Alpha Luciano's POVThe announcement brought on a range of reactions from shock to outrage. I had thought about it hard. It was the sensible thing to do. If I couldn't protect them, what was the point?"Those who want to remain are free to do so and those who want to leave will also be compensated for their time, efforts and sacrifices they made…"The women looked between themselves. "If you wish to leave, I will not judge you. You have all tried your best and I am humbled by your sacrifices. Now if you wish to leave, simply move to this side and Mikah will take down your information and discuss your settlement plan with you. If you wish to leave this pack so that you will be able to start your life afresh, I will foot the bill."Giulia stood up first and walked straight to Mikah without a backwards glance at me. I looked at the remaining eight of them and one by one they stood up and left until they were just four left sitting. The other five chose to leave instead.I should have do
Arabella's POV. I walked to my room in the harem feeling a twinge of guilt. I couldn't go back to his room and lie on his bed acting like I hadn't betrayed him because that was what I had done. I had betrayed him. But he wasn't worth my loyalty anyways. An image of him treating my injuries popped into my head. The way he had bandaged my feet so softly. His slight smile when I had reminded him of the doctor's visit. His kiss that had seared its way into my soul. I had to balance myself on the wall of the corridor, suddenly weak in the knees because of the onslaught of emotions I felt instantly. I forced myself to enter my room. It felt so confined and empty now without him in it. I felt utterly disgusted with myself. Had I really fallen for him despite all the wicked things he had done to me because of the scraps of kindness he threw my way?I was so stupid and my heart was even more stupid. I couldn't place when exactly it was that this thing, this feeling had started up. Was it
Arabella's POVTime lost value and blurred together. I didn't know if it was minutes, hours or days since my torture had begun. I could no longer scream, my throat was hoarse and my voice was gone. I held on to consciousness by a thin rope. Or more appropriately consciousness held onto me. Anytime I was on the brink of losing consciousness, he made sure to bring me back. To stimulate my senses again. To make sure I was aware and fully cognizant as the pain threshold mounted.He had a lot of experience with this it would seem. Because he continually kept me on the brink, I lost all sense of self. I think I would have told him all I knew already if I didn't hate him as much as I loved him.The little food in me came up as I projectile puked. Some still got on my clothes soiling them.The pain soared and lulled. Rising in waves and carrying me along as an unwilling passenger.The pain stopped and the absence of pain seemed like a different pain on its own because I knew the relief was o
Arabella's POVWhen Luciano came again to the cell, he wasn't alone. His guards dragged something between them down the staircase. When Luciano got to my cell, he opened the door. "I brought you a gift. " Luciano said sardonically.I didn't even reply to his taunts at this point. He wasn't going to get to me so easily, I was busy conserving my strength for the incoming pain. He nodded at his men and they dragged the thing they had brought up with them into her cell. The thing was a person. A boy really, he looked like a teenager, thirteen to fourteen max. He also looked like he had been beaten to within an inch of death's door. My stomach turned at his callous regard for people and life in general. Then his men unstrapped me and dumped me unceremoniously to the ground and my ass hurt with the landing. Then they put the boy in the interrogation chair.I looked at Luciano wondering what his plan was this time.Once the boy was securely strapped down, his men went outside and stood
Alpha Luciano's POV.Since my parents' death, I have never been more scared in my entire life. Arabella was still unconscious, her body hooked to an IV. I let my hand drift to her belly. My child. I was going to become a father.My hand trembled and I was surprised to feel my eyes water. Since that day, I had never cried. I wasn't weak, I was strong, I was fury, I was rage made flesh, and I was going to be a father within a span of months.I swore the doctor to secrecy but the news would eventually spread because a pregnancy couldn't be hidden for long. Uncle Tommaso and I had spoken about it. About how I needed an heir and soon. In theory, it was pretty clinical and straightforward. Fuck around, get an heir and move on with my life having satisfied the demands of the pack. But seeing Arabella's dark hair strewn over the pillow, her eyes shut and her lips drawn into a pout, and my child growing inside her, I felt something thaw within me. I felt guilty. Guilty for all I had done t
Arabella's POVI woke up feeling more than a little parched but better. My nausea and headache had dissipated. I opened my eyes in increments. The room was too bright. Come to think of it. I was no longer in the dungeon. I inhaled deeply. It was Luciano's scent. I was in his bed. What was I doing here? I moved only to wince at the pain of pulling on the IV I was connected to. I remembered him telling me he was going to kill me, I remembered the sensation of the world fading around me, my building nausea, and my total and complete loss of strength. "Oh, you are awake." Margaret exclaimed. "Water." I whispered. I heard her pour me a glass and I took it still feeling disoriented. I sipped then gulped down the water."You should be more careful about skipping meals. Alpha Luciano told me about how you collapsed because you wouldn't eat anything. You need to take better care of yourself."What? He didn't tell her that I had stolen his drugs and bugged his office? When Emery had come to
Alpha Luciano's POVI found myself shaken after that moment with Arabella. I wanted to be a better person, I realized. I wanted to be a person my child could look up to. But first, I had to ensure that all my enemies were handled. "Vitalio's next shipment of people comes in tomorrow. The bidding has already begun on the dark web." Mikah said, showing me secure footage for the auction gotten from one of the sights by my hackers. The man was despicable. I could see some underage girls being paraded about naked like they were livestock. I comforted myself with the fact that even if I hadn't been after Vitalio before, I would have tried my best to stop this trade. It was disgusting."And the men are in place?" I wanted to go myself, it had been a while since I had gone on a run with my men but I didn't like the idea of leaving Arabella all alone without sufficient security personnel. Once her pregnancy was officially announced, I could put as much as a company of soldiers outside her ro
Arabella's POVI choked on my sobs as I walked, and ran towards my room. I didn't even know why I was even crying. I didn't care about him. He could fuck his entire harem if he wanted. "Arabella!" I almost stopped. Was he really coming after me? But my anger was still raging hot so I didn't stop. I entered my room."Arabella, what's wrong–""Margaret, leave us." Luciano's voice came from right behind me and I would have jumped but I was tired. So tired. Margaret hesitated looking over at me for confirmation. I would have registered shock at the gesture if I weren't stuck in my own head replaying what I had seen over and over again. I nodded to Margaret and she left the room.I ignored Luciano and walked towards my bed. His hand caught my arm, his strong grip stopping me."Arabella."His voice still sent chills down my spine, the good type. I hated my body for craving his touch. I turned to look at him. He was as devastatingly handsome as always. His dark hair fell over his face
Alpha Luciano's POVI sat outside the surgical ward as they took the bullet out of Arabella.Uncle Tommaso sat next to me and we were silent for a time."I'm sorry." He began."Me too."I was sorry about a lot of things. I was sorry for the way I had treated him, he was my uncle. The man who had raised me. He deserved better.I was sorry about the way I had treated Arabella in the beginning when she had been as much of a victim as I was. Vitalio Bianchi, may his soul rest in peace had never betrayed my family. Instead, he had been betrayed by his own family."I shouldn't have kidnapped her… you were right. Vengeance is a blade that cuts both the wielder and the person who is cut."I was silent. In my head, I was replaying the scene from earlier on. Seeing Arabella shoot down the man who she had thought to be her father until just seconds ago. I should have felt cheated out of my revenge but I couldn't help but feel like she was the one with a larger claim to it. I wondered what it w
Arabella's POVI was shocked. My father was using me as a human shield? Surely there was a mistake. A misunderstanding because what parent would use their child as a shield?Luciano paused in his tracks but his uncle looked like he could have cared less. As long as he was able to kill my father, he didn't care who else had to lose their life in the process. Luciano raised his hand to stop his uncle, his jaw was clenched and his blue eyes burned an unholy silver."Vitalio, would you really threaten your daughter's life just to ensure your own escape?"My father laughed, his chest vibrating behind me and a chill swept through my veins. "Father?" There was a mistake. There had to be. Maybe he just wanted to use me to escape. He would apologise any minute now and tell me that this was the only way for him to escape with his life. He would tell me–"Shut up you dumb slut." He said his gun digging into the back of my skull. I froze in that moment realizing that I might not know my father
Alpha Luciano's POVThe first thing I did after seeing the warehouse was to mind-link my men. It was on the outskirts of the city. By the time they got here, the fight would be almost over but I wanted them here anyway in case Uncle Tommaso decided to play a fast one on me. That way Arabella would be safe. The limo zoomed off behind us and we entered the building. The moment we entered, gunshots went off. I dropped to the ground and rolled. Before they could begin shooting on the ground, I was already hiding behind some boxes. I pulled out my gun. Vitalio Bianchi did not follow the unspoken terms for the meeting. He had brought in his men. It wasn't like I hadn't expected it. It was Vitalio after all. It was just that I was having a problem connecting someone who was as despicable as him to someone like Arabella.The shots continued to go off but I didn't scent Uncle Tommaso's blood so I knew he was alright.I followed the trajectory of where the gunshots were coming from. One, two,
Elder Tommaso's POVI watched the realization dawn on his face that he couldn't do anything, that he was powerless in this situation. Luciano's face twisted with anger and violence as his grip on me tightened to the extent that my vision blurred. Good. This was the fighter I had raised. I suddenly felt a pang of hope. She hadn't completely killed off the Luciano I knew."If you do not tell me where she is, you will not cross the threshold to this office alive. I will dice you up bit by bit until there is nothing left of you.""If you kill me, Arabella also dies." I pried his now loose fingers from my neck. It was pathetic how easily he had given in once he heard her name. "She is in a very volatile location. If you care for your mate even a little bit, you will have to do exactly what I say to get her back."I saw the unchecked fury and disbelief in his eyes and the way his hands clenched into fists. He obviously wanted to pummel me in but because of his mate, he had restrained hi
Arabella's POVWhen I woke up, I was tied to a chair. The last moments of the fight came to me. How I had fought to the butter end. How someone had jabbed me with a needle. And how it had all gotten dark. Yes, I could remember now. What I couldn't do for the life of me was tell you where exactly I was. I looked around. I was in a basement. It smelt familiar and come to think of it, the painting of the room looked familiar.Someone entered the room. It was Luciano's uncle. I couldn't believe it. I thought he was sick so what had happened? After Luciano had told him about us, had this been his reaction? I thought about the timeline. It hadn't been an hour after Luciano left when those men came. There was only one explanation. He had planned it all. Removed Luciano from the equation so that I would be defenceless.Goddess, I didn't know for sure what was going on but I intended to find out. "Arabella Bianchi." He spat my name out like it was a curse. Maybe it was for him. "You kidn
Arabella's POV"Emery!" She shouldn't have been here. She should have been far far away. I shook her awake but she remained passed out on the ground. I needed to take her in and call Luciano. Then– I smelt wolves approaching. I could smell three of them. They could have been the perimeter guards that Luciano had told me about. But looking at Emery's prone body in front of me, I had my doubts. I pulled Emery into the house and locked the door. I backed away and picked up my phone. I had to inform Luciano. I called him. It rang but he didn't pick up the call. I tried it again with the same result. Someone pounded on the door and I jumped.The door would hold. It would– I saw an indent of a fist in the iron. I took my phone and ran for the side exit in the kitchen. There were only three. I could leave out back before they rounded up to the sides. It was possible they didn't know about that exit. I needed to leave now. I ran to the dining area and the kitchen. I pushed open the doo
Arabella's POVAt this rate, he was going to be late to work. Again. I really had to stop trying to assist him with getting ready for work. It wasn't helping either of us.Luciano pushed me against the wall as our tongues duelled for dominance. I wanted him so fiercely as though an hour ago, we hadn't been at it.His hand moved between my thighs expertly fingering me, I gasped into his kiss riding his fingers as I tightened my grip around his shoulders. His phone rang. We ignored it. I was almost there, my orgasm a few heartbeats away. I grabbed at the zipper of his office pants. I needed him inside me now. The clasp gave way under my ministrations. As I slid my hand down the zipper and Luciano buried his fingers so deep inside me that I was sure he could lose his ring inside me if he tried, the bloody phone rang again and again.I groaned in frustration as he pulled away shortly to pick up the call before settling firmly between my legs to continue touching me. I threw my head ba
Emery's POVWhen I opened my eyes, I was in an unfamiliar basement. It had a barely functional light bulb and many knickknacks spread about. Where was I?Last I remembered, I was leaving. I hadn't even gone back to my parents' home. I sent Mom a heartfelt letter containing my apology for being such a problematic daughter, asking for her forgiveness and advising her to take this opportunity to leave that man. To leave the person who couldn't give two shits about us. I refused to keep being a burden to her. I left through the back woods to avoid notice. One minute I was leaving this wreck of a pack behind, the next I felt a blunt object hit the back of my head then darkness. Had Luciano changed his mind about sparing me? No, I didn't think so. Luciano wasn't one to attack from behind. He would have killed me and gotten it over with. He was the Alpha after all. No one would even question him. The door creaked open and Elder Tommaso stepped in. My eyes widened with shock as I realized
Emery's POVMy stomach rumbled in complaint. My strength was waning. When Luciano had told me to wait for my punishment, I didn't think it would take so long. I had no idea of the amount of time that had passed. No one came to give me food or water. I tried to reach out through the pack link to contact Mom to know if Luciano had taken his anger at me out on her. So I sat in my cell awaiting my punishment. What else could I do at this point? I had paced so much that I wondered at how the stone floor showed no signs of wear. I was anxious, tense, tired, and weak. I thought about what I could have done to induce a different outcome. Should I have let Anastasia's man kill Arabella that day? Should I have left when Luciano asked me to leave? My mind spun with the possibilities of what ifs and I must have fallen asleep at some point because I woke up to the sound of the door of my cell opening. Luciano stood at the cell door himself. That wasn't right. If he intended to execute me, he