Dario’s POV
This was it.
The worst fuvking mistake of my life.
Nothing could have prepared me for this; now that it already happened, it was done.
Alfred was gone.
“Take me to him,” I ordered as I stormed to where some of my men were, moving things around.
“Your Majesty,” they made their customary bow before leading the way inside one of the few buildings that was still standing.
I could tell that the battle here had been hard. It was hard enough that Alfred knew he wasn’t going to make it.
And he had used the last method of survival that could have housed about ten of them till I got here for his only daughter.
His princess.
She was one hell of a mouthy princess and definitely the bane of my existence.
I had gone from buying her toys to buying her dresses.
But, from the day she turned sixteen, I had noticed the difference that my Principessa was growing into one of the most beautiful and alluring females ever.
Two months before her 18th birthday, she decided to let me know she wasn’t a girl anymore.
That my little Principessa was now a lady.
I did what any sane man should have done.
I turned her down and made a vow to Alfred, so I would never be tempted to return here.
Because I knew very much that there was no possible way I could keep myself from her.
“No fucking way.”
One of my men turned from hearing my outburst and then kept leading the way as soon as they realised I was talking to myself.
As they opened the door to a room at the innermost part of the house, the three of them stepped aside, allowing me to see Alfred’s body.
“Leave.”
Three bows, and I was alone.
I entered, closed the door behind me, and fell to my knees beside Alfred.
“I made that promise to her.”
“Fucking promised her that I would protect you with my own life,” even though she didn’t deserve a vow like that from me.
I had done it, promised her that I would protect the man that she chose and then ended up becoming best friends with him after she died in childbirth.
A part of me had felt genuinely sorry for him.
She had chosen him, but their time together had barely amounted to anything.
But, at the very least, he got Isla. Who had quickly grown into an even more tempting version of her mother?
“I should have never made that vow,” I added as one teardrop fell from my eyes to the floor.
I didn’t realise that Alfred might have taken the vow on a more personal level when, in reality, I made the vow to keep myself away from him.
From his little Princess.
Because I wasn’t sure, I could hold back if I kept seeing her.
And now, he is gone.
I bowed, allowing my forehead to touch the ground. The same ground that Alfred laid.
“Let my bow escort you to the afterlife, and I pray to the moon goddess to unite you with your beloved, Elena.”
Another tear.
This time, for how much I was going to miss Alfred. He was the one person I could come to without having to be the Lycan King without watching my back for any plot or schemes.
I stepped out, my eyes falling on Isla.
Even with reddened eyes and tears streaking down her face, she still managed to look like the best thing that the heavens ever made.
Whatever it was that the moon goddess had in mind when she created Isla, I doubt it was anything good.
She was too beautiful to be good.
She hissed under her breath as I passed, and I held back, resisting the urge to turn her around and spank her ass and teach her some good manners that Alfred didn’t.
If I had to be fair, though, I had spoilt her even more than he had. Perhaps it was before she was eighteen. From the moment she was born and I met those sparkling blue eyes, she already had wrapped me around her fingers.
“Say your goodbyes; we leave in twenty,” I told her, and she turned sharply.
“What are you talking about? Leave where?” she asked sharply, and I took a deep breath before replying.
“We are going to my city. There’s no reason why you should stay here,” I shot a pointed glare at the room where Alfred’s body lay, cold and lifeless.
“And why do you think I want to follow you? I’d rather become a rogue wolf than leave with you, Dario.”
“Isla.”
It’s one word, but I know very well that she can feel the threat and warning in it as her shoulders slumped.
“I want to spend some more time with Papa; you can leave some men behind for me,” she said resignedly, and at that moment, she was back to being my angel.
I was tempted to step forward and pull her into a hug.
“Alfred left me a message in his last moments..” I started, and I saw how her attention perked up.
“Can I see?”
“He asked me to bury him beside your mother, in my kingdom and to take you back home.”
Isla sucked in the air.
“Home?”
“I’ll explain on our way. Spend some time with your dad and allow the men to come in and do what they can to keep him till we are back in my kingdom.”
Her gaze stayed on the floor, and after some minutes, she nodded numbly, and I walked away.
“Your Majesty, we have combed the entire pack. No one is alive here, but we picked a few clues.”
“Assign a team of three to chase these clues. I want conclusive evidence in two days.”
Every single person that had dared to come here and got involved in this attack had to pay with their lives.
I was going to make sure that I made every single of those fuckers pay up this debt.
Isla’s POVMy body swayed before falling to the ground beside my Papa.My entire world.They had taken my world from me.For a brief moment, I looked around, searching for a sharp object that could send me on my way to join Papa in the fastest time.But I knew it would kill him even more to see me there than if I stayed here.Maybe I could find those bastards. Find every single soul that has done this to my Papa.His entire body was covered in dried blood and cuts from fighting so hard for this pack.He had died fighting.Eventually, I lay there beside him, crying my eyes out.I don’t know how I slept off, but I woke up in Dario’s familiar embrace.I’m no longer in the room where Papa was but now outside our pack. As I looked around, I saw the chopper that Dario must have brought here and a fleet of cars.“Where’s Papa?” I asked, wiggling and kicking at his chest so that he could get that I didn’t want to be with him.“He’s in one of those cars. We have to leave now.”“Put me down.”H
Isla’s POVHe ignored me.The car ride was completely silent, and I peered at the scenery outside.Papa promised to take me to visit the whole world after I was 18, and our first destination was supposed to be Dario’s home. Now I am really on the way there, only my father wouldn’t be with me anymore.As we walked to the entourage of parked cars waiting for us, I couldn’t help but let my mind wander.Dario had refused to answer my question. Even after six months, nothing had changed.After nursing a crush on him for the last five years, I had spent every birthday and full moon asking the moon goddess for one thing— a mate bond with Dario.Reality had given me a slap in the face. A slap that cost me the most important person to me. Another wave of pain slammed through my mind, and I bit my lips to stop myself from crying out. I know that Papa wouldn’t want to see me crying.The car rolled to a stop, and I peered through the tinted windows at the huge mansion before me.Dario was at my s
Dario’s POV I could feel the tension rising as my gaze moved from Isla to Brenda. Then I heard Isla speak up. “Can I know where I’ll be staying?” She looked annoyed like she couldn’t wait to leave. Probably, she was weary from the car ride, I guessed.“Rio! Take her to the room upstairs.” I instructed one of my guards. He nodded his head and then led Isla upstairs. I watched as she walked behind him. The tension which was slowly building up amongst us had simmered.“Dario,” Brenda called softly, reminding me she was still here.I turned towards her immediately, pulling my hands away. My expression was stern as I looked her in the eye. “Why didn’t you inform me of your visit?” I asked. “Can’t I pop in to check up on you?” Brenda questioned, shooting flirtatious looks. “Brenda, answer my question ?” I growled. I was growing impatient and didn’t have time for this little game Brenda was playing. I guessed she must have sensed it because she stopped batting her eyelashes and looked
DarioMy eyes were still fixed on the picture when I heard a knock. I hoped it wasn’t Brenda! I couldn’t deal with her right now. I wasn’t even in the mood to answer, so I ignored the knock.“Who is there?” I questioned after hearing the second knock.“Your majesty, there’s an issue!” The voice of one of the housekeepers caught my ear.“Issue?”“It’s about the young girl, your majesty.”I groaned, ordering her to step in afterwards. “What happened?” I asked the minute she entered.“She wouldn’t have her dinner!” “Reasons so?”“She didn’t say. She just sent us away.” I sighed. I could only imagine the pain my little princess was going through. Her father was a huge part of her life, and losing him must have hurt her greatly. “I will handle it. Just bring her meal to me.” The housekeeper nodded, obeying my instructions. Immediately after she left, I walked out of the study.It was my duty to take care of the princess. It was my duty to Alfred, and he wouldn’t forgive me if anything
Isla’s pov I woke up feeling slightly better. Maybe it was because of Dario and me having a conversation yesterday. After a quick stretch, I pulled off the duvet and headed to where I had stuffed my notepad in my bag.I wrote down everything I remembered from the attack. I guessed it would be useful to Dario. Besides, I didn’t want to forget.I was still writing when I heard a knock on my door.“Who’s there?” I asked.“Isla, breakfast is ready!” It was Dario. His voice was like music to my ears.“I’m coming!” I responded, scribbling down some more words. Once I was done, I went to the bathroom. I didn’t waste time pampering myself in the bathroom. However, the thought of soaking myself in the bathroom using one of the lavender wash I had seen on the bathroom shelf crossed my mind.I made a mental note to do that later, probably in the evening. Immediately, I was done bathing. I dressed up quickly.I wore a simple dress and tied my hair in a messy ponytail. My mind drifted off as I
Isla’s POV My eyes landed on Dario. His brows were furrowed, and his eyes were a bit red with rage. He looked angry, very angry. But the more I stared, the more I noticed his expression change drastically. He had a stern look playing across his face now. “Brenda!” He called, turning to face her. “Please excuse us!” Brenda glared at me. She picked up her clothes from the floor, throwing them over her body before she left. She shot me another glare, then walked out of the room, and I was glad that my aim was achieved. I was able to ruin their fun. I tried my best to hide my happy feelings. The second Brenda had left, Dario’s eyes were on me, and I didn’t hesitate to step forward, wearing the same stern expression he had on. “How dare you do this, Dario?” I began. “You’re betraying our mate bond!” “Isla-“ he said, but I didn’t allow him to continue. I kept on speaking. “You know this is all so wrong, Dario. You are not meant to be with her! She isn’t your mate.” “I can decide o
Isla’s POV I don’t know how I managed to get to my room and when I fell asleep. All I knew was that I was on the floor when I woke up. Actually, the sound of someone knocking on the door, followed by the housekeeper’s voice, had woken me up. As I sat up, listening to the voice of the housekeeper instructing me to come downstairs. My bone ached, and the throbbing pain in my heart hadn’t vanished. I felt weak and tired to make things worse. Dario’s words echoed in my mind. I sighed. The pain in my chest was increasing with each passing second. I felt like I could explode any minute from now. So this is how rejection felt. It was worse than I ever imagined. I wished Padre was here with me. His hands wrapped around my body would wash away the feeling of pain that I was experiencing right now. At that moment, my eyes landed on the teddy perched at the corner of my bed. My father had given me that teddy on my eighteenth birthday. I got on my feet, heading to the corner of the bed. Tha
Isla’s povI sat quietly in the car. My gaze was fixed on the passing scenery outside. Dario was focused on the road; he seemed to steal glances at me occasionally, yet he failed to pay attention to me or say any words.I hated this. As we approached the grand entrance of the Empire Academy, my anxiety grew. I wondered what I was going to experience. As Dario parked the car, I exited the vehicle. I felt a mix of excitement and nervousness. The academy's imposing structure loomed ahead. I took a deep breath, steeling myself for the adventure ahead. Dario walked in front of me and headed towards the academy's entrance. I followed him in silence. My mind was a whirlwind of emotions. The click-clack of our footsteps echoed in the corridor as we made our way through the imposing halls. The academy's interior was a blend of modernity and tradition. I observed the architectural details, the portraits of esteemed graduates lining the walls, and the buzz of students preparing for the acad