ARIES
Day and night, I couldn't stop thinking about her. Her rich honey scent. The softness of her skin. The sound of her moans. Her addicting suppleness. It was all driving me crazy. I hated it. Whoever she was, she had succeeded in spiking my drink and getting me to sleep with her. Was she a werewolf spy? Was she intent on carrying my seed? Or was she intent on blackmailing me?It's been two days, and my subjects are yet to find her. It's driving me insane.To think that I had imprinted on her in that state...This is a disaster. Especially since my wedding with the daughter of the alpha of Black Claw Pack is today. Her father had been desperate to sign a peace treaty with me and had asked me to marry his 'precious daughter' in return."Your majesty, your bride has arrived," Cade, my beta, said to me from his position in front of my desk. I rubbed my temples, leaning back on my seat."It's not like I'm desperate to get married," I muttered.Cade beamed at me, his eyes lighting up."It's been three centuries, your majesty. Are you sure you're going to be able to impregnate a woman?" He asked, and I narrowed my eyes at him, annoyed."Are you trying to challenge me into getting a woman pregnant?" I hissed, and he shook his head."Your majesty, you have been unable to produce an actual heir for decades. We are aware that it is because of your curse. But, at this rate, you're never going to break it," he said, and my expression went blank.Cade was well aware that the curse was a sensitive topic. I knew he was worried about me, but it got on my nerves any time he spoke of it."You just need to avoid all witches from the cursed bloodline, right?" Cade said, and I nodded."If I'd figured out how to break the curse, I would have done so a long time ago," I hissed."Are you really okay with getting married to the Alpha's daughter? You could have just rejected his offer," my beta said."The wedding will take place at dusk. Go and inform the priest," I stated, and he bowed before leaving.Again, I found myself thinking about the woman in the dungeon. I wondered what crime she'd committed."Your majesty, I think you should see this," Cade spoke to me through our mindlink.'See what?''Your bride has refused to enter the palace without her veil. At first, I thought she was just being shy. But I think she's trying to hide her identity,' he explained.Curious, I rose to my feet.Who was this woman?'Let her come in. She can keep the veil on,' I responded.'As you wish, your majesty.'Slipping into my invisible form, I left my study and headed down the hallway to find this bride of mine. I couldn't shake off the feeling that something was not right.In the east wing of the castle, I caught sight of my bride. However, in this form, I couldn't smell her. Beside her stood an older woman with a few gray strands among her dark brown hair. She seemed to want others to see her as a mere servant. However, I had a feeling it wasn't the case.Once she had settled down in her designated room, I knocked on the door and listened for her panicked movements."Who is that?!" She demanded.Unable to help myself, a smile curled my lips. Judging from the intensity of her voice, this woman was no pushover."It's me, your groom," I responded, and she gasped."What do I do?" I heard her whisper, probably to her 'servant'."Your majesty, it isn't right for the bride and groom to encounter each other before the actual ceremony," a different voice spoke."I see. In that case, I want my bride to tell me her name," I said.I heard her clear her throat in a bid to regain her composure."My name is Raven Annette Declan," she responded, and I smirked.She was definitely lying about something. I could sense it all the way from the door."Miss Raven, have we perhaps met before?" I asked."N-no. There's no way we could have."Bingo.She was definitely someone I'd met before. But who was she exactly? I'd met countless women over the centuries."I heard about your shyness. Do you wear a veil every day? Forgive my probing, but I just want to know who I'm about to marry. She's going to become my queen after all," I said."We traveled from a far distance; can you please allow your bride to get some rest before the wedding? I plead with you, your majesty," her servant said."My apologies. Do get some rest," I said, turning away from the door.It was clear to me now, this woman had tons of secrets. 'Which of them will I unravel first?' I thought, excitement coursing through my veins. Perhaps getting married won't be so bad after all....The ceremony began with the sound of music. The sweet melodies were especially befitting of the ceremony."Welcome, King Aries!!!" The guards echoed as I made my way into the courtyard. My gaze rested on my bride. Just like before, her face was covered with a veil. This time it was a white veil that matched her white dress.She slowly turned her head in my direction. I could have sworn that I heard her mutter a string of curses under her breath.As I walked in, my bride stiffened visibly. There was something about her that reminded me of the female werewolf in the dungeon. Drawing closer to her, her honey scent hit me, and my eyes widened.Quickening my pace, I stopped in front of her, taking my time to scan her from top to bottom. When my gaze rested on my mark on her neck, it finally hit me.This woman was the same woman I'd slept with. She probably knew who I was. It's why she's been persistent about covering her face.This led me to believe that she was only a substitute for the Alpha's daughter. I found this interesting.How did she escape from the dungeon?It must have taken a lot of guts for her to enter my palace as my bride.I had so many unanswered questions lingering in my mind. But none of them mattered at the moment.Unraveling my bride was all that mattered.Smirking, I reached out for her veil, slowly raising it up to expose her face. Her eyes widened with horror, her face as pale as sheets.RAVEN This can't be happening. How in the world am I getting married to the Lycan king of all people? Even worse, he's the Lycan I'd slept with. To worsen it further, he's my destined mate. Just how bad is my luck? His scent was annoyingly soothing, and my body just wouldn't stop aching for him. I should have known right from the start. He had imprinted on me without my permission. "I, Aries Dorian Leander, accept you, Raven Annette Declan, as my mate and bride. May the moon goddess bear witness to this day," he said, and my stomach tightened. He must already know my name. Is he using my new name on purpose?I couldn't help but wonder. "You may make your declaration, bride of the king," the female priest said. There was only one way out of this. Get married to him and escape far away before he realizes that I'm gone.Steeling my resolve, I straightened my spine, my gaze meeting his. I wondered if he could see the defiance in my eyes. If he did, he seemed to like it because
RAVEN "You're a witch?" He breathed, and my frown deepened. "W-what? What are you talking about?" I stuttered, startled by his strange statement. "This mark is a symbol that represents the Black Rose Witch Clan," he said with a distasteful expression on his face. "So, you're saying that I'm a witch?" I snorted in amusement."How else do you explain this?" He demanded, his eyes darkening. "How laughable. I don't even have a mature wolf. Magic? If I had magic in my blood, I wouldn't be here right now," I deadpanned."Who are you exactly? Are you Raven Declan or Sienna West?" He asked, and I sighed."What do you think?"He slowly released my hand, pulling down the sleeve of his shirt to cover the rose tattoo on his arm. "Let's go back. It's late," he said, ignoring my question. I glanced at the inky night sky and scanned the woods beyond. If I made a run for it, how far would I go? King Aries was the king of the Lycans. I'd heard that he was the oldest Lycan in the kingdom. Th
ARIES The moment I saw the discoloured bruises on her legs, I knew they weren't just injuries she'd brought upon herself. They had been inflicted on her by someone else. Judging from the size of the bruises, she'd been beaten for quite a while. Rage engulfed me at the thought of it. "Strip," I said, and she frowned."What?"I dragged in a sharp breath, impatient. I needed to know if she was just as bruised on every other part of her body. "You heard me. Take off your clothes."Her eyes widened."Right here?""If you can't do it yourself, I will."When she stared at me, I realized why she looked so terrified. Cursing under my breath, I rubbed the back of my neck. I had given her the wrong idea. "It's not what you think," I said, and she narrowed her eyes at me. "It's not what I think? You're such a pervert," she hissed, her brows furrowed. "I was concerned about the bruises on your legs. I was worried that you had more of them on your body. You said you don't have a wolf. I
RAVEN Aries regarded me with a puzzled expression on his face. Behind him, the green-eyed woman glared at me. "Did you really have to hit me?" Aries asked. I remained silent, making sure my glare was enough to make him uncomfortable. "I'm going to let go of you. If you try anything stupid again, I'll be forced to do something you will regret. Nod if you agree with me," he said, and I sighed, nodding once. It was official. I was trapped. The Lycan king just won't let go of me. Slowly, he released me, and I pushed my hair away from my face. "She's your chosen mate?" I asked, gesturing at the red-haired lady in his study. She scowled at me, and I rolled my eyes."I am not your problem, woman. He is," I said, pointing at Aries. "You heard her. You can leave Ariella," he said, and my frown deepened. Aries and Ariella?They had matching names?How gross."Fine. I'm leaving. This is not over yet," Ariella spat and stormed out the door. The moment she was out of sight, Aries gr
RAVEN Savannah stared at me with an intensity that made me uncomfortable. When she still didn't respond to my question, I repeated it. "What kind of curse is it?" She blinked at me, rubbing the back of her neck. Letting out an awkward chuckle, she lowered her head. "I'm sorry, my lady. That's all I know," she said, and I groaned in frustration, burying my face in my hands. I was on edge. Since I'd just confirmed that my mother had been right about King Aries' curse, I needed to know the full details. My mother had asked me to run from him, but I'd tried that several times, enough for me to establish the fact that I could never get away from him. "His majesty must really like you. Everyone in the palace was beginning to think that he was in a romantic relationship with his beta," Savannah commented, and I looked up at her, my eyes wide."His beta? What about Ariella? She's his chosen mate, isn't she?" I asked, and she sighed."You met her already? His majesty was forced to ac
ARIES Raven sucked in a sharp breath, her eyes darkening with malice. "Well, here is my response, your majesty. You can go and fuck yourself," she spat, pivoting on her heels to storm towards the door. "I can't believe I actually felt guilty towards him. He doesn't deserve my apology," I heard her mutter right before she slammed the door shut. "She treats you with disrespect, do you realize that? That's not how a queen behaves. She might be your destined mate, but there's always the option of rejecting her," Ariella drawled as she slipped on her robe and left the room. Knowing that my destined mate had yet to warm up to me was enough to dampen my mood. Therefore, even the monster in me was disturbed. "Your majesty? Can I come in?" Cade's voice echoed from outside the door. I heaved a sigh, slipping on my black robe. "Come in," I said, sinking into one of the chairs in the room. When Cade walked in, he bowed briefly and approached me. "Are you alright?" He asked, and I clos
RAVEN I didn't get far. Bile rose up the back of my throat and I gagged, spilling my stomach's content into the nearest flower pot I could find. My body gave out and I crumpled to the floor, my breaths coming in ragged gasps as I emptied my stomach until I could no longer move. Closing my eyes, I lowered my head in an attempt to catch my breath. A gentle hand rubbed my back in circles. It was comforting. Judging by the situation, I had a feeling that King Aries had somehow found his way to me to comfort me. After what felt like an eternity, I opened my eyes and turned to look at the king. He handed me a water bottle, his gaze soft with concern."Are you feeling better now?" He asked after I'd rinsed my mouth. I nodded in response and he brought me to my feet, his hand lingering on my waist, to support me. "Come with me. You need to get examined by the healers," he stated, and I let out a sigh."It's probably just something I ate," I told him. "I don't doubt that. Even so, you
ARIES From the moment Ariella barged into my study with a suspicious-looking vial in her hand right to the moment my mate blurted out the words I didn't think I would ever hear from her, my mind was a chaotic mess. Hearing her claim that she was carrying my child was enough to calm the raging storm in my mind. I stared at her, every other sound fading away. At first, all I could hear was the hammering of her heart and the sound of her breathing. Blocking out every other sense of mine, I descended from my throne and approached her, following the sound of her heartbeat. When I halted directly in front of her, I heard the second and third heartbeats coming from her body. I froze, and my thinking system crashed as this new reality smacked me in the face. Twins. My woman was carrying two of my children in her womb at that moment. My gaze locked with her desperate eyes, mesmerized by their striking electric blue colour."Aries," she breathed, and the animal inside me stirred. Rav