William sprang up from his bed, jolted by the sunlight streaming through his bedroom window, piercing his eyes. He rushed into the bathroom and leaned over the basin, welcoming the cool water that cascaded over his head, a futile attempt to alleviate the throbbing migraine that had plagued him upon waking.As he stared at his reflection in the mirror, an odd yet profound dream lingered in his mind, though the details remained frustratingly elusive. Straining to remember only worsened his headache.Glancing at the wall clock, realization washed over him - he was dreadfully late for the Alpha Council meeting. "Oh no," he muttered, hurrying back to the bathroom to prepare himself.In less than thirty minutes, William dashed out of his room and took the stairs with purpose, aiming to minimize his tardiness. With an air of authority, he entered the pack's common room. As the Alpha of the Twilights, his mere presence commanded respect, and everyone acknowledged him with slight head bows, to
The meeting finally came to an end, and William desperately wished he could vanish from this place. But fate, as it often does, had other plans. The one person he had hoped to avoid had discovered him - Algernon Thorne, Natasha's grandfather."Where is my granddaughter!?" Algernon's voice seethed with anger."Sir Algernon, it's been a while," William replied."Yes, it has," Algernon retorted, his anger palpable. "Considering how diligently you've avoided me since your betrayal.""Betrayal? Come on now, you wouldn't seriously consider my divine union with your granddaughter as an act of betrayal, would you?"With alarming speed and strength, Algernon pinned William to the corner of the room."Going against Leonidas and involving my granddaughter. You must either be incredibly mad or incredibly foolish, pulling a stunt like this.""I swear to you, Algernon, I have no intention of causing harm to Natasha," William said earnestly."Really? Look me in the eyes and tell me that your connect
An unexpected chill lingered in the air as William stood on the mansion's balcony. He savored the view with the Pleiades star pointing southeast, aligning with Mars—a celestial occurrence that happened once a decade.His gaze drank in the scenery, and the breeze caressed his skin, but his thoughts wandered elsewhere. If only he had played his part and mated with Alice on the night of the mating ceremony, he wouldn't have a target on his back from two of Hayden's strongest werewolves. Defying the Grand Alpha was one thing, but dealing with Algernon Throne was another. William cursed himself for bringing Natasha into all of this. Algernon had practically raised him after his parent's death, and the thought of repaying him by jeopardizing his granddaughter's happiness and life ate at him."It's truly beautiful, isn't it?" Alice's voice broke through his thoughts as she approached William, drawing him back to reality.William's expression shifted abruptly, his admiring smirk turning into
The clouds grew darker and stormier, and a looming storm darkened the sky, but Natasha's mood was so bright and lit up it blinded her from her surroundings, and to everything around her.She continued walking, without pause or a second thought about her direction. She found herself questioning her own emotions—how could she find happiness in a compliment from the very lips that had cast her aside? From a man who had pushed her to the brink and then abandoned her? She was sure she had grown to despise him. So why did her heart betray her by reacting this way?Her cold, fierce hatred for William began to fade, evident in her beaming smile, flushed cheeks, and the goosebumps that erupted across her skin. She struggled to suppress these uninvited feelings. Despite the warmth his recent actions stirred within her, she couldn't forget the immense pain and heartache he had inflicted upon her. No amount of kind words or courageous deeds could erase those memories.As Natasha walked on, her m
"Ouch," she groaned, awakened by the relentless, splitting headache. Natasha slowly rose from the bed, her head wrapped in bandages. Turning to her left, Natasha found William sitting by her bedside."What are you doing here?" Natasha asked, her head still pounding as she spoke."Hey, hey, take it easy," William said."You… you saved me," Natasha stuttered as flashes of the night before began to resurface in her head."Yes, that I did, but there’s no need to thank me. It was my pleasure and duty, as your mate," William replied with a smile, but the idea that he had just referred to her as his mate stung Natasha like a bee.Natasha's demeanor changed in an instant."Your ma… your mate, are you serious?" She asked, to which William replied with a smirk which angered her even more.Natasha scoffed and, like a being possessed by anger and hate, she sprang up from the bed and marched out of the room."Natasha," William called out, but Natasha gave no response. "Where are you going? Where a
As they arrived at the Sinclair Mansion, Algernon had not yet joined them. An awkward silence hung between them, and Natasha was growing increasingly uncomfortable. She wracked her brain for any topic that might change the mood. "William, I wanted to ask you a question," Natasha finally said. William's curiosity was piqued. "What question?" "The Beast?" Natasha whispered, leaning in closer. "The one that nearly stopped my heart, the one you fought to save me. What kind of beast was that?" William hesitated, but Natasha's persistence urged him to respond honestly. "Well, let's say I didn't get a good look at it to determine its kind, given that I was too busy wrestling with it." "Come on, William, don't joke with me," Natasha pleaded. "It had the body structure of a wolf-transformed Lycan, but its eyes were red—like a hellish red. And its savagery was unlike any wolf-transformed wolf I've ever seen or heard of. Tell me William kind of monstrous creature was that?” William contempl
In the secluded kingdom of Hayden, nestled within its confines lay one of its most treasured monuments: The Kingdom Royal Art Museum. This day marked its 1005th Exhibition Day, a celebration of the Kingdom’s rich history, open to all. Natasha’s hand intertwined with William’s as they strolled through the hall, their eyes grazing from one art piece to the next. As they moved, every onlooker’s gaze seemed to drift toward them. It was their first public appearance together since the mating night. “You know, it's odd how everyone calls Hayden a Kingdom, yet there's no King in sight,” Natasha remarked, eyeing a glass-framed crown on display. “Well,” William hesitated, trying to formulate an answer. The more he mulled it over, the more he realized she had a point. “That’s because we do have one,” a random voice chimed in, diverting their attention. “And you’re standing right next to him, although he’s not fully with us yet.” “What? How does that make any sense?” Natasha whispered, puzzle
-- "William, I'm here to see Lady Natasha, under orders from the Grand Alpha," Fredrick announced, catching both William and Natasha off guard. "Wait, what?!" William and Natasha exclaimed simultaneously. "Indeed, but only if you could spare me a moment of your time," Fredrick said politely. Natasha stood stunned, rendered speechless. His manner was gentlemanly, making it hard for her to refuse. Yet, she instinctively glanced at William, seeking some form of approval from him. "Sure, why not," William nonchalantly responded before leaving them alone. Left alone, the two of them felt like complete strangers, though one seemed more at ease than the other. "Well, this is quite the surprise," Natasha chuckled nervously. Despite her grandfather's influence, it was unfathomable that the Grand Alpha, the most powerful figure in Hayden, took notice of her existence enough to send a high-ranking soldier to see her. "Yeah, I suppose it is," Fredrick chuckled back. “So how are you” Taken