I could not remember the last time I felt so clean and refreshed. And washing my hair was only the beginning. Once we were done, Mrs Ola motioned to the bathroom. "Go on in. You'll have to soak for a little while before I come to help scrub you."Again, I flushed at that. But she was right. I would need help, especially with my back. She gave me more instructions, telling me which of the liquid bath soaps I was to put in the bathtub. "And some forget to wash your face too, okay?"I nodded abashedly and walked into the bathroom fully clothed. I was too embarrassed to strip in front of them. Back when I was Alpha Jordan's captive with the rest of the girls,we would be stripped and forced into a room where they would spray cold water from a hose on high pressure. They would aim it at us and do it continuously until we were shivering from the cold. And that would be our bath for the day. It was torture. So much that the mere memory of it sent a chill down my spine. But now I was here I w
Darien’s POVI threw my keys on the side cupboard as I undid my tie. Today had been a very hectic day, I was beyond tired and pissed. Some employees can be very incompetent. Groaning in frustration, I began to undo my buttons impatiently. Pulling my shirt off my shoulder, I walked into the bathroom and turned on the shower. As the water travelled down my body, I felt the tension in my body loosen, the knot in my muscles dissolved. My hands pushed my hair to and fro, letting the water wash away the heat of the day.After having a proper bath, I walked out of the bathroom, the steam from the bathroom accompanying me as I left. I tied a white towel round my waist, I approached the big mirror by the wall, shuffled my hair some more as I stood facing the big mirror.The sound of notification from my phone made me tilt my head towards my bed. I saw the phone lie flat on the bed, light from the phone came on to indicate the sign of a message drop in. With numbered strides, I threw my leg to
"You were warned when you took the loan. All this time, we've been letting it slide, giving you time to pay up. But still, you had the guts to try and run away," One of the men thundered. His voice sent chills down Sophia's spine. She did not know what to expect when she heard the loud bang earlier, but she certainly did not expect to see two armed, dangerous looking men beating her stepfather to a pulp. "Stop!!" Her mother screamed, rushing forward. She quickly got on her knees and placed both palms together. "P–Please stop hitting him," she begged. "He's all I have."The men, who Sophia now realized were also werewolves, frowned. "Well your husband should have thought about that before taking such ridiculous loans!"The men did not look like people who would take no for an answer, and Sophia was beginning to fear for her mother. She did not give a fuck what happened to her stepfather. Maybe this was his punishment for all the evil things he had done. "Please…just give me a few we
Sophia's POVThis place was bloody worse than hell. The stairway was dark, and even with my wolf vision, I could barely make out the outline of the man that pulled me harshly by the handcuffs bound on my wrists. They were tight, tighter than the last time. Alpha Jordan claimed it was for me to never make a run for it again. That, and a hard slap that nearly knocked out my teeth."Walk faster, you bag of bones!" The guard yelled at me, yanking the chains forward and causing me to miss a step. He hissed in annoyance as I straightened up, before pulling me one last time in the direction of the door I knew stood somewhere in front of us. Sharply he pulled the said door open to the familiar room that reeked of a disgusting mix of sweat, cigarettes and sex.I blinked rapidly, struggling to adapt to the sudden light intensity that travelled through the large room. Fluttering them open at the loud music that grew even louder, the room clearly came to view. It was what must have been a once ru
Sophia's POVThe man I assumed was a guard was very rough with his pushing. I'd been stuck in a dark room. Now he was pulling me like a ragged doll until he tossed me in front of a few people. The room was large with blue and red lights, a few disco lights and loud music that threatened to make my ears bleed."Stand upright." He ordered, forcing me to straighten my back. I pulled on the hem of my dress, feeling even more exposed than before. There was a man particularly in front of me, sitting with his back recoiling into the couch. He had both legs spread with an intimidating aura about him, I dared not look at him. He was certainly somehow of the same kind as Jordan, the sadistic alpha that had brought me here. He asked me to make him money. Was that what this was about?I couldn't bring myself to look at him, no matter how I wanted to, if that was the case. That was supposedly disrespectful to the rich stakes, I knew that from experience. The last time I tried to square my shoulde
Darien's POV To say I was pissed was an understatement. I was shocked and irritated by her guts. What did she take me for? A mere, useless omega like her was talking back at me? She was fucking talking back! She wasn't loud, but Xavier, my wolf, could hear her clearly. And if I was upset, he was furious. Nobody dared disrespect me or him.I thought she was as much a weakling as all of the girls that Jordan had brought to all his parties. They were irritating as hell, but this one? I couldn't even begin to describe my displeasure with her guts and unwavering empty stare. It wasn't enough that she didn't have a fucking leash on her tongue, she was conventionally ugly. She wasn't particularly beautiful, just long, curly hair covering her face. She really even looked like a few areas of skin covering brittle bones, yet she talked back at me?Not in this lifetime, I smirked to myself and relaxed into the backrest of the couch. Not to Darien Grey. The hell I'd be insulted by this weak foo
Sophia's POVFrozen with fear, I slowly turned my head to face the figure behind me. This was very bad. Although it was clearly too late for regrets, I could not help but berate myself silently. What on earth made me think I could escape right now? This place was crawling with brutal, intimidating Alphas and their bodyguards. Surely, I should have known they would catch me. "Trying to escape already?" The same deep voice washed over me. By this time I was face to face with him. The asshole who had bought me. My blood boiled at his presence. Adamant, I refused to acknowledge his words. The metal pressed against my neck turned out to be a bracelet which he continued to press hard to make a point. I could tell he was trying to hurt me, probably as a warning or something like that. If I were in a different situation, I might have found that funny. With the amount of pain I had received from my stepfather, he would have to do a lot better than a bracelet."I wasn't." I finally spoke up.
Darien's POVAll the anger I had been feeling earlier resurfaced as I made my way through the large hall and through the entrance that would lead me to my father's office. The rage in my chest threatened to burst out, but I was saving it till I was face-to-face with the main cause of my problem; none other than Mr Benedict fucking Gray. Contrary to public belief, my father and I were neither inseparable nor best buddies. That was only what he wanted them to believe because he wanted the family name to be untainted. The image of the perfect family was a priority he loved to uphold.As a matter of fact, my father was more invested in his image within the human world than in our own werewolf community. Sometimes it pissed me off when he acted like those entitled, puny humans. This was not to say he was not a good Alpha. He was, but it just seemed like he preferred to be here. He fed on the power, like a drug.That explained why he loved to throw unnecessary lavish parties every once in
Darien’s POVI threw my keys on the side cupboard as I undid my tie. Today had been a very hectic day, I was beyond tired and pissed. Some employees can be very incompetent. Groaning in frustration, I began to undo my buttons impatiently. Pulling my shirt off my shoulder, I walked into the bathroom and turned on the shower. As the water travelled down my body, I felt the tension in my body loosen, the knot in my muscles dissolved. My hands pushed my hair to and fro, letting the water wash away the heat of the day.After having a proper bath, I walked out of the bathroom, the steam from the bathroom accompanying me as I left. I tied a white towel round my waist, I approached the big mirror by the wall, shuffled my hair some more as I stood facing the big mirror.The sound of notification from my phone made me tilt my head towards my bed. I saw the phone lie flat on the bed, light from the phone came on to indicate the sign of a message drop in. With numbered strides, I threw my leg to
I could not remember the last time I felt so clean and refreshed. And washing my hair was only the beginning. Once we were done, Mrs Ola motioned to the bathroom. "Go on in. You'll have to soak for a little while before I come to help scrub you."Again, I flushed at that. But she was right. I would need help, especially with my back. She gave me more instructions, telling me which of the liquid bath soaps I was to put in the bathtub. "And some forget to wash your face too, okay?"I nodded abashedly and walked into the bathroom fully clothed. I was too embarrassed to strip in front of them. Back when I was Alpha Jordan's captive with the rest of the girls,we would be stripped and forced into a room where they would spray cold water from a hose on high pressure. They would aim it at us and do it continuously until we were shivering from the cold. And that would be our bath for the day. It was torture. So much that the mere memory of it sent a chill down my spine. But now I was here I w
Sophia's POVAs soon as the knock sounded at the door, I jumped from the bed and walked over to unlock it. It was easy, especially since I was unable to get much sleep the previous night. I had spent most of it tossing and turning and worrying about today. I had convinced myself that Darien's words from yesterday were nothing but a means to scare me, but after what he had done to me, I knew that he was not the sort of man that gave empty threats. What did he mean, anyway? Being a personal maid was not a new thing. It was something I had done long enough to be used to it. Back when I lived with my mother and stepfather, the menial jobs I took on included working as a servant for wealthy Alphas and Lunas, so it wasn't a big deal. But the way Darien said it was highly suspicious. It gave a impression that there was more to it than just cleaning up after him. I hoped I was wrong and that paranoia was just getting to me, but I could never be too sure with Darien. I decided that I would no
Darien's POVI froze at the sight of a teary Eloise. As I rushed to where her car was parked, my mind raced as I wondered why she was crying. Once I approached the car, I knocked softly at the window. I watched as she quickly sat upright and opened the door. "Are you okay?" I asked. It broke my heart to see her like this. Eloise and I had bonded closely from a very young age, and I loved her fiercely. Anything that saddened her was something that should be taken care of. And I would do just that. Like I knew she would, she stayed silent. I did not ask any questions for the meantime. "Scoot over," I said. She wiped her face and climbed into the driver seat so I could have space beside her. When I was seated, I left room for a brief silence before I finally spoke again. "What's up?"She inhaled and plucked at her eyelashes before raising her head again. "Nothing. Something got into my eye and I was trying to take it out.""Really? You're going to use that line on me? Come on, Ellie.
Darien's POVAt the sound of Father's voice, the whole room fell silent. I paused in the middle of picking up a piece of sushi and froze, exchanging looks with Eloise. Finally. The man of the fucking hour. I knew something was missing. He marched into the room, and glancing at each of us to make sure we were all here before advancing towards us with obvious dissatisfaction on his face. "Oh, darling, finally," Mother was the first to speak. She stood from her chair and glided down the room to get to the door where Father was standing. "The kids were making such a ruckus, and I was wondering when you'd be here. You know I don't know when to–""Not now, Janet!" Father boomed, cutting her off mid sentence. "Stop with your whining. So you mean to tell me that you cannot control these youngsters?! Maybe your judgement is being clouded by the fact that they are your children. You are Luna! And they are your subjects, so I suggest you start doing your job."My jaw clenched. I hated the way
Darien's POVI turned off the ignition of my car and sat in my car, staring at the mansion in front of me. I had succeeded in containing myself till I got here, but now I was actually here, the same sour taste had come back to rest on my tongue. It was sickening. I had half a mind to turn my car around and leave. Plus, no one had to know I had ever been here. I could easily just say I could not make it because of work, and that would be it.An evil smirk formed on my lips at the thought. I could only imagine what Eloise would do. She would attempt to murder me, I was sure of that one. I couldn't blame her though: being in the Gray mansion, especially with all the Grays present, was a fucking chore. As much as I wanted to, I knew it wasn't as easy as it sounded. Father was the Alpha. He could easily use the Alpha command on any of us who refused to be present, and that would be the end of it. That was the thing with him; he did not ask, he ordered. I held back a curse that was on the
Sophia's POVMy jaw dropped in horror as I watched Darien walk out of the guest room with a smirk on his face. His words replayed in my head like a record on loop, and I suddenly felt a little scared. There was absolutely nothing I hate more than being left in the dark and not knowing what could possibly come next. It made me feel anxious and tiny, and like I did not have a say or direction in my own life. And this is exactly how I had been feeling for the past few months. It is how I have been feeling my entire life, to be honest.It had been three days since the incident with Alpha Jordan happened, and it did not hurt any less than it had that night. I still thought about it quite a lot. I still replayed the event over and over, wondering if things could have played out differently if I had acted on his command. No matter how much I tried to push it out of my mind, I still turned right back and went through the motions of blaming myself for everything. Being so close to freedom a
Darien's POVWork breezed by much faster than I had expected it to, especially since the workload at the office turned out to be a lot more than I anticipated. I had to use extra hands in the form of my secretary and two other employees to enable me wrap up the entire thing before it was late. It turned out that there were some imbalances in the projects the company was currently undertaking, and the contracts we had just signed with a partner company were found to have some issues. So we had to tackle that, and it took about two hours to completely wrap it up. I hated to overwork my employees unless they truly deserved it, so I felt a little uncomfortable that they worked overtime. To compensate for that, I made sure they had adequate amounts of coffee breaks, and when we were done with the work, I ordered takeout for all of them. There was no need to get some for myself since I was going to have dinner in a few hours. Plus, the drama from the mansion would fill my stomach in no ti
Darien's POV"Another family dinner?" I ask, already displeased by the words of the other person. "Now, why on earth would they want to do something like that? Especially at a time like this?"it was highly unreasonable, in my opinion, and I could not fathom why they would want to put themselves and us through any of that. Cursing under my breath, I brought the speaker of my cell phone back to my lips."Are you coming?" I asked the person on the other end of the line. If I was going to be subjected to this unpleasantness, I would prefer to have at least one reasonable being who could hold a normal conversation.My sister laughed dryly. "Well, it's not like I have a choice, so you know what the answer is. The only reason I'm coming at all is because you're going to be there."I only grunted, although I was glad. "You are going to be there. Right?" She repeated, and I knew she was looking for confirmation from me. I smiled wickedly, remembering the time I had told her I would be presen