The next day, I headed down the stairs and I saw two guards standing alertly in front of a room. It was a sight to arouse one's curiosity and I thought it was Ethan in there. As I walked towards the guards, the door swung open and Ariah walked out with a gloomy look on her face. Well, that was a surprise, why was Ariah being guarded? It was either Ethan or Lowell who had stationed those guards to watch over her. I took my guess, it had to be Ethan. She bowed slightly to the guards who just nodded and grunted coldly, then she turned and saw me. I flashed a genteel smile at her and beckoned on her. I saw the reluctance and the look of disdain in her eyes, it was a mutual feeling. She bowed slightly to me and I said, "You look like a mess, Freathen up and meet me on the balcony of my bedroom in twenty minutes." She didn't object or say a word, I didn't even give her the chance, I just turned and walked away. I had Sally prepare a small table for the both of us, of tea and biscuits. I
Layla’s POVMy heart stopped for a moment, I was so scared that I went completely white.I had done a lot of evil deeds in the past, but never have I been caught in this manner. My mind was in a fucking turmoil, what would he do to me now? My short reign in Ethan's pack was over! How was I supposed to answer all the questions he was going to throw at me? Goodness, I was toast. Ethan looked at me with impassive eyes, I couldn't read his emotions and those eyes of his told me nothing. That made me more petrified. "Layla, there you are." He said, walking over to me as if nothing had happened. "I've been looking for you."My eyes flickered, why wasn't he saying anything about the drink? Or did he not see anything? I was in a feat of suspense, so I just played along in the meantime. "Uhm…me? Why?" I asked, my voice stammering slightly. He stared at the tray for the first time, his eyes were still the same and he just looked away. That made my heavy chest drop with relief, he hadn't see
Ethan’s POV "What? That's impossible!"I exclaimed and jumped to my feet, shock waves sizzling through my body as I turned the news over in my head. That was impossible! "What did you say?" I asked one more time, making sure I had ears correctly.The guards that had rushed into my office stared at each other nervously, then one said, "The…The moonstone of the pack, King Ethan…" He stammered. "It's gone."I looked at Ariah, who just had a confused frown on her face. She had come to me about thirty minutes ago and right in the middle of our conversation, the guards had barged in. "What about Lowell?" I asked, my heart racing with panic instantly. "Get Lowell here right-”The door flung open and Lowell rushed in, breathing heavily and his eyes were wide and wild. "What the fuck, Ethan! Have you heard of it? The fucking moonstone's gone!" He exclaimed, sweating on a cold night. Fuck! I thought to myself, this was bad news! No, this was the worst possible news! "Search everywhere, ev
Ariah’s POV I was still in Ethan's study when the door finally burst open suddenly and an elder and two guards walked in. "There she is! Seize her!" The old man yelled in a strained voice and the guards pranced towards me menacingly. I was terrified at the scene, what was going on? Why were they after me again?The guards took my arms roughly and jerked me off the seat. I was completely engulfed with fear by now and my heart couldn't stop beating like a Cherokee drum. "What did I do? What's going on?" I asked, my voice laden with fear and wonder as they dragged me out of the room. "Shut the fuck up, you little pest!" The elder snarled with an ugly look of distaste that sent shivers down my spine.Where was Ethan? I wondered with panic as they dragged me out of the pack house like a fucking criminal. I was completely helpless in the grips of the giant guards, I stopped struggling at a point, and my eyes darted around in fright. Outside, the chill of the night seethed through my
Ariah’s POV That night, I cried myself to sleep for so many reasons. I was a loser, I accepted that I couldn't stand up for what I wanted. It hurt me badly but it was the truth. I just couldn't fight back because it would all be in vain. I would keep getting tortured and accused of things I didn't do, all because they didn't know who I was. It didn't matter how long I held on, each event would keep shattering me deeply. At first, I wasn't scared, Ethan was there the whole time, but this night, when he wasn't there…it terrified me. Worse than any horror movie would ever be, Ethan's absence was the worst thing that could happen to me if I decided to hang on to him. It could even mean my fucking death! "Ariah-” Leia started to say but I cut in quickly. "Don't do it!" I sniffled. "Please, Leia…I beg of you, don't do it. Whatever you want to say, don't say it. Yes, I'm a fucking loser, a bloody weakling, but please don't tell me I was wrong for choosing what I chose." I said, weeping l
Layla’s POV It was just the perfect end to this.Ariah gave up weakly, with tears pouring from her eyes and declaring that she would have nothing to do with Ethan from now on. The sizzling feeling of triumph was regaling. I looked down at her with a smirk on my face, "That took you long enough, didn't it? I was wondering how long you were going to hold up for." I said and shook my head. "What's that crazy phrase again? Love conquers all?" I asked and scoffed. "Little Ariah, that was an insane fallacy you ended up believing, but the truth is that power conquers all." She looked down, dropping to her knees, her palm was pressed on the floor of sorrowful tears dripped from her eyes. My voice hardened as I said, "You may have surrendered, but that doesn't mean I'm through with you, Ariah."She looked up at me, her eyes red and confused, "But…but…" She stammered. "You said it was all done when I agreed to distance myself from Ethan. So what do you mean?" She asked. "Well, do I need
Ethan’s POVSomething was wrong and I desperately had to get to the bottom of it.When Layla left the patio and I tried to reach Ariah and find out what the real problem was, she wouldn't talk to me. Of course, I knew that Layla had been lying about what she said earlier, what beats me is why Ariah had concurred with her obvious lie. "What's the matter, Ariah? Talk to me." I said as I crouched next to her. Tears came pouring down from her eyes and I took her in my arms, trying to provide some sort of comfort to her. I hated to see her cry. She sobbed and vibrated in my arms for a while, then she sniffled and the sound of her crying reduced slowly into a silent sob. "Ariah, talk to me, I told you that I can handle any damn situation," I said gently into her ears. Suddenly, she struggled out of my grip and softly pushed me away, wiping the tears off her face. "I'm...I'm fine, King Ethan." She said, her tone muffled with sadness as she to her feet. I was stunned and I also got to
Ariah’s POVMy heart was shattered completely by that encounter with Ethan.What made me lose every iota of self-control was the look in his eyes when he asked me those questions. I felt beleaguered, but not by Ethan, neither by his words, but by my feelings. They were screaming at me to let everything out, to express myself to him, but I couldn’t. I had to bottle it all up, it was my only chance at survival here. “I messed up, didn’t I, Leia?” I asked when I was back in my room and on my bed lying face down, my head buried in between two pillows. “I lied to him, I told him I didn’t love him anymore when I truly did. I still love Ethan, Leia, with all of my heart!” I cried. “There, there, little one. Do not shed tears over this issue, it’s just a phase and as it’s supposed to, it will pass away.” Leia said soothingly but I wasn’t buying her words of comfort this time. “Leia, don’t lie to me, please. My life has been a mess from the very beginning and you know it. This is not a ph