Ethan's POV I held her in my arms as I rushed into the Palace. As soon as I arrived at Esme's room, the doctor was already there and she greeted me. "Alpha please place her on the bed." She instructed and I did that. "You'll have to please leave so I can take care of her." She requested and I nodded. I left the room and closed the door behind me. Rachel instantly accosted me. "What happened? Why is Esme in that condition?" She questioned, her face full of worry. I explained everything to her as briefly as possible. "I can't help but feel like it's my fault. I was there with her, I let her leave with me so I should have protected her, it's my duty as her Alpha but I couldn't do that. I failed her." I said and punched the wall angrily. "Don't be so hard on yourself, none of this is your fault. It was a tough situation, it couldn't be helped. I'm sure that Esme will be fine, I'll pray for her and goddess Selene will protect her. Everything will be alright." Rachel tried to con
Esme's POVI had already accepted my fate back in the water so I was more shocked than relieved when I opened my eyes and found myself back in my room.I sat up in confusion, wondering how I had gotten here when the voice beside me caught my attention."You should really be careful and try to avoid stress at all costs, you narrowly escaped death." A lady who I assumed to be a doctor said,"How did I get here?" I asked the only question I could think of."The Alpha brought you back, you were in a critical condition since you were not only injured but you nearly drowned as well. It took a lot of effort to stabilize you. The Alpha was very worried, everyone was but he was on edge the whole time.I've never seen him like that, it's quite surprising since he's usually always calm and collected, even during very challenging situations." The doctor said and a smile stretched the edge of my lips.I'm not worried that I almost died, I'm happy that the events that took place today, though unexp
Ethan's POVI rushed out of the room as quickly as possible and took a deep breath. I thought I had finally overcome it but the memories keep flooding back. This is exactly why I don't want her too close to me.Just now when Esme had tried to feed me, I had a flashback of Tanika and I.It happened years ago, when Tanika and I had been dating. I was madly in love with her at the time and would often let her do as she pleased.It was on a normal day, I had been out hunting with some members of the Pack but it was an unsuccessful hunt, we didn't return with much so most of us were in a sour mood, me included.I was used to being successful in everything I did so I felt incompetent and took it out on my partner during training.I was catching my breath during time out when Tanika suddenly sneaked up on me. I got into a defensive position and was able to stop myself from harming her in time.She asked if I had eaten yet and I knew she would scold me if I told her the truth so I said nothin
WARNING: THIS CHAPTER CONTAINS VIVID DESCRIPTIONS OF VIOLENCE, BLOOD AND GORE AND MAY BE DISTURBING TO SOME PEOPLE. READER DISCRETION IS ADVISED. ETHAN'S POV "Alright then, you leave me no choice." I said with a sigh and moved closer to him. I took a seat beside him and forcefully grabbed his left hand. "I'm kind of bored so why don't we play a game. I'll ask you questions about myself and if you get it right, I'll only break a finger but if you get it wrong, I'll cut off the finger instead. Shall we get started?" I asked with a delightful smile. "Screw you." He lashed back. "First question, what is my name?" I asked calmly. "You're worse than stupid if you think I'm going to play your stupid games." He retorted. "Wrong answer." I chirped and held his fingers firmly before bringing out my trusty pincers. "Heat this up for me real quick." I requested and the other guard by the name of Dalton quickly brought out a lighter and heated the head of the pincers before handing it back
Ethan's POV I had my guess. I knew that Alpha Edgar would probably be responsible for my attack since he is one of the few lucky people who has yet to taste my wrath. He is one proud jerk and I had put him in his place by not only claiming my mate but by teaching him some manners so he's obviously out for revenge. This made me snicker. At least now I have a good enough reason to obliterate the entire pack. He's the one who imprisoned and tortured my mate her whole life and he still has the guts to try to kill her while she's in my care. Now that I'm sure that he's responsible, I will be sending him a befitting reply. I'll show no mercy this time, not even for babies. I took a look at myself in the mirror and sighed. My body is made up of fifty percent of scar tissue and these scars are a reminder of who I am and what my goal in life is. I quickly dressed into fresh clothes and dried my hair. It's already nightfall. It's been one heck of a day. After leaving Esme's room due to my
Ethan's POV I swiftly arrived at the dungeon and when the guards saw my demeanor, they quickly stepped aside without asking questions. The rogue was in a cell, he was naked and chained to the wall but he was asleep. Who gave this bitch the right to sleep after what he did? The scars of my earlier torture of him where still fresh but had been treated. His hand, the one I'd played with was bandaged and he was of course missing a few fingers, courtesy of me. I kicked his face to wake him up and he startled awake. He began shaking when he saw me in front of him. I remember this scene all too well, this is exactly how I felt each time Tanika came to torment me. The terror she made me feel, I feed on it now. "Please….. please no more. I already told the truth, I told you who sent me so please spare me. Please." He was begging and he was……crying? He really is scared of me. Had I been a normal person, I might have taken pity on him but I have no heart, neither does showing mercy appeal
Esme's POVI released a yawn as I snuggled further into my pillow, it was warm but strangely hard at the same time and it smelt really nice. It probably just needs a little padding.I moved my hand over to my pillow and felt something instead. Skin?I finally pushed aside the tiredness and got up and what I saw nearly made me scream out my lungs.My scream seemed to have alerted him as he instantly got up in a defensive position but he relaxed when he saw that it was just me."What the hell is wrong with you? Why are you screaming like that so early in the morning?" He questioned, his bed hair making it difficult for me to take him seriously.I tightened my hands around the blanket over my chest, quickly lowering my gaze to the bed as my face turned red in an instant. This is so embarrassing.Since the both of us are naked, we slept on the same bed and were obviously snuggling before I ruined the moment, does that mean that we…….But how is that possible? How did it even happen? I hav
Esme's POVI just had my breakfast and I'm currently resting in my room. A knock came to my door and already knowing who it would be, I asked the person to come in.Rachel walked into the room and closed the door behind her."How are you feeling now, dear?" She asked as she approached me while I sat up."I already said that I'm fine, please stop asking, it's making me feel like a burden." I requested and she nodded, taking a seat beside me."I'm truly glad that you're OK, you had us all very worried. I haven't seen Ethan like that in a long time, it made me both happy and sad. I was happy that he cared for you and sad that you were in such a terrible condition." She revealed."I'm really sorry for making you worry but I'm pretty sure that the Alpha doesn't care for me. He can't even stand my presence and when he does stay in a room with me, the only thing we do is argue." I complained and she chuckled."That's exactly the reason why I believe that you're getting to him, slowly but sur
Esme's POV"Uh…. How do we get down? Correct me if I'm wrong but I don't recall there being a rope in the bag." I said."There isn't. There has to be some kind of way through it since there isn't a way around it. I'll take a look." He said and moved away and though I wanted to stop him, I resisted the urge."It's just as I thought." I suddenly heard him blurt out."Did you find something?" I asked as I made my way to the spot which he was crouched over."There's a rope ladder here. It's been set securely in place and seems to go all the way down." He mentioned it to me and I touched the ladder, confirming how sturdy it was. I didn't know if to consider this a good thing.A prepared ladder just sitting around waiting here for us might not be a good sign, I don't even know what we should expect."Who could have put it here?" I asked briskly."I don't know and I don't think we should be worrying about that at the moment. We'll have to get down and keep our guard up since there's so much
Esme's POV Tanika. Alpha Waylen. Nightwalker Pack. These words kept swirling in my head. The things she had just said, none of them made any sense. I have no business with Tanika and the Night Walker Pack. Besides, Tanika is dead, Ethan said he killed her himself. Even if she survived by some miracle, what on earth would she be doing in the Forbidden Zone? She couldn't possibly be the one standing in front of me, this has to be a trick. I need to get this girl, whoever she is to leave me alone and I have to find Axel so we can get out of this hole as soon as possible. "That's not possible, you're lying." I blurted. "Arlene, why would you say that?" She asked and tried to touch my face but I dodged her advances. "Don't call me that and stay away from me. I need to get out of here, I have to find Axel." I said and limped away, trying to go as far away as I could from her but her next words paused me in my tracks. "Don't you want to know the truth? The truth of your existence? Don
Esme's POV "Uh…. How do we get down? Correct me if I'm wrong but I don't recall there being a rope in the bag." I said. "There isn't. There has to be some kind of way through it since there isn't a way around it. I'll take a look." He said and moved away and though I wanted to stop him, I resisted the urge. "It's just as I thought." I suddenly heard him blurt out. "Did you find something?" I asked as I made my way to the spot which he was crouched over. "There's a rope ladder here. It's been set securely in place and seems to go all the way down." He mentioned it to me and I touched the ladder, confirming how sturdy it was. I didn't know if to consider this a good thing. A prepared ladder just sitting around waiting here for us might not be a good sign, I don't even know what we should expect. "Who could have put it here?" I asked briskly. "I don't know and I don't think we should be worrying about that at the moment. We'll have to get down and keep our guard up since there's s
Esme's POVA wonderful aroma tickled my senses, causing me to turn sideways but my eyes forced open when a sharp pain from my leg hit me.I groaned and tossed the blanket wrapped around me to the side before rising a bit, carefully sitting up. I feel really groggy and my body isn't even cooperating. I scratched at my eyes and yawned, stretching a bit. The delicious smell came again and I looked around to see Axel, he was sitting by the fire and seemed to be cooking something."You're finally awake, good morning." He greeted me with a smile while I replied accordingly."Good morning.""How do you feel?" He asked and I paused for a bit, trying to find the best way to describe how I felt."Honestly, I don't feel good at all. My leg still hurts, though not as bad as yesterday, it's painful but bearable. I feel tired, my throat's a bit dry and the nausea's back again. I feel bloated and my boobs hurt, they're swollen." I surmised."That's a good sign." He sighed."What?""You're only exper
Esme's POV"What?!" I blurted weakly."If I'm ever going to have a chance to finish the mission, I can't lose a leg. Please there has to be some other way." I pleaded, my eyes watering.The thought of my leg being cut off, coupled with the pain, wasn't something I wanted to imagine."There's only one other way I can think of but it's not guaranteed. If it doesn't work, the poison will still be able to get to your heart and kill you." He suggested"Just try it at least, please." I begged and he took a deep breath. He brought out a pair of pants and tore it into long strips before tying one very tightly at the start of the swelling and he did the same at the end, towards my foot."What are you going to do?" I couldn't help but ask. "I'm going to try to see if I can get the poison to flow out with your blood, that's why I tied up your leg, so it wouldn't be able to spread. I'll cut open the swelling and we can let the blood flow out. I'll cauterize the wound right after but it's going to
Esme's POVMy scream rented the air as soon as my eyes darted to the ground. Leafy vines had wrapped around my legs and were moving up my body fast.The vines moved smoothly on their own, surrounding my body and holding me tightly in place. What kind of plant is this? And how can it move so fluidly on its own? It seems to be intelligent as well, going for my legs first.Axel rushed over and his eyes widened when he saw my current dilemma."Esme!" He called out worriedly before pausing. He took a few steps back, creating a good distance between us.If he gets too close, the vines might ensnare him as well and we'll both be in trouble."Please stop struggling, these are carnivorous vines. If you move too much, it might try to harm you." He warned and I paused, my heart beating wildly in my chest.A leafy and thorn filled vine creeped over to me and wrapped around my body, shredding my clothes. Wait a minute, it seems like it's trying to gain access to my skin. After having escaped deat
Esme's POV "Wow. It's so phantasmagoric. Looking through this boundary, the Forbidden Zone seems so beautiful but it's the deadliest place in existence." Axel commented. "I agree with you completely, it's so beautiful but we have to be careful. You remember what Irma said, looks are often deceiving." I reminded him. I moved behind him and opened the backpack, placing the traveler's stone in it. "Let's go." I beckoned and we both walked through the boundary and into the Forbidden Zone. The place was massive, spanning for miles but also really beautiful with huge trees, clear skies and nice vegetation. The air felt cool and relaxing, the songs of beautiful birds filled the air and butterflies littered the place, flying around the low grasses. This place feels like it was created right out of a dream, it looks like paradise. "The view is awesome and I've never seen trees like these before, the flowers are pretty." I blurted. "Trees like these are rather rare, they grow naturally i
Esme's POV"What? What do you mean by that?" I asked, still not putting my knife away."I knew you were coming, long before you even came up with the plan. I wouldn't be a seer if I didn't know this, would I?" She asked softly.Damn it. I had royally underestimated this woman and I had completely forgotten the fact that she was clairvoyant.But if she knew I was coming, is it possible that this is a trap? Is that perhaps why Rachel had not reacted when Axel and I passed by? Does she already know as well? I wouldn't be surprised now if several guards burst through that door any minute.This is all just so hard to deal with."Cast your fears away, dear. Rachel doesn't know a thing." She said as if reading my mind."Why should I believe a single word you say? You're Rachel's friend after all. You could be trying to trick me." I countered."Yes, but I wouldn't gain anything from that, would I? By the time I arrived, I already knew the plans that Rachel had for you. I knew she was going to
Esme's POVI put on the guard's clothes and braided my hair into a ponytail before wrapping the braided part round and round in a circular pattern, holding it in place with a bobby pin and putting on a cap to cover it.I looked in the mirror and was satisfied with how I looked so I left."I'm done." I alerted and he paused to take a good look at me. I could see a smile stretching the edge of his lips."Is my disguise convincing enough or am I missing something?" I asked in a fret."No, you aren't missing anything. Your disguise is pretty convincing. I'm rather surprised how good you look even in men's clothes." He said and I didn't have time to decide if he was either flirting or just teasing."Alright, let's go." I urged and we both headed for the door. But I quickly made a stop at my bedside table to grab the fruit knife just in case I might really need it.He went out first and when he told me the coast was clear, I followed.He locked the door from the outside but left the key in