[Diana’s POV] The ballroom was packed with gasps, and murmurs as Zephyr and I parted. I turned to the gathering. “I have something very important to announce. With the alpha as our witness and mutual acceptance, I am married to my mate, Zephyr. I was waiting for the prom night to make our marriage public. Zeph might be working as my bodyguard because of the odd circumstances that aren’t hidden from the pack. But with all sincerity, I accept him as my husband in front of everyone.” I could literally hear Zephyr’s beats and feel his fingers turn cold as I made that announcement. He peered at me, too baffled to speak a word. Another wave of shock ran through the crowd as the gossip turned into chaotic murmurs and I knew the news would spread throughout the pack by the morning. “Congratulations, princess,” Silas, a boy from my class, came forth with his date, Juliette. “You make a perfect couple with your mate and husband, princess,” Juliette said with a warm smile. “Yeah, my hear

[Diana’s POV]I glared at Archer.With a frozen smile, he hid behind father.“Alpha, save me. Princess will kill me,” Archer said timidly.Father glanced at him from over his shoulder and sighed, shutting his eyes.“Diana, the only reason you know nothing about wizards and the world of magic is because I ensured you didn’t. Forgive Archer, ok?”I grunted, tensing my brows.“Why? Why should I forgive him? I asked him about his wands, and he said they were collectibles for some magical novel. He lied to me.”“Because I ordered him to,” father said.He walked to me and stroked my hair.“Diana, initially, I thought the best way to protect you would be to keep you away from the outer and the magical world. But, I was wrong. The only way to protect you is by introducing you to the world we have been hiding you from.”I was even more confused.“Why do I need to be protected or hidden?” I asked.“You will get all your answers. We need to start with the beginning and that is why Archer will ta

[Diana’s POV]“All Serith could do was try to protect her people from the ambush that came absolutely randomly with Micah’s army, outnumbering hers every time. It was all done according to Micah’s plan,” Archer said.“But even after Serith had accepted her defeat, Micah didn’t stop his armies. For Micah, it was a war to prove to Serith that in the end he, a man, would be the one to dominate her. And kill every last one of the offspring that was born from Serith crushing his ego, disgracing him and his pride by dominating him and stealing his seeds,” father said.Archer took us back into the Cloris valley. Father, Archer and I sat on the rocks on the bank of the Cloris river that flowed across the valley.The fairies were still hiding behind the leaves, flowers and bushes, but I could see several of them sneak at us from their hiding spots.“Serith understood Micah wouldn’t stop until he wipes off all her children, so she gathered the leftover demonic werewolves and took them to an uni

[Diana’s POV] Zephyr kissed my forehead, slowly caressing my cheek. He looked at me, giving me a calm smile. I clenched my fist, feeling myself fall deeper into a kind of love I always yearned for, but never received. I hugged him, snuggling in the curve of his neck. He draped his arms around me, cradling me to his chest. My heart skipped beats at his every touch, planting his warmth on my skin. I gulped hard, thinking a thousand times before I kissed his adam’s apple. He stopped stroking my back as if he had frozen. I bit my bottom lips. Trailing down my hand from his chest to his abs, I unbuttoned his shirt. With every kiss on his body, I felt my body heat drastically. “You should rest, princess,” Zephyr said. I finally looked into his eyes and whispered, “I am resting.” I hesitantly tore off my gaze from his. “I am sorry, I… don’t know what I was thinking…” I felt the heat of his gaze burn my cheeks. “I… never mind me. I should’ve asked you before. I am sorry…” Embarr

[Zephyr’s POV] “Did I do something wrong? I mean… did I hurt you?” Diana asked, baffled. I put on my boxers and pants properly. My silence was making the entire room loom with awkwardness. I picked the handkerchief from the couch and walked closer to Diana. I reached out to wipe her face when she held my hand. “What happened, Zeph? Talk to me…” “I am sorry, princess. I-I can’t… I can’t go any further than this. I am so sorry.” Her tensed brows relaxed slightly. “Oh…” she said, letting out her held breath. “That’s fine,” she forced a faint smile. “You don’t have to do it if you don’t want to. But why?” I sat beside her on the bed and wiped her face. “I-I… I have been thinking about what alpha said about us and our marriage,” I paused. “And… It has been bothering me even when I believe I can make us work.” “Ok. So… Do you believe that our marriage will fall apart?” she asked. “No. It won’t. I won’t let it. I’ll do everything in my power to let nothing like that happen to us