Olivia.My eyes went to the door of my bedchamber for the umpteenth time, but nothing changed. I didn’t know what I even hoped for. I clearly said that I stopped feeling for him, but why does it still hurt knowing that he left me during the Red Moon?We left the ballroom earlier than we were supposed to be. I had thought that he’d spent the night with me since it was the rule for Red Moon. It was stated that Moon Goddess most likely blessed fated mates with pups during Red Moon.For the first time since we mated, Nash decided to leave me alone. He went with Natalie when we stepped out of the ballroom, while I had to deal with a pitiful glance from my maids.I brought my knees up and hugged them tightly as I cried. Considering I had been with him for so long, I had thought I would have more tears to shed, but apparently, I was wrong. Each time he hurt me, I always wailed in silence.As the night grew deeper, my body heat increased, and my wolf began screaming inside my head to look for
Noah. “I heard the loud growl last night, but I never thought it was you. Marking a slave? That’s too low even for you, Noah.”Nash sipped his wine as he spoke while his eyes studied my reaction. I already knew that he’d brought up this topic as soon as he found out about the mark, so I had prepared myself beforehand. “It was an accident. You know my wolf often took over me.”Nash’s jaw ticked, and both his hands gripped the armchair. Then he spitted, “Do you take me for a fool, Noah? Have you known it since the first meeting and decided to hide it from us? Are you that afraid that I’d hurt her?”I leaned back and crossed my legs. “There is nothing to be afraid of. I’m merely embarrassed to claim a slave as my mate. The marking happened because my wolf lost its control.”“Then why don’t you reject her?”“Perhaps you want me to die, dear brother? We just mated in less than twenty-four hours; rejecting means killing myself.”That made Nash shut his mouth. He seemed to think deeply abo
Violette. Sitting beside Noah, I put my legs down until the water on the river touched my ankle. The cold made me shiver for a few seconds before adjusting to the temperature. We sat in silence while enjoying the vast scenery before our eyes. Noah had never spoken after we left his father’s grave. I didn’t know what went wrong, but unlike when he visited his mother, Noah didn’t bother to say something to his father. He only looked at the grave with empty eyes. I tried to cheer him up, but it didn’t work. So, I decided that it was best for me to stay beside him while waiting for him to open up to me. Seconds passed into minutes, and minutes turned into hours. Now the sky was adorned with orange light. “My father. I love and hate him at the same time.”“Huh?” I said upon hearing Noah’s words. “I love that he cares for my mother and me more than he did for his queen and Nash. He showered me with all the love he had. But I hate him for failing to protect my mother and himself. He wa
Violette. When we entered the ballroom, the guests turned their eyes to our direction. I could feel their stares— scrutinizing and disapproving— which made me feel a rush of adrenaline spark inside me. Despite their blatant dislike toward me, I tried not to lower my head. Instead, I held my head higher and attempted to meet their gaze with unyielding confidence. I might be a slave before, but now I was here as Noah’s mate—his equal. I didn’t want to embarrass Noah in front of them just because I felt intimidated. A light touch on my arm made me glance to my left, where Noah looked at me with a slight smile plastered in his mouth. He leaned closer to whisper to me,“Confidence looks perfect on you.”“Thank you,” I replied curtly.As we made it into the center of the room, the guests were still silent; the uncomfortable tension was palpable in the air. “Let’s greet my brother,” Noah said before leading me to where the king and Olivia sat. With a graceful step, I walked forward wit
Violette. Alpha Cassy dragged me to the dance floor after he said his piece. Then, the music started to blaze my ear drum again. At first, I felt awkward about being this close to another man that wasn’t Noah, but Cassy guided me expertly through the dance with an experienced hand. He was almost like a gentleman.Or so I thought. “You seem to enjoy my company more than your mate,” Cassy whispered to my ear, then he blew air to me, which made the hair on my nape stand rigidly. “Huh?”“I mean, your expression shows that you are very relaxed at the moment, which made me conclude that it’s the effect of my presence.”Did he just say that with a smug grin on his face? I almost wanted to punch him for that. What kind of eyes did he use while watching Noah and me before that made him so confident saying such a thing in front of my face?“What kind of expression do I have, if I may ask?”“Like you wanted to be fucked.”“I’m sorry?” I said with a high tone, making several people around us l
Violette. "Are you sure you are okay? We can push our plan for today if you are not feeling well." Olivia asked for the third time. "Don't worry, I'm just a bit shaken, but I'm okay now. There is no need to change our plan."Olivia appeared to be hesitant even after I reassured her about my condition. It wasn't wrong if she was afraid or even worried about me. After all, she witnessed me shaking and crying uncontrollably on the ground. "If you say so. However, you should let me know immediately if you want to go back, okay?""Okay. Thank you, Luna Olivia."After that, we didn't speak more and proceeded to walk toward the gallery. Today, we were going to see a gallery where all the pictorials of important people in the kingdom were stored. Since I had little to no knowledge about the royal family, Olivia offered to take me to visit the gallery. “Luna Olivia, Lady Violette.”The guard on the front door greeted us and bowed his head which we responded with a nod, then he pushed the e
Noah. It had been over a week since Violette and I talked about her mother, Nara. After that conversation, our relationship turned a bit sour. She was still disappointed by my dishonesty; however, for the past two days, she had learned to accept my explanation. She was mad but tried to understand my point of view. Shaking my head, I shifted my attention from Violette to my warriors. I had chosen them during the scouting. They were my people. None of them swore loyalty to Nash, which made me breathe easier. They had been sparring nonstop since then, just in case we would end up fighting with Nash’s people. My initial plan, I didn’t want to use them fighting with Nash’s warrior. I wanted to take my rightful thorne using the formal way. I just had to ensure that I would have enough people to back me when I proposed the idea to the council. But, if things didn’t go as planned, then I’d be left with no choice but to wage war. “Rick, you are getting slower!” I yelled to Rick as he was
Violette. Four days. It had been that long since the last time I saw Noah. He went to the moonstone pack early in the morning, and I couldn’t even send him off because he didn’t wake me up. That time, I faintly remember the feel of his lips when he kissed my temple. But I didn’t open my eyes. I was hoping to receive a piece of letter from him, but I presumed that he might be too busy to take the time to write to me. Despite accepting my current situation, I couldn’t help but feel empty. Longing. That haunted me for the past few days; even my wolf started to feel restless. During that time, I diverted my attention by practicing my magic, talking to Willa, or going into the royal gallery to watch my mother’s portrait with the former king. It did help, but I was alone again in our big bed when the night fell. I sighed and turned my head upward, facing the sky. A soft touch on my forearm made me snap my head to my right. With a left brow elevated, I waited for Willa to speak. “We hav