Amara's POV
As each drop of rain touched the ground, the view of the village became dark and dull, making it difficult for those standing outside to see what lay ahead of them. Water flowed down the cramped street, carrying the mud and dirt past me, a young girl standing under an umbrella, with my mother and step-father. My emerald blue eyes darted left and right, squinting tightly in an effort to see beyond the darkness and the rain.
"Mother, do you think he will come? The rain is getting heavier." I said as I placed more strength into my arms to keep the umbrella steady.
"He will come, Amy " My mother said, calling me by the nickname she usually called me at home.
My father passed away seven months ago, and since then, it was just my step father and my mother who were with me.
The rain was getting heavy, and the wind did not help, making it impossible for the umbrella to stop all the rain from reaching our shoes. My aunt gave a look to my uncle standing next to her, pressing her lips into a thin line as they waited for the expected man to arrive.
We have been standing there with a sack of yam and turnips which had to be sold to a customer today. We owned a little shop at the corner end of the village market but the shop did not fare well. My step-father worked hard, waking up early to be the first shop open and last to close, but regardless of what he did, the income was less than predicted. After all, its location was distant when compared to the other spots making their shop a last resort for the locals and affluent buyers.
A messenger had sent them an urgent request for their vegetables an hour ago, claiming that they would arrive to purchase them shortly, but even after an hour had passed, no one had come. I wondered whether the man would even come with such awful rain flooding the streets. Perhaps it was a wealthy person who was holding a party for others like him. People whose statuses were too high for my family to speak with.
"Are you sure he's coming?" I heard my mother whisper to my stepfather.
"Well he has to. He paid a huge sum of money for it. Let me go check the store to make sure they aren't there," he replied, readying himself with the umbrella only to have his wife grab his shirt.
"I will come with you. I don't want to find you later on the ground with your back thrown out. Amy, dear," My mother turned to look over her shoulder to meet my eyes that stuck out radiantly in the gloomy weather, "Your father and I shall go see if the man is waiting for us at the store entrance. Stay here so that we don't have to come looking for you next. Okay?"
"Let me go look instead. I'll be much quicker," I promised, only to have my step-father shake his head.
"The last thing we want is for you to be getting lost. Do as you are told," his words were sharp and left no room for rebuttal.
He had always been sharp with me, which often made me wonder whether he was opposed to me staying with them.
"Don't worry about the vegetables. I will safeguard them," I gave a reassuring smile to have my mother return a small nod to me before scurrying away with him under a single umbrella.
The rain continued to pour with a soft thunder growling above me. The rain was common to the people who lived in moonlit packs, as the sunny days were sparse in comparison. We werewolves who love running in the meadows, have already adapted to the rainy weather and hardly go out for a run.
The tower bell rang loud enough to compete with the rain and thunder. The sky darkened further as a carriage passed by me without stopping, not caring to ask why I was standing alone in the rain or if I needed assistance.
I took a step back under the worn-out, little roof that helped reduce the pressure on my black umbrella.
The wind grew more powerful, making it more difficult to shield my feet and the bottom of my dress from getting wet. As I stood there waiting for my family to return, all the while keeping an eye out so that I did not miss the customer who had agreed to come to purchase the goods, another carriage passed by, jet-black in color.
Due to my unfamiliarity with carriages, I did not know to whom each one belonged to as they all appeared relatively identical in design and color. Such luxuries generally belonged to men and women of the upper-class. The most contact I had with this transportation mode was traveling in a local carriage that was packed with other commoners, ferrying me from one pack to another.
What I failed to notice was that this particular carriage had stopped around the corner of where I stood.
I raised my head to the sky, a smile on my lips. The rain was free and beautiful. Even though it made everywhere wet and muddy. When the wind hit my face, my slender fingers tucked away the unruly strands of hair that covered my face.
I continued to wait in the rain until I felt it had been too long since my family had left me here. I grew worried, fearful something had happened to them. I wondered whether I should go look for them to make sure they were okay. My step-father and mother were no longer young, and the rain could have caused them to slip and fall.
Before I could decide what to do, I saw a figure through the rain walking towards me with an umbrella. It was a man wearing a large coat over his body. I guessed that he was the customer in question.
He was late!
I disliked that just because we were poor, others could treat us however they wanted. Our time was just as important as theirs!
The man approached me, and when he was close enough, I berated him, "Mister, it's an hour past the time we agreed on. Don't you know the vegetables will soak in the water due to your carelessness? You will have to pay extra for wasting our time." I raised my brows accusingly to make sure he understood what I said.
The man stared at me, his black eyes inspecting me from top to bottom, causing me discomfort.
“You must be Amara, am I right?" He asked and I nodded. “Where are your parents?”
He had a scar that ran across his mouth that made me wary of him.
"Because of your tardiness, they left to search for you in the rain, but they should be back any second now. You are Mr. Armani, right?" I inquired full of suspicion.
"Yes," he said, scanning the vicinity to ensure no one was present.
Most of the villagers had taken shelter under their homes to avoid being drenched and catching a fever.
"Your goods are right here. Pay up, and you can take it." I patted the sack of potatoes and turnips that were stuffed inside the sack.
The man stared at me, a smile forming on his lips.
"The payment has already been made…"
Since when? I gave him a look of doubt as I pondered his claim. Maybe the man trusted my uncle, and they shared a business history with him. As unlikely as that sounds, it was still technically possi—WHOA!
Suddenly, instead of taking the sack next to me, the man seized my wrist and dragged me towards him.
"What are you doing, Mister?!" I was startled by this sudden change. "Let go of my hand," I said firmly as I tried to pull it out of his grip, but he was too strong.
Unable to pull away from him, I picked up a rotten carrot I had previously placed on the slab to throw away later. Taking hold of it, I jabbed it right into his face, digging into his eyes and making him yelp in pain. He instinctively let go of my hand.
Without pause, I closed my umbrella and smashed his head with the edge of the handle as hard as I could before sprinting away. The rain came down at me with anger and my wet hair stuck to my face as I ran. With the countless puddles that littered the ground, every step I took was accompanied with a large splash. One of my hands held the front of my dress as I made a mad dash through the streets.
I heard larger and more aggressive splashes chasing my footsteps. Unfortunately, the attacker was persistent in following me. I ran with all my might, turning into alleys and crossing the little streets until I found a large pillar located past a corner to hide behind.
I gasped for air. It had been ages since I had last run so desperately.
The last time occurred when I was being chased by a bull. I had not done anything to anger the animal, just disliked me for no apparent reason and seemed to pursue me out of boredom. To my joy and my mother's dismay, the bull was sold a month ago.
Hearing the splashing sound approaching my hiding spot, I covered my mouth and pulled my wet dress between my legs, praying he would pass the pillar without stopping.
I could feel my heart pounding against my chest.
When the man stopped to see where I had gone, I carefully peeked from the edge of the pillar. This alley led to a three-way fork road and from the man's perspective, I could have picked any of them.
I did not care which he picked as long as it was not the fourth option, the spot behind this pillar.
Thankfully, the man picked the third route.
I squeezed out of my hiding spot and ran back to my starting point, hoping my family had returned by now. When I reached the storefront, they still hadn't come back, leaving me clueless about what to do next. I knew I couldn't carry the sack of vegetables very far, and the rain had probably ruined the entire bag by now, so I decided to leave it there.
Since I was already drenched, I didn't bother with the umbrella and started walking home directly, letting the rain flow onto my head and dress without reservation.
About a quarter of the way home, I suddenly had a bad premonition. I paused and turned around to see if someone was following me, but I didn't see anybody behind me.
I let out a sigh of relief and faced forward again, but then I saw Mr. Armani standing in front of me. Before I could react, his hand came right at me, and I blacked out.
Amara's POVA year after the incident with Mr. Armani, I still found myself waking up in the middle of the night with cold sweats. The memory of his rough hand coming at me and everything turning dark in a flash still haunted me. I remember how I was awoken by the sound of thunder and rain that night. I had tried my best to see past my heavy eyelids until I could barely make out the shape of metal bars in front of me. I blinked once, then twice before I had pushed my torso up from the wet floor. The little window in the wall allowed the rain to pass through and form a puddle in the room.Confused as to where I was, I stood up and looked around. I was in an enclosed room with three walls made of stone, metal bars for the fourth wall, and a single-window with metal bars that prevented anyone from coming in or going out. The room was much smaller than my room at my mother's place.There was no light source in the room, but ahead of me, I noticed light spilling through the bars from a la
Lucian’s POVAs I rode through the countryside, the scenery passing me by in a blur, my thoughts were fixated on the dark haired girl that I had in my home.I had decided to take this journey to make an important negotiation with a pack, to focus on matters of the pack and put aside the tumultuous feelings she stirred within me. But it seemed that even the rolling hills and verdant forests couldn't banish her from my mind.I could still smell her sweet scent on my clothes and feel the softness of her skin beneath my fingers. Every time I closed my eyes, I saw her face, her dark curls tumbling down her back, her full lips curved in a smile. Her bright blue eyes that always seemed to be filled with fear, no matter how I try to act as normal as I could be.Even as my beta recounted pack affairs, I struggled to concentrate. His words were a mere buzz in my ears, drowned out by the incessant echo of Amara's voice. It was as if she had taken root in my mind, a stubborn weed that refused to
~Amara~ My body stilled and I came to a halt as I heard the voice very close to me. Elsie had told me about some wolves who had been ostracized by Lucian for betraying the pack and how they always roam around in anger, killing anyone who comes from the pack. I can’t even decide between them and wolf hunters who I should be more scared about. My hands instinctively went to my belly and I sent a silent prayer up to the moon goddess to protect me and my baby from whatever this is. I slowly turned around and came face to face with perhaps the ugliest man I have ever met in my entire existence. He was burly and tall with a wicked sneer on his face. A fresh cut which was perhaps gotten during a tussle lined his left cheek. When he opened his mouth to speak, his breath reeked of a mix of garlic and alcohol. “You reek of ShadowClaw. Aren’t you the little wolf that Lucian has been hiding from everyone else like a priceless trophy? Hm?” I shuddered when his fingers brushed my skin. This sud
Adrik paced the breadth and length of his study impatiently, huffing as he did so. “Where is she? Where are they? Why aren’t they here yet?” Adrik’s right hand man Chad, sat on a 1990 classic grey chair and motioned for him to do the same. “Calm down Adrik. I’m sure they’ll be here any minute from now. She’s too weak for them not to be able to handle” “This wouldn’t be the first time that they’re disappointing me. Sometimes I wonder if I should have just gotten myself more suitable persons to handle the work for me” He sat on the edge of the chair, the ring on his forefinger impatiently hitting against the table in front of him. His eyes flew to the clock on the wall and trailed out back to the window. One could easily see that his patience had run thin. What if those idiots failed to deliver the job as promised? Getting that woman would mean killing two birds with a stone. His grand plan will finally work as he will have the special child immediately after he is born. The bonus po
I see you’ve gotten the tropy that you have been looking for”. A middle aged woman who looked like she had seen the worst things that life had to offer, sat on a couch in Adrik’s sitting room, her legs crossed. She gave a lopsided grin while looking at Adrik who was fixing them some drinks at his private bar. Adrik turned with two glasses of wine and walked slowly towards her, a victorious glint shining through her eyes. He handed one glass to her and took a sip from his. “For a supposed trophy that has been causing havoc in my kingdom, I expected much. But she was just average” “Well, she hasn’t been treated well by your aides, not that we want to spoil her but you should know that she is carrying the child that you have always wanted. Nothing should happen to it until it is born” Adrik nodded. “I know that. That is why I still have the patience to tolerate whatever is spilling from her mouth. Such hassles". The woman smiled and fixed Adrik a serious gaze. “What are you going
I woke up with a throbbing headache and a split skull. Yep, I could definitely say that my skull was split in two because why do I feel like someone performed an acrobatic on them? I tried to move my hands and met with stiff opposition. I pulled a little bit hard and was rewarded with a sharp pain in my wrist. Startled, I opened my eyes and looked over at my hand. I was chained to the head of a bed with a handcuff. I looked around the room; this definitely wasn't the prison that I was confined to. This space was much better and cleaner. It almost looked like a normal person’s home but I knew that having a home was far from me. “Sweet. You’re awake. I was wondering whether to baptize you with a pack of ice cubes. Thankfully you got the memo before you woke” My head turned to the sound of the voice. It was him. The same werewolf who had ordered my abduction. Then the realization hit me. I was supposed to have been out of here by now. I pretended that I had collapsed after they ope
I looked at the petite omega who was brushing my hair. She looked so thin that I wondered if the last time that she ate good food was weeks ago. Are omegas treated that badly in this pack? Lucian, no matter how ruthless he was, never treated an omega badly to this extent. Not again. How did Lucian’s name come up again? I really need to find a way to get rid of the thoughts that keep intruding into my head. I sighed and looked at the omega through the mirror. “Why did Alpha Adrik order that I be cleaned and brought to his bedroom?” She kept on brushing my hair, pretending to not understand what I was saying. Were they sworn to an oath of secrecy too? This pack is strange for all the right reasons. Adrik must have them at the edge of their seats. Is he that ruthless? Even more than Lucian? Uh-uh Here we go again. That’s it. No more. I sat up and looked at myself in the mirror. Within a few days, my eyes have sunk a little into my sockets and my collarbone has become a bit conspi
The shock of the impact paralyzed me for some seconds before I finally regained myself. I had it coming right? I mean, dress up and come to my bed equaled this, didn't it?He pressed me more into him, all the while forcing his tongue down my throat. His breath tasted like rotten tuna and his animalistic growls made me want to tear him apart. Not in a good way, trust me. My opinion wasn’t any of his concern as he continued his assault on me with his hands.His mouth finally left mine and went down to my neck and I got a much-needed breather. I could feel him growing harder and harder on me and his ragged breath poured on my ears like a generator that would soon run out of fuel. Maybe his mate would have found it sexy but I definitely did not. I wanted to get out of this room; I wanted him to get his hands off me. And goddess knows that I wanted to choke him so much there and then.“Get on the bed and spread your legs”, he ordered gruffly.I swallowed hard and pressed my lips together.
~Amara~The room was a blur of soft, golden light and muted shadows as I opened my eyes. My mind felt like it was wading through fog, heavy and uncertain. I was unable to piece things together in the smallest ways, and it made my brain feel like it had a work sensory overload. The faint crackle of fire reached my ears, its warmth chasing away a cold that must have settled in my bones.But…where was this?Even through my haze, I could tell that this wasn’t a place that I’d been in before. It looked foreign. It smelt foreign.I blinked, my gaze sweeping over the unfamiliar surroundings. Where was I? The walls, painted in warm earth tones, held no answers. A large armchair stood near the bed, and in it sat a man slouched forward, his head resting on the edge of the bed that I lay on.Why does it feel like I had the whole world resting on my hand? Did I perhaps add a whole lot of weight while in this unfamiliar territory?With a bit of effort, I looked down at my hand and realized the
~Lucian~I raised my hands in surrender, wondering what could have gone wrong the few days that she had been asleep.“It’s me, Amara. It’s Lucian.”“You,” she spat, her body quaking with sobs. “It was you. You killed all those people. You want to kill my child. You killed Chad. You killed my friend. You!”There was definitely something wrong somewhere. How could she mistake me for Adrik, of all people?“Baby, please, stop. You need to calm down,” I said, slowly reaching for me.“I’ll only be able to calm down once you’re dead. By my hand. You devil!”I stood, more confused as Amara charged toward me, her fury a whirlwind of raw emotion. Her yells sliced through the air, accusing me of things so heinous I could hardly process them. Chad’s murder? Threatening our unborn pup? It wasn’t me—it could never be me. But how would I convince her when she was like a furious bear?“Amara, stop! It’s not me who did all those things to you. It’s Adrik! I would never intentionally hurt you like tha
~Lucian~My heart thrummed loudly as I held her hand, praying that she would be in perfect health when she wakes up. I still couldn’t forgive myself for all that had happened to her, but I wouldn’t have even survived blaming myself if she had succeeded in killing herself.I couldn’t help but wonder what would have happened if I hadn’t decided to follow her after I saw Adrik and his guards moving suspiciously. Whatever could have made her decide to cut her wrist and bleed away?My eyes went to the slash mark on her wrist. It was faint now and was healing just fine. The herb that Georgia had applied to it worked perfectly. But it has been three days now and she was yet to wake up. I was starting to get more anxious as the hours ticked by.“Don’t you think you should get some rest now? You’ve not left her side for three days. We wouldn’t want to have two ailing werewolves on our hands,” Selene, the alpha of the Pack who had helped us, said.I turned to look at the middle-aged, kind-looki
~Amara~I couldn’t run anymore. I was out of breath, and my stomach was cramping badly. I could still hear the chaos behind us even as Chad held my hand tightly while we ran.“C-Chad, I-I don’t think I can do this anymore. I can’t run anymore” I gasped, slipping my hand off Chad’s and crumbling to the ground.He immediately came to me and knelt beside me, his eyes searching mine with urgent intensity. He felt my forehead and cursed softly under his breath. The curse became even louder when his eyes fell on my legs.“You’ve been hit by an arrow. Possibly poisoned, by the look of the surface area. Hold on, I’ll take it off.”He laid me on my back and held up my leg. I watched him, almost unconsciously as he asked if I was ready.No, I wasn’t ready. Not for anything. Not now or ever. I just wanted to have a semblance of peace in my life. Why was that so hard? Why couldn’t the moon goddess grant me that one wish?I screamed as I felt the arrow sliding out from my flesh. Almost immediatel
~Amara~When the third arrow grazed my cheek, Chad quickly stood and grabbed my hand. Taking one long look at Lydia, I mouthed “I’m sorry” and prepared to flee. But our pursuers were already unto us.Immediately we turned, we saw that we had been surrounded on all sides by werewolves. They snarled as they slowly closed in on us, their eyes burning, and their mouth drooling. I didn’t need a seer to tell me that they were Adrik’s men. He had finally caught onto our plans.“You really think you could run away so easily from me?”I swung around and there was Adrik standing in the circle that the werewolves had created. His countenance was furious and there and then, I understood that our chances of getting out of this were slim.Chad pulled me behind him and came in front of me, trying to shield me from Adrik’s fury. But that was a stupid gesture. A brave one, but also stupid. Adrik could only be so angry with me, but for him, he would be double furious with him.Lydia groaned again, and
~Amara~It was the signal, the one I’d been waiting for. The Hollow Ball that Adrik held wavered and then vanished, along with the shimmering lights and strange haze of power that had filled the room. He rose to his feet, his gaze dark as he turned to me.“Omega, stay here. Guards!” he barked, calling them to his side. “I’ll deal with whatever this is.”I nodded, forcing myself to look as calm as possible even though my pulse was racing. As soon as Adrik left the room, my instincts took over, and I darted for the door, every nerve on fire with anticipation. Chad would be waiting for me. I could hardly believe that soon we’d be free of this place, but I knew every second counted.Apart from that fact, I didn’t want Lucian blocking me or even trying to talk about what happened in the past. I wasn’t up for that at all. All I wanted was to get to where Chad was in one piece.I was halfway down the hall when a figure appeared, blocking my path. I gasped, thinking that it was one of Adrik’s
~Chad~“Fire! Fire!!”The second I heard the alarm, I knew it was time for me to act fast. I couldn’t waste any more time because I can’t tell how long it would be before Adrik finds out that this was a fake alarm. My body reacted faster than my mind could, every nerve alive despite the gnawing pain that felt like fire under my skin. It didn't matter. Pain had become the background music of my life in this place, and I’d learned to ignore it. What mattered now was getting out.With a shaky breath, I forced myself to my feet and patted around the corner of the floor for the small key Lydia had smuggled in. She’d risked everything to get it to me, and I wasn’t about to waste her efforts. My hands trembled as I slotted it into the lock, the heavy, rusted door clicking open with a sound that was somehow both too loud and too soft. I slowly pushed the heavy iron door open, waiting a moment to see if anyone would notice by any chance that a prisoner’s door has been opened.The corridor o
~Amara~As I stepped into the grand ballroom, my heart felt like it was about to leap out of my chest. The room was filled with elegantly dressed guests, laughter, and music that floated through the air. Every flicker of a candle seemed too bright, every footstep around me too loud. I kept reminding myself to breathe, to appear composed, but with the weight of what I was supposed to do, it was a bit hard to pretend.Adrik had told me that he wouldn’t have any need for me until the dinner starts, so that mean that I have enough time to plan my movements carefully. I just hoped that I wouldn’t need to make it to that dinner before I get my cue to escape with Chad. My freedom was so close and I could smell it. Soon enough, I would be able to know how it felt to have my freedom. And it wouldn’t be just about me. It would also be about my child.I smiled, my hand going to my belly instinctively. This baby wouldn’t live the kind of life that I’ve led. He won’t have a mother who will sell hi
~Amara~I stood in front of the mirror in my room, the dress that Adrik had picked out for me clutched in my hands.Tonight is the night.This is the night that will either make or mar me.This is the night that I get my freedom, and together with the man that I love.This is the night of the Hollow Ball.I was excited at the thought of finally leaving this hellhole and going somewhere far away from this kingdom. Chad and I have sometimes talked about the possibility of settling in the human world, and it had sounded like a good plan. All we needed to do was make sure that no one suspects our identity. We’ll just blend in and make sure to avoid staying outside on full moons.But then again, I still couldn’t shake off the feeling of dread in the pit of my stomach. It felt as if I was about to embark on a suicide mission. As if this was the most foolish thing to do. A part of me screamed at me to abandon this plan and live as peacefully as possible with alpha Adrik instead of putting my