Aubrey’s POV
As the clock ticked, so did every hope I held unto slip away.
I was stupid enough to think that a mere letter could stop something I had heard him sing about the last few weeks and honestly speaking, even If I were standing right in front of him words wouldn't be able to express what I feel.
Aiden was indeed going to get married tomorrow!
The thought of it caused the frown on my face to deepen. Before the news of his coronation and marriage ritual spread like wildfire, I had nurtured hopes and expectations for years and had helped nurture them by making sweet promises every night under the stars.
He had told me stories of the human world and how much he longed to reside there with me beside him, He made life worth living.
I hoped that when I finally turned 18, which was in a few months, he would be my mate because what I felt for him was more than a crush, and he had also assured me that it was far much stronger than the desire soaring through our bones.
Having grown up with him, it was difficult not to feel anything for him, as Alpha Prince Aiden was tagged the most eligible bachelor in the south borders.
In jealousy, I had watched maids, girls, women, even the married one’s flutter around him and so did I…only that what we shared was more like a secret love story, and funny enough not once did he ever pressure me for sex.
He has assured me that I was his and his alone, but fairy tales made me dream and hold onto something way out of my reach.
Coming to face reality was the hardest part of all, as my mind still held on to the Aiden that had ignored what they whispered and stood as my pillar from the moment I lost my parents… The Aiden that had…
“Are you daydreaming again!” I heard Lynn, the head omega, scream into my ears for the fifth time this evening.
The plan was to ignore her throughout this night, but I seemed to drag her attention more, and it was no secret that I was hatred by basically everyone…so they made no effort to hide how happy they were that the prince who used to dance at my feet was getting married to a woman fit enough to be Luna unlike me…a mere Omega.
Lynn was part of the anti-fan club that hated my guts and made no attempt to hide it, even in the presence of Aiden.
“Do you think this evening party would wait until you are done with your daydreaming before holding tonight's party?” she spat out.
“I would rather not see you in that world of yours, or your monthly wage would pay for it!” She warned before strutting away to yell out instructions to another slacking omega.
A frustrated sigh left my lips as I continued my assigned work.
It was even crazy for me to nurture such thoughts, but today was the only day I regretted telling him how I felt then.
He had confessed, and I sent a letter visually telling him that I would climb the mountains to escape together within, just like he had suggested.
He never responded to it, but the next week, rumor had it that he was getting married, and the same man who had spent the night whispering how much he loved me and wanted us to elope now rather spoke of his marriage, crushing my feelings night after night.
A slap brought me back to the present with a gasp.
“You have been warned, but you choose not to listen, I would not tolerate any form of slacking from you anymore,” she said before continuing to lecture me on the pain she must imagine that I am feeling for having to come to terms that Aiden was getting married.
Without even waiting for her commands, I switched to work and turned off every thought of Aiden away from my head.
After finishing my assigned work, I returned to the maid's quarters to prepare for the party.
Just as I took off my clothes to get ready with a towel wrapped around myself, a familiar and coded knock pulled me back to the present, and before I could say anything…his scent filled the room as he slipped in.
“Aubrey,” he said in a whisper, and although he was nowhere close to me, I felt shivers move up my spine.
“Aiden” I whispered back and, in the darkness, his hands found my cold skin and his body warmth enveloped me.
“You shouldn't be here” I whispered and tried pulling away from him despite all the thoughts I had harbored for him all afternoon and evening.
“Trust me I know…pretty more than you do, but I find myself running back to you, I don't want this any more than I have wanted you all these years since I found that you are my m…”
“We just can't…” I whispered and let out a gasp as his lips captured mine.
“Just say yes, Bree” he pleaded.
I didn't know how serious he was, but I could sense desperation in his voice.
That level of desperation scared me, and reality dropped a reminder in me, causing me to leave his warmth.
I was filled with so much confusion and was torn in my heart…
My eyes found him and I saw the love swimming in it.
Although the opportunity I had been hoping and praying for stood in front of me, I just couldn't accept it, for reasons I couldn't picture out.
The love I once saw turned to frustration, and angrily he left my arms.
I could have stopped the marriage that was haunting me all this while, but once again I chickened out.
As my towel dropped to the ground, I heard my door open and without even being given a chance to do anything…his aura filled the room.
His aura seemed so different and for some reason, he didn't smell alike but looked like the man my heart thumped for.
Without giving me a chance to speak, he pulled me back to his lips and set my body on fire for him.
“I saw your letter and would rather have you say it to my hearing all this while,” he said, stirring me up.
“I am not good…"
“Less talking and more showing you how much I feel for you” he whispered before his searching hands covered my skin, lighting me up with so much desire.
“Do you know how hard it had been for me?” he whispered as his hot lips found my wanting neck.
“Or how much restraint I have used to avoid filling you up, Baby?”
All my pent-up feelings filled me up as his hands covered my aching breast.
Complaints and my sense of reasoning were reduced to nothing.
“Aubrey” he whispered once more before my back kissed the bed.
I wanted him so much and this time around, thoughts of what pain tomorrow would give me.
“Open up baby and let me fill you up for this may be the last time…”
With tears slipping down my eyes, I said to myself as my body surrendered to his touches, “…last time”.
Aubrey’s POV
As the clock ticked, so did every hope I held unto slip away.
I was stupid enough to think that a mere letter could stop something I had heard him sing about the last few weeks and speaking. Even If I were standing right in front of him, words wouldn't be able to express what I felt.
Aiden was indeed going to get married tomorrow!
The thought of it caused the frown on my face to deepen.
Long before the news of his coronation and marriage ritual spread like wildfire, I had nurtured hopes and expectations for years and had helped nurture them by making sweet promises every night under the stars.
He had told me stories of the human world and how much he longed to live there with me beside him. He made life worth living.
I hoped that when I turned 18, which was in a few months, he would be my mate because what I felt for him was more than a crush.
He had also assured me it was far indeed stronger than the desire soaring through our bones.
Having grown up with him, it was difficult not to feel anything for him, as they tagged Alpha Prince Aiden, the most eligible bachelor, in the south borders.
In jealousy, I had watched maids, girls, women, even the married ones flutter around him, and so did I.
Only that what we shared was more like a secret love story, and funny enough, not once did he ever pressure me for sex.
He has assured me I was his and his alone, but fairy tales made me dream and hold on to something way out of my reach.
Coming to face reality was the hardest part of all, as my mind still held on to the Aiden that had ignored what they whispered and stood as my pillar from the moment I lost my parents… The Aiden that had…
“Are you daydreaming again?” I heard Lynn, the head omega, scream in my ears for the fifth time this evening.
The plan was to ignore her throughout this night, but I seemed to drag her attention more, and I was hated by everyone.
So they did not disguise how happy they were that the prince who used to dance at my feet was getting married to a woman fit enough to be Luna unlike me…a mere Omega.
Lynn was part of the anti-fan club that hated my guts and made no attempt to hide it, even in the presence of Aiden.
“Do you think this evening gathering would wait until you are done with your daydreaming before holding tonight's party?” she spat out.
“I would rather not see you in that world of yours, or your monthly wage would pay for it!” She warned before strutting away to yell out instructions to another slacking omega.
A frustrated sigh left my lips as I continued my assigned work.
It was even crazy for me to nurture such thoughts, but today was the only day I regretted informing him how I felt then.
He had confessed, and I sent a letter telling him I would climb the mountains to escape together within, just like he had suggested.
He never responded to it, but the next week he was getting married, and the same man who had spent the midnight whispering how much he loved me and wanted us to elope now rather spoke of his marriage, crushing my feelings night after night.
A slap brought me back to the present with a gasp.
“You have been warned, but you choose not to listen. I would not tolerate any form of slacking from you anymore,” she said.
She then continued to lecture me on the pain she must imagine that I am feeling for having to come to terms that Aiden was getting married.
Without even waiting for her commands, I switched to serve and turned off every thought of Aiden away from my head.
After finishing my assigned task, I returned to the maid's quarters to prepare for the party.
Just as I took off my clothes to get ready with a towel wrapped around myself.
A familiar and coded knock pulled me back to the present, and before I could say anything…his scent filled the room as he slipped in.
“Aubrey,” he said in a whisper, and although he was nowhere close to me, I felt shivers move up my spine.
“Aiden,” I hissed and, in the darkness, his hands found my cold skin and his body warmth enveloped me.
“You shouldn't be here,” I whispered and tried pulling away from him, despite all the thoughts I had harbored for him all afternoon and evening.
“Trust me, I realize…pretty more than you do, but I find myself running back to you. I don't want this any more than I have wanted you all these years since I found you are my m…”
“We just can't…” I whispered, and let out a gasp as his lips captured mine.
“Just say yes, Bree,” he pleaded.
I didn't realize how serious he was, but I could sense the anxiety in his voice.
That level of desperation scared me, and reality dropped a reminder in me, causing me to leave his warmth.
I was filled with so much confusion and was torn in my heart…
My eyes found him and I followed the passion swimming in it.
Although the opportunity I had been hoping and praying for stood in front of me, I just couldn't accept it, for reasons I couldn't picture out.
The emotion I once felt turned to frustration, and he left my arms.
I could have stopped the marriage that was haunting me all this while, but once again, I chickened out.
As my towel dropped to the ground, I heard my door open and without even being given a chance to do anything…his scent filled the room.
His ambience seemed so different, and he didn't smell alike but looked like the man my heart thumped for.
Without giving me a chance to speak, he pulled me back to his lips and set my body on fire for him.
“I saw your letter and would rather have you say it to my hearing all this while,” he said, stirring me up.
“I am not good…”
“Less talking and more showing you how much I feel for you,” he murmured before his searching palms covered my skin, lighting me up with so much desire.
“Do you know how hard it had been for me?” he sighed as his hot lips found my wanting neck.
“Or how much restraint I have used to avoid filling you up, baby?”
All my pent-up feelings filled me up as his palms covered my aching breast.
I reduced complaints and my sense of reasoning to nothing.
“Aubrey,” he murmured once more before my back kissed the bed.
I wanted him so much and at this moment around, thoughts of what pain tomorrow would give me.
“Open up baby and let me fill you up, for this may be the last time…”
With tears slipping down my eyes, I said to myself as my body surrendered to his touches, “…last time”.
Audrey’s POV“Aubrey, you can’t spend the whole day in bed,” I heard someone say, making me stir and before my thoughts, I didn’t feel the comfort of his arms around me, causing me to jerk up.The sight of my room caused a guttural moan to escape my lips, and my bunk mate couldn’t help but laugh upon seeing my funny expression.“You look like one that woke up in the wrong room? Or in another person’s body, today is Alpha Prince Aiden’s wedding,” Alicia told before adding, “We don’t have the luxury to refuse attending.”“What were we thinking?” I heard Ines, my wolf, mock.Memories of last night flooded me, and I might have misunderstood him when he had mentioned he was going to make me see reason.The only thing my brain was processing right now was I am such a fool to think that just a mere night of pleasure could stop it. I had expected to wake up with his arms wrapped around me, but who was I kidding?Today was the day I had dreaded, and it made me wonder if at all what I thought
Aubrey’s POVI required no soothsayer to tell me I was in trouble as my eyes found Aiden’s distant ones. Worse still, the video was still playing in the background.All I could see in them was hate and disgust, making it seem like he wasn’t the one I had spent the night with, or maybe this was all a façade to protect his status.“What is this, Aubrey!” he yelled out, almost like he hadn’t watched it alongside others.“I don’t know, Aiden…” I whispered and tried reaching out to touch and remind him he wasn’t the only victim there. My nakedness lay bare in front of everyone’s eyes, and the only dignity I had left was gone.“Bree, what have you done?” he asked in a whisper, this time in a broken voice that made my heart clench in pain.The people in the congregation soon drowned his questions with their side talks, and all I could do was cry; I could almost hear Lynn in the corner, mocking and laughing at my sorry self.Amidst the confusion and murmurs, my eyes meet the masked man, only
Aubrey's POV I was dead! And alone! My footsteps left a ripple upon every step I took, the child in me wanted to scream ‘Hello!’ but I needed no soothsayer to tell me that I was all alone. ‘Where am I?’ I couldn't help but wonder as I continued walking aimlessly. The last thing I remembered before the light had slowly faded away from my view was myself lounging down into the water upon missing my footing. Funny how my last thought was that I would make Aiden pay while I was floating around in the dark space…restless and alone. I could hear a faint voice talk to me but it was inaudible and the more I strained to hear the more the voice became faint. Was this one of Aiden's plans? To kidnap me and place me here so he could mess up with my thinking and give me the punishment she sees fit? Staying here seemed like an option as it was peaceful and maybe when my spirit was restless, I'd move over to the other side. “It's not yet your time” I heard a voice echo all around the dark
Author’s POVHayden felt the need to pull her into a hug when he had seen her burst into tears, he knew and could understand what it meant to feel empty and alone. He was once there and it was just a few months back, he still felt empty and alone but seeing her filled him with a rush of positive energy.A sad smile flashed on his face and an unspoken memory filled his subconscious…for some reason helping the beautiful lady seemed to lift the heavy burden he had carried for a while.It was obvious that she had her guard kept up and he didn't blame her, he knew he was acting a little bit too friendly and nice…almost like a stalker.He laughed at the joke he knew wouldn't have sounded funny if she had heard him say it. She was beautiful no doubt and the urge to keep her filled him up.He removed the microwaved food and placed it on a tray.Hayden knew how toxic it looked but he couldn't stop himself from imagining her clothed in his shirts while making breakfast with the kids keeping him
Aubrey's POV (Three years later) “Breakfast!” “Nooo" They yelled simultaneously with their eyes still stuck on the TV, “Oh mummy just one hour more”. I chuckled at Shannon's sharp wits, I had earlier told her that daycare was starting in an hour so she was throwing my words back at me. “Common, it's breakfast guys…you asked for pancakes”. “Pancakes and eggs mummy!” Rory yelled and upon raising my head I could see that they were still stuck on the TV with no plans of joining me at the dining. “Shannon, Rory, Jayden!” I drawled as I flipped the pancakes into their respective plates. I checked the time and frowned, there was no way I was going to make it to the office in time, these kids wouldn't even let it happen. “But baby shark…” Shannon cooed trying to patronize me but it wasn't going to work now.“Baby shark can wait, Shannon, mummy has to go and so do you” I pleaded before moving next to the TV.“Uh oh,” Rory said tugging Shannon, as though he was urging her sharp
Aubrey's POV I nodded at the greetings the hospital staff threw my way. “You are late!” Layla stated the obvious, causing me to chuckle, but she added, “Well, Hayden and the shareholders are in the boardroom and have been waiting for you.” “He didn't call me though and why!, I thought he claimed he wasn't coming home soon?” I protested while fastening our steps into the boardroom. “The first thing he should have done was call me”, this time I couldn't hide the outrage from my voice, causing Layla to start her usual teasing. They both learned someone had hurt me from my past, and felt there was a tendency I remembered my past but chose not to pester me. Layla believed my past was the reason I seemed less trusting and found it challenging to express my heart to another. Hayden was the perfect guy for me. She would always sing and make sure she notes how much he loves and cares for my kids. She was human, nevertheless, so I don't blame her for thinking that I could just open my he
Author's POV ‘Why Today?’ Aubrey pondered to herself. Shell-shocked and confused, Aubrey stood at the door with Shannon and Rory standing underneath her skirts while peering at the strange men. She wondered who was Aiden among the two and what the fuck was going on? Why now?, She reflected again in anger. They looked surprised and relatively happy to see her. Their eyes kept her at a standstill as she recognized them… Their scents were practically the same, and the bond they shared made her wolf want to seize the reins of control after all these years. The green-eyed man Aiden was definitely the one that had held her while she had rushed out of her room to the marriage hall; he had also stopped from leaving the wedding before playing the tape. In dread, she wondered if he had been the one to touch her because she had remembered that his hands were so familiar when he held her in the hallway. Now standing in front of them, those feelings past forgotten filled her up, and she fe
Author's POV “Are you okay?” Alicia asked, my already sobbing figure. “No! I'm not, how could I possibly be when their re entrance is a threat to my everyday life, to my kids too”? Alicia let her voice out her feelings before saying, “I know how you feel and the number of thoughts going through your mind, but I just returned because I haven't been feeling strong” “Could we possibly talk tomorrow?” “If you don't want them seeing me, then you could possibly come over so we could talk about how we'd move forward”, She added. Guilt flooded Aubrey's heart as she realized that it's been long since she had checked up on her, Alicia was there alongside Layla and Hayden but only in the shadows. They had both felt that if Alicia had approached her then Hayden would have asked to know about her, to which Aubrey wouldn't have any explanation for…after all, he believed that she had lost her memory. “You could come around tomorrow, Alicia” Aubrey said quietly. “Isn’t Hayden around?” She a
Aubrey’s POVI stay silent after Ellie’s actions not wanting to get into a fight with her or anyone else for that matter. I’d done a lot of that and all I wanted right now was to be with my family and spend the night with them after being away for a while. “I’ll take it that you’re drunk and you have no control over your emotions right now,” I said, wiping my face as I stared at her. “Fuck you, bitch. How dare you—“ “You need to stop, Ellie. I’m not your enemy and I’ve never been. If you say Aiden is slowly drifting away from you then you ought to check yourself and figure out what the problem is because you can’t say I’m unworthy of being put in the same sentence with you and then turn around to say I’m taking your husband away from you. It makes no fucking sense and you know it.” My words magically seem to shut her up and all she did was scowl at me. I felt sorry for her but she was at the bottom of the things I needed to worry about. “Get a grip on yourself and go to bed,” I a
Aubrey’s POVI stay silent after Ellie’s actions not wanting to get into a fight with her or anyone else for that matter. I’d done a lot of that and all I wanted right now was to be with my family and spend the night with them after being away for a while. “I’ll take it that you’re drunk and you have no control over your emotions right now,” I said, wiping my face as I stared at her. “Fuck you, bitch. How dare you—“ “You need to stop, Ellie. I’m not your enemy and I’ve never been. If you say Aiden is slowly drifting away from you then you ought to check yourself and figure out what the problem is because you can’t say I’m unworthy of being put in the same sentence with you and then turn around to say I’m taking your husband away from you. It makes no fucking sense and you know it.” My words magically seem to shut her up and all she did was scowl at me. I felt sorry for her but she was at the bottom of the things I needed to worry about. “Get a grip on yourself and go to bed,” I a
Aubrey’s POVI frankly didn’t know what to make of it after the old man introduced himself with a frightened smile, his words were mumbled so it was difficult to make out what his name was. I thought about engaging him in a small conversation but I decided not to. There were a lot of things going on in my life right now and I didn’t want to add any extra luggage on top of the whole mess. Whatever was going on with him, I could always take care of it later. Hayden had left immediately after the man left and I was all alone which meant it was the perfect time to see my sons and catch up on old times. Most importantly, I needed to run tests on them, especially Lucien. I had to know if the vaccine had failed or if it still kept its effectiveness like the results said it would. I made my way past the living room and I was visibly surprised to see Ellie sitting next to the kitchen counter, her arms crossed on her chest, a bottle of red wine and a glass cup sat next to it. She was an ea
Aubrey’s POVI groaned as I opened my eyes slowly. The walls around me were white and there was a distinctive smell in the air that told me I was in a hospital and suddenly, the memories came rushing back. I remembered seeing Damon ripping a man’s head off his shoulders in one clean swoop and I remember the way I screamed while passing out. It kind of felt embarrassing remembering the whole thing now but seeing as I’d been in a rather critical situation, it had been bound to happen. The room was empty but I noticed that there were plates of food kept at my bedside and the couches in the room looked like they’d been slept on. They've all been worried about me when I passed out and if they brought me to the hospital, it meant that it’d have been something critical that needed the best treatment. I hadn’t seen my kids in a while and I knew they’d be worried about my whereabouts. They were extremely sensitive and if anything, they’d know I’d been in grave danger. I tried to push mysel
Mark’s POV“Utter woke nonsense! I will not support this foolishness and I want to warn all of you here to desist from raising this issue with our Alpha!” I slammed my fist on the table, making the men sitting around it flinch.They were making no sense with this idea of theirs and I wasn’t going to let it stand. I’d been quite silent on pack matters because I’d been busy with several things but after clearing my schedule to be present here today, everything felt foreign, much to my disgust.“You’re overreacting, Mark. There’s nothing foolish about this decision and you know it.” Elder John said, wagging his finger in my face. “Humor me, John. Tell me why you think this decision that you’ve all decided to go with isn’t a stupid one. I’ll wait for you to give me one credible reason.” I said, leaning into my chair and waiting for him to speak. “The only reason you’re against this idea is because of the rift your daughter has with the person in question. If it were to be anyone else, y
Aiden’s POVI may not like Hayden but at that point, we needed every available wolf or man, in his case. I shared a nod with Damon and he backed down from being aggressive with Hayden. “You’ll listen to me at all times. Do not do anything without my permission, do you understand me, Hayden?” I asked. “Yes,” Hayden nodded. That was all I needed as we all hurried out of the room and rushed downstairs. “Is everyone ready to leave?” I asked Damon as I made my way into the car, held open by one of the guards. “Yes, our best fighters are ready and waiting for your command, Aiden,” Damon answered as he joined me in the car. Hayden decided to join a couple of my wolves at the back of the truck and I urged them to keep an eye on him. I hit the roof of the car twice and the engine roared to life, the driver stepped on the accelerator and the car raced out of the parking lot. My fears hadn’t toned down yet but for the first time, I was optimistic about finding Aubrey and bringing her ho
Aiden’s POV I got into my car and stepped on the accelerator as hard as I could. My ears weren’t deceiving me and I knew I heard Aubrey call out my name but I had to be certain that I wasn’t hallucinating and if there was one person who could prove that I’d heard correctly, it was Damon.I tried calling him earlier but it went straight to voicemail. He often put his phone on airplane mode wherever he was busy or engaged in something serious. As soon as I parked in front of the mansion, I jumped out of the car and scaled the stairs, two at a time, yelling and pushing everyone out of my way as they all shot me a bemused look but I didn’t.Aubrey’s life hung in the balance and that was all that mattered to me at this point. I pushed the door to our study open and found Damon staring intently at the screen in front of him. He shot me a look that demanded an explanation. I closed the door behind me and sat on the empty seat opposite him. “I heard her calling my name, Damon,” I said. “It
Aiden’s POV I got into my car and stepped on the accelerator as hard as I could. My ears weren’t deceiving me and I knew I heard Aubrey call out my name but I had to be certain that I wasn’t hallucinating and if there was one person who could prove that I’d heard correctly, it was Damon.I tried calling him earlier but it went straight to voicemail. He often put his phone on airplane mode wherever he was busy or engaged in something serious. As soon as I parked in front of the mansion, I jumped out of the car and scaled the stairs, two at a time, yelling and pushing everyone out of my way as they all shot me a bemused look but I didn’t.Aubrey’s life hung in the balance and that was all that mattered to me at this point. I pushed the door to our study open and found Damon staring intently at the screen in front of him. He shot me a look that demanded an explanation. I closed the door behind me and sat on the empty seat opposite him. “I heard her calling my name, Damon,” I said. “It
Aiden’s POVIt had been confirmed. Aubrey was officially declared missing and the news threw the pack into disarray as everyone wondered who could be behind this kidnapping.I’d been asking questions on how this could’ve happened and I finally had a lead. I sat behind the screen, waiting for the suspect as he walked across the street without any care in the world. I wondered how he had gotten past the security at the front door. Sam's Kitchen was one of the best food restaurants in the pack and it was exclusively for the rich and successful. A meal here cost more than what some people earned in a month and I had dinner here anytime I needed to put in a night shift at the office. From my observation, men like him weren't welcomed here, it was bad for business. And knowing how strict the employees were, there was no way he would have gotten past the security guards. Except, if he had gotten in through the back door.Someone had tipped him off about where I would be. There was no need t