VESTA'S POV Even while I knew I and Elara were cooked, I was still defiant. I challenged him, I said all sorts of disdainful remarks towards him and for a moment, I saw fear. But he wouldn't let a naive pup like me unravel it all. "Don't be foolish, Vesta," he hissed. "I've worked too hard for my position. A few more lives, even yours, are a small price to pay for ultimate power." Darius didn't care about the pack, not truly. It was all a game of control, a desperate scramble to maintain a power he never rightfully earned. And if that meant silencing anyone who threatened to expose his treachery, then so be it. “You think fear will silence me?" I retorted, my voice laced with newfound steel. "You underestimate me, Uncle." Darius's smile vanished completely, replaced by a menacing scowl. "Perhaps," he said, taking a menacing step forward. "But underestimation can be a very effective tool." A signal was barked, and the two guards flanking him lunged forward. Before I could react, t
LuciusI traced Vesta’s scent to a horrid looking place. But I couldn’t care less, all that was on my mind was where to find my Luna. I kept on following the trail of her scent and it lead me deeper into the unknown.As I pushed forward, the scent of my mate intensified, mingling with the odor of the unknown wolves. A low growl rumbled in my chest, a warning to any who dared stand in my path.Finally, the path opened into a vast underground chamber and in there, stood two figures. I recognized the unmistakable scent of Vesta clinging to them. But something was wrong. Their movements were jerky, and their eyes glowed with emerald light.“Vesta!" I roared. "Where is she?"The figures turned towards me, their heads snapping in unison. A guttural growl erupted from their throats. Their glowing eyes never left me. Their lack of response, their wolf appearance, sent fury coursing through me."Where is my mate?" I repeated. "What have you done to her?"Another guttural growl was their o
I couldn't help but sulk as I made my way through the dense forest, heading towards the annual celebration dinner that our pack was throwing. The air was filled with the scent of grilled meats and the laughter of my fellow pack members, but all I felt was irritation. My uncle, the alpha, had extended an invitation to none other than the alpha king himself, King Lucius. He didn't have to do that, but he did it anyway.King Lucius was a name that brought a wave of anger crashing over me. I had despised him for as long as I could remember, convinced that he was responsible for the death of my parents. My hatred for him ran deep, and the mere thought of his presence at the celebration made my blood boil.I hated how much my uncle disregarded what he had done to us, to our family. I will never forget that man and his sword that night. That devil took the most essential things from me and left me empty and dead inside.I had heard tales about the man to last me forever, and the last thing I
I felt my entire world freeze over at the utterance of the same man who killed my parents and ruined my childhood. I couldn’t tell if he knew what I looked like, but something about the way a dark smirk made its way to his face made me uncomfortable. Something about his smirk reminded me of who this man was and why he thought of himself as untouchable.“My sweet little mate,” he whispered as he lifted his hand and brought them to my face. He trailed his hands over my face with the dark smoke still intact. My feet seemed to have a mind as they stayed rooted to the spot. His trails left hot feelings in their wake, and I enjoyed how he touched my face.Lila, my wolf, seemed to enjoy this even more because all she did was purr in comfort. For a split moment, I felt betrayed even by my wolf. She was acting like a damn weakling; this wasn’t the Lila I had all my life. My wolf is strong, but I blamed the mate bond for her reaction.I shouldn’t be doing this. I shouldn’t be letting this murde
The cold feeling of the floor against my body was the first thing I felt as I slowly opened my eyes. Everywhere was pitch dark, and it took a moment for my eyes to adjust to the darkness finally.The floor was cold against my skin, and I tried to move; that was when I felt the cold feeling of chains against my skin. I was tied in a dungeon like a criminal.I could feel my anger rising again as memories of earlier started to hit me. My neck was still a bit sore from all the choking that demon had done, but knowing we were no longer mates made me happy. I rejected him and was ready to pay for whatever the consequences were.Lila whined in my head, and I chose to ignore her. If she refused to see my point for not wanting to mate with a criminal, I would miss her until she realized I was doing this for both of us.“He’s not that bad of a man, Vesta. You need to give him a chance,” she whined, and I cackled. Like a witch, I knew Lila was speaking from a wolf’s point of view, but it doesn’t
The day passed in a blur, and the stupid knots at the bottom of my stomach remained. After much back and forth, my uncle got me out of the dungeon and promised that I would not try to run or act out of order. My skin crawled in irritation as I watched them talk about me like I was the luckiest person in the room. I was getting mated to a monster, and nobody batted an eyelid.Aunty Lulu massaged my head and detangled my hair; nobody said a word to each other, and the room was very silent. For the first time since I was a child, Aunt Lulu and I weren’t gossiping over some random stuff or her telling me about her plans for the next day. The silence was uncomfortable, but I wasn’t ready to break it.My life was over; her husband had ended it before it even started, and I do not think I have the time to exchange words with her. Or act like their actions didn’t hurt me. Even when I had no reason to blame Aunt Lulu, I needed somewhere to transfer my aggression.“Do you want me to pack it up
I watched in fear as my uncle tried to convince Lucius to let me stay behind for a few more days. The rest of his men were packing their things in preparation to return to the palace, and it was starting to look like the truth. I went from being happy to being enslaved in less than two days.I was going to be the Luna Queen to someone who killed my parents and made my childhood plagued with nightmares. Every day, I hated him for taking away my dream. I didn’t know how I was going to face the fact that I would spend the rest of my life with him, forgive him, and bear him strong pups.“I’m putting her in your care, Alpha Callum. If she’s not delivered to my palace in a week, you’d have me to answer to, and I’m sure your pack members wouldn’t want that. Don’t play stupid games with me; you will end up winning stupid prizes,” he growled, and my uncle nodded rapidly.Relief flooded me, even if it was temporary. He had just granted me one week to stay with my people, and I would cherish it
Lila's restless pacing echoed in my mind, a relentless drumbeat of urgency. "Vesta, we need to go back. Lucius is waiting."I hate that she wasn’t listening to me. Since I ran yesterday, I’ve been disgusted at myself. How could I run? I had a better plan but running made more sense yesterday. Now he would see me as a weak little wolf, when all I want to be is his worst nightmare. My wolf not being in sync with me made everything even worse. She was fighting hard to take control, If she took control, she would lead us back to him. Lila just wanted to be with her mate. "No, Lila. We can't risk it. He's the one who took them away from us," I retorted, clenching my fists. She needed to see my own reason too, I was the human here, the logical one. The mate bond was affecting her own decisions. "He's our mate! We belong with him!" Lila's voice growled, a fierce undertone of desperation. She was scratching the back of my mind, she was fighting so hard to take control and I couldn’t let h