BRIELLE’S POV -‘Open the damn door!' Brielle jumped up from her little bed when she heard someone say something from a distance. Brielle noticed the decrepit clock mounted on the wall some distance distant had already passed midnight.She felt a shudder run down her spine when she heard the noises again, this time followed by a gunshot. Her entire body was shivering violently, her legs twitching and dragging the thin cloth she had used to cover herself. She gently wrapped the material around her torso and stood up.Another gunshot rang out, and Brielle knew without a doubt that whoever these individuals were, they were tied to her in some way.They had finally found her after all her days of hiding and surviving by hand to mouth, and all her hopes had already been destroyed.She didn't even have to ponder much or question her thoughts because the gunshots and noises that sounded like wolf howls heightened her perception.She looked about the dingy room, trying to figure out how to
BRIELLE’S POV Brielle had no idea where she was going or what her feet were doing, but she just kept running.She had exited through the motel kitchen door just before hearing a huge blast and turning around to witness the motel or little shelter go up in flames.The sight had stung her so much that she had almost toppled and fallen, but she had regained her composure and started running, with her father and his soldiers hot on her tail.Brielle hurried, tears streaming down her cheeks, blaming herself for the devastation she'd just created.The shelter and its proprietors had been kind to her from the moment she walked in, providing her with a free bed and food every day since she started sleeping there, but what did they get in return?An attack, a murdering spree, innocent lives lost, and the establishment burned to the ground all because they were good and offered to help a thirsty soul.Brielle was more convinced than ever that she attracted ill luck wherever she went. In this t
BRIELLE’S POV Brielle's head was throbbing furiously, and her eyes were also dizzy. She cautiously attempted to open them, eager to see where she was and where the noise she heard came from. The more she tried, the more difficult it felt. She also tried to lift her hands, but they felt numb. Regardless, Brielle determined that she wouldn’t give up. So she struggled inside, trying to open her eyes and move her body, but her attempts were interrupted when she felt someone kick her roughly on the head, and her eyes flew wide. Brielle gasped when she saw her father standing in front of her, looking down at her with dark eyes, as pain rushed through her entire body. "The bitch is awake, Draken." She heard him say, and Brielle, who was still immobilized, could only stare at him in perplexity and pain. He had referred to her as a bitch rather than a daughter, yet it still hurt after all this time. He never showed her any care or affection, and if she wished for him to change, he only g
BRIELLE’S POV "No…." Brielle screamed so loudly that it echoed throughout the four walls of the cell she was in as she watched her father's head fall to the floor with a loud thud. "A perfect morning to you, too," Draken muttered to her with an evil sneer on his face, clapping madly with his bloodied hand as he walked deeper into the lit-up jail. Brielle began to pull away, terrified of what this man would do to her. Her heart was racing, and she was confident he could also hear it. This man was well aware of his powerful influence on her and was taking full advantage of it. Her back slammed the wall behind her, halting her progress, and she cursed silently. At the same time, Draken stopped in front of her. He squatted down, laughing wildly. "You must be wondering what's going on, right? And that head rolling on the floor is your father's, correct?” He inquired, but Brielle said nothing. Instead, she swallowed a large lump of saliva that she had no idea was trapped in her throa
DARIUS POV "I have bad news, Master," Rocky said as he entered the office, and Darius quickly stood up. "What do you mean by bad news?" His wolf growled as he asked the inquiry, and the dreadful feeling he'd had in the previous several days returned. Goosebumps emerged on his skin, and he wanted to scratch his entire body but stopped himself. Before taking any action, he needed to hear what Rocky had to say. In the back of his mind, Darius had a clue as to what this might be about, but he suppressed the thought immediately. No! No! Whatever news Rocky had for him was unconnected to Brielle. She was fine. She was still in the motel, and... "Okay, since you said I should go on…" Rocky cleared his throat and announced, "Brielle is nowhere to be found." Darius remained still. He felt like ice had been poured over him, and his bones and muscles stiffened. Shivers spread across his skin, and the hair on his arms stood up. "Master, you are not saying anything," Rocky spoke after a wh
BRIELLE'S POV "Arghhhhhhh…" Brielle shouted as the hot, scorching iron reached the bottom of her feet. Her entire body shook fiercely as the unbearable pain spread throughout her body. She screamed again, louder than before. Her entire body convulsed in misery and heat, and she thought it was going to melt off her bones. Her whole body ached, from the soles of her feet to the top of her head, including her chest, lungs, and eyeballs. Everything hurt. It had been two days, if she could count correctly since the great torment began. Draken seemed to have grown enraged by her statements and, therefore, revealed his true colors. Most times, she was starved, and occasionally, she was fed slimy food. However, the scarcely there diet was not the worst thing that could happen to her. Instead, it was the increased torture spree. She had been sprayed with ice-cold water and severely whipped by the guards. He had also scaled her skin with a hot iron so she was red and peeling. Although
BRIELLE'S POV "Eat!" Draken yelled, shoving the stale maggot-filled meat into her mouth. "No!" Brielle hummed, her mouth securely shut, refusing the foul food. Even though her stomach hurt so much, she would sooner die than consume the trash. "Fucking eat!" He roared again, his eyes glowering with rage, but she still refused. How could she eat live maggots and risk herself even more? She couldn't afford it at all. He was better off torturing her than forcing her to take that poison. As if reading her mind, he spat viciously on her face. "If you don't eat this, I'll have to burn your skin with the scalding iron." It's right over there, as you can see.” He pointed to a wooden table in the corner of the room. Brielle shuddered, tears streaming down her cheeks at the unspeakable pain she would experience if he used the metal iron on her. She could almost hear her screams echoing around the cell, each nerve ending on fire as the flames licked her skin and burnt her alive. Still, she
DARIUS POVDarius had his head buried on his office desk, half asleep and deep in meditation when a thundering knock on his door jolted him awake. "Come in." He grunted and looked up from his desk. The doorknob twisted open, and a guard entered, bowing his head dutifully. "Master…" He greeted, and Darius responded with a wave of his hands. He inquired immediately. "What brought you to my office? Is there any news?" "There is." The guard moved closer to the desk and slipped an envelope towards him. He said, "The postman arrived earlier with this envelope for you. He stated it's urgent, and the sender wants you to view it immediately." "Huh?" Darius frowned. He rarely received letters unless they were business-related, and even then, they were delivered via mail. So, who had sent him an envelope? He couldn't even remember the last time he received one. "Well, I think you should see for yourself." The guard spoke again, and Darius hummed.He extended his hand, took up the brown pack
BRIELLE'S POVHer heart fluttered like a flower picked from a peaceful garden. Brielle searched for words to convey how she felt as Darius hoisted her up the floor. Euphoria. Joy. Thrill. Delight. Excitement. Surprise. Yes. These words clearly defined the situation, but there was more going on. Something deeper. Something she couldn't quite put her finger on. Perhaps she didn't know what word to use, but it wasn't happiness. It was more than that. "My love. Mine, all mine..." Darius repeated in her ears as he twirled her around. After a few minutes, he dropped her back onto her feet.Brielle remained still for a moment, attempting to regain her breath. Her mind buzzed with so many different thoughts, and she felt dizzy and possibly lightheaded from all the dancing, but that didn't stop her from stretching her toes and kissing Darius on the cheek."How are you feeling?" Darius asked, and she replied. “I feel on top of the world. Or maybe I'm already flying through it; I have no idea
A MONTH LATERDARIUS' POVThe banquet went better than Darius had anticipated.He had hoped for a low-key and personal ceremony in which he could deliver the glad news to his people and seal the everlasting union with his partner, but the event planners had other ideas. They'd gone over and aboard, and he surprisingly approved. Every area of the castle was artistically ornamented with gold and scarlet decorations. Everything was stunning, from the beautiful wall tapestries to the intricate floral arrangements, and the crystal chandelier glowed like a light in the hall's center. It was ethereal. Just like the woman for whom this entire charade was intended. Darius smiled as he continued to glance around. His gaze swept through the guests in the room, mingling, drinking, and speaking in groups. He also watched the servants rushing around carrying platters, refilling drinks, and doing almost anything to keep the party going. Finally, his wandering attention was interrupted by the mo
BRIELLE’S POVThere wasn’t a force more powerful in the universe than love. At least, that was what Brielle was thinking as she watched Darius dress in front of the mirror.Her lips watered as he flexed his muscles to remove the white shirt that hugged his body's curves.They had both healed, and all that remained were the scars. Though as memories converged in her head, she nearly let out a whimper. She’d gone through a lot, and damn! Anytime she remembered the whippings, electric shocks, cold water dousing, and even days she went without food, tears streamed down her cheeks. It wasn't easy to forget what had happened, but with Darius, it was becoming easier than she had expected. He was at her side throughout the recovery process, and she couldn't have asked for anything more. "Like what you see?" Darius smirked, interrupting Brielle's thoughts.He was looking at her through the mirror, and when their eyes met, her cheeks flushed. She looked away."Umm." She murmured and said n
DARIUS POV Darius walked carefully down the corridor with his guards in tow. He’d woke up a few hours earlier, and all he could think about was seeing Brielle. The dream from the day before continued to torment him, keeping him half-awake all night. Now, all he wanted was to see and hug her tightly. Then he’d apologize for how he had neglected her—the anguish he'd caused her by not being present when she needed him most. And maybe she'd forgive him. But would she? The inexplicable torture she went through in Draken Havix's hands, as well as his irresponsible choice to send her out into the wild, was nothing short of horrific. It was unforgivable, and Brielle deserved much better. She deserved more than to be with a man like that. He was a coward and an idiot who couldn’t even admit that she had transformed him from who he used to be to a better person. But then, he was also a selfish fool, so he wouldn’t let her go. Not in this lifetime or the next. Regardless of these thought
SOME DAYS LATERBRIELLE'S POV Her eyelids fluttered slowly, and Brielle groaned softly as a dull pain throbbed through her temples. It took a few more attempts before she could open them properly, and eventually, they slid wide enough for her to see where she was.Brielle had to squint a little until her eyes adjusted to the light, which was in stark contrast to what she was used to - dim lighting, quiet, and empty space. 'Where was she?' She frowned and pondered, 'How did she get here?'.She tried to push herself up into a sitting position but froze when a sharp pain shot through her skull again."Damn it." She muttered quietly, lifting a hand to her forehead, only to discover that it was attached to something, and she could not move it. "Fuck! Where am I?" She cursed aloud and, with her eyes roaming, began taking inventory of the room. And that's when she noticed it. The familiar curtains dangling from the windows. The dark red couches facing one another, and gold-plated side ta
BRIELLE'S POVBrielle's eyes opened and shut as she slipped into and out of consciousness.Her entire body hurt; her head ached, and her chest was on fire. Her eyes were open, but she couldn't see anything, and her eyesight was fuzzy.She could only hear noises, low whispering voices that appeared to come from all directions simultaneously. She could also feel soft wisps of cool breeze on her skin, confirming that she was outside.She wasn't in that terrible cell anymore, being tortured by those evil men.But if she wasn't present, where was she? She remembered sprinting through the palace hallways, looking for a way out, but then...She slowly began to recollect what happened after that. Her memories were returning slowly. Brielle had planned to flee once the guards left, with the cell door open and the key having fallen out of their pocket by accident. She remembered scanning left and right to ensure she didn't knock into anyone. It seemed strange how empty the hallways were.She
DARIUS POVDarius fought with all of his strength. He hit and punched, channeling his inner strength until Draken was a bloody mess.Earlier, when Draken had transformed into a wolf and leaped at him, Darius had been prepared for it. His fangs and claws had sharpened, and he’d transformed into his lycanthrope wolf form. He rarely shifted, but when he did, he wasted no time. As a Lycan, he would always be faster than his opponent and better equipped to catch his prey. So when the man attacked, Darius didn't even think about what he could do. His beast form had switched to autopilot, and its instincts took over. He'd scarcely noticed anything when he attacked. He only felt the pain of the punches and strikes, which weren't too severe because he wasn't on the receiving end of them. Draken, on the other hand, was severely beaten. His hairy face was matted with blood, and there were several large gashes all over his body. At this point, he wasn't even fighting back, just squirming and
BRIELLE'S POV"What is happening?" Brielle overheard the question, as many guards entered the cell with troubled expressions."There is a very big problem." One of them spoke, and despite her weakness, Brielle managed to stretch her ears enough to hear what they were saying. "Which is? Can someone fucking talk to me?" Another guard inquired, and the whip in his hand tumbled to the floor. It fell with a resounding thud, and the sound echoed off the cell walls.The air seemed to cool even more. The room was silent for a long time until one of the guards spoke up again. "Master Draken and Lord Darius are…"Brielle's heart sank when she heard Darius's name."Goodness gracious please, let nothing happen to him…" The words came out of her mouth unexpectedly, almost in prayer, and a stray tear streamed down her left cheek. The guards resumed discussing, but this time in quiet tones, as if frightened Brielle would hear them. It irritated her, and she wanted to yell. She wanted to question t
BRIELLE'S POV "Please…" Brielle begged and screamed at the top of her lungs, but the guards did not stop. The more she pleaded, the more the torture increased, and they continued to whip her body with their batons.But she understood why this was happening. Darius was here again. He'd arrived yesterday, and while she hadn't seen him, the rate at which her torture had risen was clear evidence of this. Her agonizing yells were intended to convey a message to Darius. Draken was using it as a tactic to demonstrate that he still had the upper hand and leverage. Brielle's heart wrenched painfully as she thought of the wicked older man who held her captive. A shiver ran down Brielle's spine as she remembered their talk from last night.He'd informed her that Darius still loved her, and despite her misery, she couldn't deny that his words had given her hope. Even when he made insulting jokes about her and Darius's deaths, a small part of her brain ignored the unpleasant words and focused