Emily didn't say a word in response to my question, instead her mouth slowly fell agape as she took a few steps backwards. I didn't know whether it was the curious look on my face that altered my looks, but Emily's face widened in so much consternation that anyone would think she'd seen a ghost. “Is something wrong?” I asked, moving to close the gap between us, my heart pounding in fear. I stopped and looked around, trying to see if she'd seen something else, but we were the only ones in the room. “What is happening Emily? What is going on with you!”“It's the question Ma'am,” she blurted, shaking her head. "No one asks that question.""What!" “No one even mentions that name. It is an abomination to ask about Melissa. Oh my goodness," she placed her hands on her neck and stormed her feet. "How am I sure that we are not being heard right now.”“Is that bad? What exactly is going on?”“For your safety, don't go around asking that name. This castle is another world on its own and eac
I had thought that Dante's guards would grab me by the shoulders and throw me straight into the appointed prison, but they didn't. Instead, they did something worse and utterly unexpected. They indeed grabbed my shoulders, and they held me in place, so that the barber would be able to cut my hair. I screamed my lungs out. Fighting the pain which clutched my heart as every lock of my precious hair fell to the floor. After the sacrilegious deed had been done, I expected them to release their hold on me and have me go my way, but they didn't. They held me to the wooden chair all through the time, the barber dipped his hands into a bowl of thick dye and smeared my hair with it. By the time Dante finished ruining me, my throat had become a whole red sore, making it hard for me to swallow down saliva. The dress I was also wearing was ripped into pieces with scissors.Then I was led up to the cluster of dungeons in the palace and pushed into one of the cells. right after I was nudged into
"You are asking the nuns in the moon temple to come to your aid? What sort of disruptive move is that?" Dante squeezed his face as though the words tasted like gail on his tongue, clenching his teeth and balling his fists. I took a few steps backwards, but he sensed my intention and closed the gap between us with another stride. “Answer me Aurelia,” he said, his eyes flashing with so much anger that I thought it would burn me from the inside out. "Answer me!" I shot back at the sound of the sudden scream, but my resolve wasn't shaken. I had no desire to stay in this place and I was desperate enough to employ any liberative move, no matter how disruptive it may be. “I called on the nuns to command you to set me free. I have requested for accommodation, I am ready to live the rest of my days in the temple as a nun, no husband and no children.”Dante stared at me incredulously for some seconds then he scoffed. “So that is the best plan you can think of?" He chuckled mockingly. "To w
Unknown POV The trees in the small clearing in the forest danced gently to the song of the wind, their hips swaying so rhythmically that Elio couldn't stop but wonder at their beauty and the freezing cold that accompanied their jibe. He tucked his hands into his pockets, adjusted his cardigan and walked on. With each step he took to his unratified rendezvous, twigs cracked and broke under his legs, intruding the myriad of conflicting thoughts in his mind. The shadow pack were a small clan in the lost island of the eclipse wolves, the least of them, but notorious for their brute strength and extreme scheming prowess. They had always wished to be noticed and honored just as the children of the remaining packs were treated. They wanted to be significant and utterly indispensable in the affairs of all the werewolf packs in the land. And so he did it, he approached Dante with the demeanor of an angel while his heart was full of venomous spite. To the wolves of the shadow pack, deceitf
Djurek's POV It was an understatement to say my patience had worn thin. My whole body had become besieged by a deep emotional malaise, which has left me grumpy, cantankerous and depressed. Everything annoyed me—my bed, my house, my work and even my own shadow. My heart had become a rock in the middle of my chest, dragging and slowing me down. My wolf wouldn't stop purring, yearning for Aurelia, everywhere felt cold, it was as though it was raining in my world. Standing in my office that windy afternoon, my mind wandered to her and her whereabouts, as I leaned on the window and watched the ocean waves tossed about in ripples. Didn't she feel that I was looking for her, wasn't she even thinking about me? Did she now hate me that much. No matter how repulsive the answer to the question was, it wouldn't make me stop searching for her. After a while of absent-minded staring, I sat down behind my desk and dialed a number on the receiver. A couple of minutes afterwards, the door ope
Aurelia's POV I went to sleep that night with the old dagger under my pillow. I was alert, ready to strike my victim to his death, ready to break out of this dungeon and proceed to a life of freedom.I was unable to go to sleep easily. I kept tossing and turning around, thoughts of the evil plans Dante had towards me swarming in my mind. He didn't look like he was joking, and the prospect that he was serious with his words sent shivers down my spine. As that thought crossed my mind, I remembered Djurek; his castle and his awkwardly cold demeanor. I made a mistake agreeing to leave with Dante,I could have begged him to let me remain as a servant with his maids, and life would have been good. All in all, I hoped that my plan worked, and that I didn't incur any stumbling blocks on the way. I woke up the next morning to golden rays of sunlight, piercing through the windows. I rolled off my back immediately, and jumped off the mattress. Without further contemplation, I dipped my hand
I lifted the long gown and ran as fast as I could, but Dante was quicker than I imagined. He rolled on his back and grabbed my leg, all to force my leg out of his grip proved abortive, and he dragged me to the ground with one heavy pull. The moment I hit the ground, Dante snaked his hand around my neck, pinning me to the ground. An unexpected surge of defiance coursed through me, giving me the temerity to claw at Dante's face and throw punches at him. But it all faltered into dust when he suddenly raised his hand and landed a slap across my face. My eyes exploded into my head instantly, a dizzy wave of malaise coursing through me. Invisible stars suddenly appeared around my eyes, dancing as the pain paralyzed me. “What the hell is your problem!” Dante screamed into my face. "How dare you!" Before I could respond, he grabbed the fruit knife and placed it to my neck. "I am going to kill you again, you will die and suffer." He raised the knife high above his head, but when he broug
Aurelia's POV When my buttocks started feeling numb, I adjusted my sitting position and placed the book in between my laps, flipping through the pages of the book to see if the writer had written more stuff between the pages. But unfortunately, there was none, the novel contained only the diary page. Quickly, I placed the book aside and started rummaging through the remaining pile of books beside me, scattering them and putting them aside in spite of the dust it caused.I opened every book, peering deep at the pages as I flipped through them. But there was nothing more. Oh no. What should I do now? The short notes seemed to be the only thing that can enlighten me as to who Dante was, and the motive behind his erratic behaviors. What has happened to the lady? She claimed to be the love of Dante's life and Dante had addressed me by her nickname. Maybe these few notes were what she was able to write, maybe she didn't write more. I drew in a deep breath then, straightening up and wipi