Emily’s POV. Something cold and wet landed all over my body. “Wake up!! Who said you can oversleep here?!” the clatter of two metals that followed keyed me into further panic. I jolted awake, rolled on the small bed and fell with a thud on the floor. A small cry left my lips, but I quickly recollected myself off the floor and staggered. My gaze settled on the scowling face of my host as she continued to clatter the metals to my face and then stopped. “That will be the last time I wake you up, Emily Blakesley. Here, we rise before the sun even hints at the horizon. Am I clear? Have I made myself clear?!” she barked. “Y-yes, ma’am,” I stammered. “Good.” She turned and gave the metals to someone else in the room. For the first time, I noticed two women with us in the room, one was holding a bucket which dangled in her hand perhaps to emphasize on what she’d just done. “Strip.” My host ordered. Without even blinking, I peeled the wet dress off my body and stood, naked,
Emily’s POV. Beads of sweat rolled down my skin as I ran through the dark forest. My heart pounded in my ears, the icy cold air slicing through my throat. I glanced behind at my assailants and saw them snarling as they lashed after me. Two-legged monsters, the kind I’ve seen only in my father's books. A devastating scream left my lips. I veered left and scouted over dead leaves and stones, the forest was like an endless circle, no matter how much I ran there seemed not to be an edge. The ground became a blur beneath me. I turned to glance at my assailants and bumped into him. “H-help me!!” I cried, grabbing nothing but a fine set of muscles as I clutched his arms, “ Please, help me!” The stranger. He stood tall, his shoulders broad as the walls of a city. He was wearing a cloak which covered his face. An inexplicable sensation tumbled my existence as our skins touched. Never
My heart pounded louder than the music as I pushed through the crowd. I caught sight of the stranger just as he slipped through the oak door leading to the garden. Dragging a breath, I followed him. The stars twinkled in the night sky as I stepped into the open air, the breeze was icy cold and rustled the leaves. I saw him disappearing into a corner. “Stop!” I commanded but he wouldn’t. Gnashing under my breath, I followed him. My breath formed visible puffs in the air and incoherent voices began to whisper in my ear regardless, I rounded the corner. And then I saw him again, standing before the fountain with his back to me, his cloak billowed under the breeze. “Who are you?” I asked. He wouldn’t answer, nor would he turn around and let me see his face. “I said, who are you?” I darted towards the stranger and right before my eyes, he vanished into thin air. What! A sudden distant laughter cackled in the air. I turned to leave and the path before me
Calix’s POV. “Land ho!!” the lookout man hollered. I closed the compass in my hand and brought out my spyglass, a peep through the device showed a town on top of a hill. Tyr, home sweet home. “Prepare for anchor!” I instructed the men as I walked down the main deck. “Prepare the lines and put out the fender. I want all hands on deck!” “Aye, Aye, Captain!” the men chorused. The sounds of ropes being coiled and sails getting stowed filled the air. My hands clasped behind my back, I strode to the quarterdeck, to Han steering the ship. “How is she?” I asked. “She is steady, no worries about her listing or swaying. And according to my calculations, we should be in Tyr in two hours and that’s at dusk,” he replied and I patted his back. Han was my beta and best friend, we have explored the world together. My gaze darted to the gray hump on the horizon, Tyr, my place of birth. It's been two decade
Warning! This chapter contains mature content, readers' discretion is advised. Calix’s POV. I walked into the room to the sight of two skimpily dressed ladies sprawled on the bed; a brunette and blonde. “Hello alpha,” the blonde said. “You’re welcome, my lord,” the brunette said. I closed the door behind me just as they seductively climbed down from the bed and walked to me. “Hello, ladies!” I said. “I’m Sara and this here is Fienna,” the blonde said pointing to the brunette. “Nice to make your acquaintances. Well, my name is-” “Alpha Calix, the Alpha of all alphas,” the brunette said. “Your reputation precedes you, my lord,” the blonde added. Smiling, the ladies turned to each other and kissed, at first languidly and then increasing the tempo setting the mood for tonight. “Come, Alpha Calix. We would like to entertain you specially tonight.” I allowed them lead me to a couch opposite the bed. “Please, sit
Emily’s POV. The air smelled of salt and cedarwood, blending with the fragrances of the flowers hung on the walls. I tried to read the book in my hands, but my thoughts were disjointed, images from my nightmares flashed in my head and I shut the book. It's been hours since we left the shores of Azalea, hours since I left the main deck of the Great Carrack, and joined my mother in the great cabin. Exhaling, my gaze darted across the windows, to my father and his men working tirelessly under the afternoon sun. “Would you care for some tea?” my mother's gentle voice cut through the atmosphere. We were seated on a couch near the windows. At my mother's question, I straightened on the couch and nodded. “Yes, please,” I replied. A smile lighting Queen Larissa’s expression, she turned and signaled the servant with us in the room and I was served tea. “Thank you,” I mumbled and took some sips. “So, did you feel it last nig
Emily’s POV. My legs were swift as I ran through the forest that bordered the hamlet, tears seeped from my eyes and cascaded down my face. I want to make it stop, the pain that glided down my throat and twisted my stomach, but I couldn’t. I could still see my father’s face, the disappointment etched on his face, and the fact he left without saying goodbye. The soles of my shoes pounded against the forest floor and splashed mud up my feet. My breaths, ragged and frantic lurched in my throat as the tears blurred my vision. I can barely see where I was going but I pressed on, each step taking me away to an unknown destination. My thirst for solitude burned through my nerves. All around me was calm and still, the forest a quiet sanctuary of life and light. The golden rays of the afternoon sun filtered through the thick canopy of leaves above, casting a warm, dappled glow onto the forest floor. The trees stood tall and ancient, their trunks r
Emily’s POV. My heart ached as though he took a part of me with him, the thought of never seeing him again rippled me into unequal halves. His scent still hung in the air; that intoxicating smell of musk and honey. His face was engraved in my heart; his beautiful brown eyes and how they looked at me with zest and something primal. His wet hair and how they clung to his face. There was no denying the desires I felt for him, no denying the fact that he felt them too– everything that coursed between us, unspoken but palpable How his hands moved so delicately but with ferocity on my skin, setting wildfires I never knew existed. The heat between us had been undeniable, a magnetic pull that neither of us could resist yet he’d left without a goodbye, just like my father. A cold reminder that I was utterly alone on this settlement. Slowly, I gathered myself off the floor and staggered, my gaze fixated on the trail of his footprints on the sand. The wind whipped m