VALERIE “Walk faster!” I glanced back at my mother’s pale face as my stepfather dragged me roughly to the car parked in the driveway. I wanted to part my parched lips and inquire from him where we were going with my bags but the fear that tightened my heart didn’t let me speak a word. Instead, I followed him sheepishly like a sheep being led to the slaughterhouse. Ever since my father died and my mother remarried, my life has turned upside-down. I turned into a servant overnight at his arrival, and my helpless mother did nothing but watch me do his bidding. Every day, I wished and hoped that I would finally get out of the house and find a life for myself, the life that I was destined for. And sometimes, when I understand how helpless my mother is, I refrain from the thought of running away. But what can one do? I am confused, helpless, and stuck with a monster my mother brought into our lives. My stepfather shoved me into the passenger's seat and slammed the door
VALERIE I stepped back, gasping loudly in dismay. My eyes gapped at him in fright and disbelief. "What did you just say?" I blurted out. He tilted his head sideways, ignoring my question as he twitched his lips in disgust. Before I could part my lips to say another word, two young men trudged into the room and gripped my arm, pulling me out of the large room roughly. "Stop it! Stop it!" I screamed, trying to break free from their grip which proved futile in the end. "Tell Margaret to get her ready for tonight!" I heard him snap at the guards before spinning around and heading up the stairs. "No, please, hear me out, please!" I screamed for mercy to no avail. The men got to a door and paused; one of them pushed the door open while the other flung me into the damp, cold room. "Wait!" I bellowed and staggered up to my feet, racing for the door. But it was slammed shut before I could touch it. I crouched down to the ground and buried my face in it, sobbing bitterly.
VALERIEMy breath hitched when we got to the large oak doors, madam Margaret stepped back and jerked her head towards the door. “Go in,” she muttered and my heart shrank. My feet froze as I struggled to move closer and push the door open. “Valerie?” Margaret snapped impatiently. “The Alpha doesn't like to be kept waiting,” she added, but no matter how hard I tried, my paralyzed feet wouldn't budge from the spot. I gasped out, my heart thumping loudly in my chest. “Go in!” Margaret repeated, her voice louder than before. I gulped hard and bit my lips before pushing my feet forward. I reached out to open the door, but it pulled open, and Alpha Jonas's face popped out, to my dismay. Anger flickered across his sharp brown eyes as he ran his eyes around my trembling body. “Why is she late?” He sneered in a voice that made me cringe. “Forgive me, Alpha. She is a naive girl,” I heard Margaret reply behind me. “Naive?” He scoffed with disdain laced in his voice. He snapped his
VALERIEMy racing heart only stilled with Alpha Jonas dropped to the ground, unhurt. “Follow me!” He snapped in a hoarse voice, briskly walking into a dark tunnel. Why does he want me to come with him? Why doesn't he let me go and save himself instead? Does he… does he value me? I shook my head at the absurd thought. Not after what he did to me in his room. “Walk faster!” His snap jolted me out of my thoughts. I increased my pace, running at some point to catch up with his fast strides. The body was lying on the floor, and the shadows stuck to my mind, haunting me. The man's face has a striking resemblance to someone that I've come across, but I can't seem to place where I have seen it or who it was. But one thing is certain, he's dead. We kept walking through the dark tunnel till we stopped in front of a door. I stared in astonishment as he dug out a bunch of keys and slipped an old rusting key into the almost invincible keyhole on the door. The door clicked open and h
VALERIE “Have you heard of the Lycan kings?” His voice came out hoarse yet pleasing to my ears. “Huh?” I stuttered and the beat of my heart accelerated. He glanced over at the other man and twitched his lips, leaning closer till our lips were just a hair's breadth away. My body began heating up slowly and my pulse raced. I wanted to move back but the other man was right behind me, compelling me to remain stuck at that spot. I was trapped between these two devilishly handsome and dangerous-looking men. “Who are you two?” My voice quivered as I spoke with a heart gripped with fear. “We just told you, sweetheart,” the one behind me said in a soft singsong voice which strangely sounded appealing to my hearing. “You are his Luna, aren't you, honey?” He muttered in a sultry tone that made my belly knot. Luna? Whose Luna? Alpha Jonas's Luna? No, they're wrong, I'm not his Luna. I shook my head and parted my lips to spill out the truth but a loud thud behind me made m
VALERIE My lips parted yet no words came forth. I was short of words, I was confused. I wanted to speak up for my defense, but I couldn't; it felt like Alpha Jonas's words had paralyzed me. “So, you are his Luna, after all,” Killian said, a mischievous smirk dancing at the corner of his little plump lips. Lucian remained unmoved as he glared coldly at me. “Why did you say you weren't?” He muttered in the iciest voice that I've ever heard. The hoarseness was somehow gone, its absence added fear instead of relief to my soul. “I… I,…” I stammered and glared at Alpha Jonas, hoping he would have a change of heart and tell them who his real Luna was. But the useless devil did nothing of such, instead he pursed his lips in anger and shook his finger accusingly at me. “You lied to them? You told them you weren't the Luna. How shameless can you be, Valerie?” He snapped, calling me by my name.My eyes batted in shock, I was petrified in wonder that I was dumbstruck.The two men stared
VALERIE I stumbled for the fourth time as I ran far off into the woods. I couldn't tell where I was or how I would get out; only one thing stuck to my mind: this was the perfect escape plan, and I had to stick to it no matter what. As I ran, my mind drifted back to those Lycan kings and I felt my heart skip a beat. They must have noticed my absence by now. The thought of them coming after me made me quicken my pace. The cold air grazed my parched skin, stinging me without mercy as my body shuddered from the cold. I sneezed and clenched my belly as it rumbled yet I couldn't stop to catch a breath. My heart froze when I heard a twig snap behind me. I stopped running and listened cautiously for any rattle of leaves but heard nothing. I wanted to continue running, but my wolf, Jade, urged me to stop and listen longer. My heart thumped loudly and my hands shook as I stood in the dark forest. What if it's a wolf hunter? Or worse, the Lycan kings? ‘Jade, I can't wait anymore, I ha
VALERIE “I am not the Luna."A lump formed in my throat as I tried to sink in her words.“You… you are not the Luna?" I found myself sputtering.She smiled and took a step closer. My heart sank when she fell on her knees and bowed her head to the ground.“Forgive me, Luna; I know you've always hated me because the Alpha claimed me too, but it wasn't my fault. I begged him to have mercy, but he wouldn't listen,” she blabbered, and my eyes widened in shock.I turned around, searching for the person she was talking to.But when I saw no one behind me or close by, it dawned on me that she was referring to me.“What… what are you saying? I am not the Luna!" I snapped.I glanced over at Killian and Lucian. I found their amused eyes staring at me.“I…" I trailed off and glared at her.I understood that she wanted to escape Killian and Lucian's wrath. She wanted to put me in her place and make me suffer in her stead.It finally dawned on me that she didn't love her mate, perhaps, that explai
VALERIE The ride was quiet, aside from the excited whimpering of children. And yes, I still wondered if I would be happy outside the wolf kingdom. It wasn't so easy to get the seal from the Lycan kings, but I knew I had to do it, and somehow, they didn't seem to know that I stole from them before leaving. I had returned the seal to Princess Arlene before leaving. Though I knew that they might end up in trouble, there was nothing I could do to save them, or was I just being selfish? “Where are we going, ma'am?" The man behind the wheels asked, dragging me out of my thoughts. I raised my head and stared at the darkness overhead, my hand clenching onto the paper Arlene had given me with an address scribbled on it. “Drive to the seaport in Silver-line Pack. There is a ship waiting for you all. It has been arranged to take you all to a place in Romania where the Lycan kings will never be able to find any of you," I said, and his lips stretched into a smile. Sighs of relief
VALERIE She scoffed loudly, shaking her head in disbelief, her eyes bulging out in horror.“That is a lie! That isn't the seal of the Lycan kings, that is… that is…" she stuttered, swerving her head left and right.Arlene shoved past the guards and grabbed my hand, staring intently at the seal in my hand.She gasped out in shock and her brows raised.“How did you…" she trailed off and scoffed in disbelief, darting her abashed gaze from the seal to my smiling face.“Arrest them!" Adriana growled, shaking her finger at us. The guards stepped back, staring at the seal with fear in their eyes.“My lady, that is the Lycan kings' original seal," the man standing next to her muttered, and her jaws dropped open in shock.She glared at me and scowled then marched towards me in fury.Before I could bat an eyelash, she grabbed my collar and pushed me to the wall. My back brushed against the rough wall and my skin tore. I groaned in agony and bit my lips, slamming my eyes as my back throbbed in
VALERIE When those words slipped out of her lips, my heart constricted and I froze in fear. Soldiers ran into the passageway through the entrance of the dungeon. We were trapped and doomed, surrounded with no way out. “Going against the Lycan kings? It seems like you despise your lives too." The voice was unmistakable, even without looking back, we knew who it was."Do you really think that I will fall for that trick you played with my sister? I am smarter than you think, and I will make sure you don't live to taunt me anymore," she chuckled in a voice dripping with venom.My heart constricted and I clenched my fist, trying to subdue the pain and anger that bubbled within me. I realized that Adriana was destined to be a stumbling block and my enemy forever. “Turn around!" She snapped and my throat knotted. I glanced at Arlene and watched helplessly as her hands shook and her skin paled. I was the first to turn around and somehow, I was afraid and confident at the same tim
VALERIE We glanced at each other, stunned at her words. I couldn't believe her, none of us believed her words. Every single word sounded unbelievable. She couldn't betray her brothers, it was impossible. Princess Arlene tilted her head, her eyes focused on us. “Why won't you say anything? Don't you believe me?" She asked, understanding what was going on in our minds through our horror-stricken expression. “I… I don't get what you're saying, my lady," I muttered and she sighed out, shaking her head as she pursed out her lips in amusement. “You do not understand or you think that I am lying, which of them?" She asked. The three of us looked at each other, searching for answers to her question in our eyes but somehow, we got the same answer that was running around our heads. “Both of them, my lady," Bianca replied. My heart twitched when I saw pain flash across her beautiful eyes. “You all think that I am lying?" She huffed. My throat knotted and from the corner
VALERIE “You have things to explain to me, don't you?" She asked, folding her hands as she stared at me for an explanation.I stammered, avoiding her eyes as I thought of an answer that I would give her without sounding ridiculous.“I went to visit the prisoners. Princess Adriana would have had me reported to the Luna Queen or your brothers," I replied and her brows curved up in curiosity.“With no intentions?" Her question made me snap my head up in surprise.“Huh?" I mumbled, unsure if what I was thinking was what she meant.She smiled wryly and squatted down before me then cupped my chin.“You are… planning something, aren't you?" She asked and my jaws dropped in shock.“Huh?" I gasped, batting my lashes.I was shocked at her outburst and I was confused as to how I was able to leave clues on my trail.“I… I… don't know what you're talking about," I stammered, avoiding her sharp gaze.“You don't want to tell me?" She asked and I tilted my head, feigning innocence.She smiled and p
VALERIE My heart froze when I heard Adriana's voice behind me. I slowly slipped my clammy hands off the bars and turned around to face her. Her face held a scowl, which I had come to be quite familiar with, and her thin lips pursed out, making her look uglier than she already was. “My lady," I forced myself to bow down before her. “And what are you doing here?" she said in a voice dripping in venom and hostility. My throat knotted as I began to search desperately for answers to her question. I never thought about it while she scanned my body with her glaring eyes. I was trapped and needed a way out as soon as possible. I knew what she would do if she found out my plots and the reason I was there. She had always wanted to get rid of me and this was the perfect way to. “Are you deaf?" Her snap shot me back to reality. I batted my lashes severally and shook my head, stammering and longing for an escape route. An idea suddenly popped into my mind and I said it withou
VALERIE My throat knotted and my breath hitched as I stared at them in dismay. Prepare for my mom's funeral? I gasped and staggered back, my heart thumped loudly in my chest. I shook my head. My lips trembled as I tried to understand what they had just blurted out. “What did you say?" I asked, my voice quivered. "The Blue Moon Pack is becoming more rebellious. If we continue to keep quiet, they might misunderstand it to be a weakness. We don't usually do these kinds of favors and to be sincere, I have realized that favors suck,” he muttered, his brows curved. "Favors? Do you call that a favor? You… you two are evil!” I screamed in a voice dripping with hatred and anger. I shouldn't have talked to them that way, I should have begged. But something wouldn't let me beg them. "You know you shouldn't be talking to us that way, honey. Your mom's life is in your hand and the way you act will determine if she lives or dies,” Killian said and my heart twitched “You can't do that. Y
VALERIE I and Omar walked side by side in silence till we got to a bridge far from the manor.“Thank you for taking me away from there," I finally spoke up, clearing the sober air that floated around us.“Hmmm…" he hummed, nodding his head in response.I chuckled lightly and shook my head, searching for things to think about to get those chilling thoughts out of my head.“How do you feel?" I finally asked the question that had always been on my mind. His countenance changed when I asked the question and I began to feel guilty for bringing up something he wished never happened.However, I needed an answer to the question to reduce the amount of guilt that weighed me down. I felt like I was slipping down into the earth every time he was nearby.I was the cause of the incident but I needed some relief too.That wasn't selfish, was it?“Well… I feel like something burdensome has been removed from my body,” he replied.I wanted to laugh at his humorous response but stopped myself when I r
VALERIE Bianca ran after me, calling out my name but I paid her no attention. With a hardened face and a thumping heart, I marched out of the building and headed into the field. “Valerie!” Bianca shouted as she pushed through the crowd, searching for me. I hid in a corner and watched her search desperately for me. She sighed and slumped her shoulders when she realized that her search was in vain. When she turned and walked away, I breathed in relief and turned to walk into the execution ground where the prisoners were kept in stocks but a hand gripped me from behind and dragged me back. “Why are you—" I stopped talking and my body paled as I stared into the eyeballs of Omar. “You shouldn't go there," he muttered in a cold voice that lacked happiness. “I can't watch them get killed for a crime they never committed," I responded and turned to walk off but he clung tighter and drew me back. “I can't watch you die—" “I won't!" I snapped. “You will be executed along with them be