In a world where werewolves rule the planet, all Harlow has ever known has been teeth and claws. She grew up watching her people used and abused and is determined for the injustice to stop.
But with a rebellion she regrets creating, a sister who's f...
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Malakai
The dots were connecting in my head.
The rebellion had never had a hostile attack before they burnt down that pack. They'd steal humans and resources but never anything too serious.
Then one day a pack went up in flames and its Alpha and Luna went down with it.
I didn't have to ask anymore to know why.
She'd fell asleep on my chest after a few minutes of finishing her story. Neither of us spoke a word afterwards and silently agreed to sit in silence. After a while, she began to cry and I was quick to wipe the tears off her face before they hit the wounds on her cheeks.
Keeping my eyes away from the other bruises on her body was the only thing keeping me from going berserk. To know that the people responsible for making her bleed were peacefully asleep under my roof.
How did this hatred for humans go this far?
It was becoming to be clear to me that unknowingly I'd fed the flames of peoples bitterness towards them. I turned a blind eye when I saw humans mistreated because it simply didn't concern me. But now it did.
Now I had a human mate that outright refused to allow anyone else be treated the way she was.
It was a miracle she'd even stayed in the castle without struggle or reluctance. To be surrounded so closely by the people who were responsible for her fate and to smile at their faces. Compared to if I was in her shoes she was being civil.
Her efforts to give this mate bond a chance showed every time I saw her. She was not against putting differences aside and hearing another side of the story. She was distraught by hearing the chance that her rebellion was causing the same suffering she'd fought to prove wrong.
She was stuck in between a war that was certain and refused to pick sides.
It dawned on me how little I was doing to prove the same.
I'd virtually done nothing for these humans, and it was now becoming clearer to me that I'd failed as a king. Just because I treated humans like they were people doesn't mean they were equal. And it certainly didn't mean others saw them that way as well.
And Harlow was covered in enough bruises to prove that.
I'd failed this kingdom and I'd failed her.
It even reflected from the way we met. She was fighting for the rights she deserved and I was standing in her way. I'd taken her away from a cause that was worth fighting for to sit in a golden cage in my castle.
The least I could do was support her.
But let her go I would not. As much as I pretended to be a man of justice I was just as selfish as the next. I wanted, no needed her here with me. And now that I had her it was unfathomable that I'd been able to go so long without her.
I believed the mate bond to be blind stupid love and it'd proven me right. I was falling for this woman so hard it felt like flying.
And all I'd seen her do was cry.
She truly did not hate werewolves, she just wanted things to change.
Her words that night came back to me. "It was a wrong place, wrong time sort of thing...you know?"
Matteo was never intended to burn that day. But he was engulfed in the flames of her blind revenge.
And she'd live with that guilt for the rest of her life.
Harlow came down to breakfast today wearing her face but still wearing the bruises. Although I didn't understand most about her magic I understood that if she looked like something it was because she wanted to look like it.
She wanted them to show.
Her tan skin was riddled in various shades of blue and purple. She'd even tied her hair back to reveal the growing bump near her hairline. Her cheek was severely swollen and her eye had a ring of red around it but she wore them all with pride.
And when she took her seat she looked me in the eyes and smiled.
Ivory was present for breakfast but her mate was not. There was a strain in her eyes as I could vaguely see the sunken look on her face from a night of tears. A look I'd known very well. But she kept up her appearance with a full face of well-done makeup and perfectly styled hair yet she still looked hollow.
To say the table atmosphere was sullen today was an understatement.
The only one that seemed to have had a good night was Andro who burst into the Dining Hall, with Priscilla hot on his heels. Harlows faced changed and her injuries sunk back into her skin as if they were never there and she turned to give him a smile.
"Hey, Birthday Boy!" She squealed as he ran into her arms. Priscilla walked past them with a look of distaste on her face and muttered words under her breath which I chose to ignore.
"What happened to you?" I asked shooting her a glance before looking back at my mate.
"I decided to help out Alejandro with his morning routine today," She chuckled dryly "Silly me for forgetting he's a grade-A brat."
"Don't call him that," Harlow spat before turning back to the child. Priscilla scowled harder and gripped her fork so hard it bent beneath her fingers.
"So you're just going to let her speak to me like that?" She asked in disbelief.
I raised an eyebrow "You shouldn't have called Andro that."
She rolled her eyes "Typical."
"And what do you mean by that?"
She narrowed her eyes at me "You're already picking her side over mine."
"She's my mate Priscilla" I bite back calmly as my wolf rose his shackles at her blatant display of disrespect.
Priscilla laughed so hard she nearly choked before looking back at me "Oh you're serious?" Her eyes went hard "You're actually planning on mating that?"
"What do you mean that?" This time it was Ivory who had spoken and she didn't seem in the mood for bullshit today. "Come on bitch, spit it out" She growled.
"I don't have to explain, I just can't believe you guys are welcoming Matteo's murderer in with such open arms" Priscilla snarled.
"Priscilla I'd be very careful with the way you speak about my mate if I were you" I warned as I felt my canines extend.
"You're all hypocrites!" She screeched standing up from her seat "And you never truly cared about Matteo or else you'd have thrown her in a cell as soon as she got here!"
"She didn't know!"
"And how do you know that Ivory!? You weren't even there!"
I stood up with her "Priscilla, calm down."
"No!" She pointed a finger at Harlow "Just look at her! Open your eyes!" She spoke with disgust "She's so weird and secretive and is basically a witch!" She snapped.
"Just because she's Malakai's mate, doesn't mean you need to take your envy out on her" Ivory spoke calmly but sternly.
"And now she has all of you under her spell!" Priscilla continued "Can't you see that she's out of control and overzealous?! I'm doing this for your own good" Priscilla jabbed a finger at my chest "Not because I'm J-"
