    "Something fishy is going on with these two," I said to Johnny, still staring at the pair.


    "I agree, Dn. I think they need to be looked into."


    I halted our conversation and began to walk over to where Sophia and the man


    were.


    Princess Sophia''s POV


    "You''re such a funny man," I said to Alpha Dwayne, lightly pping his shoulder as we both keptughing.


    I loved hispany. He was so fun to be with. As I took a walk with him, I wished that it was never going to end.


    Unlike Dn, he wasn''t domineering towards me. He was nice and calm and allowed me to express myself with as much freedom as I could. He was different from a lot of other Alphas; just like my father. He was keener on building friendships with others than trying to force them into doing things they didn''t want


    to.


    "You know, I love it when I''m around you, Princess Sophia," he confessed, making me blush. "You''re a very amazing woman with no ws at all. Everything about you is just so perfect."


    "I can say the same about you, Alpha Dwayne. Thank you for..."


    "I need to talk to you immediately, Sophia."


    I quickly turned to my left to see Dn, standing next to me as he made his request. I didn''t see it hear him approach and I hoped in my heart that he hadn''t been stalking us for a long time.


    "Uhm... Can it wait a bit?" I asked, hoping to get a chance to conclude my talk with Alpha Dwayne.


    "It can''t. I need to talk to you immediately," he reiterated, before turning to the Alpha King. "We''ll have a chatter, Alpha Dwayne."


    "That''ll be great, Dn. I was just about to say the same."


    I knew what I had to do. Much to my disappointment, it was clear that my talk with Alpha Dwayne had to be cut short. There was no way that I was going to disobey Dn. He wasn''t going to appreciate that at all.


    "Talk to youter," I said to the Alpha King, who smiled and waved at me before I finally walked away with Dn.


    It was a silent walk for a few minutes. Dn was probably trying to make sure that we were clearly out of Alpha Dwayne''s sight. I followed him closely, listening keenly to know what exactly he wanted to say to me.


    "What''s your rtionship with Alpha Dwayne?" He finally asked. "I''ve been paying attention to the way that you both talk and spend time with each other. What''s going on between you two, Sophia?"


    "Nothing," I denied swiftly. "I''m simply trying to foster a healthy rtionship with the man. I thought it would be quite great for the Pack if I did that. It''ll make him have greater trust in us instead of always being wary. All that I''m doing with him is for the good of the Pack. That''s all."


    He said nothing for a while and I sensed that he didn''t believe a word that I said. "Dn, I''m loyal to you and only you. There''s nothing else going on between the man and myself."


    "Don''t y with me, Sophia!" He yelled, causing me to shudder. "You belong to me and no one else. Do you hear me?"


    I hated that arrogance. It wasn''t that he was exclusive to me. I was so mad that he demanded something that he couldn''t give.


    "You sleep with other women in this Pack," I pped back at him. "I''ve seen a couple of them walk into your room to have a great time with you. Yet, you''re here, talking about exclusivity as if you too have been faithful to me."


    Angrily, Dn reached out with his right hand and grabbed Ms by the neck. He pushed me to a tree just beside me and squeezed my neck, as I struggled to breathe.


    "Don''t you ever speak to me in that manner ever again in your life! Do you hear me?" He yelled at the top of his voice. "I don''t want to hear or see anything that''ll suggest that you''re having anything to do with another man. You belong to me. Just me, Sophia. Don''t make me do something that I''ll probably regret or not."


    He stared at me for a few more seconds and then finally dropped me. "Go back to the Castle!" He ordered, before turning around and walking away from me.


    I was stunned as I watched him walk away until he disappeared.

 Pregnancy Symptoms

    Aurora''s POV


    "How do you feel about your big daying up soon?" My mother asked as she drew close to me.


    "Well, I''m excited," I replied, with a smile on my face. "I can''t wait to finally be joined together with Alpha Bane in marriage. It''s a dreame true for me, mother."


    She wrapped her hands around me in a hug and then kissed me on the forehead. "You deserve it, my child," she voiced. "You deserve to be happy and I''m certain that with Alpha Bane, you''ll get all the happiness that you should. He''s a good man; the perfect man for you."


    I nodded my head in agreement as my mind shed back to all that we had been through. I remembered all of our struggles and disagreements in the past. All the hurdles that we had to scale through were now a thing of the past. It was almost time to tie the knot. Who would have thought, based on how we began?


    It was either Alpha Bane or no one else. He was the only man that I could get myself to love that much. Despite all that I went through all because of him, I still loved him beyondprehension. He was my everything.


    Just then we heard a knock on the door. "It must be the stylist," said my mother to me. "Come in."


    She was right. The Royal stylist walked into the fitting room with a bag and a few maids behind her. I watched them walk in as she dropped the bag on the table and began to take out the clothes from it.


    "You like this one?" She asked, handing one over to me.


    I took a cursory nce at it and already knew that it wasn''t good for me. I shook my head and handed it back to her while she gave me another to check out.


    After looking at about seven dresses, I still couldn''t find one that I loved. They all looked so cliche and I wanted something spectacr. I wasn''t going to settle for anything less than that.


    "You still haven''t seen any dress that you like?" My mother asked me.


    "No, mother," I said, shaking my head. "I need something much better than these."


    The stylist began to reach deeper into the bag to find something that I might like. "It should look different from the other ones that you''ve already shown me," I instructed. I was tired of having to reject the clothes that she was bringing forward.


    Something else bothered me. I was feeling so weird and I couldn''t exin it one bit. It seemed like the room was slightly turning around in my head and I needed to maintain my bnce somehow. It was only the second time that I felt that way in a few days but I always brushed it aside.


    "What about this?" My mother asked, picking out a long, beautiful white dress that immediately caught my attention. "Do you like this one?"


    I took it from her hand and looked at it keenly, turning it around to get a good view of the entire part of the dress. Everything about it looked so perfect; just like I wanted my dress to be.


    "I like this one, mom. It''s so beautiful. You sure do know exactly what I like, mother," I remarked, thankful that she was able to help me pick out a dress.


    My eyes zed over the dress one more time and then I suddenly began to feel very dizzy. I stepped back a little, struggling to keep my bnce.


    "What''s wrong, Aurora?" My mother asked, noticing that all was not well. "Are you alright?"


    "Yes, I am," I replied, not wanting her to find out what was going on. I felt it was something that I was able to handle myself and didn''t want to bother her or anyone else with my problems.


    She nodded and left to drop the dress so that she could pick up another. "Perhaps, you might even love this one better," she said as she picked up another dress so she could show me.


    Suddenly, I threw up without any sign or warning. Because I didn''t know how it happened, I spewed on some of the clothes.


    "Ah!" The Royal stylist, half yelled, rushing to hold me.


    As much as it seemed like she yelled out of concern for me, I knew deep down that she was mad that I threw up on the clothes.


    The maids were with her too. They all surrounded me with some rubbing my back with their hands in a circr motion as they tried to calm me down.


    I turned to my mother who stared at me looking so worried. As she opened her mouth, I knew exactly what she was about to do.


    "No, mom, don''t," I protested. "I''m alright. It''s nothing serious. Let''s just get on with what we came here for."


    "Can any of you get help very quickly?" She ordered, ignoring my calls for her to let things be. She was already too worried about my health and didn''t want to take any chances. I didn''t know how to let her know that it wasn''t anything serious.


    "There''s no need for that, mom," I pleaded once again. "I''m alright. I just need to clean up a bit and I''ll be good."


    She looked at the maids who still stood by my side, probably wondering why they hadn''t gone out to call a doctor. If it were back in my Pack, they''d have been in for it. But her powers were limited in the Pack. She was a respected guest and so as much as they were surely going to respond to her, she had to know that it might not be as quick as she might have wanted it to be, especially since it was contrary to what I wanted her to do.


    "I said you should go and get a doctor, didn''t I?" She asked again. "What are you all still doing here? Get to it. If anything dares happen to my baby, you all will surely pay for it with your lives! None will be spared!"


    One of the maids bowed and quickly left to get a doctor as I squeezed my face. I wasn''t happy with her decision and she could see that too.


    Just as I opened my mouth to protest, I heaved and vomited once again, much to my disappointment. There was nothing else I could do to avoid the inevitable. I had just made things a bit moreplicated for myself.


    I had soiled even more dresses and the stylist didn''t look at all pleased. She left me and began to pack up the clothes so I wouldn''t ruin more than I had already ruined.


    I wanted to apologise to her but I couldn''t. I didn''t want to open my mouth to speak, only to throw up once more so I just watched her clean up my mess while the other maids held me.


    "Call Alpha Bane too," my mother instructed, sighing. "He has to know exactly what is going on here."

 The Pregnancy News

    Aurora''s POV


    "I can see a lot of progress and I''m very happy," said Doctor Sam, as she touched my head to make sure that I wasn''t running temperature. "I''m going to leave you now so you can get some rest. But not to worry, I''ll be back in no distant time. I''m only going to run some tests with the samples that I have collected. I''ll be back with the results which should be ready in a few minutes, okay?"


    I nodded and she walked away, leaving me in the room with Alpha Bane by my side. I reached out and grabbed his right hand which he ced on the bed and I saw him smile. He loved that I always looked to get somefort from him anytime that I needed it. I loved the fact that he was always there for me whenever I needed him.


    As I held onto him, I began to recall all that happened after I was done throwing up in the fitting room. My mother thought that I was pregnant. She waited for all the maids in the room to leave before saying that to me and no matter how hard I tried to convince her that it wasn''t the case, she remained adamant.


    It was as if she wanted it to be that way. She said that all that I was experiencing were signs of pregnancy. But she was no doctor. There was no way she could have been so certain about that.


    Yet, I wasn''t unaware that there could be some truth in her words. Considering the rate at which my hormones had been raging, u feared that she might have been right. Although I kept denying it in front of her, it was a possibility that I couldn''t simply write off. Everything that I felt pointed to it and I could only hope it was something different.


    Alpha Bane kissed my hands, cutting short my thoughts as I stared right into his eyes, still unsure about what was happening to me


    "What is it that you''re thinking about, my love?" He asked.


    It was a question that I didn''t expect and I didn''t know exactly how to respond to it.


    I wasn''t willing to talk about my concerns with him or anyone. I just wanted to let them be until the doctor would either confirm if they were true or not.


    "Don''t worry, my darling," I tried to brush off his concerns. "Everything is fine and under control."


    He was having none of that. Regardless of how convincing I tried to sound, he could see through my cover.


    "You know that there''s a problem, why won''t you tell me? You don''t trust me anymore?" He asked, trying to use my emotions against me. He kept pestering me over and over again so he could get me to say something.


    "My emotions are just all over the ce," I said, sniffing back my tears.


    "Everything would be fine," he chuckled, cing his hand on my head tofort me."There''s no need to worry at all."


    "I''m sure that nothing is wrong with me," I said to him, but in my heart, I could only hope that all was well.


    As he opened his mouth to speak to me, the doctor walked into the room and we both turned our attention to her, hoping to hear what she had to say.


    She turned to me and smiled.


    *********


    Alpha Bane''s POV


    As the doctor walked into the room, both Aurora and I quickly turned to look at her. We were so eager to hear what she had to say since she left to carry out some tests.


    I needed her to say something to us because Aurora was already losing her mind. With all that had been going on with her in the past few days, illness was thest thing that she needed as it onlypounded her worries.


    As much as she kept trying to hide it, I knew that she was trying to hide something from me. She was probably tired of bugging me with all the fears that she had and didn''t want me to see her as being paranoid or anything like that. Yet, it was clear that she was running out of her mind. She had let the happenings around her drastically affect her in a very negative way and I was keen to see her back to her usual, happy and energetic self.


    "Princess Aurora," the doctor began, with a smile on her face as she stood right next to Aurora''s bed. "I''m very happy to break this news to you. You''re pregnant."


    Suddenly, I heard someone squeal and I saw that it was Aurora''s mother. I didn''t know that she had entered the room. She must have returned with the doctor and since all of our attention was on the doctor, we didn''t see her walk in, nor did we see Anna; Aurora''s maid, walk-in alongside her.


    Anna too, squealed so happily as they turned to themselves and hit their hands together in celebration. I could see the joy on their faces as they rejoiced, dancing around the room with dness in their hearts.


    I decided in my heart to pay no attention to their reaction. Instead, I turned to Aurora to see how she''d react to all of that. It was important for me to gauge her reaction. I needed to know what she felt about the news as that was what mattered the most to me.


    As shey on the bed, her eyes widened more and more. She looked a bit terrified and I could feel her hand tremble as I held onto it. I tightened my grip on her hand to reassure her that I was right there by her side and was going nowhere.


    "You should be happy, my love," I said to her. "This is good news."


    "How can I be happy?" She asked, sniffing. "I can''t be happy, my love. There''s an impending cmity ahead of us in the Pack and this is no time for me to be with a child. I need to be ready to fight, to defend us when the timees and to flee in retreat to return stronger if there was a new one for that. With this child, all these would be a struggle and I''ll simply be an easy target for the enemy who we know will make good use of that opportunity to get through to you and take your life."


    "Don''t think about that," I said to her so that she could rx. She was thinking too much and it was very bad for her, especially in her condition.


    "Although, I''m a bit scared," I continued. "I''m very certain that we can go through anything together and this is no exception. I promise you that I''ll do anything to keep us safe; we and our beautiful child. We''ll be fine, my love. You''ll be fine."


    She reached out to me and we hugged for about a minute. Then I kissed her on the lips, not minding the presence of others in the room.


    "Thank you so much for the announcement," I said to the doctor, as I turned to look at her. "Yet, I must say this to everyone. News of this pregnancy should remain in this room. It should never get into the ears of anyone else. The public must not hear of it until after the wedding or at a much better time. This is a secret and it should remain so. I hope I''m clear about that?"


    They all nodded before taking their leave, leaving just me, Aurora and her mother in the room as we began to converse.

 Comforting Moments

    Alpha Bane''s POV


    Some Days Later


    A Day to The Wedding Day


    "Okay, father. I''ve heard all that you have said. I''ll be returning to my room now. I need to check up on my wife to see how she''s doing."


    "It''s true," he replied. "I forgot to ask. How''s her health? I hope she''s better now."


    "Yes, she is. But she''s still worrying too much. I was scared to leave her all by herself because I know she''d be letting the thoughts in her head eat her up so badly. Once I get there, I''m going to try to get her to sleep. She needs rest now more than ever."


    "You''re right, son," affirmed my father. "See you soon, then. The goddess blesses your uing marriage."


    I smiled and walked out of the throne room, heading straight to my room. I wanted to get some sleep before Aurora would be back in the room as I couldn''t tell where she must have gone.


    As I walked, my guards walked behind me. I had asked two guards to always follow me wherever I went as I didn''t know exactly what Dn had nned for all of us. I had no idea if he was working with any of the guards and so I had to protect myself, just in case. Betterte than sorry.


    I recounted thest few days and how tedious they had been, not just for me but for everyone else around me. It has been the toughest days of our lives but it wasn''t all bad though.


    I continued my arrangement with Donald concerning his wife handling the decorations for the event. She had already begun to assemble some of the materials that she was going to need to make the whole ce lively.


    The other parts of the wedding n were also moving very smoothly. The good thing was that I had to make just very little input so that I could use my time for more crucial matters like getting Aurora ready for the day and also beefing up the security of the Pack to prevent any form of attack from Dn, Sophia and anyone else that chose to fight with them.


    I was d that she had nothing to do with the preparations. It was only her mother who became part of the preparation team because she insisted that it was her right given that it was her daughter''s wedding. It was something that I couldn''t deny her, even though I wanted to.


    I knew how tempting it was going to be for Aurora to join the team since her mother was there. I didn''t like that at all. So I made her promise me that she''ll make sure Aurora doesn''t join the team. That was the only option I gave her for her to help with preparations. She agreed and we shook hands.


    Just before I got to the room, I saw the maids and a few others busy scurrying about as the preparations intensified, since the wedding was just one day away. Everyone was so busy and I could understand why.


    As I got to my door, I turned around to the guards that followed behind. "That''ll be all, guys," u said to them, waving them off as they turned around and walked away. Then I pushed the door open and walked inside.


    Surprisingly, the first thing I beheld was the figure of my beautiful wife-to-be, Aurora. She strangely stood by the full-length mirror in the room, checking herself out.


    I was quite surprised to find her in the room as I had stepped out of the throne room for a bit to ask a maid earlier that day if Aurora was going to be in the room till I''d get back and she told me that she was already with her mother and some other women.


    I was very much surprised to get back to the room only to find her inside already, staring into the mirror. It wasn''t that I wasn''t happy to see her. I was. Indeed, I was very happy. Yet, I was surprised.


    I walked toward her slowly, only to notice that she didn''t even realise that I was in the room. She didn''t hear me walk in as she was deeply engrossed in her thoughts.


    As she stared at herself in the mirror, she ced her right hand on her stomach, and moved it around in a circr fashion, rubbing it softly as she let herself stray deeper into her thoughts.


    I got to her and gently hugged her from behind, causing her to gasp in shock. "You scared me! Don''t do that again," she yelled at me but I justughed.


    "You caused it," I said in my defence. "You''re to me because I came into the room and you failed to notice me. What''s going on in your mind, my love?"


    She just sighed and looked to her right. It was clear that she didn''t want to talk about it at all so I had to push a bit more.


    "Is it about the child?" I asked, hoping she''d say something to me. "It''s only a part of it."


    I whirled her around and looked into her eyes. "Hey. You have to stop worrying, okay?" I pleaded, holding both her hands. "I don''t like it at all because it''s bad for you and our baby too. You need to tone down on the floor the way that you work yourself out over things that you should not concern yourself with."


    "What are you saying? I shouldn''t concern myself with the fact that my child''s life is in danger just like yours?"


    "I didn''t say that. What I''m saying is that worrying about it won''t change a thing. Instead, you''re the one endangering yourself and the child without any input whatsoever from our enemies and that has to stop. It has lingered for far too long and we both know that it''s affecting you negatively."


    "I know. I just can''t help it," she sobbed.


    "Hey. Hey. Don''t cry, my love. I''m here for you at all times. You don''t have to be afraid. All would be fine. That is what I can assure you and I need you to just trust me as you used to in the past. I''m the strongest Alpha in the entire vicinity. You should have more confidence in me, my love."


    She paused to look at me, seemingly trying to take in what I had just said to her. She must have forgotten just how powerful I was, just because of the recent happenings.


    "Tomorrow is our wedding," I continued. "You have to be happy. You can''t allow sadness to take control of you. That would be so wrong."


    "But, I..."


    I stopped her from any furtherints with a kiss on her lips. It seemed to calm her down as she gave into her emotions and kissed me back as passionately as she could. I kept my lips there for a few minutes, savouring the moment. Then I led her away from the mirror to the bed so we could sit and talk before anything else.

 The Wedding Day

    Alpha Bane''s POV


    The Wedding Day


    "Everyone... The groom!"


    The entire ce went into an uproar as everyone pped and cheered. I waved at them in acknowledgement with a huge smile on my face.


    "It''s finally happening," Donald said to me with a huge grin on his face. "Princess Aurora is finally yours."


    "Not yet," I countered. "She''s not here yet, is she? Let us be patient. It''s best not to get too excited until the main thing."


    He just patted me on the back and shook his head at my perceivedck of optimism. Yet, I was very optimistic. I was so sure that the wedding was going to be very sessful if it were just for Aurora. She wanted the wedding and I wasn''t scared of any sort of rejection at all. She was never going to do that.


    What I was concerned about was the attack. I knew so well that my father had told me that they weren''t going to attack us on my wedding day but it was only spection. It was perhaps, intelligent spection, but it was spection all the same. There was no guarantee that they weren''t going to show up.


    Because of that, I had ordered the entire Pack to be protected by numerous guards, starting from our borders. If they decided to change their minds, I wanted them to meet a fight and so although they''d have been able to break through, they were going to lose a lot of men too, making it a bit easier for us to hold our ground and even defeat them in the end.


    Much more protected was the Castle hall, where the wedding was taking ce. It was guarded by numerous guards, especially those that had a very great experience in wars. If it was a war that they wanted, we were well covered, although we weren''t as prepared as we should have been.


    I turned around to see how the crowd felt. Everyone looked so happy as they all seemed to be having a great time. I loved that. It showed that everything was going ording to n.


    In a few minutes, everywhere went silent as it was time for the bride to walk in. "Let us all p and scream as the bride makes her way here, to this pulpit, so that the couple can exchange their vows."


    Everyone pped furiously as she got done with her speech as we all waited anxiously for Aurora.


    I wondered what outfit she was going to wear and how beautiful she''d look in it. My heart raced so fast in anticipation. I couldn''t wait to set my eyes on her.


    "Hey, calm down, my Alpha," Donald said to me as he patted my shoulder. He probably saw the tension that was radiating off me.


    Not wanting to look weak in front of him or anyone else, I justughed and shrugged it off. "I''m alright, man," I said to him. "No problems at all."


    The doors of the hall suddenly went right open and I saw Aurora, bathed in a glow of sun rays as she stood, dressed in the most gorgeous white gown that I had ever set my eyes on, with her mother by her side.


    She held a flower bouquet in her hands and as usual, she looked so beautiful. Her beauty was so much that I nearly lost myself as I stared at her.


    My heart twinged as she took her first step toward the pulpit where I stood and then looked up at me as our gazes locked.


    Aurora''s POV


    As soon as I took my first step, I looked to the pulpit where I was supposed to head to and my eyes immediately fell on Alpha Bane, who was already looking in my direction.


    We locked gazes and my heart soared, as it beat even faster. Every fear and worry that I previously had, even while I stood behind the door of the hall, waiting for my turn to get in, became a thing of the past. I could only think about the wedding; Alpha Bane, whom I was going to spend the rest of my life with, and our baby which was growing inside of me.


    It was so beautiful knowing that after the wedding, Alpha Bane and I were going to spend the rest of our lives together as man and wife. No one would be able to separate us. We were going to be a couple and I''d finally be a Luna in the Pack.


    As our gazes stayed locked, u couldn''t but imagine how beautiful our life was going to be when we''d finally be wed. I imagined how beautiful our child was going to be and how we were going to ensure that the child was well-catered for.


    "You need to walk faster, honey," my mother said, interrupting the flow of my thoughts. "Everyone is waiting for you."


    I nodded and smiled at them all for their beautiful gesture. Ever since I walked into the hall, they had not stopped pping and cheering me on. As I took some more gentle steps toward the pulpit, the apuse and screams got even louder and it began to make me feel a tad shy.


    "We love you, Princess Aurora!"


    "You are so beautiful, Princess!"


    "You''re the perfect Luna of this Pack!"


    The people kept yelling and saying so many beautiful things concerning me and I couldn''t help but blush. Some of them bowed and chanted my name too as I kept moving forward.


    Then I set my eyes on an old woman who stood beside the pulpit, very close to Alpha Bane. "Who''s that?" I asked my mother in a very low tone.


    "That''s the priestess," she replied with a smile. "She''s the one to officiate the wedding between you and Alpha Bane."


    "Okay."


    I walked faster and faster, whilst still making sure to maintain the style in my steps until I finally got to where my darling stood.


    I felt the urge to just jump on him and kiss him relentlessly in happiness. I was so d that it was happening; my wedding with him.


    He grabbed my hands instead and smiled at me, nting a kiss on my forehead. "You look so gorgeous, my love," he said to me. I always loved to hear him speak those words to me as they meant so much to me.


    Together, we turned and faced the priestess as she began to mutter some iprehensible words which I assumed were part of the ceremony.


    We were handed a piece of paper and were made to read out what was written to each other in our exchange of vows.


    Immediately, we got done with that, we turned to the priestess who gave us a warm smile very briefly before returning to her usual straight visage. "I hereby pronounce you both, husband and wife!"


    The entire crowd cheered as we turned around and waved at them. My mother and Donald smiled widely and pped their hands too.


    "Kiss! Kiss! Kiss!" Yelled the entire crowd as Alpha Bane and I turned to face each other.


    Without wasting any time, he pulled me in for a kiss and we let our tongues dance around in a passionate kiss.

 More Vile Hatred

    Dn''s POV


    "Have you heard, Dn?" Johnny asked as I sat on a sofa in the sitting room.


    "Heard about what?"


    "Alpha Bane''s wedding."


    "Everyone knows that it''s today. You informed me about that a few days ago, didn''t you?" I asked, wondering how he could have forgotten that he gave me such vital information not so long ago.


    "Oh...that''s true," he remembered. "My bad. I didn''t remember that I''d already told you."


    "So what happened? Has itmenced?"


    "Yes, it is. That''s exactly why I came here. I sent a few spies to check the ce out and find out exactly what is going on there," he exined. "It had started for quite some time and from what I got from them, it''s going on well."


    I bowed my head on hearing that, as I felt a surge of anger within me. I wished that there was a way for me to just head over there and disrupt the wedding without being caught.


    I hated the fact that Alex was having a good time. I wanted him to experience nothing else but pain; immense pain, just like he had caused me by making me leave my Pack.


    "The ce is well secured too," he continued. "The security seems to be very tight. It seems like they had it in mind that we might show up at the ce."


    My jaw gritted as I felt deep down that we''d have had an advantage if we had decided to strike. I felt he only said that to support the fact that he asked for us to not attack them. The security probably wasn''t as tight as he made it look.


    "You know, it''s your fault that we''re in this situation, Johnny. No one else''s," I pointed at him, ming him for our failure to take advantage of the opportunity in front of us. "You''re the only reason why we didn''t attack them. We''d have caught them unawares as they''d be celebrating and feeling merry. We''d have turned theirughter into sorrow and mourning. Thend would have been full of blood; the blood of those lousy people including Alex and his new wife. You ruined it all, Johnny. You did."


    He looked at me with a kind of look that suggested that he didn''t agree with what I said to him. He wasn''t convinced that we made a grave mistake by not attacking the Blue Moon Pack.


    "We didn''t have toy low and avoid any sort of confrontation," I said to him with an evil grin. "Today would have been the perfect day to attack them so I can take back what''s mine; what Alex stole from me."


    "It might not have been the best time to attack them, Dn. I know what I''m saying, my friend," he refuted. "I also think that we should let the newlyweds enjoy their time together. It''s not worth disrupting their happiness. Let them have their moment for now. In due time, we''ll have ours for certain."


    "What about the other Alpha King that came to help us?" I asked, gritting.


    "You mean, Alpha Dwayne?"


    "Yes, Alpha Dwayne... What about him? I can''t seem to find him around here. Is there a problem?"


    "I already told him that we won''t be attacking the Blue Moon Pack soon," he voiced. "I told him that we nned to halt the attacks for now and that we''d do that at ater time which wouldn''t be so long from now."


    "Okay? What did he say?"


    "Nothing really," he answered. "He left the Pack and headed back to his. He asked me to inform him when we''d be ready to attack and he left."


    I was annoyed by the actions of the man. It was true that we weren''t about to attack but we still needed him in the Pack so that we all could n the strategy together. Leaving us to return to his Pack meant that we had one less head in our quest to figure out the perfect n to take out Alex and my father and I did not bargain for that at all.


    "Why would he just leave?" I asked. "Who told him that he was no longer needed in the n?"


    "I..."


    Before Johnny could say a word, Princess Sophia walked into the sitting room with a cheerful smile on her face. After what happened between us thest time, I was less keen on saying anything to her. She probably felt the same.


    "I heard a rumour about Bane and Aurora having a wedding today," she said without asking to be invited to be part of the conversation. Is that true?"


    "It''s true," Johnny replied, as I turned my face the other way, unwilling to say a word to her. "The ceremony has already started. It began about two or more hours ago and I heard that it''s going so well."


    "Lots of wine, right?" Sophia asked. "Lots of food too. They do have enough to eat and drink, don''t they?"


    "Sure. They do. They''re going to have a lot to spare in the end. He''s the recognised Alpha so he''ll get everything that he needs just at the snap of his fingers. "You want to go there?"


    "If that''s the case, then why are we not after them already?" She asked, looking very surprised as I turned to look at her. "We''re going to attack them today, aren''t we? I mean, they''re merry and probably already drunk. This is our chance to strike them."


    "They''re still well protected," Johnny said to her, in his defence but she wasn''t having it.


    "Not for long," she countered. "No matter how many guards they have stationed, it wouldn''t mean anything if they were all drunk. If we are to attack today, we just simply have to stall a bit until they''re drunk or tipsy and then we''ll simply take them out swiftly and get what we came for. It''s supposed to be a very easy fight for us. We need to leave for the Blue Moon Pack at once or we might regret it."


    "Well, we''re not going anywhere," I said to her, even though I understood her point. I turned to Johnny and gave him a knowing look and he immediately turned away. "ns have already changed and there''s so little we can do. It''s impossible to gather every warrior on time for us to leave."


    She grumbled and I waited to hear anything else from her but I didn''t. She said nothing else concerning it. Instead, she put the smile back on her face and looked at me.


    "I can sense that you''re not in such a great mood, Dn," she said, walking slowly toward me. "I know exactly what I can do to you now to get you relieved."


    Before I could say a word to her or object to her proposal, she turned around and faced Johnny. "Could you give us a moment?" She said to him.


    He smiled and walked away from the room, closing the door behind him and leaving just the two of us in the room. She turned back around to me with a smirk as she took seductive steps toward me.

 Worries Yet Again

    Aurora''s POV


    "Thank you so much. I''ll take it from here," I said to the two maids who escorted me to the room.


    As they turned around to leave, I wondered where Anna went. She was with me throughout the entire duration of the wedding but suddenly stepped out to do something, or so I thought.


    I just turned around and didn''t see her anymore and it was so unlike her. I hoped nothing bad had happened but since no one said anything concerning her, I assumed that all was well.


    I called two other maids instead to escort me to my room as I walked down the hall with Alpha Bane after our wedding. They helped us carry a few things, alongside one guard, dropping them as soon as they entered the room with us.


    As they left the room, Alpha Bane shut the door and we both headed to the wardrobe area to undress. "Today will be the first time that I''ll be seeing your nakedness as a married person," I said to Alpha Bane who almost choked on himself as soon as he heard those words.


    "You''re joking, right?" Heughed, slowly unbuttoning his shirt.


    I took off my gown and carefully hung them in the wardrobe using a hanger. "I''m not," I answered. "We''ve never seen each other''s nakedness since we got married, have we?"


    "Well, no," he chuckled. "Yet, isn''t it quite funny that you had to mention that?"


    I smiled as I ced my shoes on the shoe rack, just beside the wardrobe, before letting my mind roam freely about what happened earlier in the day.


    I recalled how happy I was to finally be able to wed Alpha Bane, how I danced so hard that everyone at the asion had to stop to look at me.


    They probably wondered if it was truly me on that dance floor or someone else as I showed off some moves that I was so sure that no one there had been able to pull off. I learned those moves from one of the maids, back in the Silver Moon Pack and I promised her that I was going to use it on my wedding day.


    Alpha Bane didn''t dance badly though. He too was very smooth with his moves. Nevertheless, it was I who stole the show and the attention of the people in the process.


    I was so tired after the entire thing. I felt so exhausted that I wondered how it was that I hadn''t fallen to the ground. I could barely even feel my legs anymore and the world seemed to be turning on its own.


    All I wanted to do immediately after undressing and putting on my nightwear was to simply sleep. It was all that I could think of after such a long, memorable day.


    "Are you hungry? Is there a problem? You look so drained." Alpha Bane asked, snapping me out of my thoughts as I realised that he was already done undressing.


    "No, I''m okay, my love," I said to him. "I''m perfectly fine. Just a bit tired but nothing that I can''t handle."


    "Are you sure?"


    I nodded and finished undressing. Then, I reached into my bag and took out a nightgown which I wanted to put on.


    "That wouldn''t be necessary," said Alpha Bane with a cheeky smile on his face. "We won''t be needing those tonight, my darling."


    I remembered exactly what the night was like. It was the night of our wedding.


    How could I have forgotten that there were inevitables on such nights?


    I smiled at him as we both walked to the bed and sat, with no clothes on.


    He adjusted himself slowly until he was very close to me. Iughed so hard at seeing the way he was going about the whole stuff. It was so funny to behold. As I opened my mouth to speak to him, he immediately grabbed me by the back of my head and shut me up with his lips.


    Our lips stayed glued together for several minutes as none of us was willing to pull away. It felt so good; so relieving. It was like all of my stress was being taken away by that singr act.


    Suddenly, I took a bold step and pulled away from him as a thought came into my head and I needed to let it out.


    "What''s wrong, my love?" He asked, surprised at the suddenness of my action.


    "I just thought about something right now," I said to him, slightly bowing my head as I didn''t know how he was going to react to it.


    "What is it? Talk to me."


    "Well, I want us both to just leave this Pack; to disappear from here and go somewhere else where we can spend some time together all alone."


    I lifted my head after saying this to see Alpha Bane, staring nkly at me with his brows raised.


    Alpha Bane''s POV


    "Are you being serious right now?" I asked her, wondering how she came up with such a decision.


    Yet, it was an idea that I could dig into. Having to spend some good time with her without any interference from anyone or anything was a wee idea for me. I just needed to be sure that it was what she wanted and that she wasn''t trying to pull my legs.


    "I am. It''s a brilliant idea, I think," she persuaded me. "Not just for us but for the child too. With all that has been going on, I believe it''ll be great to just have some time alone. We can do whatever we want at any time without the burden of the members of the Pack and all of that."


    "Where would you have us go?"


    "Any neighbouring Pack that we have a great rtionship with. I mean, you should know more about that since this is your Pack. We can just chill out there and make ourselves veryfortable."


    "Okay then. I''ll have to inform my father and your mother tomorrow about this," I said to her. "I agree. We do need to have some time to ourselves, especially now. It''s the least we could do for ourselves and this beautiful child of ours."


    She smiled at me, rubbing her belly and then facing down to look at it. "I wish I knew the gender of the child already. I''d have found the perfect name."


    "Soon, it''ll be revealed and just like you have desired, you''ll have the right to solely name the child or we both could make contributions to her name. Whichever one you choose, I''m down."


    "Thank you, my love. You''re the best. I''m so lucky to have you as my husband. What would I have done without you?"


    "Nothing."


    "Oh,e off it," sheughed, lightly pping my hand for my cockiness.


    I stared at her intently, marvelling at how she had finally be mine. The struggles couldn''t keep us apart. We had seeded in proving that obstacles were never a problem to people who know what they want and are keen to get it. "You''re mine now, Princess Aurora, "I confess with a smile. "Just mine. No one else''s. I love you to death."


    "I love you too, Alpha Bane," she said, with gears in her eyes.


    She pulled me closer and we shared another kiss but this time, I knew there wasn''t going to be an end to this one until we had explored the full extent of our bodies in passionate sex.

 Honeymoon Talks

    Alpha Bane''s POV


    Very early in the morning, just a day after our wedding, I woke up feeling very tired but very satisfied too. I turned to my left where Auroray innocently and I kissed her on the forehead so she''d wake up.


    "Mmmh," she muttered, gently opening her eyes.


    "Good morning, Sunshine," I greeted as she put her left hand up, in front of her face, so she could block the rays of sunlight from entering her eyes.


    She sat up, looking tired too. We had made love deep into the night and so it was understandable why we felt as tired as we did. Yet, we had to wake up as it was nearly time for breakfast.


    "Why do we have to be up so early?" She asked, visibly upset that she wasn''t allowed to sleep to her satisfaction.


    "We have a tradition here, my love," I exined. "When an Alpha weds, a feast is being held in his honour and the elders are present too for it. They''re probably already waiting for us as by tradition, elders never show upte to any asion."


    "Never?"


    "Yes, never," I reaffirmed. "I don''t know how they do that but they all ensure that they''re neverte. I heard that beingte had some very grave consequences. It''s probably why they can''t afford to bete."


    She stretched and yawned and I coincidentally did the same. Then she walked into the bathroom and began to brush her teeth.


    I went in too and did the same. Then, we both washed our faces too and I got out first, so I couldb my hair before we''d leave.


    "Are you ready?" I asked her, spreading my arms.


    "Sure."


    We walked out of the room as quickly as we could, knowing we were already a few minuteste. "I hope there are no consequences for ourteness," Aurora joked.


    "Nay. None at all for the royals. We always get away with lots of stuff. Besides, we''re the ones that they came to visit. They need to learn patience. Ourteness will teach them that."


    We entered the throne room and as expected, the ce was booming with people. My father and Aurora''s mother already sat at the table, alongside several elders with sumptuous meals in front of them.


    Since the feast was in our name, no one dared have a bite until we had arrived at the table.


    "Greetings, Alpha Bane. Greetings, Princess Aurora," the elders greeted as we walked to our seats and sat.


    "Congrattions on your wedding," one of them said to us before the rest joined in saying the same.


    "Thank you, elders," I said to them with a smile, tapping Aurora on the shoulder as she smiled at them too in acknowledgement of their good wishes.


    Finally, we began to eat and everyone else joined us. There was enough food and wine for everyone as each one ate freely and happily.


    "There''s enough to go around," my father boasted. "Eat and drink, my elders. Today is the day that we all delight in what my son has achieved in his union with Princess Aurora. Enjoy yourselves, my elders!"


    The elders cheered and drank their wines gleefully. I loved how simple they were, despite their high cement in the Pack. They seemed very happy, but I couldn''t tell if it was due to our union or the food before them.


    "There''s something that I''d love to say to you," I said to my father, who


    immediately paused his eating to listen to me.


    "Go on, son," he said, staring keenly at me.


    "It''s about Princess Aurora and me. I want us to spend our honeymoon somewhere else."


    "You mean, outside of this Pack?" He asked.


    "Exactly that, father," I answered. "I want us to go to some other Pack where no one can recognise us and just have some time to ourselves. It''s something that we agreed to do."


    "My son, this idea of yours is a nice one," he began to say, which made me know that he had some reservations. "After such a sessful wedding, it''s very clear that you both need to get some rest. But then there''s a need to put your safety first and leaving this Pack reduces that chance."


    "Don''t worry about that, father," I assured him. "Nothing is going to happen. The Pack we intend to go to is a nearby one and so we''ll be quite safe there."


    "If that''s the case, I can freely say that you have my consent, son. My blessings are with you both. I''ll be sending some of the guards with you, although they''ll be disguised so that no one would recognise that you''re a dignitary."


    "That''s true," one of the guards chirped in. "I..."


    Before he could finish his speech, the door went right open and Dn''s mother walked into the room, looking like an enraged mad woman.


    A few guards ran across to her, trying to hold her as she fought hard to fend them off. She looked like a beast unchained and there was no relenting in her attempts to free herself and approach us.


    We all at the table could only stare at her in shock as none of us expected to see her there.


    Aurora''s POV


    I turned to look at the door where themotion came from and I instantly locked eyes with Dn''s mother. She was the person that I least expected to see and after ourst encounter, I never wanted to set my eyes on her, nor did I want her to set hers on me.


    I felt a chill down my spine as we gazed into each other''s eyes. She seemed so keen on freeing herself so that she could walk across to our table and probably wreck more havoc than she already did.


    "Take her outside!" Alpha Bane yelled at the guards who grabbed her by the hands but struggled to get her away.


    She seemed to have some kind of invisible strength because she seemed unfazed by all the attempts of the guards who tried to take her away. Nothing seemed to budge her at all.


    "You and your son have conspired together and have killed my son," she used, still keeping her gaze on me. "Damn you both! Bring my child to me, you murderers. Bring him back to me or I''ll tear you apart!"


    She kept yelling at the top of her voice, refusing to be restrained by the guards and more guards had to go over there to help her so she wouldn''t break free.


    "I curse the child in your stomach, Aurora," she said, all of a sudden, much to my shock. "Your child will bring nothing else to you but great sorrow and pain and anguish. You will never find anything good in the child and just as my child has been taken from me by all of you, you and your useless husband will experience the same with yours!"


    The room became filled with several gasps as she spoke those words and all eyes turned to me. The words that she spoke crushed my heart as I felt so bad hearing such inhumane words flow out of her mouth. Even worse was that she had dropped the news of my pregnancy which we all agreed to keep a secret.


    "Drag her out of this ce very quickly before I do it myself!" Alpha Bane yelled in anger as his eyes began to turn red.


    I quickly ced my hand on his as I tried to get him to calm down. I didn''t want the situation to get any worse than it already was.


    The guards finally seeded in dragging her away from the room and I turned around to the elders with my heart beating so fast.

 A Sinister Plan

    Dn''s POV


    "I have a piece of information that I think you may want to hear, Dn," Johnny said, as soon as he walked into the room.


    I sat up to hear what he had to say as I knew that for him to utter those words as quickly as he did, they had to be very important.


    "What happened?" I asked him, fixing my gaze intently on him with my mouth slightly ajar as I waited in anticipation for an answer.


    "It''s about Aurora and Bane," he began. "I''m afraid it''s very bad news."


    "Do you intend to tell me what it is or do I have to do something else with my time?" I asked, gradually getting furious at his unnecessary dy in revealing the information that I wanted to hear.


    "The spy that we nted in the Blue Moon Pack just got back not so long ago," he exined with shaky lips. "He came back with news from the Pack that Aurora is pregnant and she''s already some months gone."


    "That can''t be!" I yelled in anger. "How could this have happened? Howe no one heard about this all this while? They only just got married a few days ago. She was pregnant long before they got married?"


    "I heard that they had kept it a secret all this while. It was your mother who revealed the secret in the throne room in the presence of all the elders and the guards that were around, including our spy. That was how he got to know what was going on before rushing back here to speak to me about it."


    I was full of anguish and I wanted so badly to hit or smash something or someone. I turned around to see if there was anything that I couldy my hands on but I couldn''t find anything at all.


    I was so angry because Alex always seemed to get the good things in life. It seemed like no matter how hard I tried to see that he didn''t get to enjoy these things, he always found a way around it.


    Everything seemed to work out for him. It seemed like the goddess always favoured him as opposed to me and I didn''t like that at all.


    From being married to the true Princess of the Silver Moon Pack, while I got stuck with the fake one, to being on his way to having his kids, he had everything working out for him. Yet, here I was, an outcast from my Pack, living and breathing the same air as the rogues that I used to loathe.


    Ahhh!


    I screamed as hard as I could, holding my head with my hands. I shut my eyes in pain and wondered what on Earth I had to do to get what I felt I truly deserved.


    "Take it easy, Dn," Johnny said, trying tofort me. "It''ll all be fine in due time. I''m so sure that you''ll have everything that you want and Bane will pay for all of his crimes against you."


    "It''s all your fault!" I yelled at him in frustration and bitterness. "You''re the only reason why I haven''t done that yet. If not for you, I''d have struck them on their wedding day, ughtering all that''ll stand in my way until there would be no one left that dares challenge me. Now, we can''t do that anymore, all thanks to you."


    "Please, calm down, Dn. I think you''re taking things too far," he pleaded but I didn''t want to hear any of that. I didn''t want to hear anything from him at all.


    "Leave this ce at once," I barked at him, much to his surprise. "Get out, Johnny. I don''t want to see you around me right now. Leave here at once before I make you."


    Not knowing what else to do, Johnny bowed his head in shame and walked out of the room. As much as I was d he had left, my anger still wasn''t pacified. I needed something else to vent it on.


    I turned around and looked beside my bed to see a blue flower vase. A wicked smile shot right across my face as I grabbed it quickly and mmed it to the floor as it broke to pieces.


    Princess Sophia''s POV


    I walked down the hallway, intent on heading out to the open ces to get some fresh air. I''d been inside my room all through the day, except on one asion when I had to step out to get something done so I felt a strong need to just head outside.


    Just as I got close to Dn''s room, I heard some noise and I quickly recognised his voice.


    He was arguing with Johnny. I knew it was none of my business but I couldn''t help but have this yearning to eavesdrop so I could find out exactly what was going on.


    I looked around and saw a few guards standing close to the room and a few others walking past but I didn''t care. I walked close to the door and put my ears so I could listen more clearly.


    I heard Johnny talk about pregnancy and I shuddered, wondering how it could have happened so suddenly. I felt rage within me that instant. How could she have gotten pregnant already?


    Suddenly, an idea filled my head and I smirked, beginning to plot something very sinister in my head.


    Then, I heard Dn yell at Johnny, ming him for all that had happened. He wasn''t far from the truth too. I concurred with all that he had said.


    If only we had attacked the Blue Moon Pack as I suggested earlier, we wouldn''t have been in that situation. We''d have ughtered every one of them in our way without any form of mercy. Since the wedding was over, it was a more difficult thing to do, seeing that they were going to be better prepared and they had arge army of well-trained warriors.


    "Leave here!" I heard Dn scream at his friend. I never knew that it had gotten to that. He seemed so mad that he''d have probably hit Johnny if he offered any sort of resistance.


    Luckily for him, he didn''t. He decided, for his own good, to do as he was instructed by the boss. I heard footsteps approaching the door and I knew it was Johnny. I had to do something.


    Not keen on being caught eavesdropping, I left the door and started walking away. I didn''t want to be seen by Johnny for any reason at all. If he did, I was so certain he''d have talked to Dn. It was going to be his tool to get back on good terms with Dn.


    As I walked away, I resigned in my heart to tell Dn about my new idea whenever I finally got to set my eyes on him somedayter. At that time, he must have calmed down a bit and he''ll be more willing to listen.


    I was certain that when he''d hear my n, he won''t have any choice but to smile.

 Sweet Vacations

    Aurora''s POV


    "How do you like this ce?" Alpha Bane asked as Iy on the bed with a smile on my face.


    "I love it," I answered quite frankly. "This ce is as awesome as I wanted it to be. Thank you for bringing us here, my love."


    He looked pleased with my answer and I saw a smile spring forth on his face. I meant every word that I said to him. It was the perfect ce for a honeymoon.


    Iy down properly and stared at the ceiling, very happy with what I had seen so far. The people were so receptive to us. They acted like they had known us for a very long time but it wasn''t the case.


    As we walked to the house assigned to us, we felt no hostility toward us from the members of the Pack. Instead, we were met with smiles from the people. They waved at us with joy in their hearts. They looked so happy to see us. Perhaps, it had been a while since theyst saw some new faces. I was happy to see them too.


    Alpha Bane walked over to the wardrobe and began to take off his clothes as I watched him. I eagerly waited for him to take off his shirt so that I could behold his amazing physique.


    He seemed to notice that I was staring at him and unlike when he started, he deliberately slowed down, unbuttoning his shirt little by little until he was finally done. Then, he took off his shirt, revealing his broad chest and seductive muscles which always made me drool.


    What fascinated me the most about his muscles was that they weren''t for fancy. They were key to helping him defeat his enemies or opponents in a fight but more than that, he was a very capable partner in bed. He knew just how to make a woman feel like a woman and his enormous power seemed to be on the rise with each passing day.


    All of a sudden, as I watched him take off his trousers, I began to feel somewhat. Not because of him. A thought suddenly came to my mind and in a matter of seconds, I was already in tears.


    I felt an urge to just let it all out but I decided to have some restraint. I sobbed silently, full of pain from what happened back in the Blue Moon Pack.


    I remembered the words of Dn''s mother and they seemed to haunt me. Those harsh words that she pronounced seemed a bit more than a mere threat.


    She, too, was very spooky. She was barely found around the Pack and when she was, she could seldom be seen having a chat with anyone else. She only had the time to talk to herself as she walked on the road. Herpany was all that she enjoyed in the Pack.


    It made me feel like she could have been a witch. It took so many guards to be able to get her out of the pce. Such incredible strength wasn''t somonly found, making me believe even more strongly that she was a witch. I hoped that those curses that she reigned on my child were in vain.


    To make matters worse, my hormones were all over the ce due to the pregnancy. Sometimes, it was hard to tell what exactly my mood was like because at some point, I''d be happy and in no distant time, those feelings turned to gloom.


    I was so lost in my thoughts that I didn''t notice when Alpha Bane walked across to my bed, after dressing up to check what was wrong with me.


    "What''s the problem this time?" He asked, but I was very certain that he knew exactly what my problem was. There was no way that he could have missed that. Yet, I chose to tell him myself.


    "It''s the baby, my love," I said to him in tears. "I don''t know what to do at the moment. When I remember the words of Dn''s mother, I just get so scared. I hope it won''te to pass. Those were mainly mere words, right?"


    "Indeed, they were," he assured me before sighing. "Nothing more than the angry words of a bitter woman. Her son isn''t even dead and there she is, crying foul like a spoiled brat. Don''t pay too much attention to those words, Aurora. That''s just the way she is and she has been that way for a very long time."


    "But........the baby," I muffled, as the tears flowed down my cheeks. "I can''t let anything happen to this baby. I''d kill myself if..."


    "Hey, stop crying," he sighed, using his right palm to wipe the tears from my eyes.


    "Nothing would happen to our child, my love," he said, before kissing me on the forehead. "You don''t have to worry about the safety of our child. Let me handle that. Don''t think so much about what Dn''s mother said. As long as I''m alive, I won''t let anything happen to you or our child."


    "That''s the thing," I countered. "What if the n is to take you away from us? What if they want to abduct us? I just can''t stop worrying, love. I can''t."


    I paused a bit to sniff in some tears. "I''ve been daydreaming about this same issue," I continued, gazing deeply into his eyes. "I keep seeing her in my dreams..."


    "Dn''s mother?"


    "Yes... That wicked woman," I affirmed. "I always see her trying to cause harm to the child and me. I see her say those words of hers to me over and over again and I wake up so afraid."


    Alpha Bane grabbed my right hand and kissed it. Then he kissed my forehead too and brought his face very close to mine.


    "Now that it''s no longer a secret that you''re pregnant with our child, I''ll do everything that I can to ensure that you''re well-secured and protected. I promise you, Aurora, I''m going to fight for you and our child, down to myst breath. You can count on that, my love."


    He wrapped his hands around me and I took a heavy breath, finally able to calm down a bit due to his words. Then, he pulled away a little and kissed me so passionately.


    I kissed him back and began to take off my clothes as he did his, which he had


    only just put on after he had earlier undressed. We had one thing on our minds... Sex.

 The Reward

    Princess Sophia''s POV


    All through the day, I kept thinking about all that had happened earlier as I walked past Dn''s room. I understood why he felt the way he did and why he had tosh out at his friend, Johnny, for the part that he yed in the whole matter.


    No one in his shoes would have been pleased with the happenings. I wasn''t in his shoes but I wasn''t happy anyway. I also did believe that deep down, despite all the coverups that Johnny was trying to do, he too, was mad at himself for the advice that he gave to Dn; indeed, to all of us.


    It was night already and I paced to and fro, hoping to find the right time to do what I had in mind. I knew quite well that there was no way that Dn would order an attack quickly even though it must have crossed his mind one of two times. It was going to be nothing short of a suicide mission, especially with Alpha Dwayne back in his Pack.


    I missed him. I missed the man a lot. I missed the times that we spent together; the energy that he brought and how he always sought to please me instead of just being focused on his desires and satisfaction. It drove me nuts, mostly because it was something very rare amongst the men. It was always about them and never about the woman.


    I sat on the bed, thinking about what to do next. I had a n; a very important n that I felt Dn would love. When the n came to me, I realised that it wasn''t such a bad decision not to attack. It was designed to make them suffer first before finally giving them a befitting end; just like they deserved.


    I knew that I had to talk to Dn about it but at the same time, I wanted something else. I wanted someone to satisfy me as I was beginning to shake out of an immense need for sexual pleasure. I wanted something inside me so badly and if Alpha Dwayne wasn''t avable anymore, I had to get Dn to do the best that he could.


    I stood from the bed and walked to my wardrobe, picking out a very seductive green dress. Then, I took off the dress that I already had on and put the green dress on.


    I walked over to the mirror to see how I looked and I was delighted. I looked exactly how I hoped I would and I knew in my heart that all I needed to do was to let Dn set his eyes on me and I''ll be gettingid. I had to get to his room first.


    I opened my door and walked out of the room in quick strides, hoping to get to his room as fast as I could. I wasn''t so sure if he had calmed down after what


    happened earlier but I knew that thebination of my n and my attire were good enough to do the trick.


    As I approached his room, I slowed my pace as the need for stealth in such situations need not be overemphasised. I got to the door and knocked but was met with no response at all.


    I raised my hand to knock a second time but I suddenly froze upon hearing a sound. I paused a bit to make sure that I was hearing rightly because it was a shock to me.


    I heard correctly. Dn was moaning softly and I immediately realised that he was having sex with one of the maids as usual. He must have decided to use the maids to relieve the tension that built up inside him.


    I was very angry; jealous even, as I wondered why he always warned me to have nothing to do with other men while he did the same with the women. His level of hypocrisy was disgusting. He felt he had the right to do whatever he so pleased and no one else could. How wrong he was!


    I hated that attitude with everything in me. There was no way on Earth that a man was supposed to demand an exclusivity that he wasn''t willing to give. I was never going to allow that but I had to y along.


    As I was still thinking, the door suddenly flung open and a half-naked maid fell out of the room. She must have been thrown out of the room after Dn got the satisfaction that he needed from her. Poor thin! I felt no pity for her though.


    I shot her a disdainful look, hissed at her as she made a faint attempt to greet me and walked straight into the room where Dn was.


    He was on his bed, lying half-naked on his sheets with so much sweat dripping from all over his body.


    "What are you doing in my room by this time of the night?" He asked, looking so shocked to see me.


    Yet, he didn''t seem to have any sort of remorse whatsoever. Just an expression of shock and that was all. It was so irritating.


    "I overheard you talking with Johnny earlier in the day concerning Aurora''s pregnancy and a n came to me," I exined. "I decided to share this n with you tonight as I felt you''d love to hear it."


    "Go ahead, Sophia. Talk to me," he urged me. "Go on with it."


    "Well, after everything that has happened so far, it''s quite clear that attacking the Pack would be a very foolish decision to make," I exined. "Yet, there''s something else that we can do which would bring those stupid people to tears. I want us to abduct Aurora and her child immediately after the child is born."


    I watched his facial expression to know if he was buying what I was selling or not. The subtle nods from him were all I needed to proceed.


    "Doing this would cause so much strife and pain to Bane and Aurora and eventually, their happiness will be shattered. When that happens, the ball would be in our courts to do as we please."


    "I''ve been thinking about the same thing too," he gasped, although I felt he was lying. He couldn''t just let me have the glory for once. Instead, he chose to somehow make it seem like he was thinking in that light just to show that he probably didn''t need my input.


    "I want to do something to them that''ll hurt them so much that they''ll beg for death and won''t find it," he continued. "Although, they''ll find it in my hands not until they have suffered so badly. I didn''t know that you were this intelligent, Sophia..."


    As soon as he said that, I opened my mouth a bit. I didn''t know if that was supposed to be apliment or an insult but in any case, as long as he looked happy, I was satisfied. I did see the way he kept looking at me; sizing me up and all, and I knew what was toe.


    "I want to reward you for being so good," he said to me, smiling like an idiot. "Come join me in bed, Sophia. Let''s have a great time."

 Careful Plots

    Alpha Bane''s POV


    Some Days Later


    "How was it, son?" My father asked, his face beaming with smiles. He seemed quite excited to know what went on between Aurora and me during our honeymoon but I knew better than to go deep in talks concerning that. "You don''t seem to want to say much about it. What is it that you''re hiding from your father?"


    I tapped the floor with my feet as Iughed aloud. "You never cease to amaze me father," I remarked, stillughing. "How on Earth do you want me to tell you everything that happened between my wife and me? Surely you must understand that some of those things are best kept between the couple, don''t you think?"


    "Well," he said, scratching his head. "I can''t say so much about that, seeing that I know a thing or two concerning what you''re talking about. Perhaps, I should hold my peace, since my son wouldn''t let me in on private matters."


    Iughed even harder, realising that he was trying to y some tricks on me. He wanted to guilt trip me into sharing sensitive details but I wasn''t going to be fooled. Instead, I decided to tell him a few things that weren''t so private.


    "Okay. You win, dad. We had a great time in the Pack and they treated us even better than we had expected," I exined, so he could quit trying to get more answers. "Is there anything else you''d love to know?"


    He shook his head, just like I expected and I heaved a sigh of relief. "What has been happening here since the day that we left? Is all well?" I asked, curious to know how he''d been handling the Pack in my absence and if there was any news concerning Dn and Sophia.


    "Things have been going quite smoothly, my son," he revealed. "We''ve enjoyed quite some peace in the Pack, contrary to what we all might have thought due to the situation of things with Dn and Sophia. They haven''t made any move yet so far and I''m quite happy."


    I faced the ground and held my head in my hands. It seemed impossible that those two were up to nothing. I could swear that they weren''t. I knew that it was only a matter of time before the cat would be let out of the bag.


    "Those guys are..."


    Before I could finish what I had to say, four guards stormed into the throne room in


    a hurry, looking very scared and furious at the same time.


    "What is it?" I asked them, as soon as they got close to us.


    "It''s Ivan," one of the men revealed, as they all bowed to demonstrate obeisance to my father and me.


    "What happened to him?"


    "He''s dead."


    I couldn''t quite wrap my head around what I had just heard. It was so hard to


    believe, neither was I able to easily take it in. "You said?"


    "He''s dead, my Alpha," the guard reiterated. "He died in his cell."


    I stood from my seat and walked to them with a frown on my face. "How did this happen?" I asked, very furious at all of them for their ipetence. "How did you let someone get into his cell to kill him? Which one of you is responsible for securing his cell?"


    "Calm down, Alex," said my father, who also stood to his feet. "Let''s hear them out first. Let''s find out what happened to the man exactly, then we''ll know what to do from that point."


    I took a deep breath to calm myself a bit. Then I ced my hands on my waist so that I could hear them speak. Yet, deep down, I was boiling inside and craved toy my hands on one of them, just to teach them a little lesson about ipetence.


    "No one got into his cell to kill him," my Alpha, said one of the guards while the others nodded their heads. "He was found dead in his cell as he hung himself using the chains that were used to keep him bound."


    Both my father and I shuddered on hearing that. Ever since I was born, I had never heard of or seen anyone who took his life. It was a crazy thing to do.


    He must have been tired of all of the torture that he was subjected to daily. He went days with little or no food and he probably wasn''t able to bear the starvation and suffering anymore. I couldn''t me him. Only a few men could have been able to stand all that he suffered for such a long time.


    I didn''t think he''d take his life though. I had thought he''d imagine that he had a shot at living. I felt he''d decide one day that enough was enough and instead of taking more suffering, he''d tell me what I need to hear, hoping that he''d get his freedom in the process. What I didn''t think through was if he was ever going to be free. Now, I didn''t have to think about it at all since he was already dead.


    I was mad; a bit angry that I wasn''t able to torture him the way that I''d have loved to. I was sad that I was unable to get any information from him concerning the exact ce where Dn and Sophia hid.


    I''d been so busy with stuff concerning the wedding and spending some good time, along with Aurora that I forgot that there was an imminent war and I couldn''t afford to be on the losing side of it.


    "Take his body and bury it wherever you please, away from the rest of the people in this Pack," I ordered them. "He''s not one of us, so he doesn''t belong here. I also can''t have anyone endanger his life by taking him back to his Pack. So, you all have to find any ce you deem befitting, probably close to the forests and bury the snitch there. Perhaps, in his next life, he''d learn how to be loyal to the fingers that feed him. This is a lesson to any of you who might want to do what this dead man had done. I may not let you live to regret it. Leave here at once, all of you!"


    I turned to my father in fury as the guards walked out of the throne room. "Father, we need toy our hands on Dn somehow. Seeing that this man is dead, we must find another way to get some information about his whereabouts so that we can attack. There''s no time to waste."


    "We need to rx, son," my father urged, much to my surprise. "We shouldy low instead, for now. It seems like Dn may not be unto us anymore. We should keep things this way, I think."


    "I''m afraid, I do not quite agree, father," I said to him, shaking my head. "There''s no way that you can tell me that Dn isn''t plotting something evil against us. We both know how relentless he is. He never gives up, even in trivial matters. How can he so easily give up this time? He sent letters and threatened us all and you read them. How can you be saying all that you''re saying? The witch too prophesied the same."


    "The Dn that we both know could have attacked us on the day of the wedding, seeing that he was aware, but he didn''t. Perhaps, he has gotten back to his senses," he exined. "What we need to do is to be very careful and watchful. We don''t have to do anything else for now. Once we can smell anything fishy, then we can get to work, but for now, I don''t think it''s necessary."


    Not wanting to push it any further, I sighed and bared my hands, epting to do things his way.

 The Curse

    NINE


    Aurora''s POV


    Some Months Later


    "Ah..."


    "Take it easy, my daughter," my mother said to me, holding me by the shoulder as I shut my eyes in pain


    My stomach was heavily protruding as I was already eight months gone. I


    struggled to get up to do things because of the immense pain that I felt, each time I tried it but I just had to do it.


    My mother wouldn''t let me lie down all the time. She told me that it was very bad for a pregnant woman to do nothing. She said it would make me weak and make childbearing more difficult for me. As much as I didn''t quite believe that fully, I knew that being idle wasn''t the best thing for anyone to do.


    We continued our walk down the garden and I felt a bit better after standing in the same spot for a few minutes. She held my hand, just to make sure that I was safe and I loved that so much.


    As we walked, I recounted all that went on in the Pack. It felt too good to be true. I never imagined that we''d stay so long without any sign whatsoever of a war. I had spent so much of my life dreading an impending war that looked like it was never going to happen.


    There was peace in thend and everyone went about their business very happily. Somehow, it made me a bit concerned as I imagined that we had also begun to let our guards down in the process which wasn''t good at all.


    But after a few months, I too resigned to the fact that no war was going to happen. Alpha Bane himself, also gave up and began to talk to me about the doubts that he had about the prophecies of the witch and I could do nothing to convince him otherwise since there was peace. If I hadn''t seen some of her propheciese true, I might have doubted her too.


    "How do you feel, my child, knowing that you''re about to give birth to a beautiful baby?" My mother asked, very delighted.


    "I feel great. I can''t wait. Although the pain that I''ve felt these past few days has been so much, it''s all gonna be worth it. I need to hold my boy in my hands..."


    "Boy?" Sheughed. "I see you''ve already attributed a gender to the child without setting your eyes on it yet."


    "Well, he kicks a lot," I exined. "I think that''s more of a guy thing."


    We bothughed and kept chatting. It was one of my favourite things about being


    in the Pack; having a chat with my mother. It always had this soothing effect on me that nothing else could give me.


    As we talked, some of the maids joined us. Anna joined us too, as we let everyone speak freely as we conversed.


    All of a sudden I spotted Dn''s mother walking by and she was a shadow of herself. From the first day that I set my eyes on her, what stood out apart from her ring eyes that seemed to bring fear into my soul was her elegant sense of dressing.


    Now, all I could see was an elderly woman so shabbily dressed. I noticed a few years here and there as she kept walking toward us and I shook my head in pity.


    This wasn''t the woman that I used to know. Indeed, she stillmanded a lot of fear in me but it was clear that something was very wrong. Her son''s absence had taken a toll on her and she didn''t know how to take it, nor did she know how best to react to it.


    She thought that her son was dead and had been grieving him for months, refusing to eat most of the time and acting like she was insane at times. She preferred to be by herself mostly and wouldn''t talk to anyone else. Sometimes, she was even spotted talking to her son, whom she supposed was dead. She was a thread away from insanity.


    As we got to her, we moved to the side so that we could walk past her without any form of trouble whatsoever. My mother walked in front and I followed her behind, while the maids followed suit.


    She wasn''t having any of that. She osted us and hissed. "You evil woman," she cursed me. "Nothing good has evere from you. Your arrival was the beginning of the problems that we currently have in this Pack. If not for you, my son would have probably been alive right now and I wouldn''t have to suffer this much. You''ll live the rest of your life in pain and regret!"


    "I haven''t done anything wrong to you," I said in my defence. I wasn''t happy to hear her say all those horrible things about me and I wasn''t about to let them slide without saying a word.


    "Your child too," she continued. "As you didn''t let me enjoy the fruit of my womb, you''ll never get to enjoy yours. This child will be a source of pain to you and Alex, all the days of your life. It''ll bring nothing but sorrow to you; so much that you''ll curse the day that you birthed it. You''ll wish that you could take back the hands of time but you can''t. All you can do is live with it, knowing that you brought this to yourself. Only you!"


    I shivered slightly at the hearing of those words. They were so cruel and seemed to eat deep into my being, feeling me with so much fear that I couldn''t take it off my heart.


    I immediately took my hands to my stomach, clutching it as I maintained eye contact with the woman. I prayed in my heart to the goddess that whatever she had said was never going to work because I was innocent of the entire allegations against me.


    "TI..."


    "You''ll do nothing!" My mother yelled at the woman, standing right in front of her. "You''ll leave my daughter alone and get the hell out of our way before I make you do that."


    Dn''s mother gasped, visibly surprised. I was surprised too. I didn''t know my mother could be that fierce.


    "You can''t speak in that manner to my daughter and your child. If you failed to make your child useful, that''s on you. Leave other people''s children alone, woman. Let her be!"


    I thought the woman would try to put up a fight or anything of that sort. She didn''t look like the type to back down from a fight so I was expectant for what was about to happen.


    Surprisingly, she cowered before my mother and just stood there, while my mother took hold of my left hand and dragged me away from the garden.


    I kept thinking about what just happened. I couldn''t take my mind off all that the woman had said to me and the child. She sounded so serious and the more the words yed in my head, the more I felt like they were going to eventually happen.


    "I''m scared, mom," I said to my mother on leaving the garden. "I can''t seem to forget her words."


    She sighed and caressed my hair. as we abruptly stopped walking. "You see, my child, you must learn to not let the words of others affect you this much," she advised. "Don''t let those words get to you. They mean nothing at all. You''ll be fine, my love."


    I threw myself at her and hugged her so tightly and she soon held onto me. I ced my head on her shoulder, sniffing back my tears.

 Motherly Instincts

    Dn''s POV


    Some Days Later


    "What''s your name?" I asked one of the guards who stood by the door of the entrance to the throne room where I sat on a sofa with a chewing stick in my hand.


    "Ramsey, Sir," he said with shaky lips. "I''m called Ramsey Stone."


    "Good. Go to Johnny''s room and call him for me, guard!" I barked at him, making sure to stress the ''Guard'' so that he''ll be sure that I did not need his name, nor did it mean anything to me at all.


    He bowed and immediately left the room, while I just rxed on the sofa, thinking of what to do next.


    I contemted calling back Alpha Dwayne so that we couldunch an attack on the Blue Moon Pack as soon as possible knowing that they must have thought that we weren''t going to do that anymore. I also didn''t want him to lose interest in the n because of how long we took to implement it.


    I was so lost in my thoughts that I didn''t hear the door fling open. I had spent quite several minutes thinking about the best n that I could devise to win the war ahead.


    It was only after I felt a tap on myp that I knew that Johnny was standing right in front of me. "I''ve been calling you for so long, Dn," he revealed. "You seem lost in your thoughts."


    "That''s none of your business," I uttered, a bit annoyed that he could ask that sort of question. "Why are you here?"


    He smiled and raised his hands to show that he meant no harm at all but I didn''t care anyway. I just wanted to know why he was standing in front of me.


    It was only after a few seconds that I realised that I had sent a guard to call him. I bowed my head, wondering how I could have forgotten something so important. Just as I opened my mouth to say something, he began to speak instead.


    "I was already on my way here before I met the guard that you sent to call me," he revealed, much to my pleasure as it made my question make some sense. "I came here with a piece of news for you, Dn; a very important one that I''m very certain that you''d love to hear."


    "What''s the news about?" I asked, keen on finding out what was so important that he had toe to see me himself without being sent for.


    "It''s about Aurora, Dn. She''s soon to be due as her stomach has protruded," he said to me with a smirk.


    He was probably trying to remind me that the time for us to carry out our ns of kidnapping her was very near and we had to start making the necessary preparations before it''ll be toote.


    "Is there anything else that you might want to say to me?" I asked him, nodding my head.


    At first, he said nothing. He stared at me instead, which gave me a clue that there was something that he wanted to say to me but for some reason, he couldn''t get himself to say it.


    "Go on," I urged him on, with a nod so he could know that it was alright to speak to me concerning the matter, whatever it might have been.


    "Okay, I..."


    "Is it good or bad news?" I asked, interrupting him so that I''d know how to receive the information. I didn''t want to be taken unawares by it when he''d finally say it.


    "I''m afraid, it''s a bad one, Dn," he confessed.


    I shuddered and began to wonder what it might be that he wanted to say to me. I couldn''t quite ce my hands on it as I struggled to know what could be so bad that he was struggling to talk to me about it. All the while, I maintained a brave face. I didn''t want to show him a moment of weakness at all.


    "It''s about your mother, Dn," he revealed, taking away the suspense by a lot.


    I let out a gasp, as I stood from the chair that I previously sat on hoping that it wasn''t what I had in mind as I didn''t know how I was going to bear it if it was.


    "Is she okay, Johnny?" I asked, praying for the best, although having the worst in mind. "Is everything fine with her?"


    "Yes," he nodded, bringing some calm to me at first before he continued to speak. "However, she''s not in a good state at all, both mentally and health-wise. Ever since you left the Pack, I heard that she had been struggling so hard. She hasn''t been able to cope with the fact that you are not around her."


    "You are not being serious, are you?"


    "You know that I can''t joke with something like this. You know that" he replied. "Your absence has taken a huge toll on your mother and now, she keeps cursing and trolling anyone that she sees on the road or in the Castle for no just cause. I heard she also talks to herself, thinking that it''s you she''s talking to."


    "This is unbelievable!" I yelled, with rage in my heart as I began to pace to and fro the room, wondering how it got to that stage.


    I knew my mother so well. She was a very tough woman. If there was ever someone whom I believed could never be in such a situation, it was her.


    Indeed, she loved me so much; to a fault even, as everything I did was alright by her. I loved her too, so much, as she was the only one who I was so sure could stand for me regardless of the situation. Yet, I never expected my absence to hit her as hard as it did. I missed her so much too, but we had to keep those factors in check so we wouldn''t end up harming ourselves.


    "When did it get so bad?" I asked Johnny, who just bowed his head.


    "It''s been a while. I heard she had been that way for months now and she''s refusing all the help from the doctors that your father paid to take care of her. She doesn''t even talk to him anymore."


    As the words came out, I felt closer to tears than I''d ever felt in my life but I couldn''t cry. I couldn''t let my emotions out that way. I just had to keep it in and hear the man talk whilst thinking about the next step to take.


    "From what the spy revealed to me, your mother now looks and behaves like a mad woman, Dn. Something needs to be done about it very quickly."


    That was it. I couldn''t take that at all. He made himself the perfect scapegoat for me to vent my anger.


    I stepped forward and grabbed him by the cor, ensuring that my grip was very firm and that I choked him in the process.


    "Never refer to my mother with any stupid names in your life, do you hear me?" I screamed directly into his face.


    He nodded and I let go of his cor. "Leave my presence now!" I ordered, still enraged by his words.


    He quickly turned around and left the room, shutting the door as he left while I returned to the sofa and sat to think.


    I had to do something about my mother''s condition. I couldn''t leave her that way. She deserved much better than that.

 The Border Riot

    Alpha Bane''s POV


    "This is the best we have felt in a very long time," one of the elders remarked, concerning the peace that we had in the Pack. It was a delight for everyone in the Pack and the elders were no exception.


    "I''m d that we haven''t had a cause to be bothered," I said to him. "Especially with the condition of my lovely wife. Every form of a fight should just wait until the child has been..."


    Three guards barged into the throne room exasperating, interrupting my speech and that alone, was a punishable crime.


    I was shocked that they''d even try that, knowing how ruthless I could be on my day. The anger in me knew no bounds as it wasn''t just that they barged in uninvited and without knocking; they also interrupted my speech in the presence of everyone, ridiculing me in the process. I couldn''t let them go scot-free.


    They knew that I had some guests in the room. That was why I found it even more humiliating than it was. Yet, I also wondered how grave the information that they came to give me was, especially since they were all breathing so heavily.


    "What is the meaning of this stupid stunt that you all just pulled now?" I asked. "Do you know that you''ll be punished severely for this?"


    "We''re very sorry, my Alpha," one of them pleaded, still panting heavily. "It''s a matter that requires urgency. If it wasn''t, we wouldn''t have darede in here the way that we did. If we fail to act immediately, we could lose this Pack. A matter that grave barely gives any man a choice, my Alpha. Again, we apologise."


    I turned to Aurora only to see that her eyes had widened and I shot her a dreadful look, seeing the way that her lips moved in shock. My heart clenched at the sight and I immediately wanted to talk to her so she could feel better. But I had to do something else first.


    I dragged my face from her and turned back to the guards, albeit slowly, so I could understand exactly what was going on.


    "What''s happening?" I asked them, with my gaze fixed on the man who spoke for them.


    "My Alpha," he suggested. "If we could talk to you about this in secret."


    "Are you crazy? Would you also tell me where to receive an answer to my question?" I yelled at them. "Speak up right now or I''ll teach you all a lesson that you can never forget."


    They trembled at the sound of my voice; just as I expected them to, and one of them cleared his throat. "My Alpha, there''s a heavy riot just at the Pack''s borders. Our warriors are fighting intruders at the borders and they need further strengthening."


    My eyes went wide open in shock. I couldn''t understand the way I felt at that instant. We had enjoyed so much peace for a long time and it seemed strange to hear that we were being attacked.


    I gripped the side of my seat and stood instantly. "Have you mobilised the troops?" I asked, turning around to vet the entire room to see if there were guards who should have been there but weren''t.


    "Yes, my Alpha. We have."


    I took a step forward and then turned to Aurora and the elders to tell them how I felt about the news. "I''ll be joining them immediately," I dered, before turning back to the guards. "Are you ready?"


    "Yes, my Alpha!"


    Just as I said that I felt two hands grab my left hand so that I wasn''t able to move. I turned back to see that they belonged to my dear wife; Princess Aurora, who didn''t want me to leave.


    "Please, don''t go with them," she begged. "Let them go and do their jobs. It''s not a war. It''s just a small matter that can be handled by the guards and the warriors. There''s no need to be there."


    "I need to be there, my love. I..."


    "No, you don''t!" She interjected in a very high tone. "I have a very bad feeling about all of this. Please, just stay here. There are some guards here too. If they seed out there, then we can fight them from here."


    "You need to stay behind with your pregnant Luna Queen," said one of the elders as the rest nodded in support of what he had said.


    "I agree with them too, my Alpha," said Donald, whom I had thought would be on my side.


    Everyone in the room, except the guards, wanted me to stay back but I couldn''t. The guards understood that I couldn''t do that.


    My presence at the borders was certainly going to give our warriors more confidence. That was why the guards came to call me in the first ce. I wasn''t going to let them down for any reason.


    "I can''t stay back," I said to them, shaking my head. "I''ll be fine. I have to protect my people and I can never turn my back on them. They need me now, more than ever. Everyone needs me now and I have to show up. That is what an Alpha does. I can''t stay in here like a coward who is afraid of losing his life. I''m no coward."


    I turned to Aurora and kissed her on the forehead as I saw a tear drop from her cheek. I understood exactly how she felt. I knew why she was so keen on having me stay back but it wasn''t to be.


    "Remember the words of the witch," she warned me in tears. "I had thought that her prophecy had failed but we both can see now that it didn''t. It was only dyed. Please, my love, you don''t have to leave this ce. Have you forgotten my dream so soon? Please, my love, don''t leave. Stay here with me. Be by my side. I''m certain that we''ll be alright as long as we''re together."


    "Nothing bad would happen to me, my love," I said to her, trying to console her. "I wille back to you in one piece. I promise you my love."


    I let go of her and stared at her for a while as she continued to sob uncontrobly. "Goodbye, my darling. See you soon," I said to her as I''d already made up my mind on what I had to do.


    I turned around and began to walk away but she wouldn''t give up. "Come back, my love!" She yelled at the top of her voice. "Alpha Bane! Alpha Bane! Please don''t go. Don''t leave me!"


    Her screams got to me, although I pretended that they didn''t. I did want to just go back to her, keep herpany and justfort her. I wanted to turn back and go meet her but there was only one way to move. I felt a tear drop from my eyes as it rolled down my cheeks.


    Then I took out my sword from its sheath in my clothing and marched out with the rest of the guards for the battle with whoever the intruders were.

 Alpha Bane’s Absence

    Aurora''s POV


    "It''s already night and Alpha Bane is nowhere to be found. What could have happened to him?" I asked, full of fear.


    I had thought that he was going to handle the issue very swiftly and return. If he wasn''t back yet, it meant that the fight was still ongoing and if that were to be the case, then it was quite dangerous. Any fight thatsted that long is capable of taking the life of even the greatest of men.


    "Nothing has happened to him, my Luna," said Anna who had been in my room ever since I angrily walked in after the departure of my husband. "He''s perfectly fine, taking care of all of our enemies and he''ll soon be back here to you; to all of us here in the Pack. You''ll see."


    As she spoke, I kept walking and prancing about my room, feeling so nervous. I couldn''t quite get myself to stay at a ce as my mind kept moving from one ce to another.


    "You need to calm down, my Luna," Anna pleaded, trying to calm my nerves down but I was having none of that. I was in no mood for such words.


    "Please, try to sit at least," she urged but I turned my face away from her and continued pacing back and forth.


    I couldn''t sit at that time. My heart was racing and I was so restless. If only there was a way for me to get to where Alpha Bane was, I''d have done that. But in my condition, I was in no ce to do that. I could only hope for the best, but with all that went on in my mind, even the hope seemed very distant to me.


    I had a mad chilly feeling down my spine which kept increasing with time. The longer I stayed without seeing or hearing from him, the more worried I got. I thought about sending someone to go see what was going on but since all the strong warriors were there, except those that were left to keep watch over the Castle, I didn''t want to risk the life of an untrained guard just to satisfy my curiosity.


    "Please, my Luna Queen, try to calm down," Anna begged for the umpteenth time but her plea, just like the other times, simply fell on deaf ears.


    "You can''t continue this way," she kept on talking, refusing to give up, even though I needed her to, as she was beginning to annoy me with her constant pleas for the impossible. "You need to give yourself a break. The pain and strain that you''re putting yourself through isn''t just going to affect you but also the little child who has done nothing to deserve it. Please, try to calm down a little. Worrying wouldn''t change a thing. It wouldn''t make him win if he were to lose. Let the goddess y her part in keeping him safe, even as he ys his part by fighting fearlessly for the people that he loves. It''ll be so saddening for him to return, only to find out that you have brought harm unto yourself because of the way you''ve been worrying. Please..."


    It was at that time that I lost it. She didn''t seem to understand the pain that I was going through. How could she? It wasn''t she who had to bear the pain of being away from her mate in the time of war. It wasn''t she who had to bear the burden of those prophecies. It wasn''t her who could not find sleep because of the bad dreams about death that I had. Of course, she could never understand me.


    My heart skyrocketed at that instant as I turned to face her. "I''m waiting for Alpha Bane to get back and I won''t rest until he''s back!" I yelled at her in annoyance. "I... Ah!"


    I felt a sharp pain in my abdomen at that instant and I quickly clutched my waist. Anna quickly began to run to where I stood, but before she could get to me, I fell slowly to the ground and I felt water ooze out of me and pool on the floor, soaking my clothes.


    My water had broken and it was finally time for mybour. I didn''t expect that at all and I reasoned in my heart that my worry and the actions that followed were part of the reasons why it came that soon. I almost regretted not listening to Anna but I couldn''t. Even as Iy on the floor in severe pain, all I could think of were Alpha Bane and my unborn child.


    With my vision a bit hazy, I looked at Anna who was in panic mode. "Help!" She yelled at the top of her voice, opening the door and screaming over and over again so that someone would hear her. I justy on the floor, helpless, hoping that someone would heed her call.


    In seconds, a few guards and maids rushed into the room asking what the problem was until they saw me lying on the floor. My mother was with them. She stepped out from behind them and ran to me to see how I was faring.


    "How are you?" She asked, but I could barely say a word. I just managed to nod as I was slowly drifting away.


    "Go get the Royal doctor immediately!" She yelled at the guards and two of them left the room to do just that as the others hung around, probably waiting for instruction on how to be of help to me.


    I couldn''t scream anymore, even though I was still in pain. I was too tired to do that. My eyes just blinked open and shut and I knew that I was on the verge of passing out.


    I tried to move my hand but I was limp and my wolf strength seemed to have deserted me. I couldn''t even feel Rose''s presence in me anymore and it only got me more worried.


    Just as I shut my eyes tiredly, I felt tears rolling down my cheeks and it had nothing to do with the excruciating pains I felt due to thebour. It was because of Alpha Bane''s absence.


    We had talked about that moment for quite a while. We agreed that he was going to be there with me anytime that I''d give birth. Even when I was already pregnant, we kept talking about it and not for once did any of us say anything contrary to that n.


    Yet, he was nowhere to be found. For all I could tell, he was probably even dead. I didn''t know what had happened to him or if all was well. If only I had the power of the witches to be able to see people from afar, I''d have used it a thousand times in one minute for her sake. Sadly, I didn''t and I just had to let my mind torment me until I was done with it.


    As my lips quivered, I slowly summoned some strength to speak. "Alpha Bane. Alpha Bane."


    I kept calling his name over and over again, hoping that somehow, it was going to help him get back to me.

 The Abduction

    Alpha Bane''s POV


    I heaved a sigh of relief as the night came upon me and my men. It was time to head back to the Pack so that we could handle other matters.


    The riot had finally waned down as we seeded in making sure that there was peace in the area, but not at the expense of nothing.


    I lost some men; good men with great fighting skills. Whoever those assants were, knew something about us because they had a few moves which only members of our Pack were aware of. When they began to make those moves, I was stunned; same with my men, as some of them were taken unawares and ughtered by these ruthless men. It was a night to forget. The only good thing about it was that we were able to eventually defeat them, taking away all of their men, except a few who escaped and ran for their dear lives.


    I walked around to the corpses of my men, shutting their eyes to give them myst respects. As u did that, tears flowed freely from my eyes as sadness overwhelmed me.


    "I''ll make it up to you in the afterlife if there''s any," I said to them as I kept shutting their eyes, one after the other.


    "We need to leave now guys," I said to the folks who were still alive as I walked over to thest dead warrior. But just as I closed the man''s eyes and heaved a sigh of relief, I heard another resounding bomb sound ring through and I looked back to see that the opposition was back and this time, with better reinforcement.


    I couldn''t believe my eyes as I had thought that the battle was over. Little did I know that there was more from where they came from and as my men quickly ran to fight them, it seemed like they had no end. Their numbers kept increasing and I knew just what I had to do.


    I got up and headed back toward the border where the fight was going on so I could continue fighting. As I got there, two men charged at me from both sides, swinging their knives at the same time but I ducked, causing one to inadvertently strike the other, while I thrust my sword deep into his heart.


    I turned to the other wolf who was already writhing in pain while on the floor and finished him off with a stamp of my feet on his head.


    "There he is," one of them who seemed to be inmand yelled. "It''s Alpha Bane. Get him!"


    More wolves charged at me with great intent to have my head. I knew that it was never going to happen. Somehow, I was sure that deep down, they too, knew that they were running straight to their deaths but they were men under instructions and so they had very little choice but to approach me.


    I lifted one of the men with ease and threw him on the other, as they both fell to the floor with one on top of the other. Then I thrust my sword into the one that was above and forcefully forced it into the other wolf as they both screamed in pain before giving up the ghost.


    I kept moving forward, killing any wolf that stood in my way, intent on saving my people. Something in me asked me to stop fighting and head back home and I knew exactly what it was. It was my wolf and he was very persistent.


    I tried to shake him off but he wouldn''t agree. He kept telling me to let the rest of the men handle the fight but I didn''t want that. He seemed so restless and I couldn''t exin why. All I knew was that I didn''t go that far, only to abandon them when the going got tough. Leaving them would have meant sacrificing them to our assants and no Alpha would have been keen on being remembered for something like that.


    I kept fighting so hard, ignoring the efforts of my wolf within. "Damn you all!" I cursed out aloud as I slew the men. "I''ll be back home to my wife and there''s nothing you can do about that, you fools!"


    Aurora''s POV


    "Thank the goddess," I sighed, despite the pain that I felt. The delivery was a sessful one and I could hear the cry of my beautiful baby.


    The pain also wasn''t as much as it previously was. It was drastically reduced and I was pleased with that.


    I turned around to see if I could find the doctor or my mom but no one was there. They must have stepped out as soon as I shut my eyes to sleep. They probably didn''t want to wake me up, knowing how tired I was. Little did they know that the sleep would onlyst for a few minutes.


    I tried to shut my eyes again to sleep but I couldn''t. I was so weak from the delivery but sleep was very far from me. Shortly, my mother walked into the room with a smile on her face and I was so happy to see her.


    "Congrattions, my darling," she said to me.


    I was too weak to speak audibly, so I just nodded and smiled at her. That instant, I felt so thirsty and it made me ufortable. My mother seemed to notice as she


    drew closer to me. "Do you need some water, honey?" She asked.


    I nodded and she ced a kiss on my forehead before leaving to get it for me. I inhaled deeply, shutting my eyes and imagining how happy Alpha Bane was going to be on seeing his child if he was still alive.


    I wondered why he wasn''t back yet and then suddenly turned to the side and spotted my baby in the cot beside me. "My beautiful boy," I muttered under my breath, so happy to see him. His hair had the same colour as Alpha Bane''s hair and as I recollected this, I chuckled sadly.


    Suddenly, I heard a strange knock on the door. "Come in," I said, thinking that it was just one of the maids. I didn''t even look at the person as he or she walked in.


    "You can drop the water," I said to the maid but instead of the sound of a ss cup, what I heard was a nging noise that sounded like that of a knife.


    Instantly, I knew that something was wrong. It was clear that something bad was about to happen and so I looked at the door to see who it was.


    It was a man and I couldn''t recognise him. He was dressed in all ck and he had


    a mask on. He walked closer to me, with a knife in his hand and I began to quiver in fear.


    "Help me! Help!" I screamed, knowing that my life was in danger but the man seemed unfazed.


    "There''s no one nearby to save you," heughed, stilling closer to me.


    I began to scramble from my bed, keen on fighting for my life and that of my child, despite feeling so weak and knowing that I was no match for him. I wasn''t just going to let him have his way.


    I tried to get to the cot on time so that I could grab my child but before I could get there, the man reached out and grabbed my baby right before my eyes.


    My eyes immediately went wide and confusion got the best of me. "Please" I begged him, with my knees on the ground. "Give me my baby. Don''t take my baby from me."


    He said nothing. He just kept staring at the baby with a smile on his face. "This child is so adorable," he said in a very low tone, probably to himself. "This is a very good prize that I have in my hands"


    I screamed and tried to approach him so that I could take back my baby but he dropped him on the cold floor right before kicking me so hard in my mouth which caused me to fall. "You must stop screaming this instant," he warned, but I couldn''t stop. I needed help from somewhere.


    He took out a gag from his pocket and covered my mouth and hands with it while I offered very little resistance because I was weak.


    "I''ll be on my way now," he calmly said to me. "Have a nice day, Aurora."


    As he walked away, I tried to scream but I couldn''t because of the guard. I was unable to do anything to stop him from taking my child.


    My heart was in pieces and I cried so hard. I thought about Alpha Bane and what


    he was going to do when he''d find out about the abduction of his dear son.

 Saving Mother

    Dn''s POV


    I strapped the baby behind me and ensured that it was tightly secured on my back and then I let out a devilish smile on my face and proceeded to the next thing on my agenda.


    I was so happy that my n was going so well and I didn''t even have to do so much. It only came at the cost of a few lives but ultimately, it was for the greater good. Even in their graves, if they''ll be buried, they''d be d to have died for a great cause like this one.


    I had Sophia to thank for all that I had achieved so far. If she hadn''t given me some counsel, I''d have failed t in my attempt to abduct Aurora''s baby and save my mother from the hands of those monsters. It was she who suggested to me that there was a need to cause a riot at the Pack borders using our warriors so that Alex and most of his warriors would be distracted, giving me room to carry out my n without any hindrances at all.


    It was the most perfect n that I had ever carried out and with our mole in the Pack, it was made even easier as I was well informed about the exact time that Aurora put to bed, which helped me to know when to step in to get her child.


    From Aurora''s room, I walked stealthily toward my mother''s chambers, hoping to not get spotted by any of the guards that I might have missed on my waying. I didn''t want to take any chances at all so I had to tread with caution.


    On getting to the room, I thought about barging in but I didn''t want her to be scared or anything so I decided to knock instead. I knocked on the door twice but there was no response from her. So I decided to gently push the door open so I could see and rescue her.


    I pushed the door open and entered the room, scanning around the room for any sight of her. The room was messy. There were clothes littered everywhere and knowing how meticulous my mother was in arranging her clothes, I knew that something was wrong with her.


    The floor wasn''t swept and I wondered why. My mom was never the one to tidy the room. Royalties had no business with chores. It was always the maids doing that as it was required of them. Perhaps, Alex and my father had connived to ensure that no maid was sent to her room to tidy it. I didn''t want to believe that my mother was the one who turned them away.


    I looked at the bed which was also very untidy as a lot of clothes were littered on it and the bedsheet on it wasn''t properly made. There, my mother was, sitting and staring at the ceiling. I wondered what she was thinking about so deeply that she couldn''t even know that someone else was in the room.


    I felt so mad at the sorry state that she was in. She looked so dirty as the dress she wore was torn in several areas and didn''t look like it had been washed for several days. It looked like she had had that dress on for quite a while without changing it with another.


    As I walked closer to her, she snapped out of her thoughts and immediately turned to see who it was that walked into her room without her consent. She opened her mouth to scream on seeing me, holding her clothes very tightly. My presence caused her to be gripped with fear, especially since she did not know that it was me.


    I quickly removed my mask so that she could see me. I didn''t want her to create a scene so that I won''t be spotted by anyone. I wanted everything to go ording to n so there''ll be no need for any form of violence. Besides, in her state, I didn''t think she was going to be able to run away if there was a need for that and I knew just how she was going to be treated inside the dungeon if she ended up being caught.


    She opened her mouth in shock as she beheld my face. She was shocked. She looked like she had seen a ghost and my mind went back to what Johnny had told me concerning her thinking that I was already dead. She must have missed me so much that she had to tell herself that I was dead, just to find some closure.


    "Tell me that I''m not dreaming," she said in a very low tone as I could see fear all over her face.


    I was in tears. I couldn''t hold it back any longer. It pained me so much to see my mother, whom I loved so much, in such a pitiable state.


    I crouched to my knees in front of her and took her frail fingers in my hands. "This isn''t a dream, mom," I assured her. "It''s real, mother. It''s me, Dn, your son and I''m here to take you out of this miserable ce with me."


    She paused and took several breaths, finally able to calm herself down. I was d she was able to see that it was me and no one else. She even almost let out a smile but suddenly wore a concerned look once again and I wondered why it happened.


    "Where are you taking me?" She asked, taking her hands away from mine. "Why are you justing now? Where have you been all this while, Dn? Why did you let me suffer this long withouting to check up on me to know if I was doing alright or not?"


    I wanted to answer her questions so that I could satisfy her curiosity but there was simply no time for that. The more we stayed in that room, the more we risked being caught. I didn''t know if Aurora had finally seeded in taking the gags off her mouth and hands and if she had, then we were already in trouble.


    "It''s a very long story, mom, and I''d rather tell you about it on our way out of this Pack than inside this room," I said to her, helping her to her feet. "You need to leave with me as quickly as possible. We need to leave here at this instant. I have a carriage waiting for us outside and we need to get to it before anyone can see me."


    She gave me a knowing look which suggested that she understood what I was trying to do. She could see that I didn''t abandon her but I just couldn''t do anything about the situation.


    "Okay, my son," she finally gave in. "I''ll go with you wherever you want to take me."


    I pulled out a mask from my pocket and gave it to her to wear and she did. Then I


    put on my own and nodded my head to signal that it was time to leave.


    We both left the room quietly on tiptoe as we headed for the carriage.

 The Retreat

    Alpha Bane''s POV


    "They''re retreating, my Alpha," one of the warriors screamed as he and I and the other guys ran toward our enemies to annihte them.


    "Don''t let them lure you to their territory," I warned, wary of such tactics. "Go after them until you get them but be wary of ant traps. You may want to quit chasing them when they get to a certain point."


    They kept running after the men, ying anyone that they came across and I did the same. We butchered all that stood in our way and soon, I was able to spot that the men ran aimlessly which suggested that there was no backup n, nor was there any trap. They were ours to enjoy.


    "Pursue with reckless abandon!" I yelled at the men. "Don''t let them get away. They must not live to tell the story. Do not be afraid. They have no n at all and there''s no one waiting for them; only death. It''s up to us to give it to them. How could we deprive them of something they so deserve?"


    They ran faster than ever and I followed behind as we yed the men, one after the other. It felt so great that I almost felt like I was enjoying their death too much. We ransacked the area, making sure that none of them survived, except anyone smart enough to go to a ce where we couldn''t find him, even after searching through the entire area.


    As we got done with the fight, I began to clean my bloody sword, very proud of what I had achieved alongside my men. Then suddenly, I spotted someone running toward us from afar and I could immediately tell that he was a guard from our Pack.


    I waited patiently for him to arrive so I could hear what he had to say, knowing that whatever made him run that fast, had to be very important. I already had some kind of feeling concerning what was happening in the Pack and I hoped I was wrong. All I wanted to hear was very good news. Nothing less than that was okay.


    "Greetings, my Alpha," he said to me, holding his knees with both hands as he bent over in exhaustion. "I bring news from the Pack."


    "What news, my friend?" I asked, gazing keenly at him.


    "It''s the Luna Queen, my Alpha," he said, still panting heavily. "She has been put to bed. The delivery was a sessful one, my Alpha. She gave birth to a bouncing baby boy. It happened not too long ago, but it has been a while though."


    "Damn it!" I cursed aloud, wondering why no one hade to the border to let me know earlier. I remembered the agreement that Aurora and I had concerning the birth of our child and immediately became a bit sad, knowing that I had failed on my part.


    I was d to know that the delivery was sessful. That was the most important thing at that moment. Every other thing could be resolved with time, including her annoyance at my absence during the process of delivery. Nevertheless, I had to see the child for myself. It was of utmost importance.


    "There seems to be a minor problem, my Alpha," he continued, still panting heavily. "He..."


    I paid no attention to what he had to say. I only had one thing in mind; going back


    to the pack to see my wife and child. Everything else meant nothing and I was in no mood to hear it.


    I walked past him, straight to my horse to get it ready for the journey back. I saddled it and rode away for the Pack. As I drove, I remembered the chilling feeling that I had some time back during the fight. I remembered that I had a feeling that something bad was about to happen at that time and it began to dawn on me that I might have made a grave mistake.


    I prayed in my heart to the goddess that nothing went wrong and it was just a natural feeling. Yet, deep down, I knew that something had happened. I just needed to know what it was.


    Aurora''s POV


    Still, in tears, I nced around the room to see if there was any sharp substance that I could use to break free of my bonds. I knew that my assant must have gone far; he must have already left the Pack and there was no way that I could do anything about it since I couldn''t even scream, nor could I use my hands to do anything.


    All I could do was cry. I cried as hard as I could but I couldn''t make any sort of sound. I just hoped that someone woulde to my rescue very quickly too. As I waited, I prayed in my heart that my assant would be caught and apprehended somehow, even though I knew that it was highly unlikely.


    Suddenly, the door of my room opened and my mom walked into the room. She gasped on seeing the way that I was and screamed at the top of her voice.


    "Maids!" She yelled as a few of them ran into the room. "Untie her quickly."


    She and the maids came to me in a hurry and untied me, taking the gags off my mouth and hands. "Where''s the baby?" She asked, looking at the cot and seeing that he wasn''t there anymore.


    I just cried without saying a word. My lips were very sore from the kick that I received. I also didn''t know what to say or how to say it. I couldn''t exin how I was unable to protect a child that was left in my custody.


    I med myself for everything that had happened. It was all my fault. If only I was


    a bit stronger, I''d have been able to fend off the attack by the man. I just wasn''t strong enough and I paid for my weakness.


    "Hey. Take it easy," my momforted me. "Take a deep breath first so that you can talk to me. I need you to tell me exactly what happened here."


    Just as I opened my mouth to talk, Alpha Bane walked into the room and I looked up at him as we locked eyes. I was speechless. I didn''t know what to say or how to feel. All I could do was just cry harder. I was heartbroken and it felt even worse to know that he could have prevented it if he was around, but he wasn''t.

 Sole Regrets

    Alpha Bane''s POV


    "How on Earth did I let this happen?" I kept asking myself, unable to control myself.


    I was devastated. I didn''t even know how to react or what to make of what I had just heard. The news just kept ringing in my head over and over again and it drove me crazy.


    As I stood by the door, backing the people inside the room, I recalled all that I had just heard from Aurora''s mother. She informed me as soon as I got to the room about the abduction of my dear son. I didn''t even get to see him.


    I was more than angry as I wondered who it was, that might have done that. It was well-nned as the person targeted a moment when we were vulnerable and did a very clean job.


    Apparently, there was no guard on ground to thwart the attack of the invader. They were all at the borders, fighting alongside me. If only I had listened and stayed behind; perhaps, I''d have been able to save my son from the hands of that wicked man who had the guts to take away a newborn child from the grasp of his mother. It was wickedness in the highest ces and I couldn''t wait to get my hands on that man if only I could find him.


    I was more than devastated. Indeed, I felt like I was running mad. I paced back and forth outside the room, thinking of the next step to take but nothing seemed to be forting. I couldn''t even go back into the room because I couldn''t get myself to take a look at Aurora who was already wailing heavily and yelling in pain.


    "Come here," I called out to one of the guards, not knowing what else to do about all that was going on. "Check the entire Castle and beyond. Get three other guards to follow you. Search every nook and cranny and bring back my son!"


    I knew it was a lost cause but I had to do something. I couldn''t just stand around doing nothing, even though I knew that the man; whomever it was that took my child, would have already gone very far.


    As I kept pacing about, I heard footsteps behind me and I turned to see my father, running toward me as fast as he could. "Son, what exactly is going on?" He asked, bending a bit to recover some lost energy. "I''ve been in ate-night meeting with the elders. It was there that I was when I got the news about your child being kidnapped. I..."


    I burst into tears before he could finish his statement, cing my head on his shoulder as I cried. He, too, broke into tears, holding me tightly in a warm embrace.


    "Who could have done this?" I thought aloud as we broke the embrace. I tried to wrap my head around all that happened but I couldn''t quite ce my hands on anyone in particr who could havemitted such an atrocity. "It might have been the same people who had started the riot. Surely it has to be them. I mean, why else would the man have attacked that very instant when I was away? No, I can''t let them go scot-free. It just has to be them."


    "You seem to be lost in your thoughts son," said my father to me. "Would by any means know who might have done this?"


    "Not at all," I shook my head, still clueless as to who might have done it. While we fought the men at the border, I couldn''t recognise any of the men that we killed, so there was no way to know who attacked us. If I had received the information sooner, I might have been able to keep one of them alive long enough for him to tell me what I needed to hear.


    "I have a strong feeling that Dn has a hand in this," said my father, gritting his jaw.


    I couldn''t believe that. I didn''t want to believe it at all. I knew just how much Dn hated me. He would give just about anything toy his hands on me. Regardless, if he wanted to deal with me as he felt in his heart, he''d rathere after me. He''d try to take my life and not that of my child whom he had no business with.


    I''d known Dn all my life and he wasn''t much of a fan of using underhanded tactics, except someone else was behind it. It wasn''t him at all. Dn was a lot of things but he was no coward; at least, not in that kind of way.


    "No, dad. He can''t be," I finally said, concluding in my heart that it wasn''t him. "What if Sophia talked him into doing something like that?" He asked.


    I shook my head. I still didn''t want to believe what he was saying to me. Although I knew that Sophia could do that, I didn''t imagine that Dn could stop so low to hit me below the belt.


    Just then, two guards walked toward us, dragging another guard who was trying to escape but couldn''t. They held onto him with very strong grips and the look on the guard''s face told the whole story.


    He knew that it was the end for him. There was no escaping for him whatsoever. He eventually stopped struggling and resigned to his fate, allowing them to drag him to me with much ease.


    As they got to us, they tossed the guard on the floor, right in front of me and stood behind him to stop him from trying to run away or anything of that sort.


    My brow furrowed in confusion, not knowing why he was there and what to do with him. Yet, something in me told me that he was the mole on the inside who helped whoever it was that took my child.


    Somehow, I hoped that it wasn''t him. I hoped that I was wrong about my assumptions because if I wasn''t, I already knew what the fate of that man was going to be. I was so sure that he was never going to survive what I had in store for him.


    I bent a bit, staring deeply into his eyes so that I could hear him myself. I didn''t want to make any assumptions. I needed to be very sure about what was in front of me.


    He had lovely blue eyes. Even in my angry state, I had to admit that he was a very handsome man, full of so much potential. He didn''t seem to be a dangerous person in my eyes, but his looks were always bound to deceive men.


    "Please, my Alpha," he begged with very shaky lips. "Don''t kill me. I promise you that it wasn''t my intention to do what I did. I wasn''t in my right senses. They threatened to take my life and that of my family. Please..."


    "And you preferred to trade that with the life of my child?" I asked with a smile on my face.


    "No, my Alpha. Please forgive me. Please..."


    I thought long and hard about how forgiving him was going to return my child but I couldn''t think of anything tangible. I held his face in my right hand as he quivered in fear. All I could do was simply smile.

 Lost Hopes

    Alpha Bane''s POV


    "My Alpha," one of the warriors called out. "I can''t see anyone around here."


    I looked to my left and my right and I couldn''t find anyone. We had arrived at the Rogue Pack after over ten minutes, yet there was no sign of anyone at all and it was quite strange, to say the least.


    I sent some of the guards to check the buildings to see if they could find anyone but they all came out with the same report; there was no one there and we couldn''t exin that.


    I began to wonder if they had received a piece of information that we were heading for their Pack but it still seemed very surprising that they weren''t there.


    If they were informed, I expected them to prepare for war and not to entirely desert their Pack for some other people to upy. It was so strange.


    As we kept walking, I noticed that there was some kind ofmotion in the Pack as tents were burned, leaving everywhere in a very bad state. Then something struck in me that although the entire Pack seemed deserted, there was a ce that was certainly going to be well guarded with important people inside.


    "Let''s head over to the Castle," I ordered my men. "Surely, their Alpha would be there. If we cany hold on him, a lot can happen."


    They all nodded as we proceeded to the Castle which ording to what the mole said to me, wasn''t so far from where we were. As we moved as quickly as we could, I thought about so many things. I imagined all that I was going to do to the Alpha King as soon as I got the chance toy my hands on him. He was surely going to regret being a part of whatever happened to my child. Sadly, I wished I could make him sorry for all he had done but dead men didn''t feel sorry.


    "Attack anyone you see on your way as we head over to the Castle," I barked at my men. "Show no mercy at all. When we get inside the Castle, y everyone except the Alpha. Leave him to me. I''ll do what I need to do."


    My men dashed forward and soon enough, we began to see a few men who ran as soon as they spotted us. My men pursued them, overtook them and yed as many as they could reach.


    I and a few guards continued our journey to the Castle, with the other warriors providing cover and also heading to several parts of the Pack toy waste to everyone there.


    "Leave no one alive. Kill them all!" I yelled as I kept approaching the Castle.


    I wondered why they were all so scared. They didn''t seem to want to fight back. They seemed to only do that because they had no choice. Their first instinct was to run away as soon as they saw any of us. It didn''t change anything. We were keen on killing them, so not fighting back until it was already toote was to our advantage and to their detriment, which was okay by me.


    As I stepped into the Castle, three guards ran out to attack me but before I could draw my sword, I saw them fall to the ground. My warriors had thrown a silver dagger straight into their chests from behind me where they were. I didn''t even need to lift a finger.


    Nevertheless, I drew my sword, not wanting to be taken unawares by anyone. It was going to be a very shameful thing to be killed in a Rogue Pack. The thought almost brought me toughter but it wasn''t the time. I was there for a very serious matter.


    I walked into the throne room and immediately spotted the Rogue Alpha, who was trying to escape as quickly as he could. Without wasting any time at all, I ran to him and osted him, making sure there was no way for him to escape. Since he was trying to run away, he had no weapon in his possession and it made things much easier than I had expected. Even if he did, it must have been tucked in his clothes, but I had mine in my hand and it made all the difference.


    "What''s going on in your Pack?" I asked him, holding a knife to his throat.


    It didn''t seem to faze him that much as he preferred to stay mute. "Perhaps," I thought. "He needed a much better incentive.


    I chopped off one of his fingers with my sword forcing a yelp out of him as blood oozed from his hand. It had the desired effect and I was d. As he kept screaming in pain, I gave him a warm smile so he''d befortable, knowing that I just wanted to have a friendly chat.


    "Please, don''t take my life," he begged, as the reality of things began to dawn on him. "I was betrayed. My ally betrayed me."


    "Who is your ally?"


    "Dn," he answered. "He''s called Dn."


    My eyes shed red on hearing the name and I was curious to know more about what he was saying. "Go on," I urged him on, staring keenly at him.


    "He came here seeking help to enact revenge on his Pack and we consented to that," he continued. "However, he used my men to wage war and we lost, with most of my men losing their lives in the process. Now, Dn, his girlfriend, Sophia, and some other people who are with him have run out of the Pack, leaving me all alone, much to my surprise.


    "Do you have any idea where they might have gone?" I asked him, still maintaining the smile on my face. It was important for me to do that as it was the only thing preventing me from doing what I had in mind, and restraint was important. At least, until I had gotten all the information that I needed.


    "No, I don''t. I have no idea."


    Looking into his eyes, I could see the sincerity there. I could also hear the truthfulness in his voice. I was d to know that he wasn''t telling lies as I needed only concrete information concerning what I wanted to hear.


    "Thank you so much for all that you have said," I said to him with a heart full of gratitude. "I could never repay you for this kindness, Alpha. Yet, I could repay you for your wickedness, you and Dn alike and soon, I''lly my hands on him. But until then, I''ll just have to make do with you, won''t I?"


    I slit his throat in one swipe and watched him fall to the ground, with his hands on his neck as he tried to stop the bleeding whilst also battling with the pain that he felt.


    I stood over him, delighting in his struggle until he finally gave up the ghost. "Damn you! Damn you all for taking my son!" I yelled, still angry that I hadn''t been able to find Dn but I hoped that he was still around there, somehow.


    I heard the footsteps of someone walking into the room and I turned around to know who it was. It was Donald and he wasn''t smiling at all.


    "We managed to ughter all the rogue wolves in the Pack, my Alpha," he said to me. "But there was no sign of Dn, nor could we find anyone who might know about his whereabouts."


    I didn''t know what to do with that information. Devastated, I dropped my sword and yelled in regret as I felt like all hope was lost. I dropped to my knees and began to sob profusely.

 The Worst Tragedy

    Alpha Bane''s POV


    I arrived at the Pack with my men after a fruitless journey to the Rogue Pack. I had yed a few men there including the Alpha but it was nothingpared to what I went there for.


    It taught me that regardless of how sweet revenge seemed at first, it could never bepared in any way to what has been lost.


    As I got down from the carriage, I slowly walked toward the Castle, not knowing how to face Aurora or tell her that I failed to get our son back.


    I had thought in my heart that I was going to find Dn and Sophia and make them pay for what they had done. Little did I know that it was going to be a fruitless journey which only served to offer false hopes to both Aurora and me.


    After killing the Rogue Alpha, we didn''t leave immediately. I figured out that Dn and Sophia might have been still somewhere in the Pack, hiding away. One of my guards suggested that the Rogue Alpha might have even said a few things so that we''d think that Dn had escaped, while he was still in the Pack.


    We waited and waited as the days passed, hoping to see any trace of him. We searched more and more ces, just to find him. We listened very keenly to know if we could hear the sound of a crying child which was inevitable if they kept the baby alive.


    None of those happened. After a few days, we knew that it was a waste of our precious time because he was nowhere near the Pack. There was no ce we didn''t check out. He just wasn''t there. So we decided that it was finally time to head back home.


    I got into the Castle and slowly walked into Aurora''s room where she sat on the floor with her mother by her side. My father was there too, standing right next to Aurora''s mother.


    Immediately I got in, all eyes went on me as they must have hoped that I''d return with our child. I bared my palms in front of them to show that my journey bore no fruit. They just shook their heads and Aurora sobbed even harder.


    "They seem to have vanished into thin air," I said to everyone, walking across to Aurora and sitting next to her on the floor. "They weren''t in the Pack when we got there."


    As I spoke, I kept looking at Aurora, hoping that she was going to say something but she didn''t. She just stayed numb and I didn''t like that at all. Yet, I could understand why she had to do that.


    "Won''t you say something, my love?" Asked Aurora''s mother, as she did her best to get her to talk to me but Aurora wouldn''t still say a word. "Please, my child says something. It''ll help you release all the anger and pain that have been stuck in your chest."


    Instead of speaking, she broke into tears and wailed profusely. I couldn''t stand the sight so I pulled her into my arms to give her somefort.


    "I''ll do anything and everything possible to look for our son, my love," I promised her. "I''ll get her back to us, where he belongs. I won''t stop until I''ve gotten justice. I promise you this, my love."


    She kept sobbing, still saying nothing. She clutched her stomach and shook her head as she cried.


    "It''s all your fault, Alpha Bane," she finally said. "This is all your doing. You''re the reason why we''re in this situation right now."


    I could understand why she had to me me. She had to point fingers at someone and I happened to be the scapegoat in that situation. It was something that I fully deserved.


    "If only you didn''t leave when you should not have, we will not have found ourselves in this position," shemented. "I begged you to stay but you wouldn''t. You preferred to leave us. Now, you didn''t even get the chance to see our child before he was taken from us!"


    I, too, began to tear up on hearing those words of hers. It made me even worse as everything that went on felt so strange to me; just like a movie happening right in front of me.


    "I can''t exin the way that I feel about all of these, my love," I confessed, with tears in my eyes. "You''re right. This is all my fault. Everything about this is my fault. If I had listened to you, I''d have been here when the assant came and I''d have dispelled him very easily."


    We cried in each other''s eyes as the atmosphere around us got all tensed up. As I held her in my arms, I could think of nothing else but how to get back my son. My mind strayed, as I thought of where Sophia and Dn might have gone toy low in the meantime but there was no ceing into my mind.


    Surely, it couldn''t have been the Silver Moon Pack. They''d have been apprehended on setting their feet there. Perhaps, he had gone to another Rogue Pack to deceive them, so they could let both him and Sophia stay there. I wished I could know where but I couldn''t.


    I was snapped out of my thoughts by the cries of Aurora, but not just hers, my father and her mother too wear in tears. Everyone was in pain and


    understandably so. I prayed in my heart that the goddess should intervene so that we could see our son again. I didn''t care what the cost was going to be. I didn''t care if I was going to die trying. I just wanted to see my son.


    The room soon became a den of sobs as everyone sobbed hard, Aurora most especially. It was a tragedy that affected everyone and me, the person they looked up to, to remedy the situation, could do nothing else but cry too.

 Answered Prayers

    Alpha Bane''s POV


    Five Years Later


    "This life is a mess," I muttered to myself. "There''s no reason to live anymore."


    I walked back to the Castle after spending some time in the garden talking to myself like a madman.


    Ever since the loss of my son, I hadn''t been myself. I followed every lead that I got and did all I could to find Dn but I failed woefully. All those journeys were fruitless.


    After two years, I stopped searching and resigned to my fate. I had lost him. There was nothing I could do about it. Yet, it was a fate that I couldn''t just get myself to ept. I couldn''t bear the fact that I was going to live without my son.


    At some point, I had hoped that Dn would try to use him to get to us. I felt he was going to use him as bait to get his hands on Aurora and me. I wondered why he hadn''t reached me. Thest thing I wanted was for my child to grow up, seeing that monster as his father instead of me. I wondered what lies he and Sophia must have fed the boy.


    My rtionship with Aurora had also taken a hit by all that happened. We barely talked to each other and she never even slept in the same room with me. She was still mad that I failed to listen to her and regardless of how hard and how much I pleaded with her, she just wasn''t having it.


    Every night, I''d head to her room, standing in front of her door and I''d hear her wailing in pain. I tried to stop her from harming herself but she wouldn''t agree. Instead, she got more pissed that I was preventing her from grieving her son; a son that she lost solely because of me.


    She decided that she couldn''t stand being in the same Pack with me as my presence always reminded her of what she had lost so she packed up some of her things and headed to her Pack to visit her parents.


    "I won''t be back until after a few weeks," she said to me before leaving on a carriage, not even caring to say goodbye.


    It was already getting dark and I needed to get to the Castle so I could do a very simple thing that always helped me hold myself together. If I was told some time ago that I was going to depend on wine to be happy, I''d have disputed it vehemently. Yet, there I was, a shadow of myself, and a wine babbler.


    Suddenly, as I began to take faster strides, I heard a sound that got my attention. "My Alpha! My Alpha!"


    I heard my name twice, albeit faintly and I knew who was calling. It was Donald. No matter how faint his voice seemed to be, I could never miss it for any reason. After spending so many years together, it was impossible for me not to easily recognise his voice. Besides, he was the only one who could tell my name from that far and get away with it.


    I slowed down a bit so that he''d catch up and quickly say whatever thing he felt he needed to so that I''ll be on my way. I didn''t have any more time to waste as my head was already wobbly.


    "My Alpha, we have an urgent message," he said on getting to where I was. He panted heavily, having run a far distance to catch up with me.


    I hissed and continued walking, not willing to pay attention to any of that. "I don''t have time to attend to any message for the day," I said to him, still walking. All I want to do is just drink some wine and go to bed to clear my hair. That''s all. That wasn''t too much to ask for either.


    "You need to stop," Donald said to me which got me a bit surprised as I was certain that he knew that it could have been a grave mistake, given the kind of mood that I was in.


    "What''s this about?" I asked him, groaning. I narrowed my brows so that he could see the seriousness of my question. If it wasn''t so important, then I didn''t want to hear it at all. I had more important things to do than wasting my time.


    As I turned around to face my beta, I saw some guards; about four of them, dragging some people toward me and I froze instantly. "Who on Earth?" I eximed on seeing the men heading toward me.


    I was filled with dread as I didn''t know who they were. I wondered where they might havee from and what they were doing in my Pack and I had no answers to any of those questions, nor did I have any clue whatsoever.


    It had been a long time since we were attacked in the Pack and seeing the scenario that was in front of me, my hunches rose quickly. I didn''t want any problems at all but I wasn''t going to shy away from a fight too. I was more than ready for whatever anyone brought to me, even though I''d have preferred to rest on my bed with a bottle of wine in my hands.


    They looked very dangerous, and their eyes supported that thought of mine. I assumed that they were brought in because they tried to attack some people in the Pack or wanted to get through the borders unchecked.


    I pulled out my knife, ready to execute judgement once their crimes were confirmed before me. Killing them was surely going to help me alleviate some of the stress that I was going through.


    "The crime that he hadmitted, which has brought him here, in front of me, has to be paid for," I began to say to myself, sizing them up as they trembled in front of me.


    I quickly stopped talking when my beta came to a stop in front of me, as well as the guards and the very tattered people with him.


    "After five long years, my Alpha," Donald announced. "It seems like the goddess has finally heard your cries, decided to answer your prayers and smile at you, just like we had expected her to do a long time ago."


    I was confused. I didn''t understand what he meant by all that he said. I couldn''t wrap my head around it and I knew just what to do about that.


    "Go on, Donald," I urged him. "Tell me what you want to do. I need to understand exactly what is going on here."


    "These people here havee bearing great news, my Alpha," he exined, with a small smile on his face. "They have a confession to make concerning Dn and the runaway Princess Sophia. They imed to know all that had happened."


    I couldn''t believe it. It had been five long years since I lost my son. I wondered why they had toe now. In shock, the sword in my hands dropped to the floor and my mouth went wide open.

 Hopeful News

    Aurora''s POV


    "Mom, I think I heard a knock on the door," I said to my mother, who was having a conversation with my father in the throne room.


    "A knock? I didn''t hear..."


    She was interrupted by yet another knock on the door, probably from the same person.


    "Come in," she said, adjusting herself on her chair.


    A guard came in with another man behind him. I quickly recognised who it was; a messenger from the blue moon Pack. I wondered what he hade to do in my Pack.


    "Greetings, Alpha and Luna Queen of the Silver Moon Pack," he greeted, before turning to look at me. "Greetings, my Luna."


    As much as that was who I was, I''d have preferred if he addressed me as the princess of the Silver Moon Pack. It was a title that suited me more as I wasn''t happy with the Blue Moon Pack and anything that had to do with it, including Alpha Bane.


    Ever since I lost my boy, nothing remained the same. I wasn''t the same person either and even though I had told Alpha Bane that I was going to spend a few weeks before going back, I nned to stay a lot longer than that.


    "Ie with news from Alpha Bane, and a letter too," he revealed as soon as my parents nodded to acknowledge his greeting.


    "He has asked me toe here so I can plead with Luna Aurora to return to the Pack..."


    "Why would I do that?" I interrupted.


    "He''s begging you toe back because, for the first time in five years, we''re finally making some headway in our quest to find and bring your son back to the Pack. Our investigations seem to be heading in the right direction. Here''s the letter he asked me to give to you."


    He handed the letter over to the guard with him, who took it from him and brought it to me. I opened it and after cursorily ncing at it, I handed it over to my father so that he and my mom could see what was written in there.


    "I don''t want to go back there," I cried as I gave them the letter. "I don''t want to leave you yet. Besides, this is not the first time that we''ve heard of a presumed breakthrough or headway in investigations but they all led to one result... nothing! How can I be so sure that this would be any different? It might just be another waste of time and I''ll regret going back to that Pack.''


    "You have to be optimistic, my daughter," said my mother, as she tried to persuade me to go.


    "Your mother is right," my father concurred. "You could see something different this time. I have a feeling that this time, they''ll be something tangible to hold onto and in the end, you''ll have your son back."


    There was silence in the room as my father fixed his gaze on the letter once again. Suddenly, his eyes went wide open and I wondered what he saw. He didn''t let me think so much.


    "I''ve discovered the location of Dn and Sophia, my love and I''ll be going over there to fight them. I''m waging a full-blown war against them and by the goddess, I know that I''m going toe out victorious. Please,e back home to me, my love. I need you now, more than ever. I need to add you so that we can spend some time talking before I leave for the battle. Please,e back to me," my father read, before turning to look at me. "This is the content of the letter from Alpha Bane and I think it''s worth giving a thought."


    I cried as soon as he finished reading the letter. As much as I didn''t want to believe it to avoid getting heartbroken once again, I knew that something was different about this.


    He sounded so sure about what he was saying and if he was going to war, it could have only meant that he got his information from a trusted source and not some random people who might have appeared to share details of things they had zero clue about.


    "You have to go back there, my daughter," said my mother to me. "You should bid him farewell. We never can tell but this could end up turning out badly and you''ll regret not doing thister on."


    "Okay. Okay. I''ll go back," I said, sniffing.


    Then, I walked up to my dad and my mom and hugged them simultaneously.


    Alpha Bane''s POV


    "Have you heard anything concerning the messenger that we sent to the Silver Moon Pack?" I asked Donald who sat with me in the throne room, enjoying some snacks.


    "No, I haven''t, my Alpha. But, I think he should be back soon. He has stayed longer than I expected him to and I''m certain that he''s on his way back."


    "I do hope so, as there''s no time at all to waste. We need to get moving as soon


    as possible and Aurora''s response is needed so I can know exactly what to do."


    "Come in," Donald said as we heard a knock on the door.


    It was the messenger and he returned with his face beaming with smiles which


    could only mean one thing; the journey was a sessful one.


    "Greetings, my Alpha," he bowed. "Greetings, Beta Donald."


    "What happened? You took longer than expected."


    "I''m sorry about that, my Alpha," he pleaded. "The carriage couldn''t quite move as quickly as it should have and I don''t know why.*


    "So how did it go? What was the oue of your visit to the Silver Moon Pack on my behalf?"


    "It was hugely sessful, my Alpha," he smiled, while I kept a straight face. "She has agreed to return. She said she''ll being back to the Pack tomorrow so that she can bid you farewell."


    My heart clenched on hearing that as it made me a bit happy. Yet, I maintained my straight face, not wanting anyone to know how happy it made me.


    "You can go now," I said to the guard and he immediately turned around and left.


    I turned to my father who had been silent in the throne room even though he was there with me, hoping to say something to him but the words weren''t forting.


    "I have a good feeling about this mission," he said to me instead. "It''s not going to be like the others."


    "I hope that all will be well," I said with a tear dropping from my eye. "I can''t wait to get back my son. It pains me so much to know that I never got to see him and I might not recognise him if I still saw him unless he was a striking resemnce to either Aurora or me."


    Another sob escaped my lips and my father came across to me and hugged me tightly.


    "It''s going to be alright, my son," he muttered to me. "This is the beginning of good things toe in your life, my son. Finally, the goddess is on our side."

 The New Mission

    Aurora''s POV


    The carriage slowed down and I knew that we were either at the Pack or were pretty close.


    I looked out of the window and saw that we had arrived at the Pack but we were yet to get to the Castle so I waited patiently.


    All through the journey, I thought long and hard, wondering if I made the right decision. I even tried to sleep but I was unable to. My mind was so restless and I could not do anything but worry.


    Soon enough, we got to the Castle and the carriage stopped. I got down and wondered why Alpha Bane wasn''t outside there to wee me like he used to.


    Normally, whenever I travelled and returned, he always stood in front of the Castle, very keen on seeing me and as soon as I got down, he''d dash toward me and hug me so tightly.


    This time, it wasn''t to be as it seemed like no one expected my return or looked forward to it. No one cared at all and I didn''t know why.


    Not wanting to think too much about it, I walked straight into the Castle and saw his father seated in the throne room. "Greetings, Alpha," I said to him.


    "Wee back, Luna Aurora," he responded, with a huge grin on his face.


    He seemed delighted to see me, as always. It was something that I loved about the man. He always made me feel wee at all times.


    "What of Alpha Bane?" I asked the guards in the throne room. "Where is he?"


    "He''s in the training grounds," one of the guards said to me. "He''s preparing for the mission at hand. That''s why he''s not around the Castle. He has been going there since he decided to wage war against Dn as he doesn''t want to leave any room for mistakes."


    I could understand that. A man had to do what a man had to do. It was unfair for me to have almost judged him for not being around to wee me with such a life-and-death situation staring at him and all the warriors in the Pack.


    My heart twinged in pain as I left everything, including my bags in the carriage and began to head over to the training grounds to see Alpha Bane and find out exactly how the training was going.


    On getting to the training grounds, I watched him train from afar off. He was so keen on the training and I loved the way he swung his sword with immense strength. He was a joy to behold.


    He didn''t seem to even notice me. He had no idea that I was there and as I watched him, bare-chested and glistening with sweat, there was no denying the fact that although I was a tad estranged from him, I could still feel a connection between us. I still loved him despite all that had happened. I still loved him a lot.


    A tear fell from my face and I quickly wiped it off not wanting him to see me crying should he finally notice that I was there with him. I needed to act tough. At least, that was what I thought.


    At the same time, Alpha Bane abruptly stopped fighting and turned around to face me. Our eyes locked and we both froze, with my jaw dropping open as he smiled sadly.


    Alpha Bane''s POV


    I swung my sword so hard, imagining that my enemies stood in front of me. I just wanted to destroy every one of them and I couldn''t wait to get my hands on them.


    It wasn''t going to be long anymore as Aurora was about toe back. I didn''t know when, but I hoped that she''d return on that day, as she had promised.


    Only then, was I going to get my chance to head out to the Pack where Dn was so I could get my child back. More than that was my desire to make him pay for his crimes with his life. Those five years that he spent with my son were going to cost him the rest of his years and I swore in my heart that nothing was going to stop me from doing what I intended. Both he nor Sophia would ever know what hit them. I was so sure about that.


    I stared deeply at one of the woods in the ce and imagined seeing Dn''s face on it. Then I swung my sword at it with so much force, time after time, until the tree finally gave in after so much pressure.


    I was delighted and I quickly moved to the next tree so that I could do the same thing. I screamed aloud with each swing as I let out the anger that coursed through my veins.


    Suddenly, I felt something around me; more like a presence and I decided to turn around to know who it was. But before I could do that, the identity of the person became much clearer to me as I perceived a smell that I could never forget even if I wanted to.


    It was Aurora. It had to be her. As I turned around, I saw her standing behind me but somewhat in a distance and our gazes locked.


    Immediately, I dropped my sword and began to walk to where she stood. As I got close to her, I couldn''t help but feel so drawn to her and although I knew that she might pose a resistance, I drew her closer and wrapped my arms around her in a very emotional hug.


    "I''ve missed you so much," u said to her but before I could say anything else, she cut me off by nting a kiss on my lips.


    It felt so good that I want it to ever end. It was our first kiss in many years and I couldn''t hold back any longer.


    I shed tears uncontrobly as we kept on kissing passionately. After about two minutes or so, she finally broke the kiss and slowly held my hand, dragging me away from the training grounds.


    "The messenger said something about a new mission that you''re working on," she said to me with a smile on her beautiful face. "I''d like you to tell me about it."


    I nodded and cleared my throat so I could exin in detail all that had been going


    on in the Pack. Everything between us seemed to havee back to normal as I didn''t feel that unhealthy, tense atmosphere around us anymore.


    I smiled at her, as I began to talk.

 Unfair Treatments

    Princess Sophia''s POV


    "I can''t keep up with this," I yelled at Dn with the child in my hand.


    He didn''t seem to pay any sort of attention to me. He was so busy with the other matters that he had at hand but I wouldn''t let him ignore me at all. My concerns had to be heard as I was short of ideas on what to do.


    "Some of my maids are missing and I don''t know what to do about it, Dn!" I yelled, trying to ensure that he would respond to me. "I can''t seem to take care of this five-year-old kid in my care, especially without the maids. I need you to do something about this."


    Despite all that I said, Dn still chose to ignore me as he sat on his new throne feeling like he owned the whole world.


    After we escaped from the Rogue Pack, we journeyed through manynds and Packs, looking to find a ce to settle but we found none. After several days, we began to feel very frustrated, almost regretting our decision to leave. We thought that somehow, we might have been able to simply usurp the rogue Alpha since we had gotten quite several wolves who were loyal to us.


    Yet, we moved on. We kept journeying, hoping to find a suitable ce. All the Packs that we asked for help turned us away as soon as they saw Dn. They were all afraid of Alpha Bane and didn''t want any trouble at all. Bunch of cowards they were!


    Soon enough, we arrived at a Pack that I couldn''t recognise. When we got to their borders, they refused to let us in, but we pleaded for a few of us to go into the Pack so we could talk to their Alpha. That was our breakthrough.


    Dn and I were allowed in, and alongside two guards we went inside to converse with their Alpha. When he recognised who we were, he too, refused to let us stay in his Pack, much to our annoyance.


    He didn''t look like an Alpha that had any right to reject us. Indeed, he was supposed to be scared of us; to feel privileged that he was going to be hosting such dignitaries in his Pack as he was an Alpha with no reputation. Yet, he chose to annoy us and it gave me an idea.


    As we left the Castle, I took a look at the wolves around and they all seemed weak to me. I told Dn what I felt when we got outside and advised him to order everyone with us to fight them and seized theirnds.


    He gave his consent and we ransacked the Pack and made it ours, or should I say his, since he became the Alpha. Despite all of my input, he acted like it was all his idea and he got there with his wisdom and might.


    I kept shouting at him, paying little attention to the meeting he was having with some of his elders.


    "Shut up!" He yelled at me but I wouldn''t stop. I was fed up with taking care of the child. "You brought this upon yourself, didn''t you? You were the one who concocted the idea about us stealing the baby."


    The elders gasped on hearing that and a murmur broke out from amongst them. "Shut up, all of you!" Dn yelled with his eyes slowly changing in colour due to the anger that burned within him.


    "If you don''t leave here right now, I''ll be forced to call security," he said, turning back to face me.


    I couldn''t believe my ears. He threatened to humiliate me in the presence of everyone else and dared pin my problems on me when it was all his fault.


    It was true that I was the one who initiated the n to abduct the baby. There was no denying that, but I never asked to take care of the boy.


    Indeed, I never imagined that he was going to stay that long. The n was to use the child to get through to Alpha Bane and Aurora after a while. We were to use the child to inflict pain on them before luring them and getting rid of them.


    However, ever since we stepped into the Pack, Dn became less interested in going back to his Pack and his hatred for his family also began to seem nonexistent. He loved it in his new Pack, especially since he was an Alpha, just like he had always dreamt of. I was the one who was left to suffer in the Pack with only a few maids to do my bidding.


    I was unfairly treated.


    Dn''s POV


    "Security!" I yelled since Sophia wouldn''t stop shouting. She drove me crazy with those screams and I couldn''t take them anymore.


    "Guards!" I called out again, wondering why they took so long to get to me. "Take her away!"


    I watched them drag a raving mad Sophia out of the room and I was satisfied. At least, I was going to have some peace.


    I heaved a sigh of relief and turned to talk to my elders but two guards quickly rushed into the room.


    "There''s danger," one of the guards revealed, much to my surprise.


    "What is the matter?" I asked them, very confused about what was going on.


    Before they could say a word, we heard a very loud bomb st and my eyes widened.


    "Guards, head outside immediately and see what is going on!" Johnny yelled at the men. "Be heavily armed. If you see any unfamiliar face, take him out!"


    Chaos ensued as Johnny kept barking orders at the men. All of the elders ran out of the room, trying to scamper for safety. I stared at them with a smile on my face but when I heard another bomb sound, I knew they were making the right decision.


    "Did you receive any letters or threats from any nearby Pack?" I asked Johnny who shook his head. I couldn''t understand what was going on. "Who could be after us then? No one knows us around here."


    I ran out of the throne room, with Johnny by my side and as soon as we got outside, the sight in front of me was a bloody mess. There were dead bodies littered all around and everywhere was full of smoke and fire.


    Then I heard a familiar chanting song and I knew exactly where it came from. It was a song only sung by the Blue Moon Pack and I froze in recognition.


    "They''re here," Johnny said to me as I turned to look at him. He also recognised the chants.


    As we looked at each other, it dawned on us that Alex had caught up with us and there was no way to escape as his men seemed to be everywhere, judging by the dead bodies littered everywhere.


    I ran back to the throne room, hoping to escape through a back door. I prayed to the goddess in my heart as I made my way to the room. I didn''t want to die. I couldn''t die just yet.

 Death!

    Alpha Bane''s POV


    "Look everywhere," I yelled at my men. "If you find him, don''t engage. Leave him to me. Let me know quickly."


    I searched every nook and cranny in the Pack, hoping to find Dn. I was so sure that he was in the Pack, I just needed to find where he hid exactly.


    My men had already apprehended Sophia and she was safely in their custody as they waited for the war to be over so that I''ll know exactly what to do with her.


    As the men went forth in search of Dn, I recalled all that had happened in the past few days. I remembered how I took a lot of time to n this attack so that I could ensure that there won''t be any form of mistakes.


    When I discussed it with Aurora, she was very pleased with it and even gave me her blessings before I left


    Everything seemed to be going ording to n as I experienced so much sess already. The only thing left was toy my hands on Dn and I knew it was only a matter of time before I''d have my wish granted.


    I roamed around the Pack, killing any guard that came my way without any remorse. Normally, I''d have had some form of sympathy but I was way past that in my mind. All the pain and suffering that I had been subjected to by Dn''s actions made me a different man.


    Suddenly, I spotted a very familiar figure scurrying away and looking to get into a particr room. On a closer look, I noticed that it was Dn and I knew just what to do.


    I felt anger and pain coursing through my veins and I felt my eyes beginning to change their colour. I ran toward him as fast as I could, hoping that I would catch up with him, especially since he hadn''t noticed my presence.


    Before he could notice, I was already very close to him and there was barely anything else he could do except try to run a bit faster.


    I was faster than he was, which added to the added surge of energy that I felt as a result of the anger in me. I caught you with him and tackled him just as he got into the room forcing him to fall to the ground.


    I entered the room too and locked the door, leaving just the both of us in the room.


    I licked my lips, like a predator with his prey, smiling broadly as I finally got my chance to deal with Dn mercilessly.


    He was shocked. I could see it written all over his face. His entire body shook tremulously as he knew that his end was near.


    However, in a moment of defiance, Dn narrowed his brows and took out his sword, putting it out in front of me.


    I wasn''t scared one bit as I knew that I had the upper hand in that situation. I took out my sword too as we circled each other, with each person seeking to outmanoeuvre the other.


    I moved around very cautiously, looking deeply into Dn''s eyes so I wouldn''t be taken unawares by any of his moves. Seeing what he had done in kidnapping my child, I was also on the lookout for any underhanded tactics, since he was capable of that, unlike the Dn that I used to know.


    "What did I do to you?" I asked Dn with a chuckle. "What made you hate me to the extent of taking my child away from me?"


    "Damn you!" He cursed, spitting to the ground. "You can''t feign any innocence, brother. You took my rightful ce on the throne."


    I justughed but he wasn''t even done yet. "I''ve always been jealous of you, Alex. Yet, I had the love of our father. It was the one thing that I knew that I had over you. That was why I couldn''t take it when our father decided to transfer all of his affection to you alone. It was so unfair and did nothing but intensify the hate that I have for you; the very reason why I have no choice but to take your life."


    I was angered by those words and it was all I needed to hear to make me morefortable about fighting to the death with my brother.


    He dashed toward me, swinging his knife but I sidestepped him and attempted to trip him.


    He jumped, evading my attempt to floor him, but I managed to hit him on the back of the head with the handle of my sword.


    "Does it feel good?" I asked him, looking to rile him up and it worked out.


    He charged at me once again in fury and thrust his sword forward but I moved to


    my left to evade his attack, further making him angrier.


    "What is it, Dn? Does it feel like you can''t touch me, boy?"


    This time I charged toward him feigning an attack with my sword but delivering a kick to his ribs instead, forcing him to lose his bnce a little.


    It was the opening that I needed as I shed his knee with my sword as he screamed and fell to the floor. "Regardless of all the hatred you imed to have for me," I said to him, walking over to where he was and kicking his sword away from his hand. "You should never have kidnapped my child. Why didn''t youe for me instead? That child was innocent, yet, in your cruelty, you chose to make him a scapegoat."


    "It wasn''t my n, Alex. I swear, it wasn''t my idea," Dn confessed. "It was Sophia who brought it all up. She was the one who orchestrated the kidnapping. It had nothing to do with me."


    I already knew that was the case. I knew it had to be someone else with that idea as Dn didn''t think that way. Nevertheless, he was open to the suggestion and eventually carried it out so he was just as guilty.


    "Please, forgive me, my brother," he begged, seeing that he was on the verge of death. "I''m so sorry for all that I have done to you in the past. It was just jealousy clouding my thinking. I''m sorry, Alex. Remember that you''re my brother; my blood. What would father say if he heard that I died by your sword? Please..."


    My anger knew no bounds and from the way that I felt, my eyes had already turned red. There was no going back anymore for me and even if I wanted to, it was going to be too much of a risk keeping someone who hated me that much.


    "Our father has already given me the go-ahead to kill you. Don''t worry about what he''s going to think..."


    With that, I slit his throat with my sword and watched blood splurt out onto the floor as he ced his hands on his neck in ast attempt to save himself from dying.


    It was of no use. His time hade and there was no running away from it.


    "Ahh!" I yelled as I let my bloodied sword drop to the ground while watching the blood of my brother spill.

 Victory Chants

    Aurora''s POV


    "I can''t sleep, mom. I don''t know what is going on," Iined to my mother as


    I rolled around on the bed, failing to find sleep.


    I kept thinking about Alpha Bane as I prayed in my heart that he was alright. I couldn''t help but explore the possibility of him not returning to me, especially when he had Dn and Sophia as adversaries. I had learned by experience how not to underestimate those two.


    "I need you to take a deep breath," said my mom to me with a concerned look on his face. "Please calm down, my darling. He''ll be back safely."


    She was always going to say that. I didn''t expect her to just say that my husband wouldn''t make it back home. I could never calm down unless I saw him return to the Pack with my eyes. Only then was I going to be calm.


    I prayed in my heart for him to be safe, hoping that the goddess was going to smile at me this time. She wasn''t always fond of doing that but I hoped for a difference that one time.


    Suddenly, two maids barged into my room and I gasped in surprise, wondering why they couldn''t even knock.


    "It''s Alpha Bane," the maid screamed in delight. "He just arrived. He''s in the Pack now with the warriors. They won the fight!"


    I quickly stood up, very delighted with what I just heard. My heart calmed down as all the fears that I previously held onto got deted.


    If he was back, it could only mean two things... He fought the war and won or Dn and Sophia weren''t there at all. I needed to see for myself.


    As I tried to get out of bed, I heard the chants of the warriors and I was even more convinced that the maids were telling the truth. Not like they could have lied about something like that. They''d have paid dearly for it as my mom was never one to let things like that slide, even if I was.


    Those chants got my heart all warmed up. I could tell that he was back and I had to find my way to him as soon as possible. "You should wait here for him, Aurora. He''ll certainly find his way to you."


    She didn''t want me stressing myself or walking around and I could understand why. Yet, I wanted exactly that. I needed to find Alpha Bane; to make sure that he was in one piece and I wasn''t going to stay back and wait.


    I left the bed and before my mom could stop me, I fled from my chambers, racing quickly out of the Castle until I could spot them. I smiled as they approached. I could feel the delight in their voices. I was delighted too and I wanted to see Alpha Bane.


    I looked amidst the warriors to see if I could find him. At first, I didn''t, so I let theme closer before fixing my gaze on them once again to find Alpha Bane.


    This time, I found some sess. I spotted him amid the warriors, with a smile on his face. I was so happy.


    Even though it was already night, the fire torched around, lighting up the environment and I could see how battered and bloodied he looked.


    My heart broke to see him that way and I immediately began to sob. He had to go through all of that, not only for himself but also for our son and me.


    Just as I began to walk toward him, he spotted me and our eyes locked.


    Alpha Bane''s POV


    I felt pain all over my body as the wounds on my body took their toll on me. I let out a smile, despite the pain that I felt. The victory that we got was worth more than a thousand strokes. It was worth more than any pain that I could have felt physically.


    As I approached the entrance of the Castle, having a weary look from the tiredness that came as a result of the war that I just fought, I saw Aurora staring at


    me.


    The sight of her brought some kind of peace to me. I was so delighted to see her. I was proud too. I assured her that I was going to return sessfully and I did just that.


    I smiled at her, very delighted to see her, especially since I had fulfilled the


    promise that I made to her. She hadn''t seen me yet, so I took a few steps forward so that she would.


    She spotted me and immediately started running toward me as everyone else made way for us. They dared not stand in her way as I would have ensured that the person; whomever it might have been, would have lived to regret that decision.


    She got to where I was and I hugged her so happily. "I''m back, baby!" I said to her, still holding her tightly as she sobbed in my arms.


    "How are you feeling?" She asked, taking a good look at me, probably to see if I sustained any major injuries. "Do you feel so much pain?"


    "I''m fine, my love," I said to her. I didn''t want her to get all worked up or worry too much. I just wanted her to rest, knowing that everything was alright, just like we wanted it to be; just like I promised her that it was going to be.


    She held my hands and I bent low and kissed her on the forehead first before drawing back and staring into her eyes.


    Then, she pulled me in and nted her lips on hers. I kissed her back and we fought for supremacy, with our tongues circling in a quick motion. I was in a different world in my head.


    I held the back of her head for support as I never wanted the kiss to end, but she quickly realised that we were outside and broke the kiss quickly so that we wouldn''t create a bigger scene.


    I looked around to see the guards and maids who were present there, turning their heads away very quickly as they pretended to not have paid attention to what we were going through. We all knew that was a lie.


    Aurora grabbed my hand and we walked toward the Castle where everyone was waiting for us. As we got inside, I bowed in front of my father and the other warriors who were with me did the same too.

 Family Reunion

    Aurora''s POV


    I sat on the Luna''s seat in the throne room, right next to Alpha Bane who sat on the throne and it felt quite good. Although we had been married for a while, it was my first time there and it was a proud moment for me.


    I was unustomed to the name ''Luna,'' usually, feeling very ufortable whenever anyone called me that but at that time, I wasn''t anymore. I embraced it fully with joy. Indeed, I loved it so much.


    It was already several hours since Alpha Bane came back and happiness had returned to the family. I could see the rays of sunshine, slowly making their way into the room to signify the breaking of the dawn.


    Unlike the bloody mess that he was, the previous night, Alpha Bane was very clean. Some of his wounds had also healed and I was happy to see that. It hurt me so much to see him in so much pain and I wanted nothing more than to see that he was better.


    I leaned back into my seat and began to recall everything that he said to me and our parents when he got back to the Pack. The story stuck in my head and never wanted to leave. I didn''t want it to leave. It was the solution to the problems that we had faced for so many years.


    He told us what happened when he got to the Pack where Sophia and Dn were. He recounted his encounter with Dn and how he slew him after the fight that they had. He imed to somehow regret taking the life of his brother, which was something that ordinarily, he wouldn''t have done but I wasn''t surprised that he did that.


    The witch already prophesied that something woulde over him and he''ll be so violent. The abduction of our son solidified that feeling which already started before then, and put him in that state. I could understand him.


    Again, he told us how he couldn''t let his body rot in the Pack. Instead, he brought his dead body back to the Pack so that he''ll be given a kind of burial only befitting for princes in the Pack. He wanted nothing less than a proper burial for his brother.


    His father and the elders disputed it. They pointed out that ording to their tradition, because Dn betrayed the Pack, he was to be cast out as a rogue wolf and not buried in the Pack but he refuted their ims.


    He was the Alpha. It was his word that was taken asw, no matter what had been said. That was how good it felt to be a man of total authority.


    It wasn''t only Dn that Alpha Bane returned with. He also came back with Princess Sophia and I looked forward to meeting with her even after all that she had done to me. It wasn''t to be as it seemed she wasn''t cut out for another time in the dungeon. Instead, she decided to take her life. She felt it was a better alternative to being imprisoned once again with little or no hope of getting out since all of her allies were already dead.


    Before Alpha Bane could get to her, she had already run to her room where she hung herself. Thankfully, and quite surprisingly, she didn''t take the life of our son. She let him live while she took her life. It was strange and unlike her but I was grateful for it. If she killed him, the journey would have been in vain, even after their deaths.


    Alpha Bane also returned with Dn''s mother and this time, it wasn''t her corpse that was returned; she was still very much alive. However, she was now incredibly sick with an incurable sickness. I loved to think that it was the reward for all of her wickedness. All of them paid for everything that they did; for all the pain that they inflicted upon others. The goddess had decided to visit them as enough was true, enough.


    "Aurora. Aurora."


    "Yes..."


    I was brought out of my thoughts by Alpha Bane who seemed to have noticed that


    I was lost in thoughts and needed me to stay alert.


    I turned to him and gave him a thumbs up, showing that I was ready for what was about to happen but I wasn''t. We were to see our son. Well, he had already seen him but I hadn''t. So technically, I was the one to see him, even though the boy also didn''t know that Alpha Bane was his father as he didn''t have the time to talk about all of that.


    So I waited in the throne room. That was why we went there so early in the morning. I was more than anxious to set my eyes on him and thankfully, Alpha Bane was by my side.


    "Will he ept us as his parents?" I asked Alpha Bane with years in my eyes. "Are you sure that the boy would be willing to see me as his mother after spending several years with Sophia?"


    "Don''t worry, my love," he replied. "With time, the little boy will surely be ustomed to our presence and he''ll learn to see us for who we truly are."


    As he finished the statement, the door opened and one of the guards walked into the room with their son who looked at us in shock. I didn''t know what he''d feel after the death of his supposed father at the hands of Alpha Bane and that of his supposed mother who hung herself.


    Another thing that scared the hell out of me was what Sophia might have said to him concerning us. Seeing that she didn''t take his life, I knew that she could have said some words to the boy so that he''d be our next problem but I hoped in my heart that she didn''t. The boy was far too young to have to put up with all of that.


    "Hey, little one," I began, not knowing what name they called him. I was determined to change his name and give him a name that I felt was befitting. "I''m Aurora, your mother, and I''m happy to see you here."


    I urged him toe forward and he did, with the guard walking alongside him. I stood from my chair and held his hands before lifting him and holding him close to me with joy.


    I kissed him on the forehead and made him face his father. "Do you know him?" I asked, and he shook his head.


    "I''m Alpha Bane, your father. I came to your former house to take you back from the people who stole you from your mom and me. I''m so d to see you, son."

 The Burial Ceremony

    Aurora''s POV


    Some Days Later


    I took a deep breath on realising that it was finally the day of the burial ceremony of Dn and Sophia. I stood from my bed and immediately went to the bathroom to have my bath. Then I put on a ck gown, as was customary, and headed out of the house, straight to the burial ground.


    On getting there, I saw a few folks already gathered but the priestess was yet to arrive.


    "The priestess would arrive in a few minutes," said ady who seemed to be her assistant or help as she dressed just like her and spoke like her too.


    The only difference was that she had no red markings on her white gown like that of the priestess and she was also far younger than the priestess.


    She dropped the cbash that she had in her hands and began to walk around it in circles as I watched her in admiration. She seemed to have mastered every step as she prepared the ce for the arrival of the Priestess.


    I let my mind go back to thest few days and how things had been going. I couldn''t help it. It was too good to ignore. It was the best few days in a very long time.


    My son was finally freer with us as he had gotten more used to seeing us around. Thankfully, he loved to y a lot and it kind of brought us closer, increasing the bond we had for one another.


    He seemed to have some sort of affinity with his father, even though I spent more time with him. Alpha Bane would always rub it on my face that our son preferred him to me and I didn''t like that, even though it was quite difficult to deny it.


    As much as I''d have loved him to prefer me, what mattered was that our bond grew stronger and we had a good time, always. He was a very smart kid, just like his parents, and so it was so easy for him to learn all that he was taught.


    My rtionship with Alpha Bane also had very great improvements. The boy seemed to fully return the spark that seemed lost between us and restore happiness to our union. We grew to love each other more and more with each passing day and I loved every bit of that.


    Snapping out of my thoughts, I turned around to see that my mother and Alpha Bane''s father were around. It was a private ceremony and they didn''t want so much crowd to be around for it.


    The burial was being held at ake, very close to the Castle. It was the burial ground for people of royal blood, like Dn and Sophia. I shook my head at the thought of what was about to happen.


    Finally, the Priestess showed up, ready to officiate the burial and her apprentice took a few steps backwards to allow her to do what she had to do.


    As she began her incantations which only she could understand, I scanned the entire area and as usual, everyone was dressed in ck. Suddenly, she turned around to Alpha Bane and I and our eyes widened in anticipation of what she wanted to say to us.


    "It''s time for you to pay yourst respects to the dead. Go ahead. Say your condolences and wishes to the deceased right now."


    Alpha Bane took my hands with him and we both took a step forward to the grave and once again, I broke into tears.


    Alpha Bane''s POV


    I led Aurora to the graveyard, slowly walking to the ce, one step at a time, as was the tradition. She was crying and so I kept doing all that I could tofort her at the same time.


    Soon enough, she sniffed back her tears and I wiped them off her eyes, relieved that she was finally okay.


    She stood in front of Sophia''s dead body and I stood back a bit to let her express herself the way she wanted to.


    "I never hated you, Sophia," she began. "Regardless of all the harm that you caused me, I never hated you. I had always wished that you could change and be a better person. That has always been my desire. I wanted us to live together as sisters, just like our parents wanted but you just wouldn''t let it be."


    As she said those words, she broke into tears again and this time, her mother, who had been following us behind, even though we didn''t notice, stepped across and appeared by her side, doing her best tofort her.


    She then led a crying Aurora away, still talking to her to calm down, while I proceeded to the ce where Dn''s body was so that I could have a heart-to- heart talk with him.


    I noticed someone walking toward me and I turned to see that it was my father.


    He got to my side and stopped as we both looked at Dn.


    We both maryelled at the pitiful state of Dn. How the mighty had fallen. I almost shed tears on seeing him


    that way. It wasn''t the way that I nned for us to be. We could have been different, had it not been for his


    greed and covetousness. had hoped for something better than


    taking his life with my sword.


    "What exactly did I do to make you hate me so much?" I kept asking myself, albeit


    aloud. "What did I do to deserve such hate?"


    I couldn''t understand why. It pained me so much that he couldn''t simply ept me as his brother. We might not have been born by the same mother, but we still had the same father and that meant that we were indeed blood and could have acted as such.


    "Take it easy, my son," said my father to me as he patted me on the back. "It is well."


    Those words meant so much to me, especially because I knew how much he loved Dn. It wasn''t easy for him too and if he could be strong, then I knew that I could also be strong.


    I just knelt in front of Dn, knowing not what else to say to him. If only he gave


    us a chance to live in peace. If only he wasn''t so hateful for no just cause. We''d have had a very good life together and he''d have been alive. If only...

 All Hail The Prince

    Alpha Bane''s POV


    I sat on my throne at the banquet hall, very proud of all that I had achieved. Aurora sat by my side and I always loved to see her there, on Luna''s throne. That seat suited her so well as if it was made especially for her sake.


    I called for a meeting the night before with the elders and the rest of the Pack who could make their way in. It was finally time for me to introduce my son to the entire Pack and I also wanted to inform the people about a ceremonial event which was toe up in no distant time, to celebrate the sess of the Pack and the war after five long years.


    I stood from my throne and took a few steps forward, looking around to see the faces of the people who were present. I could see the eagerness on their faces as they anticipated my speech. Somehow, it made me want to dy it a bit just to tease them a little.


    But I couldn''t. I had to do what I ought to do. I coughed, cleared my throat and looked at the crowd tomence my speech.


    Just as I was about to begin, I remembered that something was missing. I wasn''t supposed to start without my son and I didn''t know why he wasn''t there. I hoped in my heart that there was no problem at all.


    Just then, a guard walked into the banquet hall with my little boy and everyone gasped. I felt so emotional as he ran up to me with his hands spread out wide.


    Turning to my side, I saw that Aurora had gotten up too. She stood right before me and wore a smile too. She must have gotten up as soon as she set her eyes on our boy. She was just as happy as I was.


    "Papa! Mama!" The child screamed happily as he got to where I was. I bent a bit and carried him, throwing him up in the air a few times as he gasped with joy, giggling all through. Then, I handed him over to his mother who kissed his forehead and shook him a bit, much to his delight.


    I felt nostalgic seeing him react the way that he did toward us. It was a sign that


    he had gotten ustomed to us, just as we hoped and had begun to see us as his true parents. It was a very beautiful feeling.


    As his mother held onto him, u turned my focus to the people, who were looking confused as to what exactly was going on.


    "Wolves of the Blue Moon Pack!" O screamed, lifting my right hand.


    "Aye!" They screamed, hitting their chests.


    "I officially wee you to this wonderful gathering," I began. "I am most delighted and honoured to have every one of you here in this ce. My elders, who have always shown support from ages past, I salute you!"


    They nodded in acknowledgement and I went on with my speech. "Today, we''re about to witness something very special in this Pack. First, we''re all here to celebrate the sess of this Pack in thest five years. We''re here to mourn the wolves that bled and died in battle for this prestigious Pack and most of all, to celebrate the victory that was wrought through our hands..."


    All the wolves raised their hands and cheered aloud for a few seconds and then everywhere went silent. I began to do a countdown in my heart.


    One. Two. Three. Four. Five.


    Suddenly, the whole ce erupted with howls, just as I expected, as I watched in awe as the entire Pack rejoiced. Everyone was happy and I was no exception.


    "We have faced so many problems. We have surmounted so many tragedies and we haven''te out unscathed, but we have emerged victorious, against all odds. After five long years of trouble, now we can finally rest easy because we have peace in ournds. For that, I am a proud man."


    Aurora touched my fingers lightly and I knew that she loved my speech. It was something that I loved about her. She was always avable to encourage me whenever I needed to be.


    "I wish to let us all know that we would hold a feast to that end in theing weeks. We will have a ceremony in honour of everyone in this Pack, but today, we will do something different which is also of utmost importance!"


    Aurora, knowing what was about to happen, dropped the boy right in front of me and he held onto my legs as I spoke.


    "The boy that you see in front of you is no stranger in thisnd," I began to exin. "Indeed, he is part and parcel of the Pack; a son of the soil. Above all, he is a citizen, a member of members of this prestigious Pack. He is my son!"


    The whole ce erupted with apuse and screams. There was jubtion everywhere, but there were a few people too, who still looked puzzled.


    "Dn and Sophia conspired and took him from us on the day that he was born, and we swore to get him back at all costs. Five years have indeedpassed, but what matters is that he''s here with us now and today. I dere him, in the presence of the goddess, the elders, and all the wolves who are present here, to be my one true heir!"


    I lifted the boy and threw him up three times as was the tradition whenever someone was dered heir and the people kept cheering. It was a day of immense joy and I was d to see that the people delighted in my joy.


    "He has also been called a name that I do not know, but today, he is going to have a new name; one that my lovely wife, Luna Aurora, and I, have decided to call


    him. He will be called Dexter from today. All hail Prince Dexter!"


    "All hail Prince Dexter!" All the wolves chorused as I looked at Aurora with joy in my heart.


    It wasn''t the name that I wanted. I wanted to call him Hanson, but Aurora insisted


    on the name and was quite pleased that I chose to name him that, instead of what I had in mind.


    The crowd chanted their approval and all apuded me. They loved the name and were willing to do what they should.


    They all bowed in the presence of their Prince, the future Alpha of the Blue Moon Pack.


    I held Aurora''s face and gazed dreamily into her eyes. Then we locked our lips in a passionate kiss in front of everyone.

 Happy Times

    Aurora''s POV


    "Hey, mom, catch this," my son said, throwing a little ball up into the air in my direction.


    He must have thought that he had achieved a very great feat, but the ball only fell


    a few feet away from him and nowhere near where I was.


    "I won, mom. You couldn''t catch it," he boasted, causing everyone around tough out loud.


    "Yes, you did, honey," I said to him, spreading my arms for him to run into them and he did just that. "Oh, my sweet boy!"


    The maids all covered their mouths as theyughed at him, right there in the garden where we were. They probably didn''t want me to think that they were mocking him but I didn''t think so anyway. It was funny to me too.


    After the meeting which was held earlier at the banquet hall, everyone went back to their respective homes feeling very excited due to what they heard from the lips of Alpha Bane but it wasn''t just that. They were also happy to have been well taken care of.


    As much as Alpha Bane had designated a new date for the ceremony proper, he decided that no one should go back home without having some good food to eat and he ensured that there was provision made for it.


    The wolves were more than joyous, as expected. Wherever there was food and wine, there was hardly any gloom around wolves. We enjoyed the life of merriment. It was like every wolf, except a few like me, were born for it.


    As everyone left the ce, the noise died down and everything returned to normal. Alpha Bane went on a walk with his father and not willing to be left out, I took my son to the garden, alongside some maids to y with him.


    It was a perfect opportunity to strengthen my bond with him as I still hoped that someday, he was going to be more fond of me than he was of his father. I knew that there was a big chance that I was going to fail in my n but I still had to try.


    As we kept on ying, I got a bit tired and asked him to try to catch the maids. My heart swelled each time he came back to tell me that he had caught of them. "Mother, I got her," he''d always say, each time he got to me.


    If only he knew that they always let him get them so he wouldn''t get exhausted and cry due to his failure to fulfil the task that was given to him. Soon, he was going to grow and then, he''d know that the maids only let him win so he''d be happy.


    As we yed on, I noticed that he became a bit distracted, seemingly stopping at intervals to point to a location but when I looked, there was nobody there.


    I began to wonder if he was seeing things. I didn''t want to believe that he was. Yet, all that went on led to me almost drawing that conclusion.


    "It''s him. Look at him, mom," he said to me, as I tried to see who he was talking about but I couldn''t.


    This time, the maids also tried to do the same but when they couldn''t see anyone, they turned to themselves in surprise.


    "Papa!" He yelled, waving at someone and although I couldn''t see him, I was sure that my son was alright.


    I knew that Alpha Bane was able to y such dirty tricks. He must have hidden behind one of the flowers so that we wouldn''t spot him.


    "Don''t worry, my love," I said to himughing. "We know that you''re here."


    He finally stepped out of his hiding ce with a smile on his face. The maids gasped on seeing him and they too, began tough. He had


    fooled us all and almost ma


    think that there was something


    us


    wrong with the boy.


    My son pointed at him again, still calling out his name, as he stood at a distance, watching us. He must have been doing that for a while before he was finally spotted by our son.


    I smiled and waved at him, indicating that he should join us. My son, on seeing what I did to get his father''s attention, also waved at him and with a smile, Alpha Bane began to walk toward us.


    Alpha Bane''s POV


    I walked toward my beautiful woman and my son with a smile on my face. Seeing them together, having fun andughing made me a very happy man. I felt very lucky to have them both on my side.


    On getting to where they stood, I pulled Aurora closer and immediately nted a kiss on her lips, staying there for a while and enjoying the moment. I didn''t care about the maids who were around and when I noticed that Aurora blushed, it was my cue to dwell a bit longer before finally pulling away.


    "You can go now," I said to the maids. "Thank you so much for your time."


    I didn''t want them around us anymore because I needed to spend some quality time with my family.


    "How was your meeting with your dad?" Aurora asked, looking very curious.


    "It was great, my love. We didn''t say much," I said to her before exining exactly


    what happened. "We just talked about the ceremony. It''s going to be a very big party as it''ll signify something to us."


    "Something?" She asked. "What could it be?"


    "A new beginning. New dawn. The ceremony will signify that things have indeed changed. I can''t wait to spend the rest of my life with my family in peace and harmony. Khave so craved it and atst, I''m about to have it, after so many years.


    I noticed that tears fell from Aurora''s cheeks as she felt very emotional. I wiped it


    away quickly, not wanting to see her in that state, before attempting to kiss her


    again.


    "Let''s y, Papa," said my son, interrupting the moment, as I had just put my face forward for yet another kiss.


    I had to y with the man in charge. I could never dare refuse him.

 Final Celebrations

    Alpha Bane''s POV


    "Would this buy just let me dress him without struggling so much?" Aurora asked as she battled to dress Dexter up.


    The child wouldn''t just let her do what she wanted to, as he kept kicking out andughing, which gave me the sense that he knew what he was doing.


    As I put on my clothes, I watched them engage in a battle for supremacy and Iughed so hard.


    As I got done putting on my clothes; a red shirt and a in ck pair of trousers with well-polished ck, shoes, I walked over to Aurora and watched her closely.


    "Can I help you with him?" I asked, but she immediately shook her head.


    She knew that I could do that. All I had to do was to tell the kid to remain still while I put the clothes on and he''d do that. He was never one to disobey his father and I loved that about him.


    I knew why she wouldn''t let me help. I was going to rub it on her face that she was unable to get the job done and our son preferred me. She didn''t want that at all so she preferred to go through her struggle in peace.


    In a few minutes, she was finally done. "Ah," she gasped, cing her hands on her waist in exhaustion. "Finally, I''m done with this boy. He''s so heady when he wants to be."


    "Where are the maids?" I asked. "Aren''t they supposed to be here by now?"


    "They should, my love," I replied. "I guess they''re not done dressing up. Let''s give them a little time. I''m sure they''ll be here in no time."


    I nodded my head and thought about what was about to unfold. I couldn''t help but think about how far we hade to get to where we were.


    I thought about the good times, the bad times, the struggles we had to go through and how we were able to ovee them. It wasn''t an easy thing to do but in the end, we achieved it.


    Knock Knock


    "Come in."


    Three maids walked into the room, all beautifully dressed in their duty apparel and I nodded my head in satisfaction. "Since the maids are already here, there''s no need for us to wait any longer, right? Could we go now?"


    "Sure. We can," said Aurora, carrying Dexter and moving in front of me. One of the maids tried to take him from her, asking to help her carry the child but she refused. She wanted to do it herself and I didn''t know if it had anything to do with the abduction of our child.


    I heard the sound of music as we left the room which only meant that the ceremony had already begun. We needed to get there on time, so I hastened my footsteps and Aurora did the same.


    We walked side by side, Aurora and I, as she held Dexter with her hands. We walked past a few maids and guards in the corridor and they all bowed and cheered as we walked toward the banquet hall.


    In a few minutes, we were at the entrance of the banquet hall and Aurora dropped our son and ced him in between us so that he could walk in himself, without being carried.


    As we got to the hall, the steel door went right open, with one of the guards helping us with that and we walked majestically into the banquet hall where so many people already were, anticipating our arrival.


    They greeted us with cheers and chants as we walked in.


    "Greetings, my Alpha!"


    "Greetings, my Luna!"


    "Greetings, my Prince!"


    These words kept oning, one after the other, as we slowly made our way to our seats.


    As soon as Aurora and Dexter sat, I turned around to address the crowd. I couldn''t help but notice the way that all members of the Pack appeared. They looked so good and I had instructed that a colour code had to be strictly followed.


    Everyone present at the ceremony had to put on something that had a red and ck colour in it, regardless of thebination. Some of the wolves took it a step further to add white to theirs making the asion very colourful. Anyone who didn''t wear clothes having those colours wasn''t allowed to get in. The Alpha''s instructions had to be strictly adhered to.


    "Men and women of the Blue Moon Pack, I greet you once again!" I screamed as the people cheered with so much joy. "I wee you all to this grand event and I want to let you know that all members of the royal family are very delighted to have you all here. Today, we have gathered, not just for the sake of it, but to celebrate something very important that the goddess alone has made possible. Indeed, through the wolves of this Pack, who share the same flesh and blood with us, and also she''d that blood for thisnd. I stand to dere that it wasn''t just them, who died for thisnd. We died with them and that is why their memories will never leave us, nor will we ever forget them. In this Pack, we all are one!"


    The wolves stamped their feet simultaneously until thest wolf did the same and


    then, they all howled. I and Aurora did the same as soon as they got done and I noticed that Dexter also tried, except that he was simply unable to do it due to his


    age.


    "Let us all sit back and enjoy our


    day," I continued. "Let us make merry for joy has found its way into ournd and we''ll never let it slip. Let us eat and drink. There''s plenty of that around Herr. Make yourselvesfortable, this is your home. By the goddess, we have won. To the goddess, we feast!"


    "To the goddess, we feast!" They screamed thrice as I made my way to my throne


    and sat.


    My father, who sat in the venue, stood as soon as I sat on the throne, with a cup


    in his hand full of wine. "Let the party begin!"


    Music began to be yed and everyone danced and rejoiced. The maids brought


    in food from the Castle and everyone began to eat and make merry.

 The End!

    Aurora''s POV


    Soon enough, the joyous voices that filled the banquet hall became so low and people began to file out of the hall, one after the other.


    Some of them left with their eyes still clear while the others staggered as they walked away from the hall, almost colliding with the others and the door in front of them.


    They didn''t care. Sincerely, no one did. It was very normal for wolves to indulge in wine more than they should and it only meant one thing. They were going to find some women toy with to make their dnessplete. Poor women!


    I looked around to see if I could find Alpha Bane who was just next to me not so long ago but I couldn''t. I had no clue where he had gone when he left my side and why he did that without informing me.


    Thanks, Dexter was still on the chair where I left him and I didn''t think much about Alpha Bane''s absence. I just picked up my son and smiled at him as I began to y with him.


    "Would you love to go to the field?" I asked him and he nodded happily.


    "Let''s go then," I said to him and held him by the hand as we walked away from the banquet hall which was already empty, except for a few maids and guards who stayed behind for our sake.


    We went to the field and the sweet smell of the grasses filled our nostrils. "I love the smell of these grasses, mother. Can I eat them?"


    "No, you can''t, my son," I said with a smile, knowing he was only asking the question innocently out of ignorance. "But you could just enjoy the scent without having to put it in your mouth. Have this."


    I handed a flower to him and he put it in his nose and shut his eyes. "Do you love it?" I asked.


    "Yes, momma. I love it so much. It smells so nice. Can I have it?" He asked, holding onto the flower very tightly.


    "Yes, you can," I said to him. "On one condition though. You won''t put it inside your mouth. Do we have an agreement?"


    "Hey, mother," he squealed, inadvertently letting the flower fall from his hands. "There''s a full moon rising from the sky. I love it!"


    When I looked up and saw that he was right, I was very shocked because it had been such a long time since Ist saw one. Ever since the tragedies that befell the Pack, the full moon had refused to show up no matter how hard the people begged and prayed for it.


    It was so bad that some rituals were carried out, just for the full moon to be seen but it didn''t work. One witch gave instructions to Alpha Bane''s father and he carried out all that he was asked to. Yet, nothing happened. Bane had no idea that his father did that though as he did well to not inform him, not knowing how he was going to react.


    Dexterughed aloud, basking in the euphoria of seeing the full moon. I wonder why he was so excited. Sophia might have probably talked to him about it somehow as he couldn''t take his eyes off it.


    "I''ve always wanted to see the full moon," he joked. "Finally I''ve seen it. I can tell stories to people about it. I will..."


    He kept talking but I paid little attention to him as I continued to gaze at the sky in awe of what was before me. I smiled, wishing that I could somehow touch the moon. I had heard several stories about the wolf who lived there and watched us from above at themand of the goddess. Although I was older, I didn''t quite believe that it was a lie even when countless others did. Perhaps, I was still a child in my mind.


    Suddenly, I heard hurried footsteps and Alpha Bane''s voice and gasped as I was startled.


    Alpha Bane''s POV


    "Hey," I said to Aurora, as I suddenly approached her from behind, startling her.


    She gasped and then hit me lightly. on the shoulder to show her slight displeasure at being startled. It was fun and I was so sure that I was going to do it again if given an opportunity to.


    "Where have you been since?" She asked, looking at me keenly. "I have been looking for you everywhere for a while. Where on Earth did you go to?"


    I justughed, not wanting to disclose anything. I did not want her to have the


    pleasure of satisfying her curiosity at the time.


    "I''m here now," I said to her. "That''s what matters, isn''t it?"


    I had two cups of wine in my hands


    and I handed one over to her. She


    happily took it from me and triet


    drink it but I stopped her from doing that.


    "Hold on, my darling," I said to her. "The drinks are for a purpose."


    "What is that?"


    "We will drink to celebrate a new beginning in the Pack and our lives," I dered as I brought my cup forward so she could hit it with hers. "The goddess is in tune with us. We have surely found favour in her sight and the new moon is proof of that fact, my sweetheart."


    "Yes," she said to me, in agreement, sniffing and before I could do anything else,


    she grabbed me by the neck and began to aggressively kiss me.


    I didn''t want to be bettered by her as so I did the same, doing my best to


    showcase my dominance in the process.


    "I want to dance, Papa," Dexter said, tugging my shirt and forcing another electric moment of ours toe to an abrupt end.


    I winked at Aurora, to let her know that it wasn''t the end. We were going to have


    the rest of it in our room as soon as we were done outside.


    I bent low and took Dexter''s hand as we all began to dance in happiness.


    THE END


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