DAMIEN'S POV:The flames burned my skin as I ascended the stairs on all fours. My head felt dizzy, and the smoke became intoxicating, but I couldn't stop now. It wasn't even an option.I didn't care if I got burned alive, as long as my daughter got out of here alive.I knew making her room fireproof would be a good decision. Back when I was talking with the architects that would be handling this house, I told them I wanted one room, which would be my kid's room, to be fireproof while the rest of the house would be bulletproof.I did so because I knew kids could be careless and cause havoc. That was why I had to get Rosaline out first; she was the one in more danger. I never once thought that the entire house would be set ablaze. What the hell could have possibly caused this?Well, that wasn't important right now; all that matters is getting my daughter out of here.I jumped over the flames and braced myself to kick down the flaming door.Pain shot up my entire body as I kicked down th
DAMIEN'S POV:"ROSALINE!"She was nowhere to be seen. It was only a few minutes ago that reinforcements, along with my mother, arrived. My first order was for them to take Ariana to our former home and guard her at all costs.And then I gave my second order.Find my queen.We searched the rubble and the forest surrounding my home, but there was nothing. I heard footsteps coming up from behind me and immediately recognized them as my mother's."I dreamt of her; I saw her immediately, and I passed out. She was being tortured by someone, but I couldn't find out who it was," I said, my fists clenched in rage."It was your wolves calling out to each other; they showed you where she is," I heard my mother say as I continued to search the premises, for only the heavens knows what. I don't know why I got this feeling that there was a clue lying around here. Somewhere."What am I supposed to do with the image of a torture room? It could be anywhere," I snapped, picking up a piece of burnt wood
ROSALINE'S POV:Pain.That was all I felt. Nothing more, nothing less. I didn't have the slightest bit of strength; even breathing was a mighty chore. There were times I was able to open my eyes, but even that took a lot of energy from me.When my eyelids managed to part, my vision was impaired, and it hurt when you tried to squint my eyes. There was nothing but a bright light. I would occasionally hear some sounds, but the ringing that had been going on in my ears was the loudest; it wouldn't stop. It was driving me mad.I don't think I can take it anymore.How did I even get here? One moment I was staring at my father while my husband's dream house burned to ashes with them inside, and the next I was enveloped in nothing but darkness. The scariest and most hurtful part about all of this is that I don't even know if they made it out alive.No. They had to. My heart and brain couldn't comprehend them not escaping that fire.When I woke up in this cell, I opened my eyes to see my fathe
ROSALINE’S POV:They say there is a level of pain one can stop feeling—a certain line. Once a person crosses that line, it could mean that every nerve in their body has been destroyed, they are unable to send this pain to the brain, or they are dead.I think I am a little bit of both.It was a miracle that my nose was still working, even though it is now broken. It was incredibly hard for me to breathe; it was so strenuous. I am just tired of it, and this smell? God, I hate this smell. I never knew something of mine could smell so bad, and yes, I mean my blood. It splattered on the majority of the floor and had become the new paint for the walls.How long have I been down here? I have no idea. There were no windows, no sunlight, and no fresh air. Just my recycled oxygen keeps me alive. It was hard for me to count the number of days I have been trapped down here; all I know is that Lucian came and went as he pleased. Once he felt like I had suffered enough, he would wipe his hands and
DAMIEN’S POV:“Just kill me,” Gio said, spitting out the blood that filled his mouth. I watched his pathetic form with disgust and honestly almost wanted to grant his wish. I had his wrists and ankles chained to the wall; his chest and face bled profusely, but I was just getting started. My men watched in silence, and I know sometimes a few of them tried to be strong and hide their disgust, but I was only just getting started.Tonight, I was going to teach them how to bleed a wolf dry while keeping him alive.Not even someone like Giovani deserves just death. No, he deserves all the pain this world has to offer before I send him to the other side for the devil to handle for all eternity.I instructed one of our guards to hand me my brass knuckles, and he shakily did. While I put it on, I circled Giovani and sized him up. From childhood, I never liked him; all of this is just a way to release all the pent-up anger and resentment I have been building up for the past two decades and a ha
DAMIEN’S POV:All sixty-seven of my men armed themselves to the teeth while we waited for reinforcements; they should be here any moment from now. I checked the vans and cars to make sure that all the snipers were locked and loaded, as well as our backup weapon, the bazooka. I know this baby could be a bit extreme, but it can be useful.“I want to come too,” a voice I knew all too well said, and I froze.“No, you can't, Ariana.” I looked at the little girl as she pouted her lips, and tears brimmed her eyes. I sighed and picked her up in my arms. I wiped her tears away and added, “It’s too dangerous. You can get hurt.”“No, I won’t. We are going to save Mommy, and I can help; I want to be there. And if you are with me, then no one will hurt me,” she said, and I admired how much faith she had in me, but I was not God.“Princess, I need you to understand that what we are about to do is very dangerous. Everyone here is aware that they might not come back. And they are all big enough to pro
ROSALINE’S POV:Whatever look I had on my face must have amused him, because he chuckled dryly. He began to walk up too slowly, and I screamed at my body to move, but it wouldn’t. not because I was scared, but because I physically could not move.As if he could read my mind, he raised his hand and said, “Don’t bother. Most of your bones are broken, and even though the doctor gave you a shitload of painkillers, it does not exactly stop you from dying if a bone shifts and punctures the wrong organ.” He explained.Now he stood right beside me on the bed, and my heart felt as though it would burst when he sat beside me. That was when I got a good look at Him and his eyes. The damage that I had done all those years ago to his eye is still very evident to this day.Instead of a dark brown iris, there was nothing but white. He must have noticed that I was staring at my marvellous work done on him because he pointed at it and said, “Ah, yes. My eye. It healed, but I never got to see it again,
DAMIEN’S POV:“Could you try to not act so excited?” Xander snapped at Rufus, who was a bit too happy to be on this mission.“Oh, come on. You know I have been dying to snap a few necks; everyone in my pack has been behaving, and things have been boring. Like, hello, where are the criminals? Do something bad so I can punish you,” Rufus said, and I rolled my eyes at his words. And there were people like Rosaline and me begging for some peace; here he was complaining about it and wanting chaos.“You are sick,” Xander noted, cocking his gun and switching off the safety.All three of us were perched above the hill that oversaw the mansion Giovani told me about. I had ten of my men with me, including Rufus and Xander. And he was right; it was loaded to the teeth. There were three walls one had to go through before actually infiltrating the mansion. And each of these walls had men armed to the teeth, from the foot to the top.“Damn, what the hell is in there? The queen?” Xander muttered as
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