Akira’s POVImmediately as the door to Hunter’s library slammed shut behind me, I felt a strange mix of relief and exhaustion. My body ached, and the adrenaline from the earlier fight was finally wearing off, leaving me feeling drained. The female servant who had been quietly trailing behind me gestured towards a small bathroom attached to the guest room she’d led me to. The same room I had used before.“Do you want me to help with your bath, miss,” she asked softly, her eyes not quite meeting mine. “I can if you permit me.”I shook my head, not really in the mood for conversation. The warm water felt soothing against my battered skin, but even as the grime and blood washed away, the dull throb of my injuries remained. I winced as I carefully scrubbed around the deeper cuts, trying not to think too much about the fight with the guard. I had underestimated the strength of an opponent, and that had given me such a good beating. My first ever beating.Aside from being my first werewo
Akira POVJust as I was about to finally drift off to sleep, the sound of heavy footsteps echoed down the dungeon corridor. My heart sank. It wasn’t even fully morning yet, and Hunter was already coming to make good on his promise. I forced myself to sit up, feeling the cold stone floor beneath me, every muscle in my body protesting the movement.The door to the dungeon flew open with a loud bang, and there he was, towering over me like a dark storm. "Get up," Hunter ordered, his voice cold and commanding. "This isn’t your father’s mansion where you get to sleep until late in the afternoon."His words hit me like a slap, and before I could stop myself, I spat back,"Don’t you dare mention my father again, especially not with that vile mouth of yours!"Hunter’s lips curled into a cruel smile. He chuckled, the sound sending a shiver down my spine. "It seems you haven’t learned your lesson yet, Doll. Your mouth still runs like an uncontrolled tap water."I clenched my fists, resisting
Akira’s POVThe pain in my back was unbearable as I knelt on the cold, hard floor, mopping the seemingly endless hallway with that tiny hand towel. I could feel every muscle screaming in protest, but I forced myself to keep going. Hunter could have made this easier, he could have given me a proper mop, but that wasn’t the point. He wanted to see me suffer. And he was succeeding.I didn’t realise how long this hallway was until now. The night we tried to escape, everything happened so fast that I didn’t have time to notice the distance. But now, with every inch I cleaned, it felt like the hallway stretched on forever. Lisa had been right. I’d never done this kind of work in my life. I was an overpampered princess, always surrounded by luxury, always having everything within my reach. Or, more realistically, within the reach of a servant.In my parents’ house, all I had to do was ring a bell, and a servant would appear. I remembered how my mother would instruct the maids to mop the
Hunter’s POVI glanced at Akira, sitting stiffly beside me in the car, her every movement betraying the pain she was trying so hard to hide. This was the seventh time she brought her bruised hands up to her face, inspecting the neat white bandages that now covered them. I’d made sure one of the female servants cleaned and dressed those wounds, but not out of concern for her. I couldn’t care less about her injuries. The only reason I had them bandaged was because I didn’t want her showing up at the event, we were heading to looking like she’d been mauled.The party was a gathering of the older Alphas, along with some younger ones, plotting my downfall. It was no surprise they’d resort to such underhanded tactics. I needed to show up strong and unfazed—no sign of weakness. Seeing Akira’s raw, unbandaged wounds would have been a liability, something they could use against me. But aside from that, her injuries were the least of my concerns. If anything, they might teach her a lesson a
Hunter’s POVAs I expected, none of them owned up to say they did. Instead, they glanced at each other’s in silent. “Mark?” I called out in humor knowing fully well he will fling even though he wasn’t the one. And he sure did.He raised his head up suddenly and was shaking it vigorously “I swear, it wasn’t me. Hunter. I only attended….”“Shut up!” I snapped. I wasn’t interested in hearing anything he had to say. “Well, instead of hiding like sewage mouse to plot your next moves on me, you should have asked. And I would have granted your request. Since you’ll are curious why I don’t bring her to meetings or social functions. Here she is. I want you all to be the judge. Don’t you agree, doll?” I said and glanced at Akira and she slowly nodded. Not out of free will but because my eyes sent her warning expression she knew not to refuse. “Yes, you’re right.” Akira said.“Good. Now, let’s me make one thing straight,” I said, my voice calm but deadly. “This little gathering of yours? It
Akira’s POVAs soon as Hunter asked the question, I felt a cold dread wash over me. His voice was dangerously calm, but I could feel the fury simmering just beneath the surface.I have been sitting silently watching the conversation between them and honestly, I don’t have the strength to get involved. Not after the what I had passed through.Hunter’s eyes had turned that terrifying deep red the moment Alpha Jackson accused him of murdering my father and forcing me to lie about it. I knew what that meant—Hunter was on the brink of losing control.The way Hunter rose from his seat and slowly walked over to stand in front of Jackson made my heart pound in my chest. The tension in the room was unbearable, and I could feel every eye on me, waiting for my answer. Hunter stood there, looming over Jackson, his presence overwhelming, his anger palpable. I knew better than to hesitate. The fear gripped me so tightly that my voice almost trembled as I spoke.“No,” I said quickly, trying to soun
Akira’s POVThe car ride back was suffocatingly silent, and my mind was racing, filled with thoughts I couldn’t bring myself to say out loud.The traumatic short play that had unfolded just minutes ago in that event, left me speechless. My stomach churning with nausea.I felt sick; physically, emotionally, in every possible way.This day was nothing like I had expected. Sure, I knew Hunter had something in store for me, some punishment that would make me suffer, but I wasn’t prepared for the sheer brutality of what had just happened.All I wanted now was to crawl into that cold, dark cell that had become my new home and shut my eyes. Maybe if I lay down long enough, I’d wake up from this nightmare that had suddenly become my life.My life. The thought made me feel even more sick. How had it come to this?Nothing had ever been this wild, this dangerous, in the past eighteen years of my life. I’d always lived a boring lifetsyle, mostly filled with being around my parents and attending p
Akira’s POVHunter didn’t answer the question.Instead, he pulled her back in for another kiss, his hands roaming over her body as if he couldn’t get enough of her.My chest tightened painfully. What was this? Some kind of twisted show meant to humiliate me even more?When Kestrel finally broke the kiss, she turned her head, her eyes landing on me with a look of disgust that was impossible to miss. She eyed me up and down, her lips curling into a sneer.“So this is the infamous Akira,” she said with disdain, her voice dripping with contempt. “The daughter of that monster, Alpha Lupin. You look exactly like I imagined—a pathetic, broken thing.”Her words were like a punch to the gut. I don’t even know who the hell is this woman and she already hates me.It’s seemed like I’m popular around here, but not in a good way.I bit my lip, holding back whatever was about to spill over.I had always known the right answer for women like her, but somehow, I refused to succumb to her spitefulness.