I woke up in the early hours before they did. I couldn't even get a good night's sleep. I kept on tossing, trying to find a good position. But I was tied to a chair, so there weren't many positions one could turn to. My neck and back felt sore from sleeping in such an uncomfortable position for a long time. I was shaking like a faulty machine, and I could already feel the onset of a headache coming. In the dim light, I was able to make out Anna sleeping on the mattress. It is disheartening that one could sleep well knowing that they may be the cause of an innocent man's death. She was sleeping soundly, even snoring, with no care in the world. I looked around, trying to spot any weapon I could use to defend myself, or even food. I can't even remember when I last had a decent meal. But there were none; only food wrappers and empty water bottles were lying carelessly around. Kiayra? I called to my wolf, hoping she would hear me, but I received no response. Richard? This time I tried c
Richard's POV Few hours to the kidnap, It was a typical busy Monday. It was a struggle to leave my pregnant mate to herself, but I had to. I have a pack to take care of, and she has work to do. My mouth tugged into a smile as I remembered all our activities yesterday. She was truly a vixen. She had made me break my oath. I promised not to fuck her until she gave birth, but she seduced me, and my defense crumbled. And now, I can't get enough of her. I adjusted myself as I felt myself growing in the pants. Isabella will definitely be my undoing. I tapped my forehead. Think of rough, hairy balls, Richard—rough, hairy balls. I had no choice but to let her go to work, after getting confirmation from Gamgam multiple times that it wouldn't be stressful to her health or the baby's. Now that I think about it, I should have assigned a warrior to keep a close eye on her. I don't want anything happening to her. "Is that drool I see on your mouth?" Ian's loud voice is difficult to miss. I sw
ISABELLA'S POV I was in a bed of flowers, lying down with my hands spread. I don't know, but it felt as if a huge weight had been removed from me. I could no longer feel those earthly things that were binding me. Is this how the afterlife feels? No worries about anyone stabbing you in the back? I think I will love it here. Drip, I felt a droplet of water fall on my face, and before I could blink, it was falling in large amounts. Something or someone was shaking me. I stood up and looked up, but there was no one there. I was still in the large field of flowers. "Luna! Luna!" I heard a voice calling out. But I couldn't place the voice. Luna? Am I Luna? "Why did you hit her? She could die!" The voice continued. "I thought you said you hated her, why do you care if she dies?" "I know, but you shouldn't have hit her. I want to kill her myself. Besides, she is powerless already. There is nothing she can do." I felt another stinging pain on my cheeks and another one again. I glitched
Richard's POV "What do you mean you can't find her? How can she just disappear into thin air?" I thundered, making everyone whimper. I don't care if my wolf is coming out, I need to find my mate! "Richard, please calm down. We will get to the bottom of these. Let us go back to the pack house." Ian tried to reassure me, but I am already way past calm. "I am not leaving here until I see my mate! So don't try to tell me to leave." Then I turned to Gamgam. "I heard someone follow her home. Who is that?" I was aware that she was friends with one of the warriors who teaches at the pack school, and I also heard they go to work together, and leave together. I have been ignoring it, since it was just a harmless friendship. I didn't want to seem overly possessive. No matter how Hermes always nags me about that. She is her own person and free to make her own choices. But if he is the one who hurt Isabella, I shall kill him. "He is my grandson. His name is Harry, he works at the pack school."
I rushed down to the hospital, praying that it wouldn’t be any worse. I had overslept, and now I was kicking myself for sleeping while my mate was nowhere to be found. When I got to the hospital, no one was there save my mother and Gamgam. My mother took one look at me and hugged me tight. "What is wrong?" I asked from over her head. They were spotting gloomy faces, and I was getting worried. "We have been researching all night, and we found out that the drugs kill one’s wolf momentarily, although we don’t know for how long yet. It puts them in a deep slumber, making them incapable of shifting. Simply put, they become humans." Gamgam explained her face's downward tilt. "The drug has been illegal in a lot of werewolf communities, and it has been banned for many years. It is used to temporarily weaken one’s wolf, but it hasn’t been perfected, so it could be very dangerous. and there is no known antidote yet." My mother added. What the hell! I tried to process all that they were sayin
And wait, I did. I was outside waiting for them to be through with the surgery, all while praying to the goddess for a miracle. I was sitting outside in the waiting area, and Ian was beside me, providing me support as a friend. My head was bent as I waited for them. I didn't dare sleep, no matter how long they were in there. After several hours, they came out with worry and tiredness written all over their faces. We stood up immediately, and I rushed to meet them. "How is she? How is my baby? Are they going to live?" I couldn't help it as I bombarded them with questions. Fear and worry gripped me with their cold hands. "We have good and bad news. Which one do you want to hear first?" My mother spoke out. "I would prefer the bad news." I opted for the bad news first, so that I could use the good news to comfort myself. "You need to brace yourself for this one." My mom began. "I'm sorry son, but your son is dead. We tried all our best, but he was already dead before they got here
Day 4There was no improvement in her condition, but I kept on hoping. Every day, I would watch as they cleaned her and checked her vitals, hoping for some sort of miracle.I was grateful to Ian; he had been running the pack smoothly. I could never have asked for a better friend, or Beta. Every day, he would come with a change of clothes and food and stay with me for a while.I haven't seen my mother since our little incident. I know I have to apologize, but I couldn't bring myself to do that. She was also at fault. She had never liked my mate, and she was insensitive.Today was the day. I finally decided to call Isabella's parents and inform them of what had happened. They needed to know about the state of their daughter.I picked up the phone, starring at the screen like it was a monster, and I heaved a deep breath and exhaled it quite loudly before I called her dad. I decided to break the news to him first, because between him and his mate, he would be the more rational one than he
Isabella's POV I was back in the field of flowers. I was lying sprawled on my back, looking at the white cotton clouds that were moving in the sky. Large white birds were flying over the horizon. It was truly a sight to see. I looked around, but there was no one here. I had never imagined that the afterlife would be this boring. I expected to meet a lot of people—maybe I could have even met The Blue Crescent's former Alpha. I would love to get to know him; he seemed like a great person, and I have no doubts that he would like me. But why was I thinking of meeting someone I didn’t know? I had no idea. I shook that thought off. I stood up abruptly, in search of anyone or even the moon goddess. I was about to dust my body to get rid of the flowers that got stuck on me. But that was a grave mistake. "Ahhhh!!" I screamed, fearing for my life. The birds that had been flying peacefully flew off. I was sinking into the bed of flowers. I looked around for something—anything—that I could us
My hands were drumming on the table as the lady kept talking, and I tried to tune her out. No matter how hard I tried to concentrate on the meeting, my mind kept jumping to the children I left in the room. I had told Jesse to watch them, but I know he will be of no help. I was particularly worried about Jasmine, the oldest of my twins. She is known to be fearless and has a knack for inviting trouble, even though she just barely clocked 5. Her twin brother, Jason, was equally troublesome, but he was easier to control than his sister. When will this damn meeting be over? This was something I never got used to—sitting down for hours and hearing people talk. Richard noticed my attitude and smirked, "Feeling bored?" He asked me through the link. "You can say that again. I am just worried about the twins. You know what Jasmine can be like." It didn't help that I had a nagging feeling that something was wrong. "Relax. Don't worry, they are in safe hands. My brother is watching over them.
"Alright, the bad news. Your mom is suffering from a stroke." Richard's face crumbled as he heard it. I held him, trying to comfort him in the best way I knew how. "But we are werewolves, Gamgam; we don't suffer illness." He tried to argue. "Yes I know, which is why it is rare. But your mother has been without a mate for a while, and it is affecting her. She is slowly deteriorating." "And the good news?" He asked, trying to gain hope. "The good news is that the operation was successful. We were extremely lucky that we got to her on time. She should be waking up soon." We all collectively heaved a sigh of relief. I could feel Richard untensing at her words. "Thank you so much, Gamgam. I am really grateful for everything." "It is alright." "She is also like a daughter to me, and I wouldn't want anything to happen to her." Just then a male doctor and some nurses came outside. "This is Alexander. He was the head surgeon in charge of her operation, and he in fact needs to be praised.
I woke up with a splitting headache—now that I think of it, I am always waking up with a splitting headache. Anyways, I rub my hands over my sleepy eyes, trying to clear the sleep. Looking around, the sheets have been thrown on the floor during our steamy session. The bed was unmade and rough, and Richard was sleeping on it like that, eagle-spread and snoring. I frowned as the noise got to my ears. Reaching over, I pinched his nose tight, and it was able to control it.I looked around, trying to get my clothes. The red and white furniture is a stark contrast to our black furniture, which reminded me that this was not our room. But that begs me to ask the question, "Where were we?"But before I troubled myself with that piece of information, Richard would know best how to answer it. I need to look for my phone; if I could remember, someone was trying to reach me yesterday. But Richard collected my phone and switched it off.I shuffled to the edge of the bed and placed my legs gingerly
It has been a hassle trying to get Richard to leave the venue. He had gotten power drunk and was crazy about winning. Soon the locals found out that they were never going to beat him, so they got tired, and no one was in the mood to compete again.He looked around, searching for new competitors, but no one was willing to wrestle with the new person. "I see y'all are getting tired of being beaten at your game. But I get it, and I will go. Let me just get my money." Someone directed him to where all his earnings from the game have been stacked.We went over there, and bundles of 10-pound notes were stacked high on the table. "What are you going to do with all that money?" I asked him through the link."Hmm, I don't know. Probably convert it to the pack's fund?" I dug my elbows into his ribs, and he looked at me quizzically, "You know you can't do that. You will be ripping them off of their hard-earned money, and goddess knows they need it. Besides, I have seen the pack's account, and I
The sun had begun to set on the horizon, and darkness was slowly creeping into the place. But that was when the main show was getting started. According to Richard, I was going to experience the Southampton nightlife. The first place we visited was the Duke of Wellington, commonly known as "the Duke of Boots" by locals. The name was given after its namesake’s famous victory at the Battle of Waterloo. It was a formidable timber-framed building with colorful hanging baskets that greeted our arrival. We were led upstairs to the rooftop. It had a section for the bar and for the restaurant. We got seated in one of the chairs, and I got comfortable. I looked beyond the horizon, watching as the night was taken up by the stars and beautiful street lights. I looked up to see the moonlight shining down on us. I closed my eyes and enjoyed the night breeze. "Enjoying the view?" Richard whispered into my ears, and I nodded. "Yeah, it is beautiful. Thank you for today." He gazed at me, his dark
The date hasn't even begun, but overall, I was loving it. My skin was glowing after hours of pampering and care. My nails were on fleek, and even my hair was flawless. Apparently Richard told them to get a hair stylist for me because he wants me to look my best. Like can I love this man even more? He was just too sweet.I was heading towards the inner room to go get my clothes when the head of the spa handed me a bag and said it was from Richard, and she was gone like a flash. I looked at the corner where she had disappeared, wondering why she had given me a bag.I peered into the bag, and I could see black wrap. I was skeptical about it, but since it was from Richard, I trusted that it would be something good. Today has been full of surprises, and I wonder what he had planned. I went to the changing room and brought out the items from the bag, and my hunch was correct. It was new clothes.I tore the wrapper off the clothes in a hurry, my heart pounding within my ribcage, wondering
A date is exactly what I need now. I can't remember the last time we went on a date. As I tried to think of the last time, I was reminded of the first one we went to. It was unarguably my best date ever; not like I have ever had any before that. But he was a total gentleman there, and it was one of the reasons I started falling for him. I wonder where we will be going this time around. Just the thought of it was making me feel giddy. With our busy schedules, we barely had time for ourselves, so I am willing to take this opportunity and enjoy it to the fullest. We took a quick bath together; Richard wanted us to be out of here before he starts getting calls. Otherwise, we may be unable to go after all. "Where are we going to?" I asked him as we were getting dressed. He had been tight-lipped since, probably not wanting to spill. "I don't know, just get dressed; you will know when we get there." "That is the thing; I don't know what to wear. I need to know exactly where we are going
Richard opened the door, and the stench of alcohol hit me hard. I froze, my sensitive nose wrinkling at the smell of the fermented drink. I glared at him, my mouth pressing into a line. I was pissed at the fact that he left without telling me, making me worried, only to come back drunk. "Take care of him." Someone slurred, and I turned to look at who had brought him; it was his Beta and he also reeked of alcohol. "Ian, wait," but he was already off, staggering to his room while holding the wall for support. I was left alone with Richard, so I moved closer to hold and steady him. He was so drunk that he couldn't stand well. My ear pricked when I heard a loud crash on the floor. "Fucking floor, can you just be straight for a minute?!" He cursed at the ground. I was going to help him up when he called out, "I'm okie dokie; don't worry, Luna." I looked at the corridor, and it seems like he got it under control. He had picked himself up and was staggering back to his room. I shook my h
"What was the meaning of that, eh?" I questioned him as soon as we got back home. "The meaning of what?" He asked, like he didn't know what he just did. The urge to roll my eyes at him was so strong that I had to resist it. "The meaning of what happened back there with Harry." "Oh, that? That was nothing." He replied nonchalantly. "Why did you grip my waist tighter when he was around?" "Do I have any reason not to do so?" He replied offhandedly while unbuttoning his shirt. "You are my mate, and I can do whatever I want with you." "I know, Richard, but that is beside the point. You were trying to rile him and make him feel jealous." I argued further. "And so what if I did? Why does it bother you?" "It doesn't bother me, but you have to take into account that he doesn't have a mate, and you are rubbing that fact in his face." He sighed, pausing what he was doing, "drop it, Isabella; it is beginning to sound like you care about him." "What is that supposed to mean, he is my frie