~Amara~“You want to break the Beta out of the dungeon? Are you crazy? That stunt can cost you your life!” Lydia whispered harshly, looking towards the door as if there was someone listening to her.“I have to, Lydia. They’re gonna kill him if I don’t”She paused for a moment as if digesting what she just heard. “What do you mean they’re going to kill him? Who are ‘they’?”“Alpha Adrik and Katherine. They want to kill him because he supposedly raped me”I could tell by the confusion on her face that she still wasn’t getting what I was trying to say. She knew that Chad and I were an item so saying that he raped me would be a little confusing for her. but if she was going to help me get Chad out of the dungeon by distracting the guards there and laying false alarms over a fire or something else worthy of attention, then I needed to explain everything to her in detail.“Did he really do that to you? He’s always come across to me as a fine gentleman. How did he suddenly change into a perv
~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
~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
~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~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
~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~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
~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
~Lucian~I watched as Amara walked away, her back stiff, her head held high. But I knew…I knew that she was hurting. And I had let it happen. I could have run after her, given her reassurance that her fears were invalid, and kissed away the sadness on her face.But I helplessly watched her walk away, visibly hurt from my actions. I hadn’t realized how much I’d hurt her, and no, I’m not trying to make excuses for my shortcomings. Granted, Maya’s arrival had swayed me for a moment, but that doesn’t mean that I’m considering starting up anything with Maya.All I wanted was for her to get better, and for me to get the closure that I’ve so desperately wanted all these years. No matter what, Maya was a woman that I once loved, and a woman who had died carrying my baby…or so I thought.Right now, though, she was starting to cross her boundaries by spilling nonsense to Amara. And now I have to try harder to make amends for the damages that se might have caused by her words.“Lucian,” Maya cal
~Amara~A week.It had been an entire week since Lucian’s first love had come back from the dead, and in that time, Lucian had become a ghost in my life.If he wasn’t tending to Maya’s every need, he was listening to her endless sob story or fawning over her like some love-struck fool. He had barely looked at me, barely spoken to me. And worst of all, he hadn’t even checked to see how I was doing.Even after I pleaded with him to stay with me that night. Even after I told him that I wasn’t feeling good because of the baby; he still went ahead to be with her. He never even came back the next day, or the day after, to check up on me and see how I was faring.I placed a hand on my stomach, feeling the faint stir of life within me. Did he forget? Did he forget that I was carrying his child? That we were supposed to have left this place days ago to prepare for the birth of our child? Or had Maya’s return erased everything we had planned all this while?I clenched my fists. No. Something wa
~Amara~I paced back and forth across the room, my mind racing with too many thoughts, none of them making any sense. My heart pounded against my ribs, restless, uncertain.Lucian should have been here by now. But instead, he was with her. No, I wasn’t trying to be mean, or inconsiderate, but this all felt wrong to me somehow. None of what had just happened sat right with me. I felt like Lucian and I were about to lose the connection that we had just built.I ran a shaky hand through my hair and exhaled. I didn’t want to feel like this. I didn’t want to be jealous, or insecure, or whatever this strange feeling was twisting inside me. But how could I not?Lucian had told me; he had sworn that his first mate was murdered. That he saw her lifeless body with his own eyes. And yet, the woman who collapsed into his arms, the woman who had called out his name, was the very same mate he had believed dead.How was that even possible?I sat on the bed, tapping my fingers against my knee. But a
~Lucian~No way.I couldn’t believe what I was seeing.My body turned rigid, my breath caught in my throat, and for a moment, my mind refused to process what was right in front of me. Was it because I’d spoken about her the other day? Was that why her ghost decided to visit me one last time?I glanced over at Amara, trying to know if she could also see the woman in front of us. The expression in her face said that she could see the figure. Same with Selene and the other werewolves.They were all staring suspiciously at the woman, their weapons drawn. All it would take was a command from Selene and they would strike. I should say something, but I was too dumbfounded, trying to place the pieces of the puzzle in my head.She stood there looking as confused as a newborn cat whose mother was taken away. Her body swayed slightly, as if the wind alone could knock her over. Her clothes were torn, hanging off her like rags. Dirt and dried blood smeared her once beautiful skin, and her hair wa
~Amara~Everything finally felt okay.For the first time in what felt like forever, there was no tension between Lucian and me. No anger, no lingering hurt. Just peace.I had forgiven him; not just in words, but in my heart. And because of that, I was finally able to look forward to the future we had ahead. A future I was now willing to share with him in his kingdom, where our child would be born.It had taken time to get here, to move past the betrayal, the heartbreak, and all the chaos that had come with it. But Lucian had fought for me. He had proved himself over and over, and I had finally allowed myself to believe in him again.The decision hadn’t been an easy one. The rogue lands had become a kind of refuge for me, a place where I had healed in ways I never thought possible. And Selene had become someone I deeply admired. She had opened my eyes to a different side of the world. To a different kind of strength.Two days from now, Lucian and I will leave. But tonight, we were cele
~Amara~That night, I couldn’t sleep. It wasn’t just because my baby decided that midnight was the perfect time for him to go on a rollercoaster, but because of what Lucian had told me.It would have hurt so much holding so much pain inside, and not having anyone to share it with. I couldn’t imagine what it had done to him, and how much it must have mandated him to change.All these years, I’d misunderstood him, and I never let him try to explain himself. I started to feel a little guilty, but I quickly schooled myself. It wasn’t really my fault if I’d misunderstood him all this time. He could have explained things to me sooner if he trusted me enough to handle his secrets.“I think it’s time to forgive your father, little wolf,” I murmured, stroking my belly. “What do you think? Do you think I should keep up with this grudge? Or should we just let everything go?”I received double kicks, which I took as a sign of affirmation from the little life inside of me. A smile lit up my face,
~Amara~ I waited with expectation, waited for him to recollect himself and tell me about this thing that had happened long ago which I was not aware of. It wasn’t just because I wanted to hear it, it was because of the way his face contorted with grief as he lowered his head, almost as if he was fighting back tears. He couldn’t be possibly fighting back tears. Alpha kin Lucian never cries. If he was about to cry, then this event must have hurt him tremendously. I found my heart reaching out to him, making me realizes that the feelings which I thought was buried has never been buried. I cared about this man, and I still care about him. I was hurt seeing him hurting like this. “Lucian,” I called softly, my hands itching to comfort him, “Talk to me please.” He raised his head and leaned forward, resting his elbows on his knees, his hands clasped tightly together. His eyes, usually so fierce, looked haunted. “I’ve never told you about my first mate.” The mention of another woman, hi
~Lucian~ Despite my initial mistrust, Selen’s Pack had become a surprising comfort to me. I found myself being drawn to their unrestrained way of life. They were free, untethered, untamed, and fiercely independent. At first, I’d thought that they were not to be trusted. That they were threats to the kingdom and the Packs around them. But the more time I spent with them, the more I’d come to understand them. The rogue wolves were an enigma. They were untamed and unpredictable, but they carried a raw sense of friendship and closeness that reminded me of something that my kingdom had long lost. Their laughter echoed in the woods, their disputes were resolved without formality, and their freedom was intoxicating to witness. “They could thrive under my protection,” I said to Selene, standing by the edge of the clearing where a few of the rogues were sparring. “With a home in my territory, they’d have safety, stability. They wouldn’t need to live like rogues.” All day, I’d been trying
~Amara~A week after, I still hadn’t gotten over the thought of what had happened. Selene had been protective, almost like a mother. Always fussing about my baby, and what I should or should not do in order to have a safe delivery.According to her, it was only a matter of weeks before my baby would be born. The news had come gladly to Lucian, who on many occasions had tried to talk to me. But I was never in the mood to listen to him.Somehow, I blamed him for all the misfortune that had happened in my life. I blamed him for the death of every single person who had meant a lot to me. I always told myself that if only he had treated me well, and seen that I was his fated mate…if he had loved me the way that I loved him, maybe I wouldn’t be in this mess right now.But who was I deceiving? We all knew that my mother who allowed my stepfather to sell me out for money was the cause. She didn’t fight for me because she didn’t want to be on the bad side of her husband.I sat beneath an old s