DAMIEN'S POV:I sat with my parents on the balcony with my fist placed beneath my chin and my mind wandering far. My attention was far from them as they discussed political matters. I was too busy with the face that has haunted my every thought for the past three days. My mind was plagued with a pair of fiery green eyes and seductive lips.Maya. I hated how she took up most of my thoughts, but she sparked my curiosity more than anything and anyone else has in my entire life. She had a burning hatred for me, that was for sure. But why did I find it so hard to remember her? At first, I thought she had mistaken me for someone else, but it was clear she knew who she was referring to. Even knew my name and everything.But what could I have done to warrant such hate from her? I was genuinely curious because every woman in this town and many from beyond loved me.I was a god in their eyes, but this girl, this fucking maid, was not attracted to me at all. To think she even had the guts to s
ROSALINE’S POV: Who hit my head with a hammer? That was the first thought that came to mind as I fluttered my eyes open. A hiss left my lips as the pain worsened. My vision was blurry, and I tried to sit up, but that appeared to only worsen the pain.Suddenly, there was a hand on my shoulder, which stopped me. "Hey, take it easy. You shouldn’t get up yet." A groan left me as the voice I knew all too well filled my ears.Why him? Why did he have to be here? Why did he have to be everywhere? I managed to regain my vision, and his gray orbs were the first thing I caught sight of. They were hooded and filled with an emotion I could not describe. He looked almost angelic from this angle.Oh no, I must have sustained a serious blow to the head. "What happened?" My voice did not sound like mine at all; it sounded like it belonged to some frog. Damien did not seem to mind as he dipped a small towel in a bowl before placing it on my head. The cold sensation calmed the throbbing in my head, an
ROSALINE’S POV: I barely got any sleep last night. I mean, how could I? I have only been here for a day, and there have already been two attempts on my life. It made me wonder if any of this was worth it, but I had to remind myself why I was here.If I left on my own, Damien would stop at nothing to find me, which would put Ariana at risk. I would rather die than let that happen.If Damien finds out about Ariana, he will take her away from me and might lock me up for keeping the two of them apart. But it’s for Ariana’s good. Damien was a monster. Ariana was better off without him in her life.I tried desperately to get myself to sleep last night, but even the slightest sound had my eyelids flying open and my eyes searching for any form of danger, but there was none. It was almost impossible for me to relax, and just when I felt my body begin to succumb to sleep, the morning sun began to rise, and there was a knock on our door shortly after.I wanted to groan in frustration when one o
ROSALINE’S POV:What did I just see? The king is having an affair with one of the contestants while trying to get Damien to make her his Luna? How sick and twisted was that? Should I tell Damien? I mean, it really is not any of my business. Plus, I do not think he would believe me; no one would believe me. I had no evidence, so I would only be incriminating myself.I should just leave.I was too deep in my own thoughts to realize that I was approaching a vase until my body collided with it and it crashed to the floor. My heart practically flew out of my chest with surprise, but I knew I was a goner when the door came flying open to reveal the alpha’s raging figure."What do you think you are doing, little rat?" He snapped, making me flinch."Sorry, alpha. I was just passing by." I tried to turn my back to leave, but his enormous hand wrapped around my arm in one swift motion."What did you hear?" His voice was like a cold poison, sending an unhealthy shiver down my spine as it para
ROSALINE’S POV:I decided to host my event at the central park, specifically the playground arena where all the kids usually come to play. It was the best spot to engage a lot of kids, not to mention that this was my daughter’s favorite place to visit on the weekends. The planner assigned to me helped me prepare some posters that gave details of exactly what I was hosting.Basically, it was a series of games, entertainment, and lots of prizes to be won. One of them being a bicycle, I knew if Ariana saw that anywhere she would have Gwen bring her here; she was my sole inspiration for this event, and all I wanted to do was see her.I missed her so much. I needed to know how she was doing. I trusted Gwen, but I needed to see her for myself. Was she eating okay? Did she sustain any injuries while I was gone? Did she miss me as much as I missed her?I just hoped all my questions would be answered today.I discussed with some of the kitchen staff how to help me prepare some food for the
ROSALINE’S POV: "What?" The word left my lips like a whisper.No.This could not be happening.Two guards appeared by my side and grabbed me by the arms, but I was not having it. I struggled against them before meeting Damien’s cold gray eyes."No! I did not do anything to the food; you have to believe me! What would I gain by poisoning children?" I asked, but no one appeared to believe my words. But I meant every word; even if it were the child of my worst enemy, I would never do such a thing. A woman holding her pale daughter in her arms spoke next, and something told me that if not for the guards that were already dragging me away, I would have received a deadly beating from her.From all of them."Shut up! You are just an evil, bitter woman. Perhaps the moon goddess did not provide you with children of your own; that was why you wanted to do something so despicable." She spat, and her words hurt beyond belief.But I dared not say anything.I couldn’t.How do I tell them? I have
DAMIEN’S POV: What a disappointment.A nasty scowl has been on my face ever since the incident at the central park. I could not get it off, no matter how hard I tried. My mood was just sour, and it was all her fault. Maybe I was wrong about her.Maybe my father was right; I never should have put her in this situation. Because of me, over a hundred children are in the hospital, severely ill.I made her a contestant in these games because I knew she wouldn’t like it, but I did not know she was capable of going this far just to get kicked out. I mean, poisoning children—that was absolutely diabolical; even I could not think of doing such a thing. It made me wonder: why did she not poison us yesterday when she had the chance? Probably because she was being watched carefully and all the ingredients were provided solely by our staff.Today we just let them do whatever they wanted, however they wanted; they w
DAMIEN’S POV:The metallic scent of blood filled my nostrils, some of them being Maya's, but the majority belonged to the dying bastard in my hands."Mercy, please," the guard wheezed as I tightened my grip on his neck, making his chokes fill the air. It took every ounce of self-restraint in me not to snap his neck. My canines had lengthened, and I could see the guard’s reddening face through my wolf’s eyes."What the fuck were you trying to do to her?" I demanded, but he remained silent, which only aggravated me more. I took his wrist in my hand, and a sickening snap filled the air, followed by his cries of pain."Fuck! Someone sent me to kill her, okay?!" He screamed, my hand still on his throat, cutting off his air supply. I flung him to the other two guards standing by the door, and they held both of his arms."I will deal with you later," I said before directing my furious gaze to the others. "I will deal with all of you later. Lock him up," I growled before scooping Maya’s tre
ROSALINE’S POV:SEVEN MONTHS LATER:I watched Damien and Ariana’s wolf run around the courtyard with a speed my human eyes could barely keep up with. At this point, I was not sure which of them was faster. They have been doing this every morning for the past six months. Damien had made it their morning to train Ariana himself; he wanted her to become the strongest woman in the pack.And I was scared of that.The speed at which she improved was frightening. At this rate, she would be the strongest wolf in the world by the time she was eighteen.“Damn, she is getting better and better,” Peace said, and my gaze shifted to her. She cradled Light in her arms, and the tender baby yawned. The day Light was born was quite an eventful day for all of us. It was early in the morning, and we were all in the kitchen when her water broke. Ariana was the one who raised an alarm by saying, “Aunt Peace peed herself.”Peace, who was embarrassed, defended herself, but we all knew what was going on. We d
ROSALINE’S POV:“I do not need therapy.” I frowned at Damien, who gave me a tired look. He drove me down to my supposed therapist’s office, and I considered jumping out, but I had to remember that I was pregnant. Peace sat in the back seat, and I had no idea when she and Damien could be in the same space without growling at each other.“Yes, you do, Rosaline. You should have seen yourself yesterday; you were about to faint over something that wasn’t even there,” Peace said, and I folded my arms above my chest.“Okay, I admit that what happened yesterday was a bit out of character, but I am fine now. Just because I had one panic attack does not mean I need therapy." I defended myself, but neither of them looked like they would be going back on their decision.“It’s not just one; you have had several in the past."“I am not talking to you,” I snapped at Peace, and she reared her head back with surprise.“Rosaline, calm down. Peace is right, you, and since when did you two become best f
ROSALINE’S POV:“Yeesh, mothers are the worst,” Peace chuckled, and I shook my head with wonder. We were both at a baby store picking up some stuff for the baby. I mean, I know it was still a bit soon, but little by little, Damien and I would be getting some things ready. And we still did not know the gender of the baby, but we were able to get the essentials and some unisex clothes.“Tell me about it; my worst nightmare would be to end up like her sometime in the future,” I said with a huff. I picked up a pair of black baby shoes and inspected them. It was way smaller than my hand, perfect for a newborn baby.“Trust me, you will never be like that. Give yourself some credit; you are one of the best moms I have ever seen. This kid and Ariana are so lucky to have you,” Peace said, and her words warmed my heart. She picked up a pair of pink baby ballet shoes and put them in the cart.“Oh, no, we have to get unisex wear for now; I still do not know the gender of my baby,” I told her, but
ROSALINE’S POV:I am so hungry.I laid on my back on my bed, staring at the ceiling as I wondered how cruel Damien was. How could he just leave me like that to starve?I mean I know I have been eating for the past three hours, but doesn’t he know that it’s for two? He is so mean.Tears began to blur my vision, and my bottom lip trembled. I knew Damien did not love me anymore. It was the only explanation! Maybe because of what happened with Magnus, he is disgusted by me. Yes, that’s it. That’s why he didn’t want to get me the pizza.I really am unbelievable.“Good God, why are you crying now?”My eyes snapped to the door, and I found Damien standing by the doorway with a box that had steam coming out of it. Instantly, my nose picked up the scent, and I sat up quickly.“I thought you weren’t going to get me the pizza,” I said, and he walked over to me, setting the box of pizza in between us. He opened it, and the steam kissed my face. I could not stop the smile from stretching my lips a
ROSALINE’S POV:“Why is the food not ready yet?!” I snapped at Damien, who stirred the pot of pudding as fast as he could. A bead of sweat trickled down his forehead as he whisked, turned, seasoned, diced, and sprinkled as fast as his hands could. Ariana was right by his side, helping in the little way she could, even though she could not quite keep up with his speed. We would have asked one of the maids to prepare it, but for some reason, I really enjoyed foods that were prepared by either Damien or Ariana and Damien was an absolutely horrible cook. So, the taste had nothing to do with my favouritism, just the sentiment. A part of me was grateful that Ariana was helping him out, so at least it would not taste like complete shit. Jake was here as well. But unlike the other two, he was completely lost and only helped with the dishes.“It’s coming; it’s coming. Just a few more minutes,” Damien said in haste.“Hurry up, I am so hungry,” I whined, picking up some pieces of carrot that he
DAMIEN’S POV:FEW HOURS EARLIER:She was still fast asleep. I slipped my arms away from her, careful not to wake her up. Gently, I got off the bed and exhaled. I do not know how long I stood above the bed staring at her, but I did not care. Somehow, the longer I stared at her, the angrier I got. Not because she now carried a child that was not mine, but because I let that bastard put that child in her in the first place.I need some fresh air.I left the room quietly and headed down to our gym. The hallway was still silent; I passed a few guards and even got some sleep. Figured. Everyone was quite tired; now that the enemy was eliminated, everyone was taking that break they had so long deserved.Except Rosaline.It’s like, no matter how hard I try to take her pain away, a new one starts.I took off my shirt and tossed it aside. I started on the punching bag and poured out every ounce of my frustration on it. All my anger, all my sadness, all my guilt, I threw into my punches. After a
ROSALINE’S POV: I could not stop screaming.Somehow, my body, which had been a practical vegetable for the past month, was full of life and rage. I threw and tossed everything in sight while I screamed out my lungs. I could hear people telling me to calm down, but I could not hear them. I could not hear anything; I did not want to.It was all coming back to me. that night. Magnus. His touch. Everything.“NO!” I grabbed a plate and shattered it against the wall. The shards flew across the air, and I think a few pierced me in the process, but I did not care. A pair of arms came up from behind me and swept me off my feet. I immediately recognized them as Damien’s and began to sob. “It’s not fair! No!"“Just calm down, baby. Please, just relax; you are hurting yourself,” he whispered, and I pinched my eyes shut. Tears fell helplessly down my face, and my body began to tremble. Damon held me and lifted me back to the bed.“I thought you would be happier, Luna. I am sure Princess Ariana wi
DAMIEN’S POV:It has been a month since I got Rosaline back and killed the bastards responsible. Well, technically, one of them was a coward and killed himself instead, but it was the same thing to me anyway.For the past month, Rosaline has been bedridden, but unlike me, she is not as fussy and agitated. I mean, at times she preferred to do things by herself, but you cannot compare the two of us when we are bedridden. It irks me down to my very soul that I cannot do so much as do the necessities of life.Anyway, after the first three days, she pretty much accepted her condition and let us help her around. “What other choice do I have? If I continue to struggle, then I might only make things worse for myself,” she had said, and I wonder what would have happened if I had said the same thing all those months ago when I was in her condition.I waited outside the room for Peace to finish dressing her up so I could take her downstairs for breakfast. I would have preferred if she stayed in
ROSALINE’S POV:Anger.That was the only thing in my heart. My heart once held so much fear, but now it is replaced with nothing but rage.Magnus. That demon. That devil.I cannot say that I remember much of what happened during our time in bed, but I did not want to. All I remember was screaming my lungs out until I passed out. But now I am left with one question that I most probably will never get an answer to.What did he do to me?When I managed to pull myself together and stay conscious for just a few seconds, I thought I was flying. My body was high up in the air, and I had no idea where the hell I was. But he was right beside me; that was the only thing I knew. He had his disgusting hands around my throat, and I wanted nothing more than to rip it off. I did not know where that strength came from. I was pretty sure that I could not move at all just a few moments ago. But something overcame me when I saw him. I knew that he was the one holding me and keeping me over the edge, an