VALERIE The cold water that was splashed on my face made me snap up from bed. I gasped loudly and swerved my head, searching for where the water came from. My heart shrank when I saw Bianca staring blankly at me with a bowl in her hand and right behind her was Killian and Lucian. I shuddered, feeling betrayed and used. “It's time for your punishment!" Lucian snapped and my belly knotted. “Get up and get dressed," Killian added. Tears gathered up in my eyes as I looked at Bianca, who kept glancing at other things in the room aside from my face. Who would have thought she would betray me? I considered her a friend and a sister but she ended up betraying me, just like Margaret and Juliet. I managed to get my sore body up from the bed. “Don't be so clumsy!” Lucian snapped and I jumped. I picked up my clothes and pulled them on, subduing the pain that throbbed in my body. Killian grabbed me, digging his nails into my arm as he dragged me out of the room. Once we were out, he pu
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
KILLIAN I gripped her shoulders and forced her to look into my eyes. "What did you just say?" I asked in an alarmed tone. Her lips stretched into a wide smile, an unknown glee floating in her eyes. "Should I say it out loud? Should I say what I saw in there?" She muttered, her head tilting to the side. My heart clenched and confusion and disbelief settled down within me. Was she truly possessed? "Should I?" She whispered in a chilling voice that sounded more like someone else's voice. "See—" I raised my hand, cutting Michelle off, my eyes still fixed on Valerie's grinning face. "Leave us, every one of you," I muttered, daring not to take my eyes off her. I waited till everyone had shuffled out of the room before gripping her shoulders again and glaring into her eyes. "Tell me the truth, what did you see in the secret room," I asked. She threw her head and laughed loudly, sinking her nails into my arm. I didn't care about her nails that sank into my skin, all I cared about
KILLIAN I called her name multiple times with a trembling voice but got no response. "Shit!" I cursed loudly and reached for my phone. I fidgeted as I scrolled through the list of my contacts, trying to put my distorted mind in order and call someone who would help.My mind clicked Michelle's name when her words echoed in my mind. I dialed her number, and her voice boomed out the second ring with mocking laughter. "Need help now?" She mumbled. My eyes dimmed in suspicion and I clenched my fist, fuming in fury. "What did you do to her?" I snapped. "You didn't even let me get close to her," she chuckled. I ran my hand through my hair and sighed in despair. "If I walk into your room, I'll have your head on a stake," I stated and ended the call, throwing the phone onto the couch. I grabbed her cold hand and rubbed it against mine to warm it up while I waited for Michelle. The door opened and my jaw clenched. "What the hell took you…" I paused when I saw the Pack's doctor stan
KILLIAN I paced around the room with my hand in my disheveled hair, pausing briefly to glance at her pale face. "What happened to her, my lord?" The Pack's doctor asked for the umpteenth time while she examined her. "Are you going to treat her or not?" Lucian growled in indignation. She flinched, her lips trembled as she darted her eyes from Lucian's face to Valerie's pale face. "I would do my best to find out what the cause of her unconsciousness is," she mumbled even though the chance of her finding out the cause was impossible. Lucian sighed and ran his hand through his hair, ignoring the constant calls from his phone. "It doesn't seem to be something ordinary, my lord," the Pack's doctor said as she opened her eyes with her fingers and gazed at the lifeless eyes. I sighed, knowing that it was true. She turned and stared at us suspiciously when our silence lingered in the room. "Is there something I must know, alpha?" She asked. I and Lucian exchanged glances and kept mu
KILLIAN The sound of the lighter clicking on and off filled the dark room, dividing my attention from the courtyard below. "You said you would meet little Val tonight, right?" Lucian muttered, causing me to turn away from the window. I trudged towards the couch he was lying on and slumped down into it, picking up an open pack of cigarettes. "Yes, do you want to join me?" I asked with a smirk laced against my face. He took a long drag at the cigarette and chuckled, puffing out smoke. "I have something important to attend to in town. I'll be leaving in an hour," he muttered. My eyes darkened and my fist clenched as I stared at him. "Doing business without me, huh?" I groused. He sat up and playfully smacked my back, grinning sinisterly. "Get some rest, Killian, get some rest," he replied before taking a drag at the cigarette again. I sighed and grabbed the lighter, but the question from Lucian stopped me from lighting the cigarette trapped between my lips. I looked at Lucian
VALERIE My heart tightened and I gasped in surprise. "What?" I snapped. Bianca nodded and moved closer to me as if I was attempting to do something stupid to myself."Yes, she was killed by rogues while trying to protect master Damion. Even up to today, no one has dared talk about her death for Damion's sake," she muttered Rachel's laughing face flashed before my eyes and a sickening feeling filled the pit of my belly. I staggered back and lost my balance. Bianca caught my wrist before I could touch the ground and pulled me up to my feet, wrapping her hand around me."Calm down, just calm down," she whispered, patting my hair slowly.I broke into tears, sobbing loudly.I couldn't believe that she died that terrible way despite her kindness and good heart."She never deserved that kind of death, Bianca!" I blurted out, unable to subdue the pain within me anymore."I know, but what can one do? It's all in the hands of fate and destiny—""Fuck fate and destiny!" I screamed, pushing
VALERIE My trembling hands slowly slipped away from the edges of the stone, fear bubbling in me. His cold hand was still wrapped around my wrist as he waited for me to get up and explain the act I was caught in. I couldn't dare imagine the disgusted look that would be on Lucian's face, worse, Killian's. I gulped hard and slowly turned, but the fear tightening in my chest eased up as my terrified eyes fell on the person clenching my wrist. "Damion!" I sighed in relief. His lips turned up in suspicion and his eyes darted to the fake flagstone on the ground before he released my wrist."What are you doing here?" He asked, nodding towards the spot he found me squatting down. "Uhm…" I trailed, fixing my eyes on the flagstones on the ground with the true intention of avoiding his prying eyes. "Are you scared of saying the truth to me?" He questioned. I remained silent, my eyes still fixed on the ground. I shivered slightly as he wrapped his hand around my chin, turning my head to
VALERIE Bianca scoffed and narrowed her eyes, glaring haughtily at her. I sighed, aware of what she was talking about. Michelle smirked and didn't wait for my reply before striding fully into the room. I stood up, my heart clenched in fear. Even though I needed to know the cause of my father's death, I knew deep down that I wasn't ready to bear the heartbreak that would come with the truth. "I don't think I want to talk about it yet," I muttered, glancing at everything in the room aside from Bianca and Michelle's faces. "Why?" Michelle's voice bore shock and disappointment. "I have a lot to deal with at the moment. I'm not ready to hear it," I muttered. She huffed and stepped back. I finally looked at her, forcing a smile into my face. She huffed, fuming in anger as she glared at me. "Are you scared of the truth?" She asked, her lips turning up in a mocking smirk. I sighed and tilted my head to the side, staring confidently into her eyes. "Yes, I am scared of the truth."
VALERIE My jaws were still dropped in shock as I stood rooted at the spot. "Valerie? Are you okay?" Bianca's words shot into my mind, causing me to raise my head. Her head tilted to the side as she watched me, confusion scribbled across her face. "Why were you acting that way when I mentioned the name of Luna Queen's sister?" She questioned, her eyes filled with suspicion. I released a false laugh and shook my head. "It's nothing. I… I thought I had heard the name somewhere." She narrowed her eyes in disbelief but said nothing concerning my attitude. "Well… mother said that she died some months before her wedding to an alpha prince," she said. My fist clenched and I bit my lips at the discovery. "Was she getting married to Lycan prince Alexander?" I bobbed my head and asked. She threw her head back and narrowed her eyes, letting the silence haunt my curiosityI hoped silently that I was wrong with my guess. "No, it was rumored that the Lycan king Alexander never had any lo
VALERIE "I am disappointed in you, Valerie!" He groused with a glare before turning to help his mother up from the seat. I gulped hard and slowly stood up, dropping my head. "Forgive me—" "Don't say a word!" I shifted back at the harsh tone of Lucian's voice. "Hey, don't yell at her!" The Luna Queen snapped, hitting him on the chest. Lucian sighed in disappointment and threw me a glare before leading his mother to the bed. The maidservant turned and stared at me coldly then moved closer to where I stood. "You should have stopped her, my lady," she muttered. My heart clenched and I gripped the edge of the table, getting overwhelmed with guilt. "I'm sorry. I never meant to let her drink so much," I whispered, avoiding her accusing eyes. She huffed in annoyance and trudged off to attend to the Luna Queen. I sighed in disappointment, muttering curses under my breath. If Lucian hadn't intervened, she would have told me how she killed Renee. I needed to fix the dot