Daciana's P.O.V I stood at the edge of the hill, buffeted by gusts of salty sea air. It was colder than I expected, and my fingers trembled slightly as I readied myself for the fight. My father stood across from me, grinning confidently. His eyes never left me, noting each subtle movement before it could become a strike. He had always been too fast for me; no matter how hard I tried, I could never catch him off guard. “Your movements are too rigid and controlled," he said, his voice carrying over the wind like a fatherly lecture. "You have to learn to be more flexible and natural in your actions." I rolled my eyes humorously despite my frustration. “Maybe if you spent less time talking and more time fighting, I could have hit you at least once!" With a confident yell, I sprinted forward and lunged towards him, my arm extended towards his cheek. He moved out of the way with remarkable dexterity and grace, but not before grinning. I charged at him again, having no notion of how f
Daciana’s P.O.V I woke up with a headache and a blurred vision of where I lay. I could hear hushed voices around me all mumbling something underneath their breath, but I could barely see their faces or recognize their voices. “Where… where am I?” I whispered as my sight became clear. “Ciana! You’re a wake!” yelled a female voice which sounded just like that of my sisters and I felt a thud on my body as she hugged me tightly. “Too tight Amelia. You're squeezing me,” I mumbled under my breath. She giggled softly, but something about her laughter didn’t feel right. “I thought I had lost you too,” she sobbed. I took a deep breath and sat upright on the bed. That was when I realized I was in my bedroom at home. Mother was not with us in the room. Only a few guards and the village healer who seemed to have worked tirelessly to ensure I was in good health. I couldn’t recall what happened to me, but I remembered bumping into Caleb on my way out of the forest. “Where are M
Daciana’s P.O.V Mother and I returned to my bedroom after the elders passed their judgment. She was fuming with rage, but never said a word. We got inside the room and she began packing my clothes into a bag without looking at me. “What are you doing?” I asked her, but she didn’t answer. “Mother,” I called, but again, she didn’t answer. “Stop ignoring me, Mother. What are you doing?” I demanded. She sighed, wiping a teardrop from her eyes. “The Elders just passed their judgment declaring the heir of the pack a rogue. If word gets out to the villagers that you killed your father–they’ll burn you alive.” She zipped up the bag and tossed it to me. “You need to leave. Now!” “I didn't do it,” I mumbled. “I didn't kill Father,” I said with a cracked voice. My mother came closer and hugged me. “No one knows how much you loved your father like I do. I would never believe you killed him.” She spoke lovingly. Amelia walked into the room and found us locked in an embrace. She
Milton’s P.O.V She slept silently like an angel. Peaceful and beautiful as she regained her strength from the toil of last night. I stared at her, unsure of what to do while she slept on my bed, and with no idea of what to do when she finally woke from her slumber. The scent of her body differed from that of the rogues that attacked her. It seemed she was cast out of her home. Robert was against bringing her into our pack. He said she was a ticking time bomb waiting to explode, but I didn't care for his opinion. She wasn't mated. I could sense it, and maybe that would explain why I felt drawn to her. She was lucky that I had gone hunting last night, otherwise she would have been dead. “Why are you staring at me?” The voice I heard awoke me from my thoughts as I stared at the lady before me. She was awake, and I had not noticed it until she had spoken up. I was uncertain of how long she must have been awake, but one thing was clear, and that was the fact that she c
Milton's P.O.V Accompanied by Richard and Adam, I walked back to my office, thinking about where she could have gone. She had disappeared from the pack, and this I was certain of when the guards I ordered to find her returned with downcast looks on their faces. “What do we do now?” Robert asked. “If she's out there in the woods, we have to find her.” “I thought you were against keeping her in the pack?” I asked him. “Shouldn't you be happy she's gone?” Robert was a complicated and indecisive man. He had this habit of developing a sudden change of heart towards situations without a reason. In this case, the hatred he had for this lady, Daciana, was still visible in his eyes, but for reasons best known to him, he believed now it was better to have her close enough and monitor her. I waited for Robert to think of an excuse for his decision as always, and seconds later, he began. “She could be a spy. Maybe even an assassin.” He accused her. My eyes closed faintly as my lips
Daciana's P.O.V It was my third day in the dungeon and I hadn't been allowed the warmth of sunshine. I was locked up in a cold dark room with nothing but a candle light to keep the monsters at bay, and the company of rodents to keep me sane. Everyday, for the past three days, a guard would occasionally walk down to the dungeons to ascertain that I was still bound by my chains. After he left an elderly woman would come down with a tray of food to satisfy my hunger. Her name was Elena. She was short and had hips that could barely ease her passing through the door. I was never able to get a good look at her face due to the dungeons' poor lighting, so all I knew about her was that she was a mother of two strong boys whom she said were the Alpha's most trusted guards. Each day she came down, I asked her if she knew what the Alpha wished to do with me, and why he hadn't come down to question me yet. And each day I asked her, she would say. “Milton will come.” Today, I had no reason
Daciana's P.O.V The night after we met, Milton asked me to wait in his chambers while he discussed with the elders of his pack. I was itching to get out of here and return to my pack to make sure my sister was safe. About an hour later, Robert came into the room, his face folded. “The elders asked that you come speak with them,” he said spitefully. I took a deep breath and rose to my feet, following behind him as we walked back together to the meeting room. It was a massive room, enough to contain the entire village, but it was just for the elders. They sat across from each other on a round table, and Milton sat at the end of the room, a table before him. He barely smiled as he watched me walk into the room. I figured he was always like that, but the elders clearly didn't seem so pleased to see me, especially Davies. We had a rough start after his false assumption, and ever since then, he's been out to have my head on a spike. When I was close enough, he raised a hand to
Daciana's P.O.V My third day living as a member of Milton's pack wasn't exactly going as either of us had pictured it over breakfast this morning. I still had not asked him the name of his pack, but I hoped it would come up in a conversation. Some time in the afternoon, I took a stroll through the village square, hoping to buy something for Amelia. Whenever I wanted to get something off my mind, I'd buy her gifts. Her smile whenever I gave them to her always made me happy. Adam told me about an old relic store down the street of the village square. The villagers mostly abandoned and forsook it, but the old woman who owned it never gave up on the secrets her store held. The roof was nearly in ruins, a fallen tree branch resting perfectly above it. The stone facade wall was covered in creeping ivy, and moss grew at the edges of the window frame. The door creaked open slowly and the bell above it chimed gently. Its soft ring lingered as I stepped into the store and closed the do
Daciana’s P.O.VAdam sat with me at the edge of the pool, our feet gently kicking against the rippling surface of the waters as we stared into the horizon. The sun was well above us now, and the birds which I had scared off when I screamed had slowly begun to return to their nests up in the trees.There was a deer right across the pool from us. It paid us no attention, focused solely on having its fill of water. But each time it had a tree branch snap, it would raise its head and stare at us, watching to know if we were a danger to its peaceful life, until it turned and trotted back into the shadows of the forest.“Maybe I should have struck it down,” Adam said regretfully as we watched the deer leave.I jabbed his side with my elbow and laughed softly. “Why would you say that?” I asked, leaning back with my palms pressed against the ground to hold me up.“Have you ever eaten Venison?” He responded with a question of his own.I paused and looked at him. “You don’t know what it is, do
Daciana's P.O.VThe Moon Festival, and Milton’s wedding ceremony were only days away. The pack was excited, with everyone, young and old eagerly partaking in the preparations.The courtyard of Milton’s house was unusually busy by this time of the morning. The flowers were being trimmed, while the lawn hummed with the sound of mowers shaping it into perfection.Amelia and I didn’t belong here. We were guests, outsiders only tolerated because the Alpha had taken a liking to us. But with his wedding soon, it wouldn't be long before the elders reminded him–subtly or otherwise–that my presence wasn’t welcome, and I had to leave.Standing over the chaos by the balcony’s edge, I quietly watched as everyone went about their designated duties. I didn’t make a sound. I was too afraid of the condescending stares and whispers I’d get if the villagers saw me“Ciana?” A little voice called out to me, soft footsteps approaching from behind me.“Amelia. I didn’t know you were awake,” I smiled, and hu
Milton's P.O.VI stood out in the hallway, my knuckles hovering over the wooden door, hesitation tangling around my thoughts like a thread, pulling me in every direction, but not forward. I let my hand fall to my sides and exhaled deeply, my shoulders dropping as I eased the tension that had risen in my throat.I took a sharp breath, squared my shoulders, and steeled myself. Giving no room to second thoughts, I raised my hand and knocked softly on the door.“Daciana,” I whispered, my voice barely audible. “Are you up?”I pressed my ears against the door, though I didn't need to. I could hear her breathing just fine from beyond it, but I did so anyway.“Daciana,” I called to her again, my voice rising slightly higher than before. “I know you're awake. I can hear you cursing under your breath.”A sudden chill swept across the hallway and Daciana's voice beyond the door vanished. Moments after, I heard her feet shuffle across the floor until she got to the door and opened it just enough
Milton’s P.O.V“I didn’t say you could come in.”I was writing down a report on the preparations for the moon festival. It was all I could do to keep the thoughts of Daciana away from my head. The sound of her voice when my hands caressed her skin. The warmth and sweet aroma of her body…My plan to keep her out of my head was failing, until Davies walked into my office without permission.“I don’t recall ever needing your permission to come see you,” Davies frowned as he took a seat across the table. “What are you doing?” He asked, leaning forward to steal a glance at the piece of paper between us both.“Arrangements for the festival,” I responded without sparing him a glance.“Good.” He said firmly, and sank back into his seat.I paused, feeling uneasy with the way he’d accepted my answer so gladly. “Why good?” I asked, dropping my pen and finally gazing at him.“Because there’s someone here to see you,” he smiled proudly.I glanced at the wall clock above the office door, it was alm
Daciana's P.O.V Exploring the village a second time with Amelia gave me deja vu of the old woman and her crumbling relic store. It was strange to be back in the midst of people. They kept their distance and stared at us like some virus roaming their streets.Amelia didn't seem bothered. She was excited to finally be somewhere peaceful enough to let her be a child once more. A place where she could be free to play around all day and night.While we walked down to Adam's home, a boy just around Amelia’s age or a year older approached us and stretched out a hand to her.“Hi… I'm Silver.” He smiled, rocking forward and backwards slightly on his feet.Amelia looked back at me, like she needed my approval before saying a word. I smiled at her and she quickly spun around to Silver and shook his hand.“I'm Amelia.”“You're new here. I haven't seen you before,” said Silver. His smile widened as he studied Amelia curiously.“Yes. I just arrived a few days ago,” Amelia responded.“Are you stayi
Daciana's P.O.VI walked back to the bedroom with a knot in my chest. I didn't understand why, but I was bothered by Milton's conversation with Robert and Adam.When I got to the room, I couldn't keep my feet still. I paced the long length of the bedroom, hands clenched around my body. Was this why he didn't bother looking for me when I left?Amelia was more concerned about my sudden mood swing. A little while ago, I was happily discussing with her. Now,I was not even aware of her presence. She stood in front of me to block my path, hoping to get my attention, but I bumped right into her.It's safe to say she did get my attention, but not how she'd expected to.“Are you hurt?” I asked, leaning over to help her back on her feet.“I'm fine,” she answered, rubbing her hands over her butt cheeks. “What about you Ciana?” “I'm fine,” I lied, gazing into those beautiful brown eyes of hers. “I just need some time alone.”“Is this about Milton?” She asked, striding over to the bed and liftin
Daciana’s P.O.V “You’re weak,” I heard a voice whisper in my ear. It was calm and gentle, like the morning breeze, but it was condescending and taunted me. I felt a cold shiver run down my spine, my world engulfed in a smolder of clouds. “Let me in,” the voice came again, a little louder than the last time. “You can’t do it all by yourself.” I tried to look around me, but I could barely make sense of where I was. There was a tree somewhere in the middle of what appeared to be a river. The Moon reflected brightly on its surface, and the wind carried gently above the waters. “Is anyone there?” I hollered, but no one answered. I appeared to be alone, but I was overwhelmed by a sensation of a strong presence. There was something out there, something with an immense power that filled me with dread. My throat hitched as I took a step towards the tree. The path got sloppy with each step closer; the earth clinging to my feet and threatening to suck me into the ground. I didn’t stop. I fo
Milton's P.O.V It had been three days since Adam brought Daciana back to the village, and she was still unconscious. I'd spent those past three days getting to know her little sister, Amelia. She was quite the charmer and had a knock for pranks and mischief. One morning, she walked into my office and leaned against the wall, crossing her arms over her chest with a confidence that seemed far beyond her age. “Are you Ciana's boyfriend?” She asked, her tone as blunt as her words. I raised my head from my paperwork and stared at her. I was at a loss for words. My mind rattled by such straightforward courage and interrogation. I leaned back in my chair and let out a hearty laugh. “Why do you ask?” I replied, amused by her audacity. Her eyes narrowed suspiciously as she stared at me, carefully observing every move that I made while seated across the table from her. “She's always said that boys are dumb. And none of the ones in our village were tough enough to handl
Milton’s P.O.V“Won’t you go after them? She’s been gone for three days now. Are you not worried?”I stared at Robert, puzzled by his questionable growing concern for the safety of Daciana. He suggested last night that we send out a search party to look for her, but I refused.I didn’t think she’d do something so reckless. I was worried about her, but I was also furious with her. She disobeyed me, roped my best friend into her plot, and ran off into the woods to go save her family. I was angry with her–angry that she had disobeyed me, and likely put herself in harm’s way, but I couldn’t stop smiling each time I realized that she had outsmarted my guards. Her courage and resilience to defile me were truly admirable. “Adam is with her,” I reminded Robert. “I’m sure they’re fine. Besides, I promised myself I wouldn’t get involved in her decisions. She’s not mine to command.” I let out a defeated sigh and reached for a cup of wine before me.“She’s too dangerous to be left alone,” said