CHAPTER 19“W…what do you mean she didn’t make it?...” My voice quivered as I tried to keep it steady. My breath was heavy, coming in short quick gasps that hurt my chest. “S…she’s dead, Lily,” the doctor hesitated before breaking the news with a heavy sigh. “She couldn’t be operated on due to lack of completion of the payment. Her body has been transferred to the morgue. I’m sorry. I did my best. I really did. You need to come now to identify her body and make necessary arrangements…” The weight of his revelation bore down heavily on me like a ton of rocks, crushing me to a pulp. I didn’t know for how long I stayed mute, feeling an acute sense of loss wash over me. My mother. My sweet mother…the only family I had left was gone. I won’t get to see her again. This was all my fault. If only I had gathered the payment and made it to the hospital in time, I could have saved her. She’ll still be breathing by now. Terrible regrets assailed me as hot painful tears burned their way down m
Chapter 1BRIANNA’S POVThe tears I fought so hard to hold back prickled my eyes and rolled down my cheeks as I stood naked in front of the mirror. Bruises and scars adorned me to the extent I found my body unrecognizable. Stifling a sob, I wiped the teardrops that escaped my moist eyes. The sun had just risen and it’ll be bad luck to begin my day with tears of sorrow.Grabbing my hairbrush from my vanity table, I brushed my hair slowly, letting out a slight wince as the bristles untangled my twists. I sat down and applied makeup to conceal my black eye and the bruise on the side of my lips. Hermes always wanted me to look my best for him no matter what.He threatened to pluck out the eyeballs of any other male including his guards who dared look at me with desire, and that was his main reason for keeping me locked up in his castle; to have me all for himself.There was a tap on the door and I rose in an instant, sliding into my panties and a long gathered gown to hide the remaining ma
Chapter 2BRIANNA’S POV“You’re so pretty,” he said as he clutched my chin, forcing me to look at him. “Of all the girls I have been with so far, you seem to be the… prettiest."He turned my face from side to side as I shivered, studying it. With that look on his face, I knew where it was all heading. And it wasn’t good.“My lord please, not again,” I whimpered. "It hadn't been long I returned from the hospital...I'm not strong enough...maybe next time. Please..."He turned deaf to my pleas. Before I could beg some more, he jacked me up and balanced me on his right shoulder, spanking my bare butt as he marched to his bed. He landed me roughly and my head throbbed, a wince escaping me.“My lord, please stop.”I wobbled back toward the headboard of the bed, supported by my elbow, shivering with fear. He already stripped, his hard-on ready to defile me, dangling with each movement he made. The bed dipped as he mounted but I flinched back, curling myself away from him like a scared kitten.
CHAPTER 3 BRIANNA’S POV The more I struggled, the more their tight grip scraped against my flesh, making it red hot with pain. They dragged me as we descended the stairs to an underground part of the castle I never knew existed. Where could they be taking me? “Where are you taking me?” I forced words from my bared teeth and they ignored as though I didn’t talk. I continued screaming, perhaps someone might come to my rescue but then I remembered it was all pointless. Who would go against Hermes’s wishes and commands in his castle? All the screams I voiced. All the shrills which were loud enough to crack the walls of the entire castle when he defiled and punished me fell on deaf ears. We took a turn and stopped by a door with a small screen glued to the side. One of the guards crouched and looked into it as light rays scanned his eyeballs. The door squeaked and clicked open. They dragged me into the room and a rush of cold air swept past me, prickling my pale bare skin. It looked l
CHAPTER 4 SEBASTIAN’S POV I never participated in the Omega slave auction. I was more of a observer than a bidder. I never even fancied the idea of coming to begin with, but it was compulsory for all Alpha kings, so I had to drag myself to this underground hall every year to sit and observe beautiful but battered, naked female omegas get sold. When I saw her cower into the stage like a frightened kitten, I was restless and immediately drawn to her. I couldn’t help but place the opening bid, sending the crowd gasping in shock. They found it hard to believe I was finally participating after all these years of dormancy. Although her body was strewn with bruises and scars, I still found her beauty undeniable with her misty blonde hair, delicate features, and her slim, curvy figure. Her undeniable beauty wasn’t all that drew me to her. When the auctioneer raised her chin, I looked right into her swollen red eyes and noticed a damsel in distress. They smouldered with pain too heavy for a
CHAPTER 5 BRIANNA’S POV He tried reassuring me but I was silent, not so convinced. I have crossed the borders to realize that most of the Alpha kings in that hall including the one standing before me were nothing short of Hermes replicas. All angelic on the outside but devilish on the inside. Seeing how silent I was, he withdrew, huffing out a worrying breath like he cared. We arrived at his castle – a gorgeous Victorian house surrounded by exotic flowers, gardens and manicured lawns. From inside the SUV, I sighted his uniformed servants and a happy-faced woman in a sea-green flowing gown. One thing was for sure, she wasn’t a servant. She wasn’t wearing the uniform and she exuded a demeanour higher than that. At once, I concluded she was either his fiancée or wife. Hermes never fancied the idea of getting married. He believed marriage was like a leech that sucked away one’s freedom and pleasure, which I knew wasn’t true. He preferred changing women like clothes and it triggered bi
Chapter 6 BRIANNA’S POV His fork fell and he lowered to pick it up. At that moment, I stole a glance around the room tastefully decorated with a sense of timeless beauty as evident in the ivory-coloured walls, beautiful paintings and artworks that adorned it, hoping and at the same time knowing I won’t see any recorder I suspected him to be hiding somewhere. Sitting up, his lips spread to a warm, awkward smile as a cover-up for his clumsiness and I faked back a smile. There was something rather…different about him. The thickness of his beard gave him an intimidating aura. Yet he appeared warm, clean, gentle, almost unlike his fellows but it’s been just a few hours knowing him. I couldn’t be so sure. And I promised never to let my guard down. Not now and perhaps not ever, after replaying all I went through with Hermes in his hellhole of a castle. He dug his fork into the dessert and swallowed a chunk. He was eating twice as fast as me, but I didn’t mind. I didn’t care. I was okay w
CHAPTER 7BRIANNA’S POV “So you come into my castle as nothing more than a slave my husband had bought out of mercy,” I stood, glued to the ground as the Luna walked around me. Like a razor, her eyes prickled my being and her voice sounded somewhat jealous, angry, proud and above all territorial. At that moment, there was no difference between her and a tigress waiting to feast on the flesh of her prey. “Wear an exquisite gown befitting only for a Luna like me and still go ahead to have dinner with my husband,” she stressed the last word. Oh goodness! I have stepped into another hell of a castle as I thought so. Crossed paths with the double ganger of Hermes’s sister. Only this time, it was only her alone, without Hermes. But I couldn’t be so certain. I was used to things taking dangerous turns in my life and wouldn’t be surprised if Sebastian turned out like Hermes. But deep down, I kept praying and hoping he wouldn’t. I tried to talk but the words knotted in my throat. The knotted
CHAPTER 19“W…what do you mean she didn’t make it?...” My voice quivered as I tried to keep it steady. My breath was heavy, coming in short quick gasps that hurt my chest. “S…she’s dead, Lily,” the doctor hesitated before breaking the news with a heavy sigh. “She couldn’t be operated on due to lack of completion of the payment. Her body has been transferred to the morgue. I’m sorry. I did my best. I really did. You need to come now to identify her body and make necessary arrangements…” The weight of his revelation bore down heavily on me like a ton of rocks, crushing me to a pulp. I didn’t know for how long I stayed mute, feeling an acute sense of loss wash over me. My mother. My sweet mother…the only family I had left was gone. I won’t get to see her again. This was all my fault. If only I had gathered the payment and made it to the hospital in time, I could have saved her. She’ll still be breathing by now. Terrible regrets assailed me as hot painful tears burned their way down m
BRIANNA’S POV The pungent smell of drugs and antiseptics came streaming into my nose. Irritated, I grimaced, shaking my head to ward off the smell. My eyes forcefully slid open to find myself in an unfamiliar environment flooded with bright almost blinding lights with the walls painted white too. It didn’t take long for me to realize I was in a hospital, the beeping of the heart monitor and other medical machines I was hooked to the only sounds heard in the room. I groaned in discomfort, breathing out heavily as I tried to gently sit up on the bed. I felt so disoriented like I just woke up from a terrible coma. I tried to recall the events that led to me being here when the door suddenly pushed open and Sebastian stormed in. “Doctor! She’s awake,” he shouted, appearing relieved and overwhelmed with joy. He crouched in front of me, looking at me and touching me like I was made of glass. He was extremely concerned. “Are you okay?” He asked not waiting for me to answer before a
CHAPTER 152 SEBASTIAN’S POV Hermes started moving stealthily towards the car, forcing Brianna along with him, his eyes fixed on us without wavering. Brianna looked at us with a helpless gaze, silently pleading for us to help her. I felt really bad. My body burned with restlessness and the urge to do something. Anything. I can’t just stay back and watch Hermes take her away. I can’t afford to lose her again. I can’t bear living a minute of my life again without seeing her. I didn’t know if there was someone inside the SUV to drive them. I couldn’t see clearly. But Hermes was moving into the passenger’s seat with her. That meant someone was there or maybe he’ll climb into the driver’s seat after he got in. But whatever the case was, I didn’t want him to take her away again. I looked at Dylan in a silent, urgent plea. “We have to do something. We can’t just stay back and let him take her away again…” “I’m sorry Sebastian,” Dylan sighed in pessimism. “But there is nothing
CHAPTER 151 SEBASTIAN’S POV Dylan managed to gather all the association’s security troops in time. With an armoured truck, we burst in through the gates of his castle, taking the occupants mostly his guards by surprise. They didn’t expect us, especially by this time, at dusk. Dressed in bulletproof vests, we jumped down the trucks and shot several times in the air to frighten Hermes’s guards and force their surrender. The order from Dylan was to arrest, not to shoot. But I wanted to kill them all, most especially Hermes. Dylan knew I’d find it hard to adhere to his commands so he refused to give me a gun. Having arrived with five armoured trucks – three for the association’s troops and the other two for Hermes and his guards that will be arrested, we were almost thrice the number of Hermes’s guards. And the fact we came unexpectedly, they weren’t prepared at all. Looking around the place, I couldn’t see Hermes or Brianna. Where the hell was that bastard and where has he t
CHAPTER 150 BRIANNA’S POV I grimaced bitterly, looking away in irritation. “Let me go! I’m going nowhere with you…” But it fell on deaf ears as he started dragging me along with him to the castle’s exit as though I was some children’s toy. His grip was so tight I feared I might fracture my wrist if I tried to break free. “You killed her…” I swallowed with difficulty, tears falling out my eyes as the brutal scenario of how he killed his sister came rushing to my mind. “She was worried about you…she was only trying to help yet you murdered her in cold blood. You’re selfish! You have no heart! You’re a monster ….!! How can you murder your sister like that?!! You’ll never win me over… As long as I live, I’ll continue to hate you…” Exhaling loudly in frustration, he stopped and turned to me, the anger and rage in his eyes hot enough to burn me to ashes. I stopped talking and froze in fear, my breath fluttering in my chest. “Maybe it’s time I gagged that little hole of yours
CHAPTER 149 SEBASTIAN’S POV “What?....what is it?” I asked in desperate curiosity, eager to know the contents of the letter that left him in such a devastated state. “It’s from Hermes’s sister, Hera,” he uttered, rebuffed as he momentarily looked at the me and letter. “What did she say?” My curiosity peaked as I took a step closer to him. He looked into the letter. “She says that Hermes kidnapped a pregnant slave named Brianna Campbell and…” “That’s her!” I pointed out almost hysterically, interrupting him. “She is the one. Do you believe me now? Or are you going to doubt this one too?” I cocked a furious brow, a clear indication I was angry with his nonchalant attitude towards this matter. Even though this letter would help prove to Dylan and the rest of the committee that I wasn’t lying, I couldn’t fathom how it came to be. Why would Hera write and send it, implicating her brother? Hera and I weren’t very much acquitted. But merely seeing her was enough to tell an
CHAPTER 148BRIANNA’S POVPanic began to trickle in. “What…what’s the problem?” I asked her, my voice fragile and shaking “It’s always left unlocked since no one knows about it…I don’t know who could have locked it!” She exclaimed in frustration.My heart started thumping against my chest, the little hope I had crushing to pieces. Hermes was only a few distance behind us. If we don’t find a way to make it out any moment from now, he’ll definitely catch up with us. And I was already tired, hungry, and thirsty. I have held it for long. I didn’t know how much longer I could endure.“Come on,” she said as she took my wrist. “We can still make out before Hermes…”However, her words knotted in her throat the moment Hermes walked into the room.His eyes were dark and devilish, and his features hardened to a lethal frown as he glared at us. Tightly curled around his fingers was a pocket knife. He looked like he was ready to draw blood.I swallowed a lump that hurt my throat and thudded down
CHAPTER 147BRIANNA’S POV“What…?” The shock of what I heard threw me off balance to the extent that reality seemed to shatter. Did she just mention I was sold off to Hermes by a woman? Not just any woman but the one close to me? Close enough to be a relative?“What woman are you talking of?” Desperation and suspense clutched me as I walked to her and grabbed her by the shoulders.From the way she kept glancing around, struggling to recall, it was clear her memory was hazy. “Uhmm…. It’s been a long time so…I can’t really remember. The little I could see was she had curly shoulder-length hair and wore a floral dress…She looked like those types of women who’ll go the extra mile to look beautiful…I’m sorry but that’s all I can remember. I wish I could do better…”She didn’t finish talking when I left her shoulders and suddenly walked away from her. Shock siphoned blood from my body. I was too way to dazed even think or blink. Those descriptions matched Aunt Gigi’s perfectly. She had cur
CHAPTER 146SEBASTIAN’S POVMy face scrunched out of shape in rage as I scowled at him. I felt like throwing him a punch that would knock him back to his senses. Just how the flying fuck did he think I was lying over something this serious? The lives of my twin babies and the love of my life were on the line here, yet he’s telling me to seek therapy?!With all rage tearing me apart on the inside, I wanted to say something to him. Something that’ll cut through his scepticism and make him understand the gravity of the situation. Something harsh that’ll make him understand just how angry I am. But Khan, who was also in the office with us, stepped in to intervene, sensing the escalating tension.“My boss is telling the truth,” he said, keeping a calm demeanour as he explained. “The castle was attacked, and all my colleagues and the maids were killed. Not to mention my boss’s slave was taken hostage. They were all gunshot wounds, and with the way the operation was carried out, we’re convi