~Sebastian"What brings you to my pack, Alpha Sebastian?" the shrewd-looking man said in a voice tinted with hostility.I felt a surge of rage swirl within me, directed at Athena as this was all her fault. If she hadn't run away, I wouldn't be here right now in front of this buffoon of an Alpha.I sighed and locked gazes with Scott, Alpha of the Moon Crescent Pack. "I come in peace, Alpha Scott. I am here in search of a girl who fled from my pack," I said, doing a good job of hiding the disgust and anger in my voice."It has been years since we last saw each other, Alpha Sebastian, despite sharing borders," he smiled and arched a brow, his demeanor becoming more fierce as he asked in a serious tone, "You mean to tell me that after all these years, you are visiting my pack right now because of a girl?"I shut my eyes, trying to pacify my wolf that was threatening to surface. How dare he? How dare he try to question me in such a manner? Has he forgotten who I am? Or does he think that I

~RichardI ran after her, cursing under my breath at James. It was all his fault. If he hadn't gotten me all riled up, I wouldn't have said any of the things I said.Members of staff stared at me as I ran past, but I didn't care. My mind was focused on reaching Athena and explaining things to her."Athena! Where the hell are you?" I called out, my voice laced with a mix of anger and concern. Anger at myself for acting out of control and saying things I didn't mean, and concern for her as I could feel the pain coursing through her body. Sometimes this bond was a curse and sometimes a blessing."Athena! Athena!" I called out, wandering through the trees, peering in every corner in hopes of catching a glimpse of her.No response."Ath…" I was about to say before I saw her sitting on the floor, hugging her legs tightly as if she was cold and rocking herself to and fro.My expression softened. I took purposeful steps towards her and sat on the floor beside her, placing a hand around her sh

~RichardI walked into the conference room wearing a stern look and felt all their gazes on me.I went straight to my seat and sat down, letting my eyes sweep through their sullen faces and sighed."What is it you all want to talk about?" I inquired coldly. "It had better be important and worth my time," I added, despite knowing exactly why they wanted to see me.Rarely in my pack do the elders summon a meeting. It is the king who calls for a meeting and not the other way around. For the elders to summon the king, it signifies that there was a dire issue or problem affecting the pack which they needed to bring to the king's notice.I saw them exchange glances with each other as they hoped someone amongst them would summon up the courage to speak.Just then, the ever brazen Jessica stood up and cleared her throat."Here we go again!" I internalized as I let out a slight yawn from boredom."Your Majesty, myself and the elders have called you here this morning to discuss an issue of grea

~ RichardStanding at the doorway was Sabrina. My heart sank just because I might have to kill Sebastian after all. I immediately exchanged glances with James, inquiring whether he had also informed her about not speaking of Athena to any of the guests we would have today.He shook his head.Sabrina strutted seductively and asked again, "Who is it you speak of?"Sebastian looked at me in surprise, probably wondering why a lady would just dash in when the king was having a meeting with a guest and even go ahead to ask questions.I didn't want to act rashly with Sabrina in his presence so as not to act in a suspicious manner that would tip him off about what exactly was going on.I smiled and replied Sabrina, "This is Alpha Sebastian. He is here in search of a slave girl named Athena, but I just let him know that she is not in my kingdom.""Oh, I see," she replied, understanding my message clearly.Feeling the need to tender an apology to Sebastian for Sabrina's rude behavior, I smiled a

~AthenaHis facial expression immediately changedMy heart sank.The guilty look on his face confirmed my fears."Sit down, Athena," he said, his tone serious. I sat on the bed beside him. He placed his hand on my legs, and I felt the urge to push them away, but I refrained from doing so."You have, haven't you?" My voice was on the verge of breaking. His brows furrowed.Ignoring my question, he threw one at me, "Why did you ask me this question all of a sudden?""I saw the way she looked at you! I saw how jealous she was when you offered to dish food into my plate! I am a woman, Richard! I know when a woman is in love with a man!" I snapped. This couldn't be me; I hardly ever had outbursts like this. This was definitely my wolf's doing."You need to control yourself, Elsa! This is the king!" I snapped inwardly at her."And he is my mate!" she retorted."Don't even pretend you are not as pained as I am! I am only saying the words you don't have the balls to spill!" She snapped furious