Vera's POV
Slowly, I rose on my feet and began to sway away. My route was in the paths within the woods, now that I knew that they were after my life, I couldn't be more cautious.
The chest! I dropped it when I wanted to attack the wolf earlier. I can't leave it behind, I must get it!
I looked behind me with determination. Turning around, I began to drag myself back. With each step, I felt weaker and my vision became more blurry, my bleeding wouldn't stop either. It wasn't an easy choice but I had to do it.
Luckily, I found the chest. It was lying just a few inches from the body of the wolf that I had killed earlier.
I flipped it up and my heart skipped a beat. It was cracked open and empty! This can't be!" I lamented looking around for the unknown contents. I was sure that it wasn't empty when I found it in my father's bedroom.
No! I yelled out loud and stormed about as I began a search for it. Not too far from the chest, I saw a stack of neatly folded papers. I found you! My heart was merry as I went for it. I was almost approaching the spot when my gait failed. I lost my footing and staggered around. I still tried to maintain my balance. But it was of no use. I staggered slowly until I hit the ground. Still determined to get the papers, I pushed myself until I got the papers. I clutched them in my hands but I had pushed myself too much. My consciousness started to recede until it all went dark.
******
A stream of white light coursed into my eyes as my eyes flickered open. I shut my eyes immediately, trying to adjust to the light.
I was in my human form and I was lying on something comfy. Unlike what I remembered, I fell into the dark woods and on the hard ground. My ears caught the sounds of people speaking and I flicked my eyes open in fear! They must have caught me when I went back for the chest. The papers! I groaned and sprang up from the bed.
A wave of raw pain tethered through my arm and I squirmed in pain as I bounced back onto the bed. That was when I realised that my arm was cuffed against the edge of the bed!
The bleeding on my wounded arm had stopped and a piece of white cloth was wrapped around it.
My face felt like hell. The cuts on it were more brutal but they had already been treated too. I could feel the shadows of the patches of small bandages used to cover the cuts.
Who are they? Why did they treat me? They did not seem to be my killers, else I would be dead already. But which type of assailant would treat my wounds and still cuff me up?
Slowly and cautiously, I glanced into the eyes of those around me.
They had stopped talking and they were looking intently at me. They didn't look like members of my pack and instantly, I knew that I wasn't back in my pack. I didn't know if I should be excited or not, but it felt good knowing that I had escaped from my pack.
"Where is she!?" Someone thundered from outside, and I felt chilly. The voice dripped with authority and horror. Those who were standing with me bowed their heads and waited.
I didn't realise that I had also bowed my head until I tried to take a look as heavy footsteps walked into the room.
The ambience changed immediately. Everyone tensed up like a god had arrived. I couldn't even lift my head. I just remained there waiting for my fate.
"Long live! Alpha Joash!" They hailed and I froze. Alpha Joash!? I almost dropped dead and I wish I was dead already!
Alpha Joash was a notorious and ruthless Alpha. Every other pack in the city always trembled at his feet. When there was a conspiracy in the royal family, he broke out to start his pack, The Moonlight Pack.
Over the years he had grown in leaps and bounds. Everyone quivered in his presence. His brother, and his father; Alpha King Jason are wary of him. Rumor had it that he is not in good terms with his father, but the real story is unclear.
"You!" He fired and my lips went dry.
Some papers flew in my direction and I launched forward, to pick them up. I did not know why I did that but I did.
Although my arm was cuffed, it still allowed some movement. Slowly, I unfolded the papers and I gasped as I beheld my father's handwriting. They were the pieces of paper that I was trying to save before I blacked out.
Fidgeting, I quickly unfolded the letter. I gasped in horror and my face contorted as I read through. The content of the letter was not what I expected! It was a proof of my father's betrayal.
I shook my head slowly with tears cascading my face. I remembered when my mother shook her head, implying that they were innocent. Groaning, I shovelled the papers away from me. "No! It's all a lie! Father wouldn't do this!" I cried out.
Someone grabbed the papers away from me as heavy footsteps approached my bed. An iron-like grip grabbed my chin and lifted my head, with a deadly glare he said, "What do I do to the daughter of a traitor who escaped alive? My men got those papers from you. You were trying to hide them… You and your father must have been in it together," he said and I whimpered, his aura was killing, adding to my delirium.
"I should send you back to the Shifters Pack, your Alpha will tear you up limb by limb after seeing the evidence," Alpha Joash uttered coldly with a deadly ease.
He held my neck in place and he was staring down at me. I couldn't talk. Sweat dripped from my body and I quaked. I was afraid beyond measure. Something about his darkened blue eyes melted into my soul, shaking me up even deeper. I jerked my face away from his grip and he smote my face angrily.
Pain smothered my body, reminding me that my face was badly hurt already and he just bruised me again. Viola whimpered in pain as he gripped my face mercilessly again.
"Take her to the cell room!" Alpha Joash ordered and jerked my chin away from his hold.
"Mate!" Viola mubbled without mincing and I turned white as they uncuffed me.
Awestruck, I staggered along as the guards dragged me on. My head rumbled in confusion and shock. How could this be? My chosen mate was a jerk and my second chance mate turned out to be my captor. He was no other person than the well-feared Alpha Joash! There was no escape from this. Loathing in the fury fire of hell would have been better! I was caught as a traitor and pieces of evidence were found on me. If all that I had heard about Alpha Joash was true, I did not stand a chance to come out of this alive, he would definitely kill me!"Viola…" I began to talk to my wolf but I was cut short as my back crashed against a rugged floor. The guards had hauled me into a tiny cell and thrown me on the floor. I groaned as pain sizzled down my spine. Shutting my eyes, my mind reverted to my father. I remembered all that he had taught me. He was my hero and his uprightness transcended my imagination. But things didn't add up… I raked my fingers through my hair as I remembered the letters aga
It was nightfall. My forehead was perched against the wall of the cell as I had begun to doze off. I had waited all through the day but nothing happened. Alpha Joash didn't show up as well as his guards. I couldn't have been more grateful.Suddenly, a crackling sound hit the air and my eyes flicked open. I saw two guards opening up the cell locks. My drowsiness cleared away immediately."Our misery just began," I hummed to Viola and I shut my eyes again, pretending to be fast asleep.Two strong hands gripped me by the shoulders and jeered me up roughly. Painful howls escaped from my lips as my feet hit the ground. I was still weak and sore from the torture earlier. I was hungry and thirsty, I had no strength left in me. My legs buckled under my weight and I fell to my knees.The guards did not give a damn, they dragged me along and I crawled on my toes and knees behind them.Outside, thick darkness had spread across the skies, but thanks to my wolf eyes, I could see clearly. After wa
"Stop the pretence… I know you have come around. You don't have time for this… you are to resume to the Alpha's chambers by tomorrow. You have just a day to recuperate," an unfamiliar voice rang into my ears and I opened my eyes. My vision was a little hazy but I could see. Déjà vu ran down my spine, bringing me back to the day that I woke up in a clean room after I had fainted in the woods. But it's a different setting. This time, I was not in cuffs and I wasn't surrounded by people.I was lying on a bed and a sullen woman in a clean white robe sat across. She was staring at me through the lenses of her oversized glasses. There was no use pretending, she knew I had regained consciousness.I turned around and winced at the sharp pain in my head. My hand darted to the contour on my neck. There were masses of bandages and it hurt like hell. My last moment on the gallows rushed back to me. I remembered the dart, Alpha Joash, the gallows and how I had blacked out."My Alpha is an expert
It was quite a walk. Although I was fascinated by the scenery, I was all over the place. My body was still weak and my balance was zero. And the guards? They didn't care, they continued to push me along.When we burst into another corner, I knew immediately, ahead was the Alpha's chambers. The structures stood tall and they were breathtaking. Although they stood aloof and secluded from other structures in the pack, they were located at the pinnacle of the pack house and I realised that it could be seen from any point in the pack. It was almost as exquisite as the royal palace of the city's Alpha king and I marvelled.As we proceeded, I saw the maids, there were a handful of them. They wore the same uniform as mine and I found it fascinating. My pack was far behind the most insignificant development here and if I was in a different circumstance, I would have commended all that I had seen.I soon noticed the disdainful stares and glares. Almost everyone we met sneered at me. Oh yeah, the
It was late in the night, Pete had just concluded the training and a guard was leading me down. My head ached and all that Pete taught me rumbled in my head. Despite my weak body, I was put through rigorous training all through the day. Pete didn't give me any breathing space. It was too much for me."This will be your room," the guard that was leading me said and I jumped. I was startled. I tripped and slumped into the room through the open door. I lay there on the floor, thinking about how miserable my life had become. All I had suffered since my parents' demise flashed through my head and for the first time, I didn't cry, I just stared into space, blinking intermittently. The horrendous life where I did not know if I would die or live in the next second was gradually becoming my norm.I had forgotten all about food when I heard a knock at the door. Dinner was brought and I felt hungry instantly. I devoured the meal like I had never eaten all my life.This will be sufficient for ea
Yes, he knows who I am. I'm a bloody liar, a traitor from the family of traitors! To him, my timidity and manners were all pretence.I couldn't stare into his eyes, but I felt the weight of his stare. It bore into my soul and I felt cold. My fingers felt rigid and I could hardly move them. I heard Viola's groaning too, she whimpered within me.I stood there fighting hard to fix the hooks of the second layer of his costume. The hooks ran from his neckline to the helm of the dress.He stood there, staring down at me. Knowing he was glaring at me made me more flustered. Stronger than his gaze was his manly scent, it was driving me crazy. Then it came, Pete's glare from earlier popped up in my head. Although she overdid it yesterday, she put so much effort into training me and I couldn't afford to fail. I took a deep breath, steadied myself and focused on the task before me. And there under Alpha Joash's hateful gaze, I began to fasten the hooks, one after the other.Finally, I did them
"What took you so long?" Pete accosted me as I rounded the last corner that led to the Alpha's office. "What the…" She gasped after taking a keen look at me. Her mouth dropped open and she couldn't say a word. I didn't say a word either, I just bowed slightly and continued on my way. I walked towards the Alpha's office with uncertainty. My heart was beating fast.The guard outside opened the door and I walked in like a disgraceful child."You're thirty minutes and fifteen seconds late!" Alpha Joash fired, looking at the wall clock.I stood transfixed by the doorway, unable to speak. The tray shook in my hands and I freaked out."If you spill that, you won't like yourself," he said harshly as he stared down at me. I swallowed the lump in my throat and began to walk towards him.Standing before him, I steeled my body and dropped the tray on his table. "Did I ask you to drop that?" He said and I picked up the tray again, trying hard not to spill the tea as my hands shook crazily."I a
It was my first day and I was already frustrated. This won't be as easy as I had thought. Although serving the Alpha directly was an honour, it placed me directly under Alpha Joash's nose. I followed him around like a puppy and I soon realized that he picked me for this position to keep an eye on me.One more thing, he wanted me to fumble. The position was one where I was exposed to every discussion and every detail that passed through the Alpha's table. Thus, the position needed a high level of trustworthiness.I wasn't trustworthy, it was otherwise, and the wise Alpha Joash picked me for this position. Isn't it obvious? It was a trap. Since I was a traitor, he wanted me to fall into his hands.It was almost dusk. I was standing in a corner in the Alpha's office. After Beta Derrick left, I followed him around all day and now he is seated behind his desk, filling in some files. "Your Highness, it's miss…." The voice of the guard at the door sounded, but before he finished his stateme