Thaddeus POV

A MONTH LATER…

I was staring at my computer for an hour already and couldn't even focus on deciding what to do next. Just thinking about the image of the woman whose face keeps repeating over and over in my head has thrown me off track, and I have no idea what tasks I have to complete today. I want to go after her and capture her in my arms so that I can take revenge on her for rejecting me.

"It's been a whole month already. Why is it that I can't get that woman out of my mind?!" I mumbled to myself while clenching the pen fiercely, and suddenly within the space of a single second, the pen bent in my grasp.

Why do I behave like this? Is it because her face looks just like Arabella's? The mate who passed away seven years ago. It was a really devastating incident in my life at the time. Before my father passed, he even helped me trace her and bury my mate's body, and I do not want to dwell on it any further because doing so would simply make the rest of my day more painful.

"Sir, Mister Johnson asked me to have you come over to the Ranch to check what was going on with the horses."

"Tell him I'm busy, does he even know how to take care of those horses?" I replied furiously, then my secretary's eyes shied away from looking directly at me.

After that, I had no other option but to get up and sigh, "Alright, make sure that all these files are organized. I will read over all of this on another day."

"Yes, Sir," she replied as she bent her head.

Werewolves have finally lived alongside humans for many years, yet they still never know about us. We are just only a myth, a tale, but they don’t realize that we truly exist in this chaotic world.

I, Thaddeus Gallager, the son of the late Alpha king, now—I am the Alpha King. I was known to be the billionaire CEO of this country. My family possessed multiple Royal hotels, beaches, and businesses across the world, and I inherited all of that except for my Royal Rogue brother, who ruined his life due to his too much envy and selfishness.

I take a few slow, deep breaths, and as I approach the door to the building, I notice that my personal driver has already parked the car outside. We took the way more accessible than when we arrived at the Ranch. I heard the noises that my horse was making. I walked gently and sniffed the area. I smelled something nasty. Yep, that was the Horse poop. Fuck.

Roy arrived. He was covered in dirt and groaned as he saw me. He then took off his cowboy hat and said, "It's a miracle that you showed up today!"

"Yes, what the heck is the issue over here?"

"One of your favorite horses isn't eating,"

I got fairly close to the white horse, Arabella's favorite horse. She was the reason I ended up establishing a ranch; I wanted to keep my connection with her alive. I wish I could go back in time and be with her again, but I guess that's impossible.

I listened to the horse's heart to see whether it was beating normally, and once I confirmed that it was, I told him in a calm voice. "She's completely fine."

"On what basis do you assert that she is perfectly healthy?" Roy is one of my human friends, and judging from the expression on his face, he appears perplexed.

I confirm with a nod of my head and remark, "Because I said so."

Roy gave a gentle chuckle and accompanied me inside, then said, "Now, I have a new care taker to take care of that horse; she applied this morning, and dammit brother... She is so hot, attractive, and lovely that it seems as like she has everything I could ever want in a woman!"

I gave Roy a little smack on the shoulder and asked, "Really? So, best of luck, and I hope that you'll find some peace this year—" The sight of the woman, who was holding hay grass in one hand and wearing a brown hat, caused my eyes to bulge out of their sockets. She was wearing a white knee-length dress. She appeared in a good mood and was smiling while looking around. My jaw clenched in disgust as I asked for clarification, "Why is she here?"

Roy cheerfully responded, "Yes, she is the woman I've been talking about!"

As I stood in the woman's path with my fists clenched on both sides, she stepped back and looked up to see my face for the first time. When she first saw me, her dark brown eyes enlarged to a circle, and she gasped and took a few scared steps back before asking, "T-Thaddeus?"

It looked like Roy was ready to start talking, but I interrupted him and said, "Long time no see, sweetheart." I gave her a malicious grin, and she responded with a scowl while looking at me with her adorable round eyes.

Celestina's POV

A month ago,

When I returned, I found Helene sobbing on the terrace; she got up as soon as she spotted me. She walked as fast as she could and tightened her arms around me. Having been given the name of her late daughter, I know that she deeply mourned the loss of her child.

Indeed, she believes I am her daughter.

In addition, I feel obligated to assist her because she has been there for me for the past seven years, during which time I was in a coma for five years, and she never gave up trying to save my life. I am very grateful to her since she did everything in her power to save my life and bring me back to life. I hugged her and said with a grin, "I'm sorry..."

"Don't worry about it, did he hurt you? Are you hurt?" As she checked my arms, I shook my head and replied, "No, he didn't. He released me, and I am doing fine at this point. You do not have to worry about it."

She told me, "We're moving somewhere, Celeste," and I saw that all of our things were already packed outside.

"I thought you wouldn't be with me again, but there you are. Come with me, we need to leave this place."

I looked around and stopped thinking about Thaddeus. Maybe a change of scenery will help me bring all of my thoughts, memories, and power together.

***********

Present Time,

When I was waiting for the light at the intersection to turn red so I could walk through the pedestrian lane, I was admiring the lovely artificial pond outside the building. Then, when the light turned red, I walked slowly while scrolling through my phone. A fast, screeching car was about to hit me, but the driver stopped just in time. My eyes grew wide with fear, and I thought I was going to die tonight.

And when I looked around, I saw that there were no other people in the street; it was just this careless driver and me. I was terrified. So I slowly stand up while gasping for air in pain. The towering and manly driver of the luxury sedan exits the vehicle. He exuded an atmosphere that was simultaneously menacing and suspicious. He went about as if nothing had happened while staring at me intently, first in the eyes and then from head to toe. Then he approached me and said, "Here," while holding out cash to me, but I refused it and gave him an annoyed expression.

“I-I’m okay….”

I turned my back on him, but it seemed like he was in front of me in the blink of an eye when he took a quick step forward.

He stared at me with wide-eyed perplexity before he grinned and asked, "Wait, have we met before?"

I gradually withdrew my attention because I had a sneaking suspicion that he was a Dark Rogue. I feel that I can sense bad things and energy, but I am still weak as a human.

"No…"

"The next time this happens, you must be careful, particularly if you are walking on the street... I am a good driver, but I can be bad occasionally, and I can kill you at any minute," he stated casually, keeping his hand in his pocket.

"It's not my fault sir...you see the red light? That's the proof of your recklessness."

My hands were shaking as I cast a terrified glance in his direction, and I knew just by looking at him that this man standing in front of me was a very dangerous individual. I need to walk away from him before he attacks me tonight. He is a Rogue, and a Rogue will attack anyone if they feel they have been wronged in some way.

I stopped the taxi and got inside without looking at him.

***************

When I was finally far enough away from him, I stopped in a strange place because I heard a horse weep and cry out, and I wanted to aid that horse. Later, when I entered the weird place where no one else was around, I spotted a lovely white horse whose tail was moving as she saw me walking toward her.

After a little moment of a gentle grin, I heard her sob again. Then I realized that she relies on me to take care of her, and as a result, I had to go to the proprietor about giving me a job because I saw a sign on the street that said they were looking for staff.

THE NEXT DAY,

The next thing I knew, I had gotten the job and was standing in front of a man I really despised. Thaddeus let Roy leave so that he could talk to me alone.

I bit my lower lip as he peered at me closely. He took a step forward and carefully lifted my chin so that I could look him in the eyes as he said, "You are now my prisoner...."

"What?!"

"A punishment from the Alpha King, you can't refuse that punishment because you belong to me."

Celestina’s POV

"It's true that the world is too small to meet you again, but that doesn't mean I want to be your prisoner," I whispered softly while my cheeks were flushed as red as a tomato and my body was heating up as he used his finger to trace my arm to my neck. I resisted the want to grunt as he continued to do so, not just because I was uncomfortable but also because my body was reacting to the way he was touching me.

"You are my rejected mate, but when I want to claim you again to be my Luna then you rejected me on that night. Now that our paths have crossed, you can't run away from me again...because I won't let you go."

Fear gripped my body as he grasped my wrist and said, "Because I am the Alpha King, you will submit to my authority and serve under my rule. You don't have a pack, and you have no status; do you believe it's possible for you to make it through this world without being hunted by other werewolves and rogues?"

His face was so close to mine that it was hard for me to breathe. I slowly moved away from him, but he pinned me against the wall and smiled evilly, "Don't make me mad, Celestina. If you didn't want me, I wouldn't want you either. Your refusal makes me want to punish you until the day you die…"

My tears slowly flowed down my face, and I felt like a needle had pierced my heart. I then looked directly into his dark blue eyes and asked, "W-Why me?"

"Because you're the only one with the nerve to turn me down, do you think I'd be happy that a lowly woman like you rejected someone like me? No, Celestina. You have to pay for what you did to me!"

He stared at my teary eyes, then leaned in close, and as I bit my lower lip, his eyes grew crimson as an Alpha would do when he was trying to gain control over his victim. I was so anxious that I parted my lips slightly as I breathed out.

Then he grabbed my neck and pulled me closer to him, and without missing a beat, he brought his lips to mine for the very first time. I was in such disbelief that I was at a loss for words; I wanted to scream for help but couldn't say anything because I felt frozen in front of him. He crushed his warm body against mine as we were propped up against the wall. He grabbed my small waist and softly caressed it with his other hand.

I whimpered as if I was going to push him away, but he was so strong that he intensified the kiss. I felt so lost, and my entire body melted because of his dominance over me.

"So you kicked me out so that you could make out with this newly hired lady, huh?" When Thaddeus heard Roy's voice, he immediately stopped kissing me. He let go of my lips and cast a furious gaze in Roy's direction. When Roy noticed that Thaddeus was staring at him in such a serious manner, his normally light skin transformed into a pale complexion. He then stepped back outside, lifted both hands above his head, and cautiously shut the door behind him.

"Why are you staring at me like that?" He asked me angrily as he looked at me. I wiped my wet lips with my hand and walked away, but he grabbed the back of my arm and whispered, "No one should know about us. If you try to tell everyone about us and what I did to you, you will face a bigger consequence. You know that when it comes to me, anything is possible."

I grimaced at him. "Let go of me, do you really think you can control me?!"

"I will and I can."

"Then you're wrong. I will deal with any consequences or punishment than—"

"You're going to do that because you didn't want to be with me? Your wish is my command, of course, until you beg for me and ask to be my mate again!" He dragged me outside, and when people were looking at us, he acted as nothing had happened. He opened the door to his car and said, "Get in, or I'll make you."

I sucked in a deep breath of anger and rolled my eyes at him.

He drove me to his grand villa, which was full of security guards and housekeepers. Why does he need so many people here when he lives alone?

He still had a tight grip on my wrist. He dragged me up the stairs as we walked, and I told him, "I...I can walk!"

He used his fingerprint to open the last door, then shoved me inside and said, "Well, you wanted this, right?"

"What...What are you doing?" I couldn't help but gaze at him in anguish as he gently unbuttoned his long white sleeves, then arched his brow and said, "This is your punishment."