《Alpha’s Second Choice》


 Prologue

    ~On a beautiful sunny day in Dark yer pack~


    As Jolene flipped the next few pages of her novels eagerly, she could feel her adrenaline pumping harder. She was getting close to the climax, vampire novels always had this effect on her. Except they were banned and forbidden in the werewolf world which gave her even more rush while reading them.


    ¡®Jo!¡¯, she heard someone call her. Damn it, she thought to herself as she quickly dog-eared her current page and plopped it hurriedly under the pillow. She was so close to reading the climax!


    Her door opened right as she stood up from her bed.


    ¡®Our alpha is going to have important guest soon and we need to make all the necessary preparations!¡¯, Polly eximed pping her hands like a small kid. Polly was Jolene¡¯s roommate and was always excited about everything.


    Polly flipped her ck hair away as she shook Jolene in excitement, ¡®And you know the warriors are returning from their base today!¡¯.


    Jolene rolled her eyes. She knew Polly had a crush on Jake, a young warrior who was always being assigned and sent to bases, much to Polly¡¯s dismay.


    ¡®I have already arranged Gina¡¯s wardrobe and she told me I was done for the day¡¯, Jolene protested. Gina was the Beta¡¯s daughter and the same age as her. Despite her terrible temper, Gina tolerated Jolene at least.


    ¡®Alpha clearly said all omegas needs to help in the kitchen and cleaning the mansion. So, giddy up, make your choice, kitchen, or mansion?¡¯, Polly eyed her.


    ¡®Fine, kitchen¡¯ was all she said as Polly dragged her outside.


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    *p* p*


    ¡®You little bitch¡¯, Gina yelled at Lucy as she yanked her hair. Lucy kept quiet, not fighting back at all. She has been used to years of torture at the hands of most of the pack members especially Gina. Just at eight years old, Lucy was used of murdering her mother. Despite trying to beg for her innocence, all evidence pointed to her as the dragger had her fingerprints. She knew now that she had been framed.


    ¡®You f**king whore, you think you are better than me huh¡¯, Gina continued kicking and pping Lucy who was now close to tears. She already had too many bruises and scars on her body, she felt any more beatings would now break herpletely.


    ¡®Miss!¡¯, Jolene chimed in quickly making Gina stop from hitting Lucy.


    ¡®What is it, Jo?¡¯, Gina asked angrily.


    ¡®The alpha thinks of you right this moment!¡¯, Jolene answered which made Gina blush and happy at the same time. Gina immediately forgot about Lucy as she quickly made haste towards alpha¡¯s office.


    ¡®Let me help you¡¯, Jolene said slowly as she helped a limping Lucy stand up. She felt bad for Lucy, she was the punching bag of the pack and treated far worst than the omegas. She used to be the former beta¡¯s daughter but now was treated like a nobody.


    ¡®Thanks, I will take it from here¡¯, Lucy¡¯s weak voice wavered as she tried to walk on her own. She did not even walk a few steps before her wobbly knees gave away. Jolene immediately tended to Lucy¡¯s side again and insisted that she helped her.


    Taking Lucy to her basement room was not really ideal. There were cockroaches and little crawling insects everywhere andyers andyers of dust. She wondered how Lucy had been sleeping here every night.


    So reluctantly, Jolene took her back to her shared room. Jolene¡¯s motto was to stay low and out of troubles and only mind your own business. But she had to make an exception for today. Besides, it appeared that if Lucy received any more beatings, she would probably never recover.


    ¡®Thank you, I¡­¡¯, Lucy stammered. ¡®No one has ever help¡­helped me before¡¯.


    ¡®Um, its okay. You can stay here toy low until Gina calms down¡¯, Jolene gave her an encouraging smile. She looked at the poor girl¡¯s torn clothes and felt bad again. So, she went to rummage her drawers and found some decent shirt and long jogger pants.


    ¡®Here you can change into these and rest for a while here¡¯, Jolene told Lucy who had her eyes brimming full of gratitude. The poor girl just nodded her head. ¡®I will cover for you in the kitchen, so no rush¡¯.


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    Jolene finally stepped back as she observed the beautiful feast she had prepared. Steak, cream risotto, brioche buns, freshly squeezed orange juice and many more side dishes. The guest would be arriving any time now. As soon as Jolene was cing the sses into the trolley, she heard a loud growl throughout the mansion. She knew this growl; it was the alpha. Alpha Jayden.


    There was amotion going outside the kitchen as she made her way towards a crowd gathering. There were few whispers going around as she neared the front and saw the disaster.


    Lucy was standing there with her knees shaking looking very scared as Alpha Jayden angrily looked at her. Shit.


    ¡®You can¡¯t be my mate!¡¯, Alpha Jayden growled angrily making everyone in the room cower in fear.Text property ? N?vel(D)ra/ma.Org.


    Lucy was speechless as she just stood there. Everyone was whispering to each other shocked at the discovery. Gina stared at Lucy dangerously as if she wanted to murder her right this instant.


    Was this bad or a blessing in disguise? Jolene thought to herself.


    Because she knew she was Alpha Jayden¡¯s true mate and no one knew about it, not even Alpha Jayden himself¡­..


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    Werewolves are blessed with true mates by the moon goddess. A soul mate that will understand you like no other. A unique scent that lets you know your mate is near and a strong mate bond that makes you feel a ¡±pull¡¯ towards your blessed true mate. So why is Jolene watching her mate take on another she-wolf as his mate?

 Chapter 1: Proposition

    * shback *


    ¡®And what happened to the father bear, Mumma¡¯, eight-year-old Lucy asked her mother Wilma with her big blue eyes.


    ¡®Sweetheart, we will continue the story tomorrow. It¡¯s past your bedtime¡¯, her mother endearingly tucked little Lucy inside her unicorn nkets. Wilma gave a final kiss on Lucy¡¯s soft forehead before turning the lights out. That was thest memory she had with her mother.


    The next day Lucy was woken up by total chaos outside. As she tiptoed outside, she saw a strange ck man stabbing her Mumma mercilessly and multiple times.


    ¡®Mumma!¡¯, she shouted as she charged towards the scene. The strange man having finished his job exited swiftly out the back door. Lucy looked on horrified as her mum was now bleeding at several open stab wounds, as she kneeled beside her mum, she heard a few coarse and crackled breathes.


    ¡®What in the! WILMA!¡¯, her dad shouted from behind as he shoved Lucy to tend to his dead mate¡¯s body.


    ¡®YOU! I knew you were cursed ever since you were born. I should have killed you a long time ago¡¯, her father cursed as his eyes began growing darker and more furious. Within seconds, he was growling, and Lucy knew his father¡¯s wolf was surfacing now. As he took close dangerous steps towards Lucy, he pinned her to the floor and started pressing against her throat making her suffocate.


    ¡®Dad please let meeee go.. it was not¡­¡¯


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    Lucy woke up panting from her nightmare. She has been getting these terrible recurring dreams ever since she was used of murdering her own mother. The knife miraculously seemed to have her fingerprint and she was the only witness at the scene. Everything was point at her including an old prediction from a witch that she was cursed. Her father, Peter had hated her ever since. She was denounced as the beta¡¯s daughter and made to work as an omega despite having beta¡¯s blood running in her veins.


    ¡®Mumma¡¯, she whispered softly as she remembered her mother¡¯s soft feature caressing her hair. ¡®I miss you so much¡¯. All she had of her mother¡¯s memory was a locket that belonged to her. She had no other ims to anything else, but she was more than content with just the locket. It smelled of her mother and reminded her that she was loved once.


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    Lucy was just scrubbing the dirty grout off the floors as usual when Gina started her usual routine of torturing and making her life miserable. She kicked the mop bucket making all the dirty water run down on the floors Lucy had just mopped.


    ¡®I just finished cleaning!¡¯, Lucy protested with her low voice while keeping her head down.


    ¡®You murderer bitch, you dare talk back to me¡¯, Gina kicked Lucy on her abdomen making her yelp in pain.


    Gina was Lucy¡¯s stepsister by default after her father remarried another, she-wolf soon after her mother¡¯s death. But she never understood why Gina hated her so much and why no one ever bothered to question how an eight-year-old could yield a knife and kill an adult she-wolf? Butmon sense was lost on her years ago as she continued suffering abuse and torture at the hands of most pack members. Even few of the omegas used to hit her and yet Lucy did not do anything to stop them. She knew fighting only made more enemies and she thought it would be best to be quiet.


    Gina kept hitting and cursing at Lucy when one of the omegas chimed in stopping her. At the mention of the Alpha, Gina quickly left, and the omega took Lucy to her shared room.


    The omega was kind enough to give her somefortable clothes and she changed into them after a nice rxing shower. Howe she had never seen this omega before? It would be quite hard to miss her with her dark red hair. She introduced herself as Jolene to her and she thought that it was a very pretty name.


    Once Lucy was done with changing, she headed towards the kitchen. Even though Jolene had offered to help, she knew she could not just sit and watch. But as she made her way through the long white corridors, she heard a growl from behind.


    She instantly shot her head back to see where it wasing from, and then she met the green, emerald eyes of the pack Alpha. Alpha Jayden was staring at her and growling menacingly. Lucy gulped hard as she tried remembering if she offended the Alpha in any way possible, not that she could think of.


    ¡®I¡­am sorry.. Alpha Jayden.. I was just heading to the kitchen and..¡¯, Lucy stammered but was cut off by Alpha Jayden¡¯s growl.


    ¡®You can¡¯t be my mate!¡¯, the Alpha growled again, and Lucy noticed that they were attracting a crowd now and everyone was whispering to each other. She wondered why Alpha Jayden was iming such a big thing, she was only 19 and still did not have her wolf yet. But with or without the wolf, she should feel at least the pull and yet she felt nothing when she stared at the Alpha¡¯s green eyes.


    ¡®What¡¯s going on here?¡¯, the former Alpha Warren stepped in as he looked between her and Alpha Jayden.


    ¡®My wolf Jase senses she is our mate¡¯, Jayden finally broke the eye contact and answered his father who was now observing the interaction closely. ¡®This simply cannot be. We can¡¯t have a past used murderer as the next Luna of this pack¡¯.


    ¡®And I don¡¯t intent to make her one either¡¯, Jayden spat his words at Lucy who was trying to hold herself together.


    ¡®Someone take her away. We will discuss this first thing tomorrow morning. We have important guesting in tonight¡¯, the former Alpha dismissed everyone.


    Jolene quickly stepped forward to take Lucy away. She needed to know why Jayden thought Lucy was his mate. As she guided Lucy¡¯s trembling body away, Gina stepped in front of them blocking their way.


    ¡®Wait Jo. Earlier you told me the Alpha called me right away. But he told me he never did?¡¯, Gina raised her eyebrows with her hands folded.


    ¡®Miss, I said the Alpha was thinking about you right that moment, I never told you he called!¡¯, Jolene replied making some of Gina¡¯s friends¡¯ chuckle.


    ¡®But¡¯, Jolene quickly added, ¡®I assumed the Alpha would always be thinking about you because I know you are going to be our next Luna! What happened right now could simply be a misunderstanding miss¡¯.


    Gina seemed pleased with the answer as she finally moved aside to let them through.


    Lucy still appeared lost at words as Jolene walked her back to the shared amodation.


    As soon as they reached the amodation, Lucy started sobbing uncontrobly.


    ¡®Take a seat Lucy¡¯, Jo guided Lucy on to a chair gently.


    ¡®I don¡¯t understand why my life is always so miserable. I only wanted toy low until I turned 21 so that I could leave this pack¡¯, she said through her teary face, her blue eyes looking sad and empty.? 2024 N?v/el/Dram/a.Org.


    ¡®I think I might know why this is happening¡¯, Jo announced making Lucy contort her face in confusion. Before she could ask how, Jo continued, ¡®You want to leave this pack and I want my freedom too in a way. So, I have a proposition for you that will benefit us both¡­.¡¯.

 Chapter 2- Agreement

    ¡®What in moon goddess¡¯ name, is this true?¡¯, Lucy asked, covering her open mouth with her hands in shock.


    ¡®Yes, well that could be the only usible exnation¡¯, Jo replied. ¡®I try my best to cover my scents in all of my clothes and everything well. But when I handed you my spare clothes earlier, I forgot to hide the scent and I did not know you were going toe out so fast to the kitchen¡¯. Jo rubbed her temples in an attempt to ease the throbbing headache.


    ¡®But if you really are Alpha Jayden¡¯s mate, why not just tell him! Even if we are all omegas, a mate bond is sacred and above all werewolfws¡¯, Lucy chirped happily, her blue eyes shining bright for the first time Jo had ever seen. This made Jo smile weakly.


    ¡®Lucy, this is much moreplicated than you think and its better if you don¡¯t know my circumstances in depth. All I am asking for right now is that you y along and pretend to be Alpha Jayden¡¯s mate now. I will give you all of my scented clothes and you can drag this act for some time. And in a matter of few months, both you and I can leave this pack and seek our own freedom¡¯, Jo concluded, observing Lucy¡¯s reaction. ¡®And I can give you some of my savings as well¡¯.


    Lucy quickly shook her head sidesway,¡¯ Don¡¯t be ridiculous. If you are seeking freedom, then you need to have your own savings. I am just scared that this act might be dangerous for me and I don¡¯t y dangerous games. I like to lie low¡¯.


    ¡®Well, I can guarantee your safety if you agree to do this. I am not going to force you, but just so you know, even if you don¡¯t agree to pretend now, Gina and her minions probably will make your life more miserable for the next two years. Turning 21 is very very VERY far from you right now. But if you agree to go along with it, you and I will be out of this pack in a few months¡¯, Jo added in a few more notes to persuade her.


    ¡®I agree with your n¡¯, Lucy replied with no hesitation in her voice this time. ¡®How do we make this work?¡¯.


    A broad grin appeared across Jo¡¯s face as she started tapping her fingers on her wooden table, ¡®Well for starters, you will move in to this room. Its already a bit tight spaced with Polly and me but we can fit another bed in here. We need to be close tomunicate¡¯.


    ¡®Well, I don¡¯t mind sleeping here, this is better than my basement room. But will we not rouse suspicion? What if we just mind linked each other to be on the safer side?¡¯, Lucy suggested, tilting her head slightly to the right side.


    ¡®NO¡¯, Jo immediately screamed. She quickly regained herposure from her sudden outburst. ¡®Excuse me, I did not mean for my reply toe out that way. I¡­ I¡­ oh yes, being an omega, my wolf is very weak and I cannot talk to her. So my mind link is quite weak, whereas you have Beta¡¯s blood and it must be quite easy for you¡¯.


    ¡®Oh, I dearly apologise Jo¡¯, Lucy started but paused instantly. ¡®I mean Jolene¡¯.


    Joughed heartily at the innocent girl, ¡®You can call me Jo, that¡¯s fine¡¯.


    A wave of relief spread across Lucy¡¯s body as she rxed slightly. Ever since the murder and usations, she had never called another person in an endearing nickname, in fact no one even wanted their names toe out of her mouth. She was called the cursed she-wolf for a reason.


    Lucy got a little excited as she weighed Jo¡¯s words, leave this hell ce in a few months? YES PLEASE!


    ¡®So are you ready to move in?¡¯, Jo asked Lucy again who looked visibly excited.


    ¡®Yes, I will move in straight away! I need to grab my items from the basement. I will be back soon¡¯, Lucy skipped happily out the door.


    ¡®Wait, Lucy!¡¯, she heard Jo¡¯s voice. ¡®Can you close your eyes for a quick second?¡¯.


    ¡®Sure but why?¡¯, Lucy questioned, all confused.


    ¡®I need to rub my scent on you. Remember Alpha Jayden has to be convinced you are his mate for this n to work¡¯, Jo reminded her. And with that, Jo motioned her hands as she rubbed a little bit of her scent on Lucy. ¡®All done, be quick now¡¯.


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    Lucy could not remember thest time she felt this happy, probably when her mother was still alive. When she gets out of this hell hole, her first goal would be find her own ce, maybe she could settle in the human town and find a small job. As she walked along the pebbly path, she felt the cool breeze on her skin. It felt so great to have someone to talk to. Even though technically Jo never said they were friends, they were still working together to get out of the pack and so, in a way, she felt like a friend. Lucy paused in her tracks when she heard a conversation.


    ¡®Wee to our pack, we are delighted to be graced by the royal guards andmanders¡¯, she heard the former Alpha¡¯s ttering voice. Oh shit, she suddenly remembered about the important guest that were visiting tonight! She quickly hid behind the a small bush to make way for them to pass first. The former Alpha was talking to a huge regal looking man who had heavy silver armours adorned. He had several followers who were wearing the same armour and of the same physical stature.This content ? 2024 N?velDrama.Org.


    From the corner of her eyes, she saw Alpha Jayden looking poised and serious besides his father. He nced her way for a second, making her heart stop. Did he see her? She hoped not, he was already so mad at her earlier.


    Once she heard the conversations and voices fading away, she quietly stepped outside of the bush and bent a little to make as little noise as possible. But before she could sneak any further, someone caught her arms and yanked her back.


    ¡®Hi there mate, trying to be sneaky now?¡¯, her eyes met Alpha¡¯s mysterious emerald eyes and she swore she saw something besides hate this time.


    ¡®Um¡¯, It was getting harder for Lucy to breathe, because of the close proximity she was to the Alpha. His dominating aura was making her submit and, because she was not really his true mate, the aura affected her and she could not stop averting his gaze. He cupped her face to bring her attention back to him and now his eyes looked like they were almost pleading for something. As every second kept getting hotter, she observed Alpha Jayden¡¯s dark brown hair falling in front of his face and his sharp jaw lines clenching. He was without a doubt one of the most handsome and attractive male wolf in the pack and every she wolf swooned to get into his bed.


    ¡®You like what you see?¡¯, Jayden teased her as this made Lucy blush and puzzled at the same time. Just a few hours ago, he was full of anger and hate when he thought she was his mate, but suddenly, what was wrong with him now?


    Alpha Jayden took a lungful of Lucy¡¯s scent as he kissed her marking spot lightly. ¡®See you around, little mate¡¯. And with that, the Alpha abruptly turned and left, leaving Lucy dazed in the middle of the pathway.


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    AUTHOR NOTE: Pleasee join my Facebook group ¡®Genny Dreame¡¯, it has just been created and I will love to see you over there! Thank you <3

 Chapter 3- The Royal Visit

    As Lucy finally reached her basement room, she looked around at her dusty environment. There were insects crawling all over the ce and sometimes they would even crawl on her body. She was terrified at first but soon got used to them. As she collected a couple of her clothes, she sat down on the edge of the bed.


    Her life was changing so suddenly in such a short span of time. Just a few more months and she would have the freedom she had been craving for years. She needed some savings first to break even and she quickly remembered her little pouch. She had hidden the small pouch inside the old dusty vase. As she reached her hands to fish the pouch out, she heard a couple of footsteps closing in.


    ¡±Well well, looks like the dumb b**ch is packing to go somewhere¡¯, Gina¡¯s evil voice echoed in the dark basement room as her minionsughed. Lucy was sure all of Gina¡¯s friends were sticking with her because she was the beta¡¯s daughter. Otherwise, Gina was not good at anything besides wh*ring herself to all of the handsome warriors in the pack and in to Jayden¡¯s bed.


    ¡±I have been reassigned somewhere and I was just packing my stuff¡¯, Lucy replied, trying to maintain her posture.


    ¡±What¡¯s this?¡¯, Gina eyed the small pouch in Lucy¡¯s hands as she snatched it from her. Lucy immediately reacted and tried to take it back when the two minions held her back strongly. Lucy still had bruises and open wounds from the recent beatings and was already reduced to feeling so weak.


    ¡®Please Gina, I am begging you. That¡¯s my money I have been collecting¡¯, Lucy pleaded through her soft sniffles.


    ¡®HAHAHA and you think I will believe that, you murderer. I know you stole this from the pack members. YOU F**KING THIEF¡±. As soon as Gina said that, she pped Lucy across her face multiple times, stopping at nothing. At one point, Lucy was sure Gina was also going to scratch her eyes out because of how dangerously close her ps were getting to her eye sockets.


    Gina finally stopped after some time as she pushed her perfectly bleached straight blonde hair back. Lucy felt a pang of jealously as her own blonde hair was heavily matted and looked like a rag because she rarely had time to shower or care for herself. She had to beg the former alpha to give her permission to even attend schooling and the former Luna was the one who finally convinced the Alpha. At least she graduated from high school and was grateful for that.


    The two minions kicked Lucy¡¯s knees, making me kneel before Gina.


    ¡±Listen here you little bi**h, don¡¯t even look at my Jayden. HE IS ALL MINE. I will rip your throat out next time you pull an act like today¡¯, Gina venomously hissed at Lucy as she tore all of Lucy¡¯s money into small pieces. They were so tiny that Lucy knew she could not tape them back together. And with that, they finally left her alone.


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    ¡±Ohe on Daisy, stop ignoring him and kiss him already or I will¡¯, Jo cursed at the book she was reading, frustrated that the lead characters¡¯ romance was getting nowhere. Just when she heard a weak knock at the door, ¡±Come in¡±, she said as she quickly hid the book perfectly under the pillow again. Phew, only if Vampire books were not forbidden.


    The sight of Lucy¡¯s bruised face immediately angered Jo.


    ¡±Was it Gina again?¡±, she asked, already knowing the answers.


    Lucy gave a nk, sad nod.


    ¡±Why don¡¯t you fight back, Lucy? You have beta blood running in you too. You both have the same father for crying out loud¡±, Jo tried encouraging her new friend a little.


    ¡®It¡¯s useless Jo. One time I fought back, I received ten times more beating than I usually got. There is no point. But this time Gina tore all of my savings I had collected till now. I have nothing even if I manage to run away¡¯, Lucy cried as she covered her face fighting all the tears.


    Jolene felt a wave of guilt as she realized she should have helped Lucy a little all these years. Even if Jo had only joined the pack a couple of years back, she could still have talked to Lucy and given her somepanionship. But then she remembered the circumstances and the danger lurking in the dark for her.


    ¡®Listen here, when we get out of this pack together, maybe I can pay for us until you find a job¡¯, Jo offered with a sweet smile. Lucy was about to refuse when Jo quickly added, ¡±And you can return the money once you earn it back¡¯.


    Lucy thought about it for a while and finally agreed.


    ¡®Now, now, losers weepers. We don¡¯t cry in this room. What are your hobbies?¡±, Jo asked as she guided Lucy to the bed¡¯s edge.


    ¡±I don¡¯t have any¡±, Lucy¡¯s broken voice flooded the air.


    ¡®Well, I like reading b¡­.¡¯.


    The door kicked open before Jo could finish the sentence.


    ¡®What in the holy moon goddess¡¯s name is she doing here?¡±, Polly asked, squinting her eyes at Lucy.


    ¡®Pols, I asked her to stay here with us after what happened earlier. Besides, we have some space in the corner for an extra bed!¡±, Jo chirped happily to mask the awkwardness in the room.


    ¡±Ugh, FINE. But this is only temporary. Anyways, the guest arrived ages ago. We need help in the kitchen¡¯, Polly told them.


    ¡±Lucy, you had a long day today so you can rest. I have already set the extra mattress for you¡¯, Jo smiled politely as she grabbed a hair band from a small night stand. She tied her red hair in a tight bun as she walked to where Polly was standing.


    ¡®Off we go, old gal¡¯, Jo sang as she ushered Polly out of the room.


    .This content ? 2024 N?velDrama.Org.


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    In the kitchen


    ¡±We need more wine for the generals!¡±, one of the serving omegas yelled.


    Jo groaned as she took out more bottles from the wine cer. These so-called royal warriors and generals were a bunch of alcoholics. Just as she took thest bottle down, her grip loosened, shattering the bottle on to the floor.


    Polly immediately rushed to her side. ¡±Are you okay Jo? Someone clean this up¡¯. Immediately, a few omegas came to clean up the mess Jo had just made. Polly was the head omega and her title benefited Jo greatly! She had easy and light tasks assigned and could always sneak into the shared room to read more steamy vampire stories.


    ¡±You are bleeding. Geez, you silly girl¡±, Polly shook her head as she grabbed a small cloth to press on Jo¡¯s bleeding finger.


    ¡±Head miss, the former Alpha is calling you¡±, Jo heard another omega call Polly.


    ¡±You should go, I am fine¡±, Jo reassured her concerned friend.


    ¡®Polly hesitated a little, ¡±Go out and wait till the bleeding stops, okay?¡±.


    Jo nodded as her friend made haste to the dining area.


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    Jo stepped outside into the garden area as she inhaled the fresh cold air. She looked at the sky to admire the white glistening full moon.


    ¡±Quite a beauty, isn¡¯t she?¡±, she heard a deep voice from beside her. She saw a heavily armored man lying on the grass bed admiring the moon as well.


    ¡±Yes¡± was all Jo replied. She did not like talking to strangers and this man was also dressed weirdly.


    ¡±Should you not be inside dining, my good sir¡±, Jo tried prying the strange man who had half of his face masked.


    ¡±The food was terrible¡±, the man joked, making Jo instantly angry.


    ¡±Well, lucky for you, the grass is right there for you to feast on. Happy munching, you cow¡±, she retorted losing all her manners and was about to head back inside when the man grabbed her hand.


    ¡±Miss, I was only joking¡±, the man said with an urgency in his voice to show he did not mean it.


    As she looked at the strange man, she noticed that he had grabbed her hands so quickly. How did he go from lying so far from her to grabbing her arms this fast? But her body froze when she caught the re in his eyes. He had the most unique eye color she had ever seen; they were golden but had silver-ish rings inside them. Why was her heart beating fast? The man was staring back at her with equal interest and his grip on her hands was still in ce.


    ¡±What¡¯s your name, miss?¡±, the man¡¯s deep voice tingled her ears.


    ¡±Excuse me, I need to go¡±, Jo responded as she pushed the strange man and walked past him.


    The man continued to stare after Jo, as a smile curled on his lips. ¡±I will find your name out soon, miss¡±.

 Chapter 4- Stranger Danger!

    What an annoying guest!¡¯, Jo thought to herself as she walked back to the kitchen. Not only does he wander off in a foreign pack alone but also insulted her cooking skills. Royal guards and generals were bursting with ego and pride as always. It¡¯s a no-brainer that she hated them with a passion.


    Jo finally walked back into the kitchen and saw her frustrated friend running around barking orders.


    ¡®Polly, you need to slow down a little or else you are going to make all the omegas cry with your tone¡¯, Jo calmed her friend.


    Polly took a deep breath as she massaged her temples with her right hand, ¡±I have just been told that the royal visit has been extended for a week. They were only supposed to be staying one night and now this. I have to get all the rooms ready and assign more omegas. Its total chaos. I know you wanted Lucy to rest but I really need more hands on deck¡¯.


    ¡®Alright fine. But as long as you assign Lucy with me, we should be fine¡¯, Jo replied to her friend who was watching her with great curiosity.


    ¡®Jo, what¡¯s going on between you two?¡¯, Polly asked, raising her eyebrows.


    ¡®Nothing why¡¯?¡±, she replied with a nervous tone. ¡±Is something wrong?¡±


    ¡±Well, just be careful around her. I know you only joined the pack a couple of years ago. But she has been known to be cursed since she was a pup. She killed her own father for crying out loud. So keep an eye out, okay?¡±, Polly spoke with caution.


    Jo nodded and curtsied before her friend dramatically, ¡±Of course, mydy¡¯.


    ¡®Yeah yeah¡±, Polly rolled her eyes as they both chuckled and dived back into the chaos of the kitchen work.


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    ¨C


    ~Next morning~


    ¡±Good morning Jo!¡±, Lucy¡¯s bubbly voice woke her up. Jo groaned through her sleepiness as she tried to open her stingy eyes.


    ¡±I brought some tea for you¡±, Lucy said, setting a small tea tray next to her bedside.


    ¡±Aww, Lucy. This gesture is so incredibly sweet. But please you don¡¯t have to do this for me again¡¯, Jo replied with a genuine smile stered across her face.


    ¡±Ah okay. I had never shared a room before, let alone have a friend. Not that we are friends. But what I mean is we are both looking for freedom, I mean we are on the same side and..¡±, Lucy said, all flustered, making Jo crackle.


    ¡±We are friends!¡¯, she dered happily, and Lucy stopped her speech as her blue eyes grew bigger.


    ¡±Really?¡±


    ¡±Yes¡±, Jo confirmed again as Lucy came crashing in for a hug. After giving a few pats on her back, Jo heard some quiet sniffles.


    ¡®These are tears of happiness, I promise¡±, Lucy quickly reassured her.


    ¡®It better be!¡±


    ¡±By the way, Polly left ages ago and told me about the extended stay of the royal visitors. She said we have been assigned to serve a general in the left wing of the mansion¡±. Lucy informed Jo and she realized she had slept in becausest night¡¯s dinner went on past midnight. Bloody royals, doing whatever as they please


    ¡±Thanks for letting me know. Did Polly mention anything about Jayden?¡¯, she asked, to which Lucy shook her head sideways.


    ¡±I think I might be summoned after the royal generals and guards leave. But for now I will try to avoid Alpha Jayden¡¯s sight¡±.


    ¡±Hmm, that is probably wise for now¡¯, Jo agreed as she sipped some sweet hot tea. It tasted like pure bliss.


    ¡±Let¡¯s get this day started!¡¯


    .


    .


    .


    ¡®I am pretty sure this is it¡±, Lucy said quizzically with her hands cupping her chin. She had her blonde hair tied in a bun neatly. After taking a nice clean shower yesterday, her hair was now at least bearable to look at.? 2024 N?v/el/Dram/a.Org.


    ¡®Yep, the end room of the left wing for General D. Castiel. We are here¡±, Jo uttered, her tone hiding a hint of annoyance. For moon goddess¡¯ sake, she could not take on more condescending behavior of the royals! And to think they were assigned to serve a general! Generals are higher in rank than the guards and warriors and are rumored to be as strong as pack Alphas even.


    It was weird for werewolves to even assign generals, but the Alpha king and Luna Queen had so many packs under their reigns. ¡±Guess it must be hard keeping a tab on everyone?¡±, Jo thought to herself.


    ¡±Should we knock first?¡¯, Lucy¡¯s voice distracted Jo¡¯s train of thoughts.


    ¡±Sure, go for it¡±.


    *knock knock*


    There was no answer at the door. After Lucy tried several more times, she gave up.


    ¡±That prick might not even be up yet, probably hung over fromst night¡±, Jo retorted, rolling her eyes and recollecting the hectic dinnerst night.


    ¡±This prick just went out for his morning run¡±, a voice came from behind the girls.


    Jo turned to see the stranger from yesterday standing before them in jogger pants. He was wearing a thin vest and anyone could see his rock hard abs protruding from the shirt.


    Jo¡¯s eyes ufortably lingered around his body while Lucy kept her head down.


    ¡°Greetings General¡±, Lucy¡¯s weak voice finally broke the silence. ¡±My name is Lucy and this is Jolene, we will be serving you during your stay in the Dark yer pack¡±.


    ¡±Jolene?¡±, the stranger tasted her name in his mouth and smiled daringly at her.


    Jo stared back at the general with equal dare and refused to look away. The general continued to look at Jolene impressed, his aura had no effect on her while the girl next to her was already cowering in fear.


    ¡±Welldies, please call me Dante. I don¡¯t like being addressed by any other title or names¡±, Dantezily said, giving his sweaty hair a shuffle, his dark locks falling on his perfect face. Jo¡¯s heart skipped a beat as she met his gaze again, the fiery golden eyes. Why was it so mesmerizing? His eyes alone made her feel a hundred different things at the same time, while the sight of Jayden never did anything to her. And she had known that Jayden was her mate for a couple of years. This was all so weird.


    ¡±Okaydies, I am heading into my room for a shower. You both are free to go¡±, Dante gave them a perfect smile and walked past them to enter his room. Jo inhaled his woodyvender smell as he passed and it was already too intoxicating for her.


    .


    .


    .


    Once Dante was inside, he slumped on to one of the leathery cushion chair. His wolf, Theo was going crazy and this had never happened before. He was confused as well. Theo sensed their mate¡¯s scenting from both of the girls. The scent was weak and vague but definitely there.


    What exactly was going on? And who exactly is his mate? He needed to know.

 Chapter 5- True scent

    ¡®Caleb, any updates?¡¯, Dante mindlinked his friend who he knew was probably in bed with another she-wolf.R¨ºAdt??St chapters at Novel(D)ra/ma.Org Only


    ¡®Nah man, I was busy dealing with a rather important issue that required my attention immediately¡¯, Caleb chose his words carefully.


    Dante gave a huge sigh. They were only supposed to stay here for one night but ever since he had that encounter with Jolene, he extended the stay for a week. He knew they were wasting important time but now that he knew he had a mate in this pack, he wanted to at least find out who it was. His heart knew it was Jolene so why did the other girl also had the same scent? Was he mistaken perhaps?


    ¡®Just make sure you speak to the witnesses by this evening¡¯ and with that Dante closed the mindlink. This was only supposed to be a regr mission but he could not stop thinking about Jolene and her gorgeous vibrant hair. He wanted to see more of her. No, he NEEDED to see her and know if she really was his mate.


    .


    .


    .


    ¡®What do we do now?¡¯, Lucy asked Jo confused, they were still standing outside Dante¡¯s door.


    ¡®Well, he did dismiss us meaning we are free to go and do whatever we want¡¯, Jo pped excitedly. ¡®Lucy, you told me you didn¡¯t have any hobby. Well let¡¯s go back to our room and I will share something special with you!¡¯.


    Lucy grinned widely as they walked back to the shared room giggling.


    .


    .


    .


    ¡®This is it. I present to you the world¡¯s greatest treasure. A vampire novel!¡¯, with that Jo carefully removed her pillow to reveal the book she was currently reading.


    Lucy gasped at the sight. ¡®Jo! Aren¡¯t vampire novels banned in our world. If our Alpha finds out, you could get into serious trouble¡¯.


    ¡®That¡¯s why I told you its a secret. It took me a great deal of smuggling and bribing to get them in through the pack borders but they are worth it! This book is about my sweet Leo and Daisy¡¯, Jo said as she hugged the book and ced it closer to her chest.


    Lucy startedughing at her newly found friend. ¡®I am honoured to share your secret now. Although I am not much a reader¡¯. Those were the famousst words Lucy said as she spent the next three hours reading the novel Jo handed her.


    Jo walked into the room to check on Lucy carrying a te of fruits. She ced some grapes in her mouth as she watched Lucypletely engrossed in the novel. So much for not being a reader, aha!


    ¡®So, can I have my book back? I am on chapter 17¡¯, Jo casually said sitting on her bed with a smirk ying on her lips.


    ¡®NO! Please I need to know why Daisy is trying to run away from Drake. She is so dumb! Drake loves her a lot and she keeps trying to escape, big oof!¡¯, Lucy replied with clear frustration straining her voice.


    A bigughter echoed in the shared room as Jo watched Lucy scratch her blonde head and start reading again.


    ¡®Well wee to my world! Which chapter are you on right now? Has the character Cami¡­¡¯, Jo started before Lucy stopped her with a finger in the air.


    ¡®Uh huh, no spoilers please. I am only in chapter 12 right now¡¯, Lucy spoke again frustrated.


    Just when Polly walked in through the door and eyed the room as anger started rising within her. ¡®What are you two girls doing here!? You both were supposed to be serving General D. Castiel. He is a freaking general! Do you have any idea how mad our Alpha will be if he finds out no was attending to the general?¡¯.


    ¡®We got dismissed by him. And being the good obedient omegas we are, we came back to our rooms¡¯, Jo made a sarcasticment infuriating Polly more.


    ¡®Jo this isn¡¯t the correct time for jokes. Even if you were dismissed, you know you need to stand outside the doors in case he needs you. Now off you both go back! Alpha Jayden has invited all the generals for a hunt and just pray the general has notined about theck of hospitality in Dark yer¡¯s pack¡¯, Polly ordered the two girls making them immediately leave the room.


    As they walked back to the General¡¯s room, Jo stomped her feet angrily.


    ¡®Are you okay, Jo?¡¯, Lucy questioned her visibly angry friend.


    ¡®I am not! Being an omega sucks. You get constantly interrupted and get sent to work. I hate it¡¯, Jo replied with her eyes only watching the path in front of her.


    ¡®Well lucky we are both getting out of this pack soon then huh?¡¯


    ¡®Yes, CANNOT WAIT¡¯, Jo emphasized thest words clearly.


    ¡®Cannot wait for what?¡¯, the familiar deep voice came from behind making both the girls jump in surprise. Much to Jo¡¯s discontentment, it was General Dante again.


    ¡®Greetings general. We were just about to attend to your chambers to ask if you required anything at all?¡¯, Lucy articted slowly as she kept her head down.


    ¡®Welldies, I am all good, just heading to the hunting ground. But I am sort of lost honestly¡¯, the general tried to look confused to see if Jolene would be offering to help.


    We can aid you to the hunting ground rightaway¡¯, Lucy offered as Jo kept silent beside her.


    ¡®Thank you Lucy. I was thinking Jolene here could help instead¡¯, he said eyeing Jo again who had a nk expression on.


    ¡®Sure, GE-NE-RAL¡¯, Jo snickered. ¡®Follow me¡¯.


    Jo walked in front as Dante followed her shortly leaving Lucy standing alone.


    .


    .


    .


    ¡®So Jolene. what¡¯s your back history?¡¯, the General broke the silence as they continued to walk towards the hunting ground.


    ¡®My back history is none of your business, General¡¯, Jo retorted not even looking at him.


    ¡®Then why are you masking your scent?¡¯, he asked making Jo stop right in her tracks. Her heart started pounding hard in her chest.


    ¡®How did he know? Heck, this was bad¡¯, Jo thought to herself as she gulped hard and turned back to face the amused general.


    ¡®I don¡¯t know what you are talking about¡¯, Jo¡¯s voice was stuttering as she said that despite her best efforts to maintain a calm posture.


    The general did not reply as he just closed the distance between them. He was standing dangerously close to Jo as they got locked in a heated eye contact. Jo¡¯s hazel eyes staring strongly back at the General¡¯s golden swirly eyes.


    ¡®You cannot fool me Jolene. Unmask your real scent right now!¡¯, he barked at her using his Alpha¡¯s aura. Jo started getting weak at her knees as she felt his aura pressing more and more on her. It was getting harder for her to breath.


    ¡®Leave me.. alonee¡¯, Jo squeaked though the mounting pressure she felt.


    Dante shook his head sideways as he reached out to take her hands. ¡®Not until you reveal your true scent¡¯. As soon he grabbed her hands and pulled her closer, she inhaled the woody scent again.


    ¡®Why does he smell so good?¡¯, she wondered as the general waited for her to do as he asked.


    ¡®This could be a trap. That¡¯s right, he was probably a spy from her previous home¡¯, Jo¡¯s thoughts pondered inside her head.


    She could not risk revealing her true scent. Not to this possible spy, not to anybody! How did her life ofying low turn this chaotic so fast? She started praying to her goddess as the general continued watching her next move¡­

 Chapter 6- Pretend mate

    ¡±I am only joking, Miss Jo¡±, Dante voiced with a smirk ying on his handsome face. Jo was not convinced he was joking. He definitely knew something and could see past her tricks.


    She needed to go back to her roomter and mask her scent more. Also, she had to give some to Lucy but still needed to cover the rest of her scent. This was getting riskier by the clock.


    Nothing wasing in between her future ns and her, she has been on the run forever and she was getting tired of it. Sometimes, she even had to sleep with one eye open because of the dangers that were always lurking in the dark for her.This content ? 2024 N?velDrama.Org.


    Jo would get through this as she always did. Now she even had a stronger reason to fight for, which was to get Lucy out of this hellhole.


    ¡®Ha-ha. Do all the werewolves from the royal kingdom have such an impable taste in humor because, if so, I would need to strike the royal kingdom off my ces to visit¡±, Jo snickered her nastyment to his amused face.


    She quickly pped her hands before giving him a chance to reply, ¡±If you have had enough of your silly jokes, shall we make haste to the hunting ground GE-NE-RAL?¡±, Jo rolled her eyes at Dante.


    ¡±Sure, lead the way¡±.


    ***


    Caleb looked at the curvy omega on her knees giving him pleasure in his most sensitive part.


    ¡®Hmmm¡¯, the omega moaned as she worked her tongue on his hard tip and slid her hands up and down on his shaft .


    Just when Dante mind linked and interrupted him. Dante has been his childhood friend, always serious and poised about everything. But man, could he be annoying sometimes and have bad timing.


    Dante barked some orders about talking to the witnesses, making Caleb grunt. It was early morning and all he wanted was to get his d**k sucked properly.


    Without wasting any more time, Caleb lifted the omega off the floor easily and positioned her on all fours, raising her a** for him. He entered her juicy p***y and pounded it fast.


    ¡®Faster please¡¯, the little omega begged, making Caleb more hard. The omega started clenching her walls and groping his d**k and this made him c*m instantly.


    ¡®You are a good little f**k¡¯, Caleb said, getting off bed and heading to the shower.


    ¡®A pleasure to serve you, General¡¯, the omega replied in her seducing, slow voice. Maybe this one-week extended stay wouldn¡¯t be too bad after all.


    ***


    Caleb spent the next few hours talking to various omegas in the garden and guard post. There had been a series of mysterious murders happening around the werewolf world, especially targeting she-wolfs. Strangled bodies with a cross mark on their wrist. So far, the death counts have exceeded one hundred, hence why Dante and he have now been deployed to solve these cases. The unexined deaths started from the Crescent pack and have now spread to various small packs, including the Dark yer pack.


    So far, Caleb did not have a single lead. These deaths were top secret for now to avoid chaos and panic in the werewolf world. But on a precautionary basis, all of the pack Alphas have been informed to tighten their border security. It won¡¯t be too long until the culprit is captured anyway.


    Caleb was lost deep in his thoughts when a mesmerising scent hit him. The air was filled with the scent of roses and fresh sea breeze. He instantly knew it was his mate. His wolf Titan started growing uneasy as he wanted to surface out to find the scent¡¯s origin.


    He followed the trail of the scent just when it started wavering and faded out. He stopped in his tracks frustrated. Why did it stop? He pondered on himself as he noticed a blonde girl standing in the middle of the footpath junction.


    The outline of her figure alone drove Caleb crazy. Who was she? Just as he was about to approach the girl, someone grabbed her roughly.


    ***


    ¡±Come to my room tonight, little mate¡¯, Alpha Jayden¡¯s deep voice made Lucy shudder. She tried loosening his grip on her arms but he was physically too strong for her.


    So Lucy simply shook her head, refusing to be treated like one of his bedwarmers.


    ¡±Let me go¡±, she finally managed to speak. ¡±Please¡±.


    Jayden only took this on as a chase game. His little mate was trying hard to get and it was turning him on more.


    ¡±Alpha Lame-den, I believe?¡¯, a masculine voice chirped, in interrupting them.


    ¡±Its Jayden¡±, he corrected as he turned in the direction of the voice to see one of the generals standing in front of him. He was wearing a distinctive armor suit. Jayden instantly let Lucy go, fearing that the General would be less impressed seeing him rough handle an omega, even if she was his mate.


    ¡±Well General, how am I finding you here? Everyone was summoned to the hunting¡¯, Jayden questioned, with a hint of annoyance in his voice.


    ¡±I can say the same for you. If I am not mistaken, you are hosting the hunt, so how are you still here?¡±, Caleb asked back, his eyes lingering on the blonde beauty next to him.


    ¡±Well I got caught up with something. Let me lead you to the hunting ground General¡±, Jayden tried dismissing the conversation as he led the way.


    Caleb simply nodded but before he left, he looked back at the blonde beauty one more time. She was looking at him wide-eyed, as if she wanted to say something but couldn¡¯t. He gave her a wink and saw her mouth open. Maybe she fancied him? He would certainly enjoy herpany more than the omega from this morning.


    ¡®See you around¡±, he mouthed at her before disappearing with Alpha Jayden.


    .


    .


    Lucy stared after her ¡±pretend mate¡± and the silver-haired general. She had never seen anyone more attractive than this silver-haired man. He had a godly sculpted face with silver locks dangling in front of his face.


    And as she inhaled the scenting from him, it reminded her of an ocean breeze, fresh and soothing. It was her true mate! Her heart started pounding as she looked at her mate in shock. All her life, she had secretly wished that at least her true mate would see past all the false usations that were ridiculously piled on her and believe her only. But everything was different now.


    Jo had just scented her this morning to make her scent simr to hers. Although Jo never really truly unmasked her full scent, she had been releasing tiny bits around Lucy which was more than enough to y pretend mates with Alpha Jayden. She could not risk exposing their n now, it could cost her, her freedom. And she so desperately craved to leave this pack.


    And what if her true mate did not want an used murderer as his mate? What if he justughed at her and rejected her in front of everyone? She had to save thest bit of dignity she had left in this pack. Also who was she kidding? A General from the royal kingdom were on par to Alpha titles and strength. The silver eyed man would certainly distaste her if he ever found out she was his weak murder- used mate. This probably worked out for the best. He would never find out that she was his mate and move on to choose a strong mate for himself.


    But as she watched the figure of her true mate fade in to the footpath, she copsed on to the ground crying. Her hands went over her chest, touching her mother¡¯s locket.


    ¡±Mumma, please give me strength to go through this¡±, she silently prayed.

 Chapter 7- Hunting Part I

    As Jo led Dante to the hunting ground, the bustling noise of crowd gathering got louder and louder. Much to Jo¡¯s dismay, Dark yer pack had annual traditions of hunting and killing of demon ves. These ves were usually caught wondering the no-man¡¯s border. Jo knew some of these ves were not just exiled demons but a mix of also wondering elves, half fairies, and more creatures. Alpha Jayden took great interest in killing them every year in this so called ¡®traditional hunt¡¯.


    And Jo had a doubt the royal King and Queen were not even aware of this hunt. The hunting ground was filled with various looking ves in shackles, all looking defeated and tired, signs of abuse apparent with the bruises on their skin. Jo flinched a little at the sight but quickly maintained her posture.


    All the higher ranked officials were seated in a tent above the hunting ground, lookingfortable and enjoying the parade. Jo knew all this hunting was really a validation they needed for their strength, how pathetic.


    ¡®Please enter the tents General, I cannot go any further¡¯, Jo prompted the general stepping aside for him to walk past. But instead of just walking into the tent, the general just grabbed Jo¡¯s hands and dragged her inside the tent as well.


    ¡®What in the bloody murders is this general doing?¡¯, Jo thought panicking but tried to look calm in front of many shocked faces. She could not talk back to him in front of so many officials or she would be seen as insolent and thrown into the dungeon. And thest thing she wanted was to create more troubles for herself.


    The former Alpha, Warren approached them with a confused look on his face. ¡®Greetings General D. Castiel. I see you have taken a liking to one of our omegas¡¯.


    Dante just replied with a smile making Jo internally infuriated. Only if she could kick him in the balls where it would hurt the most¡­


    ¡®Is there a problem?¡¯, Dante asked tightening his grip on my hands.


    ¡®Of course not General. Our people are ready to serve the royal representative in any way possible. Jo, please see to it that all of general¡¯s needs are met¡¯, the former Alpha eyed Jo with a stern look.


    ¡®Yes Alpha, it¡¯s a pressure to serve the general. Ugh, I meant pleasure ¡¯, Jo forced the words out of her mouth and gave the fakest smile she had to the general.


    ¡®I would only like to be served by Jolene during my stay here¡¯, Dante proudly announced making Gina giggle who was just standing next to the former Alpha.


    She was wearing a low cut-top which showed her cleavage to the onlookers and a below the knee length skirt. Gina could make heads turn with her perfectly straight blonde hair and looks but as soon as they knew her nasty personality and childish tantrums, it would turn anyone off immediately.


    Gina whispered slowly so that only Jo could hear, ¡®Make sure to keep his bed warm¡¯.


    Jo rolled her eyes at herment. At least Gina was not physically abusive and at Jo¡¯s throat like she was to Lucy and other omegas.


    But before Jo could reply, Gina immediately squeaked, ¡®Alpha Jayden is here and he looks handsome and dashing as ever¡¯.


    Jo turned her head to see that Alpha Jayden had arrived at the tent followed by a silver-haired man who looked like he could be a higher ranked royal visitor. He had a distinctive silver armour, almost simr to the one Dante was wearing. He had the same tall physique as well with a strong aura around him.


    ¡®Ah General C. Bolt, wee to infamous hunting ground of Dark yer pack¡¯, the former Alpha excitedly said.


    ¡®I have heard a lot of good things about the hunt, will see if the hunt really lives up to its name¡¯, Caleb replied with a grin while Alpha Jayden stood next to him looking pissed.


    Gina immediately tended to Jayden¡¯s side lowering her top more as if it was not already low in the first ce.


    ¡®Please make yourselffortable, the hunt will begin soon. Guards release the ves into the hunting ground¡¯, the former Alpha excused himself and barked orders. The ves were always given a head start in the hunt, but this ground was an enclosed area, so Jo wondered how the head start was helping them at all.? 2024 N?v/el/Dram/a.Org.


    Jo noticed that the silver-haired man was watching her as Dante continued to hold her hands. She saw the two generals look at each other and mind link each other back and forth.


    The other general, C. Bolt finally broke the awkward silence and extended his right hand to Jo, ¡®Pleased to meet you Jo, my name is Caleb. I can Dante here is very fond of yourpanionship¡¯.


    Jo was irked at hisment but decided not to react. She was getting annoyed that these generals kept making her address them by their first names, other officials would think she was being disrespectful


    ¡®Yes, it appears so. One might even think I am babysitting him holding hands like this¡¯, Jo sarcastically replied raising her linked hands with Dante and ignoring Caleb¡¯s extended handshake.


    Caleb chuckled but stopped when Dante threw a killer re at him.


    Gina was already by Jayden¡¯s side linking her arms to him and rubbing her breast on his shoulders. Jo grimaced at the sight, shaking her head.


    ¡®My oh my, I never knew Generals were this handsome!¡¯, Jo heard a slu. tty voice from behind and she already knew who it was; the current Beta¡¯s wife Linda. She also had the exact straight blonde hair like Gina¡¯splimented by a heavy makeup with overly drawn lips.


    Neither of the generals looked at Linda but she stepped really close to Caleb making him gag with the thick coat of perfume she had sprayed on herself.


    ¡®Let me introduce myself to you handsomeds. My name is Linda and I am known to be quite the beauty queen around this pack¡¯, she repeated herself again. Her eyes lingered on to Jo and she paused for a second.


    ¡®General you are holding on to an omega. I have three beautiful daughters that take after me and are far better in title and status. Or if you fancy yourself a much older and experienced¡­¡¯. Linda was cut off when the former Alpha announced that the hunting ground was ready.


    Jo shivered at what Linda had just said. No wonder Gina learned who*ing herself when her mother was like this.


    Everyone¡¯s attention turned to the former Alpha now as he continued with his announcement. ¡®As you know, this year we have special royal guest joining us. We have royal Generals,manders and warriors gracing our pack, and it is an honour to share this hunting tradition with them. These ves are wondering demons caught disturbing peace in the no-man¡¯s border. So, we are doing a favour hunting and kill these bastards¡¯.


    The Alpha¡¯s speech was met with roars of agreement. Jo shook her head, not all demons were evil and not all of those ves were just demons.


    ¡®Under the tradition, each participant is allowed to choose a maiden of any rank to go on a hunt with them. And whoever wins this hunt with most kills can im the golden coins and a feast will be celebrated in their name! But remember this hunting ground has been especially built to eliminate any powers and shape shifting, so this hunt is purely primal, andbat based¡¯, the Alpha finished making Jo¡¯s eye shoot up. She never heard this part of the hunting rules before. Come to think about it, she never stayed long enough to hear all the rules out before. Shit.


    ¡®How did Dante know that he needed to choose a maiden to hunt with and why the heck did he choose me? Wait, did Alpha Warren just say that the hunting ground eliminates powers??? Fuc. k my scent cover will be blown up. I am screwed¡¯, Jo panicked inside her head as Dante looked on hungrily at Jo like a predator had just met it¡¯s prey.

 Chapter 8- Hunting Part II

    Jo looked around as all the participants were getting riled up for the hunt. Big builtmanders, warriors and officials were stretching and looked at ease with their chosen maidens by their side. Caleb chose Gina¡¯s sister, Evelyn. She was a shy she-wolf with the simr signature blonde hair except she was smart unlike her air head mother and big sister. Jo had spoken to Evelyn on some asions before and she was impressed at how well articte and kind she waspared to her family. Gina was still clinging on to Alpha Jayden and it seemed like she was going to be his chosen maiden for this hunt which was not a surprise. Gina was always by Jayden¡¯s side no matter where it was, Jo wondered if she was that desperate to be the next Luna of the Dark yer pack.


    Dante obviously was still holding Jo¡¯s hand tightly and she was getting more annoyed at this dark haired general who had the audacity to assume she was willing to be his partner. If she was not hiding in this pack, she would kicked him in his balls and made sure he never even dared to look in her direction ever again.


    Oh well


    ¡®Is everyone ready?¡¯, Alpha Warren¡¯s voice thundered with excitement which matched the crowd¡¯s bustling energy to hunt the demons. ¡®Please remember again, no SHAPE-SHIFTING. As soon as you enter the grounds, you will be stripped of all powers and abilities¡¯. With that arge thud sound echoed in the sky as this signalled the start of the hunt.


    A big dome appeared to enclose the hunting ground and everyone started stepping inside the dome, one by one. Jo took a deep breath as she nervously yed with her free hand. She knew what she had to do as soon as they were inside the dome, she had no other choice.? 2024 N?v/el/Dram/a.Org.


    When it was Dante and Jo¡¯s turn, they stepped in slowly inside the doom. True to the former Alpha¡¯s words, Jo felt her powers slowly draining. She had limited time and she had to distance herself before Alpha Jayden could sniff her true scent and realise she was her true mate, not Lucy.


    ¡®Hey General¡¯, Jo sweetly called Dante who was still firmly holding on to her hands as if his life depended on it.


    ¡®Boop¡¯, Jo said as she touched Dante¡¯s nose. In the tiniest of second, Dante¡¯s eyes got clouded making him let go of Jo¡¯s hands. Using this chance, Jo started running as fast as she could in the opposite direction to where Dante was standing. Her distraction powers would onlyst for a few seconds on a powerful general like Dante but it still gave her enough time to escape.


    ¡®Ughhhh¡¯, Jo groaned as she felt the dome sucking more and more of her powers. She could already feel her true scenting to the surface. She knew the dome was enclosed and so her true scent would not alert her enemies outside. But she needed to keep up the parade with Lucy and if Alpha Jayden found out that she was his true mate, she doubted he would ever let her go.


    Jo¡¯s thoughts darted back to Dante. Though she was pissed at him for the forced contact, she could not deny that his warm hands were also calming to her and that she felt safe even for the tiniest second with him.


    ¡®NO! Safe?¡¯, Jo questioned herself. She could trust no one except herself. She made the mistake once trusting people and this lead to multiple catastrophe disasters. Having been on the run for a couple of years now, she had learnt to rely on herself and her strength. She should not be worried about Dante, all she needed to look out for was her freedom and maybe Lucy¡¯s too.


    Just as she neared a small stream, she heard the loudest growl tearing the air.


    ¡®Who was that?¡¯, Jo wondered. She knew Alpha Jayden¡¯s growl and it was never this ferocious. This was bad for her.


    Jo crossed the small stream and sprinted in the opposite direction, just when she heard a rustle of leaves behind the bush.


    ¡®Who¡¯s there?¡¯, Jo asked instantly alerted. Her powers were almost drained and her true scent was now lingering in the air. Even though she had covered a fair distance from the start of the dome entrace, Jayden was an Alpha and so had higher senses. He could easily sniff her true scent from miles away and still find her.


    Two petite looking girls emerged from the bushes and were about to attack Jo when one of the them stopped mid air.


    ¡®Wait!¡¯, she told her aplice. ¡®She does not smell like them at all¡¯.


    Her aplice sniffed the air trying to confirm what her friend had just said and quickly nodded her head.


    ¡®Who are you? You smell like a ¡­¡¯


    ¡®Shhh. Please keep it quiet. I know what I am. If the werewolves find out I was living amongst them, they would kill me instantly¡¯, Jo pleaded as she also sniffed the air and knew those two girls were fairies.


    The two girls instantly understood Jo as they were also in a simr situation.


    ¡®Are they hunting you as well?¡¯, the fairy with green hair asked Jo as she had a calmer smile on her face now.


    ¡®Well, I am hiding amongst them as an omega. But to answer your question, no. I was forced to enter the dome as a chosen maiden to one of the royal generals¡¯, Jo rolled her eyes.


    ¡®A royal werewolf is here and they know about the hunt?¡¯, it was the pink haired fairy asking this time.


    ¡®Yes, they do know about the hunt. But I doubt they know the full story. Apparently they all think that only trouble causing demons are being hunted in this dome¡¯, Jo replied shaking her head in disgust.


    ¡®Well we were separated from our group while crossing the no-man¡¯s border. And then captured by some werewolves, when we woke up we found out that we were going to be hunt down. Anyways, my name is Mina and she is Daya¡¯, the green haired fairy introduced herself and her friend.


    Jo gave them a quick smile, ¡®I am Jolene. Everyone calls me Jo¡¯. Suddenly an idea popped in her head.


    ¡®Mina and Daya, I need your help girls. Can you help me cover my scent please?¡¯, Jo asked with hope in her eyes.


    Mina scratched her long green hair. ¡®Jo, this dome drains all energy but fairies have energy reservoirs that we can ess¡­¡¯.


    ¡®Yes, please help me!¡¯


    ¡®But what do we get from helping you?¡¯, Daya asked speaking her friend¡¯s mind.


    Jo inhaled a long breath, there was no such thing as free lunch in this world. ¡®I will help you escape this dome once the hunt is over¡¯.


    Both the fairies looked delighted with her answer.


    ¡®Okay, we have a deal then¡¯, Daya replied as she took closer steps to Jo.


    cing one hand on Jo¡¯s shoulder, she started mumbling some spells that was beyond Jo¡¯sprehension. Mina joined in from behind as she ced a hand on the other shoulder and imitated Daya. Jo looked at the fairies who were so much shorter than her. They barely reached her shoulders and Jo was not really a tall person herself standing at 5¡ä 4¡±.


    Slowly, Jo felt her true scent fading away being reced by an artifical one that smelt nothing like her. Her tensed muscles started easing off as she felt her scent getpletely hidden. She heard another ferocious growl, the same like before. What was happening in the hunting ground. More importantly, why did the growl sounded like it was getting closer?


    .


    .


    .


    Dante stood dazed for a couple of seconds as his mind went nk. When he regained his senses, Jo was already gone. He was pissed that she yed this silly trick on him. He would find out her true scent sooner orter anyways.


    As he sniffed the air, he got confused a little. Jo¡¯s scent was all over the ce and he knew she was definitely hiding something. He easily found out the direction she had ran into, so following the same path, he made his way towards her.


    His wolf, Theo was stirring inside him again. Dante stopped for a second and raised his hands. He could still feel his powers and wolf inside him, he was from the royal kingdom after all. The dome would take hours and hours to drain his full powers. He resumed walking, growing more and more eager to find Jo¡¯s true scent. Dante did not really care about the hunt or winning. All he wanted was closure. Was Jo really his mate?


    Just when the most beautiful scent tingled his nostrils. It was smelt like vani and fresh pine, an odd mixture but delightfully addictive. Theo was fighting for control now and growled ferociously shaking the trees nearby.


    ¡®MATE IS HERE¡¯, Theo repeated himself again and again.


    Wasting no time, Dante quickly sprinted in to the direction the scent wasing from. But before he could reach to his true mate, the sweet scent got coveredpletely. Frustrated, Dante let another growl out as he mmed a big tree with his fist. Arge thud sound echoed as the tree fell to the ground.


    ¡®YOU SHOULD HAVE SHIFTED. YOU LOST OUR MATE!¡¯, Theo growled at Dante who was already frustrated himself.


    ¡®Theo, you mutt. Shifting is not allowed, thest thing I need is for everyone to discover who I truly am. We need toy low until we solve the mission and find the mystery killer first. The killer could be anyone and we cannot risk alerting them of our true presence¡¯, Dante angrily replied to his wolf, sending Theo to his back mind.


    Dante tried sniffing the air trying to see if he could track it again. But it was futile. He heard someone walking to where he was standing.


    It was Alpha Jayden.


    ¡®What are you doing here?¡¯, Dante asked quizzically to the Alpha who was wondering by himself, his chosen maid no where in sight.


    ¡®I.. I just sniffed.. I lost my chosen maid, nothing else¡¯, the Alpha responded turning back and heading to another direction.


    ¡®What¡¯s the deal with this Alpha?¡¯, Dante thought to himself.


    Dante continued walking in the direction the smell wasing from previously. Maybe if he walked straight, he could still find out who it wasing from? But the scent waspletely covered which made him more confused.


    Just as he crossed a small stream, he heard Jo¡¯s famr voice talking to someone. As he neared to the voice, he saw Jo standing next to two petite looking creatures. Instantly he knew they were fairies, the royal¡¯s senses and powers were no joke after all.


    ¡®Hi Jo¡¯, Dante called out startling Jo and the two fairies. ¡®Care to exin, what¡¯s going on here?¡¯.

 Chapter 9- Hunting Part III/ Final Hunt

    Chapter 9- Hunting part III/ final hunt


    Jo looked at the tall and dark general who was watching her very closely and for some unsettling reason, he appeared happy to have spotted her instead of being angry for the trick that was pulled on him earlier.


    ¡®General, these two ves are my old friends and not demons. I will be in your debt if you talk to our Alpha and release them after this hunt is over¡¯, Jo worded herself carefully so as to not rouse any suspicion.


    Dante gave her a small smirk and decided to y along a little. ¡®Are they werewolves too then? How did they end up in this hunting ground?¡¯.


    ¡®Umm, yes General! They are werewolves who have been wrongfully captured in the hunting ground. Merely lowly omegas as myself, hence we cannot shift like the other strong pack members¡¯, Jo tried to sound as pitiful as possible, as a dazed Dante continued to watch her.


    ¡®Why was she lying?¡¯, he questioned himself inside his mind. He still could not figure out Jo¡¯s true scent, but he wanted to believe that the mate scent earlier was hers, he wanted to hold on to that thought even if he could be wrong. But why was she lying about the two fairies? Even if she truthful, he would have helped release the fairies without a question.


    Dante never liked hunting to begin with, even if some werewolves tried to justify it by iming only evil demons are going to be hunted. He knew it was far from the truth and he intended to put a stop to it. But because of the confidential mission he was on, he could not risk revealing himself.


    ¡®Ah I see. So, all three of you are omegas? So, tell me Jo how did you find them so easily?¡¯, Dante asked pushing Jo into the edge.


    Jo looked poised as she answered him back without flinching this time, ¡®I found them by chance, General. Maybe it was Moon goddess who wanted to reunite us¡¯.


    Dante¡¯s face changed at the mention of Moon goddess and he just sighed in defeat. Jo was a tough nut to crack and he knew she would not reveal the truth until she was caught redhandedly. He just had to wait and find the right time for that.


    ¡®Okay but I have a condition if you want their freedom¡¯, Dante announced making Jo almost roll her eyes at the back of her head.


    ¡®What is it, dearest General?¡¯, Jo asked.


    ¡®If I win this hunt, I want you to go to the ball with me¡¯, Dante finished slowly making the two fairies giggle in the background.


    ¡®Fine. But let me tell you, every year the highest ss of demon ves caught are called ¡®The gue demons¡¯. And so far, Alpha Jayden is the only werewolf to have yed one gue demon bybat. So, good luck with that!¡¯, Jo revealed to the General hoping that it would scare him off a little bit.Text property ? N?vel(D)ra/ma.Org.


    ¡®And where do I find them?¡¯, Dante asked casually.


    Jo tried to stifle anyughter; these royals really were on high horses thinking everything is a walk in the park. ¡®Look up and notice how the dome converges to one point at the centre. You will find them under that area¡¯.


    ¡®Get your ball gown ready!¡¯, Dante winked at Jo as he propelled himself into the sky with a quick jump and disappeared within seconds. Jo looked around in shock to see if he really vanished that fast.


    ¡®OMG Jo, let me know if you are not interested in him now. I will dly take a piece of him¡¯, Mina squeaked like a little teenager girl.


    ¡®For real, even if werewolves could be d. ickheads sometimes, they are HOT¡¯, Daya replied matching Mina¡¯s eagerness.


    Jo ignored the two lost cases behind her as she stood cross armed. Just exactly, why was this General so obsessed with her?


    .


    .


    .


    ¡®F. uck. These gue demons are getting stronger every year¡¯, Jayden thought as he tried standing up.


    ¡®My Alpha, are you okay?¡¯, Gina¡¯s voice distracted Jayden who only gave her a small nod.


    All of the participating officials and ranked werewolves were fighting the highest ssed demons under the center point of the dome. And because it was fight bybat only, so far no one could evennd a single punch on the demons.


    Jayden observed the gue demons before him. They were all tall and dark, almost like shadows and incredibly strong. Nothing less from the highest ss of the demon ranks, only second to the demon king himself. Every year, Dark yer managed to capture few of them from the no-man¡¯s border to parade them in the hunt. But to make it fair to them, the rules was to keep the fightbat only with no shapeshifting.


    ¡®Alpha Jayden, looks like you are going to lose your reputation soon. You can¡¯t evennd a single punch¡¯, one of the elderly official spoke mocking him. Jayden clenched his jaws at thement. He had been training ever since he was a pup and was the only werewolf in record to y a gue demon bybat. He would need to prove his strengths again if he had to.


    Focusing all of his strength into his fist, he charged at the tall shadowy gue demon who quickly dodged his punch, but Jayden managed tond a kick to the demon¡¯s side ribcage making him grunt in pain. Gina cheered on from the side as he managed tond a punch finally right on the demon¡¯s face. The other onlookers also stopped to watch Alpha Jayden as murmurs of admiration spread through the crowd. Jayden felt a surge of validation as he looked on to the proud face of his father but in the tiniest second of him getting distracted looking at the crowd, the demon kicked Jayden in his knees making him bend down. And sparing no time, the demon quickly turned his right hands in to a de and brought it close to Jayden¡¯s neck.


    Everything happened so fast that Jayden barely had the time to react. He thought the de would pierce his throat when someone locked the demon¡¯s head in a death lock and snapped it so easily. Jayden looked up to see the person, who, not only saved him but also killed a gue demon so easily.


    But before he could see his saviour¡¯s face, the dark-haired man vanished.  Within seconds the other gue demons under the center dome started copsing one by one.


    ¡®What the f. uck¡¯, Jayden cursed as he tried to stand, and Gina was already by his side giving him support.


    In a matter of few moments, all of the captured gue demonsy on the groundpletely lifeless. And then everyone watched in surprise as the royal general finally made his appearance from all the ruckus he had just created.


    Dante stood there without breaking a sweat as he looked at the shocked faces gathered there. ¡®I guess I won the hunt, eh?¡¯


    .


    .


    .


    Jo and the two giggling fairies walked to the center of the dome. Jo was sure that Dante would have realised he overestimated his strengths and would be beaten to pulp by now.


    ¡®HAHAHAHA, serves you right General¡¯, sheughed maniacally making the two fairies shudder.


    ¡®I think we have made a mistake. She does not seem right in her mind¡¯, Mina whispered to her friend.


    ¡®I agree, she definitely has a loose screw..¡¯, Daya replied making Jo annoyed.


    Before she scold the two silly fairies, she watched in horror as she saw countless bodies of gue demons lying lifeless on the ground.


    ¡®What in the¡­.¡¯, as she went closer, she saw a crowd gathered cheering Dante as he victoriously stood next to the bodies.


    ¡®Did he really kill them all just bybat? Not one, not two but multiple gue demons??? If he was this strong, could he possibly help me fight my enemies?¡¯, Jo pondered as she swallowed a huge gulp. No, she reminded herself again. ¡®I only need to rely on myself, no one can help me but myself¡¯.


    Dante finally looked in her direction as he smiled sheepishly. ¡®Ready for the ball?¡¯, he mouthed at her when Jo suddenly remembered his condition.


    *Shit*

 Chapter 10- Winner

    Jo walked ahead of the two fairies who were gossiping nonstop behind her. If she knew fairies were such chatterboxes, she would have never made the deal!


    Dante won the hunt and there was a feast tonight in his name. But unfortunately for Jo, that meant she had to apany Dante as his chosen maiden. Keeping his words, Dante talked to the former Alpha and freed Mina and Daya from the hunt. However, the two fairies decided to spend a week with Jo while a messenger was being sent to the fairy kingdom to have them picked up. Now she had to squeeze them into the shared amodation. There were already three people in a single room, with the two fairies, it was going to be even more crowded.


    ¡®Polly is going to kill me. And also, where the heck will I get a dress for the feastter, damn it¡¯, Jo wondered in frustration.


    As she neared the shared amodation, she heard someone crying. Immediately she rushed inside to see Lucy bawling her eyes out.


    ¡®What¡¯s wrong Lucy? Are you okay? Did someone hurt you again?¡¯, Jo asked worriedly as she inspected Lucy¡¯s body for any bruises. Being a werewolf meant greater healing power and Lucy¡¯s past wounds were all already healed.


    ¡®Jo, this is so wrong and not fair!¡¯, Lucy cried, her voice full of sorrow. ¡®Daisy is pregnant but Drake¡­ he.. marries someone else!¡¯.


    Jo¡¯s whole world started copsing as her unsuspecting friend just revealed her the book¡¯s spoiler. Watching Jo¡¯s expression, Lucy quickly realised the mistake she hadmitted.


    ¡®Oh no Jo. I am so sorry. I ended up reading ahead while you were gone.. I¡­¡¯, Lucy started stuttering.


    ¡®Shhh. It¡¯s okay. But please wait for me next time so we can discuss the book¡¯, Jo said painfully trying to find forgiveness in her heart.


    ¡®It¡¯s okay, Jo. Lucy had led a tough life and has finally found a hobby and interest¡¯, Jo tried reminding herself.


    Mina and Daya walked into the amodation as they inspected the room.


    ¡®Bit tight spaced here¡¯, Mina finally spoke as she pushed her wavy green hair away from her face.


    ¡®Sorry girls. You have no other option. Other shared amodation for omegas is even more crowded than this. Me and Polly, my original roommate were the few lucky ones to get an entire room to ourselves¡¯, Jo replied.


    ¡®Well, this should do for now¡¯, Daya squeaked as she went straight for Jo¡¯s bed where Lucy was sitting and jumped on the soft nket.


    ¡®Ahh, so soft¡¯, Daya¡¯s voice echoed as Lucy looked at the two fairies in confusion.


    After Jo introduced them to each other, Lucy listened in awe as the two fairies started sharing their back story.


    Jo felt a painful pang in her heart as she remembered the book¡¯s spoiler that Lucy had revealed identally. She was only on chapter 17 and did not need to know the spoiler so early on.


    ¡®It¡¯s okay Jo. MUST NOT CRY. BE STRONG¡¯, she encouraged herself.


    There was a knock on the door making everyone turn their heads.


    ¡®Jo?¡¯, a familiar high-pitched voice called her as she found Gina standing near the front door.


    ¡®Yes?¡¯, Jo replied tiredly. She was not ready for more dramas.


    ¡®Let¡¯s go, we need to get you ready for the feastter. The former Alpha told me to make you look presentable¡¯, Gina revealed with a bored face as she eyed the room around and saw Lucy and the two bright haired fairies.Text property ? N?vel(D)ra/ma.Org.


    ¡®Wow, a gathering for a group of freakshows¡¯, Gina snickered at them as Lucy immediately looked down avoiding eye contact while the two fairies practically hissed at the evil blonde.


    ¡®Gina, let¡¯s hurry up then. We don¡¯t want to disappoint the former Alpha¡¯, Jo ushered Gina out leaving the two fairies gawking after them.


    .


    .


    .


    Gina showed Jo countless dresses as she went on and on about how the dress had to match the makeup, jewelleries, h h h.


    Jo could care less about those things, but Gina was persistent. So, she quickly picked a light royal blue dress to shut Gina up.


    ¡®I like this¡¯, Jo quickly said as Gina looked at the dress in her hand.


    ¡®Okay then. Let¡¯s move on to your hair and make up next¡¯.


    After spending hours getting ready, Gina was finally satisfied that Jo was ready.


    ¡®You look fab thanks to me!¡¯


    ¡®Sure¡¯, Jo mustered the energy to reply. She looked at her reflection in the mirror and her heart skipped a little as old memories came flooding back up.


    She looked so much like her younger self being properly groomed and dressed. A life that she left behind with so much pain and a life she did not want to remember.


    Gina had Jo¡¯s hair tied up in a high ponytail with a small jewel bead sitting on top of her head. Her makeup was done looking natural which was weird because Gina usually liked heavy makeups. She had a light lip gloss on along with a pink blush on her cheekbones. Her dress had a v-cut line at the front and was an off shoulder royal blue gown. The material was made from satin and brushed Jo¡¯s skin lightly when she first put it on.


    ¡®Jo, remember that the former Alpha wants the royal guest to be kept happy at all costs!¡¯, Gina warned Jo as she contoured her own cheekbones with a brown shadow palette.


    ¡®I know. Thanks for the help¡¯, Jo muttered under her breath as she left Gina¡¯s room. She knew what she had to do next, so her legs automatically started walking towards the General¡¯s room. He was such a mystery to her. She did not even know it was possible for a werewolf to kill multiple gue demons just bybat.


    The scent ofvender and wood filled Jo¡¯s nostril as she inhaled it deeply. It was so alluring, and mesmerising that she could easily get lost in the depths of this scent.


    ¡®Hi Jo¡¯, the familiar voice pronounced her name as a small tingle went though her body. She wanted the voice to say her name again and again, maybe she really was going crazy.


    Dante stood before Jo in a full ck suit and red tie. The vibrant red colour of the tie matching Jo¡¯s hair that was neatly tied away from her face. He could see her beautiful face more clearly with all the hair away and he had to admit, Jo was without a doubt, the most beautiful woman he had everid eyes on. ¡®You look even more gorgeous tonight¡¯.


    Thement made Jo¡¯s cheeks even more pink as she tried to brush off thepliment, ¡®You look somewhat presentable too, General¡¯.


    ¡®Please like I said before, call me Dante¡¯, he gave her a yful smile as Jo just shrugged her shoulder in defeat.


    .


    .


    .


    The feast this year was grand, in anticipation of impressing the royal guest. Alpha Warren made sure everything was perfect, from the food, arrangements, presentations to the dancers, entertainers, and servers. He wanted to make a good reputation for Dark yer Pack in the royal kingdom. Even though his son did not win the hunt this year, it was probably better that way. The royal visitors needed to feel superior anyways.


    ¡®Polly, where is the server for this table?¡¯, he yelled with clear frustration in his voice.


    ¡®Alpha, I will have a look into this straightaway¡¯, Polly obediently replied and rushed to the omega quarters.


    Alpha Warren looked around again to see if everything was perfect to the T when he noticed General Dante heading towards him.


    ¡®General, congrattions on winning the hunt. It was magnificent to see yourbat strengths earlier¡¯, Alpha Warren lied through his teeth. There really was nothing much to see because Dante was too quick inbat, almost invisible like wind.


    ¡®You humour me too much, Alpha. I am just happy to bring my chosen maid along to a feast being celebrated in my name¡¯, Dante smiled shaking the Alpha¡¯s hand.


    The two men exchanged some conversation as a bored Jo stood there trying not to yawn. From the corner of her eyes, Jo saw Alpha Jayden entering the festive ground with a proud looking Gina by his side. Gina had a ck skin-tight dress with a slit on one side revealing her left thigh. She looked ssy until she opened her mouth, of course.


    More guest started arriving as the feast started heading towards a full swing. Soon, the ce was bustling loudly with people as there was an equallyrge number of servers and entertainers attending to the royal guests.


    Soon the central ground was cleared so that the dancers could perform. A loud music yed through the speaker as a group of young-looking female performers danced in the center attracting cheers, whistles, and catcalls.


    Jo was now seated next to Dante who was still talking to the former Alpha. Jayden was already swarmed by other she-wolves as a drunk Gina tried to shoo them away.


    Jo looked around and noticed that the other general Caleb was not there. She wondered where he was. Not that it was any of her business.


    She had no one to talk to even in this crowded celebration, so Jo sneakily grabbed the wine next to Dante and gulped it down in one go. In a matter of few minutes, she started feeling light heated. She probably should not have drunk it so fast because she was not one of them and so the wine had strong effect on her.


    ¡®Yes Alpha, I promise that¡­..¡¯, Jo heard bits and pieces of a nearby conversations as the loud music covered most of the noise. The word ¡®promise¡¯ hit her like a brick as she remembered her vampire book. Drake also promised to never leave Daisy, but he still did and married some one else.


    Jo could not be strong anymore as a lump formed in her throat and she quickly rushed outside of the festive ground to get away from all the loud music and celebration.


    Once she was finally out of everyone¡¯s earshot, she started letting out all her emotions. She was so invested in this novel and prayed for things to work between Daisy and Drake. Even if her real life was miserable, she wanted to believe true love could at least exist in stories.


    Jo covered her face with her hand as she wept her pain away. Suddenly a strong hand pulled her back and turned her.


    ¡®What¡¯s wrong Jo? Did I do something wrong?¡¯, Dante looked at Jo, his golden eyes full of worry.


    ¡®I¡­Dai¡­Pregnant¡­Drake left¡­¡¯, Jo mumbled her words as the alcohol started kicking in.


    Dante hardened his grip on Jo as he tried to make sense of her words.


    ¡®Was Jo Pregnant? And who was Drake? Her past lover? Did he leave her pregnant?¡¯ he thought not liking any of the possibilities.


    He was going to find him and kill that bastard. At that moment, the mission did not matter anymore. He only wanted to make Drake pay for making Jo cry.


    ¡®Where does Drake live? How do I find him?¡¯, Dante asked with pain evident in his voice. He liked Jo right from the first moment he saw her when she stepped into the garden. Her vibrant red hair tied up elegantly as she looked at the moon, she was simply breathtaking. And he would relive that moment if he had the chance to. Dante did not even realise when he had started falling for this mysterious maiden.


    ¡®He¡­married someone else after the¡­promise. How could he?¡¯, Jo bawled out more as she rested her head on Dante¡¯s broad shoulder.


    ¡®Shh, it will be okay. He will pay for everything¡¯, Dante carefully patted her delicate crying back as he inhaled a vague scent of vani and pine.


    ¡®It¡¯s allll¡­Genny¡¯s fault!¡¯, she revealed, her voice sounding more and more drunk.


    ¡®Genny?¡¯, Dante repeated as he looked at Jo in confusion.


    ¡®She always¡­writes¡­stuff with¡­.¡¯, Jo slurred her words as she crashed onto Dante¡¯s arm fully. He held her up carefully as Jo passed out in his hands. He tried analysing herst words as he carried Jo bridal style.


    After asking few omegas, Dante finally found Jo¡¯s room. Inside, he found the two fairies from the hunt sleeping on the floor mattress. Slowly tiptoeing, he ced Jo on the empty bed. A book on the nightstand caught his eyes as he saw the name of the author on it. Suddenly everything made sense as he tried to stop himself fromughing.


    ¡®So, she was talking about a fictional male character¡¯, he thought to himself as he stared at Jo¡¯s soft delicate features. He wanted to kiss her plump enticing lips and do things to her he never imagined before. And before he realised it, he knew he had fallen in love with Jo. He wanted to protect her at all costs and give her all the happiness in the world. Heck, he was even ready to kill a fictional character for her.


    ¡®What are you doing to me Jo?¡¯, he whispered as he kissed her right hand gently and left the room.

 Chapter 11- Dragging curse

    DISCLAIMER: PLEASE AVOID S. EX SCENE IF YOU CANNOT READ DARK SCENES.


    *Same day of the feast*


    ¡®Daya puked on a guy she was kissing once¡¯, Mina teased the pink fairy who saw rage and tackled her friend. Within seconds, the two fairies were engaged in a yful fight while Lucy watched onughing.


    She felt bad remembering the earlier mistake and ruining the book for Jo. In fact, this was the first time Lucy had enjoyed something in her life. Jo had already changed her life so much for the better and she was grateful for that. Lucy knew she will probably ask for Jo¡¯s forgiveness again even though Jo had already said it was okay. Afterall, Jo trusted her enough to share her secret.


    ¡®Hey, Lucy¡¯, Mina called her as the two fairies finally stopped fighting and straightened their hair and clothes.


    ¡®Hmmm, yes?¡¯


    ¡®You should have totally seen the royal General earlier taking down the demons!¡¯, Mina squeaked remembering Dante from the hunt ground. Daya shook her head up and down vigorously agreeing to her friend¡¯s testimony!Text property ? N?vel(D)ra/ma.Org.


    ¡®I guess I won the hunt, eh¡¯, Daya mimicked the General¡¯s deep voice with her high-pitched voice. Lucy cracked upughing so much that her stomach hurt, just when she heard a knock on the door.


    ¡®Lucy! Your insolence will get me in trouble one day!¡¯, Polly angrily yelled at her as she immediately stood up and kept her head down. Polly was the head of omegas and was known to give relentless punishment to disobedient omegas. ¡®We have a whole feast preparation going and are extremely short on staff and you are sitting here enjoying your own private chat time. How dare you!¡¯.


    ¡®I am sorry¡¯, Lucy murmured as she kept looking at the floor. She gave the two fairies a look that told them not to interrupt. By the stories the fairies shared so far, Lucy could make out that they were feisty and hot-headed. And Lucy did not want to create any more troubles for Jo.


    ¡®I need more servers for the feast. I know you were recently injured and all, but this isn¡¯t time for luxury. You can restter. So off you go, NOW!¡¯, Polly practically screamed at Lucy by thest word making her instantly scram from the shared room.


    .


    .


    Lucy was kept extremely busy for the next few hours, she carried multiple tes back and forth to the waiting tables. She caught a glimpse of Jo sitting next to the general and the Alpha, and her heart sunk a little seeing Jo look lost. Lucy knew she was partly to me for ruining the book, if only if she could turn back the time and undo it. As this thought left Lucy¡¯s mind, she felt someone watching her. She slowly picked up empty sses from the table and put them into a small trolley and quickly did a scan to see if she was just imagining it. But she wasn¡¯t, Alpha Jayden was intensely looking at her as if he was undressing her just with his eyes. Lucy immediately clutched her ck shirt harder, she felt vited just from his re.


    He was already surrounded by multiple she-wolves and Gina was fighting some of them off him. Lucy knew they were probably all drunk, but Jayden¡¯s stare rubbed her in wrong ces. As if he was reading her mind, he smirked at her and finally left his feast table leaving all the she-wolves behind scowling. Lucy watched him exit the feast ground as she finally eased off a little. As she finished picking thest empty ss off the table, she caught Gina¡¯s eyes. Lucy already knew she was in trouble as she tried pushing the loaded trolley quickly back into the kitchen. Just when, Gina ran up to her and caught her by the hair.


    ¡®Ouch, please let me go¡¯, Lucy winced in pain.


    ¡®You.. bitch again. Why.. the fuc. k were you¡­. watching Jayden¡¯, Gina¡¯s voice slurred as she could not even stand straight.


    Lucy caught a strong smell of alcohol from her breath but dare not say anything.


    As the silence dragged on, Gina yanked Lucy harshly and shoved her on to the trolley. Lucy toppled over the trolley as all the empty sses shattered into fine pieces on the ground. Because they were a little far from the feast ground and the music was extremely loud, it drowned everything Gina just did to Lucy.


    ¡®You f. ucking slut. Stay on the floor along with the trash because that¡¯s where you belong¡¯, with that Gina turned around and left.


    Lucy looked at the feast tables to see if Jo saw that, but she was not sitting there anymore and the General next to her was gone as well.


    Her attention went back to the broken sses. Polly will probably punish her for this, but she had to face the consequence.


    As she picked the ss pieces, one of the shards pricked her fingers and blood instantly oozed out.


    ¡®Ouch. That hurt¡¯, she said to herself as she tried stopping the bleeding by pressing it down on her ck shirt. There were few wine stains on her shirt as well and she looked like a mess.


    ¡®Maybe Gina is true. I feel like a trash, no I am a trash. Not worthy of anything, not even Jo¡¯s friendship¡¯, she admitted in defeat as a tiny trickle of tear ran down her face.


    As her eyes got clouded, her hands brushed against someone sending little tingles through her body. She blinked hard to let the tears escape and see who it was.


    The silver haired general stood before her, squatting down like she was. He had few ss shards in his hands as well.


    ¡®Hi there again. Seems like you were a bit clumsy¡¯, the man said giving her a small but genuine smile.


    Lucy shook her head as she continued to avoid his gaze and pick up the ss pieces. The longer she stared at his icy grey eyes, the more longing she had to relieve to him that she was his true mate. But she wouldn¡¯t do that of course, he was a general after all and she was nobody.


    ¡®What¡¯s your name?¡¯


    ¡®Lucy¡¯


    ¡®My name is Caleb¡¯, the silver eyed man introduced himself extending his hands. Lucy stared at the hand unsure on what to do.


    ¡®I promise I won¡¯t bite¡¯, Calebughed trying to extend his hand more towards Lucy.


    Reluctantly, she shook it and instantly millions of sparks flew between them. Lucy tried her best not to show any emotion and remain nk faced but the same could not be said for Caleb. He was already staring at Lucy with shocked eyes as if he could notprehend what had just happened.


    Lucy immediately retracted her hands. After she picked thest few pieces of the ss, she immediately pushed the trolley and left for the kitchen.


    Caleb stood up slowly as he watched Lucy leave. He lifted his hand that had just touched Lucy. He definitely felt a tingle and was not mistaken. Was she, his mate? From the rumours he had heard since they arrived at Dark yer Pack, Alpha Jayden had already imed saying she was his mate. Was this true? It was for Lucy to know and for him to find out.


    .


    .


    ¡®What in the bloody murders is this!¡¯, Polly scolded Lucy as the trolley was filled with broken ss pieces.


    ¡®I fell. I apologise for my clumsiness. Give me any punishment you think is suitable¡¯, Lucy lied but still kept on a straight face. She was used to owning up to things she did not do, it was much easier this way then to fight for the truth.


    ¡®That I will. But I need to you to do something first. Alpha Jayden has requested you to drop him some fruit tter to his private room. Do not make any more mistake. Go now¡¯, Polly dismissed her as she took a big gulp. As much as she wanted to protest against it, she knew she simply could not.


    .


    .


    After climbing series of long steps, Lucy panted as she made her way to Alpha Jayden¡¯s private room. The fruit tter was extremely heavy, and she had to carry it in her hands.


    As Lucy knocked on the door and waited for a reply, the door just automatically opened. In front of her stood Alpha Jayden, in his naked glory. He yanked her inside harshly as the fruit tter escaped her grip and dropped to the floor.


    Once inside, Jayden corned Lucy on to the wall as he inhaled her deep scent in. She heard a few gigglesing from behind him.


    ¡®I need you to watch me. Do not take your eyes off or there will be punishment¡¯, Jayden whispered into Lucy¡¯s ears making her shudder in his arms. She quietly nodded as Jayden finally let her go.


    She watched Jayden walk to the bed to the two naked she-wolves in her bed. Lucy gasped in shock as she realised who it was.


    The two she wolves were non other than her stepmother, Linda and her youngest stepsister, Tilly. She wanted to look away, disgusted at the act in front of her but Jayden kept asionally looking at her to check if she was still watching them, so she had to.


    *


    Jayden lined Linda and Tilly up by the bed¡¯s edge. The mother and daughter were both drunk and giggling and had their ass up. Jayden pumped into them from the back, taking turns and making the duo moan in pleasure.


    Linda had big bouncy breast and a thick a. ss while Tilly had tiny perky breast and a slim waist. Jayden liked both. He pped on Linda¡¯s ass, as she screamed for him to go faster. He pumped into her more before switching and entering Tilly. Tilly was only 18 and had a tight pu. ssy. Gina used to be a good fuck too but after he realised she had feelings for him, he immediately stopped fuc. king her. Jayden had a limit, it was strictly about pleasure and fu. cking only.


    But tonight, felt better with Lucy watching them. Jayden had been thinking about making her his consort who. re. Her scent was driving him crazy, but he was confused. He smelt his mate while he was in the hunt ground earlier too, but the scent was gone too fast.


    ¡®Don¡¯t look away¡¯, Jayden ordered Lucy who diverted her gaze back to them. She was close to tears and Jayden enjoyed that a lot.


    As he reached closer to his climax, he made Linda and Tilly kneel on the floor as he started facefu. cking the duo again. Within seconds, he came as his load exploded on to the face of the mother and daughter duo who were already licking it off each other.


    ¡®Leave now¡¯, he ordered, and they quickly gathered their clothes still giggling. As Jayden lit a cigar and sat on the bed edge, he looked at Lucy.


    ¡®Come here, Lucy¡¯, Jayden¡¯s deep voice echoed in the now empty room as it was only them.


    ¡®Please.. I¡¯


    ¡®I saide¡¯


    ¡®Moon goddess, please save me¡¯, Lucy prayed as she started walking slowly towards the Alpha.

 Chapter 12- Unpredictable

    Lucy¡¯s heart was hammering against her chest and she could hear herself palpitate. She walked slowly towards Jayden, who was watching her closely with his piercing emerald eyes and dark locks of hazel hair falling on his intimidating face.


    Once Lucy was within arms reach, Jayden pulled her towards him, making her sit on his nakedp. Lucy instantly blushed and tried to hide the redness in her cheeks. But Jayden stopped her hands from covering her face as he cupped her face gently. Lucy had never seen Jayden be gentle with anything in her life. He had always been the serious and conservative Alpha who would do anything for the pack¡¯s pride and name. Sure, he had many bed warmers but he always put pack business first, no matter what.


    Jayden saw Lucy¡¯s finger wound as he brought it close to his lips, cing light kisses on it, ¡±Be careful next time little mate. How can you be so clumsy every time?¡¯.


    Lucy was conflicted with Alpha Jayden¡¯s changing personalities. One moment, he was this angry and dominating animal and the other moment, he became incredibly sweet and gentle.


    ¡±I¡­.¡¯, some words escaped her mouth as the Alpha still had her fingers close to his face. He seemed to be enjoying this closeness as Jo¡¯s scented clothes tricked him into thinking she was his mate. In a way, Lucy was d that Jo was save from Jayden¡¯s unpredictable wrath and it was actually her facing the music of this chaotic proposition.


    Jayden¡¯s hands started moving down Lucy¡¯s thighs as she ufortably shifted on hisp. He had one hand gripped tightly around her waist while the free hand continued to slowly graze down her thighs. As his hands dangerously got close to her womanhood, she head bumped Jayden as he got dazed for the tiniest second and loosened his grip on her. Using this chance, Lucy freed and distanced herself from the Alpha. Jayden smirked at her as he finallyposed himself from what happened. He stood up from the bed as he grabbed a towel nearby and wrapped it around his waist, looking dangerously godly and intimidating, again.


    ¡±Come here Lucy¡±, his deep voice trailed the room.


    ¡±No, stay away from me!¡±, she yelled as loudly and aggressively as she could. But this had the opposite effect on Jayden as he enjoyed this even more.


    ¡±You are being naughty, little mate. Come to me, you belong to me¡±, Jayden said firmly. Within seconds, he was next to Lucy grabbing her shoulders as he tried to inhale her scent, grazing the marking spot.


    Lucy felt rage build up within her as she wanted Jayden to stop.Material ? of N?velDrama.Org.


    ¡®Get the f. uck away from us¡¯, a voice came from within Lucy as her eyes had now changed color and had a ssh of maroon within her normal blue pupils.


    Jayden blinked twice trying to register where the voice came from. But he was not mistaken, as his eyesnded on Lucy¡¯s changed eye color and facial expression. What happened to his mate? As he reached his hands out again to touch her face, Lucy grabbed his extended hands and threw his body onto the walls with so much force, it shook the entire mansion.


    Instantly, Lucy fought for control and came to her senses as she watched Jayden grunting on the floor with a huge crack behind the walls.


    ¡®What in the moon goddess¡¯s name just happened?¡¯, Lucy thought to herself. She just lost control and could not even remember why.


    ¡±Hi Lucy, it¡¯s me Emery. I am your wolf¡±, a voice rang from inside her head as Lucy stood shocked. Tears trickled down her face as her empty heart felt a little fuller now. It was her wolf. She had finally arrived!


    ¡±Its okay, Lucy. He deserved it. No one will touch us again unless we want them to¡±, Emeryforted her as she could not help smiling at the new-foundpanionship.


    There was an urgent knock on the door and within seconds the door was kicked in. Lucy turned her head to see who the intruder was and it was none other than the silver-eyed general, Caleb. Her heart started racing but this time her body felt warmer as just one gaze from Caleb sent butterflies into her stomach.


    The silver-eyed man, however, had worry written all over his face as he did a quick scan of the ce and did not like what he saw.


    He inspected Lucy for signs of any bruises. ¡±Did Lamden try to force you?¡±


    Lucy did not know how to respond as they were interrupted by Jayden. ¡±What the f. uck was that mate?¡¯.


    Caleb instinctively stepped in front of Lucy, shielding her from the angry Alpha. ¡±She¡¯s my mate¡±.


    Caleb¡¯s sudden deration made Lucy gasp in shock. How did he know? Her true scent was hiding under Jo¡¯s scented clothes, so how did he see past that?


    ¡±General, I know you are from the royal kingdom and sh. it. But there are limits to what you can and cannot im. And don¡¯t forget you are just a general and I have more authority with my title. Lucy is my mate, so be careful whates out of your mouth¡±, Jayden growled angrily at Caleb as the aura in the room got more and more tense.


    Jayden¡¯s Alpha aura would usually make Lucy cower in fear, but this time, she felt nothing. She was not sure if it was because of her being close to her true mate or because of her own wolf surfacing?


    ¡±She is my mate. I can sense her wolf just surfaced¡¯, Caleb¡¯s announcement made Jayden sh a hint of doubt on his face.


    ¡±You are just f. ucking around with me. You can¡¯t have Lucy, she¡¯s mine!¡¯, Jayden burst out with anger as he charged towards them.


    Ethan instantly motioned his hands as he summoned something and the entire room became chilly. Suddenly, Jayden¡¯s feet were frozen to the ground as he struggled to free himself.


    ¡±Think straight, Alpha. Lucy¡¯s wolf just surfaced right now and you did not even know about it. How can you be her true mate? That¡¯s bulls. hit¡±, Caleb blurted out, trying to knock some sense into the now visibly confused Alpha.


    ¡±The ice, how did you?.. summon¡­.¡±, Jayden spoke in mumbled words. It was surprising he was still talking despite how drunk he was from the feast before.


    A small chuckle escaped Caleb¡¯s mouth. ¡®I am the current Alpha of the Ice Warrior Pack and the direct descendant of the four great brothers¡¯.


    Lucy¡¯s eyes widened at the revtion as she stared at the royal legacy before her eyes. What in the moon goddess¡¯s name was going to happen to her and Jo¡¯s ns now?

 Chapter 13- Things are not always as they seem

    It was quite incredible to see a royal legacy right in front of your eyes. Lucy only read about the Warrior packs and the Royal kingdom in the history book when she was a senior in high school. It traced all the way back to the moon goddess¡¯s first creation when she gifted four descendant brothers with elemental powers: The fire, Ice, Wind and Sand. But peace neversted long among the brothers as the great war broke for the fight of power.


    In the end, the Fire warrior pack came out as the undefeatable winner as the Ice Warrior pack was eradicated. The other two packs; Wind and Sand went on to be the neutral pack. Decadester, many small packs emerged and soon a rebellion brewed. The rebellion packs dered a war on the Fire Warrior pack who was the most powerful pack standing and was ruled by Alpha Ian then.


    The rebellion was followed by strange vampire attacks. It wasn¡¯t clearly written in the history book after that, but it was mentioned that Alpha Ian¡¯s mate, Sarah was moon goddess¡¯s daughter and she was gifted with all four elemental powers. After they defeated the Vampire king and resolved the rebellion, they were crowned as Alpha king and Luna Queen.


    With the introduction of the Royal Kingdom, all the packs reigned under the rule of the royal couple, and no one dared to rebel. Afterall, their crowning was predicted as fit by the holy cathedral shrine, the governing body of the werewolf world.


    *


    ¡®Mate is looking at us. Lucy, do something¡¯, Emery howled inside Lucy¡¯s head as she finally burst out of her thinking bubble and continued to stare at Caleb.


    Jayden was already stuttering his words by now as Caleb¡¯s elemental power was surfacing more by the passing second and it was quite obvious that the Royal general was way stronger than a mere pack Alpha.


    Jayden remained frozen to the ground as Caleb turned to Lucy again making her heart skip a beat.


    ¡®Are you okay? I hope I didn¡¯t shock you too much¡¯, Caleb asked worriedly, and it suddenly dawned on Lucy that he must have thought she was just an omega of this pack. This was perfect as she wanted him to continue thinking that. He should never find out that she had Beta¡¯s blood or else, he might be actually interested in her. All the Alphas were obsessed with rank and power after all. And she was sure this royal General or Alpha was no different.


    ¡®I am fine. Can I please take my leave?¡¯, Lucy¡¯s meek voice echoed the room.


    ¡®Of course, can we have a little chat outside first? After that, I will stop bothering you, I promise¡¯, Caleb pleaded with his sparkling silvery eyes.


    She gave him a small nod as she led the way outside. Jayden was passed out by then as the alcohol and the hunt¡¯s exhaustion finally got to him.


    ¡®Don¡¯t worry, he won¡¯t remember a thing. He was drunk through and through¡¯, Calebughed it off when he saw Lucy sneaking a peak at Jayden on the floor.


    Once they were outside, they stood under the full moon in an awkward silence. Caleb wanted to be careful with her as he did not want to scare his mate off more. His wolf, Titan went crazy earlier when they sensed their mate in danger. He could not believe it, but Titan was able to trace the tiniest scent of Lucy and track her down in Jayden¡¯s locked room. He was confused about why Lucy had different scented clothes on, he needed to know the answers. There were also many other weird things happening. Alpha Jayden was iming his mate as his, the sudden surfacing of Lucy¡¯s wolf and the aura it emitted. The presence was bigger than that of an Alpha wolf. ¡®What really was that all about?¡¯ He thought to himself.


    Ahem. Caleb cleared his throat as he finally broke the dreading long silence. ¡®Lucy, can you sense that we are mate?¡¯.


    ¡®No¡¯, she lied, and Caleb knew straightaway because she looked down and avoided his gaze while answering.


    ¡®Look me in the eyes and tell me we are not fated mates. And that we do not belong to each other. Go on¡¯, the Ice Warrior Alpha challenged her.


    Lucy shot her head up to meet his eyes. Instantly his silver eyes pierced her soul as she started feeling weak in her knees. She knew she simply could not get off this time.


    ¡®Fine, maybe we are mates. But I am just an omega and I have been known to be cursed around here¡¯, Lucy dered hoping to scare him off. As much as she wanted him to believe that and run off, a small part of her wanted him to just call her bull. shit and kiss her right there.


    ¡®I understand it might be quite daunting to be mated to such a higher ranked Alpha. But there is no need to feel that way, Lucy. You are my mate after all¡¯, he assured her, innocently thinking about how fragile omega¡¯s spirits and energy were.


    She did not know whether tough or cry at his innocence, but she chose to do neither.


    ¡®Lucy, I have been waiting for a mate for too long. I still have not mated with any she-wolf¡¯, he continued letting Lucy set her hopes high and letting her reconsider her choices. ¡®I know you may not have given right to make decisions for yourself being an omega. But I want you to know that I will not force you to ept the mate bond¡¯.


    He took her hands into his as millions of sparks flew between them, the attraction was undeniably there.


    ¡®I, Caleb Duke, Alpha of the Ice warrior pack and General inmand of the Royal Kingdom ept you, Lucy as my mate. I hope you return the same feelings¡¯, he proudly announced.


    Lucy¡¯s heart was beating fast, she wanted to yell and scream that she epted the bond but held back for some reason. ¡®Lucy, mate wants us please¡¯, her wolf begged.


    ¡®Emery, we know nothing about Caleb. And if I reveal everything to him right now, this could put Jo in danger. I cannot skip happily into my fairy tale and leave Jo with the sick bast. ard, Jayden. Its better we forget about him and the mate bond¡¯, Lucy tried exining painfully to her wolf. But it was the truth. If she revealed her and Jo¡¯s secret now, she would be setting her friend up to be stuck with a monster forever. Just the scent of Jo¡¯s clothes drove Jayden this crazy, she could imagine how he would behave if he sensed Jo¡¯s true scent, it would be absolutely chaotic.


    ¡®Well?¡¯, Caleb¡¯s deep warm voice disrupted her train of thoughts.


    ¡®I cannot ace¡­¡¯, Lucy started but was immediately stopped by the silver haired general who looked like he almost lost his life.


    ¡®Please wait, Lucy. Think about it for some time. You do not have to answer me straight away. But know that, I have already epted the bond from my side. So please, I hope you think this through properly¡¯, with that Caleb sprinted away, scared that Lucy might reject him right there.


    She stood there watching Caleb sprint away, he was gone within seconds. Tears welled up in her eyes as she knew she had already made her choice.


    ¡®I am sorry, Emery¡¯, she begged for her wolf¡¯s forgiveness.


    ¡®This is going to hurt us badly, Lucy. I hope we have enough strength to get through the rejection if you decide to reject him¡¯, Emery¡¯s defeated voice replied.


    ¡®I understand. Come to think about it, can I see how you look Emery?¡¯, Lucy asked suddenly realised she did not know how her wolf looked like.


    ¡®Soon Lucy. We are not strong enough to transform and shift right now. But when the right timees, you will see me¡¯, Emery assured her making her forget everything and smile.


    ¡®I bet you are gorgeous¡¯, Lucy asked her wolf dreamily.


    ¡®You bet we are¡¯.


    *


    Next day


    ¡®My head, s. hit. Why did I drink so much?¡¯, Jo groaned as she sat upright in her bed. Her head was still throbbing painfully, so was he eyes.


    ¡®Good morning, Jo, you are up!¡¯, Lucy approached her with a tray of tea.


    ¡®Hey you¡¯, Jo¡¯s morning voice croaked.


    Lucy set down the tea as she stirred the cup and handed it over.


    ¡®Thanks Lucy¡¯, Jo said as she took the hot tea and brought it closer to her mouth to blow on it. ¡®Where did the two mischievous fairies go?¡¯.


    ¡®Oh, they went out on a ¡®healthy¡¯ morning walk or so they told me¡¯, Lucy replied with a hint of hesitation.


    ¡®Really? Where to?¡¯, Jo asked not believing the two fairies were up to anything good.? 2024 N?v/el/Dram/a.Org.


    ¡®To the warrior¡¯s base¡­and to see the ¡®hot warriors¡¯ in their own words, Lucy finally told her.


    ¡®Now that sounds more believable¡¯, she heaved as she took more sips of the pleasant tea.


    ¡®Listen Jo, about what happened yesterday. Can you forgive me for reading ahead of the chapters and spoiling it for you?¡¯, Lucy asked with a hint of guilt audible in her voice.


    ¡®You silly, I told you it was all okay! Now until I catch up to that chapter, you better wait for me¡¯, Joughed heartily.


    ¡®Of course!¡¯, Lucy promised her friend. ¡®I also need to tell you something else, Jo¡¯.


    ¡®Okay?¡¯, Jo asked with one brow raised.


    ¡®Caleb is my true mate and I n on rejecting the mate bond¡¯, Lucy dered making Jo drop the tea on the nket¡­.

 Chapter 14- Ultimate sacrifice

    ¡®Caleb? That silver haired royal general?¡¯, Jo asked in disbelief, wiping down the nket with a cloth from the bed stand. She knew the tea stain was not going to go away easily. Sh. it     ¡®Yes, him. We just found out we were mates following an unfortunate incidentst night. He epted the bond and proposed to me. But I have decided to reject it¡¯, Lucy said, giving Jo some time to absorb the news.     ¡®Lucy, mate bonds are so sacred for you, werewolves. I mean for ¡®us¡¯ werewolves¡¯, Jo nervously corrected herself. ¡®Why are you so intent on rejecting the bond?¡¯.     ¡®I know it is sacred for us Jo. But given my past usations and everything, I don¡¯t think I am on par with someone like Caleb¡¯, Lucy replied, half-heartedly not revealing her full intention. She was doing this mainly to protect Jo from Jayden and his wrath. If she epted Caleb and the truth came out, Jo was going to suffer the most and Lucy couldn¡¯t have that.     ¡®Also, I have never explored the world beyond this small pack. I want my freedom. Just like you have promised me Jo, I want to escape this pack soon with you!¡¯, Lucy added.     ¡®I see. If that¡¯s what you want Lucy, I think you have made the right choice¡¯, Jo weakly smiled at her.     ¡®Moreover, you are doing it too! You decided not ept the mate bond with Jayden and mask your true scent. Jo¡¯, Lucy chirped finding encouragement in being in the same boat together.     Jo hesitated at her words; she did not want to reveal the true reasons of her having to hide her true scent. It was not just the simple Alpha-Omega rank title difference. It was much more than that, but Jo did not know if Lucy was ready to know the truth yet.     ¡®I guess so, Lucy. Do you think the general will take the rejection well and let you off so easily?¡¯, Jo asked curiously.     Lucy nodded her head up and down, ¡®He told me it is my choice and that he will not force me in to anything. But I don¡¯t know about Alpha Jayden, he is growing more and more¡­..¡¯, Lucy tried to find the right words, ¡®confronting¡¯.     ¡®Did Jayden do anything to you?¡¯, Jo asked as she ced her hands on Lucy¡¯s.     ¡®Well, he did try to touch me weirdlyst night, but nothing happened after my wolf surfaced. Her name is Emery, and I was so overwhelmed when I finally heard her voice, Jo!¡¯.     ¡®No wonder, you are glowing today, Lucy!¡±, Joughed and gave a small pat on her friend¡¯s back. ¡®But I don¡¯t want to risk you in to getting more inappropriate and dangerous advances from Jayden. I think we might need to leave this pack sooner than we initially discussed¡¯.     ¡®What do you mean!?¡¯, Lucy¡¯s big blue eyes intensified trying to decipher what wasing next from Jo.     ¡®Lucy, first things first, you need to reject Caleb if you really think that¡¯s your final decision. And once that¡¯s done, we need n on leaving the same day the royals are. Because I am sure there will be a farewell party and the border patrol will be reduced during that period. We need to take our chances and escape¡¯, Jo packed all the n in one go as Lucy nodded at each sentence.     ¡®I am ready for this, Jo¡¯.     Jo looked at Lucy¡¯s saddened face and felt bad about what Lucy was going to do next, rejecting the mate bond was never easy. She still remembered the first time she discovered Jayden being her mate and how she was excited to reveal to him that they were mates. But after that one incident, everything changed, and she never looked at mate bond the same way ever again.     *sh back- Five years ago*     ¡®Hey red head, which pack are you from?¡¯, the tall guard lowered himself to match Jo¡¯s eyes.     ¡®I.. am a rogue. I seek refuge in your pack and to pledge my oath to your Alpha¡¯, 18-year-old Jo stuttered as she tried to remember what she practised before. She had been on the run for months and hiding her scent was very tiring, especially since it took a great amount of her energy reservoir.     Jo nervously looked at the guard who was studying her carefully. She prayed he would believe her because she needed a cover. Her enemies were on her hot trails, and she could not afford making a single mistake.     ¡®Hey Pete, check this chick out. ims to be rogue and needs refuge¡¯, the tall man narrated to his friend who was now also looking at Jo.     ¡®Oh god¡¯, she thought to herself as she started garnering more attention from the guards.     Pete, a simr tall and muscr looking guard studied Jo and started his own interrogations. ¡®Any previous pack?¡¯.     ¡®No sir! I want to be in a pack, it¡¯s been my lifelong dream please¡¯, Jo pleaded as she got down on her knees.     ¡®Do you kneel and bent in other ces too?¡¯, one of the other guards guarding a different post hollered at her making everyone crackle. Jo could feel her face flushing as blood rushed instantly to her cheeks.     The two guards before her were whispering between themselves as Pete finally gave Jo the green signal. ¡®Alright. What¡¯s your name?¡¯.     ¡®Jolene, Sir¡¯.     ¡®Don¡¯t call me sir again, we don¡¯t do that here soon. And you are aware you need to swear an oath to our Alpha and this pack?¡¯.     ¡®I am¡¯.     *


    After Jo was let into the pack, she spent several weeks training in the pack as an Omega. And in the second month, Jo was called along with the other refugees to arge ground where the Alpha would decide whether he wanted to finalise the oath and allegiance. The refugees were a mix of young, old werewolves and even abandoned pups.     Alpha Warren called each of the refugee on to the small podium one by one. He started epting some refugees making them swear allegiance while the rejected ones were made to leave the pack straightaway. After the Alpha screened nearly 13 refugees, he stopped and asked his son to take over.     A young Alpha Jayden stepped forward proudly as he stood next to his dad.     ¡®Son, as a future Alpha of this pack. I want to you do the rest of the screening¡¯, Alpha Warren warmly told his son who looked eager to do as asked.     As Alpha Jayden started screening the refugees, Jo realised he was even harsher and stricter than his father. He seemed to only ept young girls and pups while instantly rejecting elderly werewolves.     Jo started quivering with fear as her turn came. She did not want to go back in the no man¡¯s border again and fend for herself. She wanted to rest for a while and restore her energy reservoir.     ¡®Jolene¡¯, Alpha Jayden called her name.     As Jo reached the podium and bowed before the Alpha, she sniffed the scent of peach and pinewood in the air.     ¡®Rise and let me look at you¡¯, Jayden ordered her.     Jo did as she was told. Her heart start racing, and she knew what was happening. The damn mate thing she had been hearing about werewolves was happening to her. Mates between different species were not impossible or unheard of. She could sense right from the start that Alpha Jayden was her mate. But of course, he did not even seem to have the slightest clue about it because Jo¡¯s true scent was masked heavily.     ¡®I will ept you into my pack as an omega. Swear your allegiance now¡¯, Jayden smirked at Jo as she quickly vocalised her oath and her joining was made official.     The next few things she did was in a daze as her mind kept wondering back to Jayden¡¯s emerald eyes. She hated to admit it, but she was already attracted to him in a way she did not like.     Few months after the allegiance, Jo saw Jayden a few times here and there. She sometimes saw him in the dining area, sometimes in the training ground and she kept wanting more.     She hated the fact that he was bing her weakness and having a weakness was thest thing on her mind.     On Jo¡¯s 19th birthday, she even contemted removing her mask and letting her true scent out. Jayden would be able to sense that she was his mate if she did that, he was already 21 by then. She really was going crazy even thinking that! Because if she let her true scent out, her enemies would easily be able to track her down and she was not even sure Jayden would be willing to ept the bond. Taking all the courage in the world, she decided to finally confront Jayden. But as she made her way to the training ground, she witnessed one of the most horrific things. Alpha Jayden along with his beta Leo and Mason were forcing themselves on a pregnant she-wolf. As they passed the terrified and desperate, she-wolf between themselves, Jo did not know what to do. The cries got louder and forgetting everything, she nearly went into the ground before she was stopped by a pair of shaky hands.     ¡®You can¡¯t stop them. You are only going to get killed if you interrupt them¡¯, a young voice came. ¡®I am Polly, an omega like you. And trust me, this is not the first time, they have done something like this¡¯. As Polly kept holding Jo, they watched as the predators yed with their prey some bore and finally got bored.     ¡®I am done¡¯, Jo heard Jayden¡¯s voice say.     ¡®What do we do with her, boss¡¯, his aplice asked.     Within a blink of an eye, Jayden ripped the pregnant she-wolf¡¯s belly apart as he threw the foetus on the dusty ground floor.     ¡®Less waste on the earth¡¯, Jaydenmented making his subordinatesugh as Jo¡¯s whole world started copsing. The tiniest hope she had in her mate was now long gone.     ¡®So, this is Jayden¡¯s true colour? I should have known¡¯, Jo thought to herself as she cried uncontrobly.     Moreover, as years went by, she saw more of Jayden¡¯s brutality as he mercilessly killed countless ves in the annual hunt and continued bedding, she-wolves none stop. After that incident, Jo decided she never wanted to reveal herself as Jayden¡¯s mate, so, she carefully hid her true scent in all her clothes.     But then Lucy happened and now Jo feared something horrible might happen to her poor friend. And all this because of her scent. She was not taking any more risk now. They needed to leave and fast.Material ? of N?velDrama.Org.

 Chapter 15- Justice served on a hot platter

    It was day two of the royal visit in the Dark yer Pack and so many things were happening too quickly. Jo needed some time to rewind and reflect. She did not remember what happened at the feast or how she woke up in her bed in the morning, clearly some one carried her there but who?     She thought hard trying to remember from her jumbled and vague memory when it hit her. Sh. it. Dante! The memories of her crying and sobbing on Dante¡¯s shoulders hit her like bullets, she was embarrassed. How will she ever face the general seriously without being haunted from what she didst night?     ¡®Jo!¡¯, Lucy¡¯s voice brought her back to earth. ¡°You need to get ready quickly. Remember, we need to go check on General Dante and attend to his needs¡¯.     Jo groaned, thest thing she wanted to do was face Dante.     *


    ¡®Why are you hiding behind me?¡¯, Lucy asked confused as they stood outside Dante¡¯s guest room.     ¡®Oh no, I was just fixing your hair and oh my, what a gorgeous blonde hair you have. Go on, knock the door. Don¡¯t be shy, Jo encouraged as Lucy frowned at her weird behaviour and knocked.     Within a couple of moments, the door flew open as a wet haired Dante stood before them. Water dripped from his hair and slid down on to his perfectly toned abs. And both the girls avoided his gaze after they realised, he had only one towel wrapped around his waist.     ¡®How may I help youdies?¡¯, he asked smoothly as he noticed Jo was hiding behind Lucy. Did she rememberst night? His heart warmed up thinking about how gently she sobbed on his shoulder over a fictional character. Truth be told, he was a little jealous of the Drake guy, he was not even real but already got Jo crying over for him.     ¡®Good morning, General. We wanted to check in and see if you required anything at all?¡¯, Lucy replied without missing a beat.     ¡®Hmm actually there is something I needed help with Lucy¡¯, Dante said slowly.     Jo cursed at herself again for drinking too muchst night. Bute to think of it, this General was far more bearable than Jayden and his di. ckass friends. He even remembered Lucy¡¯s name which was weird for someone of his title and rank.     ¡®What is it general?¡¯, Lucy implored Dante to go on.     ¡®I wanted to see if I can get a tour around the mansion after I get dressed of course¡¯.     ¡®We can certainly do that. Please let us know when you are ready¡¯, Lucy eagerly replied, making sure her eyes were down all the time as a sign of respect.


    Once Dante got back inside, he tried to stop himself fromughing. Jo was blushing behind the other omega. She clearly remembered what happened. He decided to wear casual today instead of his armour suit. So, he chose a baggy grey jogger and a matching shirt.     As he stepped outside of his room, he noticed Jo was still hiding.     ¡®Jolene?¡¯, he called her, trying to sound as serious as he could. ¡®How is Drake doing?¡¯.     Both girls gasped wondering how he knew about the fictional character.     Jo was fidgeting her hands as she tried to remain calm. The general was teasing her, and she knew better than to react.     ¡®I don¡¯t understand what you mean, General¡¯, Jo finally spoke up stepping sideways and revealing herself clearly now. Unlike Lucy, she stared straight at the General locking eyes.     ¡®Well surely you will get what I mean soon¡¯, he raised his eyebrows at her as they started a stare down.     Unless it was family and friends, everyone had always quivered in fear after holding eye contact for more than a few seconds with Dante. But here he was, enjoying a stare down with Jo who had the most delicate frame, yet something about her was so strong and mesmerising. Her spirit? Her energy? He couldn¡¯t tell but he enjoyed it, a lot.     Lucy nudged Jo with her elbows finally making them break eye contact. ¡°Shall we start?¡¯.     *Material ? of N?velDrama.Org.


    The mansion was huge as it sub-divided into many small wings and sections. Luckily, Lucy was an amazing tour guide and knew every nook and corner of the ce. She grew up in this pack after all.     ¡®And this general, is the infamous fountain of wishes¡¯, she proudly pointed at a beautiful blue fountain that stood tall amongst the outside staircases.     ¡®Magnificent. I have only heard good things about this fountain¡¯, Dante watched fascinated as the fountain¡¯s colour changed between blue and teal.     Just as she led the group to the next area, they heard a desperate cry for help.     Dante was the first one to act as he instantly vanished within seconds to where the sound wasing from. Jo and Lucy followed suite and it took them a few minutes to finally arrive to the training ground.     Jo watched in horror as she watched Leo, the current Gamma of the pack whipping Mina and Daya with ash. Lucy was shaking with fear, as she empathized with the two fairies probably from her own years of abuse at the hands of the pack members.     ¡®What¡¯s going on here?¡¯, Dante¡¯s authoritative voice thundered making Leo instantly stop as the crowd cheering him also stopped. It was mostly his friends and some of the warriors doing the cheering.     ¡®Who are you?¡¯, Leo barked back as he wiped beads of sweat off his face. One of his friends close by quickly whispered something to him making Leo¡¯s face change instantly.     ¡®My apologies royal General. I was just punishing these two ves. They were caught from the no-man¡¯s border. As you can tell, they were eavesdropping in the training ground and are not even werewolves. So, taking the pack¡¯s best interest in heart, I am punishing them as our Alpha Jayden would have liked¡¯, Leo proudly exined, as if he expected a badge of honour for doing something so horrific.     Dante looked ferociously at the man in front of him as his aura started emitting off into the air. He slowly walked towards the centre and snatched thesh from Leo¡¯s hands.     The two fairies were not only whipped but also were stripped naked and had bruises all over their body.     This was not the doing of only one man. He needed to talk to Alpha Jayden and abolish all the ve rules and hunting ceremonies Dark yer Pack was still practising. He had enough of it.     Dante kneeled before the fairies as he was now on level to them. ¡®I am sorry dear fairies. What this monster did, does not define the true hospitality of us werewolves. He will be punished for his acts¡¯.     With that Dante extended theshes to them as they looked nervously at it through their bloody bruises and open wounds.     ¡®Return his favour¡¯, he smiled. Within seconds, Mina cried in pain as she took thesh and ran towards Leo.     In a spilt of second, Dante was behind Leo, holding him in ce with a deadlock. As Mina whipped thesh on Leo, he started yelping in pain. Soon, Daya joined in as well. Dante had an iron grip on the brute Gamma as the two fairies did a number on him.     Dante finally let Leo¡¯s limp body drop as everyone watched dazed. Leo¡¯s friends were all frozen to their spot while the warriors present were shifting ufortably, no words or even a single sounding out of them.     ¡®Anyoneys hand on the ves next time, I won¡¯t let you off this easily¡¯, Dante growled making all the onlookers gulp hard.     Leo looked like he had seen hell. He looked around and saw everyone looking down on him. He was just beaten by two petite fairies; this will haunt him for life. Using thest bit of energy he had, he charged towards the two fairies wanting to snap their neck off and prove that he was the Gamma of this pack for a reason. But before he could lunge onto them, Dante caught him mid air swiftly and with one quick move, detached his neck from his body.     Blood sttered on Dante¡¯s eyes, but he didn¡¯t flinch. He gave this bas. tard one chance already.     ¡®What the fu. ck did you just do?¡¯, Jayden¡¯s angry voice made everyone¡¯s head turn. ¡®Did you just kill my fuc. king Gamma? Are you out of your mind? Just because you are from the royal kingdom, you think you can go around killing high ranked werewolves in my pack?¡¯.     ¡®He was using violence as a form of punishment and attempted to kill two innocent fairies. That sick bas. tard deserved it¡¯, Dante replied coolly with his arms folded, like he didn¡¯t just kill someone a few seconds before.     ¡®You killed him for those two ves, this is outrageous! Warriors, arrest him. I am summoning elders from the holy Cathedral shrine to request a trial on you. Being a royal general does not excuse you for killing my Gamma for no reason!¡¯, Jayden barked the orders at the warriors who hesitated to even take a single step towards Dante. But Dante still looked unfazed, he simply raised his two hands up in the air signalling that he was surrendering on his own.     ¡®Don¡¯t just stand there, hand cuff him¡¯, the angry Alpha snarled at his subordinates making them jump into action.     Once Dante was handcuffed, heplied with wherever he was being taken to. Thest glimpse he had before being away was of Jo, who looked like she was close to tears.     ¡®I will be okay¡¯, he mouthed at her and she believed him for some reason.     Memories of the pregnant she-wolf shed before Jo¡¯s eyes. She was so powerless then, so weak. And here she was watching Dante act within seconds of seeing an injustice. She felt guilty for not doing the same years ago. Only if she raised her voice too, only if¡­

 Chapter 16- Emotions

    It was total chaos in Dark yer Pack, the furious Alpha sent for the elders to be summoned from the holy Cathedral Shrine. It would take a couple of days for the elderlies to arrive however as the shrine was located very far away. Jayden would not hear it from anyone, not even the former Alpha. Dante was still locked in the dungeon where all the ves were usually kept before they were paraded for the annual hunt.     ¡®Son, let¡¯s not do things with a hot head. How about we release the general and have a proper civil conversation¡¯, the former Alpha tried talking some sense.     ¡®He will NOT be released. So, what if he is a general from the royal kingdom? Leo was not just the Gamma of this pack but also my childhood friend. So, with all due respect father, he will stay in that dungeon until I say otherwise¡¯, Jayden growled making the former Alpha take a few steps back.     *


    ¡®HAHAHA, so much forying low¡¯, Caleb snickered at his friend who was behind the huge rusting bars. ¡®Why did you even let them keep you here? This isn¡¯t like you at all man¡¯.     Dante casually shrugged his shoulder, ¡®I guess I am bing you causing trouble wherever I go¡¯.     ¡®Yeah yeah. But seriously Dante, what¡¯s the deal? Why did you kill their gamma?¡¯, Caleb asked curiously as he wrinkled his nose from the rotting smell in the dungeon.     ¡®Because he deserved it¡¯, and Caleb instantly knew the Gamma must have probably done something wrong to provoke Dante like that. He was the calmest calcted leader Caleb had ever met and would never do anything in a haste. Despite being an Alpha of his own pack, Caleb only and only surrendered to Dante¡¯s authority, no one else.     ¡®I see. So, you are going to wait till the elderlies arrive for the trial. Why not just tell them who you are?¡¯, he asked.     ¡®Well, I wanted to call the elderlies anyways and discuss something with them. So, I will stay put and wait for them to arrive. How¡¯s the investigation going anyways? Any leads?¡¯.     Caleb started to reply but stopped, ¡®¡¯Man, it stinks in here¡¯. But after Dante gave him a stern look, he continued. ¡®So far, no concrete leads. But I have found something interesting¡¯, his voice trailed off, grabbing Dante¡¯s attention more.     ¡®All the cross marks on the strangled dead bodies so far were written by ink. But thest dead body of the young she-wolf found near this pack¡¯s border was different. Her cross mark on the wrist was drawn by tar coal, the deep blue one¡¯.     Dante¡¯s eye grew wide in realisation, ¡®Deep blue tar coals are only found in one ce¡¯.


    ¡®You are right¡¯, Caleb nodded, ¡®Its only found in the Demon¡¯s kingdom¡¯.


    .


    .


    .


    ¡®I am sorry again girls. I should have never let you both off to wander alone¡¯, Lucy tearfully cried as she slowly helped the two fairies back into their shared amodation.     ¡®Its not your fault Lucy, stop it. We wandered off on our own. But I was right about that general, Dante all along. He is our knight in shining armour¡¯, Mina dreamily confessed making Lucy smile weakly.Text property ? N?vel(D)ra/ma.Org.


    Daya was quiet the whole time with Jo by her side. Once they got into their tiny, shared room, Lucy left to draw a bath for the two fairies while Jo looked at Daya.     ¡®You know crying does not make you look weak¡¯, Jo finally broke the silence making the pink haired fairy turn her face in the opposite direction ignoring what Jo had just said.


    ¡®Um, I will go and check on the bath¡¯, Mina excused herself reading the air and tension in the room.


    ¡®So, you want to talk about what happened?¡¯, Jo asked again trying to reach for Mina¡¯s shoulder.     ¡®DON¡¯T TOUCH ME¡¯, the fairy¡¯s high-pitched sound stopped Jo mid-air. But Jo could hear the pain in her voice and knew she was hurting.


    ¡®Mina, that di. ckhead is dead now. He had thating for himself. You and Daya did nothing wrong. There are still good werewolves amongst us, like Dante and Lucy¡¯, Jo slowly spoke, her voice almost sounding like a whisper.


    ¡®You don¡¯t understand. The whipping, the cheering of the crowd, the stripping of our clothes, everything brought back bad memories from my past. I thought I was strong enough to forget about my past, but I was so wrong. The terrible memories all came back to me when I was getting whipped and I have never felt so worthless in my life¡¯, Daya admitted through pursed lips, stopping herself from crying.


    ¡®I do understand¡¯.     ¡®How?¡¯, the fairy angrily retorted back.     ¡®Because I have been told I should kill myself before¡¯, Jo confessed as she pushed her red hair back and sighed heavily.


    ¡®Really?¡¯, Mina quietly asked this time.     ¡®Yes¡¯, Jo paused for a second but continued. ¡®I have never had anyone who truly cared about me, no matter how many people I was surrounded by. At first, I took their words to heart and thought something was wrong with me. I even considered killing myself multiple times when I was young, simply because I thought I was worthless. But over time I realised, nothing was wrong with me. Its just the world we live in, Mina. So, cry if you need to, scream even. Get it all out of system but don¡¯t me yourself for it. Don¡¯t question your worth because of it¡¯. Before Jo could finish, Mina finally broke down as Jo gave the little fairy a shoulder to cry on.     ¡®Thankkk¡­you¡¯, the fairy whispered.     Suddenly Jo and Mina heard ugly cries from outside. She instantly got up and checked to find Lucy and Daya crying near the door, hugging each other.     ¡®And I thought you guys were going to draw a bath¡¯, Jo shook her head in front of the two mess who were clearly eavesdropping on the conversation.     ¡®We needed to hear that too. We love you, Jo¡¯, Daya and Lucy said in unison as the ugly crying only got worse.     ¡®Oof, what am I going to do with you girls?¡¯, Jo heartilyughed as a tiny trickle of tear escaped her eyes too.

 Chapter 17- Run, but don’t hide

    Day five of the royal visitR¨ºAdt??St chapters at Novel(D)ra/ma.Org Only


    Dante had been in the dungeon for nearly three days now and Jo was worried sick for him. This was not like her at all, he was aplete stranger to her. And yet here she was, nervous about what the trial had in store for him. It was hard to admit but she had grown some respect for him when he stood up for the fairies. Leo¡¯s death was extremely satisfying for her to watch, especially after horrible abuses the brute Gamma had inflicted on so many ves.


    Jo tried to refocus her mind again. She had a bigger fish to fry. The two fairies had confessed to her that they were escapees from the fairynd and not really lost in the no-man¡¯s border. Unfortunately for them, they were captured by Dark yers warriors before they could escape to the human civilisation. They really had a tough luck.


    Now Jo was making an escape n for four people, and she had to make sure there were no mistakes. Because one mistake could cost their lives. Jayden was not really your sweet understanding Alpha. He was the typical possessive snob, Alpha; she really hated his type. So he would definitely not like it when he finds out about their escape.


    Time was not really in her favour because now with the elderlies arriving to the pack soon and the fairy guardsing to pick the two runaway fairies, she was under pressure.


    ¡®If you had told me this earlier, we would not have had the messenger sent to the fairy kingdom¡¯, Jo scolded the two guilty fairies.


    ¡®Well, we did not know if we could trust you right from the bat. What if you held us captive after we revealed we were escapees from ournd¡¯, Daya shuddered.


    ¡®If you put it that way..¡¯, Jo started before Lucy jumped in.


    ¡®Can we also include them in our escape n?¡¯, she pleaded as the two fairies also gave Jo the sad puppy eyes.


    ¡®You girls are going to be the death of me¡¯, Jo shook her head as she finally relented.


    After speaking around to some omegas, Jo had gathered some information that she wasn¡¯t sure was credible or not, but she had to take her chances.


    So far, she had gathered that the elderlies will be arriving at tomorrow¡¯s sunset. Because they were representing the governing body of the werewolf world, Jo expected the pack would surely give them a grant weing.


    Dark yer pack was a small pack even though it was heavily patrolled by the warriors. The weakest link in this pack¡¯s border was the east region because it led to a stream of river that pretty much flowed down for kilometres. On the other side of the stream, was another pack. Jo could not risk crossing the stream. But if they followed the stream down, they would get to the east region and reach the no-man¡¯s border within a couple of days.


    The no-man¡¯s border was an unacimednd where any species and beings were allowed to roam freely. With a stroke of luck hopefully, Jo could help her little troupe cross the border and get them to the human civilisation. It was an unwritten but universal rule that the human civilisation was off limits. Because if any one of the species broke the rule, all the other species would retaliate. She knew this because she had tried to reach the human settlements before too when she was on the run. Unfortunately, because she was running low on her energy reservoirs, her true scent was surfacing and easily alerted her enemies. So she had to take a detour andnded up in the Dark yer pack.


    Jo took her diary out and mapped all her n out again. It sounded good in her head but writing it down helped her spot loopholes and think of ways to avoid it.


    After spending several hours through the night, she finalised her n at around 3am. ¡®This should work¡¯, she said to herself.


    cing her diary on the night table, she looked down to watch the sleeping faces of the fairies and Lucy. They had gotten close over the past few days. Polly refused toe back to the shared room, so it was only them now.


    ¡®No, this has to work¡¯, she reminded herself as she inhaled a deep breath in.


    *


    Day six of the royal visit


    ¡®Get up sleeping beauties¡¯, Jo roughly woke the girls up as they groaned and protested. ¡®The elderlies areing today and I have finished the escape n¡¯.


    This seemed to do the trick as they start sitting up right slowly.


    ¡®So, here¡¯s the n¡¯, she announced as she began rubbing her two hands.


    *


    Dante was sitting peacefully on a metallic b when he realised Caleb was trying to mind link him. After he finally put the block down, he heard Caleb¡¯s hyperventting voice.


    ¡®Slow down, your voice is so annoying even in mind link¡¯, Dante distastefully said.


    ¡®You will love it when you know what I have just found. Remember the recent dead she wolf with the tar coal?¡¯, Caleb excitedly asked.


    ¡®Don¡¯t waste my time Caleb, I do remember it¡¯.


    ¡®Why so grumpy? Not like you have any meetings to attend in the dungeon¡¯, his friendughed as he found his own joke amusing.


    ¡®Well if you keep testing my patience, I will make this demon next to my cell as the next general inmand¡¯, Dante warned.


    ¡®So¡¯, Caleb ignored his warnings and continued. ¡®The Crystal Lake pack warriors have captured two demons recently and out of the possessions the demons had, they found a small pouch which had the deep blue tar coal. The pack¡¯s Alpha Taron just reported to me, and I bet you, it was the demon kingdom¡¯s doing for all the unexined murders¡¯.


    ¡®It could be but that¡¯s not solid evidence. We need concrete proof before we can confront the Demons because their king isn¡¯t really going to take any usations lightly¡¯. Dante voiced back as his thoughts went to the current king. Victor Astaroth was the current king of the demon world and he was a young hot headed bas. tard.


    ¡®You are right. It does not make sense as to why the demon king would need to kill so many young she wolves and ce cross marks on them. I reckon there¡¯s more to it¡¯, Caleb quizzically replied.


    ¡®Oh, there is definitely more to it. Caleb, now that the two potential culprits have been captured in Crystal Lake pack. I want you to scan this pack as well and see if there are any hidden demons amongst us, not including the ones captured in the hunt. gue demons are strong but that¡¯s all there is to them. If it really was the Demon king responsible for all these unexined murders, he will probably send his smart subordinates like the Aamon ss of demons. They are cunning as hell, so tell the Alpha of the Crystal Lake to be careful with them¡¯, he barked his orders.


    ¡®Will do¡¯, and with that the mind link was cut off.


    Dante was left with his thoughts again as he tried to make sense of why the Demon king would need to kill the young, she-wolves for no reason. Was he perhaps looking for someone or was he trying to send a message to the werewolf kingdom? He was going to find out soon because this needed to stop.


    *


    Dante was still in the dark dungeon, he could hear the dripping of the water and because it was so quiet down here, the sound was magnified.


    He could hear somemotions outside and took a guess that the elderlies had probably arrived. The rotting smell of the dungeon did not bother him at all, but he was eager to go out because he wanted to see Jo again.


    Even a small glimpse of her would make him happy. Not seeing her for three days straight had his wolf going crazy. Theo had been begging him to break down the cell bars and go find Jo. And he was even tempted at one point to do that, but he could not risk the mission. If the other culprits were still hiding amongst them and happened to find out his real identity, they would flee straighaway and he couldn¡¯t have that.


    A rustle of keys distracted his train of thoughts. And as he nced up, he saw a flustered Jo standing before him.


    ¡®Shhh¡¯, she gestured to him. ¡®Come here¡¯.


    Dante did as told and when he was close enough, Jo whispered to him, ¡®The elderlies have arrived and you might be in trouble. But I admired what you did and killing that abuser. So, ept this as a token of thank you, for saving the two fairies¡¯, Jo handed him a key with shaky hands. She was clearly frightened to be here, but Dante watched her amusedly and took the keys, thanking her in the process.


    ¡®Unlock the cell door¡¯, Jo guided Dante.


    Once Dante had unlocked the doors, Jo stepped inside as her sweet scent infiltrated his nostrils and he wanted more.


    She quickly unlocked his shackles and freed his hands as she handed me a different key.


    ¡®You can undo the shackle on your legs yourself¡¯, Jo blurted out.


    Dante unwillingly took the key. ¡®Like this?¡¯, he asked as he deliberately made a mistake and dropped the keys.


    Jo sighed as she picked them up and tried to patiently guide the silly general.


    ¡®Like this¡¯, she said as she put her hands on his and inserted the entrance of the keys into the lock.


    Her touch was driving him crazy, and it was getting difficult keeping Theo in check. Jo quickly undid his legs and he cursed himself when her hands lifted off from his skin. He was already craving for more of her touch. Theo started saying something in his mind but  he could not make up what it was.


    ¡®General, I have brought this cloak for you. The guards outside have been summoned to wee the elderlies from the holy cathedral shrine¡¯. Without wasting time, Jo swung the cloak around Dante herself and tied the knots around his shoulder. Her hands touched his face when she was tightening the knots the second time.


    A mild electric spark generated between them as the afterwave spark spread through his blood. Soon, Theo¡¯s voice was bing louder and more clearer.


    ¡®Ready?¡¯, Jo asked as she took Dante¡¯s big warm hands into hers and scented him with a fake scent. Jo did not tell the general what she was doing of course.


    Once she was done, she looked up at the general with a big smile, happy that they were finally good to go. It was not her intention to include Dante in her escape n. But she knew she had to help Dante escape the dungeon at the very least.


    ¡®Are you ready?¡¯, Jo repeated herself.


    But the General looked frozen to the spot as his golden eyes was flickering and the silver rings were getting bigger, consuming the golden part. He looked like he was having an internal battle.


    ¡®Your eyes.. they..¡¯, her voice trailed off as Dante pulled her into his arms and she was instantly hit by his scent that had her mesmerised before as well.


    ¡®MATE¡¯, he whispered as Jo¡¯s stood shocked in his embrace.

 Chapter 18- The Trial

    Jo watched Dante¡¯s eye in amusement, his golden eyes were nowpletely engulfed by the silver rings. It was as if he was being controlled by someone else.


    ¡®Mate¡¯, he whispered again as the word sent tingles down her spine.


    ¡®Mate¡¯, Jo mimicked him as she got lost in his silver swirls, they were very hypnotising and easy to get lost in.Text property ? N?vel(D)ra/ma.Org.


    ¡®I know¡¯, he tenderly replied as he touched her face with the back of his hands, scared that he might hurt her delicate features.


    Jo did not even realise what was happening, she was not one of them after all. She had read about the mate bonds between the werewolves and used to think how lucky they were. After realising Jayden was her mate, she was even more surprised that mate bondsmonly existed between different species as well. But having seen the true face of her horrible mate, she knew it was not a blessing but a curse to have a mate and to experience the mate bond. You were fated to another soul you did not even know. Jo was d she was able to grow out of the feelings and attraction she had for Alpha Jayden.


    But as she stared at Dante¡¯s eyes, she started analysing what he was trying to convey. She was not very familiar with the werewolf rules in detail but why was he calling her ¡®mate¡¯? From the limited knowledge she had about their world, she assumed that she would have to reject and break the mate bond with Alpha Jayden first to have the possibility of getting a second mate. Or were the gods ying a dirty joke on her and paired her up with multiple mates. She did not need a mate at all, not even from her own species, let alone TWO from the werewolf world.


    ¡®You are mistaken.. I¡¯, Jo began but was stopped when Dante put his slender index finger on her lips.


    ¡®Jo, I am happy to know you really are my fated mate. I wasn¡¯t so sure before, but I am now¡¯, he painfully said still holding her in his embrace.


    ¡®I am not. I am just an omega who..¡¯


    ¡®Its okay¡¯, he stopped her for the second time as he closed his eyes, as if he was scared of what wasing next.


    ¡®We are not meant to be Jo¡¯, he dragged each word slowly. ¡®Sorry for what I am going to do next. But just know that this has nothing to do with you being an omega¡¯.


    ¡®Huh?¡¯, she asked confused as she tried fighting out of his embrace and he finally let her go.


    ¡®I, Dante¡­Alpha¡­. C¡­Va.. reject.. you¡­¡¯, each wording out of Dante¡¯s mouth was foreign to her as she couldn¡¯t make out what he was trying to do. But the word reject hit her like a brick, and she clutched her heart as a dull pain starting growing.


    Dante looked worriedly at her, ¡®I am sorry again Jo. But I need you to ept my rejection¡¯.


    But before they could exchange any more words, they heard the guards returning. Fearing for Jo¡¯s safety, Dante pushed Jo¡¯s stunned body behind a big pir and went back into his cell, instantly locking it.


    Jo did not care about what was going around her as she tried making sense of what happened. Reject? All she heard was his name and the word reject. She didn¡¯t catch the rest of it and she didn¡¯t want to either. The more she thought about it, the more she began realising it.


    Werewolves could reject their fated mates if they didn¡¯t want to be together. Dante¡¯s smell, his mesmerising eyes all affected her, just like Jayden¡¯s did on her years ago. The puzzle was piecing itself together. Dante just rejected her because he sensed they were mates. Werewolves had heightened senses, much more than her kind. But how was he able to draw that conclusion through the mask she had on, for her true scent. Even Alpha Jayden couldn¡¯t find out her true scent for years she had been living in this pack.


    At that moment, nothing mattered more. Dante found out they were mates and still decided to reject her. Who was he kidding? She knew it was probably because he thought she was an omega? It gave Jo more drive not to reveal her true identity to him now. After all the respect she had grown for him, she felt betrayed. She did not want a mate from the start, YES.


    But to think of, how fast Dante wanted to get rid of her hurt. Her past memories started haunting her thoughts.


    ¡®You should have never been born¡¯.


    ¡®You should have never existed¡¯


    ¡®Why are you still breathing?¡¯


    ¡®Make it stop. Make it stop¡¯, she cried as she leaned on the pir and dropped down on the dark dungeon floors. Through her teary eyes, she looked at the empty cells. Dante was gone. He was probably escorted to the trial by the guards.


    ¡®Did he hate being mated to her so much that he thought death in trial was so much better¡¯, countless thoughts terrorised her mind as she gathered all the courage she had and stood up.


    She still had an escape n to execute and did not have time to tend to her broken heart. This could be dealt withter because right now she had an escape n to execute.


    *


    Dante squinted his eyes as the bright lights hit his eyes. Being in the dungeon for so many days and inplete darkness was certainly not for the faint heart.


    His wolf, Theo refused to talk to him after he rejected their mate. Even though, Jo had said nothing back, he knew the rejection was final from his side. Thest image he had of her, was her standing still behind the pir, unbothered by anything happening around her. She was probably shocked, and he understood that it was probably hard for her. He only hoped she did not me it on her being an omega. It was nothing to do with ranks because his reasons were much bigger than that.


    ¡®General Dante, bow before the elders¡¯, Alpha Jayden spitefully said as Dante looked around to see the gathering.


    The trial was taking ce in the training camp. Everyone was gathered there from the pack warriors, high officials, royalmanders to the elderlies from the Holy shrine. While the pack members observed him with great scrutiny, the royal visitors looked at ease.


    The Holy shrine was being represented by three elderlies at the trial.


    Dante bowed before the elders out of respect and not because he was told to do so.


    ¡®Its an honour to meet the elderlies again¡¯, Dante voiced.


    ¡®Speak only when you are spoken to. This is your trial!¡¯, Jayden growled at the man kneeling who looked unbothered.


    ¡®He..¡¯, one of the elderlies with a crescent tattoo on his neck began to say but was instantly stopped by Dante.


    ¡®Its okay. Let Alpha Jayden have a fair trial¡¯, Dante advised,  infuriating Jayden more. He was waiting for Caleb to finish scanning this pack before he could reveal himself.


    ¡®You don¡¯t give orders around here. This is my pack! Just because you are a royal general did not give you the right for killing my poor Gamma!¡¯, the angry Alpha yelled as Dante looked at him bored.


    ¡®And why did you kill the Gamma?¡¯, the white-haired elderly asked Dante with a smile on her face.


    ¡®Because that bas. tard was abusing two innocent fairies with no grounds¡¯, he replied coolly as he continued kneeling on the floor. Dante did not mind, besides the elderlies were wise and were known to make fair decisions.


    ¡®Lies, those fairies¡¯ lives were nothing next to my Gamma¡¯s. They were just ves!¡¯, Jayden defended his dead Gamma again.


    ¡®Alpha Jayden, the main question would be, how did two fairies get captured as ves in your pack?¡¯, it was the third elderly speaking now.


    ¡®I¡­they were caught in the no-man¡¯s borders as they were causing disturbances¡¯, Jayden lied as he stuttered and broke cold sweats.


    ¡®It is illegal in our werewolf world to hold any other species as a ve. The only exception we have is for trouble causing demons that have been allowed to be hunted during your pack¡¯s annual tradition¡¯, the elderlies continued, bombarding the nervous Alpha with question after question.


    ¡®Wait! This is not my trial. You need to question this murderer instead¡¯, Jayden snarled pointing at Dante.


    ¡®He has been cleared after he answered our first question. His trial is finished However, we need to set a trial to see how you are handling all the ves in your pack, Alpha¡¯, the white-haired elderly calmly said as she finally took a seat on the chair, confusing Jayden.


    ¡®This isn¡¯t over. Wait, he killed my Gamma. Are you letting him off simply because he is from the royal kingdom? And I thought the elderlies made JUST decisions¡¯, Jayden was getting to his wits end as the crowd gathering were whispering and murmuring amongst themselves.


    ¡®We do make fair choices, but Dante gave us the reason. And that¡¯s all we needed to hear¡¯, the crescent tattooed elderly replied, also taking a seat.


    ¡®And why does his word have so much weightage? Why don¡¯t you need proof or evidence? Surely, there¡¯s more to it?¡¯.


    There was only one elderly standing before the trial now. He looked at Dante first who gave him the go-ahead nod. Caleb had just confirmed with Dante that there were no other demon sses present at the trial via mind-link and that was enough confirmation for him.


    ¡®Because the Alpha king would never need to lie¡¯, and with that, the third elderly also took a seat.


    Jayden contorted his face in confusion trying to decipher the chaotic trial that was not going the way he had expected. ¡®What do you mean? This general¡¯sst name is Castiel, and the current ruling royal surname has Vanslord!¡¯.


    ¡®You are right. But Dante¡¯sst name is not Castiel. That¡¯s his middle name. His full name is Dante Castielle Vanslord. The Alpha king of the werewolf kingdom¡¯. And with that everyone in the crowd started bowing down.


    As Dante stood up slowly, he easily broke the shackles with a snap. Jayden was still standing and was looking his way with a stupefied face.


    ¡®Bow before your king, you fool¡¯, Dante¡¯s voice growled as he finally unleased his true aura and powers that he had to suppress for the mission.


    Everyone could feel his real aura now as they bowed in silence. Alpha Warren quickly stepped in as he kicked his shocked son in his knees to make him bow down.


    With that, everyone was bowing down and paying respect to the Alpha king.


    But Dante only had one person in mind, Jolene¡­..

 Chapter 20- The Runaway friends

    ¡®This aura¡¯, Lucy quizzically guessed as she stopped in the tracks and sniffed the air. ¡®It feels different and so powerful¡¯.


    ¡®Lucy, keep running! We don¡¯t have time to spare¡¯, Jo redirected her attention as she quickly apologised.


    Soon after Dante was taken away to the trial, Jo had recollected herself and gathered the girls. While there was a ruckus going in the trial ground, they ran to the east side of the pack. Stopping at nothing.


    The patrolling was heavily reduced to only two warriors at the post due to the ongoing trial. So, setting her n in ce, she made Lucy go and talk to the two warriors.


    ¡®What do you want?¡¯, one of them asked as Lucy approached.


    ¡®Um, I am a bit lost¡¯.


    ¡®Lost?¡¯, They snickered.


    ¡®Lucy, we attended the same ss in high school. You used to get full scores in everything including the forest hunts¡¯, one of them spoke and then Lucy realised that the two warriors were her former ssmates from high school. If she was not mistaken, the brown-haired guy was Mason and the maroon haired taller one was Taz. She was shocked that they knew she existed back then, let alone know that she was good with directions and hunt.


    As far as her memories went, everyone ignored her and was used to feeling invisible. But ever since Alpha Jayden made a scene about her being his mate, rumours spread like wildfire in the pack. Though the treatments did not get any better, everyone avoided her gaze as if they feared her for some reason. Mates were sacred in their world after all.


    ¡®Ugh- yes. Actually¡­. Alpha Jayden advised me to meet him somewhere near the east region. He told me he will be here soon after the trial finishes. Don¡¯t tell anyone but he is nning to take me as his mate soon¡¯, Lucy lied with a straight face, wishing the two warriors would buy the bogus story.


    The two warriors whispered amongst themselves.


    ¡®That¡¯s not what it looked likest time. He clearly despised you and why wouldn¡¯t he? You have always known to be cursed¡¯, Taz passed his nastyment to her.


    She steadied her breathing, ¡®Fine then, mock me more. But the day I be the Luna, remember that I tried warning you¡¯. She coolly crossed her arms as she pretended to wait for Jayden.


    The two warriors discussed again, judging by Lucy¡¯s unusually overflowing confidence, they assumed they could take their chances and trust her on this. If she really was telling the truth, they were in for trouble and would do anything to keep away from their brutal Alpha¡¯s wrath.


    ¡®Fine¡¯, they relented. ¡®If you cross this post, you will reach the east region. But don¡¯t go too far. And if you see a stream, DO NOT CROSS IT. Just hang somewhere around there and the Alpha should find you easily¡¯, Taz added.


    ¡®Thank you. I will speak to my mate and make sure you both are highly rewarded¡¯, Lucy bowed like she was already their Luna.


    Once Lucy had the confirmation about the east region, she gave a nod to Jo who was hiding behind a huge oak tree with the two fairies. She saw them walking forward.


    Changing the ns, a little, she tried engaging with warriors again. She wanted to be sure that her friends were not seen until they hadpletely crossed the guarding posts at least. Just then they heard a small yelp of pain, Lucy shot her head to see that Mina had fallen. But it was toote, the guards were already alerted and looking around.


    She had to think quick.


    ¡®Oof, my horrible life¡¯, she cried very VERY loudly, bringing the palm of her hands to her forehead dramatically.


    ¡®What¡¯s wrong?¡¯, Mason asked, raising one of his eyebrows.


    ¡®Ever since I have found out Alpha Jayden was my mate; the nights have been so long. When I try to close my eyes, I think about him. When I open my eyes, I see him¡¯, she narrated at a slow pace while continually throwing nces at the girls crossing the post from a safe distance.


    The two warriors were fully concentrated on her as she continued the charade. ¡®And the dayes. It would make one think the loneliness gets getter during daytime, being busy and all. But the loneliness stays the same. Even while doing a small chore, l think about him and feel lonely¡¯.


    ¡®And the dark nightes again¡¯, Taz yawned discreetly as Lucy went on and on.


    ¡®And the nightes again¡¯, she began again.


    ¡®We get it. You are lonely every day and night. I think you should hurry and go to the east region. You said Alpha Jayden wanted to see you there after the trials¡¯, Mason finally broke her vicious sad story.


    Jo signalled from the other side of the post giving her the signal that they have crossed.


    ¡®Okay then boys, you carry on guarding the posts¡¯, she quickly stride past them as the two warriors finally got their peace back.


    *


    ¡®Don¡¯t even say a word. Or even breath¡¯, Lucy held her hand in the air before her giggling friends. She felt grossed out even thinking about being mated to someone like Jayden.


    Jo imitated zipping her mouth with her hands and shushed the two fairies as well.


    They continued waking towards the east region when the sound of stream flowing finally surrounded the serene forest area.


    ¡®We are here!¡¯, Daya jumped in joy.


    ¡®Not yet, Daya. We still have to follow this stream all the way down. It could take couple of days¡¯, Jo broke the little fairy¡¯s spirits.


    ¡®But we will take a few breaks in between to regain our energy reservoir. So don¡¯t worry¡¯.


    *


    The next day- Back in Dark yer Pack


    The elderlies were setting up a date for Alpha Jayden¡¯s trial. The whole pack was under investigation, Dante had already told the elderlies what he wanted done. No more annual hunts. in and simple.


    Tradition or not, it did not matter.


    ¡®Boss¡¯, Caleb called. It was his nickname for Dante right from childhood.


    ¡®Why can I sense bad news from you?¡¯, Dante replied as he massaged his forehead. He was back in his guest room, away from all the chaos.


    ¡®You were right. The two demons that were captured by the Crystal Lake Pack were Aamon ss of demons. And they seem to have¡­ escaped¡¯, his friend finished.


    Sh. it. That was bad.


    ¡®They are probably heading to the no-man¡¯s border to get back into the demon¡¯s realm. We need to catch them before they step into theirnd¡¯.


    ¡®Yes boss¡¯.


    Within the next few moments, Dante and Caleb were already running towards the no-man¡¯s border. Because Crystal Lake was located near the entrance of the no-man¡¯s border, they were heading east. The two demons wouldn¡¯t be too far off or at least they hoped.


    Even though Theo was not content with what his human counterpart had done earlier, as the king Alpha, they still had to catch the culprits, so he agreed to shifting.


    For a king, duty always came first, feelings second.


    *


    It had been a day already since they were following the stream downwards. They had taken a couple of breaks to let the fairies catch up. Lucy was the only one hardly breaking any sweat as werewolves were known to have high strength endurance. And she had beta¡¯s blood to add on top of that.


    Jo tried hard not to show her exhaustion, but it was futile, the constant walk was too much on her body. So, she started lightening the mask on her true scent. That eased off a little bit of pressure on her energy reservoir. She also hadn¡¯t scented Lucy since yesterday since they were no longer in the Dark yer pack and no longer had to y pretend mates with Alpha Jayden.


    A sharp cry grabbed her attention as she looked up to find a tall man with dark shadows holding Mina by her legs.


    She knew those dark clouds oh so, familiarly.


    ¡®Temptes, arca-cia¡¯, she murmured as a protective dome formed around a stunned Lucy and Daya.


    ¡®Impressive¡¯, the dark man remarked dropping Mina as he fully observed Jo now. He wasmunicating with someone via telepath and Jo knew that, only because this was not the first time she had seen their kind doing it. She knew they were demons and not just any ss. They were the infamous Aamon ss of demons, the smartest ss in their realm.


    Soon, another dark shadow appeared as a simr tall dark man stood near the first one.


    ¡®We can see you are hiding your scent, unmask it now¡¯, one of them spoke as she noticed that they were trying to corner her now.


    Jo quickly mumbled a few spells as a dome formed around Mina as well.


    ¡®You want me? Come get me¡¯, with that she ran further done the river stream hoping for them to follow her. She knew how to use lots of tricks and knew she could shake them off easily. But not around Lucy and the two fairies. It was too risky with them around.


    She looked back to see that the two clouds were no where to be seen. Keeping her guards still high, she continued easing her masked scent to gain more energy reservoir. It was risky but she needed the energy to shake off the cunning demons.


    Focusing too much on the chase, she did not see a huge pit hole as she jumped just in time over it, but soon lost her footing and fell down.


    As she pushed her body up with her two hands, she was already surrounded by the two dark clouds again.


    ¡®Unmask your true scent now before we kill you¡¯, one of them warned her again.


    ¡®Go to hell¡¯, she spitefully said.


    ¡®We are from hell¡¯, theyughed.


    Just then, they were stopped by a pristine clear howl advancing closer and closer to where they were.


    ¡®We don¡¯t have much time. Those puppies will probably wanna y ball again¡¯, as soon as those words left one of the Aamon¡¯s mouth, Dante appeared behind him.


    ¡®You are right, But I want to y ball only with your head¡¯, he whispered instantly snapping his head. Dark clouds evaporated into the air as the demon fell to the ground. He was now whiter than snow and almost looked like a nk canvas.


    The other Aamon demon quickly grabbed Jo while Dante was upied and tried teleporting with his dark clouds. But Dante grabbed the Demon¡¯s leg with his sandsh making him fall, face first.


    The demon grunted in pain as he started crawling on the ground now.


    The Alpha king ced his feet on his body stopping him from crawling any further, ¡®Speak. Who sent you?¡¯. Dante summoned a dragger made of ice and levitated in the air pointing the dragger towards the demon.


    The demon in question menacinglyughed. ¡®Here¡¯s a riddle for you. The darkness seeks a maiden. And a maiden shall he have¡¯.


    Before Dante could ask any further, the demon consumed his own dark clouds instantly choking. He watched as the demon suffocated slowly and died beneath his feet.


    ¡®A riddle? Darkness? Maiden?¡±, so many questions raised within his mind when he caught the scent of his mate again. It was growing stronger and stronger, driving Theo insane. There was no denying that Jolene really was his true, fated mate.? 2024 N?v/el/Dram/a.Org.


    He turned around and found Jo looking at him straight in the eye. Her vibrant red hair being blown away from her face by the wind.


    ¡®I ept your rejection¡¯ was all she said, and his world had never turned so dark.

 Chapter 21- To be or not to be

    Watching her werewolf mate easily snap the demon¡¯s head did nothing to her. How could she forget the dead look in his eyes when he rejected her. Not even hesitating a little bit. She refused to get swooned by his kind charms again, werewolves were all same towards the end. Most of them only wanted power and cared about ranks. Primal instincts at the best.


    However, she did shiver a little at the words of the second Aamon¡¯s riddle. It might sound perplexing to a foreigner¡¯s ears, but she already knew the answers. The darkness, the seek¡­.


    As soon as Dante was faced by the ordeal of the riddle and the self-sacrifice of the demon, he turned around, facing her once again.


    She gulped hard, forcing her body to stop reacting to those golden eyes of his. They were deceitful. At first, it lures you in with its golden ambience and silver swirls but the moment you think you could get lost in it, you realised its true intention. And they weren¡¯t good ones.


    ¡®I ept your rejection¡¯, she bravely forced those words out. Jo was not sure if she really meant what wasing out, they were more likely word vomits to save thest dignity of she had left from the rejection the general had proposed.


    Dante frowned bringing his two brows closer as if he wanted to protest it. ¡®Wh¡­. I see Jo. To make the rejection official, you need to say your full rank in your rejection¡¯.


    It was Jo¡¯s turn to frown now. Rank?


    ¡®Why¡¯s that?¡¯, she asked. ¡®I am an Omega and am not really versed in the rejection rules¡¯.


    The damn general smiled at her. If he hadn¡¯t rejected her the day before, she would have thought it was a genuine one. ¡®Because unless you state your rank or real identity in the rejection, our mate bond won¡¯t break¡¯.


    Jo sighed heavily. This was not going the way she wanted to. Real identity? She was not an omega of Dark yer pack, heck she was not even a werewolf to begin with. If she really had to use her real identity to reject Dante, that meant she would have to reveal her kind. And she had no intentions in doing that.


    ¡®I do not ept the rejection then¡¯, she proudly changed her decision.


    ¡®Why?¡¯, Dante asked when it hit her that he was standing fully naked in front of her. Her eyes immediately darted away from him as he chuckled at the realisation too.


    It was normal for werewolves to be naked around each other, nudity was natural for them. But she still was notfortable with it.


    Jo continued speaking with her back towards him. ¡®Because-Because I am an omega and I have a very weak spirit. If I ept the rejection, it will break mepletely¡¯.


    Guilt spread rapidly through Dante¡¯s body, Theo howling in his mind to im their mate.


    ¡®You inconsiderate fool. Jo is an omega and you rejected her instantly. Don¡¯t you dare reject her again or I will really go into hibernation and never return!¡¯, Theo cursed at him.


    Being a king was certainly not easy. You could not make everyone happy no matter how hard you tried. And Theo making threats at him did not make this situation any better.


    ¡®I see Jo. That¡¯s something I would not wish upon you. Come with me and I will take you to the royal kingdom. We have great healers there who would be able to help you strengthen your spirits. After that, once you are ready, we can make the rejection official¡¯, Dante offered.


    Jo fidgeted with her hands nervously weighing all her options. The general must really hate being mated to an Omega after all.


    ¡®Tell me general, can my friendse along with me. And if yes, after we finalise the rejection, can we be escorted to the human settlements?¡¯, Jo put her offer on the table as well.


    ¡®Of course¡¯, he easily agreed.


    ¡®And what guarantee do I have that you will let us go freely after the rejection?¡¯.


    ¡°A king always keeps his word, Jolene¡¯.


    ¡®King?¡¯, she heard a familiar voice as she turned and saw a limping Mina ask. She had her arms around Caleb as he was really hunched to give the little fairy enough support.


    ¡®I am the current werewolf king and I always keep my word¡¯, Dante said the second part discreetly to Jo.


    She nodded at him as a virtual agreement was decided between the two ill-fated mates.


    ¡®Jo, are you okay?¡¯, she was soon surrounded by her caring friends as she looked in Dante¡¯s way onest time and noticed that he was still looking at her, very intently.


    *


    The journey to the royal kingdom took several days. Dante gave the girls a made-up story about the demons that attacked them but Jo pretended to believe him anyways. Sometimes, it was better ying dumb.


    During the car ride, Jo finally revealed her kind¡¯s identity to Lucy because it was futile hiding it after she saw her casting the spells and everything. Lucy was even more awestruck at Jo now but she swore never to speak of it again.


    It was weird but Jo trusted her friends enough to know they would not expose her true identity.


    Besides, she still hadn¡¯t given them the full story and told them about her true enemies. Her enemies were dangerous and could be anywhere. It was best to leave them out of it.


    The long ck car came to a halt before a long gate which was fashioned from ck iron. As the gate opened, it revealed surreal block of houses, each more modern than the other. However, the car kept driving straight on.


    ¡®Omg, we lived to see the royal kingdom¡¯, Daya squeaked as she looked out the window, admiring the beautiful footpaths and modern houses. ¡®Everyone here must be he rich¡¯.


    ¡®The royal family runs the famous Vanslordpany chain in the human world¡¯, Lucy added. ¡®We had to learn it all in the history ss. They are practically billionaires and a royalty even to humans¡¯.


    The two fairies gaped even more as Jo sat there unimpressed by all the facts Lucy was throwing at them. She simply did not care.


    Their car finally entered a long driveway that had red coloured foot path, signalling that they were getting closer to the royal mansion.


    And she wasn¡¯t wrong. The royal mansion was unbelievably enormous as several tall looking buildings were connected to each other, surrounded beautifully by the nature¡¯s serenity.


    A small wow escaped Jo¡¯s mouth before she could stop it. The mansion could easily be home to thousands of pack members, the distant Dark yer¡¯s mansion merely looked like a kid¡¯s ygroundpared to the royal one.


    It was more fascinating that the enormous mansion only housed the royal family and highly ranked pack members. Lucy¡¯s little royal car podcast made that clear to her.


    As they were escorted out of the car one by one, Jo stepped on to the white marble floor. She was not foreign to big mansions and luxury lifestyles. If anything, she ran away from it. But her poor friends all looked out of ce as they nervously stood next to each other.


    The fairies bright coloured hair made them stand out more as some of the pack members stared at them freely, wondering who they were.


    ¡®Oh my, what do we have here?¡¯, an energetic, little girl hopped over the new arrivals. She had a unique look to her because of her half silver and half dark hair.


    ¡®Evelyn, stop¡¯, Dante¡¯s voice thundered but it was toote.


    She was already sniffing the girls. ¡®Oh fairies¡¯, she said as she got unreasonably close to Mina and Daya.


    ¡®A weird smelling werewolf¡¯, she pointed at Lucy but she pausedpletely when it came to Jo.


    Evelyn took Jo¡¯s hand as she tried making sense of what she was. ¡®I can¡¯t tell what she is¡¯.


    ¡®I am just an Omega¡¯, Jo quickly replied retracting her hands.


    ¡®That¡¯s enough, Evelyn. Excuse my sister, she has been gifted with high senses and likes sniffing everyone¡¯, Dante coughed as he tried removing her sister.


    ¡®Can I stay with them please? I am getting good vibes from them unlike the other meanies¡¯, his little sister begged as Dante firmly declined.


    ¡®Let them rest first and we will seeter on¡¯.


    After Dante vanished with his sister into the long white corridors, the girls were finally shown their rooms. Even though the rooms were separate, they were close to each other.


    Jo stepped into her assigned room as she sat down on the big fluffy nket. It felt good to finally have some space to yourself. Travelling in a car with several people for days tested your sanity on a different level.


    Even though, Dante and Caleb were in a separate car, the fairies¡¯ chattered none stop in the second car. Moreover, with Lucy introducing the vampire¡¯s novel to them as well, it only brought on more heated discussion. They were divided between #TeamDrake and #TeamZackery.


    Jo shook her head just thinking about it. She had fully masked her true scent again, especially after the encounter with the demons. Feeling tired, she rested her head on the soft feathery pillows which sunk into the silky sheets.


    ¡®Mmm, this feels like heavy¡¯.


    *Content (C) N?v/elDra/ma.Org.


    -Knock knock-


    ¡®Huh, uhghh¡¯, Jo grunted, half-awake as she tried to orient herself to the current time and ce.


    ¡®Its Evelyn¡¯, a chirpy voice sang from the door.


    Jo dragged her feet and opened the doors, only to get instantly yanked up and down by the devilishly strong little girl. Nothing less from a royal princess.


    ¡®I know what you are¡¯, her eyes brimmed as Jo gawked at her confused.


    ¡®You are one of these, right?¡¯, she handed Jo something trying to hide her eagerness.


    ¡®How did you¡­¡¯, she began to question but the little girl quickly ran away.


    Jo stared at a little siren figure in her hand as she heard the grand clock in the hallway chime with its melody.

 Chapter 22- When in Rome, do as the Romans do…

    Dante sank into hisrge office chair as his eyes darted on the piling folders on the desk. It was going to take him days to go through all the cases and read them thoroughly. He called Caleb via mind link.


    ¡®Yes boss¡¯.


    ¡®Caleb, send all the royal healers to your pack immediately¡¯, he told his right hand.Text property ? N?vel(D)ra/ma.Org.


    ¡®Sure, but why?¡¯, Caleb¡¯s big mouth wanted to know everything as always.


    ¡®Just do it¡¯, with that, he cut off the mind link. Caleb was the Alpha of Ice warrior pack and could easily keep the royal healers there for a couple of weeks. It was wrong to do this, but he wanted more time with Jo. Just the thought of parting and sending her off to the human settlements made him feel sick.


    As he opened the first case file, he took a deep breath in. It was time to get to work


    *


    Lucy yawned as she stretched her hands, the birds were chirping outside, and the sunrise was falling shyly in her room. It was a good-sized room considering that she was not really a special guest for the royal kingdom.


    Dante revealed himself to be the Alpha king and offered them a few days rest at the royal kingdom. After Jo epted, she did not ask any further questions because she trusted Jopletely. Besides, the encounter with the demons was a sharp reminder of how dangerous the no-man¡¯s border was, and it was probably better to get escorted to the human settlements by the royal guards as Dante promised.


    ¡®NOOOOO¡¯, she heard a loud cry as she quickly rushed to the room next door.


    Banging on the doors, Mina finally unlocked the lock. She had a bored and tired expression on her face as if to say ¡®I don¡¯t get paid enough to deal with this¡¯.


    ¡®What¡¯s wrong?¡¯, Lucy asked as she pushed past Mina and found Daya crying on one of the twin beds.


    ¡®Drake married someone else. I am definitely #TeamZackery now¡¯, the green haired fairy dramatically rolled around with the nket.


    ¡®Ah, so you are at that chapter. Well understandable¡¯, she smiled sitting next to her.


    ¡®Good morning girls¡¯, Jo walked into the room as well looking all fresh. She had her red hair tied up neatly into a ponytail and was wearing a navy-blue polo shirt and smart pants.


    ¡®Wow Miss Jolene are you going to your 8 O¡¯clock scheduled business conference?¡¯, Mina teased, pointing out her unusual choice of clothing.


    ¡®Let me be your assistant and make important phone calls for you!¡¯, Daya volunteered.


    ¡®Phone call?¡¯, Jo asked curiously as if the word was almost alien to her.


    ¡®Come on Jo. Phones? Mobile phones? Telephones? Ringing any bells now?¡¯, Lucy asked amazed.


    ¡®I don¡¯t know what they are?¡¯, was her reply to her astonished friends.


    ¡®And I thought the fairies were the one living under the cave with no technology. Turns out there was a bigger fish out there. No pun intended¡¯, her blonde friend poked at her.


    ¡®Okay, okay. Technology isn¡¯t really a big thing in the sea world. And I didn¡¯t have to use it when in hiding. So, what¡¯s the big deal about it anyways?¡¯.


    ¡®You can send messages through the device. Humans have advanced technologies though they are physically weak. One of their greatest creations is phones!¡¯, Daya added in as Lucy nodded by her side.


    Mina was already back in her bed snoring, unbothered by everything going around her.


    ¡®Really? Like telepathy?¡¯, Jo asked, interested in learning something new.


    ¡®Sort out like pigeon messages. But you send it using the phone and it¡¯s delivered within seconds¡¯, Lucy exined more.


    ¡®Fascinating¡¯, Jo nodded her head as she had her right hand rubbing her chin.


    ¡®What¡¯s fascinating? Tell me too, please¡¯, the wild royal princess barged into the room, jumping straight on to Jo¡¯sp. ¡®Pretty siren hair¡¯.


    ¡®How did she-¡®.


    ¡®She sniffed my true scent and found out herself. Evelyn really is gifted¡¯, Jo replied as she tried holding the princess steadily on herp. She still did not know how old the little princess was, but she could not be more than 11 or 12 years old.


    ¡®What were you guys talking about?¡¯, the princess stirred happily.


    ¡®Phones¡¯, they replied in unison.


    ¡®Why?¡¯, the princess asked, as a lock of her right dark hair fell on her face.


    ¡®Because I have heard they are magical like pigeon letters. But way faster¡¯, Jo responded pushing the princess¡¯s hair back, behind her ears.


    ¡®Ahem ahem¡¯, someone forced a cough out. Jo found an elderlydy standing near the door.


    ¡®Princess, your bath is ready, pleasee with me¡¯, thedy spoke calmy.


    ¡®No, I want to stay with my new friends¡¯, the princess declined outrightly, clinging to Jo.


    ¡®Please princess. If Olivia sees that you still haven¡¯t had your bath and groomed yourself properly, she will not be happy¡¯. There was a hint of warning in thedy¡¯s voice as if she was terrified of the person she was mentioning.


    ¡®Evelyn, go have your bath first. We will wait for you¡¯, Jo encouraged the little girl as Jo tried removing her little hands from around her shoulder.


    ¡®Promise?¡¯, the princess stared directly at Jo, her silver eye resembling her brother¡¯s.


    ¡®Promise¡¯.


    *


    Soon after Evelyn was taken away for the bath, a couple of omegas attended to their rooms and gave them some clothes. Apparently, the royal mansion had strict dress code. Casual wear was not allowed unless you were in your own room. So, they had to change into long flowy dresses.


    Jo had a light pink knee-length dress with short sleeves. Her friends all had simr looking flowy dresses, maybe it was better this way. The dress was nice and cool, a bit too airy but it would do for now.


    Mina chose to sleep in; however, the rest of the girls went around touring the big royal mansion. They were not assigned any task or made to work. So, the king really was letting them rest, decently. Jo was saddened thinking she would have to leave once the rejection was made official. It was inevitable and she knew she had to face it sooner orter.


    ¡®Miss Jo, the king has called for you¡¯, one of the omegas nervously stepped forward and informed her. They were outside in the garden, still touring the big mansion.


    ¡®Excuse me girls, you go ahead with the tour. I will be back¡¯. Jo followed the omega through a series of never-ending staircase. Once they were outside a big steel door, the omega urged her to go ahead.


    Jo made a fist and knocked on the door, very hardly. The steel was extremely thick, and the frames of the door was embedded with crescent moon sculptures.


    ¡®Hey there¡¯, Dante appeared as she stopped her hand mid-air.


    ¡®You called me?¡¯, she asked ignoring the pleasantries.


    ¡®I did. There has been a slight error on my side Jo. Come in¡¯, he gestured as he waited for her to step inside his office.


    She took a long breath in as the room was heavily filled with his scent.


    ¡®This is going to be pure torture¡¯, she thought to herself as she marched inside, taking a sit on his leather couch.


    ¡®The royal healers have all gone to the Ice Warrior Pack due to something urgent. I am afraid you would have to wait until they return¡¯. Dante tried to apologetically confess but Jo wasn¡¯t buying it. He sounded happy instead of sad but who was she to call the king a liar?


    ¡®Fine. Is that all? I will go since you look busy¡¯, she said as she got up to leave.


    ¡®Wait Jo¡¯, Dante stopped her as he grabbed her hands in a rush. The warmth of his hands spread to her as she could feel the growing pull between them.


    Dante cursed at himself. He deliberately spread out all his case file on the desk to look busy in front of her, hoping to impress her. But it seemed to have an opposite effect. In reality, he had not been able to focus on any of the cases at all. All he thought about was her hair, her waist, her lips, everything about her. It was driving him to the edge.


    ¡®What is it?¡¯, she blurted out nervously as the Alpha King still held her hands in his.


    ¡®I am sorry if my sister disturbs you during your stay. She has been known to be- unusual and energetic. But just know that she is pure at heart and has no ill intention¡¯, he finished letting go of her hands.


    ¡®Of course, my king. I can tell when someone has good intentions and when someone does not¡¯, she threw the low jabbedment at Dante who only gently smiled.


    ¡®Thank you, Jo¡¯, he held the door for her as she left hastily. His aura and scent were addicting as if it was luring her to fall into its trap. Jo was definitely not weak-hearted, after years of fending for herself. But something about Dante, made her feel safe. ¡®No, he rejected me. He doesn¡¯t want me¡¯, she reminded herself. It was true, no one really wanted her


    In the dark realm


    ¡®My king, I think we have found her¡¯, one of the subordinates bowed and reported.


    ¡®Think?¡¯, Victor repeated as he killed the reporter within seconds, blood instantly sttering in his den.


    ¡®Only report to me if you are sure. There is no room for assumptions here¡¯, the king casually voiced as his other subordinates started breaking sweats. All sses of demons were present before him today. He had been disappointed in them to say the least. It had been more than five years and they still could not find her. How hard could it be?


    ¡®Now tell me, what do you have to report?¡¯, with a snap of the finger, the king resurrected his dead subordinate and made him alive again. ¡®Choose your words carefully. There won¡¯t be a next time¡¯.


    ¡®I-am sorry, my king. My two men were recently captured by one of the werewolf packs. But they escaped and came across a group of maidens. One of the maidens could cast dome spells. My men send me a message via telepathy that, she smelled different¡¯.


    ¡®And where are your men now?¡¯, the king asked, his interest piqued.


    ¡®They were both killed, and I lost contact. But this happened just a few days ago near the entrance of no-man¡¯s border¡¯.


    ¡®That¡¯s her no doubt, with her little dome spells¡¯, the Demon king smiled remembering a distant memory fondly. ¡®Send more men to the border and find her¡¯.


    Without wasting more time, the leader of the Aamon ss stood up, bowing before Victor again and taking his leave.


    ¡®I will have you by my side soon, Jolene¡¯.

 Chapter 23- Child’s play

    Disimer: The spelling errors in some of Evelyn¡¯s part are intentional as she is meant to have some speech difficulties.


    ¡®Look at this Tulip, it has a different smell to it¡¯, Daya handed a small brightly pink coloured flower to Lucy.


    ¡®Yes, it does¡¯, Lucy tried concentrating on the smell, it was mild but citrus-like. But the smell was soon overpowered by something else. An irresistible scent of ocean waves with ssh of orange bergamot flooded the air.


    As Lucy closed her eyes and got lost in the scent, she did not realise she was too far gone before Daya had to rattle her.


    ¡®Come back Lucy¡¯, she hastily said.


    As Lucy opened her eyes, Caleb stood before her, smiling sheepishly. ¡®Good morning,dies¡¯.


    ¡®Hey¡¯, was all she replied as she pretended to study the flower really closely.


    ¡®Can I speak to you alone Lucy?¡¯, he asked, scratching his hair with his right hand nervously.


    ¡®I need to go and check on Mina. Make sure her snoring isn¡¯t getting too loud¡¯, Daya excused herself as Lucy threw her the ¡®Please don¡¯t go look¡¯. But the pink haired fairy was gone with the wind.


    Lucy continued avoiding eye contact with Caleb as she studied another flower closely.


    ¡®Can I have the answer to my proposal?¡¯, his voice rang. Heat instantly radiated from the centre of her heart and started spreading to the other parts of her body.


    Lucy finally stopped what she was doing as she turned to face her silver haired mate. ¡®My answer remains the same, Alpha Caleb. Or should I say Royal General?¡¯.Text property ? N?vel(D)ra/ma.Org.


    ¡®Just Caleb is fine¡¯, he responded, pain evident in his few words. ¡®Can I at least ask why?¡¯.


    ¡®Because¡¯, Lucy paused as she tried thinking of usible rationales. None wasing to her head. Somehow, she thought she could avoid facing and confronting Caleb. But here he was demanding answers to his proposal. ¡®I am in.. in love with someone else¡¯.


    ¡®Who?¡¯, he asked sternly, as if her reply was angering him by the second. He could surelypose himself well if that was the case.


    ¡®Its.. Um.. Its- Alpha Jayden¡¯, she blurted out. ¡®As you would have heard, during your stay in Dark yer pack, Jayden imed me as his mate. And I am in love with him¡¯, she lied through her teeth. Emery was just quiet but sadly howling inside her head.


    There was a long dragging silence as Caleb inhaled deeply, trying to keep his calm. ¡®I see. So, I am your second mate?¡¯.


    Lucy nodded her head outside.


    But she wanted to scream NO inside.


    She only had one mate and that was him. His scent had been evocatively taunting her. But she still yearned for it.


    ¡®I understand Lucy. You met him first, so I guess he beat me to it¡¯, he joked lightly but a saddened look was stered on his face. ¡®Can I ask you for onest favour? I promise I won¡¯t bother you after that?¡¯.


    ¡®Yes¡¯, a small whisper escaped her mouth. Lucy was afraid if she tried to speak any louder, she would break down crying in front of him and tell him tales of her sad usations and life of abuse. Which was very ironic to the surrounding around her, a sunny day with a beautiful garden full of lively flowers.


    ¡®Can you give me 29 days to try to win your affection? Even if its just by little? If your feelings or answers still remains the same after that time. I will ept your rejection and walk out of your life¡¯, he was almost pleading by thest few words making Lucypelled on epting it.


    ¡®Why specifically 29 days? Are you so confident I will change my decision?¡¯, she questioned.


    ¡®Lucy, my mother is a witch¡¯, he chuckled. ¡®And she taught me a lot of superstitious beliefs. As you know, the moon has eight phases in its cycle whichsts for 29 days approximately. I grew up believing that every new moon cycle brought a new hope, a door to a new opportunity and a new change¡¯. Caleb came dangerously close to Lucy as he brought his hands near her face, slowly picking up a fallen leave from her hair. ¡®And I trust in moon goddess that if we are meant to be, we will¡¯.


    Lucy¡¯s lips parted to say something, but nothing came out.


    ¡®I don¡¯t want to take your silence as a yes¡¯, he grinned tiredly as he ced the leave in the palm of her hands, electric sparks bursting at the point of their touch.


    ¡®Fine, I ept. But please honour your word and leave if my decision remains the same¡¯.


    ¡®As you wish¡¯, he bowed giving her an unpleasant feeling that had started growing in her stomach.


    *


    ¡®Silly Alpha King¡¯, Jo thought to herself. ¡®A royal kingdom with no healers, what a joke!¡¯. As Jo tried to find her way back to the garden, she realised she was lost. She walked in circles and started getting dizzy.


    After walking for what felt like hours, she finally found a small exit when she heard a loud sound of a p.


    Evelyn was on the floor crying as she covered her cheeks with her two small hands. ¡®I am soweyyy¡¯.


    Jo¡¯s eyes followed to who the little girl was facing. A small crowd of young noble women were gathered judging from their posh dressings and jewelleries.


    As one of the women raised her hands again on Evelyn, Jo caught it mid-air shielding the little girl¡¯s body.


    ¡®What are you doing? Let go of my hand¡¯, the vicious woman in question barked at her.


    Jo just smirked at her as she harshly let go of the hand, making the woman lose her bnce and topple. Evelyn instantly got up and hid behind Jo, hugging her as if her life depended on it. ¡®Have you got no shame raising your hands on a little girl?¡¯.


    ¡®That devil is not a little girl! She deliberately spilled hot tea on my dress¡¯, the annoyed noble womanined, trying to wipe the stain with a small handkerchief.


    ¡®To err is normal. But to forgive is divine. I am sure the tea stains wille out if you wash it. But the abuse you have imposed on her will stain her mind, body, and soul forever¡¯, Jo spoke confidently, her voice not wavering one bit.


    Evelyn¡¯s eyes were beaming as she looked at her saviour and hugged her even tighter. She was not mistaken. Moon goddess had been visiting in her dreams and promised that a special friend will soon find her. Jo was her a special friend; she just knew it.


    ¡®Good gracious, I am not going to stand here and argue with a low life. Olivia will hear thest of it¡¯, the woman angrily retorted and left with the posh group.


    ¡®Are you okay?¡¯, Jo asked as she lowered herself down to the little girl¡¯s height.


    She nodded eagerly. ¡®You saved me. Are you my special friend?¡¯.


    Jo¡¯s heart shattered at the little princess¡¯s innocence. ¡®Yes honey, I am. You look really pretty in this flowery dress, almost like you are in a fairy tale¡¯.


    Little Evelyn blushed pink from thepliment as she did not know how to ept it. Instead, she tugged on Jo¡¯s light dress.


    ¡®Come with me pretty please¡¯, Jo¡¯s heart melted as the little princess guided her to an unbelievablyrge spacious yroom.


    ¡®Tis a spare phone. Its for you, my friend¡¯, the princess spoke handing Jo a small device.


    Jo inspected it in amazement. ¡®I cannot take it, Evelyn¡¯.


    ¡®Pleasuu, it¡¯s a spare one. I already have one too. At least try typing something¡¯, she guided Jo through the device as a small text message box appeared.


    ¡®You can write anything you like!¡¯, her bubbly energy glowed from her small body.


    ¡®Wow!¡¯, Jo said to match her excitement. ¡®But I can¡¯t think of anything to write¡¯.


    ¡®Hmm, pleasu type something. Like something to say to my big bowwther Dante?¡¯.


    ¡®Alright, I will write something for him¡¯, Jo finally relented as she poured her current feelings in to the small text box.


    ¡®You need to put haha at the endzzz if sending a scarrry message. Yours is scarrry¡¯, she giggled reading the message her siren friend had written.


    ¡®okay¡¯, Jo added in -haha- after her message. ¡®Happy now?¡¯.


    Evelyn nodded as she did something on the device. Jo could notprehend what exactly, she was really not up to date with human technology.


    ¡®Sent!¡¯


    ¡®Nice joke, you cheeky bugger¡¯, Jo ced her hand over her heart.


    ¡®I sent your message to big bowther, and I added your name in the endzzz¡¯, the princess proudly announced as Jo¡¯s world started copsing.


    Jo immediately snatched the phone from her hand and looked at the message again.


    I will snatch your crown and kill you, stupid Alpha king haha ¨C Jo


    ¡®Evelyn! I thought we were just ying. Did it really get sent to Dante?¡¯, Jo asked panicking now.


    ¡®Phones are fassst like carz. He would have read it by now¡¯.


    Jo started sweating as she imagined possible worst case scenarios. What if the Alpha king got furious for getting called stupid and beheaded her! Her head would be on a big pole hanging on the royal gate as a sign for disrespectful subordinates.


    She gulped hard praying for herself.

 Chapter 24- Strong

    ¡®My king, you called for me¡¯, Belial appeared in dark clouds. He was the demon king¡¯s right hand.


    Belial could make the un-death dance on his fingertips if he wanted to, his powers second only to King Victor.


    ¡®Follow the Aamons at the no-man¡¯s border. We are so close to finding Jolene, I can feel it. Make sure there are no loose ends Belial¡¯, the kingmanded from his dark throne, his chin rested on his right hand.


    Belial simply nodded, in consensus of his king¡¯s order and vanished in thin air.


    ¡®There is no escape this time, my little siren¡¯, the king mumbled, only for him to hear.


    *


    ¡®Evelyn! Did you spill tea on someone again? Olivia will not be happy about it¡¯, the same elderly maid from earlier disrupted Jo¡¯s train of thoughts.


    Jo was curious now. She had heard about Olivia three times already, who was she?


    ¡®It was a mistake, Lidija. Soweyy¡¯, Evelyn apologised, her head down.


    The old maid only frowned more.


    ¡®Who is Olivia?¡¯, Jo finally asked making the olddy gasp.


    ¡®Do not say her name so loudly¡¯, the maid hushed her as she collected Evelyn from the yroom and rushed the little girl outside with her. ¡®You must have a death wish¡¯.


    ¡®But¡¯, Jo pushed on more but the maid really had no business with her, as an apologetic Evelyn threw her a ¡®I am sorry¡¯ look.


    Finally, Jo was by herself again. As her eyes darted around in the spacious yroom, a book caught her attention. It was a weird ce for a book to be amongst the millions of toys Evelyn seemed to have.


    She picked the book up from the sea of bratz dolls.


    History of the werewolf world. It read.


    Jo sat down on a little pink stic char as she started flipping through the pages. The book started with how the moon goddess created the four brothers and gifted them each with elemental powers. Intrigued, she kept reading as she found out that the Fire Warrior Pack was merged into the Royal Kingdom under Dante¡¯s rule. Apparently, the silver haired general was also actually an Alpha of his own pack, Ice Warrior Pack. The other two packs with elemental power were: Wind Warrior and Sand Warrior. The rest of the packs had normal Alphas like Jayden who did not possess any special powers.


    One name that interested her greatly in the history book was Sarah. It said that she was originally known to be a rogue butter on was found to be moon goddess¡¯s daughter.


    ¡®That¡¯s shocking¡¯, Jomented tantly but she did not stop reading. She was a ssic reader after all.


    ¡®Sarah was crowned as the first Luna Queen of the Royal kingdom¡¯, Jo murmured softly,pletely engrossed in the book. ¡®She gave birth to two children, Dante and Evelyn Vanslord¡¯.


    ¡®That pri. ck is moon goddess¡¯s direct descendant, wow. What a bad luck to have gotten me as mate¡¯, Jo sympathetically said.


    There was a page missing in the book which was weird. The flow of the book waspletely ruined as Jo tried to read the next page and fill in the gaps. But nothing seemed to fit.


    The next page continued as: doomsday. This will cause deaths of thousands of werewolves. Never meant to be.


    ¡®You know that¡¯s a forbidden book to read, unless you are from the royal family¡¯, Jo was startled by a deep voice. She instantly mmed the book close and tried standing up. But the stic chair only meant for tiny little girls, was still stuck on her b. um when she stood up.


    As she struggled to free herself from the deadly tight stic chair, she threw a few nces to the stranger before her.


    The strange man had a scar on his right eyebrow and had a very rough but masculine look to him. Wearing a medieval like brown trousers and a white tunic, he looked very casual and attractive.


    ¡®I have never seen you here before, miss? My name is Don¡¯, he introduced himself as he waited for Jo to do the same.


    Jo unleased her scent a little to use spells and loosen the chair on her bum which was now sucking the life out of her a. ss. She knew she was going to have marks from this traumatic experience.


    Don watched in amazement as the strange girl suddenly smelled different for the tiniest of second. But it was gone too fast.


    ¡®I am Jo. Here to stay only for a couple of weeks until I get some stuff sorted out¡¯, she finished as she finally got the chair out. Never was she going to ever be near children¡¯s y stuff again, they were all disasters waiting for happen. ¡®Also, I was just looking around. Did not mean to pry on private royal stuff¡¯.


    Donughed at her response. ¡®Don¡¯t worry, I am not here to police you and your actions. Just a guest myself. I am the current Alpha of the Wind Warrior Pack. Needed to see the king for some pack matters. And what affairs are you here for, miss, if you don¡¯t mind me asking?¡¯.


    ¡®I am here to protest the ban on Vampire novels¡¯, Jo joked with the friendly stranger who looked speechless.


    ¡®I- sorry?¡¯.


    She sighed heavily, everyone here was so uptight. ¡®It was a joke. I am also sorting some stuff with the king and once that¡¯s done, I am good to go. Its private matter so I can¡¯t tell you what stuff I need sorting out¡¯.


    Don shook his head understandably. ¡®Well, let me show you around the gardens. The royal kingdom has beautiful gar-¡®.


    ¡®Already seen it with my friends¡¯, Jo cut him off.


    ¡®What about the training grounds? The royal kingdom has the only female warriors in the werewolf world¡¯, Don interjected hoping this could interest her and he was not wrong.


    Jo never heard of female warriors before, just the sound of it was legendary. ¡®Yes please!¡¯.


    She was not wrong, watching the female warriors train was not disappointing at all. They were all lined up in rows and rows of groups. All synchronised and performing their training regimes. After a while, some of them started sparring as Jo watched in awe from the bench with Don.


    Maybe all hope was not lost for these werewolves, seeing strong females getting trained from all age group was very refreshing. She saw focus, will power and passion radiating from the dedicated female warriors, nothing less than the male.


    ¡®Be right back¡¯, Don excused himself as Jo only waved a little in his direction and shifted her full attention back to the training.


    Only if she had ess to training when she was young as well, she would have felt a little more confident inbat. All her life, she was only expected to look pretty and act like a porcin doll. She would read spells and magical books in her free time, away from all the strict eyes observing her constantly. She only ever felt free from their watch, when she was engrossed in her wondend of books, her true escapism.


    ¡®Please let me join as well¡¯, a very young and skinny girl was pleading the trainer who then whistled and stopped all the female warriors frombating. All eyes were on the girl now, some of them threw disgusted looks at the poor girl while some were giggling amongst themselves.


    ¡®Leticia, you know the rules. If you don¡¯t pass the strength endurance test, you can¡¯t join this training. Bing a female warrior is not easy¡¯, the trainer strictly reminded her again as the girl was close to tears and on her knees.


    ¡®But.. my score increased by 37 points this year. My endurance is getting stronger. Please I want to serve the kingdom to the best of my capabilities¡¯, Leticia wiped her tears away on a white, dirt-stained long shirt.Material ? of N?velDrama.Org.


    ¡®Doesn¡¯t matter, you still did not meet the requirement¡¯, the trainer threw a pathetic look.


    ¡®What does it mean to be a warrior?¡¯, Jo could not help herself asking, perhaps because the young girl reminded her of her past self. Always being told she was not good enough.


    ¡®Who are you?¡¯, all pairs of eyes were now on Jo as the trainer waited for the answer.


    ¡®Doesn¡¯t matter. What does bing a warrior mean?¡¯, Jo continued, rage building up in her. ¡®Is it not the warrior¡¯s oath to protect the royal family within the best of their capacity which this girl clearly is promising to do¡¯.


    ¡®The rule applies for all. Everyone has to pass the endurance test if they want to make it. Leticia is simply not physically strong enough or fit to be a Warrior¡¯, the trainer¡¯s harsh reply came.


    ¡®Being strong does not always have toe physically, damn it. Someone with an unttering will and drive is strong. Someone with an abused past who is willing to embrace their scars and move on is strong. Someone who dares to face their fears and confront their worst nightmares is strong. Someone who can mentally withstand every rejection and ridicule of others is strong!¡¯, Jo painfully looked at kneeling poor girl as she finished thest sentence.


    But the siren was not done yet. ¡®If the warriors were only built on physical strength alone, I would be concerned. Because warriors are not born, they are made. They are created through trial and error, torment and suffering. And a true warrior is someone who has the ability to conquer all their ws. Afterall, no one is perfect. Is this not the sole purpose of this training in the first ce?¡¯.


    Everyone gasped at the heavy speech Jo had pped on their face, there was a pin drop silence. Not even the trainer dared say anything this time.


    ¡®Very well said¡¯, a gentle voice grabbed the crowd¡¯s attention as an attractive woman walked towards them. She had dark chestnut hair, almost the colour of chocte. Her hair was tied in a royal hairdo, and she had an elegant teal gown on. The way she carried herself was verydylike but there was a very visible intimidating aura to her.


    Everyone started bowing before her as Jo stood confused, not having a clue to who she was.


    ¡®I have never met you before, what¡¯s your name?¡¯, the prettydy questioned her as Jo shifted ufortably, side to side. This woman was definitely important as everyone had their head down and was bowing to her.


    ¡®Jolene, I am just a short stay guest. I had some matters to resolve with the king¡¯, Jo replied. ¡®And who are you?¡¯.


    ¡®I am Olivia, the current Queen of the werewolf world¡¯.

 Chapter 25- High tea

    Bewildered by the sudden deration, Jo took a few steps back. She could feel herself palpitate as her body released an extra gush of adrenaline. Queen? She pondered to herself.


    ¡®You are married to Dante?¡¯, Jo heard herself speak, her body no longer under her control.


    Oliva¡¯s pretty honey-coloured eyes gazed at her oddly, her lips lop siding for a fraction of second.Content (C) N?v/elDra/ma.Org.


    ¡®I am. You must be very close to my husband to call him by his first name¡¯, a hint of challenge was present in the queen¡¯s voice.


    ¡®I-I met the Alpha King under extraordinary circumstances. Please pardon my rude manners, my queen¡¯, Jo curtsied before her and kept her head down. Finally.


    ¡®Rise Jolene¡¯, Olivamanded as she observed the girl closely. She was not cowering in her presence like other werewolves did. She had Alpha¡¯s blood in her after all. ¡®You are very well spoken. I have been meaning to change the entrance rules for a while now. Susan, remove the endurance point requirement for the warrior training from henceforth¡¯.


    ¡®As youmand, my queen. Leticia,e and fill in some paper works¡¯, the trainer respectfully guided Letica from the ground under the queen¡¯s watch.


    ¡®The rest of you, continue training¡¯, Olivia dismissed the female warriors. ¡®Walk with me Jolene¡¯.


    Olivia adjusted the long hanging sleeves of her teal gown as she turned and started walking, expecting Jo to join in. And she did.


    ¡®Tell me about yourself¡¯.


    ¡®Um-there is really nothing to know about me, your highness. I am an omega from Dark yer Pack. Recently, I have decided to renounce my pack and live in the human settlements. But me and my friends were attacked by demons on the way and the gracious Alpha king saved us¡¯, Jo narrated, choosing her words carefully each sentence.


    ¡®You must have been very scared. I am d my husband was there to protect our kind. Funny, I cannot sense any wolf spirits from you¡¯, the queen finished as Jo¡¯s heart started racing again. She could not tell if the queen was interrogating her or if she was genuinely curious.


    ¡®Omegas have low wolf spirits, sometimes none. I hope that answers your question, your highness¡¯, Jo replied without hesitating. She was not going to let anything get under her skin.


    ¡®One would think that. But from the courage and words you spoke of earlier, I assumed you would have had beta¡¯s blood at least¡¯, the queen brought her delicate hands together. ¡®Anyways, this is good. It means Omegas are getting bold enough to speak out their thoughts and opinions. This is the kind of safe ce me and my husband are trying to build¡¯.


    It did not miss Jo that Olivia stressed on mentioning Dante as her husband multiple times. What was she trying to signal? Jo was usually good with reading people, but this queen really had her thinking in circles.


    When they arrived near a small canopy, there were already some noble women there drinking high tea and chattering amongst themselves.


    They rose when Olivia entered the canopy and curtsied before her. Jo just stood outside the canopy, conflicted. The high tea consisted of aromatic and different voured teas apanied by baked biscuits, and some freshly cut fruits on the side.


    ¡®Come in and sit Jolene¡¯, Oliva gestured to a seat next to her. All of the noble women were now studying Jo intensely.


    ¡®Ladies, this is Jolene. She speaks very bravely despite being a low ranked omega¡¯, the queen stressed on the ¡®omega¡¯ part. Some of the noble women¡¯s face contorted in disgust realising that they were sharing the same table as a low ranked omega.


    And at that moment, Jo knew her motive. She was trying to show Jo her ce, that she was only a lowly ranked omega before her. Was the queen angry at her for challenging the endurance test of the warrior training? Or was she angry at her for calling the Alpha king by his first name. She simply did not know.


    ¡®I am honoured that her majesty thinks so highly of me¡¯, Jo yed along. She was used to this life before. Being a nobledy in her ownnd, she was ustomed to passive aggressivements and behaviours.


    ¡®I remember her now¡¯, Jo heard a voice say. ¡®You are the same person who defended that devil child before. My queen, Evelyn spilled tea on me again and this lowly omega was defending her!¡¯, one of the nobledies yelled.


    Jo just shook her head. Why would anyone speak that way about a royal princess? She thought to herself.


    ¡®You raised your hands on a small child¡¯, Jo replied nonchntly.


    ¡®Jolene¡¯, one of the nobledies with short, bobbed hair spoke. ¡®Evelyn is not in the right state of mind. She is known for being notorious and pranking on most of the nobledies in the kingdom. Olivia has guided us all that we can discipline her properly and maybe that will fix her one day¡¯.


    The queen looked happy with the answer her minions were babbling out.


    ¡®With all due respect, Evelyn is a royal princess. Does the king know about this discipline method the nobledies are imposing on his little sister?¡¯, Jo impugned, not batting an eyesh.


    ¡®Why you little disrespectful little bra-¡®, the nobledy with bobbed hair voiced again.


    ¡®Veronica¡¯, the queen sternly interjected making her pause. ¡®Language please¡¯.


    ¡®My sincerest apologies¡¯, Veronica mumbled under her breath.


    ¡®Jolene, you should not challenge my authority on how to discipline Evelyn. I treat her like my own sister¡¯, the queen began. Lies, Jo knew instantly.


    ¡®Dante will be pleased with whatever method I employ to do what is best for Evelyn¡¯. Another lie. Jo bet Dante did not even have a slightest clue about it. But she knew having an argument with a werewolf queen was futile.


    ¡®I understand, your highness¡¯, was all that came out of her mouth.


    ¡®Ladies, I see you have all met Jolene¡¯, Don¡¯s voice chirped in. ¡®Jo, I was looking everywhere for you¡¯.


    Veronica flinched a little hearing that, but she acted calm.


    Oliva was more interested in Jolene now. Not only was she feisty but she was also friends with an Alpha. Was she really just an omega? There was definitely more to it than meets the eye.


    ¡®Alpha Don, what a pleasant surprise. I did not know you were visiting the royal mansion¡¯, Oliva asked as she sipped some herbal tea.


    ¡®My queen, I had some urgent matters to discuss with the King. Sorry for arriving unannounced¡¯, Don responded as he leaned against the canopy walls. Most of thedies present were throwing nces at the Wind Alpha. He certainly was not dressed in the most charming clothes but he had a dashing rough look to him that made him very attractive. Also ruling the thirdrgest pack in the werewolf kingdom only added the cherry to the top of the cake.


    ¡®You know you are always wee here Don¡¯, the queen replied, disying her perfect set of teeth again.


    ¡®Thank you, my queen¡¯, Don replied as he proceed to exchange pleasantries with the rest of the nobledies. ¡®Please continue your high tea. I will see you arounddies and you too Jolene¡¯. He said her name a little too endearing making Jo flinch a little.


    She simply smiled in his direction as she continued sitting awkwardly in the high tea. This was thest ce she wanted to be.


    *


    In the office


    Dante continued staring at the weird text message he had received from an unknown number. It had Jo¡¯s name credentialed at the end.


    ¡®You deserve it after what you have done. I am rooting for Jo to take your crown¡¯, Theo spitefully said.


    ¡®You fool, if I am no longer a king that means you are no longer one too. We are ONE, don¡¯t forget that¡¯, Dante was tired with Theo¡¯s none stop rant. He was hurting too, from pushing his mate away and rejecting her the moment he realised they were fated mates. But what could he do? He was already married and had taken Olivia as his chosen mate. He had promised to honour the wedding vows forever, under the full moon.


    Mate or no mate, Olivia was hiswfully wedded wife now.


    He gave Olivia his words. And a king always keeps his word. Always.

 Chapter 26 Honour Thy vows

    The encounter with Olivia left a bitter test in her mouth. Jo was finally back to her room after a long hard day. Olivia paraded her with the nobledies around the mansion to lunch, dinner and all the other discussions all day long. She was not even sure why she was being included and so suddenly?


    Jo learnt that most of the noble women had high ranked husbands in the royal kingdom. Except for Veronica, the short, bobbed hair who was a widow. It was a tradition in the royal kingdom that widows were supposed to keep their hair short as an honour to their dead mate. Jo wondered why she never remarried, especially by the type of nces she was throwing at Don earlier at the canopy.


    Jo heaved heavily as she sat on the bed thinking about her day. It tired her easily.


    She had asked for her novel back from Daya. Right now, the girls were taking turns on reading each chapter and today was her turn. Yay!


    As she opened the book, she read through all the chapters to catch up including the spoilers Lucy had told her. Her eyes soon got teary when she reached the part Drake married someone else.


    But Jo did not stop there, she kept flipping through the pages. The viin in the book was Cami and she was getting on Jo¡¯sst nerve. If only if she could punch annoying characters in the book, she would die in peace.


    There was a knock on the door as Jo rolled her eyes. What now? Jo thought to herself.


    The door flung open before Jo could open it.


    Dante walked in without waiting for her permission. His eyes werepletely silver and he had a very different aura to him. ¡®Jo-lene¡¯.


    ¡®Dan-te?¡¯, Jo mocked him, not sure what the heck he was doing, barging in her room at almost midnight.Text property ? N?vel(D)ra/ma.Org.


    ¡®Mate¡¯, he whispered as he started walking towards her.


    And in a blink of eye, he pulled her in swiftly and devoured her lips.


    Jo would have pushed him away but her body stayed stiff enjoying the kiss. It was enticing, addictive and the warmth from his lips made her melt right in his arms.


    ¡®Don¡¯t ept the rejection, mate¡¯, a husky voice growled from Dante now.


    ¡®But you were the one who-¡®.


    ¡®Dante is stu. pid. Please don¡¯t ept the rejection. We need you¡¯, another growl came, making it clear now that the Alpha wolf inside Dante was controlling his body.


    ¡®But you are married¡¯, Jo inly replied, finally pushing the conflicted king away.


    This seemed to have triggered the king to gain the control back as he fought internally for next couple of seconds.


    ¡®I am sorry. Won¡¯t. Happen. Again¡¯, Dante finally spoke, his eyes not meeting Jo¡¯s.  And with that, he was gone.


    Jo walked back to her bed with shaky legs and tried to sit upright to continue reading her book again.


    Before she could read the next line, a few tears dropped on to the page she was reading.


    Jo touched her face and realised it was wet with tears.


    ¡®But why am I crying?¡¯, she painfully asked herself as she put the book down.


    The tears would just not stop. But she knew the answers already.


    Dante¡¯s kiss, his touch and his presence made her feel safe, more importantly he felt like home to her, something she had never had before.


    *


    In the queen¡¯s chamber


    Olivia gently removed the gown from the body as she felt the cold air touch her naked skin. She stepped into the hot bath that had been drawn for her. The warm water felt like heaven, it felt like all of her stress and tensions were dissipating along with the hot steam.


    As she took a small sponge, she startedthering it with honey soap and glided it across both of her hands. Dante used to like the smell of honey on her body, used to¡­.


    There was a lot of things she remembered fondly of her memories with her husband.


    But now, they did not even sleep in the same bed anymore. It had been like this for a couple of years now.


    Olivia knew her husband was punishing her for being unfaithful. But it was only one night of carelessness. And how could Dante not see that he was also partly to me. Being the king, he would be away from the royal mansion for months and months, leaving her all alone. At first, she had been waiting patiently for him like a good wife and also looked after the mansion diligently, like a good queen.


    But one fine night, she lost it. In the heat of the moment, she had a heated intimacy with one of the warriors. He was young, energetic and mostly RAW. And wanted her sexually then and there. The young warrior was hard on her delicate body and pounded in her like his life depended on it. Dante was always gentle with her, never too hard or fast. But she knew it was because the knot of their marriage was not tied with love, it was because Dante was forced to do it.


    Olivia hated thinking about it. She liked to believe Dante loved her and it was a love marriage. At first, she thought she would win his love slowly after bing his wife. But nothing changed after marriage.


    Dante treated her with respect and kindness but that was it. She did not feel the passion or love in his eyes, like someone would have for their true mates.


    It was as if fate was ying a dirty game with her, Dante returned to the mansion and walked in when she was screaming the young warrior¡¯s name. The look of horror and disappointment was evident on the king¡¯s face.


    To this day, she still remembered the hurt in his eyes. But the Alpha king did not say anything. The silence was more deadly and made Olivia anxious.


    The next morning, she begged her dear husband to forgive her. But Dante only tiredly smiled at her and asked her to give him some space.


    Out of anger, Olivia had the young warriorshed to death. She felt dirty just thinking about it, that young warrior was a bad influence and he manipted her. Yes, she would never cheat on her husband. It was because she was caught off guard by that disgraceful maniptive warrior.


    But things did not get better with Dante. He had arranged a private chamber for her and asked for all of her belongings to be shifted there. Olivia was scared that rumours would start spreading about the royal couple sleeping separately. So, she alloacted her secret workers in the mansion to be her eyes and ears. They helped keep the royal affairs within the four walls. After all, Olivia was the niece of the previous Sand Warrior Alpha, Maverick. She could not taint he name and reputation of Sand Warrior Pack, or her father would just bury her alive. He was a brutal man.


    As Oliviathered her head and tried rxing in the hot bath, she tried thinking of ways to win Dante¡¯s affection again. Even after getting caught, Dante had not said a word about it or brought it up. This was killing her, slowly.


    But deep-down Olivia knew, Dante was probably giving her a second chance for the sake of their marriage. She really needed to win him back.


    After everything she had been through to the point that she sacrificed her own wolf to be Dante¡¯s wife. She still had a lot of fight left in her. And nothing was going toe in her way.


    Olivia¡¯s thoughts traced back to today and she remembered the odd omega, Jolene. Her gut instincts said there was more to it and they were usually right, most of the time.


    As Olivia stood up from the huge bathtub, she grabbed her bath robe and walked to her private chambers.


    ¡®Von¡¯, she called via mind link. Despite sacrificing her wolf, Olivia was grateful she could still mind link. Luckily, she had been able to use excuses every full moon about being sick and missed out on shifting during gatherings. Of course, no one dared to question the werewolf queen further.


    ¡®Yes, my queen¡¯, Veronica replied.


    ¡®Send some of our secret workers and find out everything about that omega, Jolene¡¯, Oliva ordered as her hands worked on drying her hair with a small maroon towel.


    ¡®On it¡¯.


    Olivia wondered what little secrets that sharp tongued omega was holding. It was going to surface soon anyways. All she had to do now was wait.

 Chapter 27- Promises are meant to be broken

    Dante summoned his sand element and made cuffs out of it. Using his wind element next, he cuffed his legs to a huge pir. Being an Alpha king meant he had all four elemental powers: Ice, fire, sand and wind. Sometimes it was a blessing to possess great powers but sometimes it was a curse. It did, however, take a toll even on his body when he summoned the elements too frequently. But tonight, he needed to.


    ¡®Theo, settle down now¡¯, he reached out to his wolf. His wolfpletely took over when Dante was momentarily lost in his thoughts. Before he realised, they were already outside Jo¡¯s room. And the king already knew what his wolf was trying to do.


    No matter how hard he fought, his wolf¡¯s desire to im their mate was stronger.


    But the moment Jo reminded that he was married, it made him to regain his body control. She was right. He was married.


    Theo was still stirring inside his body, unsettled. Taming an Alpha wolf was not a simple task. Theo had only gone out of control like this once before when he walked in and caught his wife¡¯s infidelity. The Alpha wolf in him wanted to rip the young warrior¡¯s head but he knew he could do better. And so, he did.


    Dante gave himself some space and time to think and reflect on everything. He pushed Olivia away and kept her in the dark. He would be lying if he said he did not contemte leaving his unfaithful wife.


    He felt trapped in his marriage sometimes. Olivia was a great wife and he was indebted to her in many ways.


    Evelyn was poisoned when she was only six years old and Olivia was the one who came to the rescue of the royal family and saved his sister¡¯s life with a miraculous antidote for the poison. No one in the kingdom including the royal healers had any clue as to why the princess started having slurred speech and was soon paralysedpletely.


    With Olivia¡¯s help, his little sister survived the horrifying near-death testimony. That made Dante believe that the forbidden book¡¯s prophecy had the likelihood of bing true. And so, he chose Olivia as his mate and thought he would be happy. Afterall, he dedicated himself to serve his people and strengthen all the pack borders. But he was very wrong. No matter how hard he tried to love Olivia, he simply could not.


    And when Jo entered his life, he was smitten by her from their first encounter. Her fiery red hair, plump lips, sweet voice, everything drove him crazy. And when she cried whilst being drunk, he wanted to shield her from the pain she was suffering from and punish anyone who hurt her.


    When he touched her smooth skin, it had him craving for more. The kiss from earlier still lingered on his lips. He liked how she tasted. It was sweet and the eloquent silence that yed while they were kissing was very tranquil. Jo let him devour her lips into his, she was inviting him for more or so he thought.


    He had heard many lore about big Alphas going feral after losing their true mates. But now he knew they were true. Dante could not imagine sending Jo away.


    ¡®im our mate¡¯, Theo butt in again with his no-brainer statement.


    Dante just blocked him off.


    Why could he not have Jo?


    Why did the forbidden book ever exist?


    And why was a bad omen predicted for their unison?


    Sometimes he wished that the forbidden book never existed. That way, he could be with his mate without any guilty conscience. Just maybe.


    *


    ¡®Lucy, its time¡¯.


    ¡®Huh¡¯, Lucy¡¯s sleepy mind tried to make sense of where the voice wasing from.


    ¡®Lucy, we need to shift soon¡¯, Emery¡¯s pleading voice chirped in again.


    ¡®Now? Are you sure?¡¯, Lucy felt her excitement growing, despite it being the middle of night.Text property ? N?vel(D)ra/ma.Org.


    ¡®Yes, it¡¯s time¡¯, her wolf replied, matching the same tone of excitement.


    Lucy wasted no time as she quickly grabbed a nearby cotton shawl and threw it over herself. She sneaked outside the mansion slowly and made her way towards the forest entrance.


    ¡®Go further inside¡¯, Emery guided her.


    Once they were a good distance from the mansion, Lucy gulped hard as she stood still and nced at the full moon.


    First time shifting was known to be very painful and being here alone was a dreading experience.


    ¡®Don¡¯t worry, you are not alone Lucy. I am here with you, I will always be here¡¯, Emery assured her making her smile. She was indeed blessed to have Emery. Lucy carefully took off her mother¡¯s locket and held the chain between her teeth. She did not want it to snap during her shifting.


    ¡®NOW!¡¯


    Lucy closed her eyes in anticipation of pain but nothing happened for the next few moments. She heard the sound of crickets, owls and a few small animals. But no sound of breaking bones.


    Waiting for a bit more, she finally opened her eyes when it started.


    ¡®OUCH¡¯, she cried in pain as she felt every bone in her body breaking as if it was being hammered down. Tears escaped naturally from her eyes as she tried distracting her mind but it was futile. The pain was too much and overpowering every sense in her body.


    Her limps were stretching and she felt like her skin was going to tear if it stretched any further.


    Lucy¡¯s fought against the pain as the locket dropped from her mouth. Panic stricken, she leaned down and picked it up again.


    She clenched on to the locket with her right hands as the pain continued to grow sharper and agonising. She was sweating a lot now and felt her skin burning up.


    ¡®Mumma, help me¡¯, she prayed.


    Large warm hands grabbed Lucy from the back as she tried opening her eyes to see who it was.


    ¡®Stay still Lucy and breath¡¯, a familiar voice whispered to her ears.


    She knew who it was. His hands glided from shoulders to her hands and he leaned forward more. It felt like Caleb was hugging her now and his touch was helping her calm down.


    Her eyes momentarily darted down to where he was holding her. She saw ice frost forming on his hands and realised that the Ice warrior Alpha was cooling her burning body. It helped the lessen the pain. A lot.


    ¡®Shift now¡¯, Caleb¡¯s voicemanded. And Lucy lost sense of what happened next.


    Everything was in daze as she momentarily went in and out of conscious. But she felt her mate¡¯s presence at all times and that helped her calm down a little.


    As thest few shades of the dark clouds finally exposed the pristine clear full moon, Lucy opened her eyes.


    Her senses were greatly heightened, she could see more clearly and most importantly, her mate was watching her in amazement.


    ¡®Lucy- you are a whi¡­¡¯, he began but paused immediately. He shifted into his own dark brown wolf within seconds. He let out a longing howl towards the moon and Lucy felt her wolf naturally do the same. Soon her mate looked at her with his silver wolf eyes and nodded in a direction, prompting her to follow.


    And she did. They ran and ran until they reached a small stream of river.


    The feeling of running in her wolf was surreal. The wind gently blowing past her furs, her paws touching the cold soil and the enhanced vision were overwhelming.


    Once Caleb got closed to the stream, he sat his hind legs down and gestured Lucy to check her reflection against the surface of the water.


    Lucy felt anxious. She wanted to see how her wolf looked like.


    Her jaws dropped at the beauty of her own wolf. She was a white wolf with bright blue eyes.


    As she turned to face her mate, she realised they were of same height. She felt her wolf coc. king their head to one side, confused. Alpha wolves were meant to be much bigger than regr wolves. She did have beta¡¯s blood but how on earth was she as tall as her Alpha mate?


    Caleb switched back to his human form and stood in his naked glory before her. ¡®Lucy do you still not realise what you are?¡¯.


    Lucy was least bothered by his question and more focused on averting her eyes from his naked body. She could feel herself blush even whilst being in Emery¡¯s form.


    Her mate gently reached out to her wolf¡¯s muzzle giving it a small rub with his index finger. ¡®You are a white wolf with a crescent sign on your forehead. There has been only one white wolf so far in the existence of werewolves. And that was the past Luna Queen, Sarah¡¯, Caleb narrated to her slowly.


    But Lucy still was not prepared for what wasing next.


    ¡®But even she did not have the crescent logo on her forehead. This could only mean one thing¡¯, her mate¡¯s voice was getting more eager by thest sentence.


    ¡®You are a Lycan¡¯, he finished.

 Chapter 28- A pleading vision

    Disimer: Spellings errors in Evelyn¡¯s dialogues are intentional.


    A Lycan? Lucy traced her memories back to her high school days. They were taught about Lycans back then, so why was her memory clouded?


    Slowly it dawned on her about the rarity of white wolves. She was so lost, appreciating her wolf¡¯s beauty, that the colour of Emery¡¯s furspletely missed her. Only the past Luna Queen, Sarah had white furs. But that was because she was the daughter of the moon goddess.


    Lycans were once powerful creatures, more than the werewolves. Theymanded the werewolf world centuries ago but over time, their reign deteriorated. And when the moon goddess created the four great descendant brothers gifting them each an elemental power, the Lycans were overpowered easily.


    Now, Lycans were only found in history textbooks. Thest one seen was a male Lycan decades ago, so why did she have a Lycan¡¯s distinctive crescent sign on her forehead?


    Lucy ran behind a tree and shifted back to her human body. The shifting no longer caused her any pain. It was surprising how fast her body adapted to shape shifting.


    ¡®I have my eyes closed, so you cane out¡¯, her mate yelled out, reading her mind.


    ¡®My Alpha, I am a lowly omega. Although I was once a beta¡¯s daughter, I have been disowned and do not even dare to im to be such a powerful mythical creature¡¯, Lucy replied, peeking her head and noticing that Caleb had truthfully closed his eyes.


    ¡®You saw the size of your wolf too Lucy. She was as big as me. How do you exin that?¡¯, Caleb grinned as he crossed his arms. Lucy stole more nces at her mate, she felt like she was taking advantage of the fact that he had his eyes closed. She shouldn¡¯t really be prying so much on a naked Alpha.


    ¡®I-I don¡¯t know. My father was a beta and all my life, I thought I had beta¡¯s blood running in me¡¯, she replied running her hands through her blonde hair nervously. It was no longer matted like before and was getting silkier every day. Although it was much to do with the fact that she was no longer bleeding all the time and had blood clots leaving residues in her hair. She hade so far, away from the abuse of her past pack.


    ¡®Lucy, if you want to put your trust on me. I can do some digging for you. My wolf¡¯s size is second only to Dante¡¯s and that¡¯s only because he is the Alpha King. So, your wolf being almost the same size as me, means something¡¯.


    Lucy could be many things, but she was not stu. pid. She knew it did not make sense as to why Emery was as big as her mate¡¯s wolf.


    ¡®Fine, but I lost my mum when I was young¡¯, she told her mate slowly. ¡®So, I only have my dad who is now a former beta and is in retirement. So, I don¡¯t know how you will be able to do any digging?¡¯.


    ¡°I am sorry to hear about your mother, Lucy¡¯, Caleb sincerely offered his condolences. ¡®But I have my ways and will get to the bottom of this for you and for Emery as well¡¯.


    Lucy threw a quick nce at him again when he mentioned Emery, ¡®How did you-¡®.


    ¡®My wolf, Titan told me her name. They made contact already¡¯, there was a clear smile dancing on his face. ¡®Since our werewolves live in our subconscious state of mind andy dormant there, they can reach out to their mates andmunicate¡¯.


    ¡®Titan¡¯, Lucy whispered. Knowing the name of her mate¡¯s wolf sent butterflies to her stomach and suddenly she felt lightheaded. No wonder Emery was quiet of all of a sudden. ¡®Can we go back to the mansion please? I don¡¯t know the way¡¯.


    ¡®Can you shift again Lucy?¡¯, her mate asked, cautious of Lucy¡¯s health.


    ¡®The first shift already drained so much energy out of me. I don¡¯t think I can anymore. Is it possible to walk back?¡¯, a clueless Lucy asked.


    Caleb answered in roars ofughter. ¡®Lucy, if we walk back, it will take us days. You can climb on top of me¡¯. Within seconds, Caleb shifted into his dark brown wolf. And only then did Lucy notice, he had silver strips around his necks, it made him look very majestic and she was in awe.


    Titan backed up slowly as he finally reached to where Lucy was. He lowered his neck for Lucy to climb on. She was amazed topare how tiny her human self was to his wolf.


    Nervously, she gripped on to his front fur and climbed on top of him.


    ¡®I am ready¡¯, she whispered and that was enough to send the Alpha wolf sprinting.Material ? of N?velDrama.Org.


    It felt like time was passing slower as the touch of his soft fur against her skin sent tingles down her spine. The scent of the ocean breeze was magnified because of how close she was to him. She could live just for this scent. It was mesmerising.


    Though Caleb was running in a straight line and there were not many obstacles to jump over. Every now and then, he would raise his hindquarters into the air while throwing back kicks. When he did that, she would slide up and down because of the erratic movements.


    ¡®It almost felt like¡¯, Lucy¡¯s thoughts trailed.


    ¡®Riding him¡¯, Emery finished for him.


    ¡®Yes¡¯, she agreed subconsciously before she realised how dirty her wolf was. Immediately blushing, she shushed her naughty wolf.


    Once they were finally close to the mansion, Caleb stopped and lowered himself.


    Lucy hopped off and grabbed her shawl that she had dropped earlier and covered her body as much as she could. It had been an extremely long night for her.


    Caleb seemed to have found a pair of shorts and was already watching her now.


    ¡®Thank you for helping me with the shift earlier¡¯, Lucy tried finding the most appropriate words. With that she turned around and started walking back to the mansion when she was grabbed again.


    ¡®You forgot these¡¯, her mate¡¯s deep voice echoed in the big wide forest as he handed her a familiar locket. ¡®You dropped them earlier. I figured it was important to you since you looked worried over it¡¯.


    Lucy¡¯s big blue eyes stared at the locket in her mate¡¯s hands as she tried to hold herself from choking with tears.  She ran into his arms overwhelmed and stammered trying to thank him.


    Her scent of roses pleasantly filled his nostrils. And he wanted to hold and caress her gently like she was the most delicate thing in the world.


    But he knew that Lucy¡¯s feelings and emotions were heightened due to her first shapeshift.


    So, he stood still, letting her mate sob. He did not like her crying, but he knew those were not sad tears. He could just feel it.


    ¡®Lucy, its only day one of the 29 days challenge. Have you fallen in love with me already?¡¯, Caleb joked, trying to lighten her mood.


    Lucyughed through her teary face and grabbed the locket from his hands.


    ¡®You wish¡¯, she teased him a little and went running in the direction of the mansion, leaving the silver haired Alpha smiling after her.


    *


    Jo spent the next few days inside her room, refusing toe out. She still had heard nothing about the royal healers. It felt like Dante was ying with her for some reason.


    How did she lower her guards and let him touch her that night?


    But it felt so natural for his hands to be on her body. The thoughts haunted her needless to say.


    Despite her friends trying desperately to make here out of the four walled room, she refused to give up. She was afraid that if she came across Dante again, she would feel weak. And feeling weak was something in the past for her.


    Jo had lost track of how many days had passed by, but she did not care.


    She heard the turning of the doorknobs and immediately got into her self-defence mood, covering her face with the nkets. Her hair and face were a mess right now. She even managed to give Mina a heart attack with her dark circles when the green haired fairy came to drop off some breakfast.


    Jo hissed at the intruder from behind the safety covers of her nket, waiting to pounce on anyone unfamiliar. But a joyful Evelyn skipped inside.


    ¡®Pwetty Siren¡¯, she whispered. Jo noticed that she only called her that when no one was around.


    Jo smiled weakly at her tiny friend, ¡®Come here, Eve¡¯.


    ¡®Ohh, I like Eve. It sounds pwetty like you¡¯, the princess innocently replied as she went straight for Jo¡¯sp again.


    As Jo stroked the princess¡¯s soft mixed colour fair, she realised how adorable the little girl was.


    ¡®Jo, you are my friend, right?¡¯, the princess asked with her big puppy eyes.


    ¡®Yes, sweet Eve¡¯.


    ¡®I wroteee somethingst night. Can you read it for me pleasuu?¡¯, the princess handed over a little folded paper without waiting for a reply.


    Jo dly took the paper and unfolded it gently. And she was not prepared for what the letter contained. It read:


    The Alpha king¡¯s vulnerability


    Leading from the front,


    He shields his kind.


    Just and fairness,


    Is the belief of the Alpha king.


    *


    Sacrificing his love,


    For the sake of his pack.


    Standing alone, trapped in his marriage.


    Oh, dear Alpha King.


    *


    Longing for his true mate,


    But holding back


    For the forbidden book predicts


    A chaos from their fated unison.


    *


    So, hear the silent cries of this great Alpha king,


    Who waits for someone,


    To see past his barriers


    And help him embrace his vulnerability.


    *


    Oh, dear Alpha King, please embrace your vulnerability.


    -End of letter-


    Jo had tears in her eyes over how beautifully written it was, especiallying from a young princess.


    ¡®This was very moving. Your imagination is amazing Evelyn. Don¡¯t ever forget that¡¯, the siren praised the princess.


    ¡®But this is real. Not an imagina-sioon. Moon goddess told me¡¯, her eyes were brimming with tears.


    ¡®What do you mean? Why are you crying?¡¯, a worried Jo wiped her tears away.


    ¡®The Alfaa king in my writing is my bowther. This is real Jo. Pleasuu help my bowwther Dante¡¯.

 Chapter 29- Part I What are friends for?

    Moon goddess? Jo knew who she was. Moon goddess was the creator of the werewolves. She was the one responsible for creating mate bonds in the werewolf world.


    Jo observed the little princess before her eyes, she knew Evelyn was very young and innocent. It was actually quite normal for young children to have imaginary friends and have such vision. The confused siren tried not to think too much about it.


    Her thoughts wondered off to the wordings in the letter. Trapped in marriage. Vulnerability. Lonely Alpha King. It was haunting her nheless to say. How could a young girl envision such a sad and mature themed poem?


    Evelyn made Jo keep the letter and was already gone.


    Jo could see a hint of worry in the princess¡¯s eyes as if she could not stay for too long which was odd given that Evelyn liked spending time with her. Or so she assumed.


    Jo tried to look outside but the blinds were closed. She knew staying in bed and being sad over her mate was not going to really change anything. She knew this better than anyone.


    She got up slowly stretching her sore body. One would think resting in bed for several days would be rxing but it had quite the opposite effect.


    Her body felt stiff and she really needed to clean herself up.


    As Jo hopped into the shower, the cold water hit her skin and she felt herself rx. She had her gut instincts telling her Evelyn¡¯s letter contained some truth. But she was not sure if it was the mate bond letting her to falselytch on to the hope for a chance to be with her mate.


    She could not tell. But first things first, she needed to talk to Dante.


    *


    Veronica entered the queen¡¯s private chamber; the chamber had scented candles and aromatic flowers decorating the expensive furnishing of the royal room.


    ¡®My queen¡¯, Veronica bowed down before the queen who was sitting in front of the dressing mirror andbing her luscious dark brown hair.


    Von felt a pinch of jealously. Long hair represented beauty and elegance in the werewolf world. After her husband died in a rogue attack, she had to cut her hair short to honour his dead soul and the traditions.


    But now that it had been three years already, she had moved way past her dead mate. She wanted to find love again, her bed was too lonely and cold at night. And she wished she could feel the warmth of having somebody again. Except she could not re-marry for one reason¡­


    ¡®Rise Von. Have you got any good news for me?¡¯, Olivia replied, not turning back but looking at Veronica from the mirror¡¯s reflection.


    ¡®My queen, I believe I do. Our secret messengers have reported back from the Dark yer Pack. The omega, Jo only joined the pack five years ago and she had reportedly no pack before that. As for Jo¡¯s group, the two fairies were released from the hunting ground . very on King Dante¡¯s order and the other omega was an used murderer of the pack¡¯.


    Olivia¡¯s face expression remained the same, nk and emotionless. Veronica was the only person in the royal kingdom who knew the queen¡¯s true face. At first, the queen came across as strikingly beautiful, caring and a loving queen. Everyone in the kingdom hailed their queen with respect and loyalty. But Olivia had done horrible things to get to where she was. Veronica knew that because she had a hand in this too, although not willingly. By the time the bad deed was done, realization and guilt hit hard for her and only then did she realise, how cunning and a smooth maniptor Olivia was. She had never met someone double faced like that before. The queen was just too good at hiding and pretending, and making other people do the dirty work for her with or without them realising.


    ¡®Jo had no other packs before Dark yer, you say¡¯, the queen raised her eyebrows.


    ¡®Yes, my queen. Her existence before entering the Dark yer pack is very vague. We do not have any concrete reports on that¡¯.


    ¡®Interesting¡¯, the queen responded finally turning her back and facing Veronica. ¡®And her friend Lucy is an used murderer. She definitely has an oddpanionship¡¯.


    Veronica kept her head down, not knowing how to respond back. ¡®Oh, and my queen, there were rumours in that pack about Alpha Jayden iming the used omega, Lucy as his mate. Apparently ever since the rumours started spreading, Lucy moved into Jo¡¯s shared room. And they became really close¡¯.


    ¡®Hmmm¡¯, Olivia hummed slowly. ¡®Excellent work done Von. Tell the secret workers to continue spying there¡¯.


    ¡®As youmand, my queen¡¯.


    *


    Jo observed herself in the mirror. She had washed her unruly red hair and felt a bit more presentable now. Her hair had started drying and so she started braiding them slowly with three partitions. After the braid was done, her hair length became shorter, but it made it look like she put some effort in looking pleasant to other people¡¯s eyes, not that she cared anyway.


    ¡®Right¡¯, she mumbled to herself. She needed to talk to Dante and clear things between them. It had now been a couple of weeks since she had arrived here and there was still no news of the royal healers. Jo should have used this time to do something productive instead of crying and rolling around in her bed with the nkets like a torti wrap.


    Yes, she should have used this time toe up with a fake excuse for the mate bond rejection. She did not know if she could reveal her true identity to Dante while saying the rejection words. And unless she reveals it, the mate bond won¡¯t break. She was in a really sticky situation. But there had to be a way out. Right?


    *


    ¡®I knew something was starting to smell fishy, turns out Jo finally decided to leave her den¡¯, Daya sarcastically mocked the siren who walked into the girls basking under the sun.


    Jo rolled her eyes at the 1000th fish joke she had heard from her friends.


    ¡®What have you girls been upto?¡¯, Jo asked, taking a seat next to Mina who had her eyes closed and was clearly enjoying the sun.


    ¡®Just enjoying the amazing pce life. I could get used to this¡¯, Daya replied whilst Mina nodded in approval.


    ¡®Jo, you missed out on all the amazing gossips! But the most shocking one is this. This little dumb blonde found her mate and was hiding it from us¡¯, the pink haired fairy angrily burst out, pulling on Lucy¡¯s ear like she was a third grade teacher.Material ? of N?velDrama.Org.


    ¡®I have said I am sorry a million times¡¯, Lucy tried freeing herself from Daya¡¯s grip.


    ¡®You are only sorry cause you got caught. Imagine if I wasn¡¯t thirsty that night and did not go to the kitchen. I would not have seen you two lovers near the mansion entrance and we would have never known about it!¡¯.


    Jo looked amazed at the revtion. ¡®Lucy, I am happy for you! Who is it? One of the royal warriors?¡¯.


    ¡®Um, he is actually an Alpha-¡®


    ¡®Its Alpha Caleb, that silver haired one¡¯, Daya excitedly finished for Lucy.


    Jo had an awkward expression on, ¡® I thought he was a royal general?¡¯.


    ¡®Actually, he is the royalmander for this kingdom but he also has his own pack; the Ice warrior pack¡¯, there was a hint of pride in Lucy¡¯s voice.


    Did she already like this Alpha? Jo hoped not.


    ¡®Did he try to corner and reject you. I am so sorry Lu-¡®, the clueless siren began.


    ¡®Nah-ah. What rejection? They were having a hot steamy hug. Lucy was totally throwing herself on her hot mate¡¯, the pink haired fairy chirped in again.


    ¡®Daya!¡¯, Lucy yelled her name with pink blush forming on her cheeks. ¡®I told you my emotions were high that night because it was my first shapeshift¡¯.


    Jo realised how much she had actually missed out. It was true, time never waited for anyone. The world would always keep moving forward, stopping for no one.


    ¡®He actually asked me if I could give him a chance. I wanted to reject him, Jo. Mates make you weak, I learnt that from you. I want to be strong like you¡¯, the air in the room suddenly turned stale.


    ¡®Lucy, NO¡¯, Jo said sternly, sitting slightly upright in the chair and folding her arms. ¡®YOU and ME, we are different. If Caleb treats you right and is still unmated, you should give it a go. Please do notpare yourself ever to me. Unless our circumstances are the same from A-Z, you don¡¯t have to do what I am doing¡¯.


    The sudden harsh tone of the siren startled Lucy a little, making her eyes well up, ¡®I am sorry Jo. I would neverpare myself to you. You are strong and amazing. And I look up to you-¡®.


    Within a heartbeat, Jo hugged Lucy making her stop instantly mid-sentence.


    ¡®I am not someone worthy to look up to Lucy. If Caleb treats you right, you should consider him. Please don¡¯t reject him only because of our situation with Alpha Jayden. That ass. hole is thousands of miles away. We are under full protection here¡¯.


    Lucy only nodded in Jo¡¯s arms, she felt a little liberated from the proposition they had made initially. Their friendship had grown way beyond any proposition. Lucy would give her life up for her dear friends now, they were her everything. But hearing Jo said she was free to make her own choices put her uneasy heart to calm. She really needed to hear that¡­.


    Jo shed some tear herself as she hugged her friend tightly. But she felt a gush of a weird omnious scent in the air. The scent screamed of chaos, death and hell. Horrible memories of her past returned as she started shivering out of fear. This distinctive scent only belonged to one man.


    Belial, the right hand of the demon king andmander of hell.

 Chapter 30- Part II What are friends for?

    Belial.


    Darkness gathered in Jo¡¯s eyes and filled it. She quivered thinking about his name. Belial was incredibly powerful from when Jo rememberedst.


    Five years ago, he nearly captured her with his dark powers when she slipped through his fingers, by chance.


    She had hoped the Demon king would have moved on but clearly not. He had sent out his right hand again. Was it to capture her or for something else?


    The moment she caught the scent of the ominous scent, she knew Belial was back walking on the earth and not in hell, where he truly belonged.


    The scent was faint but definitely there. Was Belial at the no-man¡¯s border? Because the demon¡¯s world was connected to this world through a portal. Same went for the fairy kingdom and some of the other mythical creatures. The only supernatural beings that resided on earth were werewolves and vampires.


    Jo¡¯s hand instinctively touched her face. The demon king tried to mark her once, against her will. She defended herself at that time but was left with an ugly scar near her eyes. If she lifted her mask and revealed her true scent, the scar would be visible for everyone to see. And Jo could not stand the horror it would inflict on anyone who daredy their eyes on that scar.


    ¡®What¡¯s wrong?¡¯, Lucy noticed Jo spacing out.


    ¡®Nothing¡¯, she lied.


    *


    The next couple of days, Jo tried speaking to Dante, but the king was so busy, she was not even allowed to go near his office. She cursed at the helpless situation she was in.


    Time was definitely not on Jo¡¯s side and with Belial roaming the no-man¡¯s border, she did not want to risk any of her friend¡¯s lives. She was happy Lucy had found her mate and the two fairies could probably take refuge in the royal kingdom, if they really did not want to return to their ownnd.


    That left only her.


    And Jo could not afford to stay here. Not even if she wanted to.


    On the eight day, after being refused to be seen again, Jo really was on thest straw. Using the little knowledge she had about mate bonds in werewolves, she decided to pull a small trick to get the stubborn king¡¯s attention.


    She took a small dragger knife from the kitchen and slit the back of her hand with it. Blood instantly oozed out from the cut but Jo only pressed on the wound more.


    She knew Dante would feel this pain too. Well, she hoped he would because she learnt from many years of living in Dark yer pack that fated mates could feel all sorts of feelings from the mate bond.


    At first, Jo thought the mate bond was a simple, straight to the point connection between two fated werewolves as blessed by their moon goddess. But the mate bond was much moreplex than that. The moreyers you peeled, theplicated it became.


    Jo stood near the pantry cupboard bleeding from her cut and lost in her thoughts when she heard one of the loudest growls ripping through the mansion.


    She quickly put a nearby clothe and finally pressed on the bleeding as her work was now done. And she was not mistaken. She could smell Dante¡¯s scent getting closer and closer. The raw woody scent was driving her nuts already and she did not like the fact that her body was already reacting.


    ¡®Jo¡¯, she heard an urgent pleading voice to find that the Alpha king had presented before her in less than a few minutes of her cutting herself.


    ¡®How did this happen?¡¯, the king took her bleeding hand in to his and inspected it closer.


    Jo eyed the bloody dragger on the counter and swore at herself. She forgot to hide it. As Dante¡¯s gaze followed the direction she was looking in, he realised what she had done.


    ¡®I-just wanted to speak to you. Well, I have been trying for days now but kept getting turned away by your personal guards and warriors¡¯, Jo replied trying to make her voice sound as strong as she could. The pain in her hand was overpowered by her mate¡¯s presence. Just hearing him breath was rxing, how magical were the mate bonds. This led Jo wonder if she really had any mate bond at all with Alpha Jayden. And if she did, why was it different to how the pull was with Dante.


    ¡®I sincerely apologise Jo. Something came up near the no-man¡¯s border that needed my attention. I-¡®, the king stopped mid-sentence not wanting to bother his mate with all the unnecessary dangerous information. ¡®I am sorry¡¯.


    Jo let out a relieved breath as she stared at Dante. His golden fiery eyes looked tired and exhausted, and Jo wondered if he was being honest.


    Before she could ask anything, Dante lifted her bleeding hand and guided it into his hot mouth as he started sucking the blood out of it.


    Dante breathing out hot air on her hand shot tingle sensations all over her skin. And the most unnerving thing of it all, was him staring right at her while doing it. The eye contact never broke.


    There was an eerie silence. It waste in the afternoon and so the kitchen was temporarily empty. But Jo knew it would not be the same soon.


    The pce omegas would soon return to make preparations for dinner and the kitchen would soon be a bustling ce.


    Jo tugged on her hands as she tried pulling back but Dante¡¯s grip was firm, not loosening even for the tiniest second.


    The same silver swirls were dancing in his eyes and Jo knew this cue. He was fighting with his wolf again. For once, Jo felt bad for the Alpha king. It must be difficult to contain and tame an Alpha wolf.


    Without thinking, Jo touched Dante¡¯s cheek with her free hand and his eyes instantly stopped flickering. He leaned on to her touch, closing his eyes in the process. Evelyn¡¯s letter shed again. It kept reying itself inside her mind.


    It was like a tune of music she could not escape.


    ¡®Are you okay?¡¯, Jo heard herself ask the king who looked extremely vulnerable at that instance.


    ¡®No¡¯, he whispered deeply. His actions reinforcing everything Evelyn had written in that letter. ¡®I am not okay¡¯.


    Before the siren could ask why, the clock chimed with its melody. Jo¡¯s eyes darted at the clock as the hour hand pointed to 4 PM.


    Along the corridors, she heard murmurs of omegas returning to work in the kitchen. Jo distanced himself from the Alpha king.


    ¡®Can we talk soon please?¡¯, Jo looked at Dante who appeared slightly irritated from getting disturbed.


    The king nodded his head and walked away. Jo could only see his broad shoulders as she watched him leave.


    She looked at her hand that she had slit earlier to find that it waspletely healed now. How in the earth did Dante heal her? She was not even a werewolf to possess such a fast body immunity.


    Jo only mouthed a ¡®thank you¡¯ at her mate, it was the least she could do for now.


    *


    Olivia threw herb at the life-sizerge mirror in her chamber, shattering it to millions of pieces.


    ¡®That fu. cking omega bitch¡¯. She saw her husband tending to a lowly omega¡¯s wounds.


    Olivia would have never found that out, had she not heard her husband¡¯s loud growl. At first, she thought, there might have been intruders in the royal mansion. But as she rushed to her husband¡¯s office, she saw him walking somewhere else, looking extremely focused and worried.


    Olivia was confused when she saw Dante interacting weirdly with the sharp-tongued omega, Jo. What shocked her the most was him being intimate with her.


    He was so gentle with her; one would think Jo was his mate and wife. And this was something the queen could not have at her door.


    Olivia looked at the broken ss and watched her reflection in one of the shards. She saw multiple spilt reflections staring back at her.


    That was it, she would not give up here or lose to a lowly omega.


    She was the queen of the bloody werewolf world. And she loved her husband very much.


    Olivia finally slumped into her leather couch as her mind starting racing on different plots. She knew it was better to n calmly than to react.


    Maybe her husband was still punishing her for the infidelity. That was probably it. He was punishing her and hurting her the same way she hurt him.


    Once he was over it, they would be happy again. And go back to the way things used to be.


    This was definitely it.


    *


    ¡®Huh? A ball?¡¯, Jo asked again.


    ¡®Yes miss. All the guest in the mansion have also been invited. The queen specifically sent out an invite for you and your friends.


    ¡®Oh, we are totally in. Send the queen a flying kiss from me¡¯, Daya excitedly squeaked.


    ¡®Daya, please watch you are saying! Sorry about that. We will be there, thank you¡¯, Jo responded trying to shoo the messenger away before Daya opened her big mouth again.


    ¡®Miss, there was one more thing. The queen wanted this to be a special asion. So, she sent dresses for everyone as well¡¯, as soon as the messenger said that more omegas appeared holding a rack of dresses.


    ¡®This one is for Lucy¡¯, the omega announced handing Lucy a beautiful red wine-coloured long dress.


    ¡®And these ones are for the twin fairies¡¯.


    ¡®Hey, we are not twins!¡¯, Daya yelled back startling the omega presenting the dresses.


    One stern look from Jo calmed her immediately, ¡®But we are extremely grateful for the gift from the generous queen¡¯.


    Daya had a light pink coloured flowy dress that fell up to her knees with bow straps. While Mina got a teal asymmetrical flowy dress with the same length. Both of the fairies were in love with their dresses immediately.


    The queen must have really put extra thoughts into the gifts or so Jo thought.


    She was not prepared for what came next.


    Jo was handed an extremely ugly looking dress, it almost looked like a granny¡¯s night dress. The only good thing about it was the material and maybe the colour, if you looked past the atrocious frills on front part of the dress.


    The siren had been a nobledy before in her ownnd and she knew this dress was hundred times uglier than what her servants back then used to wear.


    Jo hesitantly took the dress and mumbled a quick thank you. After the omegas were gone, the girls continued staring at the ugly blue dress.


    ¡®Um, the colour looks really nice¡¯, Mina offered some of the positive side.


    ¡®Yes! Look at this material. It feels so smooth¡¯, Lucy quickly felt the dress¡¯s material and rubbed her hands on it.


    ¡®Man, that dress is FUGLY aka fu. cking ugly! Did you piss the queen off or something?¡¯, Daya¡¯s honesty finally broke the tension in the room.


    ¡®Not that I can think of¡¯, Jo tried brushing it off. So, it wasn¡¯t just her. This dress really was out of the world hideous. Was the queen trying to send her a message or really angry at her for something?


    The messenger reminded them before leaving that they had to wear the gifts from the queen. It was not really a request but an order.


    ¡®I am sorry, Jo¡¯, her friends felt bad for the siren who had to shamefully put on such an ugly gown in a gathering full of high ranked officials and pack members.


    ¡®Nah, don¡¯t worry about it. I always have a solution to every problem¡¯, the siren replied as she rubbed her hands together.


    ¡®What do you mean?¡±, Lucy asked puzzled, scratching her blonde hair.


    ¡®It means all of those years of sewing and grooming sses are finally going to pay off¡¯, Jo replied simply.


    *


    Lucy nervously walked with the two fairies. Jo had asked them to go without her as she still was not done working on the dress.


    The ball was being held at the main chambers of the mansion under the grand chandelier.


    Lucy stole a quick nce at her two friends. They were both looking amazing with the colour of their dresses matching their hair. The girls managed to essorise their dress with some bangles, earrings and light makeup.


    Lucy had her blonde hair tied up in a high bun and had some gem beads put on the bun. Her dressplimented her rosy cheeks and the red lipstick made her look bold. Lucy was a bit hesitant to try the red lipstick but Jo insisted it went well with the dress, so she decided to give it a go.


    Once they neared the entrance of the chamber, they were ushered in by the royal guards. The ball was in a full swing with hundreds of the guest in attendance. The main chambers were so spacious that it could easily amodate at least a few hundreds more.


    The grand chandelier was lit and shone bright lights throughout the ce. There were elegantly dressed people everywhere and Lucy felt a pang of guilt for wearing a pretty dress too while her friend wore a shabby one. But Lucy trusted Jo and knew she would find a way out of it.


    She could already feel a few of the male guests eyeing her as she shifted a bit ufortably.


    The two fairies had already left her side and gone up to get drinks. So much for begging them to stick with her throughout the night. Lucy felt like she was on disy as she stood alone in a bustling gathering. She had worked as an omega for as far as she could remember. Hence being here amongst the highly ranked officials made her feel out of the ce,pletely.


    A drunk royal general approached Lucy as he tried introducing himself to her.


    ¡®Hey there, you gorgeous looking thing¡¯, the man slurred.


    Lucy could smell the alcohol from his breath but did not know how to politely decline the advances. She had never been to a ce like this before, how was she supposed to know?


    ¡®Hello there, general Fin. How is your wife doing? I heard she was almost nearing the end weeks of her pregnancy¡¯, a familiar voice interrupted her train of thoughts.


    The drunk general started stumbling as Caleb stood near Lucy grabbing her lightly by the waist.


    ¡®I see you have met my partner for the night already¡¯, Caleb announced, a hint of threat present in his tone.


    ¡®Commander Caleb, greetings. I did not know she was your partner. My wife is doing fine¡¯, he blurted out in one go and scrammed away.


    Lucy disgustedly watched the fleeing man who was hitting on a young girl whilst having a pregnant wife.


    ¡®Don¡¯t worry, there are still good men out there, like me¡¯, Caleb spoke reading her facial expression.


    ¡®You look absolutely gorgeous tonight. I wish I could hide a gem like you from everyone¡¯.


    Lucy lightened up a little. ¡®Thank you. You look not too bad yourself¡¯.


    As a matter of fact, that was an understatement. Caleb had his silver hair brushed back giving him a very sophisticated look in his ck slim fit suit. He looked godsent, at least in her eyes.


    Many of the she-wolves present were already stealing nces at him. He was after all one of the most eligible bachelors in the werewolf world. Being the right hand for the Alpha king and an Alpha of your own pack made you stand out from the rest of thepetition, undoubtedly.


    ¡®Please bow before the Alpha king and Luna Queen¡¯, the announcer spoke after halting the music.


    Everyone started bowing down as the royal couple made their grand entrance. They looked very attractive in their matching navy-blue suit and dress. Although the king looked far less excited to be at the ball. He looked like he had better things to do.


    Olivia¡¯s dress had almost the same material and colour as Jo¡¯s, only it was prettier. It was a long gown with a V-shaped line. The dress had a slit on the left side exposing the queen¡¯s godly long legs.


    The queen looked around hoping to spot the ugly dress she had sent to that lowly omega. But she could spot it at all. After she started mixing in with the crowd and exchanging pleasantries, she almost forgot about Jo when she saw her husband pause mid conversation and look in the direction of the entrance.


    She looked in the same direction and found Jo standing there. Wearing what she had sent but not quite.


    It was the same dress but modified. The ugly frills were all gone and what was left was a smooth even surface of the statin blue material. Therge hand sleeves were cut off and the dress only had two long straps on both sides of her shoulder. The length of the dress was also shortened and was now barely covering her knees. Gone were the straight front line of the hideous dress, now it had a low-cut V-line that entuated her breast in the right ces.


    For looks, Jo had gone for a smoky eye makeup with only a clear lip gloss on, her red hair was swept to one side exposing her corbones and neck. It took her nearly five hours to make turn the dress to this and it was worth every minute of the look on Olivia¡¯s face.


    Dante was looking at her. Most of the males in the room were also already looking at her with lust and hunger. She clearly won this.Text property ? N?vel(D)ra/ma.Org.


    But she was not prepared for when she heard a loud growl through the ball.


    ¡®MINE¡¯, she heard someone say.

 Chapter 31- The past knocks again

    ¡®MINE¡¯, Jo heard a loud growl ripple through the crowd.


    Her face instantly turning to the direction of the growl.


    The Alpha king was looking at her very hungrily, as if he wanted to devour her right in front of everyone.


    The music was still loud and no one seemed to have noticed the growl. It was also most probably because she had arrivedte and everyone was half drunk already.


    But his wife next to him definitely did not miss her husband¡¯s growl. The queen¡¯s eyes were widened with shock and her mouth was left gaping as she looked at Jo with so much hatred. If looks could kill¡­.


    Jo simply ignored their gaze and made her way towards where Lucy was.


    ¡®Wow, you look mind blowing¡¯, her friendmented.


    ¡®Thanks. See I told you, the red lipstick would look bomb on you¡¯, she replied making Lucy blush.


    ¡®Nice to see you again¡¯, Caleb intervened and only then did, the siren notice Lucy was not alone.


    ¡®Was I interrupting something?¡¯, she quickly asked.


    ¡®Yes¡¯, Caleb replied without hesitating.


    ¡®No!¡¯, Lucy cried out, elbowing Caleb. ¡®You were definitely NOT interrupting anything¡¯.


    ¡®But what about that dance?¡¯, his silver eyes appeared sad as he looked at his mate.


    ¡®Please excuse me, I need to go get some drink¡¯, Jo took the cue and left the two seemingly love birds alone.


    ¡®But, Jo wait-¡®.


    Jo quickly dashed to the drink section, not waiting a second more.


    Once she made her way there, she tried to spot her two mischievous fairy friends and noticed they were outside, dancing around the bon fire, already mingling with the odd crowd.


    ¡®Can I get you a drink, miss?¡¯, a young blonde guy appeared beside Jo as he put his hands over hers which were resting on the bar table.


    ¡®I am fine, thank you¡¯, Jo gave him a superficial fake smile, hoping he would get the signal that she was not interested.


    But the young man sat next to her, his right hand already on her thighs now. He was getting on herst nerve.


    Before he could break this young man¡¯s daring hands, Don jumped in.


    ¡®Hey kiddo, did you not learn in school that its inappropriate to touch ady without consent¡¯, the Wind warrior Alpha sharply reminded the youngd.


    ¡®I am sorry- Alpha.. I¡¯.


    ¡®Now leave¡¯.


    ¡®Impressive Don. And I thought you were this sweet Alpha who was nice to everyone¡¯, Joughed as she took a drink from the tray nearby.


    ¡®Let¡¯s just say that I am not so nice to id. iots who cross boundaries¡¯, Don responded smiling and taking a seat next to Jo. ¡®What are you having?¡¯.


    ¡®Um, I am not so sure¡¯.


    ¡®That looks like the rose petal-infused syrup drink, a popr choice amongst thedies¡¯, Don ran his hands through his wavy cinnamon coloured hair.


    Jo looked at his right eyebrow scar again, it made him look really dashing. On the other hand, her scar underneath the mask, made her look like a monster¡­..


    ¡®I must say Jo, you have quite a daring dress on¡¯, Don remarked sincerely.


    ¡®Well, it was either this or looking like someone¡¯s grandma who was about to go to bed at 7 PM¡¯, the siren replied, enjoying the friendlypanion. Jo feltfortable around Don and that was odd because she was neverfortable around male, of any species or kind.


    ¡®Alpha, you left me all by myself¡¯, a young girl rubbed her breast on Don¡¯s arm, interrupting their conversation.


    Jo rolled her eyes at the intruder who was throwing her deadly stares.


    ¡®I am a bit busy right now Diane¡¯, Don politely declined.


    Kudos to this gentleman. Jayden could learn a thing or two from him, Jo thought.


    ¡®But Alpha¡¯, the girl cried in an annoying high pitch, jumping up and down like a small girl throwing a tantrum.


    Don apologetically looked at Jo as she just waved at him saying it was fine.


    He heaved a sigh as he was pulled by Diane to the dance floor. Being around Jo made him happy for some reason.


    Don still remembered her speech during the warrior¡¯s training. He was returning back to the benches after a phone call when he saw her addressing the warriors. The way she spoke was beautiful and alluring. Her words about ¡®being strong¡¯ touched his heart most indefinitely because it hit closer to home for him. Also, the mild unique scent that came from her time to time, kept him yearning for more.


    Maybe it was time, he really took a Luna for his pack. Maybe Jo was the one. Maybe¡­


    *


    Jo spotted her silly friend finally dancing with her mate. She would never expect someone to follow her actions. Lucy deserved the best and Caleb was decent so far.


    ¡®Biyatch, look at you. Rocking that dress¡¯, Daya¡¯s familiar voice erupted.


    ¡®I have to give it to you Jo. That dress looks awesome¡¯, Mina agreed adjusting her pink flowy dress.


    ¡®A bit too short for my taste but looks like Jo wants to do some fishing now from the crowd¡¯, the pink haired fairy teased.


    ¡®HAHAHA. Another fish joke! The one thing missing frompleting my long day¡¯, she sipped some of her rose petal-whatever-Don-said wine. It tasted pleasantly good.


    After the girls chatted away at the bar, they grabbed a couple more of the pink wine. Daya was already a bit skittish, and Jo also felt her cheeks bing hot. She threw a couple of nces towards her mate who looked very stiff next to his wife.


    *Ting Ting*, the sound of the ss clinking echoed, instantly stopping the music and buzz of the crowd.


    ¡®Attention everyone. I would like to thank you all for attending tonight¡¯s ball.  It is a very special night for me and my husband because we got engaged on this very day a few years back¡¯, Olivia announced loud and clear.


    She went on and on about how special their bond has been, h h, Jo had enough.


    She excused herself and exited to the outdoor garden. The bon fire was nice and cosy and the full moon was on a beautiful disy.


    Jo admired the white glistening moon when she heard someone walk close by.


    ¡®Quite a beauty, isn¡¯t she?¡¯, the voicemented. She had heard this before.


    ¡®Yes, should you not be inside with your wife?¡¯, the whole scene felt like a d¨¦j¨¤ vu of their first encounter.


    Dante appeared a bit sad at the mention of his wife. ¡®Yes, we just did a toast and everyone is just back to enjoying the ball. I wanted some fresh air¡¯.


    ¡®Oh yeah, enjoy¡¯, Jo bluntly replied as she turned to head back inside.


    Dante pulled her into a tight embrace. Skilfully he positioned them behind a big pir to hide away from everyone¡¯s eyes.Content (C) N?v/elDra/ma.Org.


    ¡®What are you-¡®, Jo tried to make sense of the stu. pid King¡¯s action. The rose petal-something wine was already catching up to her now, making her emotions heightened.


    Dante closed her off with a kiss right on the lips. He pressed on her with so much hardness and passion, Jo¡¯s hands shot up to run her hands through his smooth dark locks. The tension was too hard to resist. After what felt like an eternity of making out, Jo finally pushed her mate away angrily.


    ¡®Wait, we can¡¯t¡­Why did you do that?¡¯.


    ¡®My lips were dry and I thought I could use some of your gloss¡¯, the Alpha king sheepishly said.


    ¡®Huh?¡¯, Jo looked at her silly mate who was taking her for a fool. ¡®Here, keep your lips looking glossy then, like mine¡¯, she handed a tube of lip gloss from her small purse and shoved it in Dante¡¯s hands.


    ¡®Jolene¡¯, her mate whispered her name as he traced his fingers along one side of her cheeks. ¡®I don¡¯t like your dress being this short¡¯.


    ¡®Oh, is the big bad Alpha angry now?¡¯, sheughed but he wasn¡¯t. Not even a little bit.


    ¡®It¡¯s all I had!¡¯, Jo retaliated. ¡®Also, its none of your business. You rejected me, remember?¡¯.


    ¡®I am sorry Jo. I really and truly am¡¯, a hint of sadness was present in the kings¡¯s voice. ¡®My hands are tied and I wish I could change our fate. But I can¡¯t. It¡¯s beyond me and my control¡¯.


    ¡®Save it, my king. I don¡¯t need a reason because you do not owe me any¡¯, with that, the siren angrily stormed away. Tears were dangerously filling in her eyes again. She yearned for Dante¡¯s touch and wished for so many things. But it was far from her reach because he did not want her. He already had the most beautiful queen by his side. What more could he want?


    As Jo rushed through the crowd, she felt something getting thrown her way. She quickly dodged the spear that was meant to hit her, it went flying past her and crashed on the floor of the entrance.


    Adrenaline was rushing through her blood as she started releasing her mask on her true scent slowly. There were screams and cries in the main chambers as people started gathering around the scene.


    ¡®What¡¯s going on?¡¯.


    ¡®Someone was just attacked¡¯.


    ¡®Look at that spear on the floor!¡¯.


    She heard murmurs of confusion. Jo had already removed half of the mask on her true scent so her powers were getting stronger now.


    The omnious scent of Belial came flooding her thoughts again. Did he find her already? She had to run if that was the case. It was too risky here.


    Jo concentrated her powers on her fingertips ready to spring to action. As she followed to where the spears hit, she saw a pair of feet standing over them.


    Her eyes slowly traced the body up when she backed up a little in surprise at who it was.


    Alpha Jayden was standing in front of her in a ck suit. His emerald green eyes piercing Jo¡¯s soul as if he just realised who his true mate was.


    How did Jayden even get here so fast?


    Jo realised half of her true scent was out already as she tried masking it back again.


    But it was toote, there was only hunger and lust evident in Jayden¡¯s eyes as he looked at his true mate longingly.


    Author¡¯s notes: If you still have not realised, when Jo masks her true scent, her powers get supressed. So whenever she is under attack or senses danger, she unmasks her scent either a little or fully depending on how much power she wants to use.


    If she removes her scentpletely, her full powers will surface¡­.

 Chapter 32- A sinister revelation

    Olivia watched in discontent as Jo dodged the spear that was meant to hit her.


    But the biggest surprise was yet toe.


    After hearing her husband call Jo ¡®mate¡¯, her doubts were confirmed.


    Jo was the bride from the forbidden book. The queen¡¯s blood boiled thinking about how ominous and cursed that little omega was. Luckily, Olivia had prepared a surprise for Jo and her little group.


    Over thest few days, Von had arranged for a few of the Dark yer pack members to be flown to the royal kingdom as soon as possible. It was not odd to have packs attending special asions hosted by the royal mansion. Though anyone would have noticed, their invitation was extremely rushed.


    The queen had a gut feeling telling her that something fishy was going between the Alpha from Dark yer pack iming Lucy as his mate and Jo bing close to Lucy after that. Something was not right.


    As Olivia watched Jo walk towards the spear, she was in heated eye contact with a strange good-looking man. Von was now standing close to the queen, observing the scene as well.


    ¡®That¡¯s the Alpha, my queen¡¯, Von whispered.


    ¡®From Dark yer?¡¯


    ¡®Yes¡¯.


    A smirk was now ying on the Queen¡¯s pink lips. Everyone could see the encounter unfolding before their eyes.


    ¡®Mate¡¯, the man growled at Jo who said nothing in return.


    This was even perfect. Victory was overflowing in Olivia¡¯s body, it felt like killing two birds with one stone.


    ¡®Jo¡¯s the cursed bride¡¯, the queen whispered to Von.


    The nobledy¡¯s eyes grew wide in shock and realisation. Everything made sense now. She apologetically looked at Jo. She had the worst luck in existence being the cursed bride. The infamous cursed bride who would be the Alpha king¡¯s true mate. She was predicted to bring the fall of the werewolf kind.


    *


    shback


    It was years back when Von was just a teen and innocent. She only realised now that Olivia was manipting her from the start of the friendship. When the girls were just 17, they sneaked off from the royal school to outside of the borders. Olivia convinced Von that they needed to meet a witch to save the werewolf world. She was so lost in the maniptive words that she really believed she was saving her kind and doing something.


    It was all very vague but she remembered Olivia speaking to a powerful witch on the outskirts.


    ¡®I need you to use ck magic and make the Alpha king¡¯s true mate have an illusion of being mates with someone else¡¯, Olivia stated without hesitating.


    Von fidgeted with her hands as the chilly wind blew past them. Her gut instincts were screaming that something was not right.


    The witchughed loudly, as it was only magnified by the bare forest. ¡®That is the biggest request I have received so far. It will cost you dearly¡¯, the witch rubbed her two hands. Her fingernails were too long and curving at the tips. Von did not trust her at all but it was toote now to turn back.


    ¡®Name it¡¯, Olivia replied, folding her arms. She really had the balls of steel.


    ¡®I want your wolf spirit¡¯.


    Olivia contemted a little. ¡®Fine. Swear a magic oath with me first and you can have it¡¯.


    ¡®Olivia, I don¡¯t think that is saf- ¡®.


    ¡®Do it¡¯, her stubborn friend only encouraged the witch.


    ¡®I, Esther of the Vincemorth witch, swear this magical oath with you. I shall create an illusion for Alpha king¡¯s true mate to feel the mate bond with someone else. Although I cannot guarantee you that the Alpha King still won¡¯t recognise his true mate when he meets her¡¯, the witch waited for consent.


    ¡®Fine¡¯.


    ¡®Since you agreed to my conditions. With the ck magic lords as my witness, I swear that if I am unsessful, I shall pay it with my blood and soul. Okay, your turn now¡¯.


    Olivia took a deep breath, preparing herself to lose her wolf spirits.


    ¡®Olivia don¡¯t¡¯, her friend pleaded again.


    ¡®Back off, Von. I won¡¯t let the cursed bride swoon Dante and destroy our kind¡¯, she replied sternly. ¡®I, Olivia Avintho, from the Sand warrior Pack, hereby give you permission to take my wolf¡¯s spirit¡¯.


    The next few moments were hell on earth as Olivia screamed as if someone was peeling off her skin. Von shivered watching her best friend in excruciating pain. The witch¡¯s eyes were lit with a blue light as she finalised the magic oath.


    Once the dreading ordeal was finallypleted, Von rushed to Olivia¡¯s side.


    ¡®One more thing¡¯, a panting Olivia grabbed the witch¡¯s attention again. ¡®Since I don¡¯t have a witch anymore. I want you to do one more thing for me. Can you poison someone with magic?¡¯.


    Von shuddered thinking about all of the horrible memories. She refused to acknowledge she had any hand in the royal princess being poisoned. Even though, she could have alerted the King about what Olivia had done. She was too scared of what extent Olivia could go to.


    So, Von remained silent.


    Everyone sang praises to Olivia when she found the miraculous antidote for the princess. She imed she had great knowledge of herbs because she was interested in medicine. Everyone seemed to have brought the idea. After all, Olivia was this sweet and bubbly girl. No one had ever seen her raise her voice or be angry.


    No one except Von, of course.


    Over the years, she watched her best friend be the royal family¡¯s favourite and eventually marry the Alpha King.


    It was horrible to witness it all, despite knowing the truth.  She knew what they did was hical and punishable by the werewolfw. Afterall, the forbidden book did have a way to remove the curse but Olivia had already ripped the page off. The book which was only meant to be unsealed on the king¡¯s 18th Birthday, already tapered by her friend.


    Von really could do nothing but watch. If Jo really was the cursed bride, it probably meant Alpha Jayden was under the illusion from that witch. It was amazing how strong ck magics were.Content (C) N?v/elDra/ma.Org.


    She was more surprised as to how Olivia nned everything out. From organising this ball to having Jayden have this encounter with Jo. How smart was the queen? Extremely.


    This is why Von knew better than to open her mouth.


    *


    ¡®You are mistaken, I am not your mate¡¯, Jo clenched her hands.


    ¡®But you are. This scent, pull. Its so much stronger than what I felt with Lucy. My wolf must have been mistakenst time. But you are definitely mine¡¯, Jayden took a few steps towards her.


    Don stepped in front of Jo, stopping Jayden¡¯s approach with his hand in the air. ¡®Guards, scan this ce. Someone was just attacked¡¯.


    ¡®Who are you?¡¯, Jayden growled realising a strange man was shielding his mate from him. His own bloody mate! There was no denying it this time.


    ¡® It doesn¡¯t matter who I am. Jolene was just attacked right now. I need to take her somewhere safe¡¯, Don replied as he turned to Jo and checked if she was alright.


    Caleb and Lucy joined in as well checking in on Jo.


    ¡®Are you okay?¡¯, Lucy asked worriedly.


    Jayden watched in amazement. Lucy was definitely not his mate, he no longer could sniff any of the sweet scent on her. But with Jo, the pull was undeniably there. How did he not sense it for so many years?


    Caleb eyed Jayden angrily as if he wanted to pounce and kill him on the spot. ¡®Did you have a hand in this attack?¡¯.


    Jayden just scuffed, ignoring Caleb.


    ¡®With all due respect, Alpha Jayden, under the werewolfw, you are required to answer when a higher-ranked wolf is asking you something¡¯, patience was wavering in Caleb¡¯s voice.


    ¡®Why would I try to kill my own mate? I just arrived because I was sent the royal invite at thest moment¡¯, Jayden answered a little annoyed.


    Olivia quickly intervened on cue. ¡®Caleb, I sent out the invite to Dark yer Pack. He is a special guest because I have heard his pack was extremely hospitable to the royal visitors¡¯.


    ¡®Yeah, hospitable alright, throwing them in the dungeons¡¯, Caleb snickered.


    Jo sighed at the ruckus going on, all she wanted to do was quietly exit this ball and go to bed. She had her true scent under the full mask again. However, she eased off a little realising the attacker was not Belial. She could not feel his aura at all.


    But then it made her wonder who had thrown the spear at her? Did she already have enemies inside the royal kingdom as well?


    ¡®Oh my god, the royal ball¡¯, Gina¡¯s squeaky voice rang drawing everyone¡¯s attention. She was not alone, however. The whole entourage had arrived. Linda, Tilly and even Evelyn. Why were Gina and all of her sisters here as well?


    It was too much for one day.


    ¡®Don, can I leave please?¡¯, she tiredly requested.


    ¡®I will escort you back¡¯, he offered as he exchanged a few words with Caleb.


    Jayden still watched Jo¡¯s every move as she was ushered outside by another man. It killed him to see anyone even near Jolene. But this wasn¡¯t his pack and he was easily outranked by other werewolves here. He would just have to wait for a good time. And when that came, he would return to his pack with Jolene by his side. His true mate¡­

 Chapter 33- This is where your hands do not belong

    Lucy watched the exhausted Siren leave the ball. She looked extremely exhausted to say the least.


    ¡®What the f. uck is she doing here?¡¯, a familiar voice scowled at her.


    It was her lifelong bully. Gina.


    ¡®Hey, I asked you something, you little¡¯, she charged at her.


    But Lucy dodged Gina¡¯s p and grabbed it quickly, twisting her hands and making Gina¡¯s body turn 180 degrees.


    ¡®Ouch, let me go. Someone help!¡¯, her cries fell on deaf ears.


    ¡®Keep your pretty hands to yourself¡¯, Lucy shoved the bully out of her way and excused herself to head out of the exit.


    Jayden looked like he had lost all of his interest in her. His gaze was now bored and dull. This is what Lucy feared the most. He now knew Jo had been his mate all along and not her. Shit.


    ¡®Goodnight Lucy¡¯, her mate yelled from behind.


    ¡®You too. Although I am surprised you watched and did nothing when someone almost raised their hands on your mate¡¯, Lucy paused and asked her doubtful mate.


    ¡®My mate is a bloody Lycan. That she wolf, Regina did not even stand a chance against you¡¯, he replied, leaning against a big pir. Looking sinfully handsome. His silver haired was glistening under the full moon.


    Lucy ended upughing at his response. ¡®I really hope that was the real reason and not because you were scared of ¡®RE-GINA¡¯!¡¯.


    ¡®What-¡®


    ¡®Goodnight Alpha¡¯.


    .


    .


    .


    Next day


    Dante adjusted his cor shirt and tried to stand still. But everything was irritating him.


    He was just informed this morning that Jo was attacked by a spear. Where was he when all of this was happening?


    Dante cursed at himself for even going outside to the gardens. After kissing Jo, his Alpha wolf was stirring inside him again. It took him a lot of elemental powers to calm Theo down.


    ¡®This is because of you, mutt¡¯, he spitefully told his wolf.


    ¡®Ya alright. me all of your primal instinct on the big bad wolf living inside your mind¡¯, Theo snickered.


    The king sighed heavily. Theo was right.


    Dante was also partly to me as well. He craved for Jo like she was a fresh breath of air.


    He punched a big piece of log in the training grounds, venting out all of his frustration on the log as it spilt into two pieces. And to top it all, that Alpha Jayden was here as well. He sometimes wished Olivia informed him before doing things.


    She never understood him from the start.


    Yes, as a wife, she took care of all of his needs. But there was always this one big void. Something, that was always there but he did not know what it was exactly.


    His heart yearned for someone who would understand him with just one simple gesture. Or a simple nod. Maybe he was being too ambitious hoping for all of that in one person.


    ¡®My king, we are ready¡¯, one of his men tried to grab his attention.


    Dante simply nodded and walked to his car outside. He needed to go for an important meeting with the current Vampire leader.


    Now that, he was sure about the Demon realm being responsible for all these deaths. He needed allies before he could go using the hot-headed Demon King.


    Luckily, Tyron was a sensible and civil man. He had easily agreed to help Dante. Also, partially due to the past history between the vampires and werewolves.


    During the great rebellion, the werewolves won the war and pardoned the lives of the vampires who surrendered. Although the ruling vampire leader then, Denver was killed mercilessly by none other than his mother, Sarah.


    Denver was responsible for thousands of deaths back during his parent¡¯s times. Almost half of the werewolf packs were erased and so many innocent lives were lost.


    His parents, Sarah and Ian were now in retreat touring the world. Theye back to the kingdom a couple of times in a year but no one really knew when exactly. They just rocked up whenever they felt like it.


    Once Dante was seated on the smooth leather of his white Rolls Royce car, he rxed a little.


    As the engine revived up, his thoughts wondered off to Jolene again. Sometimes, he felt too tied up to his duties as a king. He wished he could just forget that the forbidden book ever existed and be selfish just for once. Just for once, if he could do what he liked and what he wanted¡­


    *


    Few dayster


    Jo stood under the scorching sun fanning herself with the long hanging sleeves of her modest knee length dress. They were still being made to wear dresses only due to the dress code of the royal kingdom, apparently made by Olivia. Typical.


    The poor siren had not even slept a wink for thest few days, thinking about who could have possibly wanted to hurt her. Luckily, her reflex was fast enough to dodge the attack. But she might not be so lucky next time.


    Lucy and the two fairies refused to let her sleep alone after the incident. So, all of them crashed on Jo¡¯s tiny single bed. And Mina¡¯s snoring definitely did not help the situation.


    But she was not here toin, their intentions were good. And for the first time ever, she had genuine friends who did not have any ulterior motives.


    ¡®This line is not moving at all¡¯, Daya whined. She had beats of sweats forming continuously on her small forehead.


    ¡®Tell me about it. It¡¯s so weird, I thought we were special guests of the Alpha King but they are making us stand in the line for a blessing ceremony I don¡¯t even want to attend¡¯, Mina echoed her friend¡¯s frustration.


    ¡®Probably because the king is away on some business or something. And this ceremony has been madepulsory by the beloved werewolf Queen¡¯, Daya replied, wiping the sweat with a small pink handkerchief matching her hair.


    ¡®Girls, speak softer. No one here will tolerate us speaking badly of the Queen¡¯, Lucy warned them. They were standing in the female¡¯s line which led to the temple ceremony. It was located next to the mansion, near a small pond.


    ¡®Fine¡¯, both the fairies grunted in unison.


    The girls continued standing for nearly three hours, grunting and whining about the long line.


    ¡®Oh, hi there, Jo¡¯.


    Everyone started bowing to the Queen who was wearing a big rosy hat and a lightvender casual gown. Even while surrounded by her minions, she was without the doubt the most-eye strikingly beautiful one of the group.


    ¡®Greetings, my queen¡¯, Jo bowed a little.


    ¡®You look terrible Jo, out here in the sun. I know you are a special guest but what can I do? It¡¯s a tradition that everyone needs to stand in the line for the ceremonial blessing except for the royals, of course¡¯, Olivia¡¯s face deepened with worry. It could fool anyone really. But Jo was not a fool.


    Before the siren could reply, she was cut off by none other than Gina.


    ¡®Don¡¯t be silly! They are all a bunch of omegas and past ves. Why should our kind-hearted queen make any exceptions for them?¡¯, Gina rolled her sharp nasty tongue.


    ¡®I really wish I could make an exception. The sun is very scorching. I am so sorry,dies¡¯, Olivia bowed.


    ¡®Ridiculous. They should be the ones apologising for expecting any special treatment. My queen is too lenient¡¯, Gina intervened again.


    ¡®But we literally did not even say any-¡®, Daya was cut off quickly by Jo.


    ¡®We apologise for making you worried. You are too kind for your own good, dear Queen¡¯, Jo forced the words out, stering a fake smile.


    Olivia just nodded slightly and walked past the line along with her little entourage of nobledies, lengthened by Gina and her little sisters. Even their bloody mother, Linda was here.


    Jo was confused at what was going on but she was too tired to care.


    The queen easily ascended the stairs and entered the temple, where there was ample of nice cool shade.


    The line finally moved and they progressed along the line little by little, the wait felt like an eternity.


    Once they finally got to the top of the stairs and were only a few steps away from entering the temple, they were stopped by one of the guards.


    The huge muscr guard waved the two fairies in but when it was Lucy¡¯s turn. He called her to the side to check her properly.


    His filthy hands went first on her shoulder and then slowly traced her waistline. He then groped her breast and fondled it very harshly making her squeak a little.


    Lucy flinched remembering the past abuse and indecent advances.


    Jo saw red looking at her friend reliving those memories with every single touch. Before his hands could go down to her private area, Jo grabbed the strong muscr hand.


    ¡®Be careful of things you cannot afford to touch¡¯, in a spilt second, Jo kicked the guard right in his balls, making him groan in pain. The brave siren tried grabbing a dagger off from his armour belt but she was soon held down by the other guards who were surprised at her strength.


    Jo was quickly made to bow down, soon more guards emerged from other lines as well. She smiled at the crying guard who had his hands over his private areas.


    ¡®You are wee¡¯, she mouthed at him.


    *


    Olivia sat impatiently on the high chambers. The king¡¯s throne was empty because Dante was away. But hers was right next to his and she felt like the most powerful person right now.


    That cursed omega made a scene, attempting to attack one of the royal guards. It was as if moon goddess wanted to make things easier for her. Attempting to harm a royal guard on duty was a crime punishable by execution. Olivia could not have figured of a better way to bring down her foe.


    At first, she just wanted to humiliate Jo by making her stand in the line and show her where she belonged. But this incident, this was perfect.


    Her thoughts were disrupted by the noise of shackles dragging the vinyl floor. Everyone started whispering amongst themselves, throwing the omega a dirty look.


    To offer a fair trial, Jo would be allowed to speak for herself. But Olivia already had ns for her. And they were not good at all.


    ¡®What is the meaning of this? Let her go¡¯, an angry voice erupted in the room.


    It was Alpha Jayden.


    ¡®You can¡¯t chain her like she is an animal¡¯, he angrily blurted out again, trying to advance near Jo but he was quickly stopped by other guards who had almost the same physique as the angry Alpha.


    ¡®Alpha Jayden, please honour the royal kingdom¡¯s tradition and let the queen decide the trial. She is of the highest rank here¡¯, one of the elderly subordinates wearing a white robe spoke.


    Jayden hesitantly backed up a little bit, his eyes never leaving Jo.


    ¡®This is a trial for Jolene, an omega who has been staying in this royal mansion due to the benevolent king¡¯s gesture. However, instead of being grateful, she attacked a royal guard on duty for no apparent reason¡¯, the same elderly man spoke.


    A bunch of elderlies seating in rows of seat on the right side of the trial hall agreed in unision,¡¯ Hear Hear¡¯.


    ¡®So, tell me Jolene, why did you attack a royal guard? Were you sent by someone to spy on us?¡¯.


    ¡®He was touching my friend in a not so appropriate manner and deserved to be kicked. It was a wake up call for him¡¯, the siren replied nonchntly, as if her reaction was the most natural thing to do.


    ¡®Pure insolence. Our highly trained guards would never engage in such acts¡¯, Von voiced over, throwing a quick nce at Olivia who gave her the approval nod. ¡®You did it just out of pure spite. Just because you were made to wait in hours under the sun. Did you expect our queen to make special exceptions for you!¡¯.


    Jo sighed at the course the trial was heading at. Her case waspletely being misdirected and did not make sense at all. Speak about a shambolic trial.


    Spy? Spiteful because she was standing in a line for too long? Were werewolves really that dense or just in stu. pid?N?velDrama.Org holds text ? rights.


    ¡®My friends are my witnesses¡¯, Jomented.


    ¡®Your aplices cannot speak on your behalf¡¯, Von added, making it moreplicated.


    ¡®My queen, if you may, we do have one credible witness. The other guard from the second line witnessed the whole ordeal. In the investigation, he stated the omega in question, Jolene initiated the attempted murder out of the blue. She even went to the extent of reaching out for his dagger for moon goddess forbid what intention¡¯, the white robed man spoke again.


    The crowd at the trial started generated curses and hisses at Jo who was already used to all this. It did not bother her, one bit.


    ¡®My heart aches to know this because I believe there is good in everyone. But I need to act as a queen and set a firm example for this kingdom¡¯, Olivia announced. She paused for some time as people looked at their queen with admiration thinking she had a heart of gold.


    ¡®Under the werewolfw, I subject you, Jolene to a public execution for an attempted murder of a royal guard¡¯, the queen finished thest sentence very painstakingly as if it hurt her.


    Everyone started cheering as Jo was then taken away. She swore she saw a glimpse of a smile on the queen.


    This was far from over.

 Chapter 34-Timely intervention

    Power


    Whoever possessed it had the upper hand in any situation. Perhaps, Jo would have been considered powerful in hernd but in the werewolf world, she was a measly omega.


    Thest few days were rough on the poor siren. Losing countless nights of sleep finally drove her to the edge. She was usually very calctive and methodical in everything she did but her actions at the temple were rather erratic.


    She reflected on her actions near the temple. The sight of the guard touching her friend triggered something in her, it brought a very violent side of her. She thought she would never retort to this side of her again but it came back and it was ugly.


    Of course, the guard got what he deserved and Jo highly doubted that the queen also had a hand in this. Forcing her to attend long ceremonies, temple blessings, making her stand in queues for hours and making her perform unreasonable tasks in thest few days, the list was inexhaustible. It was as if Olivia wanted to crack Jo and she was sessful this time.


    The trial went quite as she had expected. Everything was framed against her and the court refused to ept her friends as witnesses. To top it all off, the queen ordered her executionter in the afternoon.


    Well, damn her luck.


    Jo did not want to remove her scent again to use her powers. The memories of the spear missing her by bare inches haunted her again. Jo now knew she had more than one enemy and could not let her guards down.


    The siren could hear muffled ruckus from outside. She would soon be taken out to be publicly executed. She knew she had to unleash her power or it would be impossible to escape hundreds of royal guards and even the generals that would be present there.


    ¡®I am sorry Rayleigh. I have to do this to protect myself¡¯, she whispered to herself, calming her shaking hands and remembering her dear friend fondly.


    ¡®Hey Jo¡¯


    Jo opened her eyes to find Don standing in front of her, only separated by the thick silver cell bars.


    ¡®Hi there¡¯


    ¡®I am sorry you are in this cell right now. Nothing is making sense and this whole execution thing is moving too fast. I only heard about your rushed trial a few moments ago. It is shocking you were not given a defendant speaker. I would have been more than happy to step in and spoken on your behalf¡¯, Don apologetically offered.


    ¡®It¡¯s okay. None of this is your fault, Don. I will be alright¡¯, she reassured her worried friend.


    ¡®Jo, the reason I was so busy these few days was because of the attack in the ball that happened few days ago. I was investigating the spear and interrogating the guards present at that time. I have my reasons to believe the spear attack was orchestrated by someone in the royal family. I could not find out who but all evidence points to someone amongst them¡¯, Don finished brushing his hands through his brown wavy hands. He looked tired with more lines visible on his forehead frown making him look even more rougher than his causal self.


    ¡®I figured so¡¯, she carefully thought. ¡®But it does not matter, Don. I don¡¯t think the queen looked keen on changing her verdict anytime soon¡¯.


    The sound of a horn blowing distracted the duo interrupting their conversation.


    ¡®It¡¯s time Jo. I won¡¯t let anything happen to you¡¯, Don hurriedly said as he stepped aside for the marching guards.


    *


    Jo was escorted to a mini tform that looked like it was assembledst moment. Some of the attendees in the crowd were booing as she passed them, making her roll her eyes at them. In the past, this reaction would have made her burst out crying.


    But Jo had gone through so much in the past that she now had reached a certain level where everyone¡¯s perception about her did not matter. The most important thing was what she thought of herself and she knew she did the right thing.


    Not caring about the herd mentality was the best choice Jo had made in her life.


    The siren ascended the tiny steps as she looked at the huge guard with an axe standing next to a small wooden b.


    The queen was watching this charade from a small veranda facing the podium. She was sitting in afortable small throne with her minions by her side. Jo had never seen the queen look this happy ever since their first encounter.


    Jo tried searching her friends¡¯ faces in the crowd but she was soon distracted by eggs and rotten fruits that were thrown at the podium. One of the eggs smashed across her forehead as the yolk dripped down on her eyelids. She wanted to wipe the dripping yolk away but her hands were still tightly clutched behind her back with hand cuffs.


    Jo started shuddering from the smell of the rotten fruits that were hitting all possible inch of her body. Yet, she still kept her eyes open giving full eye contact to the people in the crowd. Some looked away feeling intimated. This made Jough a little. Everyone felt invincible amongst the crowd but the moment they were left alone, they would cower. This is why nothing feared Jo anymore.


    There was a very clear evil smirk ying on the queen¡¯s smooth skin, how deceiving were her looks?


    If Jo was not a siren, she would have never known. Deceitful looks were a trait her kind was proud of. They were the master of luring people and making everyone feel enchanted by them. It was highly likely Dante was also probably fooled by her innocent look.


    Jo¡¯s thoughts went back to Evelyn¡¯s letter. The words saddening her more. What if they were true?


    ¡®Let her go pwetty pleasu. She is not bad¡¯, the princess¡¯s voice brought Jo¡¯s attention back to reality.


    ¡®Evelyn, stand back¡¯, Jo warned the little princess who was trying to get on the small podium she was being held on.


    Olivia annoyedly waved her hand at one of the guards who roughly manhandled the princess and removed her swiftly from the scene.


    ¡®Hey, be careful with her. She is just a child¡¯, she yelled but her voice was soon drowned by the crowd¡¯s booing.


    ¡®The princess is known to be quite a prankster¡¯


    ¡®Our queen is disciplining her¡¯


    ¡®She is mentally ill¡¯


    Multiple reasonings were thrown at the clueless siren. It just dawned on her. Everyone in the kingdom waspletely brainwashed by Olivia. The unsuspecting perfect queen.


    ¡®Proceed with the execution¡¯, the order came from the small veranda. Jo was not sure if it was from Olivia or one of her minions speaking as she was roughly forced toy down on the wooden tform and position her head on the b.


    Her heart started beating faster, she did not like unmasking her true scent randomly time and again especially with Belial¡¯s scent and presence close by.


    Jo concentrated her powers on her fingertips, she had to make a run for it.


    Before the siren could free herself, arge growl rippled through the crowd.


    ¡®STOP RIGHT THIS INSTANCE¡¯


    There it was again. The calming presence of her mate. So strong that it made her lose focus of her powers that were dancing on her fingertips. As much as she hated to admit it, she knew she was safe as long as he was around.


    ¡®What is the meaning of this?¡¯, Dante gently helped Jo off the cold wooden floor, breaking the hand cuffs with his right hand.


    ¡®My king, she-she attacked a royal guard. Our queen ordered a public execution for her¡¯, the huge guard standing on the podium replied dropping the axe he was using to intimidate Jo just a while ago.


    ¡®Bring the guard in question here. NOW¡¯, Dante let out another growl. Their king was not happy and it was a rare sight for his people.


    As they waited, Jo looked at Dante¡¯s hand. She realised they were holding hands, right in front of everyone.


    The siren already knew what the queen¡¯s reaction would be, so she dared not look in the direction of the small veranda.


    ¡®My king, this is the royal guard who was attacked. His name is Vince-¡®


    ¡®I already know his name. You think you need to introduce my own men to me?¡¯, Dante asked angrily throwing deadly res at Vince and squaring the guard up.


    The white robed elderly man shivered under the king¡¯s gaze, ¡®I apologise, your majesty¡¯.


    ¡®Jo, tell me what happened?¡¯, Dante darted his eyes back to her. The moment their eyes locked, Dante¡¯s face softened as if he was calming down just by watching her.


    ¡®This guard here, Vince or whoever pulled me and my friends away from the queue to the temple. He started inappropriately touching my friend, so I grabbed the closest weapon and used it against him¡¯, Jo replied without blinking her eyes. ¡®Why? Did I do something wrong?¡¯.


    ¡®Yes¡¯, Dante answered making Jo¡¯s heart sink a little.Material ? of N?velDrama.Org.


    Within a spilt second, Dante was behind Vince and without any forewarning, the king snapped the unsuspecting guard¡¯s neck.


    There was a moment of silence to process the bizarre event that was unfolding in front of everyone.


    ¡®You should have killed him instead¡¯, the silence was finally broken by the king himself. ¡®Vince was already on hisst warning after being used of inappropriate harassment multiple times before. This was his final chance to amend his actions¡¯.


    ¡®MY KING¡¯, Olivia shouted loudly from the veranda, almost shrieking her voice. ¡®You should have at least given him a chance to speak before killing him. Why did you trust that omega so easily?¡¯.


    ¡®Jo was telling me the truth because her voice did not waiver a single bit¡¯, Dante looked at Jo,pletely oblivious of the big guard¡¯s lifeless dead body on the podium. ¡®Or else, I would have felt it through our bond¡¯.


    Echoes her past memories came magically dancing in front of Jo¡¯s bare eyes, she recollected her past friend Rayleigh¡¯s words, ¡®Someone besides me will believe you one day¡¯. The little creature had promised her that. She used tough it off as a joke. But here she was standing before her mate who believed her so easily, without a single doubt.


    Was believing someone always this easy?


    Something changed in Jo the moment Dante looked back at her, his fiery eyes glowing warmly. At that instant, she believed Evelyn¡¯s letter readily.


    She wanted to save Dante


    No


    She needed to save her mate.

 Chapter 35

    ¡®Get on top baby¡¯, the Demon king¡¯s ragged breathing ordered the ve. Even though the ve was a siren just like his sweet Jolene, she was nowhere close to Jolene¡¯s beauty.


    Jolene was a breath of fresh air. Her alluring sweet scent, the challenge in her eyes and her strong will to be free. It made him want her more.


    Victor was so lost thinking about Jolene and her beautiful curves when he realised the pale looking ve girl had already slid his length into hers and was moving in a slow pace.


    ¡®Like this, my king?¡¯, she asked innocently, her perky breast on full disy.


    Victor just gave her a nod of approval as he closed his eyes. He liked to imagine it was Jolene riding him and pleasuring him.


    The ve girl looked at the king who had his eyes closed, his face in full ecstasy. The Demon king was still single with no queen ruling by his side. She was merely a ve from the sea kingdom but she was bringing pleasure to the king¡¯s face. Maybe her fate would not be so harsh anymore and she could get taken in as his concubine.


    ¡®Faster baby¡¯, Victor¡¯s deep voice echoed in his private chambers. The ve girl hurriedly did as told as she began picking up the pace, squeezing her walls at the same time to create more suction.


    ¡®Ahh¡¯, Victor grunted as he soon found his release and emptied his seeds deep within her walls. ¡®That was amazing, baby¡¯.N?velDrama.Org holds text ? rights.


    The little ve proudly plopped beside the king, content the king considered her work ¡®amazing¡¯. ¡®Does that mean I no longer have to be a ve?¡¯.


    Victor was startled for a second with the brave question. But he just smirked as he turned to face her. He brushed his long hard fingers against her smooth pale skin. ¡®Yes¡¯.


    The ve¡¯s face lit up in excitement and pure happiness but she was not prepared for what happened next.


    ¡®You are no longer a ve¡¯, the king menacinglyughed as his eyes turned pure ck.


    The ve girl screamed as Victor still held her down in the bed, the darkness in his eyes started consuming the soul of the ve. As soon as thest bit of blue spirit left from the girl¡¯s lifeless body, Victor exhaled in pure bliss.


    A small ve¡¯s soul was only enough to give him a little boost of energy especially when it was a Siren¡¯s. But it was not enough.


    None of them felt like Jolene¡¯s. He knew that Jolene was the perfect Siren made only for him in every way. Her enticing lips, luscious curves and unwavering stubbornness. She wanted to be equals and he found that challenging. And the merciless Demon king loved challenges.


    A little dull pain left his heart when he remembered thest look she gave him, before she disappeared into the no-man¡¯s border. Jolene had finally learnt to trust him a little, she was giving in and started to ease off. But he broke her trust and scared her away. It was true, absence made the heart grow fonder.


    Now he knew, he could never lose her again. Only after he found her first.


    Victor could feel it in his dark veins that Jolene was soon going to be next to him again. And this time, he was going to bound her to him. So she will never think of running again or even look at another male. That was the beauty of dark magic and bonds. It was almost as magical as the mate bond in other species like werewolves, werebears and other kinds.


    ¡®Jolene¡¯, he whispered as he lit the dead ve¡¯s body with dark fire.


    Dante could still remember Jo covering her face in embarrassment. She had blurted out that she wanted to save him. Luckily, only he heard her amongst the murmurs and gasps of the crowd over the beheading of the convicted guard.


    The werewolf king had watched his mate in amusement. His wolf did a backflip in his mind when they heard the sweet words of their mate. She wanted to save them. He did not know how but just the thought alone was heart-warming.


    Olivia was obviously not happy and now he had realised his wife had taken a dislike to his mate.


    However, it was not a surprise, Olivia was a smart woman. She would have easily figured out why her husband was staring timelessly at a mere omega. There could only be one usible reason.


    Dante was relieved that Don had informed him just on time. He was just returning from the meeting with Tyron. Although the vampire leader was readily willing to help in approaching the Demon king with the mysterious werewolve deaths, Dante still had to be cautious. In origin, vampires descended from the same dark magic as the demons.


    The moment Dante heard about the execution, he had sprinted back in his wolf form, stopping at nothing.


    With a stroke of luck, he was able to stop the unthinkable from happening.


    Stopping the execution alone was not enough. This was far from over. Dante had to cautious around his wife.


    Although all the love and respect for her was gone after the infidelity, Olivia was stillwfully the Queen of the werewolf world. A title that did not fade easily.


    Theo was begging Dante none stop to take Jo and mate with her. Only if it was that easy. He could not even sense Jo¡¯s wolf spirit. His mate was an omega after all. Rejecting her would kill her, her weak spirits would not be able to tolerate the aftermath of the rejection.


    Dante knew what he had to do. He could no longer prolong her stay here. It was unfair on the poor omega who only wanted freedom and to settle in the human world.


    The king mind linked his right hand, ¡®Caleb, call all the royal healers back from your pack¡¯


    ¡®Roger that¡¯, a reply came.


    Dante was still tensed as he sat on his office chair. He had sent Jo to the kingdom¡¯s clinic to get checked. Olivia demanded Jo to be still trialled and punished. But one royal growl from him shut her up real fast.


    How did Jo get into trouble so fast? The king wondered. He knew his wife was meticulous, cunning and smart. But he would have never imagined in a million years that his true mate would almost have been beheaded, had he not arrived on time.


    This led Dante to wonder what Olivia¡¯s true nature really was. When his wife magically found the antidote for his sister¡¯s poisoning ages ago, he had not question anything. At that time, his priortiy was saving his dying sister and he was only relieved Evelyn survived the horrible ordeal with Olivia¡¯s antidote.


    But now, Dante was questioning anything and everything. He knew where he had to start, it would have to be from the very beginning¡­.


    ¡®Okay, I really need to breath now¡¯, Jo wrinkled her nose to her friends. They have been hugging her tightly ever since Dante had ordered her to be released.


    After spending hours in the clinic getting checked, the siren finally thought she could rx and be left alone. But boy, was she wrong.


    ¡®We almost thought we lost you¡¯, Lucy cried out, tugging on Jo¡¯s gown. She still had the clinic¡¯s gown. It was a dark blue clinic gown, too baggy for her but it was reallyfortable. ¡®And all because of me¡¯.


    ¡®Hey, stop it now Lu¡¯, Jo sweetly called her friend. Lu sounded more endearing than Lucy. But her friend¡¯s name was very feminine and pretty, nheless. Not anything like hers. Jo in short sounded like a guy¡¯s name but she could not care less. ¡®You heard the king, that guard totally deserved it and had iting for him. Law of karma if you will¡¯.


    Lucy nodded slowly.


    ¡®By the way, one of the royal messengers came in earlier and told us that the royal healers were soon arriving. I don¡¯t know what it meant but he told me to pass the message to you, Jo¡¯, Mina quizzically informed her friend.


    Shit.


    Jo hadpletely forgotten about that. How was she going to get out of this mess? Dante still believed she was an omega and that she could not ept the rejection because she was weak. When in fact, it was because she could not reveal her real title in the rejection words.


    The siren had no intention of revealing herself but at the same time, a small part of her wanted to. She wanted to show her true self to her mate. Dante had saved her a couple of times now. And Jo knew deep within her heart that Dante was a fair king who cared deeply about his kind, unlike the other royals Jo hade across in the realm world.


    ¡®Man, I just hate Olivia¡¯, Daya stated firmly, crossing her hands.


    ¡®You should not say that out loud Daya. You could get into trouble¡¯, Jo scolded the fairy. ¡®It¡¯s just your subconscious mind instating that because of what happened with me. Group friends usually tend to dislike the same person because of mob mentality¡¯.


    ¡®Ugh, Jo. If I did something subconsciously, I think I would know it¡¯, the pink haired fairy rolled her eyes.


    ¡®I-What- OK¡¯, Jo replied in defeat.


    ¡®Nah-ah. DAYA. Your IQ is so embarrassing. Please disown yourself as a fairy so that I don¡¯t have to live in shame¡¯, Mina teased her clueless friend who came charging at her. Soon, the two fairies were engaged in a pillow fight,ughing and giggling.


    ¡®Lu, I will just step outside for some fresh air. I need some lone time¡¯, Jo whispered to Lucy who only gave her a warm smile and nodded.


    Jo stepped on the cool grass. She was bare foot and enjoying the coolness under her feet. The grass was really soft and squishy.


    She walked more around the pretty royal garden, passing the colour changing fountain on her way again.


    The siren lost track of time getting lost deep in thoughts.


    The sun was already setting and its orange streaks were scattered all over the sky. It looked like art. She was so busy admiring nature¡¯s beauty that she did not realise that a dark shadow had appeared behind her.


    ¡®We meet again, Jolene¡¯, a deep-toned voice made Jo freeze in the spot. The siren had sat on one of the stone benches in the garden. The earlier cool breeze now felt cold as she realised she was shivering out of raw fear.


    Jo knew who it was and prayed she was guessing it wrong. But she wasn¡¯t.


    When she turned around, she came face to face with the dark lord.


    Belial, the infamous ruthless ruler of the underworld, second only to the demon king.

 Chapter 36

    Jo was still frozen to a spot as Belial¡¯s shadow got closer. She could tell it was a telepathic projection only, which relieved her a little. But if Belial was projecting his image in front of her, it only made one thing clear. He already knew where she was.


    ¡®Hey there Jolene¡¯, the voice spoke to her again. Even though the image was just a projection, it felt like he really was there. Belial was still wearing the same dark scaly cloak. He was tall and easily towered over her. As usual, he was wearing ck rings on almost all of his fingers.


    ¡®What do you wa-want?¡¯, a stutter came out of Jo.


    ¡®My king demands you¡¯, he replied casually, stating the obvious.


    ¡®That is funny because I am not an object to be demanded. So, tell Victor, he can go to hell. Oh wait, he already is in hell¡¯, the siren spitefully said, trying her best to keep a calmposure.


    ¡®Why don¡¯t you tell that to him yourself?¡¯, Belial was testing her now. He knew he was intimating her. But who wouldn¡¯t be? Belial once yed a dragon with one hand. Everyone in the dark realm knew the tales of dark terrors this man could inflict.


    Yet, he easily submitted to Victor. This spoke volumes to how powerful the current Demon king was.


    ¡®I think you will do¡¯, Jo replied as she made a run towards the mansion. Having studied dark magic from an early age, she knew, Belial was strong enough to capture her even in his projected image form. But there was one big weakness in projections, it did not work in enclosed spaces.


    Jolene ran for her life, as fast as she could. Something pricked her right foot making her wince in pain but she still kept running.


    She could see the back entrance of the royal mansion.


    Jo quickly ascended the staircases and was almost about to set a foot inside the mansion when Belial¡¯s projected image caught up to her and pulled one of her legs. As Jo lost her bnce, she rolled down the staircases.


    The siren was back in the open space again. It was bad. She needed to get inside something enclosed but Belial had no intention of letting her do that.


    ¡®Ugh¡¯, Jo grunted in pain as she crawled on the bottom of the stairs. Her entire body was in pain. Sirens were smart and cunning but their pain tolerance and healing was on par with the human beings.


    She knew she surely broke a few bones. ¡®Why does Victor still want me? All of my sisters were willing to marry him. Why can¡¯t he just go after them?¡¯.


    ¡®The king wants what he wants¡¯, the dark image spoke again. He started murmuring some dark spells. Jo knew he was trying to teleport her to where he was, probably somewhere deep in the no-man¡¯s border.


    Jo tried standing up but it was futile. Her body was weak and she barely had any strength left in her.


    ¡®Please Belial. We used to be friends¡­¡¯, Jo tried her luck.


    ¡®That is exactly why I am taking you back Jolene. You are not safe here. Victor is the only one who can keep you safe¡¯, Belial¡¯s tone softened for the tiniest moment. Jo almost thought it was her old friend speaking again.


    But with every step he took, Jo knew she was going to be taken back again. When Jo was within an arm¡¯s reach, Belial raised his hands to ce it on her body toplete the telepathy spell.


    ¡®Hey there, partner¡¯, a bubbly voice interrupted the dark lord out of the blue. ¡®Taking her somewhere?¡¯.


    With one punch, Belial¡¯s projected image was thrown over to the metallic walls¡¯ mansion fence.


    Jo was already feeling dizzy from the fall but she tried keeping her eyes open and tried to orient herself to what was happening around her.


    She saw the back of a silver haired woman who could not have been taller than her. The woman had a calming aura, yet it was so unique and powerful. It reminded her of someone, her mate.


    Belial¡¯s projected image was sttered over the fence, only dark charcoal trails left behind. He would still be in perfect health in real life, after all, it was only one of his projected images. Belial could project millions of them if he wanted to and stille out of it, unscathed.


    ¡®Are you okay?¡¯, the woman lowered herself and tried to inspect Jo¡¯s injured body.


    ¡®Who are you?¡¯, Jo tried asking her saviour. Now that she was close, Jo could see her silver eyes. It was almost as piercing as the silver in Dante¡¯s golden eyes.


    ¡®I am Sarah and you?¡¯, the woman smiled warmly.


    ¡®I am Jole¡ª¡¯, the little energy left Jo¡¯s body as she passed out right in Sarah¡¯s arms.


    The beeping of the heart monitoring machine tinged Jo¡¯s ears. Her head felt extremely heavy. She opened her eyes and noticed she was hooked to multiple lines, some IV drips, pulse oximeters and other medical lines she could not distinguish.


    The nurse charting her readings from the monitor instantly noticed that the patient was awake now.


    Before Jo could ask anything, the nurse fled the room. The tiny room was extremely white, white walls, white bed, white gown even. It felt like she was in heaven.


    An elderlydy in a long sleeved white coat walked inside her tiny room followed by the same nurse that was here earlier. ¡®Hello Jolene¡¯.


    ¡®Hmmm¡¯


    ¡®You don¡¯t have to reply if you cannot. My name is Doctor Terrie. You were badly hurt by an intruder but luckily the former Queen found you in time¡¯, Doctor Terrie slowly narrated to her.


    ¡®The former- Queen?¡¯.


    ¡®I believe you met her alreadyst time. Her name is Sarah¡¯, the doctor replied, subtly assessing Jo¡¯s cognitive responses. Jo had sustained head injuries too after all. Although the reports reveal nil internal bleedings, they could never be so sure.


    ¡®Oh, did someone call me?¡¯, the same woman made her way in again. ¡®And look at who is awake!¡¯.


    Both the doctor and nurse bowed before Sarah as she gave them a nod.


    Once they were left alone, Sarah took a seat on the edge of Jo¡¯s bed. ¡®Hope you don¡¯t mind. Those chairs over there are notfortable at all¡¯.


    Jo just weakly smiled at thement. If Sarah was the former Queen, it only meant one thing. She was Dante¡¯s and Evelyn¡¯s mother.


    ¡®How long have I been here?¡¯, Jo asked trying to sit a little upright but some of the machines started beating.


    ¡®Stay still, little child. Or your heart rate will be through the roof and the doctors won¡¯t be happy¡¯, Sarah gently made Jo rest her head back on the soft pillows again. The warm touches and concerns reminded Jo of something she never had. It made her feel safe.


    ¡®It¡¯s been a couple of days, my child. Also, I know you are not one of us¡¯, Sarah coolly told the surprised siren.


    ¡®How did you-¡®


    ¡®I can tell¡¯, the former Queen smiled genuinely.


    ¡®No maw-ma, I told you that. It was me. All me¡¯, Evelyn barged into the room making Sarah face palm.


    ¡®Come on Evelyn. You did not even let mama have a cool moment¡¯, the former Queen tried to scold her little princess but failed horribly.


    Jo let out a smallughter. She could tell where Evelyn got her big mouth from.


    ¡®Pwetty siren, how are you?¡¯, Evelyn ced her little hands over hers.


    ¡®Feeling better with you here now¡¯, Jo replied honestly.


    ¡®Big bowther went on hunt to find the bad guy¡¯, Evelyn proudlymented.


    The former Queen noticed her daughter pressing hard on Jo¡¯s IV lines. So, she gently lifted Evelyn and popped the little princess steadily on herp.


    ¡®I will thank Danteter for that¡¯, Jo responded, knowing very well that it was impossible to find Belial. Not in in sight like that, at least.


    ¡®So, Jolene, Evelyn also told me you are Dante¡¯s mate?¡¯, Sarah spoke calmly, stroking he daughter¡¯s hair.N?velDrama.Org holds text ? rights.


    Jo gulped audibly and hard.


    ¡®Evelyn has the same gifts as me Jolene. She gets visited by the moon goddess in her dreams. So, if the moon goddess told her this, it probably means its important. As you can see, my son is already married and¡ª¡®.


    ¡®I am not trying to meddle in his marriage at all¡¯, the siren protested. She was surprised by her own outburst. ¡®I am sorry¡¯.


    ¡®Its okay, my child. I know he is married and will do anything to deny the mate bond. I have been trying to convince him to forget about that stupid forbidden book but he never listens. He is as stubborn as his father, if not more¡¯, the Queen rolled his eyes, Evelyn nodding in agreement.


    Jo remembered reading a forbidden book in Evelyn¡¯s room not too long ago. ¡®Why?¡¯


    ¡®Because the forbidden book predicts a horrible tragedy if Dante epts his true mate which is stupid. Even though, it was predicted by a seer from the holy cathedral shrine, it is ONLY a prediction¡¯.


    The siren felt a little guilty. Things started making sense now. The tiniest doubt she had in Dante vanished. That man was pure to his core.


    ¡®I didn¡¯t know¡¯, Jo weakly said, trying hard not to feel bad for Dante. Her urge to save him was bing stronger by the growing minute.


    The werewolf king needed saving as much as she did.


    ¡®Well Jolene, this is exactly why its only a secret between the three of us. My son needs to think about himself for once. He is drowning only caring about others and this kingdom¡¯, the bubbly voice was now reced by a saddened tone. The motherly instincts visibly kicking in. ¡®Only you can save Dante now, Jolene¡¯.


    Jo pursed her lips together, trying hard not to cry. It would be incredibly hard to wipe her tears with all the connected lines and medical equipment.


    ¡®But we need to know more about you first, my dear. Who was that demon and why was he after you?¡¯, Sarah asked again, a worried expression on her face.


    Jo was good at reading people and their intention, and she knew Sarah¡¯s worry was a genuine one. And Evelyn was one of the most innocent souls Jo had met, so she knew she could safely trust the mother- daughter duo.


    ¡®I am Jolene Adler Ledger, the seventh daughter of the Sea king, Pierce Ledger¡¯, the siren heard the duo gasp.


    ¡®Pwetty siren is a princess like me, mawma¡¯, Evelyn wriggled in joy.


    ¡®But why are the demons chasing a sea princess?¡¯, the former Queen carefully chose her words.


    ¡®Because I was promised to marry their king, Victor¡­.¡¯

 Chapter 37- The spring born child

    Sea kingdom


    Jolene was born in spring. Spring in the sea world was different. It was the season when the ocean was calmer than usual. The tides were gentler, brushing against each other. The sight of different schools of fishes swimming together became more prominent during this calming season. Afterall, it was the perfect season to wee anything and everything in life, especially the birth of a young bub.


    But Jolene¡¯s weing was not joyous as it had been for the other daughters of the sea king, Pierce Ledger. Pierce was on his wit¡¯s ends by the time his seventh born child was revealed to be a girl as well. He had been hoping for a boy, someone he could pass his legacy on and crown as his next sessor. He would be considered a mad king in the realm if he announced any of his daughters as his sessor. Female rulers were considered weak in all realms. The recent werebear female ruler was mercilessly killed by the fox king. It was a signal to all kingdoms that a male ruler was significantly important. And Pierce could not risk his kingdom in the mere delicate hands of his daughters.


    So, the sea king decided on the day Jolene was born that he would marry all of his daughters to powerful realm leaders or someone of noble lineage at the very least. And the most powerful husband would be crowned as the next sea king. It was a gamble Pierce was willing to take on for the sake of his kingdom.


    From a very young age, all of the seven daughters were groomed by the finest teachers in the kingdom. From learning the right etiquettes to knowing how to sow, y instruments, cook, the king wanted his daughters to make the perfect wife. The only thingcking in the lessons taught was physicalbat. Pierce forbid any of his daughters from partaking inbat sses, simply because he imed that was a man¡¯s job.


    By the time, Jo was 12 years old, she knew she was different from her sisters. They all had blonde hair taking after their father Pierce. She was the only one with vibrant red hair which she would try hide it constantly. Jolene would try to use lemon water and rub it on her hair to lighten it, in a bid to look alike to the rest of her sisters. But the lightening effect merelysted a few minutes and she would be back to her red hair.


    Rumours were already widespread in the kingdom that Jolene was born out of the king¡¯s affair with a pce maid who had the same vibrant hair as Jo did. But the maid vanished soon after Jo was born and so the mystery remained.


    This was also why the Queen Lorna and Fiona disliked Jolene extremely. Queen Lorna was Pierce¡¯s first wife and Fiona was the second. While Lorna gave birth to the first four daughters, Senna, Tina, Patricia and Anne; Fiona gave birth to the younger two daughters: Alysia and Catherine. Jolene was the only one without a mother and the sea king never exined why. One time, he warned Jo that he would slit her tongue if she did not stop asking the same question about her biological mother. So, the little scared girl nodded and stopped asking the burning question to her father. It did not matter to her if her biological mother was a maid or not, she just simply wanted to know.


    Jolene gave up trying to fit in by the time she reached 16 years old. It was futile anyways. Her elder sisters Patricia and Alysia would see to it that Jo was constantly reminded she was different. They would beat her and call her names, and the other sisters would watch and do nothing. Sometimes, she could hear snickers but a few of them would look at her pitifully, as if she was not their sister by blood. It did not matter if they had different mothers, Pierce Ledger was still all of their father.


    The only sister that came close to being nice to Jolene was Anne. Anne was the fourth born child and had shoulder length blonde hair. She had the simr blue eyes as their father did. Jo considered Anneparably ¡®nice¡¯ because Anne would try to initiate small talks with Jolene. But that was it.


    The small siren would keep to herself and often frequent visits to the library getting lost in the virtual world of many books. The echoes of different authors resonating in her young mind and helping her escape the reality. It was a moment of euphoria for her.


    One time, Jo was in the library as usual, having just finished her history ss before that. She flipped the pages in the quiet library, she was reading a book about the demon and their sses.


    ¡®Are you not scared of demons, little one¡¯, she heard a curious deep voice.


    A 16-year-old Jo looked up to find a dark stranger gazing at her. How did she not even realise or feel the presence of someone else?


    Without saying a word, she stood up, gathering her books in a haste.


    ¡®Did I say something wrong?¡¯, the voice had lightened up a little, though the stranger still had his eyes intently on Jo¡¯s every move.


    ¡®I do not speak to strangers. Please excuse me sir¡¯, she replied trying not to give any eye contact and waiting for him to move aside and let her pass.


    ¡®Well I am no stranger but a guest in your kingdom. Surely you treat your guests better than this?¡¯, there was hint of tease in his voice now.


    But it was enough to make Jolene lose all colours in her face. Her father was strict on hospitality and maintaining their kingdom¡¯s reputation. Also, if any of her older sisters ever found out that she ignored a potentially important guest, they would not spare her. Thest time Jolene pissed Patricia, the third eldest sister, she was made to sleep on the stone-cold floor for a week. It was no wonder Patricia was still unmarried even though she was already in her 23 and considered of age. She had the worst temper amongst all of the sisters and even Pierce had given up on controlling her anger outbursts. Senna and Tina were already married off to noblemen from the wizard kingdom. However, the noblemen were nowhere close to bing the next sessor of the sea king. So, he kept his hopes on the younger daughters for now.


    ¡®I did not mean to scare you¡¯, the voice now sounded concerned as Jolene was visibly shaking now.


    Jo hated how her body reacted whenever she thought of her bully sisters, Patricia or Alysia.


    ¡®To answer your first question sir, I am not scared of demons and now I bid you farewell¡¯, Jo responded still avoiding his gaze.


    ¡®Wait¡¯, the stranger grabbed Jo¡¯s arm making her freeze instantly. ¡®What¡¯s your name?¡¯.


    ¡®Jolene¡¯, she said back as she gently shrugged from his firm grip and finally looked him back in his eyes.


    ¡®Pleasure to meet you, Jolene. I am Victor¡¯, the man introduced himself and finally let go of Jolenepletely.


    Jo gulped hard as she bowed and dashed out of the library.


    Victor. Victor. Victor.


    How did she know this name? It sounded so familiar but she could not quite remember.


    Damn it all. The little siren thought as she walked back to her room. Patricia was turning 24 today and their father had called potential suitors to the ball tonight in her name.


    Jo knew better than anyone that Patricia probably will ward of anyone even remotely interested in her the moment her sister opens her big mouth.


    ¡®Miss, you are still not ready¡¯, one of the senior maids scolded Jo. ¡®The ball will start at soon¡¯.


    ¡®I know. We still have like three high ocean tides to go. Plenty of time¡¯. Time in the sea kingdom was measured by waves of high ocean tides. Each tide represented an hour in the universal human world.


    ¡®Outrageous! You have to bathe, dress, do your hair, my goodness. We barely have any seconds left to spare. I will draw you a bath right away¡¯, the maid left without waiting for a response.


    Jolene rolled her eyes at the dramatic maid. She hated getting her hair done in intricate braids that took hours to do but it was a tradition for the ball.


    After hours of trying to sit patiently through the horrible ordeal of getting ready, Jolene was finally considered done by the grooming maids.


    She had a lc-coloured knee length dress and had all of her hair up in a very plex¡¯ hair do. Jo called itplex because she could never remember the different types of braid names.


    Jolene was ushered to the carriages outside. But she noticed that there was none waiting at the bay like they usually did.


    ¡®Where are all the carriages?¡¯, one of the maids ushering her yelled loudly at the guards nearby.


    ¡®Thest carriage just left. They said everyone was onboard¡¯, the guard answered puzzled.


    Jo just heaved out a tired sigh. It was probably Pat or Alysia who deliberately told the guards all of the princesses had onboarded the carriages. She knew she had to make it to the ball in time or Pat would tell on her father and she could get punished for her tardiness, even thought it was not her fault.


    Much to her maid¡¯s dismay, Jolene quickly grabbed some running shoes from her room, putting it on hurriedly in a not-sodylike manner. She carried her heels by theirce and started running.


    The ball was taking ce near the grand centre. It was the only ce where oxygen was present for guest who were of different beings. It was located not too far off from the royal pce.


    Halfway there, Jo heard a weird cry. She paused in her track for a quick second trying to figure out what it was.


    There it was again. Jolene heard the cry again, she definitely was not imagining it.


    ¡®Hello? Who¡¯s there?¡¯, she asked, facing the darkness of the forest.


    Even though the Sea kingdom was far beneath the ocean and its bed. Once you reached the portal on the ocean bed and crossed it, it was hollow and looked exactly like the habitations on earth except for one thing. There was no oxygen here.


    Jolene heard another cry and it sounded more desperate than scary. So, the little siren made her way slowly in the direction of the cry.


    There was a tiny blue creature, it was emitting off a blue glow around its tiny, injured body.


    The creature made some hissing sound which were unintelligible. But for some weird reason, Jolene understood it.


    ¡®Don¡¯t be scared. I won¡¯t hurt ya, little fe¡¯, she said kneeling down to closely inspect the injury.


    The creature had a very odd shape, it had a long body and protruded jaw. It had small ws on its four limbs. It looked almost like a mini baby sea dragon. There were thousands of creatures in the sea realm, so the appearance of the injured creature did not catch Jolene off guard.


    Jolene heard bursts of fireworks lit up the sky in the distance, she knew the ball had now officially started. But she hesitated to leave the small creature and let it to die on the side of the pathway.


    So, Jolene tried summoning the tiniest magic she had. Sirens possessed magical powers, not powerful as a merman though like her dad. But nothing assembled at her fingertips and the creature only cried louder.


    It was odd but she understood the creature again.


    ¡®I am not hurting you¡¯, Jo reinstated herself as she traced her hands on the creature¡¯s bleeding neck and fixated her hands there instead to examine the wound.Text property ? N?vel(D)ra/ma.Org.


    ¡®Well, it does seem like you are strangling the poor thing to a bystander¡¯, a familiar voice chirped in, instantly alerting Jolene.


    ¡®You again? What are you doing here?¡¯, she eyed the same library guy from before who imed to be Victor or whoever. She had never seen him in the pce before and if he could roam outside of the grand centre, it probably meant he could survive without oxygen. ¡®I thought you were a guest. The ball isn¡¯t here¡¯.


    ¡®Oh, I know¡¯, Victorughed as he kneeled beside her. He had a very intoxicating sandalwood scent and Jo only realised now that the stranger was downright the most attractive man she had everid eyes upon.


    Victor had the lightest blue eyes she had ever seen on someone. Even lighter than her sisters, which was then contrasted by the darkest jet-ck hair. The pitch ckness of its colour was so rich that it was hypnotising.


    ¡®Stop staring at me Jolene¡¯, Victormented but his eyes were on the small creature, trying to figure out what was wrong with it.


    Jolene turned the reddest shade of pink as she realised that she had been shamelessly checking Victor out.


    ¡®I found it crying on the side of the pathway¡¯, Jo silently said trying to break the heavy air between them.


    ¡®It probably escaped the jaws of a bigger monster by the looks of it¡¯, Victor replied, as he rested his slender long fingers on the creature¡¯s fragile neck.


    ¡®Well, what do we do? We can¡¯t just leave it to die¡¯, Jo let out a small frustration, partly also because she missed yet another important ball. And she would hear thest of it from her father.


    Victor chuckled lightly as dark magic started appearing beneath his fingers, floating around the creature for a few seconds.


    As soon as the dark clouds disappeared, the creature¡¯s wound had all healed like it never existed. Not even a single scar was left behind.


    ¡®Wow, how did you do that?¡¯, there was clear admiration in Jolene¡¯s voice and she couldn¡¯t help it. This guest was definitely from the wizard world. This probably made more sense as he could cast a spell and breath in this habitat with magic. ¡®Are you from the wizard world?¡¯.


    Victor watched the siren¡¯s eyes lit up with excitement. It was not the saddened gaze like he had previously seen her with in the library. He felt a weird attraction to this siren, something he had never felt before.


    ¡®Yes, its magic¡¯, Victor told a white lie.


    ¡®Rayleigh says thank you¡¯, Jolene¡¯s mouth moved on its own. She surprised herself at the mention of the name.


    ¡®Rayleigh?¡¯, Victor¡¯s voice echoed hers.


    Rayleigh started purring as it brushed its scaly skin against Jo¡¯s bent knees. ¡®Yes¡¯, her voice was more confident now. ¡®Its name is Rayleigh¡¯.

 Chapter 38- I ask for your hand

    Jolene looked nervously at Victor who was standing in front of her. They were at the entrance of the ball. Victor easily teleported them to the central dome. It would be an understatement that Jolene was envious of this capable wizard. She wanted to learn spells too and she vowed inside her mind that she will start looking for spells books in the library.


    ¡®You okay?¡¯, Victor asked again.


    ¡®Yeah, go in first. I just need to catch some fresh air¡¯, Jo nervouslyughed trying to push Victor towards the door.


    ¡®No¡¯, was all the wizard said as he took her hands into his and pulled her through the entrance doors.


    The sea guards at the doors all stepped aside instantly, sensing the aura and power Victor was eluding. Jo tried to y it off casually, throwing smiles at some familiar faces.Content (C) N?v/elDra/ma.Org.


    When they reached the main ball area, there were some couples already dancing in the centre. Jo caught Pat sulking besides their dad, as suitors walked up to them one by one.


    The rest of her sisters were all dispersed throughout the ball room, some chattering with their girlfriends, some dancing with youngds. Even her two elderly married sisters, Sienna and Tina had turned up. They were standing elegantly and gracefully by their noble husbands.


    ¡®Let me go now¡¯, Jo warned the wizard through a fake smile, not moving her lips at all.


    Before Victor could reply, they were interrupted by a tall dark stranger.


    ¡®Vic, there you are. Thought you would never show up¡¯, the stranger addressed to the mischievous wizard.


    ¡®Thought the same. But she wanted toe to the ball so I had to escort her¡¯, Victor threw a genuine smile, still holding Jo¡¯s hands.


    ¡®Jolene, this is my friend Belial. Belial, meet Jolene. She¡¯s an acquaintance I have made recently¡¯. His introduction made Jo skip a beat. She flinched at the word ¡®acquaintance¡¯. It was true but maybe she expected a little bit more.


    Belial paused for a second before he extended his hands and shook Jo¡¯s hands gently, ¡®Delighted to make your acquaintance miss Jolene¡¯.


    ¡®Likewise¡¯, Jo replied nervously.


    Both the men were seriously hot and she would not even have met their eyes few days ago. She wanted to get away from them as far as possible. Many girls were already eyeing the two hot men but throwing her dirty looks at the same time. She did not expect less, after all, she was infamously known as the king¡¯s illegitimate daughter.


    ¡®Victor¡¯, a familiar voice interrupted their group. Jo already knew whose voice it was. Patricia.


    Pat had her hair up in a bridal do and was wearing a peachy off-shoulder dress. She was of course looking lovely if you only cared about the physical appearance.


    ¡®Long time no see¡¯, Victor replied, making Jo shudder. They knew each other? What if Victorined to Pat about what she was doing on the side of the road earlier.


    ¡®Indeed, it¡¯s been ages. Thest time I saw you guys was back in the academy¡¯, Patughed, gently cing her hands on Victor¡¯s arm. She soon noticed that he was holding Jo¡¯s hand. Her expression changed for the tiniest second but no one could tell.


    It all made sense now. Though Pat had the worse temper, she was considered the smartest amongst them. She went to the International Realm Academy which was one of the most prestigious schools in all of the realm world. From top warriors to leaders, only the top students attended this school. Jolene was refused to even register for the entrance exam because it was too expensive to send one daughter already as per her ¡®loving¡¯ dad.


    ¡®Yeah, good ole days¡¯, Belial joined in and they soon begin reminiscing old memories.


    Alysia joined in as well as she threw a quick evil eye at Jolene. Both of the bully duo was in the circle now, watching Jo like a hawk. Sometimes, she hated being the youngest sibling, she had no say in anything.


    ¡®I see you have met my youngest sister¡¯, Pat finally mentioned and for a second Jo thought she was invisible in their conversation.


    ¡®She¡¯s your sister? Oh¡¯, Victor had a shocked face as Belial elbowed him yfully.


    ¡®Why what¡¯s so funny?¡¯, Alysia batted her eysh at Belial, obviously trying to woo the dark handsome man.


    ¡®Victor used to have a crush on Pat back in the academy. But she rejected him outrightly in front of everyone! No wonder he has now shifted his attention to the sister¡¯


    ¡®Man, shut up¡¯, Victor dangerously eyed his friend who could not care less.


    ¡®That was way in the past. I was stupid back then¡¯, Pat quickly protested.


    Jo shook her head. Why were men so shallow? Even though Pat had the ssic beauty package with blonde hair and blue eyes, her personality stunk. But then again, Pat would always be nice to handsome guys, so they would never know her true face.


    ¡®You sure you are still not obsessed with that puppy Alpha?¡¯, Belial joked again and this time Victor joined in theughter.


    ¡®Dante is my past. He never reciprocated my feelings. Ugh. I don¡¯t know what I was thinking back then¡¯, Pat rolled her eyes, arms crossed over her busty chest.


    Jo quizzically looked at the weird exchange, Dante, puppy? What were they talking about?


    ¡®Anyways, we have a lot of catching up to do. Victor, do you care to have a dance with me?¡¯, Pat eyed Victor again, a hint of seductiveness in her tone.


    Victor looked back to Jolene again and reluctantly let go of her hand, ¡®Don¡¯t worry, I will ask permission from your dad for Rayleigh¡¯.


    With that, Victor escorted Pat to the dance floor. Alysia requested Belial and he too, reluctantly agreed.


    Victor and Pat looked like the perfect couple. Both tall and attractive, having attended the most prestigious school in the realm. Jo¡¯s heart felt weird again, seeing Victorughing and smiling while dancing with her sister. It gave her the strangest uneasy belly flutters.


    What was wrong with her all so suddenly? She nervously looked down, Victor had hidden Rayleigh with his dark magic and Rayleigh was asleep on a dark floating cloud. No one could see him except them he had promised and it was true.


    She felt extremely out of ce as she stood aside near the wall, careful not to be in the spotlight again.


    A single tear trickled down her face subconsciously. Rayleigh was suddenly alert and on its four paws. It let out the cutest rawr as it stood in front, shielding her.


    The shocked sirenughed at the tiny creature. ¡®Oh, I see I have a bodyguard now¡¯. She bent down to pat the tiny creature who was now purring and back on the floating cloud.


    ¡®Back to your beauty nap?¡¯, sheughed as she continued stroking Rayleigh in the direction of its scale alignment.


    After a few more ball songs, Pierce stopped the party with ss clinks. ¡®Attention everyone¡¯.


    The music and dance came to a halt as everyone clinked their ss in unison.


    ¡®We are here to celebrate my daughter Pat¡¯s birthday. But also, it¡¯s no secret that she is of age in marriage. Having gone to the most prestigious school and having a beauty that has no rival. She is the most perfect daughter I could have wished for¡¯, Pierce continued. ¡®Tonight, Pat will choose from the suitors and her hand will be given in marriage to the chosen one¡¯.


    Pat stepped forward as she kept her head high as possible, a smile dancing on her face. ¡®Thank you for all the suitors who attended this ball. There is a clear winner amongst all suitors. The one who has won my heart is Victor Levine Thatcher¡¯.


    Everyone pped hard as roars of approval erupted from all ces. Pierce looked extremely proud as he joined in congratting his daughter.


    Jo nodded her head in eptance. Victor was a suitor guest. He had himself deceived by her sister¡¯s innocent looks too. Goodluck to him.


    Victor bowed in front of Pierce as he paid respects to the sea king. He then turned his attention to Pat who looked overly confidence that her decision was the final say for the both of them.


    ¡®I pay my respect to you Sea King, Pierce. I ask for your daughter¡¯s hand in marriage¡¯, Victor announced as Pat blushed. She was fanning herself dramatically.


    ¡®You are too humble, Demon prince. You know you have my approval¡¯, Pierce replied, looking like the proudest father.


    Pat took the hands out of her ck gloves as she extended it to Victor expecting for him to kiss it.


    ¡®I ask for your daughter Jolene¡¯s hand in marriage¡¯, Victor finished,pletely ignoring Pat¡¯s bare hands extended towards him.


    ¡®She is still a minor my prince. Perhaps, I can redirect your interest to Pat here who-¡®.


    ¡®I insist, Pierce¡¯, Victor responded in a in monotonous tone. Jo noticed that he had dropped all of the pleasantries, was he really serious? ¡®I ask for your daughter Jolene¡¯s hand in marriage¡¯, the demon prince repeated himself again.


    Everyone stood awkwardly silent at the turn of events. Pat especially retracted her hand as she pretended to adjust her hairdo out of sheer embarrassment.


    ¡®Very well, you can have her hand when she turns 18 and bes of legal consenting age¡¯, Pierce forced the words out of his mouth.


    Demon prince? What in the sea world!? Jo thought to herself as she realised everyone was staring at her now.


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