[Carys]
“I have requested an All Alpha meeting regarding beta Carys’ case.” Dominic said.
“What? An All Alpha meeting? It means the lycan alphas will be there as well.” Joshua said.
“Yes, that’s what All Alpha meetings are,” Dominic said.
“But, All Alpha meetings haven’t been held in decades,” Joshua countered.
“Because something like this hasn’t happened in decades. A high rank has never betrayed our packs. I am very well aware that I can’t arrest or punish your beta, but I can’t leave it on you to decide her punishment, either. Given your attachment with her over all these years, I am afraid you are incapable of serving justice. Therefore, I will leave the justice in the hands of All Alpha Court (AAC). It’s my sister that beta Carys has hurt. I cannot let this slide. And if you truly wish to marry my sister, you will cooperate with me,” Dominic said in a commanding voice.
As far as I knew Dominic, he was the strongest of all the three pure werewolf alphas and stronger was his resolve for justice. When it came to justice, the only way to talk to Dominic was through evidence.
“If so then, there will be a trial right?” Joshua asked.
“Yes. Beta Carys has all the right to defend herself. And now only the AAC had the right to punish the one behind this attack. So, I will request Alpha Joshua to control his wolf. And if you cannot control him, then don’t get anywhere near beta Carys. I can handle cases from both sides without being biased.”
Dominic warned Joshua, and I heard the doors of my room shut.
I opened my eyes. Pain bolted through my head and my throat still felt as if a rope was constantly tightening around it.
Two guards flanked the door while Joshua stood near the door with his one hand on his waist and the other ruffling through his hair.
“Fuck you, Xander! Damn you! Why the hell did you hurt, Carys!” Joshua punched a hole in the wall.
Joshua, with his tall, muscular body, took off his alpha suit and carelessly threw it on the table. His tanned skin and magnetic charisma were enough to entice any onlooker. His golden eyes were as intense as the flames that draw a moth. He usually kept his shoulder-length hair loose, ruffled and tousled, adding to his rugged charm.
He turned, and I shut my eyes before our eyes met.
Joshua had never hurt me. He even declined all my duel requests, saying he would lose even before the duel started because he couldn’t even think of injuring me.
I knew people changed, but I didn’t know they could change this fast. The fact that I understood the reason behind his changing attitude towards me hurt even more.
Edith. His mate. All these changes were because of her.
I can understand why Xander reacted so aggressively. After all, after my rejection, my wolf, Zara, stopped communicating with me. She lends me her strength when needed, but that’s it. Mate bonds affect our wolves much more than it affects us.
Even after all those reasons, I couldn’t stop the turmoil of emotions from overwhelming me. The physical pain I felt was nothing before the emotional cuts that ran deep into my soul.
He walked to my bed.
“Carys, I know you are awake? We need to talk, please.” Joshua’s impatience was clear in his voice.
“I can defend myself, so don’t worry, Alpha Joshua,” I said, keeping my eyes shut. “In your eyes, I already am the perpetrator. There’s nothing to talk about.”
“No, you are not! Carys, I don’t care what the evidence says. I will ask you just once and whatever answer you give me will be the ultimate truth for me. Did you plan this attack on Edith?”
I took a deep breath. Looking into his eyes, I said.
“I didn’t.”
Joshua nodded, biting his lips.
“Ok.” Silence hung in the air as he contemplated me for a long time. Our good memories flashed in his golden eyes until the tears blurred my vision and I averted my gaze.
“I… I shouldn’t have… I shouldn’t have… I am extremely sorry for what Xander did. He… loses all his control when it comes to Edith. But I should have controlled him. It’s all my fault. I am sorry, Carys.”
Joshua was the only man who could be so disheveled yet so calm at the same time.
“No matter what you say. You already believe that I attacked Edith, don’t you?” I said calmly.
Joshua averted his eyes and shook his head slightly.
“If I were you and I found out that you were sleeping with your mate behind my back, I would have done the same thing. No, I would have done… so much… worse…” his deep voice was low, yet powerful enough to make my skin prickle.
My rejection and the time I had spent with Kian flashed in my head. My heart caught a restless, erratic rhythm as his scrutiny grew intense with my every breath.
He was my alpha, and the pack expected him to lead. I admired him when he took control, but at that moment, the feral control he had over me felt unbearably daunting.
When I found out that Kian was my mate, Joshua, and I were just friends. After my rejection, from the moment I started loving Joshua, I have never thought of leaving him. Not even for a second. But everything changes now.
This is best for all of us.
Pushing back every irrational emotion I felt, I took a deep breath.
Blinking off my tears, I sat up on the bed. Looking into nothingness, I said.
“Alpha Joshua. I want a closure before the All Alpha meeting.”
“W-what?” Joshua looked at me, confused. I could hear his heartbeat speed up. “What do you mean?”
“Ten years versus two years. Must be difficult for you to choose, right?” My voice cracked.
“Carys, what are you saying?”
“Don’t pretend as if you don’t understand. Edith told me everything about how you met her two years ago and everything that happened between the two of you.” My voice quavered, yet I tried to hide the pain that etched through my heart like molten glass. “Why didn’t you tell me when you found your mate?”
He knit his brows. Clenching and unclenching his jaws, he processed my words, then said.
He sat on the bed beside me and reached out for my hand.
“I didn’t want to hurt you, my Enchantress.”
Taking a sharp breath through my clenched teeth, I got down from the bed.
My Enchantress — that’s what he called me out of love when we made love. He said I had bewitched his mind, body, and soul. I was a spell cast on him, an addiction to his heart.
Oh God!
I clenched my fists, trying to stop all those once happy memories from burning through my chest.
Joshua stared at me with wide eyes filled with fear, regret, and remorse. He walked around the bed and stood before me.
“Trust me. I love you, Carys. I fucking love you so much. Edith is only my wolf’s desire. I need her physically. That’s it. But you? You are the end of my every desire. You are my destiny.”
Tears welled in my eyes, and I had to clench my jaws to hold them back.
“I bet you must have said the same thing when you touched her!” I raised my voice. Chuckling, I continued. “I wonder who you are lying to? Edith? Me? Or yourself?”
Joshua ran his finger through his hair.
“Edith is my mate, Carys…” he stepped closer to me.
“Do not come close to me. Stay away,” I warned him, taking a few steps back until my back was against the wall.
“Edith is my mate. I cannot resist the pull. It’s the fucking fate or whatever the fuck that is. I don’t care. Actually, now I understand why you did what you did ten years ago. I wanted to call you the night I found out Edith was my mate. But I was scared. I wasn’t sure…” his gaze softened with tears. “I made a mistake.”
My heart pounded as Joshua stood inches away from me.
“You repeated the mistake again and again for two years! It wasn’t a mistake, it was a choice.” I broke into tears.
I wish I could train my heart as fast as I could trick my mind. I was getting carried away by my emotions.
Joshua leaned in, our faces inches away.
“Just because I found my mate doesn’t mean what we had for all these years meant nothing to me.” He whispered sensually, and I felt drawn to his voice, his scent and the lingering heat between the gap of our bodies.
I clenched my fists. Now that I look at him, all I can see are those fleeting moments I saw him buried deep inside Edith while he claimed his love for her and how much he missed her.
[Carys]He was about to kiss me when I looked away and pulled myself out of his trap.“I don’t regret loving you because I gave you every part of me. I loved you the best way I could, with my utmost sincerity and loyalty. There’s nothing more I could have done to make you stay or love me, only me. Being loyal and not being loyal is a choice, and you have made your choice. There’s no going back,” I said.“I am loyal to you!” He growled, and I flinched. Suppressing his rage, he forced a smile. “Carys,” Joshua made me face him, grabbing my shoulders in a painful grip. His gaze darkened. My chest heaved faster and faster as he slammed me against the wall. “I couldn’t resist my mate, but you couldn’t either. If there’s anyone who can understand me in this situation. It’s you. So why are you…”“I understand you, Joshua. I do. You know me. Don’t you? If you truly loved me or even respected whatever we had for ten years, you would have come to me and had a clear break up before you slept with
[Carys] The impending All Alpha meeting was a week away. I prepared what I could from the confinement of four walls for my defense during that period. Everyone who attended the party or was present during the attack in the Spring palace stayed in the Spring pack. The only person who would hear me and could help me in that critical situation was Alpha Dominic. During this time, my respect for Dominic grew even more. He was enraged because his sister was hurt, but he handled the situation in the most rational manner. He heard my side of the story. I told him someone was trying to frame me, but I didn’t tell him it was Edith. “If you can show me the proof, I will have no option but to trust you,” Dominic said. “But as of now, every proof is against you.” “I understand. Did you find the one who was spying on me in the woods?” I asked. Dominic’s composed expressions turned pensive. “Actually…” “You couldn’t find him? You just found his phone?” I asked. Dominic looked outside the w
[Carys]The All Alpha Court convened as everyone prepared for the meeting.“The meeting is private and will be recorded,” announced Liam Harrison, the beta of the Alpha king. “All attendees must maintain confidentiality. The Percy Spring pack’s Alpha, Dominic Percy, has called for this meeting to address concerns regarding the Nightfall Autumn pack’s beta, Carys Elffire. According to the terms of the All Alpha Court, all alphas from the three werewolf packs are in attendance. Two alphas from the lycan packs are also here. We have the required quorum to commence the meeting in ten minutes.”In this world, existed three werewolf packs and three lycan packs, each of which was led by an alpha. However, there was an independent body called the All Alpha Court (AAC), responsible for monitoring the alphas, betas, and gammas of all the packs.The AAC headquarters was located in an apolitical area known as the Neutral zone. This zone was completely free from political influences. However, majo
[Carys]I peered at Joshua blankly.I knew why he said that. I knew it was best for us to bury the relationship we had never revealed to the world. Revealing it now would only make things worse. Even with all those reasons, an unfathomable ache stung my heart.Holding back my tears, I nodded.“People often mistake friendship between a man and a woman. It’s nothing new,” I said, holding Joshua’s gaze. Swallowing the tight emotions lumping in my throat, I forced a smile. “But I am at fault for overstepping my boundaries. I should have known. I should have been more cautious. As for love…”I broke into laughter.“Please pardon me, Alpha king. But love is the most absurd word in this world — the greatest mockery in life. Only fools would fall for such a delusion and I am… no fool,” I said.I had been foolish to seek love in others when it never truly existed — not in this world — not in the men I loved. It was nowhere, no more. Not even in my heart.Uncomfortable silence settled in the h
[Carys] The guard knocked at the door. “Pardon me, beta, but the meeting is about to begin in ten minutes.” Sniffling, I wiped off my tears. Splashing water on my face, I got myself together. The world doesn’t have to know how it was breaking me. Even if I go down today, I will not let my enemies have the satisfaction of seeing me shatter. I took a deep breath and headed back towards the hall. Thankfully, I didn’t encounter Joshua or Edith on the way. Anxiety churned in the stomach as I stepped closer to the hall. I knew what was coming for me and I wasn’t ready for it. My position as beta had been the only thing keeping me sane in my life. To work for others, to tend to my pack. This position had kept me busy and away from the memories that could have turned my life darker. It gave me a sense of purpose and a reason to live. I had been brought up to be a beta. I didn’t know what I’d do if they took it away from me. I stopped before entering the hall and I could hear the Alpha’s
[Carys]Edith’s face nearly broke into a bright, victorious smile, but she managed to mask it with a subtle smirk in her eyes.A satisfactory smile appeared on Christian’s face that he didn’t even bother hiding.Joshua let out an exasperated sigh, tensed.“Until we resolve this case, Alpha Joshua must officially relieve Carys Elffire of her beta duties and select a new beta for his pack. AAC can provide him with a new beta, or he can choose one independently. Whether to keep or temporarily expel beta Carys from the Autumn pack will entirely depend on Alpha Joshua. The only condition is that a guard from AAC will remain with Carys Elffire at all times. If she’s expelled, Carys Elffire will have to stay in the Neutral Zone until the case concludes.” Liam read aloud from his laptop, and then all eyes were on Joshua.My nails dug into my skin as I waited for his reply.My heart roared wildly in my chest until the silence hung in the hall.“I respect AAC’s decision and I am sure my beta wi
[Carys] “I want it done within a week. Do you get it? I want the best of everything. We need to show those lycans that we are no less than them. This will be a display of not just our power, but our wealth and richness. So I want everything to be perfect. Yes—” “Joshua,” I called out to him while he was busy talking to the wedding planner on his phone. We were in his office in the Autumn pack. “Just a second, Carys,” Joshua tucked his phone between his shoulder and ear. “Yes, I have the guest list ready…” he shuffled through a few pages on his desk and handed a letter to me. “No. The most expensive ones. I need both the quality and the quantity. I want them to remember this party. It will be a slap on their faces…” He went on with his talk as I read the content on the page. Letter of temporary leave? I looked at Joshua, confused. Joshua covered the phone with his hands and whispered to me, “just sign it and leave the rest to me.” Then he went on to talk to the wedding planner.
[Carys] Edith’s glare bore into me as she snatched her phone from my hands. “What do you think you’re doing with my phone?” she snapped. “I thought Lady Valentina forgot her phone. Her phone’s identical to yours. There was a message notification, and I thought it could be something important related to your wedding…” “Even if it were her phone, you had no right to check it.” “I wasn’t checking it. I was going to give it to her.” “Stay in your limits, Carys. You are nothing but a suspect right now. Your carefree actions can put you in greater trouble,” Edith said with a smile, then she chuckled. “No matter what you do, you aren’t getting out of this situation. And I will make sure this gets worse for you. Right now, you have only lost your job. Once I become the luna of this pack, you will lose everything. Why do you think I brought up marriage in the meeting? This pack will be mine in two days and I am in a hurry to clean it up by throwing garbage like you out of it.” I sighed.