Emily's POV
“Leave us!” Luna commanded, as soon as I opened my eyes. “We'll be back in a minute.” A kind nurse said, as she touched my forehead. The white room, with white gleaming ceiling sharply contrasted Luna's black clothes. A sharp pain severed through my head, as I was greeted by the heavy lights. “How are you now?” Luna asked me. I wasn't used to such care. “Better.” I replied to her. “What day is it?” “You lie!” She said, putting a hand on my forehead. “Rest, you don't have to sit up.” She said, discouraging me from getting up like I'd started to do. I heard a sound, not from either of us, so I sat up curious to see where it was coming from. “The nurse says you shouldn't. You have wires connected in and out.” With her long nails, she made a display that showed how messy I looked. “What happened?” I asked her. “That's the same question I was about to ask you.” She said, looking straight into my eyes. “I can't remember much.” I croaked. “Well, that's bad.” She said, rubbing her temple with her freshly manicured fingers. Even through my haze, I could see the bright red colour “Where is Damon?” I asked her. “Where do you think?” She asked, turning to me and smiling sadly. “Where's Zathen?” I asked again, shooting up. “Dead.” She replied to me. “Bastard almost killed my son.” She whispered. “Poor boy.” I said in an undertone. “He messed with my boy. Do not further aggravate me by showing any pity!” Her voice boomed through the wide room. Since I was up already, I took the opportunity to look around me, at least I could see a generous part despite my restricted movement. “I'm so sorry.” I said, when I saw Damon spread out ingloriously on the bed right opposite me. “I do not deserve to be here. Thank you so much.” “You're damn right!” She replied. “Damon insisted you be brought here for treatment. The servants are usually visited by a nurse in their quarters.” “Thank you, Luna.” I said. Damon shifted again, and almost instantly, he started jerking violently. The alarm on his bedside went off, and the nurses and doctors came rushing in, against Luna’s instructions. “Get something made of silver!” The doctor screamed at a nurse, a young lady who looked scared out of her wits. “We can't afford a transformation right now.” He added. “What is going on?!” Luna demanded. “His wolf is forcing its way through. However, his body is too weak and cannot afford to undergo another transformation, he might not make it.” He broke the news. “And you're going to solve that by injuring his wolf?” Luna asked them. Silence erupted amidst the frenzy. “It's the only way to go.” The doctor said, “Don't!” I heard myself say, unsolicited. “Please don't. He could die.” I added. I witnessed how painful Damon's first transformation was, but that didn't mean that Damon would like his wolf injured and battered. Luna looked at me, this time, all the indifference and disgust were absent. Her look was a mixture of hope, fear and want. “What solution do you have?” She asked, looking at me intently. Every other person in the room turned to me, as my mouth instantly went dry. “I do not have a mark yet.” I started. “I also haven't seen my wolf.” I added. It wasn't rocket science, and therefore didn't take the Luna long to figure out what I was driving at. I only read of the Awakening Bond in old books, at the groomers library. “You'd die!” A nurse said, blatantly. “I know.” I replied to her. My life wasn't worth saving. An unfortunate orphan, with unpopular parents, and a maid in the palace. My life wasn't worth much. “I will do it.” I affirmed. I saw Luna’s eyes water, and the only thing that stopped her from rushing to my bedside was the numerous tubes that passed in and out of my body. “Let's get started.” The doctor said, In a room filled with people who were only after saving their Alpha, I was gonna be an unfortunate hero. The awakening bond involved two key steps. I had to be induced with a mixture of psychedelics. It would lead me through a dangerous one way journey in my mind. One where I'd be able to hear from the outside world, but not vice versa. I must confront my deepest struggles to summon my wolf, if I was gonna have one. Right after that, our souls merge, and the Power of my newfound wolf is transferred for Damon, well, most of it. If Moon Goddess deemed fit, I'd find a way out. “Are you sure you want to do this?” Luna asked me. “Yes.” I replied to her. I wasn't thinking, and I didn't want anyone to make me think. Damon saved my life after Zathen almost flung me to my death, I felt like I owed that to him. “It has to be done in the sacred pool.” Luna said, facing the team of medics instead of me. “We'll have them both wheeled there.” The head doctor replied to her. “Damon first.” With utmost speed, Damon was wheeled out of the room we'd shared for two days, two days since he killed Zathen in cold blood, “Close your eyes.” The doctor said, as he held my hand in his. “You're about to feel intense pain. You can still back out.” He said. I saw the Luna shift, I never even realised that she didn't go out with the team that wheeled Damon. “I'm sure.” I said, without thinking twice. Immediately, I felt the needle pierce the side of my head, and like a light switch, the world in my head came on. “I do not think she is strong enough.” I heard the doctor say. “We'll watch her for ten minutes. If we do not lose her before then, we can rejoin Damon downstairs.” He added, I heard Luna sniff, followed by perfect silence.Damon's POV “It worked!” My mom squealed in delight as soon as I opened my eyes. My head hurt so bad, and so did my body. It felt like I was in boiling water. The last time I opened my eyes, it was to a team of doctors and nurses, this time, it was just the nurses. More strange is the fact that I wasn't stretched out on a bed like I was before, I was in a pool of water. “What is going on, Mother?” I croaked. “You're alive.” She said, her eyes glistening with tears. “You made it, my love.” She added. Everyone else was crying, but they didn't look as happy as she did. “Why is everyone crying?” I asked her again. “You have to rest, Damon.” My mother replied, hushing me. “You do not have the strength for this.” “I feel better.” I replied to her. “Stronger too.” Even though my voice which was coarse and rough didn't back my narrative, I really did feel better. “That's great.” Mother said. “We'll have you transferred upstairs as soon as the doctor confirms you are s
Damon's POV “Please, please just wake up.” I begged her, even though I knew she couldn't hear me. “I need you to pull through. I don't even know you. You aren't permitted to save my life at the expense of yours.” I said. I carried her in my hand and ran upstairs to our room. On my way up, I brushed past my mother unapologetically. “Damon!” She screamed after me, and for the first time in a while, she ran. My mother ran up after me, prompting me to quicken my pace. We soon arrived on the fourth floor, where Dathan and I shared a bedroom. I opened the door as fast as I could, and locked it behind me. “Damon!” Dathan screamed and rushed to meet me. It looked like the sun had begun to set, from the warm and dim sunlight that filtered in. “Who is this?” He asked me. “Vynara.” I replied to him. “Emily?” He asked for confirmation. “Yes.” I replied to him. “What happened?” Dathan asked me. His eyes darted frantically between Emily and me. “What happened, Damon?”
Emily's POV “Water.” I croaked, even before opening my eyes. “Did you hear that?” One hushed voice said. I heard footsteps running to the bed I was stretched out on. It didn't feel like the hospital bed, in the ward part of the palace. It felt big, plush, and spacious. “Emily?” Two worried voices, with creased faces bent over me. “Yes.” I croaked. Damon looked like he'd aged ten years faster. “Get her some water please.” He tapped Dathan, who ran along. “How do you feel?” Damon asked me as soon as Dathan left us both to ourselves. “Dead.” I answered, choking. “That's fair.” Damon sighed, looking away. “Why did you do what you did?” “Because I wanted to?” I replied lamely. My head hurt so bad, it felt extra heavy to hold up. “You don't get to do that.” Damon said to me, his face morphed from concern to unexpression. “I don't get you.” I answered, straightening up. “I don't need saving!” Damon yelled, and punched the table beside me. Coincidental
Emily's POV “Damon, son of the pack, do you vow to stand beside her in the hunt and in the stillness, in the light of the moon and the darkness of the forest, in wolf, and in man form?” An older man asked Damon. “I do.” Damon replied. “With my heart, my strength and my loyalty, I am hers.” Silence! “Emily, daughter of the pack, do you vow to stand beside him through the turning seasons, to share in his triumphs and bear his burdens as though they were your own?” He asked me next, and like clock work, the crowd turned to face me. “I do.” I replied, like I had rehearsed. “With my soul, my spirit, and my devotion, I am his.” “Then let the bond be sealed.” The elder said, and our hands linked together, like they were supposed to. I never knew the Damon Palace had such a large space for hosting that amount of crowd. More still, it had a detachable roof, and so since the wedding had to be done under the moonlight, we could still do it indoors. The joy on everyone's faces m
Emily's POV I had no business with her, I could never address someone in so little clothes, so I looked at Dathan, he held my stare for about two minutes before giving in. “Au revoir, ladies.” He said, getting up from the bed where they littered around him, and he threw on a shirt. I shifted away from the entrance, a foot or two, just so none of them have reasons to make bodily contact with me. All of them promptly exited the room, leaving Dathan and I. “I'd rather we left the door open.” I said to Dathan, as he moved to shut the door. “I'd do whatever it is I want to.” Dathan said, and banged the door shut, loudly. “What's up with you?” I asked finally. “Did Damon put you up to this?” He asked me. “No.” I answered quickly. “I'm here of my own volition.” “So he doesn't even care.” Dathan said to himself, shook his head while smiling sadly, and gulped down the remaining content of an open bottle. “Forget what I said. Yes, he did. He gave me the permission to.
Emily's POV “Hello, everyone.” Damon said, with a cup in his hand. He'd been drinking too much wine since the previous night. I barely got any sleep, mulling over everything Dathan and Damon had told me. I just needed the day to come and go, I needed things to be sorted. I couldn't wait to feel a role I know I was highly incapable of. “I want to thank every single one of you, who took out the time to honour my wife and me.” Damon looked at me, sweetly. He had such an expensive tux on, I was scared to touch him. The ambience of the city hall was unmatched, not like I had anything to compare it with. It was just pure luxury. He looked sharper than ever. Damon's team of stylists that arrived at exactly 6am, six hours before the wedding, were just as much as mine, and I saw why. He got a trim, a manicure, in fact, it was a total makeover. The crown went ‘awwwn’, and ‘oooh’. The women looked dreamily at me, as Damon clasped my hand tightly. “This experience wouldn't be th
Emily's POV “Hi, I've been wanting to talk to you.” I said to Damon. It's been two weeks since the wedding, and our marriage was yet to be consummated, but that wasn't a pressing issue, not for me at least. “What is it?” Damon asked, stretching out his hand, as I wore his Richard Mille on his wrists. “I've been thinking,” I started, “Can I see a friend?” I asked him. My heart was in my mouth as I spoke. “You never mentioned that to me.” Damon replied, “Please be fast about that.” He added, referring to how I was fidgeting with the watch. Tending to the Alpha was my utmost duty. He'd made me understand that there's very little input I could ever put into pack administration, or business, and so I should stick to minding him. And that's what I did. “Yeah.” I admitted. “I only thought about her last night. We were friends at the orphanage.” “And you think someone like that would be fit as a company for a Luna?”He asked, still not looking at me. I finally was able to
Emily's POV “You better get going then. Tell your friend to come by, I could use some company. She will wait for you. That's as long as you're here before seven pm, cause Damon arrives by eight.” Dathan said. Tears pooled in my eyes as Dathan talked. Someone so genuinely kind to me couldn't be coincidental. “Thank you.” I said. “She works on the farm, but I have a number she slipped into my skirt when she was taken away.” “Call her then. You're Luna, you can summon her from the farm.” Dathan replied. “Damon taps all my calls.” I suddenly remembered. “Can I use your phone?” “And what's to say that he does not tap mine?” Dathan asked me. But I knew he was joking. He'd never allow that. Dathan is the only person who could stand up to Damon. “Pretty please.” I begged him. “It's right next to you, on the bedside table.” He gave up. “Thank you.” I squealed and reached for it. I called the number Zyna left three times, there was no response, so I gave up. “As I
Emily's POV. “I'm so sorry I had to wake you up. But it couldn't wait. It just couldn't wait.” Freda’s voice interrupted my sleep I checked the wall clock opposite my bed, it was a few minutes past ten am. I'd barely slept for an hour. My head was banging and felt too heavy to hold up. I wanted to turn to the other side and keep on catching my sleep, I had trouble falling asleep and had no intent on being woken up. “You know the contract we applied for?” She started, still fidgeting with her phone. Her eyes danced from my face to her screen as she typed out something ferociously. “We've applied for many, Freda.” My patience had worn out and I wanted to SLEEP. “Yeah, yeah. But the one you called a long shot!” She screamed, trying to juggle my memory. I couldn't remember. My head was fogged. “Can't work with these clues.” I resigned. “So you have something to say?” “Nevada Inc just sent an email. They want us to be their sole marketer and consultant!” She screamed.
Emily's POV “Wipe those tears. You don't have to pity me.” I said to her, “But you're crying too.” She protested, “I admit, but it's not out of pity. I'm too noble a woman to be pitied. Dry your eyes, Freda.” I instructed her again. “Alright, alright.” She conceded. “I screamed so hard and so long, with all my strength. Suddenly, the house was devoid of people. I heard no footsteps, I saw no one through the door Damon left opened. I finally gave up and submitted myself to him, ignoring the warm gush of blood that'd begun to dry on my thighs.” I smiled. “I remember how he got pissed that I wasn't screaming anymore, said he liked it that way, I was a silly girl he wanted to teach a lesson, he slapped me a couple of times, pinched me in sensitive areas, he wanted so badly for me to scream, screech, make a sound.” “But I didn't, I couldn't. The pain in me was far worse than that outside of me. I was as still as an old piece of log, I lay static, my mind blank, and my hear
Emily's POV “Days like this made me seriously wanna consider drugs.” I said in an undertone. “I'm sorry.” She apologized again, looking down at her feet. “I had no choice. They singled me out of the scampering crowd. It was two hefty men, I wasn't rough handled, but they gave the impression that I could be, depending on how much I cooperate with them.” Freda’s voice was low and shaky. “It would be unfair if I said it was all you.” I sighed. “I've been running away from a life that's faster than I could ever be.” “I'm sorry.” She apologised again. “Come on! Don't do that. It's not even your fault. I should be apologising for putting you in all this mess.” I chuckled maniacally. In just one night, I'd been with the worst Alphas there could ever be, in all respects. Ego, lust, danger, ambitions, motives, just everything, you name it. “Are you scared?” She asked me, making me laugh even more. “I lived with him, why would I be?” I asked, and her eyes flew wide open.
Emily's POV I swore I was done with men, with wolves, with anything that's not my agency. I hated myself for being so gullible and playing into the hands of not one, but two Alpha's. . I thought Damon traumatised me earlier after the ball, little did I know that my ‘saviour’ was a maniac. I dug my nails deep into my palms for not connecting the dots when he admitted he was a leader of a rogue pack. They had no morals, nothing was too dirty for them to do. “I know you don't want to see me here, but I just couldn't go to bed knowing that you're still mad at me, I'm sorry I didn't mean to… what happened to your face?!” Freda asked in shock. She'd scared me, cause I don't expect to see anyone cuddled on my couch. “Maybe next time, let me know before letting yourself in. I could have shot you.” I said, getting over my initial shock. “I think we have bigger fish to fry.” She said, disregarding what I'd just said, but looking so intently at my face. “Just leave me.” I said to
Emily's POV “So what's your grand plan?” I asked Lucas. I turned my face away, as I had begun to go red in my cheeks. I've had a few crushes, and admired a few hottites at the gym, in transit, and even back in school, but I never really got close to any of them, and I could confidently say that Luacs was my first major contact with the opposite sex in ten years!! “Stay the night with me.” He said, and looked me in the eyes. “It's not like you've got a choice, I just want to make you feel like you have some measure of control over the situation.” He added and chuckled. “I'm gonna ask again, cause I get the feeling that you didn't hear me well the first time.” I said, trying to contain the smile creeping on my face. My body was acting against me. It's not what I planned nor expected. “Emily, the ritual is about to begin. And there's no sweeter way than to do it with your back against that bed. That alone could make me transform.” Lucas replied. I literally saw his muscles
Emily's POV “I'm sorry it took so long.” Lucas apologised as he pulled up in some really fancy lot. “You did what you had to.” I said weakly, waving it off. “It just would have made the situation less crunchier if you'd told us both about each other.” I added. “Did anything happen?” He asked, looking at me quizzically through the rear glass. “Yeah.” I answered, “Well, it wasn't a big deal, but she was rude and sassy. I tried hard to look past her, but she's just so hard to ignore. She's a real piece of work.” “Emily,” He called my name, after hesitating a bit, “you're a pretty woman, and I think we might make something out of this, but if you've said something to Grace, please tell me.” “What does that even mean?” I was weak and tired, but not too tired to tell when someone was being funny. “I'm saying,” Lucas picked up again, his voice rising with almost triple intensity, “That if you said anything untrue to her, you should tell me now.” He was breathing so force
Emily's POV “I'll get an Uber. See you on Monday.” I said to Freda as soon as we got out. “I don't trust anyone at this time of the night.” She protested, still holding me by the hand. “You know what?” I asked, looking at her. “Same here. I don't trust you, don't trust anyone in that party, and I think I'll better look out for myself.” I said to her, “You don't mean that.” She said in disbelief. “I do. I mean every bit of what I've said. Please leave me.” I wrangled my hand out of hers. I heard her exhale a couple of times. The guy who drove the firetruck sat still in the driver's corner, looking at the both of us. “He's got a family to go home to.” I said quietly, and Freda caught the drift. She put my bag in my hands and left. In those few minutes, I'd spent every ounce of strength within me. I felt myself get weak from within. I hated myself for breaking my own rules, I hated myself for not being careful enough, I hated myself for not seeing it coming. I sank
Damon's POV “You were out for quite a while.” I said to Adrian as he re-entered. It was about twelve minutes past midnight, the party had changed, from a masked ball, to a near orgy. Just the tone I wanted to set, before I fished HER out. “Yeah,” He replied lazily, looking away, “I needed to catch my breath.” “Are you sure you can do this?” I asked him, uncertain, because he didn't look too enthusiastic. “Yeah, sure, why not. Just do your thing, and I'll do mine.” Adrian said and tapped my back. “And what would that be? Sulk around and drink up everything the bar has to offer?” I joked. “Yeah, that, and not tell your wife what you've been up to. Can't believe you led the poor lady to believe this was a business trip.” He shot back at me. “That's unfair.” I said and walked off. He was obviously in a bad mood, and I wasn't gonna let him ruin mine. I hung my suit jacket on my shoulder and walked off in no particular direction. “Hello.” I greeted everyone as I wal
Adrian's POV When I first heard of the masked ball, I thought it came at the nick of time. I had just broken up with my girlfriend. It's not like I didn't see it coming, but no one is exactly fully ready for that first lonely night, or morning after a break up. It feels so strange, so painful. I took the invitation out of Damon's hands in a heartbeat. I almost asked why he was throwing the ball in some other city, which was miles away from home, but I knew the answer. Asides for Mount Leigh being one city that housed too many of our escapades, it was just the right distance that Damon wanted to be from home. I really couldn't care less about how things were with him and Zyna. Sometimes, she shows up with a black eye, other times, it's with multiple hickeys on her neck. So I thought better than to ask. “This party is a drag, man.” I whispered to Damon. He was masked, in a checkered blue and white suit, but I could still tell him apart in the crowd. “I don't think so. The rea