Darren's POV.I woke up early, rushing to the train room, Leila still in my thoughts.I couldn't stop picturing her or imagining her when I kept punching the punching bag.I had a bruise on my knuckles from the third strike already and the fourth was just starting to get sore when I finally stopped for the morning. The air was filled with the sound of metal clanging against metal as the punching bag swung on its chain. My heart beat wildly inside me and adrenaline surged through my veins.I looked down at myself with disgust, the sweat from my forehead dripping all over me.My shirt stuck to my body, the damp material sticking to my skin. I rushed out to the bathroom, running cold water from the sink, wiping it off my face and neck.Leila's voice suddenly rang through my head again, making the blood rush even harder down south. I glanced at my cock, watching it harden as I thought of Leila.She sounded so sweet. Her eyes were beautiful. Her laugh. The way she would smile with her
Leila's POV."Leila?" Shantel raised her brows as she stopped giggling.She kept hugging the Alpha tightly as she stared at me with a sly smile on her face.I wasn't ready for the pang I felt in my heart, the pain of seeing them together hurt more than I could imagine.My heart clenched tightly in my chest and my eyes watered slightly.My stomach felt like it was twisting painfully in knots and even if I wanted to look away from them.Yet my eyes were still drawn to them, it's like the pain I felt couldn't take my eyes off them, the hurt inside me was unmistakable.It's not fair. It's just not fair. I thought bitterly. "Leila." Shantel's voice cut through my thoughts. "What are you doing here?" She asked, her voice laced with surprise.But I knew she wasn't surprised, she was glad to see me here."If you're done cleaning, you can leave." Shantel ordered.I nodded eagerly, I couldn't wait to leave, I wasn't done cleaning yet, but I didn't want to do it anymore, my mind was focused on
Leila's POV.I walked out of his room with shaky legs, my thoughts trying to filter out what I did to him to deserve this.I kept walking shakily pretending to not be hurt, forcing my eyes to be dry of tears, yet the tears flowed freely, I couldn't even control anything."Leila?" I turned around sniffling as I tried drying my tears hurriedly.It was a guard. I saw him a lot, yet I didn't really speak to him or glance at him. Some of the guards hurt other slaves, while some were entirely playful. I tried to avoid any of them as much as possible."Yes." I replied firmly, my voice was firm but my heart definitely wasn't, the fear in me was so obvious if you looked closely."I just wanted to be sure it was you." he chuckled, for some reason his chuckle didn't seem that harmful.I managed a smile at him, "Oh, I'll get going now." I said and he nodded."Yeah." he replied nervously making me chuckle, I was surprised a guard could even get nervous.I turned away, but was stopped immediately.
Shantel's POV.I was so excited when Alpha Darren paraded me as his girlfriend in front of Leila.I'm sure I giggled a thousand times, when he did that, the pain on her face was very evident.I basked in the glory that she was hurt, her face couldn't hide the pain she was feeling, which made me come to the conclusion that she likes the Alpha.Even when he made her watch us, she was crying all through and she couldn't look, yet he made her do it.As much as I loved my victory, the feeling of something missing hit me immediately, she was crying because she likes the Alpha.The fact that she likes him as a slave is very suspicious, and the fact that the Alpha made her watch us is suspicious, it felt like he intended to hurt her.We didn't even have sex at the end, it felt like his bravado in making her watch was because she was right there in the room with us.Immediately she left, he suddenly lost interest, he even ran out minutes later, I really needed to know what exactly I was missin
Shantel's POV.The route to the witch's place was a long and tortuous one.Not because of the terrain that lay in wait for travelers on either side of the road; rather it was the steep decline of what used to be farmland into the lush forest on each side, which left little room for proper footing. Even more, though, there were no trails available to guide visitors to where they needed to go.No paved roads or even clear paths of any kind. All around them stretched an endless, almost impassable wall of forest.It rose hundreds of feet up to a canopy so dense that sunlight struggled its way through in small streams as the birds and other wildlife flew overhead.The sun itself seemed to be hiding behind that barrier of trees, unable to penetrate the thickening darkness beyond it. As I walked along the path, only the faintest glimmer of moonlight broke through the foliage ahead of them. "This is ridiculous." I sighed, but I needed the witch's help more than anything.If I didn't get i
Leila's POV.I scanned the room before entering, excited that the Alpha was not around.I began cleaning his room, organizing his things to make it presentable so he won't come back and punish me.I avoided him like the plague now, I made sure he didn't see me around him for more than five minutes.I kept cleaning his room, cleaning his bed, and cleaning his bathroom. It took almost an hour for me to finish his room.Once I was done, I rushed out to this office, the excitement of not seeing him there either made me start cleaning his office fast.I cleaned his desk, making sure there were no papers on it, I swept the floor in the hallway leading to his office, I dusted his bookshelves, and finally I did the bathroom too.By the time I finished everything in the entire building, I felt exhausted. I decided to get some sleep since the only job left was working in the store-room.I sighed as I laid down on the bed, trying my best to fall asleep.When I did, a strange feeling came over m
Leila's POV.My head felt like I was on cloud nine, floating around in my mind and not really thinking about anything but everything that happened.I wonder why I felt this way, yet I couldn't move on or turn, it felt like everything was overwhelming to do, and I would crumble if I tried standing.It felt like I was dying and living at the same time, which I guess is what happens when you die a few times. My head started throbbing as if someone was pounding on it, the pain spreading down my body from everywhere.I could hear my voice whispering, “Help me… please” That's all I seemed able to say over and over again.All these happened immediately after I finished eating, I didn't know why I felt this way.My body and my wolf were fighting for dominance, trying to free myself from this cage I found myself.It wasn't a real cage, it was just a feeling, and I couldn't leave my room, because of the way I felt, I just laid there, my eyes closed tightly.It was late anyway and I was thankf
Shantel's POV.I woke up with a bright smile on my face, my thoughts filled with Leila's dead body.I was happy she died, when I entered her room last night, the joy of not hearing her breathing and seeing how stiff she was, made me sleep peacefully.I couldn't wait for the news that she was dead, I don't care about how the Alpha will feel but I was eliminating any competition from my life.And she was the Alpha's mate, I know he'll be hurt, but she's no more.I giggled while entering the bathroom, taking off all my clothing as quickly as possible and splashing water onto my head to wash away the sweat. When my skin was dry I wrapped myself in one towel, picked up another towel and dried my hair thoroughly before putting it back into its original shape.The moment I stepped out of the shower, I began happily around my room singing 'Leila is dead."My happiness was skyrocketing when I opened my closet and found clothes. I grabbed a pair of black jeans and some blue turtleneck sweat
Leila's POV.I followed him, I was too giddy and excited.He kissed me, ruffling my hair, as I giggled in delight. He told me how proud he was of me and we both laughed at it. His face formed into a smile that didn't exist and it made the butterflies I felt in my stomach go wild again. I loved it when he smiled at me or made me happy.I felt so good, everything was lovely and wonderful, and then he looked down and whispered, “We have to go or we won't see the sunset." He said.I followed him, feeling like I was floating on air, as he carried me up.I couldn't stop thinking about everything that happened and how I felt now.I was filled with so much happiness, love, adoration. I wanted more than anything else to spend my life with this amazing man who had given me all I had ever wished for.He gave me protection, love and care, and I couldn't ask for anything more."We're almost there." He whispered.He covered my eyes as I stumbled trying to find my balance."Be careful." He said
Leila's POV.I groaned as the incessant knocking on the door jolted me awake from my peaceful slumber. Rubbing my eyes, I stumbled out of bed and made my way to the door, struggling to shake off the lingering remnants of sleep.I swung open the door to reveal a young maid standing on the other side. Her hair was neatly pulled back into a tight bun, and her eyes darted nervously around the room. She curtsied before me, her voice trembling slightly as she spoke."By Alpha's orders, I have been sent to get you ready for the celebration, ma'am," she announced, her voice barely above a whisper. "It's the mating ceremony today."Confusion washed over me like a cold wave, and I frowned, trying to gather my thoughts. Mating ceremony?"What... what ceremony?" I stammered, my voice still laced with drowsiness."The mating ceremony, ma'am," the maid repeated, her eyes widening. "You and Alpha Darren's he had been preparing for it all day"My heart skipped a beat at the realization. How could I h
Darren's POV.I stepped into the kitchen, the savory aroma of freshly cooked food wafting through the air. It had been a long day, but I wanted to make sure Leila had a proper meal.She deserved something special, something that would nourish her body and lift her spirits. As I glanced around the kitchen, my eyes settled on the ingredients neatly arranged on the countertop. It was time to create a healthy and delicious dinner for my mate.I started by selecting a vibrant array of vegetables. Bright red tomatoes, crisp green lettuce, and vibrant orange carrots caught my attention.I carefully washed and chopped them, the sharp knife slicing through the vegetables with precision. Next, I reached for a head of cauliflower and broke it into florets, ready to be roasted to perfection.With the vegetables prepared, I turned my attention to the protein. I had bought fresh salmon, knowing that the omega-3 fatty acids would be beneficial for Leila and our unborn child. I seasoned them with a d
Leila's POV.I woke up with a pounding headache, my temples throbbing as I tried to make sense of my surroundings. Slowly, the fog lifted from my mind, and I realized I was in my own room. Relief washed over me, mingling with confusion.How did I get here? Why was my head hurting so much? And then, like a dam breaking, my memories flooded back, crashing into my consciousness with the force of a tidal wave.I remembered meeting the healer and all, I just know the memory didn't leave. Shantel. The name echoed in my mind, carrying with it the terror of the past few days. I had been kidnapped by her and the witch, held against my will in a nightmarish ordeal.Tears welled up in my eyes as I allowed myself to fully comprehend the gravity of the situation. The Moon goddess had spared my life, and for that, I was eternally grateful, I'm sure she sent the blasting moon to kill them.The room seemed simultaneously comforting and alien. The familiar sights and sounds of my sanctuary took on ne
Leila's POV.Opening my eyes, staring at the healer as she cleaned off my bruises, applying ointment on it as the memories of Shantel's wickedness dawned on me.I felt so proud of myself for surviving all the pains and all the torture I received in the hands of that monster Shantel.I remembered how the Alpha carried immediately when he saw me there.She made my life a living hell, my child was my hope and my strength so I had to survive.I would have been devastated if I had lost my child to Shantel's torture, even at the expense that she doesn't know that I'm pregnant her torture was enough to kill a mother and her child."Whoever did this to you must be hell bent on having you dead" The healer said as she slowly rubbed the ointment on my legs."Oh she's definitely hell bent on killing me and Alpha Darren, she's a monster. You should have seen what she did to me. This is just because the wounds were healing." I uttered hastily, trying hard to shade off the thoughts of Shantel becau
Darren's POV"We have to go and find Leila, if anything happens to her I wouldn't forgive myself" I uttered, wondering what Leila must be passing through in the hands of Shantel, the fact that I wasn't there and I don't know where she could be filled me with the thoughts of incapabilities.I've got to find Leila to shade off my thoughts of incapabilities and also to prove to Shantel that she can't get away with her plans, her obsession is quite killing her. "It's dangerous out there,we got hurt when we came back."Aidan stuttered, knowing that his words would get me pissed. Truly his words got me pissed to some point, I lost my appetite for even eating this beautiful meal."I don't care... Besides it's the reason I want to rescue her out of the hands of Shantel" I retorted in a manner that he understood that he had to think about his words before saying it to me to avoid my wrath."Having you in the hands of Shantel would mean her gaining full victory over you and her plan could be to
Leila's POV.I was tied up on top of a stone, my hands behind my back.I was nervous, wondering how the ritual would be, when I woke up, I saw myself here.I was about to become a sacrifice for a greedy witch, and here I was.I couldn't move, I felt paralyzed, everything in me was frozen, unable to respond to anything other than the cold.The sensation spread throughout me like ice, freezing every part of my body. There wasn't enough air in my lungs, and yet I could feel nothing, no air moving through my throat. My stomach turned uncomfortably and I started to gag involuntarily.The nausea came in waves, and it took all of my will power to fight them off until they subsided again, slowly returning to a normal state.I was terrified, my heart beating so fast I thought it might explode.My mind went blank, my breathing slowed, and the world stopped spinning around me, just as my body was starting to slow down from its frantic heartbeat.In an attempt to distract myself, I began counting
Leila's POV.A scream rips from through my throat as ice cold water cascades down my body."Get up" Shantel hisses at me in a harsh tone, I can see her silhouetted figure in the room, my mind is in a haze and I try to focus, to regain my bearings. Her voice pierces my ears but all I see are blurry spots, "Get up" she repeats with more emphasis, I can't move, my limbs are shaking violently, "Stand up at one and do not waste my time, the ritual is happening elsewhere. " She snaps at me, it takes my brain a few seconds to process this, the ritual she speaks of means death. They are going to kill me and take my powers, I try to stand, and immediately I am hit with another wave of dizziness.Fear shoots through my spine in a hot wave, gripping me, my mouth goes dry, my throat clogs up and my eyes water. I feel my knees give out, they give way beneath me, and I collapse on the floor once again, a sob tears from me as I curl up into myself, wrapping my arms around my shivering body.
Shantel's POV.I shivered, fear filled my body, and I could barely breath for a second. It wasn't because of the cold due to the rain. No, this was more than fear and pain.I couldn't believe what I heard from Dean, the Alpha was suspicious of me and I didn't know what to do.I was so terrified and Dean wasn't picking up his calls, or even texting me like he usually would. He's not picking up his calls, I wonder if the Alpha caught him already.I paced the corridor, trying to figure out what to do.I called his line again, and it was switched off.I bit my fingernails, my whole body shook, but my eyes stayed glued on my phone as I waited for another text message or a call.The witch came back already and she was doing her final preparations as she told me.I really didn't care about that, all that mattered to me was seeing a reply from Dean.I kept looking at my phone, waiting for anything, any kind of notification. My hands were shaking as I tried to text him again, my mind raced