*Laura’s POV*
We all sat quietly with everyone lost in their own special worlds; we all had one thing in common though, it was fear. Fear of the Knights.
I wanted to know more. I wanted to know if there was anything else we could do instead of sending Annabel off to these people who were scaring the shit out of Mom and Charles.
"Is there something we can do to avert this?" I asked quietly, at the same time avoiding Annabel's gaze.
"Nothing." He replied. He suddenly looked far older than he was a day ago due to worry.
"This is terrible!" Annabel shrieked. "What would we do there, huh? Become his maid? his Mistress? Or what?"
"You're going to become his wife!" Charles snapped. He's been unknowingly snapping at his baby a lot for the past 2hours.
"Wife?" Annabel asked incredulously, as if that was the least she was expecting.
"Yes, that's what's stated in the letter, he wants to get married to one of you." He replied coldly, stating the word "wife" like it was some sort of disease; As if he could no longer find comfort in sitting, he stood up and started pacing around the living room.
"That's not bad." Annabel stated with a shrug. "I'll marry him since he's obviously rich." Sly bitch.
"Pheew, thank God!" I whispered to myself but they all heard. I was totally relieved that at least one of us had agreed to go with them willingly.
"Annabel, what about Chris?" Mom cried. Oh I totally forgot.
"He'll get over it" she replied coolly. "Moreover Laura can have him now." This bitch!
"I can't believe you can be this insensitive Annabel!" I seethed angrily. "I do not need you dumping your used toys in my drawer!"
"But you were already crushing on him!" She cried in a bat-like voice.
"Used to crush on him! As in crushed- in the past tense!" I snapped back with equal fierceness.
"But you cannot deny the fact that you lik-"
"ENOUGH!" Charles loud voice boomed over our voices and made us cower in fear. "Now get out of here Laura, and do not come downstairs until I ask for you." Typical, I always got punished for crimes committed by the both of us.
I looked straight into His eye, then back at Annabel's, and raised my middle fingers to both of them; everyone gasped. Good. Feeling satisfied, I turned on my heels and stomped upstairs towards my room.
When I got to my room, I banged the door shut and slumped on my bed. I could never believe Annabel's guts. The girl's downright evil. I still couldn't believe she'd easily push Chris away and then tell me to go for him after she practically stole him from me two years ago...
I remembered the day I brought Chris home, he was my date! My very first date! I noticed how Annabel had looked at him, how she had conversed with him, but I didn’t allow myself think too much about it.
Two weeks later, I was angry at Annabel for stealing my stuff, and I had angrily stomped towards her room, the door was slightly open so I took it as a sign to walk in unannounced.
And I regretted that action.
I've always regretted walking into that room that day for what I saw broke my heart and scarred me for the rest of my life. Chris and Annabel were in her bed!
And they were going at it. They had both turned to look at me, with her legs still wrapped around his waist. He looked surprised while she looked angry. They were still naked, and still... joined.
I broke up with Chris that very day, but his relationship with Annabel soared; until now.
This harsh break up probably serves him right…
***
We were all clustered in the sitting room waiting for the so called Knights to arrive, and it was putting everyone on edge.
Annabel was dressed in a black short lacy dress with black stiletto heels, the makeup on her face was almost excessive, but it wasn’t my business, she was the one getting married!
I noticed Charles eye my grey hoodie in distaste but I didn't care. I had paired it with a black leather trouser and black sneakers. I knew I looked horrible but I’d prefer it to catching the fancy of the so called Knight.
At exactly 10:35am, the doorbell rang making Mom and Annabel gasp at the same time. Morons! Charles went for it and walked back seconds later looking as if a vampire had fed off him. Behind him were four handsome Giants, And I'm not really exaggerating!
For a moment, I felt a strange feeling of unease burst up my spine, everywhere suddenly felt hot, there was even a weird sweet smell in the air; it was so strong it seemed like it was about to consume me. I sucked in a deep breath to keep myself in order when I noticed that two of the Giants were already sitting down, the other two were standing defensively behind the sofa.
"Mr Newman, I guess you know why we're here." The one sitting closer to where I sat spoke up. Rude. No pleasantries, no nothing.
Maybe he's the one getting married to Annabel. They would make such a rude couple!
"Yes, we do." Charles answered quietly, his voice coming off shaky, "my daughters have talked about it and come to the conclusion that my eldest daughter, Annabel would go with you."
"She's a good catch…" The other one drawled; he had this voice that was both authoritative and melodic at the same time. His voice got my attention and made me stare at him for a while.
He was obviously larger and more handsome than the other one. In fact, he even looked more scary. He had grey eyes that bore into mine as he stared back at me and I felt the weird sensations come back when our eyes met…is he my mate? Never! And then he winked.
Fucking pervert!
"But Mr Newman, I said one of your daughters, I never asked you to pick my bride." He said, staring intently at Charles. Oh my God! He's the one getting married to Annabel?
"I'm sorry, but she is willing, her sister isn’t." Charles replied; and I swear I saw Annabel smile flirtatiously at the large guy. I wouldn't blame her though, he's hot and he's her future husband.
"Well, I am interested in the unwilling one." The big guy snapped this time, he's not a patient person.
But wait, what?
I looked at my parents to notice they were staring at me in surprise, and there was this look of hatred in Annabel's eyes. It dawned on me.
"W-what?" I stuttered in shock.
"Aye baby girl, I am interested in wedding you and not your sister." The big guy said. I raised my hands, sending my best death glare towards him but he didn’t pay attention to me as he continued; "And she's coming with us this minute, Jake pick her up!"
“No, no!” I cried, as one of the bulky bodyguards raised me to his shoulders like I didn’t weigh much, and strutted out of the room. I didn’t know how it got to this but I knew my life was fast taking on another u turn…
*Laura’s POV*"We're here." Someone said from beside me. It was that other Giant whom I almost thought was the one to marry Annabel- Or me...Before I could even blink, the car door had been thrown open and the Giant one was already outside. How he could flee from the car with such speed was way beyond me. They could be hybrids!"Come down." someone said from outside the car but I couldn't move. I couldn't bring myself to. I could only stare at them in pure horror and wonder what would become of me if I did."Come down!" Another gruff voice commanded fiercely. Pushing my thoughts to the back of my mind, I picked up my wobbly legs and got out of the car as fast as I could."Good." Giant one said, "Come this way." he stated simply, and for the first time since my first encounter with him, I noticed he had a distinct accent- he's probably half Irish.Looking towards the direction he was pointing at, I saw a large glass mansion, Glass! Or maybe it was made from a material that looked like
*Laura’s POV *I. Am. Doomed.I woke up a few hours later to find myself stripped and chained, both of my hands had cuffs around them with chains that were connected to the ceiling; and even my legs were chained too but I didn't see where the chains led to. The room was dark.My palms were all sweaty, my hair clung to my face due to the presence of excessive sweat and my stomach was already grumbling from the lack of food for the past few hours. Worst of all was my butts, they were in pain! The cold metallic chair was not just hard against it but also felt like tiny needles were pricking at it.Dear Goddess, I'm going to pass out soon...The only sound that had been resounding around the room was the tick tock of the wall clock that I couldn't help but notice when the sound of an opening door took its place. I still couldn't see anything but I knew who had entered, for his presence made that weird sweet sensation crawl up my skin again."I see you haven't changed- yet, and it's past 1
Laura's POV I gasped for air as my head burst through the surface of the water, but my lungs refused to cooperate. They didn't know how to function without the comforting embrace of oxygen - which, in my current position, was not readily available. I had never learnt to swim before, unlike Annabelle. My arms flailed helplessly in the water as my head once again sunk below the surface. I tried to calm my racing heart, to control the desperation building inside me, but it was all for naught. My mind was quickly becoming consumed by the thought that this might be it, that I might die here in the pool on this otherwise unremarkable day. Killed by someone I don't even know, in a place I don't even want to be. It all happened so quickly. One moment I was walking out with a beautiful dress, something I couldn't brag of in a very long time, next I'm making bubbles with water due to water running in through my nose. I opened my mouth several times to call for help, but water filled my mout
Alexander's POVAlexander had invited me to his annual kingdom race and I kindly accepted, who wouldn't?I and my pack had gotten to his house and all settled down in our rooms. Then, I headed for the hall way for some meet and greet.I leaned against the wall, observing the partygoers as they drunkenly stumbled through the dimly lit hallway. I sipped my champagne as my eyes wandered, taking in the various outfits and conversations before landing on her.I had never seen her in any of the kingdom races I attended before, she must be new.She walked into the hallway, her presence demanded attention as her dress clung to her curves, emphasizing her figure. I felt drawn towards her, mesmerized by her effortless grace.As she walked past everyone in the hallway, I could notice all every bit of her shape exposed by her dress like a sensor, a drop of my champagne spilled over the rim of my glass and onto my cuff, pulled from my trance. I quickly composed myself, taking one last look at her
Chris's POVAs I walked inside the hallway, I scanned the area for any familiar faces. People from different packs had come to the house for the annual kingdom race. But then, my eyes landed on Laura, who was the new girl Xander brought to the house. I had never really paid much attention to her before, but something about her caught my eye this time. She was walking down the stairs, looking radiant in her beautiful dress that exposed her curves. It felt like the world had stopped for a moment, and everything seemed to be in slow motion.I hesitated for a while, not wanting to make a fool of myself in front of her, but then I heard a splash followed by a shriek of panic. My head whipped around, and I saw Laura was thrashing about in the deep end of the pool. She was pushed into the pool by Clara and gone straight to the bottom, and now she was struggling to stay afloat. Without thinking, I took off running towards the pool and jumped in.The water was cold, and it took me a few second
Alexander's POVI was coming to meet Chris at the garden to tell him how I've began to develop feelings for Laura and getting to the garden, I met Chris seated with Mark on a bench in the garden having a chat. I wasn't going to sneak up on them until I heard Mark utter Laura's name.I couldn't believe my ears when I overheard Chris talking about Laura to Mark that she was some kind of sex slave to me. Well, she was kind of it, but I've began to develop a soft spot for her. Chris was my best friend, and Laura was someone we both knew and he knew how Laura's situation was, even if that's who she was to me, it doesn't mean he can be attracted to her. I had to confront him about what I'd heard.I waited until he finished his discussion with Mark, I was incognito for most part of the discussion. He leaned back in his chair.I grabbed his neck from behind and Mark quickly stood up in shock. While I held on to Chris's neck and he tried talking, but he couldn't speak. That was how I knew he h
Laura's POVI took a deep breath, settling into the soft cushions of the armchair at Xander's room.. I was drenched in distress, I was feeling sick and I wasn't feeling this way since the race, but it felt like something I did is coming together to hurt me.I recounted the day of the kingdom race, of how I'd felt the weight of my limbs as I almost lost my life, grateful for Chris to have jumped into the pool after evil girl sent me unwillingly diving into pool. I'd pushed myself to the brink of my endurance, muscles aching and cramping, but somehow still drowning in the water before Chris grabbed me.The memory of this incident will forever be etched into head and pools will always give me PTSD.."I recounted how, finally, I'd reached my room after the whole in pool and pool side incident and I was so tired and drenched because of the drowning and my cramps. I wasn't strong enough to go for the race, but I was scared if I disappointed you, you'll be angry and do more bad things to me.
Clara's POVI walked into the built in coffee shop, hoping to grab my usual cappuccino before heading to my room and take my bath. I caught my breath as I see Alexander sitting at a table with Laura. What is he doing with her? I try to shake off the thought and order my drink. As I wait for it, I can't help but sneak glances over at them.To my surprise, I see that they aren't behaving in any way I expected. Alexander isn't even touching her, and they seem to be having a genuine conversation. I feel my cheeks flush with embarrassment as I think of all the things I had been assuming about them.And I the way I attacked Laura? Was I scary enough for her?Maybe I had become sloppy, but I'll let her know I'm not one to be messed with.I grabbed my drink and took a seat at a table across from them. Maybe today will be the day that Alexander finally notices me, I thought to myself. I start to daydream about the life we could have together, but I am quickly brought back to reality as I hear
I knew he had a point, but I couldn't help feeling disappointed. "But Liam, I can protect myself. And I want to be part of the pack's success," I explained.Mike sighed, his eyes filled with concern. "I understand that, Laura, but we need someone to stay back, and that someone is you. Alexander trusts me to keep you safe while he's gone, and I can't let him down."I could see determination written all over Mike's face, and I knew that it was pointless to argue with him. However, deep down, I still wished I could go with the others.I sprang to my feet and started scanning the room for my things. My backpack was still sitting in the corner where I had left it. I grabbed it and pulled out a flashlight, some food, and a bottle of water. I slung the backpack on my shoulder and jogged outside. Mike kept, bugging me and followed me outside.Our den was surrounded by thick woods. The air carried a heavy scent of earth and pine needles. The sun was full scorch, and its light was bright enough
Dominique's POVI never believed in mercy. I was born an alpha, raised to be strong, fierce, and deadly. Compassion was a weakness, one that I had no intention of indulging in as I stared down at Alpha Marcus, bloodied and bruised, his pack cowering behind him in fear.He had been my prisoner for days, and despite my best efforts, he had refused to divulge any information about the whereabouts of Alexander. There had been moments of intense pain, moments when I glimpsed something in his eyes, something that hinted at knowledge of Alexander's movements, but he had remained stubborn, remaining silent, refusing to give in to the pain.Beating upon beating, different styles of interrogation and tutoring done, but he wouldn't bulge.That wasn't the case today. Today, as I looked down at him, I saw something different in his eyes, a desperation that was both unfamiliar and uncomfortable to witness. With one final burst of strength, he pushed himself up from the ground, his breath coming in
Dominique's POVIt was a chilly morning as I made my way through the woods towards the alpha's pack territory. I had heard rumors that some of the other alphas had met with Alexander, and since he had disappeared without a trace, I figured they would know something about his whereabouts. I had to find him.I finally reached the edge of the pack's territory, and I could see the den in the distance. I took a deep breath, straightened my back, and began to run towards the den. The guards at the entrance tried to stop me, but I quickly took care of them, and barged into the alpha's den."What brings you here, Dominique?" Alpha Marcus asked, raising an eyebrow at me."I need to know where Alexander is," I growled, my eyes narrowing."I'm sorry, but I cannot divulge that information," Marcus replied calmly.My patience was wearing thin. I needed answers, and I needed them now. "You will answer me, Marcus," I said, stepping closer to him. "Where is Alexander?""I cannot betray another alpha'
Dominique's POVI never believed in mercy. I was born an alpha, raised to be strong, fierce, and deadly. Compassion was a weakness, one that I had no intention of indulging in as I stared down at Alpha Marcus, bloodied and bruised, his pack cowering behind him in fear.He had been my prisoner for days, and despite my best efforts, he had refused to divulge any information about the whereabouts of Alexander. There had been moments of intense pain, moments when I glimpsed something in his eyes, something that hinted at knowledge of Alexander's movements, but he had remained stubborn, remaining silent, refusing to give in to the pain.Beating upon beating, different styles of interrogation and tutoring done, but he wouldn't bulge.That wasn't the case today. Today, as I looked down at him, I saw something different in his eyes, a desperation that was both unfamiliar and uncomfortable to witness. With one final burst of strength, he pushed himself up from the ground, his breath coming in
Dominique's POVIt was a chilly morning as I made my way through the woods towards the alpha's pack territory. I had heard rumors that some of the other alphas had met with Alexander, and since he had disappeared without a trace, I figured they would know something about his whereabouts. I had to find him.I finally reached the edge of the pack's territory, and I could see the den in the distance. I took a deep breath, straightened my back, and began to run towards the den. The guards at the entrance tried to stop me, but I quickly took care of them, and barged into the alpha's den."What brings you here, Dominique?" Alpha Marcus asked, raising an eyebrow at me."I need to know where Alexander is," I growled, my eyes narrowing."I'm sorry, but I cannot divulge that information," Marcus replied calmly.My patience was wearing thin. I needed answers, and I needed them now. "You will answer me, Marcus," I said, stepping closer to him. "Where is Alexander?""I cannot betray another alpha'
Laura's POV I stood in front of the punching bag, sweat dripping down my face, my fists tightly wrapped in gloves. Despite the pain that came with throwing each punch, the steady rhythm of it brought a sense of calm to my mind. It was the only way I knew how to deal with the hurt that my family had inflicted upon me after I visited them to tell them about Annabelle's death. They had blamed me for what had happened to her. The accusations had rained down upon me like a torrential storm, leaving me feeling battered and bruised. It was unfair, unrealistic, and, to be blunt, cruel. I knew deep down that it wasn't my fault, that I had done everything in my power to be there for her, but their words lingered like a festering wound, refusing to heal. I shook my head, focusing on the bag as I threw a punch. The sound of the impact echoed across the gym, and I welcomed it, appreciating the release of energy that came with it. I felt eyes on me and turned to see Alexander watching me from the
Chris's POV I sat in my cabin, staring at the empty room. The silence was deafening. For years, the pack had been my family, their howls and laughter more soothing than any symphony. But that had all changed when Dominique attacked us. The pack was decimated, and our once prosperous territory was now a barren wasteland filled with people who didn't own the territory. My thoughts were interrupted by the sound of footsteps outside the door. I knew it was Alexander. He entered the room with a grave look on his face, and I immediately sensed that something was wrong. "What's the matter, Alexander?" I asked, trying to keep my voice calm. "It's about the pack, Chris," he said, his voice heavy with emotion. "I spoke to the other alphas, but they refused to help us rebuild. They said they have their own problems to deal with." I let out a sigh. This was worse than I had expected. Without the support of the other alphas, it would be almost impossible to rebuild the pack. I thought if Ale
Alexander's POVIt was a rainy evening, and I was sitting on the couch waiting for Laura to come home. I had a bad feeling about her visit to her parents, especially after what had happened in the past and how they maltreated Laura.I listened to the sound of the rain tapping on the window, and soon heard the door opening. Laura walked in, and my heart sank as I saw tears in her eyes. I stood up and walked towards her, holding her close as she broke down in my arms."What happened?" I asked, my heart tight with worry."My father blamed me for Annabelle's death," she whispered amid sobs.I knew this was coming, but I couldn't help feeling angry at her father for putting her through this pain once again. I held her tight, trying to soothe her."Shh... It's alright, Laura. He doesn't know what he's saying," I said, trying to calm her down."But what if it's true? What if I am to blame? Because it feels like that." She asked, her voice shaking with fear."Stop that talk right now. You had
Clara's POVI sat in the living room of Dominique's new acquired house, my eyes fixed on the TV, but my mind wandering somewhere else entirely. Dominique was watching me from the corner of his eye, and I couldn't help but notice the way his gaze lingered on me longer than it should have. It made me feel uneasy."You seem distracted," Dominique stated the obvious, turning off the TV.I looked over at him, trying to gauge if there was any ulterior motive behind his words. "I guess I'm just tired," I hedged, not wanting to give him the upper hand.Dominique crossed his arms and leaned back against the wall. "Is there something on your mind?"I hesitated for a moment before finally speaking my mind. "I can't help but feel like you're playing a game with me, Dominique. Like you're testing me to see if I'm really on your side or just pretending to be."Dominique's eyebrows shot up in surprise. "What makes you say that?"I shrugged. "It's just a feeling I have. Something about the way you lo