VALERIE Gasps erupted from everyone in the hall when she spilled those lies. “I… I didn't…" Bianca held my hand and my lips slammed shut. Lucian's eyes flickered in my direction, and I felt my soul leave my body. Every step he took down the stairs and towards me cut out a piece of my heart. I wondered what he was going to do to me. When he got close to me, I staggered back, shaking my head as tears gathered in my eyes. Bianca stepped away from us, filled with fear and sympathy. I glanced across his shoulder and saw the girl snickering at me. “Did you say that?" He muttered in that icy voice that always made me shudder. “No," I muttered and she frowned, scowling at me. “She's lying…" Lucian held his hand, shutting her up. “I never asked you, Adriana," he muttered in a cold voice and her face reddened. Lucian raised my chin and forced me to look into his penetrating eyes. “You're fond of getting into trouble, aren't you?" He muttered and my belly flustered. “Don't be a f
VALERIE A mine?! I am allergic to smoke and everyone knows. Well… everyone aside from the people who I had come to meet recently. I shook my head and stepped back, glaring at the thick dark smoke in horror. “I can't… I can't go in there!" I snapped, heaving loudly. Bianca tilted her head in confusion at my behavior. "Why?” She asked. I shook my head, taking a step backward. "I can't go to a mine; I just can't,” I muttered, and she scoffed. "Well… you can't do anything about it. It is the Alphas' order,” she snapped a reply, narrowing her eyes in disgust. I sighed and shrugged, helplessly accepting my fate. She glanced ahead in the direction of the smoke and waved her hands forward. “Take that path, you'll find the underground mine," she muttered and spun around, trotting away. “If you need any help, call out to the man who will take you to the place allocated to you," she muttered, cranking her head backward. I nodded, unable to respond. I stood rooted at
VALERIE The sunlight that streamed into the room forced me to snap my eyelids open.I groaned loudly and snapped my head to the side, slamming my eyes shut.“How do you feel?" A voice muttered and I fluttered my eyes open again.I stared at Bianca's pale face and a lump formed in my throat.I couldn't remember how I got to the bed as all I could hear in the back of my mind was an explosion and a yell for help, a voice that I recognized after a while as mine.“Bianca? I'm not dead?" I whispered as she forced a smile into her face. She shook her head and strode towards me, then sat down at the edge of the bed before clasping her hands in mine.“No, the miners were able to get you out on time; it's all thanks to Miranda; she noticed your disappearance and alerted some of the miners," she replied, and my brows raised in confusion.Miranda? Who was that?I parted my lips to ask the question when the door opened and the grumpy girl sauntered in. She looked up and her feet froze.“Oh… she i
VALERIE I dropped the mop in its rightful position before sighing loudly, my body aching with tiredness. My eyes were heavy, screaming for a short nap or if possible, a nice long sleep. But unfortunately, none of the two options was possible. “Done with the cleaning?" Julianna's voice growled behind me and I felt my heart twitch in fear. I gulped hard and spun around, forcing a smile into my pale face. “Yes," I replied. She narrowed her large owlish eyes, chuckling loudly. Her chuckle made her sagging breasts and protruding belly bounce and quiver. I snapped my eyes away from the unattractive sight, wondering why she would work around like that giving off orders and declaring what a tyrant she was. “Alright, come with me!" She hissed, waving her large hands ahead. “Don't be sluggish," she added as she forced her fat-filled legs to move forward. I trudged after her, silently enduring her annoying words and sneers. As we walked along the large passageway, my gaze fell on the
VALERIE My lips opened and slammed shut, I batted my lashes, my heart twitching in pain. Her eyes narrowed intimidatingly around my body and she chuckled. “Who are you?” She asked and my brows raised in surprise. “Huh?" I stammered, wondering if I heard right. Who am I? Has she forgotten me? I felt relieved and grateful that she didn't remember me. “Oh, me?" I stammered and gulped hard before glancing up at her beautiful face again. “I'm a maid. Julianna sent me over to have your room cleaned up," I said and bowed, making sure to sound as polite as possible. “I don't like it when people bow before me, so stop it," she muttered, and I snapped my head up in surprise. “Huh?" I mumbled again in confusion. I felt confused by her strange behavior. She wasn't acting like the girl I met earlier in the hallway. She sounded different; she smelt different, and she acted different. I parted my lips and spilled out the perturbing question in my mind. “Who are you if you don't mind?” I
VALERIE I slowly turned with my heart in my hand. My eyes widened in dismay as I stared at the Luna of Blood Moon Pack, the vicious and feared queen of the wolf kingdom. From what Bianca told me about her, I could tell her power, aura, and wickedness were full of evil.“My queen," my voice quivered as I bowed low to the ground.“You called my daughter a bitch and a peacock?" Her authoritative voice made my throat knot.I wanted to defend myself but couldn't. No matter how hard I tried, my lips wouldn't part or move.No, Mother, there is–” She raised her hand, shutting Arlene up."Take her away!” She ordered and soldiers trooped into the room. My heart sank as I stared pleadingly at her."Please, have mercy, my queen. Please have mercy!” I finally found my voice and screamed out as they dragged me out of the room.I watched my whole world crumble before me as they dragged me off to an underground. The sound of the steel doors pulling open made my heart leap. I was roughly pushed in by
VALERIE I blinked and stepped back but ended up pushing down a thin, dirty-looking boy to the ground. He cried out in pain, and I spun around, enveloped in guilt.“I'm sorry, I'm truly sorry," I muttered, trying to pacify him as I helped him up and patted his head.He looked up at me with rheumy eyes that pleaded for freedom. The same freedom that I sought for.I couldn't believe that they had a little innocent child locked up in here for a crime his Alpha might have unintentionally committed. I wondered how long he had been in there for an offense, he did not know of.“There, there. Consoling your kind, huh?" Her stinging voice came up again and compelled me to turn around.“You think you've won?" I wanted to stop myself from replying to her curt words but I couldn't. I wasn't weak; neither was I dumb.She frowned and snapped her head back. After the fading of some seconds, she shifted her gaze back to me, her lips stretched out in humor.“Well… have you then?" She muttered, showing
VALERIE My heart thumped loudly and I slowly turned. I felt my heart skip a beat as I stared at Lucian's uptight face.“What are you doing in here?" He snapped in a rugged voice as he ran his eyes over my crouched body in suspicion.“I… I…" I gulped hard, unable to find an answer to his question. My mind reeled, and different suggestions ran through my head, but none of them made sense like the last one.“I came to thank you and your brother for standing up for me," I blurted out, hoping he didn't catch a glimpse of dishonesty in my eyes.“Oh… really?" He muttered in a calm voice and stepped fully into the room, shutting the door behind him.My heartbeat increased as I watched his steps, wondering what was going on in his mind. His face or eyes didn't dare give his thoughts away. I clenched my fist as he got closer, hoping he didn't get to fish out the piece of paper hidden under my ass.I shifted uncomfortably, cranking my head back to check if a peek of the paper was in view but s
VALERIE She waved her hand over my face, and I blinked, getting back to reality."Are you a maidservant? I never asked for one," she muttered.I flashed a nervous smile, hoping she wouldn't report me to the Luna."I… I thought that was my room," I blurted out before I could stop myself. "What?" Her eyes dimmed in confusion and she huffed, making my heart drop. "I have lived in this room for months," she muttered and my brows raised."For months?" I murmured, my throat knotting. She folded her hands under her breasts and tilted her head to the side, staring at me keenly. "I haven't seen you before, who are you?" She asked. I bit my lips and narrowed my eyes, thinking of an answer to give her. "I… I am Valerie Garrett," I replied. She hummed, nodding her head slowly. "I just arrived at the Pack," I added and her eyes lit up. Her hands dropped and she advanced towards me, grabbing my hand. Shivers rushed down my spine when her hands touched mine. "Then… you don't mind if I ta
VALERIE His eyes dimmed and he walked closer. Each step he took towards me made my heart skip and caused my breath to hitch. "You are from Blue Moon Pack?" He asked. His voice was deeper, deeper than Lucian's voice, and his blue eyes were sharper than Killian's eyes. He looked exactly like my mates! "Uhm… uhm…" I stammered, suddenly losing the right words.He tilted his head to the side, staring at me with amusement dancing in his sharp blue eyes."Who sent you?" He asked.My throat knotted and I struggled to find the right words.I still couldn't believe that I was staring at someone who looked so much like Lucian and Killian, someone who might turn out to be their father if my calculations didn't turn out to be wrong."I was sent by my alpha," I quickly rasped out without thinking."Alpha Carlos?" He asked, and I nodded my head, even though I didn't know who bore that name.The Alpha that ruled my Pack before the current Alpha didn't go by the name Carlos. Perhaps, he was mistake
VALERIE I jerked up when the liquid slipped into my nose, choking me. I gasped and sat up, staring at the faces that looked down at me. They all looked my age. Aside from that, they looked and dressed differently.The events of what happened earlier replayed in my mind and I burst into tears, shamelessly crying before them.After all that I had gone through for the sake of the antidote, I ended up losing it.At that moment, I realized that the greatest enemy I had was myself.Everything had all been ruined and I felt like I was trapped in that world forever.I didn't save Killian and I wouldn't be able to return to my world either. I had lost to the witch, to Michelle, and myself. I was a loser, I had always been a loser.I stopped crying and decided to acknowledge the environment that I was in and the people who observed me.They exchanged frightened glances and stepped back. I guessed they must have assumed that I was some alien that fell from the sky."Who is she?" A little girl
VALERIE I grinned widely in pride as I picked up the blade and headed towards the door. I pulled the door open and stepped in but ended up falling. Darkness hit me and I found myself moving through a vacuum.Darkness hit me again and I groaned loudly as pain shot through my body.I slowly opened my eyes and stared at the sky above, realizing that I was lying on the ground. I jerked up and darted my eyes around the strange surroundings. I staggered up to my feet and stared at the woods that I was in. It didn't look any different from the woods in my world, but it smelled different. I sighed and began to trudge cluelessly around the woods, cursing loudly for the stress that was being inflicted on me. "Couldn't they just drop me at the bank of the river? Who in the world is doing this to me!" I screamed at the top of my lungs when I realized that I had been moving in circles for hours. I clenched my fist when an idea of who the person was sneaked into my mind. Perhaps, this was her
VALERIE My jaws dropped in dismay as I stared at the huge creature before me, held back by large chains. It growled, revealing its long and dangerous fangs, the fiery eyes piercing into mine. We were in another room, perhaps, the beast's prison. "What am I doing here?" I asked, my eyes as wide as saucers. She looked at me, smiling sinisterly. "Behind that beast is the portal to the ancient world. If you want to get there, you will have to get through the beast," she said, and I scoffed in disbelief. Mere staring at the beast made my stomach churn in fear. "Do you still want to do it?" She asked, tilting her head to the side. I gulped hard, my heart thumping loudly in my chest. "Unless… you will bow down and worship me. I might consider taming the creature," she muttered and anger rippled through my bones. That was it. She wanted me to worship her or die. I thought of giving up but that sounded like the dumbest idea I've ever had. After going through demons, self-doubt, and
VALERIE I could hear the clattering of plates and a thick layer of incense hung above my head. I coughed and wheezed, tilting my head to avoid the scent in the air before opening my eyes.I looked at the dimly lit room that I was lying in and my eyes widened when I spotted a needle in my arm.My trembling hand reached for the needle and I pulled it out cautiously, sighing loudly.My heart dropped into my belly when I looked around the room and discovered that it looked more like a shrine than a room.Blades of different sizes bearing different symbols were stuck to the wall. Two pans hung from the ceiling, and thick incense from an incense burner stood at two corners of the room.I looked around, filled with fear and curiosity, wondering how I ended up there.I slammed my eyes shut, trying to remember, but a wave of events that took place came rushing into my mind and my eyes flew open, filled with fear and indignation.I sat up slowly, intentionally making noises that would gather
VALERIE I trailed after the witch into the house and stared at the interior designs in admiration. Even though it wasn't much, its little designs were worth gushing over. "You must have thought of a shrine as my abode," she muttered as she pulled off the scarf wrapped around her head and walked into a room that seemed to be the kitchen. "Would you like to drink something?" She asked from the kitchen. My lips parted and slammed shut as I thought of an answer to give her. My stomach rumbled loudly, already voicing out my answer before I could talk. "Yes, perhaps coffee," I muttered and she hummed in approval. I leaned into the comfy couch, sighing loudly in pleasure as I slammed my eyes shut, almost drifting off to sleep. My eyes flew open when that nightmare replayed in my mind. I sat up and looked around the living room, groaning loudly in disappointment. That was the perfect time to have a sweet, relieved sleep, but the thought haunting me in my dream stopped that comforti
VALERIE I was staring at myself and I couldn't help but scoff in disbelief. Her nose, eyes, ears, face, and even her body were all mine. The only difference between us was the darkness lurking in her chestnut eyes. "Who are you?" I asked and she chuckled lightly. "You are me, and I am you. What more is there to say," she muttered, and my heart constricted. "What are you? Why… why do you look like me?" I asked. She took a step forward and I staggered back, filled with fear and shock."You want to know?" She asked and stretched forth her hand.My hand began to tremble in curiosity and I stretched out my hand to touch her hand, curious to know what her skin felt like. I doubted if she was real. Perhaps, she was a figment of my imagination, an illusion used to deceive me.My hands were about to touch her palm when those words echoed in my mind.I stopped and stared into her eyes, watching the dark haze that floated in her eyes. In her eyes, she looked different. She looked like ano
VALERIE I was dead sure that it was the witch's voice. She had deceived me into sleeping so she could get into my dream. I shook my head to the side, getting filled with energy and anger to fight whatever was making life unbearable for me.I groaned silently and began to kick my legs desperately.Just as I was kicking my legs in the air-filled water, I felt something fall off my hands. I stopped kicking my legs around and moved my arms. My arms moved freely and a grin of satisfaction managed to break into my face.I continued to kick my feet despite how sore they had become.Whatever was binding my feet finally fell loose, and I shook it off, then began to swim to the surface.My shoulders began to ache at some point but I couldn't stop swimming, and the annoying whisper didn't relent either.Everything felt so real. I was trapped in another world and not in a dream. If the witch was the one behind this haunt, then she would try to stop me from waking up. My throat knotted in anger