NOAH.
"Jealous much?" Kasha teased as we sauntered to his residence.Kasha had been my best friend since I was a child. He usually love to annoy me and would jump of joy if I gave him the reaction he wanted. So this time, I chose to ignore his comment."How is the current situation?""You are no fun." He said and punched me on the back, then added seriously, "You've gone for too long, Noah. It has been nineteen years since Nash got the throne. Smaller pack lives in misery as their fund and ratio for food often come late. The tax rate is also crazy. So only my pack and the two other big packs flourished in the past years." Kasha pushed the door to his enormous house, and she was greeted by a red-haired woman, which I was sure Kasha had just fucked a while ago."Nineteen years. It's been that long, huh." I muttered and peeked at the woman who threw a playful wink at Kasha, asking to be eaten right there and then. "Nineteen years, and your taste haven't changed." It was my turn to mock him.Kasha gritted his teeth upon hearing my words and spoke to the redhead. "Wait for me upstairs, Ciara.""Yes, Alpha."I sat with my legs wide open and placed my intertwined hands in between. "What excuses does Nash use to explain my disappearance?""You deeply mourn for your late father and decide to live in seclusion indefinitely. At that time, it was reasonable to everyone because of how close your relationship with your father was. But, over time, the elders in the high council grew suspicious and questioned Nash. Guess what he did to them?" Kasha waited for my response, but I remained silent. "He killed them and hung their heads at the center of Lordslane to warn everyone.""Of course, typical Nash. Restoring to murder when people get in his way.""So, what exactly happens to you, and what is your plan now?" Kasha inquired."It's a long story, but to simplify it, Nash caged me near the border between our land and humans. As for my next plan, besides killing him, what else should I do?" Rage vibrated in my chest, and I believe my grey eyes had turned to gold because of it.I would let Nash experience the same pain I had to undergo for nineteen years."That sounds like a good plan. I can help if you want.""I will ask for your help when I need it. But, for now, focus on your pack."Kasha hit his temple suddenly. "I almost forgot. You are traveling with someone outside our land, Noah." He said with a gruff voice. "She is not human, nor is she a Lycan. So, between vampire and witch, which one is she?""A witch," I answered calmly. I didn't hesitate to disclose the truth because Kasha was one of the people I would trust with a big secret. There was no possibility for Kasha to betray me."You are seeking death by taking her with you."Well, I was aware of it. But I had no choice. She was my mate, and I would die for her if I had to. I just had to play safe when we entered Lordslane; then, we would be fine."Ah, I almost forgot to inform you. Tonight your brother is celebrating his coronation anniversary. So, rather than staying the night, I suggest you continue your journey and attend his historic event.""Righ. Thanks for telling me. Lend me your best attire and carriage; I'll pay you back after arriving at Lordslane.""Hmm. Don't forget to pay the interest as well." Kasha replied, to which I responded by giving him a slap on the back of his head.Thirty minutes later, I was fully clothed and already in front of the door where Violette stayed. Then, I finally knocked on the door."Yes.""It's Noah."The door then opened, showing the figure of someone I didn't recognize."My lord." The woman curtsied at me, and I nodded briefly at her."Leave us." I ordered without sparing that servant a second glance.My attention had entirely and utterly rooted in Violette. She was beyond perfection; words were not enough to describe how perfect she was.Violette wore a light green dress with an empire neckline, puffed sleeves, and lace underlay. The dress hugged her body perfectly, pushing her mound up, making my palm itchy to grab and feel them on my skin. I inhaled sharply, and her jasmine scent attacked me again."You'd be the death of me," I muttered under my breath."Pardon?" Violette asked.Moving to stand before her, I said, "Sorry to ruin your time, but we must go now."She jumped away from me in reflex. "What? I thought we'd stay the night?""A change of plan," I answered curtly.Then I leaned in to put on a necklace with my furs as the pendant. Kasha had advised me to let Violette have an attribute from me to mask her peculiar scent. Since I couldn't possibly mark her right now, my best option was my fur. It would be enough to let people know she was under my protection."What's with this necklace? It's so ugly." Violette commented, which made my jaw tick.I had to admit. The necklace wasn't fine-looking. It looked like cheap accessories everyone could find on the small market. If I had enough time to make it, I'd ensure it would look good to hang on a woman's neck."This ugly necklace will help to hide your witch scent."Violette then shut her mouth after hearing my response."Let's go. We have no time." I dragged her out of the room."You haven't told me why you suddenly changed the plan," Violette said, trying to keep her steps steady."Later."When we were out of the manor, a carriage was already waiting for us, and beside it was Kasha with his red-hair woman.I helped her to get inside while I stayed to talk with Kasha for a moment."Be careful with that one. She could be your doom if you aren't careful." It was nice of him to remind me. "And good luck with your plan.""Hmm. See you again, Kash."As I entered the carriage, it finally moved to leave the pack.Violette leaned on the seat and crossed her arms in front of her chest, waiting for me to elaborate on everything that had changed in our journey planner."To answer your previous question, we are not staying because tonight is the King's coronation anniversary. So we have to be there before the ceremony ends. With a carriage, we will arrive after an hour, so you can sleep if you are tired.""Why not let me ride you again if you are so in a hurry? And why are you so desperate to attend the King's event?""Your perfect hair and clothes will be ruined if we travel in my wolf form. Besides, you'd catch a cold. And for your second question...." I trailed my words as my mouth lifted to form a smirk. "I have to give my brother a surprise gift.""Brother?!" She yelled. "Did you say brother?"Instead of answering, I only nodded. Then I ignored Violette as my mind wandered about the situation in the court and how my presence would affect the peace in the palace. With the addition of Violette, it would be messy.When we finally arrived, I wasted no more time and dragged Violette to follow my steps. She took a handful of her skirt to help her walk without tripping herself.I could see the majestic building shining brightly from afar as if thousands of candles were lit. The sound of pleasant music was drumming through my ears. I would've jumped into happiness if I was still a little pup without the knowledge of how the world works.Every person we met while ambling our way looked astonished. They wanted to bow and offer respect several times, but I silenced them with my glare."Open the door," I demanded to the two guards on the door. And like the rest, they stared at me with the gobsmacked look. "No need to announce me."As the enormous door snapped open, we were greeted with a magnificent view. Several chandeliers hung on the ceiling beautifully, filled with countless candles, emitting warm golden light through the room. The floor was painted with different patterns; flowers adorned each corner of the room, and cream-colored curtains hid the glass window. At the center of the room stood an enormous statue of a lycan proudly.There were linear steps covered with red carpets behind the statue that reached the highest platform. On top of it, Nash and his Luna sat in a luxurious chair while one woman stood behind him. From one glance, I knew that the woman behind Nash was dangerous."We've reached the peak of today's ceremony. It's time to give your offering for our Almighty Alpha, The King Nash Wolfson." The woman suddenly spoke to the crowds.The guest immediately made a straight line to give their gift to Nash. From what I gather through Kasha, Nash made this new tradition when he got the throne. Nash asked for a gift from each pack in exchange for protection and care from the palace. He would only choose three items among many gifts, so the rest could only wail as they lost another chance to save their pack from hunger.The first in line offered, "I am Gustav, Alpha of Creek. Offer my daughter to the King."I didn't bother to care what they were doing. Instead, I looked to my side, founding Violette staring rudely at Nash."Lower your eyes." I hissed as I took her to line between the guest.Violette obeyed me, but occasionally, she tiptoed to peek to see what was happening on the front line.A curious cat, I thought.From our position, we could only hear a few men make an offering, and most of the sacrificial were women.Violette suddenly jerked her head to me and gazed at me as if she wanted to know whether she was here to be my sacrificial lamb.So I opened my mouth to assure her that what was happening in her head wouldn't happen. "I am not going to offer you. You are to stay with me."She sighed and nodded at me, yet her heart rate still spiked every time we advanced. And when it was finally our turn, I tugged her hand, making her drop to her knees with me.Through my peripheral view, I could see her bit her lip as her knees hit the floor hard. I knew it must hurt her so badly, but she did great by trying to muffle her groan.I turned my full attention to my dear brother, who looked absolutely bored in his own celebration. Then, I finally dropped a boom."I am Noah Wolfson; offer myself to serve under the King!"VIOLETTE. "What are you doing?" I whispered to him when I noticed the collective gasp from the spectators. I also peered to see the expression of the king. The king's face appeared shocked beyond words, but he managed to mask it as soon as it appeared. "I told you to lower your eyes, Violette!" Upon hearing his harsh tone, I immediately dropped my head far lower until my chin almost touched my suprasternal notch. Painful silence fell upon us; none dared to open their mouth. I screamed inwardly for someone to man up and voice their mind. But seconds passed into a minute, and we were still trapped in the stillness. Using my elbow, I nudged at Noah, forcing him to speak or move, and I noticed from my peripheral view that his jaw hardened as he looked straight at the king. "Noah." The king finally spoke, making everyone, including me, finally could breathe out. "Fancy seeing you here to celebrate the anniversary of my coronation day. Are you done grieving?" I didn't know which par
NOAH.When the door was finally closed, Violette yanked her hand free. She glared at me with intense hatred in her eyes. Lifting my hands up, I said, "Calm down.""Calm down, you said. Calm down! Hahahah." Violette's body trembled tremendously out of rage. "How dare you ask me to calm down after betraying my trust like that?!" She prowled at me without hesitancy and kept pointing at my chest with her index finger. I would have laughed at how she tried to intimidate me if this weren't a serious situation. But, right now, she was close to exploding. "You are mistaken. I am not—""Which part of it did I mistake? The part where you said I am your slave or the one where you said you'd toss me to your brother? Tell me, which part, Noah?!" Violette's chest moved up and down frantically, and I could her heart thumping wildly.'She is upset because you called her slave.' my wolf told me. Of course, she would be. But I couldn't admit to Nash that Violette was my mate. It would put her in da
VIOLETTE.He kissed me. He kissed me.My brain froze as my pupils grew larger when Noah moved his lips against mine. Slowly licking every inch of my lips as if he wanted to savor the taste. "Hmmphm." I tried to heft my hands, pushing him away from me. However, he engulfed me in his arms instead of letting me go. Caging me in between his hard body. I didn't know how we went from screaming at each other to this situation. Everything moved so fast that I didn't have enough time to comprehend. So, I tried to break free again. However, the more I attempted to flee, the more aggressive he became. The gentle kiss suddenly became heated as he bit my lower lips."Argh!" I yelped in surprise, and then I felt something; soft and sticky invade my mouth. When I sensed it stroked my tongue tenderly and softly, I clenched and unclenched my fist as a strange sensation filled my belly. As if what he didn't wasn't enough, I noticed he grew wilder and impatient. His tongue kept on grazing mine as i
NOAH. Even until I got my release, I still couldn’t erase Violette’s face and moan from my mind. The minutes I spent instructing and listening to her pleasure herself were both heaven and hell. I loved hearing her sensual voice, and I could perfectly picture her in my head while she pumped her finger in and out of herself. The potent scent of her arousal, mixed with her sweet taste, drove me mad. I wanted nothing more than to push myself inside her, feeling as her pussy swallowed my hard cock. It took all of my self-control not to turn back and take her. But when she came and screamed my name. I lost. I couldn’t be in the same room as her. So, I acted like a gentleman and went out to the next room and gave myself pleasure while imagining she was sucking my cock enthusiastically. Honestly, I couldn’t believe we moved this fast. The kiss was wrong on my part. I did it out of desperation, and I wasn’t even hoping for Violette to kiss me back. I had intended to let go of her when I was
VIOLETTE. “And the one beside you is Lady Flora Barlow. She is the mate I choose for you.”My head instantly rose. I was confused beyond words. I always thought that Lycan only mated to their fated ones and that they had no say in that matter. But Nash ultimately proved that I was wrong. What would happen to me if Noah were to be mated with someone else? Would he abandon me or keep me as his mistress and follow Nash’s words? Maybe I’d be happy if he abandoned me because I might be able to escape without a scratch. However, he was likely to choose the second option since he would gain both ways. Keeping me to his side and getting on Nash’s good grace.None dared to open their mouth afterward, and I held my breath, waiting for Noah to say something.“With all due respect, My King. I shall reject your good intention. For now, I have no plan to take a mate.”“Why? Are you waiting for your fated mate?” I sensed hostility in Nash’s tone, making me question why he was against Noah finding
NOAH."Sorry.""This isn't right. I am the slave here, so as a master, you shouldn't apologize to me.""You know that I never saw you as one. You are my mate, not my slave."My eyes fell to her swollen cheeks, and rage swirled in my chest again. Had I had a position in the court, I would have killed Flora Barlow without a second thought. I'd enjoyed tearing her flesh apart and hanging her head in the courtroom to show that everyone who disrespects Violette would meet the same end.Sadly, I had strong physical strength but not so much in politics."Lady Barlow will be your mate. The king chose her for you." She replied, still averting my gaze.Lifting her chin, I said, "Look at me. Do I look in need of another mate? No. You are enough, I am sorry for letting her hurt you, and I am sorry that I can't publicly defend you in front of my family. It's me who lacked the power but worry not my dear; I'll give them tenfold pains and embarrassment. It's a promise."Her violet eyes watered, and
VIOLETTE. A week passed on a whim. During that time, I tried so hard to adjust to my current situation that I was trapped in the lycan’s land until an undetermined time, which was nearly close to forever to me. My conversation with Noah last week helped me navigate myself better. Now I knew better who I should avoid and be friends with. Sadly, only a few people I could try to get close to. The enemies, however, were so many that I couldn’t remember their names. The list of names that I made sure to remember was Nash, Herta, Rendall, Olivia, and Flora. I hadn’t met with all of them, but I wasn’t sure about Olivia being an enemy. She seemed like a sweet type that, unfortunately, got into the wrong crowds. But, just to ensure my safety, I ended up avoiding all of them like the plague. I also learned about this land, which by the way, was The Kingdom of Rasha; unlike in human land where each territory was called a town or village, in this place, each territory was claimed by packs. And
VIOLETTE.Trailing behind Noah, we finally crossed the gate to enter the hunting grounds.The hunting ground was thirty minutes away by carriage from the castle. We moved before the sun even rose. I had thought that when we arrived, few would be present. However, people were already crowding the area.Most of them wore a set of high-quality clothes, and several brought their slaves with them. And just like me, they also dressed in a plain dresses. The only difference was they were collared, like wild animals.“Stay focused,” Noah whispered.I could only nod at him.Several times he would stop and greet the other guest and indulge in small talk, then they would continue their journey.“Noah.”I snapped back to see Kasha running towards us with a wide grin. I smiled at him. Happy to see someone familiar.“Oh, hi, Violette.” He greeted me warmly.“It’s good to see you, Alpha Kasha.”Kasha waved his hand in front of my face and averted his gaze to Noah.“You are about to get her killed.”