My mouth is dry when I come to. And my head feels as if it is stuffed with cotton.I let out agora when I try to move and somebody is holding me up, murmuring, “Here. Drink this.”It’s water.Cold, fresh water, and as it flows down my throat, the cotton in my head begins to disappear.My eyes are bleary when I open them, “W-What happened?”“You nearly poisoned yourself,” Comes the angry response and I see vaguely familiar face looking down at me. It takes me a moment to recall everything, and I slump back into what is clearly a bed."It would have been kinder for you to have let me die,” My voice is heavy. “Let you die?” There is a strange undertone in Adam’s voice. “Why would I let you die?”I don’t answer his question, looking around instead. I’m in a small wooden cabin. When I look at Adam, he doesn’t look very pleased and I turn my head away, |Do you know what it’s like to be abandoned by everyone you loved and trusted? To be sold off as if you are not not an existence t
Everything inside me goes still, “What? Say that again.”Adam has a half smile on his lips, but his eyes are serious, “You are my Luna. My true mate, my other half. My-”“I get it,” I snap, annoyed at his light-hearted attitude. “I mean how do you know?”“How do you not?” He raises a brow. “You felt that connection when you first laid eyes on me. And don’t bother lying to me, little skunk. I saw it in your eyes.”“Will you stop calling me that!” I half wail. “This is a serious topic!”“Okay, okay,” He raises his hands in surrender and laughing quietly. “I don’t know what else to call you. Why don’t you tell me your name?”I hesitate before saying, “Danielle.”This time his smile is soft in a way that makes my face feel way too hot, “That’s a beautiful name.”I flush, “Thank you.”And then he pinches my cheek again, “But I’ll keep calling you little skunk.”I give up at this point.“Fine,” I glare at him. “Why can’t you be serious? How do I know that you’re not saying any of
“A servant girl at the Moore mansion gave it to me,” I tell him, my eyes on his face. “Her name’s Jenny. She has a large burn scar on the right side of her face.”Adam goes still in an almost unnatural way, his face stiff, “What did you say?”His words are a threadbare whisper.Unnerved, I repeat myself and I see a savage pain in his eyes, “Jenny? Jenny’s still alive?”He seems so shocked and devastated. But under the agony, there is relief, but I feel confused, “How do you know her?”Adam’s jaw is tense, “She’s my little sister. I thought - I thought Jason had killed her or worse.”What could be worse than killing someone?I don’t realise that I’ve spoken aloud till he gives me a pointed look and something within me goes still as horror fills me, “He wanted her too?”Adam looks angry but nods, “It’s a long story. I don’t feel up to talking about it just yet.”I’m about to say something when I feel a piercing pain inside of me and I groan, curling up into myself.He is by my
I go still on hearing that, “What?”Adam gives me a dry look, “Surprised?”I stare at him, stunned, “But he did the same to me. Why Cameron-”“How do you think the Moore family became so rich?” Adam gives me a long look. “They mostly do the Alpha’s dirty work. Jason gave them a lot of trading rights in exchange for this. Cameron and I used to play together as children. Never did I fathom that he would betray me like this. I begged him not to do this or to just take Jenny as his mate. But he refused to. He did this to the little girl who used to follow him around since she could walk on her feet.”I sink my teeth into my lower lip, “But surely if Jenny is a servant there, she can leave right?”Adam lets out a bitter laugh, “You really don’t know much about this pack, do you?”When I just stare at him, he shakes his head, “She’s not a servant, Danielle. She’s a slave. Females have very little rights here. After Jason took the mantle of Alpha, he started making a lot of changes. Thi
The mating bond gives me the push I need to allow my wolf out.I feel the fur rippling all over my body and under the intense pain is a sense of freedom as if I can finally breathe.When the pain finally stops, I slowly open my eyes, only to see Adam staring at me, his eyes glinting.“You’re magnificent,” He murmurs, his hands running over my fur.I stare at him, feeling almost wild, before I trot over to the hot springs to take a look at myself.My fur is a light grey and when I look over my shoulder, I see the large black wolf walking towards me. He rubs shoulders with me before licking my snout and grinning. I can feel Adam’s presence inside of me, a steady throb within me. And when I look at him, I feel a sense of belonging and home.This sly tongued man with his teasing words and sad eyes, he’s mine.And for the first time, I’m hopeful for what the future holds.*Shifting back is easier and I’m giddy with excitement after my first transformation. And yet there is
I stare at him, “What?”When he doesn’t answer right off the bat, I feel a bit panicked.“You’re saying we should sneak in-”“Sneak in?” Adam lets out a sharp laugh, filled with anger. “We’re mated. We can walk back into that pack, and nobody can touch you or me. Jason can’t steal you from me and if he tries, I want the pack to see his true face. And I’m still the beta of the pack. I am still the heir to my family. Me returning won’t be a shock.” However, I’m not entirely convinced, “What if he does something to Jenny?”“I’ve been thinking about that,” He murmurs. “There’s a good chance he’ll try. But our first stop will be at the Moore house. Cameron owes me his life. If he is willing to repay the blood debt, then I can get Jenny out of there. Years have passed. I doubt that if I reach first, he’ll think that Jason still has an interest in my sister.”I feel tense because this whole thing seems like a gamble, “And what if he doesn’t?”Adam’s smile is sharp, “Then we play the g
They stare at each other and then Cameron’s gaze shifts towards me.“You’ve caused me a lot of trouble, Danielle.”His voice is calm but there is an underlying note of strain in it.“But if you had to leave, you shouldn’t have come back.”Adam’s hand curls around me, “I would prefer you don’t speak to my Luna.”That has Cameron reacting.“She’s your Luna?” Cameron looks shocked. “How is that - She’s past the age of finding her true mate!”“Well, clearly you’ve been fed a bunch of lies,” Adam hisses. “I knew the moment I saw her. She is now my mate; she wears my mark!”I push aside my hair to reveal the mark on my neck.Cameron’s eyes tighten, “Jason isn’t going to like this.”“Well Jason has taken enough from me for a lifetime,” Adam says, coldly. “If he tries to go for Danielle, I’ll kill him this time.”Cameron just studies Adam before he says, "Why did you bring her back? Why did you come back?”“I want my sister.”I see the shift in Cameron’s eyes, “Look-”“I know she
“What now?” I ask Adam as we leave the forest.“I’ll handle it,” he says, distractedly.I open my mouth to say something and then snap it shut. The fear of annoying him enough to cast me aside is becoming overwhelming by the minute. However, it seems that Adam has noticed my reaction and he stops, “What is it?”“Nothing,” I fake a smile but when I try to begin walking, he pulls me back.“No, there’s definite something, little skunk. Start talking,” He stares at me.I hesitate, “I want to be included in your plans and decisions. I don’t want to be sheltered or just not told about what you’re planning to do because you think I’m too young or stupid or something along those lines.”“I never said-”“Some things don’t need to be said, Adam,” A part of me is resentful and scared.“I’m sorry,” he says after a brief moment. “I’m used to doing things on my own. I was the beta of this pack. I didn’t have to run my decisions by anyone before-”“You have a mate now,” It’s difficult to spe
Seeing my parents again has made me question my trip back to the Silver Stone Pack. It hurts to see them; despite how much I’ve healed. It’s still a sore subject. I wonder if I’m putting myself in pain more than it’s worth.Then, I look down at my beautiful children and I know they deserve to be here. They should see the place where their mother was raised and grew up. It’s part of my history which makes it part of their history too.My family has already ruined so much for me. I can’t let them ruin this too. Besides, there are lots of good memories I have here. And I want to show that all to them.“Come on,” I say, scooping up Isiah as I continue down the grassy hill to the Silver Stone Pack. “I have a place I want to show you.”The kids are delighted at this mystery and Adam looks at me curiously as well. I smile that devilish smile that swears I won’t tell them anything until we get into town.There’s a certain entrance that Alphas and Lunas usually use, and I know people will
Five years later…“Isiah, you get back here right now!” I call out, sternly.My two-year-old toddler freezes in his spot and looks over his shoulder at me, as if to assess the level of danger in my voice. It takes him a moment to decide that it’s worth the risk and he begins trotting away at full speed. However, before he can get too far, my four-year-old, Leila, swoops him up, gleefully and the two go tumbling down the hill and I sigh in exasperation.“Let them be,” Comes Adam’s voice from behind me, filled with laughter. I look over my shoulder at him, to see him carrying Sheila, Isiah’s twin. Sheila is quieter than her brother but when provoked, she turns into Satan’s personal assistant. She’s also a daddy’s girl as is evident when she refuses to let me hold her, turning away and hiding her face in her father’s neck.My voice is tense, “I don’t mind but considering where we are-”Adam’s hand comes to rub my neck, his voice calm, “This isn’t our first trip to the Silver Stone
“What do you want to do then?” Adam asks me.I look at my father’s face and despite the love that is still in my heart, I know that love has been tainted with their betrayal.“Let them go back to their pack,” I say, slowly.I see the relief in the faces of my family and a bitter laugh escapes me, “Did you think I’d sell you into slavery like you did me?”Their faces stiffen and each beat of my heart is filled with a vicious pain, “No. I’m not you. I would never hurt you. But I will cut off all my ties with you. I can’t bear to look at your faces.”I see the flash of anger in my father’s eyes, “We are your parents. You can’t just cut us off!”My smile fades from my lips, “Why? You cut me off when you sold me, didn’t you? I’m just returning the favor.”I crouch next to him where he is kneeling and I grab his face, forcing him to look at me, “Or are you upset because now I am the Alpha’s mate and me cutting ties with you means you losing a powerful connection?”My voice is cold bu
“These are all lies!” Jason scrambles once he realises that he has been implicated. “Those documents are fake! I would never-”“I got them from your computer and your emails,” I counter. “I saw the purchase of the wolfsbane that was used on me. I saw names of girls who have been living in the red-light district area, frames who have been forced into the position of pack breeders, who are abused almost daily. I saw their names in emails. You bought them from their packs in exchange for money.”My voice grows louder as Adam lets me take the stage, “Everything is there in those papers, the transactions. There are interviews with those girls. They are willing to testify how they were forced to come here under the guise of mating other males and then forced to become your mistresses and then disposed of into the red-light district. The previous Alpha was also doing something similar, but it wasn’t this bad. Jason took it a step further by looking for females in his own pack, females he wa
Adam’s hand on my mouth prevents me from uttering a sound but the sound of my heart breaking all over is a thundering sound between my ears.More is said, more words exchanged, ideas on how to ruin my life and I feel faint, my mind shutting down. I vaguely see Adam holding something under the window, but I can’t make out what it is. At some point he drags me away, far enough that I collapse on the ground on all fours, throwing up.“Danielle,” His voice is soft but my head jerks.“No. No, I was such a fool, trying to save them, worried for them and here they are.” My eyes lit towards my mate, tears burning them, tears of desperation and devastation, “Am I that unlovable that they just - Am I not worth anything? Adam-”He drags me to him, “You are. You’re worth everything to me. I swear, Danielle. If they don’t cherish you, I’ll cherish you enough for every single person on this earth. Don’t cry, sweetheart.”“I feel so stupid,” I sob. “Ever since I came here, all I do is cry. What
Returning to the house is a difficult thing for me because I don’t want to go back. But Adam is able to convince me in a few words.“We can stay here and forget about revenge, Danielle, but as long as Jason is the Alpha, think of all the females who are his targets, who will suffer similar fates to yours and Jenny’s. Think all the girls in the red-light district who might have been thrown there as a result of Jason’s greed and lust.”That is the only reason I agree.So, when we return to the house and the butler looks at me, his face tightens in shock.At this point, I have a strong feeling that everyone was aware of this plan to feed me the wolfsbane. I’ve relayed everything to Adam, word to word, and the anger is in his eyes had been satisfying to say the least.Nobody had expected him to bring me back. News of me leaving must have sounded throughout the mansion if the butler’s shocked look was anything to go by.Which is why when we walk into the drawing room, Adam tells me to
“No, you don’t see!” He bursts out, making me flinch.“I refused,” he says, tightly. “I told them that no matter what happened, that even if you really had gone through with something like that, I didn’t want to spend my life with anyone aside from you.”His hands cup my face, his eyes filled with grief, “No one but you, Danielle. I swear on my sister’s life. You are all I have ever wanted in a mate.”I don’t know whether to believe him or not. I don’t know how to believe anything anymore.“I don’t want you to hold yourself into anything, sweetheart,” He swears. “I just want you to be you. You are my Luna.”I remember Jason’s words from the afternoon before, “A true mate bond doesn’t mean you will have feelings for me. Jason has a Luna but he still-”“A true mate,” Adam interrupts me fiercely, “is the most perfect fit for you. Jason is twisted and so is Cara. Yes, love is never guaranteed but I fell for the say I met you, Danielle. When you stood there, covered in skunk door, con
The darkness is a nice reprieve and I find myself floating in it.Is this what death is like?My mind feels blank, my worries having faded.But as I float there, I feel something tugging at me.Discomfort hits me first, followed by the sensation of something winding around me. I begin struggling but when I open my eyes, it looks like a glowing strand of rope. It entwines around me and begins pulling me in a certain direction.I begin to struggle, alarmed but I can’t seem to put up much of a fight.The golden rope is warm and comforting but I don’t want it. I want to stay here.However, it’s a losing battle.I jerk awake, my eyes wide, gasping for breath. My whole body is drenched with sweat.I barely have time to process what has happened before Adam’s face is in front of mine, his expression a mixture of agony and fury.“Oh, thank heavens! You’re awake!”His words make me realise that he revived me and the anger that fills me is so much that it bursts out of me, “What the h
“So, you truly believe I would be capable of something like this?” I look at Adam, my voice dull.His jaw tightens, “I don’t want to, Danielle. But the facts-”“The words of your childhood friend and the pack doctor, you mean?”“I saw you at Jason’s office!” He growls.I can see the way the corner of Maya’s lips twitches, but her tears are still pouring, “We both did, Danielle! Look, I told you this afternoon, that whatever your concern was, you should talk to Adam about it!”I tilt my head, “Was that before or after you led me to that cabin and force-fed me wolfsbane?”“What?” Adam’s eyes narrow.But I don’t expect him to believe me. I don’t expect anything of my true mate anymore.“What are you talking about, Danielle?” Maya sobs. “Why are you constantly trying to create a rift between me and Adam? I just got him back after five years! I don’t mean either of you any harm!”I purse my lips, “Of course you don’t.”Adam takes a step towards me, “What are you talking about?”“