Ugh. This was going to be tasking. The foolish woman was causing me to work overtime. I stood and got my laptop, then scrolled through the list of my possible partners in the pack, seeking for someone I could easily control. The elders were too full of themselves, so no. Diane Hill would have been perfect, but she was roped in with too many criminals, I couldn't risk it. The servants in Roman's quarters would have been perfect, but they were majorly loyal to him. I needed someone who held a grudge. Someone who, with a simple nudge in the right direction, would not hesitate to destroy him. I kept scrolling, getting more irritated with every second, till my eyes settled upon the perfect person, and a smile crept onto my face. Of course. Why didn't I think of him before? Jacob Clyde. The current Gamma and Audrey's oldest friend in the pack. Probably her only friend, now that I thought about the days we'd been dating. They'd been inseparable before she met me, and he'd constantly mad
“You never did,” I shot back, skidding the car to a halt when I finally saw the landmark. Julian almost flew out of his seat, but he said nothing, choosing to glare at me instead before unbuckling his seatbelt and opening the car door. We covered the car with tarp and the rest of the journey on foot, not wanting to bring attention to ourselves from the rogues. Margrave might be a rogue chief, but he didn't exactly dictate what all rogues could or couldn't do. Tracy's was located in the heart of an unnamed place, which Julian had nicknamed Roguemania, as it was the site of everything rogues stood for after leaving a pack: disloyalty, crime, and absolute madness. We'd been sent to this place by my father before and had barely been able to complete our mission. That was when we'd first met Margrave, and when he'd made it clear that he considered me his enemy. For that reason, I'd been the object of his hatred for years, mostly with him toying with me for his selfish benefits. That wa
Over my dead body. But I couldn't say that to him. “Maybe another time,” I said instead, forcing a small smile on my face. “Today will just be business only.” He raised a brow at my statement. “Business only? You? I would never have imagined a Blackburn not wanting to mix business with pleasure. Are you sure your father is proud of you, boy?” Bile rose in my throat at the mention of my father. “That doesn't matter, Leonard.”“Oh, but it does.” He turned to the woman. “Hey! Spread your cunt!” She quivered but did as he asked, and he growled in satisfaction, before telling a surprised Julian and I to give him a second so he could finish. I tried to focus on somewhere else as he increased his tempo, wanting nothing more than to flee the room or bleach my mind so the image of his naked body joined to another woman's naked body would be erased. “I want to kill him,” Julian growled in my mind. “It's just for a while,” I replied, though I wanted to do the very same. “Let's be patient.”
Roman POV:Surely, he wasn't serious. But as I looked at his clear gaze inspite of the fact that someone was sucking his cock, I realized he meant what he'd said. He wanted me to give Audrey up like some sort of peace offering in exchange for his help. “Well?” he prompted, after a while of grunting and forcing the woman's head up and down, his eyes gleaming. “What do you say?”“You want me to give my mate up?” I heard a voice that sounded like mine say. He nodded, a stupid smirk on his face. “She's your most precious possession, isn't she?”“She isn't a possession.” He raised a brow, then chuckled. “That's a foolish way of thinking, young man. Women are possessions, whether you like it or not.”“That's a backward way of thinking,” I couldn't stop myself from saying, and he frowned. “Now I understand why your father left the pack for you completely. He must be embarrassed to hear his child speaking like this.” He grunted then, and the woman lifted her head. He patted her fondly, t
Marvin POV:I whistled a merry tune as I strolled to the Hill residence. Everything was going according to plan. Diane Hill had gone on another travel, Margrave had successfully gotten Roman and Julian to visit him, Audrey was alone, and Jacob was alone. All I had to do was set the stage. “Marvin?” Tanya recoiled when she saw me at the door, then bowed her head as I entered. I grinned at her show of humility, knowing that fear was what drove her actions. Since I'd made it clear just how far I could go, she was ready to cooperate. Which was good, considering what I was about to make her do. But first… “Hello, darling mate,” I purred, shutting the door behind me and locking it, before pulling her to me. She yelped and tried to move away, but went mute when I pinched her waist. After finding my next partner, I'd tossed and turned all night, my wolf itching for her to be by my side. Now that she was before me, I had a somewhat overwhelming urge to devour her. But I didn't plan to do
Audrey POV:Tanya couldn't be planning to kill herself. But as I rushed down the path leading to my former residence, I couldn't help but think otherwise. The tone she'd used while talking to me had caused me to have an adrenaline rush, and though the guard at the door had stopped me initially, I'd snuck out through the backdoor.For what it was worth, I genuinely hoped she hadn't died. Sure, we'd had our issues, but I never wanted her to die. I arrived at the front door and immediately banged on it, not caring that it was late at night. It didn't take long before my stepsister opened it, mascara streaks running down her face. She seemed surprised to see me but also relieved. “Audrey,” she breathed. “You came.” Then she opened the door wider. “Please, come in.”I walked in, surprised at how foreign the house I'd lived in for so long seemed to me now. “H-how are you, Tanya? And what was all that talk about wanting peace?” She looked at me with fresh tears in her eyes. “I'm so sorry
Roman POV:The last time I’d seen Gertrude was about two weeks ago, when she'd been brought to my office from her place of temporary confinement so we could discuss the terms of co-parenting, after which the guards had returned her to the quarters.And now she'd appeared in a place I'd never have dreamed of seeing her in. Julian had a frown on his face. “What's she doing here?” I had the very same question. But we knew we would not get our answer by standing in the street, so we followed her quietly, ensuring she would not be able to see us. Due to the training we'd received as spies, this was terribly easy, also considering the fact that she was an amateur at sneaking about. Finally she turned into the back of a rundown bar, and I frowned when I sighted another figure behind the said bar. Another look confirmed that it was a male, and when she threw her arms around him, my eyes narrowed. Well, she'd drugged me to sleep with me and get pregnant. Had I really expected that I'd be
Audrey POV:I shivered from the coolness of the place I’d been caged in, completely unaware about the goings on of the outside world. Jacob and Derek hadn't replied my other fear-filled questions when I'd awoken, and at a point Jacob had snapped at me to shut up, with certain backstories on when his hatred for me began. I almost could not believe it. Jacob, my close friend, had kidnapped and regarded me as some annoying fly he'd had to put up with. I was finding it hard to accept that he and Tanya had planned the entire ruse. How could he have done that to me? He'd been brazen enough to destroy my trust in him without a trace of remorse. We'd grown up together, for crying out loud. He was my best friend! He'd changed so much, that I knew when I returned. He'd become the Gamma, and though he tried to be normal with me, I could feel it. He was different. Perhaps I'd changed too, but that hadn't stopped me from being his genuine friend. I loved him just as I'd loved him before I fled
Roman POV:“You did quite well,” Julian said to me while I watched Jacob supervise the cleaning of the conference room. It'd been about fifteen minutes since the meeting ended, and a part of me had reveled in the fear the elders had in their eyes whenever they crossed the body of their dead comrade. “You really didn't have to kill anyone though.”“They are infuriating,” I said emotionlessly as the cleaners began their job. “It was high time they learned that I wasn't just the old Alpha's son. I am the Alpha.” My best friend gave me a look. “I hope that doesn't mean you plan to resort to the harsh ways of your father.”“Never,” I grunted. “But I'll have to place some respect in these elders’ hearts. They need to be reminded of their position before me.” My Beta merely passed a breath through his mouth. “If you say so, Roman. I just really hope you're not using your anger with your mate's disappearance to cloud your greater sense of judgment.” “Audrey's disappearance has nothing to
Audrey POV:I gawked as Sam opened a portal the moment I accepted his hand. He grinned at me while the magic door pulsated with energy, and placed a leg into it. “Come on, young lady.”I hesitated, suddenly feeling very unsure and stupid. The moment he extended his hand, I'd snatched it without thinking. As soon as he opened the portal, it hit me. Just who exactly was I about to follow through a portal that only he knew that location it led to? Sure, he'd claimed to have known my father, but almost everyone knew my father then. Not only did I not know his true intentions, but he'd been part of the men that watched my humiliation. He cocked his head to the side when he saw my hesitation. “What's the matter?” “I don't know you. You might want to kill me,” I blurted, turning red when he began to laugh. “That's what you’re bothered about, darling?” he chuckled. “I just saved you from getting raped and potentially mauled by that piece of scum.” He stepped forward. “You really think you
Roman POV:“This is preposterous!” I glared at the elder who'd just spoken, and he wisely kept his mouth shut immediately. Lucky for him. I would have slit his throat if he made one more sound. I wasn't supposed to be here. I was supposed to be out saving Audrey. I was supposed to have gotten her into my arms, and rescued her from whatever hellhole Edward Kim had put her in. “I apologize for speaking out of turn, Alpha,” the elder who'd just interrupted my speech said, fear shining in his eyes. “I was just…I'm laden with emotion at how much torment this pack has fallen into.”I schooled my features into blankness. “Thank you so much for your concern, Logan, but you haven't even been around to know how much torment we are in right now.” He reddened and turned away, knowing what I'd said was true. Just like Diane Hill, he'd disappeared for a while, but he'd returned a bit earlier than she had. A nasty thought about him dying just like Kennedy and Hill crossed my mind, but i waved it
Audrey POV:I was returned to the dark room when the men had had enough of me. The visiting Brothers were not returning to their homes, so I was to be a spectacle for them again the following day. In the meantime, Derek wanted me to ‘rest’, which essentially meant he didn't want me to die yet. Normally I would have willingly killed myself to escape his torture, but I had people’s lives tied to mine. I had no idea what Edward Kim would do if I committed suicide. That would be against the deal we made, right? So I kept quiet and let Derek do whatever he wanted till he finally ended my life. My body was bruised all over again from the beatings Derek had given me, and every time I laid against the cold wall or put too much pressure on the side of my body that rested on the hard ground, I cried out in pain. I wanted to curl into a ball and cry, but I knew the would cause unimaginable agony. And Derek's words at the beginning about him wanting to hear me cry out in pain haunted me, so I f
Audrey POV:“I still don't know what exactly to do for her sendforth into the great beyond,” my holding master laughed as I coughed out blood, feeling the life slowly draining out of me. I'd been presented on a makeshift stage before some of the ‘Brothers’ that Derek had invited to watch my torture spectacle. They were surrounded by lots of food, and they chuckled at Derek's jokes while I writhed in pain. “Perhaps you should save her the torment of a prolonged death,” one of them said. “Just one swipe across her throat and you'll be done with it.”Derek seemed to consider the idea. “The issue now is, I don't want to do that. I don't want to be done with it so easily. She's still alive. Her eyes haven't lost their spark.” He bared his teeth playfully at me. “I need that spark to disappear first. Then I'll kill her.” Fear gripped me, and if my wrists weren't bound and my body hurting, I'd have attempted to slide away. “Any news from Kim?” another of the Brothers asked, spearing a pi
Tanya POV:“You did good,” Marvin said, placing a hand on my shoulder. “They didn't suspect a thing. I'm proud of you.” I didn't say a word, merely staring ahead, like I expected my mother to appear before me. The moment I heard the explosion, I'd sunk to my knees, crying out loud. Marvin had immediately gagged me again and held me close, being both good and evil at the same time. I'd leaned against him, too tired to decide what was right or fair and what wasn't. The following morning, I woke up cuffed to a chair, and he laid beside me, his eyes closed. However, the moment I shuffled, his eyes opened wide, and his gaze bored into mine. It was then I knew I wasn't going anywhere, no matter what he did to me. Not because I was afraid of him, but because I’d given myself to him. Mind, body and soul. For better, for worse, right? “Jacob is coming soon, so you'd better dress up.” His hand pressed on my shoulder. “And look very presentable.”I gave an almost imperceptible nod. Jacob had
Roman POV:“Hold on,” Julian said while I absentmindedly kicked a small rock along the road. “Your mother is…Ruby? Ruby is your mother? I don't understand.” It'd confused me too, but after I returned to my room, I found Ruby staring wide eyed at me. It hit me that she probably wasn't completely aware of what was happening with her. We were on our way to Marvin's apartment to pay a courtesy visit to Tanya regarding the destruction of the Hill residence. According to Julian, Diane Hill's body had still not been found, but the probability of her being burnt to ashes was much higher than the probability of her crawling out of the inferno. I didn't like the woman at all, but that didn't completely mean I wanted her gone. She was Tanya's backbone, from what I noticed when we together, and finding out about her mother's death must have been very hard for her. That's why I asked Julian to accompany me. “It really doesn't make any sense,” Julian was mumbling. “Did your mother go back in ti
Roman POV:“My son,” the woman before me said, a sad smile on her face. “My little boy.”I couldn't move, as my eyes roamed all over her face. She was the one, no doubt about it. Just as it had been in the portrait. But I couldn't go closer to her. It was as though each time I tried to move, something stopped me. “Am I dead?” I whispered, and she laughed. “No, you're not. You're in a different dimension, Roman.” The woman- no, not the woman- my mother smiled at me again, much brighter this time. “I had to bring you here so I could speak to you.” How was that possible? I voiced my thoughts, and Mother shrugged. “I…” she paused for a moment as if to think about her next thoughts. “This is going to be a very confusing discussion, but…let’s start with this. I’m a witch, Roman. Well, half-witch with a suppressed lycan side.” The silence in the room was frightening after that statement. I blinked once, twice, trying to wrap my head around her statement. She must have noticed the confus
Audrey POV:Derek came back a while later, a devilish grin on his face. “Hello, Princess.” I couldn't respond to him. I hadn't been given any food or water, and my wrists were bruising. I could feel the wounds that had been formed from the constant contact with the binding chain, and every slight movement was pain. He stood before me and surveyed my body, a gleam in his eyes. “Well, I'd say you look like shit, but you already know that.”The glare I gave him made him laugh, his shoulders jerking slightly. “Now, we're going to try something different. I'm going to take you off the wheel of death- get it?- and you're going to express your gratitude by sucking my dick. Is that understood?” My eyes widened, and he smiled even more broadly. “You heard me right, Sweetness. I'm very curious to see what Roman Blackburn has been enjoying. Because outwardly, there's only so much one can actually credit you for. I'll tell you though- your face isn't one of them. Your body, on the other hand…”