It is late afternoon and the promotion ceremony is underway. Klevon and I are in the front yard and are standing together with all the other warriors. The Pitchford six generals are in front of us, lining up close to Theo. I am promoted to First Lieutenant because of the number of times I saved the King’s life. However, I believe Harbin has done something to it too. I jump six positions just from saving the King’s life three times. Klevon, on the other hand, jumps from Captain and becomes the seventh General. Rumor is that he was supposed to take one of the remaining general positions years before, but he keeps on declining the offer. So it’s a grand celebration that he finally accepted it. Other than that, there is also another piece of news the Kingdom has to celebrate. Princess Kissa is pregnant, and she is now officially Theo’s first concubine. His other pregnant concubines also have ranks now–second to fourth concubines. And those who will be unable to bear him a child within
I scrunch my nose as I enter Theo’s room—lavender mixed with alcohol. The windows are closed and there are over a dozen bottles of alcohol on the coffee table. Princess Kissa is not here. Theo is leaning over the couch with his arms covering his eyes. “Harbin, I said don’t nag me,” he says. “I want to be alone, unless you can force her to come see me, then don’t come here.” He laughs bitterly by himself. “That is, if you can drag her to me because lately, that’s the only way she will see me other than to perform her duties to me.” He laughs again, and then, he abruptly stops and keeps silent. General Brandon and I look at each other. “Laquisha can work too, King Theo,” General Brandon says. I approach him. Theo looks… ragged. He snorts. “Then, I should have a thousand of those made. Do you think you can make that happen, General Brandon?” “A bow and arrow made of laquisha are already enough,” I say. “I don’t need a thousand of laquisha.” Theo freezes and he removes his arm over
I push open the door to the sunroom. Crossing the threshold, the flowers bombard me with their smell. I rub my nose as I look at the middle-aged man who is smiling at me. He places his tea down and greets me, “At last, you finally decided to meet me for tea.” I sit in front of him. “Harbin, I am a warrior now. Joining you to tea is…” I regard everything in the table and add, “… inappropriate.” “Why? The generals partake in this activity.” “I am not a general.” “You will, soon.” I scowl at him. “And I don’t know if I should thank you for that.” “I’m not the one who gives designation to the warriors.” “Harbin,” I say. “Giving me the First Lieutenant rank is too fast for someone like me.” He smirks. “Someone like you? Pray tell me what is ‘someone like you’ means.” I sigh. I take a biscuit from the bowl and pour myself a cup of tea. It smells delicious. I won’t admit it, but I missed these activities with Harbin. With him, I always learn new things. “I am a freed werewolf slav
Theo and Princess Kissa are flirting while having their dinner. She keeps on feeding him and Theo is all smiles as he accepts the food. There are also some touches here and there, most especially kisses that Kissa gives to his face. I guess she adores how Theo looks. I sigh and look away when Princess Kissa places another kiss on the bridge of his nose. We are traveling to Pitchford island where new monsters sprouted. As per Theo’s order, we set up chairs and tables on the deck. And so, as the couple flirts, I stand on the side while the other warriors are doing their tasks around. Still, they can’t help but glance at the two. But who would blame them? The couple is both good-looking. And they are f*ucking too sweet that I learned how to empty my mind, or else this dull ache in my chest will grow and I will do something that I would regret later on. A few meters away from me, I see Ami looking at me with worry again. She doesn’t need to feel sorry for me, though. I am already too t
And so, I step hard on the floor and pull at him, but he’s not budging. And so, I sit on the floor and hide my face. I can’t do this! I will be drowned in pleasure again! “What?!” he glowers at me. “Let me go!” I scream back. “I said no! You are going with me to my room!” “What are you going to do when we’re inside?!” “You perfectly know what will happen! You are mine and I will lay claim on you again! No one is supposed to touch or kiss you!” “Let me go, Theo…” I whisper this time. “No! You need a reminder!” “Reminder of what?!” I ask. “That I am nothing but your whore? Fucked when needed? Played around when you see fit? I may be the lowest, and you are the King, but Theo…” I whisper. “I am a living being. I can feel too. You freed me from slavery, but I never felt free with you.” Theo’s hand on me loosens. “You… mated with me. It’s not a question of being free.” “No matter how much this mate bond controls my desire for you, I still have a heart and soul. I can think and go
Stepping onto the island, I feel my blood curdle. I look at the other ten warriors with me. There’s also General Lorant and Klevon. They are all tensed. Even Theo is scouring the area with eagle-eyed focus. It’s understandable. Something is wrong within this island, but I guess that’s always the accompanying feeling every time humans play with the gods. The last time humans tried to commune with the gods, werewolves are created. However, soon, it causes a war that claimed thousands, if not millions, of lives. I see Theo’s eyes shift on me. He moves towards me, but I look away and follow General Lorant. He is already making his way toward the island. Entering the foliage, it’s become even worse. There is a suffocating fog and everything is wet. Suddenly, I smell lavender. Theo is beside me as I turn. I frown at him. He catches my hand as I move away. “Stay with me, Kaiya. This…” he mutters. “… is unnatural.” As if proving his point, he raises his palm. Water erupts from his open p
Sometimes, I wish Princess Kissa is close, especially when Theo seems to make invading-my-personal-space his life purpose. Unfortunately, she can’t be here. Aside from she’s not a warrior, she is needed outside to start working on the seal. The plan is for her to move around the island to place symbols on the ground. She is with other warriors including Ami, Nadif, and Elroy. Theo tries to hold my hand, but I evade him. Rather, I walk closer to Klevon. It’s a wrong move because he becomes more insistent on taking my side. When he tries to hold my hand again, I snap at him. “Theo, stop!” He looks pained at my outburst. To hide my guilt, I turn away from him. Thankfully, General Lorant is approaching us. He’s been leading us toward the foot of a mountain since early in the morning. It’s mid-afternoon now, and soon, we’ll need to camp again. “King Theo, will you be able to burst an entrance open to that wall of earth?” he asks, pointing at the place he needs entrance to. “Right now,
Suddenly, the creature withdraws its limbs from me. I drop to the ground, trembling. Klevon attacks and Theo kneels before me. He lightly touches the surrounding skin on the open wound on my neck. I can feel it. Something is in my veins. Something… ancient and… from the gods. The smell… it’s so familiar as if I am at home. “F*uck! Poison,” the creature in front of us says. “What the heck, is that? A she-wolf? Why is a werewolf slave being protected?” “She is no longer a slave,” Klevon says. His massive broadsword is out and pointed at the creature, whose mouth is still dripping with my blood. “Kaiya?” It’s Theo. He lightly taps my cheeks. “What are you feeling?” My vision blurs and Theo’s face swims in front of me. Even in this state, I still find him so… so beautiful. Why does the mate bond act like this? It’s painful, it's uncontrollable. I don’t want to feel like this anymore. My arms raise towards him, and suddenly, I want to bite him. I want to take his blood. I want to eat h