Desiree
TWO WEEKS LATER
Adam gave me a day off, which I decided to spend at the Moon park and relax. As horrible as the place may seem, it held some precious memories of me and my parents. Memories I was doing all that I could to hold on to and never let go. On my way out of the gate, I saw a recruitment queue that had the Bloods lined up separately from the Moons. The sign read, 'Engineers needed'.
I knew King Kingston had been trying to build weapons and technology that could change the fate of our environment. He had spent a lot and risked a lot, but the results so far had been underwhelming. The Moons knew it would be difficult for him to succeed because we lived in a magic world, and in our world, magic and science went together. There was no way his machines and inventions could work without magic powering them or helping them to operate.
Alpha Kingston was trying hard to beat this oddity because witches were no longer at our disposal. After reading my mother's letters, I understood why. Because the witches were no longer at our disposal, we had to depend heavily on science to survive. Some of the attempts were successful, but others weren't.
Werewolves did not have magic except for certain bloodlines like my mother's. My mother's family had very selective magic. It had skipped my mother, and she hoped I would inherit it. It was the only magic available to the Moons, and just like the name of our pack implies, the magic was amplified or dampened by the moon.
I learned the Bloods had magic once, but it was dark, so they found a way to make it dormant until it was expelled. Although people mocked King Kingston when he said he would build a megacity on our lands when they took over, he had surprised everyone and succeeded. My mother told me the Bloods attacked us because our land was the only place that wasn't scorched and covered with the ash atmosphere. This was possible because of the moon magic wielded by my grandfather, the Alpha of the Moon pack. Although he wasn't as strong as the one before him, he was strong enough to keep the Ash at bay which made the sunshine and the crops grow. The fact that our land wasn't scorched made it a target. We had withstood and won so many attacks from packs that tried to take over our lands that it weakened our defences and made us vulnerable. When the Bloods attacked us, we weren't at our best capacity, and that was why they won, but King Kingston was wise enough to kill all the moons that could rise against him to keep the Moons subdued. What was happening was the result of his actions. Most of the pack members had forgotten their strength.
After watching the engineers line up at the greater gate to get a tally and sit for the engineers' exams, I walked away.
When I got to the park, I became sad. No matter how strong technology was, it couldn't compete with magic. The ash was slowly spreading over our lands, and the once green earth in some places had turned grey and desolate because the sun could not shine upon it. The wicked Blood members had moved the Moon members to the damaged parts of the land and taken over the fertile and clean parts. I wondered why they didn't just kill us all. The ash and poor nutrition was the reason why most Moon members had been falling ill and dying lately. It is also the cause of my mother's illness. I sat at the bench and wished I could speed the hands of time, get my wolf and see maybe I would inherit the moon magic so I could use it to liberate my people and heal our lands.
I sat on the bench and just stared at the rusted contraption that looked like a swing but didn't run because there was no magic to power it.
Someone came to sit next to me, and to my surprise, it was Adam. I wanted to gasp, but I held my peace.
"Calm down, Desiree. I gave you the day off so we could hang out," he said, laughing. He was wearing a grey hoody this time around, and it was over his head.
"Please, your highness, you will get me in trouble. If anyone sees you here with me, I could lose my life," I pointed out, and he nodded.
"Don't worry, Desiree, no one would see us," he said.
"The ash can poison your system," I said, reminding him of the difference in the atmosphere.
He took a deep breath and sighed.
"Desiree, one thing the Bloods never tell Moons is that our territory was scorched beyond recognition before we heard of the Moon lands and decided to take it over so we could survive. I had breathed ash air for fifteen years before we came to conquer this place. The richness of the lands and cleanliness of the air was what made the Bloods determined to win the pack war," he said and kept silent. He had passed his message and made his point. We sat on the bench, apart from each other, and admired the scenery quietly. After an hour, Adam got up, said goodbye, and left. I wanted to visit my mother, and a part of me had come to that park hoping she might come to eat there, but I did not see her and I did not want to see Rob. I knew I would have to visit her eventually.
I resumed work the next day, and I noticed a lot of preparations were going on. I had learned that King Kingston was throwing an engagement party for his son Adam, and his beta's daughter, Lola. The work was much, and we were not allowed to rest. I had to pick up some chores and serve Adam at the same time. Lola was with him throughout, beaming. Soon her friends came to get her ready for the party. I was leaving with the food when Adam spoke to me.
"Desiree, look nice at the party," he ordered, and I knew that wouldn't be wise.
"Your highness, please, I do not want to get into trouble here. I will be wearing my uniform." I told him, and he shook his head.
"All the workers would be wearing their clothes and dressed nice," he said to me, and I shook my head.
"They are all Bloods. I am the only royal staff that is a Moon, and it is only Level eight, nine and ten staff that are allowed to attend. The rest of the staff would be serving. I know you have promoted me, but I do not want to annoy anyone," I pleaded, and he shook his head.
"What nonsense. I will send you something to wear. You better look nice. My food taster cannot look shabby at my party." he said, and I was afraid. I could not argue with him, but I knew I would get in trouble.
"I will send you something in the shade of blue to make you feel better," he said, and my stomach churned because I did not know what kind of dress he would be sending.
"Go and get ready. I will send the clothes to your room, and my best friend Kyle will come and get you," he said.
"Please send it to the lower service quarters," I told him, and he frowned.
"What are you doing in that place. I told them to give you a better room fit for level ten staff," he said, and I shook my head.
"They did, Your highness. It is a beautiful room," I lied because it was a Blood level six-room that I was given, "It is just that I spend most of my time in the lower service quarters with my kind," I tried to explain.
"What do you mean by your kind?" he asked, a bit angry, and I got scared. I did not want to reply, so I did not annoy him any more than I already had, but I had to.
"I do not want to break any rules or get in trouble. No matter how high you promote me, your highness, I am still a Moon and Moons are regarded as lesser wolves. I do not want to offend anyone, so I spend most of my free hours in the lower service quarters and retire to sleep in the blood quarters." I said, and his eyes widened.
"You mean there is a blood quarter? I thought the quarters were according to levels. What about the level nine and ten Moons, where do they stay?" he asked me, and I realised I had just given him the information he wasn't supposed to have, I was already in it. I couldn't back down now.
"They stay in the lower service quarters where all the moons stay," I said, and he nodded.
"I will check the place out myself," he said, and I shook my head.
"Please, your highness, Don't go there. Please don't," I begged, knowing I will be blamed for this. I was the only moon he was interacting with, and if he did not know what was going on all these years, that meant he had never visited the place.
"Very well, Desiree. I understand your fears. I will have them fix up the lower service quarters and move you back to the place," he said, and I thanked him. The place needed renovation. I just hoped he had the power to pull off that kind of stunt.
Desiree Adam kept his word and sent the dress to my aunt Margret. My aunt wasn't happy at all. I could see it in her eyes. Most Moons weren't happy, and I knew it wasn't jealousy because they loved me a lot. "You need to be careful, Desiree. You are a beautiful Moon. Beautiful Moons don't last here," One of the Moon girls said to me, and she had fear in her eyes. When they left, I sat with Aunt Margret while she dressed me up for the event. "Honestly, I can dress by myself," I complained to her, and she sadly shook her head. "Prince Adam insisted that I make sure you look nice," she said, and her hands began to shake as she combed my hair. I touched her hand on my head and asked her why. She broke down completely. "I promised Tiffani I would protect you, Desiree, but how can I protect you from the prince?" she said and began to weep. "That young man is going to draw too much attention to you, and that only means certain hardship or death for a Moon here. Why didn't you decline ni
Desiree I snuck back to my room and lay on my bed. Under normal circumstances, I should be happy, but I was in a big mess. Adam kissed me. He showed me some affection on the night he was officially engaged to a bitch. How will I survive this? I opened Alice's Journal to read more. I needed to know what happened to her.I browsed through the pages and settled on one closer to the beginning."I met Donovan at the moon park today. I do not know how this mate thing works, but I knew I had to reject him because he is a Blood. He did not take the rejection well, and he has refused to accept. I am very worried because this could get me in trouble. Apart from the mate bond, I like him, but my Moon status forbids me from it. I have to let go. A lot of people are beginning to suspect. I do not want to get in trouble, but as things are, I might, and as much as Donovan claims to care, he will not protect me when the time comes. I wish I could run away, but my father told me that the witch wars ha
Adam I couldn't stop thinking about Desiree. When she showed up in the blue gown I got her, I was able to appreciate the beauty the moon goddess had blessed me with. I couldn't help but decline the engagement. Although she was a Moon, I was going to fight for her with everything that I had. Her vanilla fragrance was what drew me to the back of the club where Nickson was beating her up. I had traced residues of her scent for a while during my secret walks to the moon community, until I finally found her that night. I did not care that my fated mate was a Moon. I was grateful for her. Desiree was a goddess, and those turquoise eyes pierced my soul. It took a lot of discipline not to claim her.I thought she was rejecting the bond at first when she was indifferent towards me, but when I found out she wasn't of age yet, I understood why. When I saw her at the cafeteria, I couldn't let my mate serve others, she was to be a princess and future queen, and that was why I moved her to my side
Desiree Six months had passed, and I was a lot comfortable around Adam now. We snuck around a lot. It bothered me, but as long as he wasn't trying to sleep with me, I was okay. Although I wouldn't lie about the sexual tension between us, we kept it under control. He often came to hold me at night, and I looked forward to it. I knew what I was doing was dangerous, and Alice's journal explained the repercussions to me, but I was falling fast. My eighteenth birthday was in a month and I couldn't wait. I tried to keep my head down. People had started acting funny towards me, but it didn't bother me. I was taken off all physical tasks, and I knew some people began to suspect that I might be sleeping with the Prince. Aunt Margret called me into her room one evening to ask me intimate questions. "Desiree, are you sleeping with Prince Adam?" she asked me with a stern look on her face, and I shook my head. "Are you sure, because you reek of him, and people are spreading rumours about you t
Adam I woke up in the clinic hooked to some machines, and I saw Lola by my bedside wiping away her tears. I remembered what happened, and got up immediately. "Your highness, you are okay," Lola said, and I saw Kyle. "Where is Desiree?" I linked him. "Not good. Your father wants to execute her for poisoning you, but they want her to suffer first. She has been locked up all night. The king judged her and condemned her this morning," he said, and I got up immediately. I started rushing out. Lola tried to hold me, but I pulled away forcefully. I did not appreciate her touching me. "Why didn't you protect her?" I linked Kyle. "I couldn't. You were unconscious, and Lola came in with Nickson and started beating her. Everything happened so fast." I clenched my fist at what he told me, and I promised to deal with Lola for touching Desiree. First, I needed to get her out of the mess. I rushed to my father chambers, where he was with Beta Green. I was fuming with anger, but I kept it unde
Desiree When they told me the king had pardoned me, I was happy. The enforcers escorted me to my room, where aunty Margret was waiting for me with a stern look on her face, and I wondered why. "Come, let me attend to your wounds," she said. She helped me bathe and dressed up my wounds. They were healing, but the pain was still there. I felt Adam in my head, but I ignored him. "You need to thank the goddess that he didn't die, Desiree. He was the one that got you out of that place," she said, and I began to sob. "I didn't do it, aunty," I cried, and she held me close. "I know little one. I know. Some people have started working against you, Desiree, and I know why?" she said and looked at me angrily. "Why did you lie to me that you were not sleeping with Prince Adam?" she asked, and my eyes opened wide from surprise. "I am not. I swear," I argued, and Aunt Margret shook her head. "Don't lie to me, Desiree. Your room and bed reek of him," she said, and I froze. I had been caught
Adam Kyle was in shock, and I knew it. Desiree looked like it. Her eyes and lips looked like it, and I looked like it too, and I knew my scent was all over her. I had to hide my erection and calm myself down. I honestly didn't know what to do or how it would work, but I knew I would soon have to face my fears. "You are going to get that girl killed," Kyle said the moment Desiree left, and I hoped she hadn't heard him. It took a lot to convince her to give me a chance. "Are you sleeping with her?" he asked me, and I shook my head. He narrowed his eyes, and I shook my head. "She isn't ready. I won't take advantage of her like that," I told him, and he sighed. "So all you are doing is making out?" He asked, and I nodded. "You weren't there yesterday morning when your father had her beaten and sentenced her to death," Kyle said, and I froze. Desiree didn't tell me that. My fist clenched, and I felt sad and angry at the same time. "I see, she didn't tell you," Kyle said, "Well, she w
Desiree TWO WEEKS LATER My yard duties were finally over, and I could rest. I had told aunty Margret that I wasn't going to leave. I couldn't. I had fallen in love with Adam completely. Even though neither of us had professed our love to each other, the feeling was mutual and I hoped that our case would be different. For both our sakes, I hoped we survived whatever came our way. Adam had taken me off food tasting duty, and I was glad. He made sure the new food taster ate and waited one hour before eating the meal. I was put on wardrobe duty, but the bloods working for Adam would have done all the work before I arrived. Adam basically just wanted to keep me around him because I literally had no job. All we did was make out for most of the duration, and then I would leave. He would come to my room at night and continue. As every day passed, I wished we could actually be together, and I prayed to the moon goddess to make it so. While he lay next to me on my bed, I admired his face, an