Aria's POV:
My eyes went wide with horror. "No, you can't be serious!" He leaned back. "Enjoy your time here, former Alpha Aria."He turned and walked away. I banged the bars hard, screaming for him to get back and unlock this damned door!
The Crescent Pack was a menace. A true one. Their alphas collected rogues like a little girl collects dolls. The stories I had heard of Dane Seymour were not good.
I screamed out in frustration and kicked the bars hard. How did I end up here?! Was this some kind of cruel fate in store for only me?!
The cell was small and dimly lit with candles. My entire body was starting to ache from lying on the concrete floors for so damn long.
I heard the sound of footsteps and turned, hoping for Dane. But instead, it was a guard. He unlocked the door and stood to the side.
"Get out," he snapped.
He can't possibly be talking to me. So I remained where I stood, glaring at him. He sighed and stormed inside the cell, stalking his way up to me."Don't you even touch...." I didn't get to finish my sentence. He grabbed my hair and pulled me out of the cell, throwing me outside.
"When I say get out, you get the fuck out!" "Is that clear, bitch?!"
I caught myself, whipped around, and threw a punch at him. He merely shifted his head, laughing at me as he avoided the jab.
"Seriously," he said. "Is that all you've got?"
My chest was heaving. I had already overexerted myself. And my head was aching. I felt blood trailing down my neck.
But I wasn't going to let this damn idiot disrespect me. I wasn't going to give him satisfaction.
"Not even close," I hissed.
"Yeah, right, I wish I could indulge you right now, but..." He ducked his head, dodging my punch. I felt all the air knocked out of my lungs.
I bit my lip hard to prevent any screams from escaping. It hurt so bad that my eyes watered, and I doubled over.
"That's what a punch feels like." The guard hissed. He grabbed my hair and pulled me up. I groaned in pain. "Can you do that? No, I thought so."
I felt my vision going blurry. My ears were starting to ring. Still, the idiot dragged me by my hair. I tripped over my foot a couple of times, trying to keep moving.
"If this is all you've got, you won't even see tomorrow in this place." He said.
I can't die in this place. There was so much I hadn't even done yet. Get my revenge on Logan and Darcy, please.
The guard threw me out into the open. My eyes adjusted to the light. It was an open field.
"You're to weed every single inch of this field." The guard replied.
"And be done before sunset.""Go to hell," I hissed at him.
"Oh, you're a fun one." He said. "Get to work, bitch."I had never done such labor in my life before. I wasn't going to start now.
****
The next few days that followed were pure hell.Being a prisoner in one of the most inhumane packs wasn't something I thought was a bed of roses, but I also hadn't expected it to be so brutal.
Every day was the same routine. To get rid of his frustration, the guard on duty would use me as a punching bag. I used to fight and hit them back, but I quickly learned the difference between a real wolf and a weak one like me. So I just stopped fighting. It was easier that way.
After that, there would be work, which could be anything evil they had come up with that day. My hands were bruised and battered from all the tedious work I had done.
I had to keep strong. I had to endure the pain and torture. If I wanted to have my revenge, I couldn't just die out in a savage pack like this. I had to survive, get back, and make those traitors pay. They were probably lounging around right now, having fun in my pack!
I held onto that fire to keep myself alive.
Every day that went by made me feel like I was losing more and more of my life force. I used to count the days, but I gave up after I counted three weeks.Every night I dreamt of Darcy and Logan pushing me down a cliff and laughing while they were at it. In a way, I had to thank them for this. Without their betrayal, I would have been dead.
Or maybe I wouldn't be here at all.
"Hey you!" A guard called, hitting the bars loudly.
"I'm not hungry for that slop." I said, "I noticed my voice sounded weak, and it was hard to speak."
"Like, I care."Get out. You've got work." He hissed. He unlocked the door and kicked it open. Damn it. These people were so violent about everything!
I turned my head slowly, and my eyes went blurry as I did.
"Work?"
"Alpha Dane has summoned you."
****
"The fuck do you want?" I hissed out the moment I saw Dane."Oh, you look like shit, Aria. What's the matter? You're not eating well."
I glared at him. "Very funny."
This place looked like a make-up room. What exactly was Dane doing here? Why did he want me here?
He walked up to me, his eyes raking over my body. He stroked his chin as if deep in thought.
"There isn't much that's impressive about you," he commented. "Except for the alpha blood you have, of course."
His words hit a sore spot in me that hadn't healed. "And your point is?"
"I'm surprised you still have it in you to still be sassy," he said with a sigh.
A woman came rushing inside the room. She was older and had a long braid that went past her waist.
"Prepare her." Dane spoke to the woman. "She will join them on stage."
"Yes, my Lord." The woman replied.
"Join who?" I asked. "What are you preparing me for?!"He didn't reply. I hated the look in his eyes; there's no way he had good intentions. "I'll leave her in your capable hands, Maria."
"Answer me!" I shouted. "Dane!"
He completely ignored me and walked away. I turned my antics on Maria, the woman.
"What are you preparing me for?" I asked.
"Miss. Follow me." She said simply, turned, and walked into a room.
I ran after her. The room was actually a bathroom. There was a bathtub steaming in the center of it, as well as a shelf of bath products by its side. The air smelled nice, and it had been so long since I had a proper bath.
"Get undressed and enter the water." Maria said.
I scoffed and folded my arms. "There's no way I'm doing that."
"If you refuse, I'll call in the guards." I'm sure they'll have a field day bathing you. In fact, I should call them now.
"Guards! Come in."Aria's POV "Fine!" I shouted. "I'll get in!"Maria nodded, with not even a hint of a smile on her face to show that she was joking. "Get in the tub." She said. "You weren't going to call them, were you?" I asked for good measure.She didn't reply. Her eyes told me all I needed to know. She was serious, she was actually going to call the guards to bathe me!"The last girl misbehaved." Maria said, At last." You can guess how it ended. And trust me, they will do more than bathe you." She said it with a crazy smile on her face.That was disgusting. There's no way I'd let such hands touch my body. The only one who had touched me was....My head filled with thoughts of Logan again. I hissed in annoyance. That traitor. I shouldn't be thinking of him again!But alas, my thoughts always flitted toward him. It wasn't an easy task to forget him. At random, my mind will be filled with memories of when he was my love. And the pain would start all over again.I undressed and got into the tub. The
Aria's POV:A cold wind blew by, lifting my skirt. I grabbed it and held it down. Anthony's intense eyes were focused on me. It was like he was searching for something. Goosebumps erupted over my skin; this dress barely even covered anything."You're cold," Anthony stated."No sh*t," I said, straightening my back. If the skirt wanted to go up in my face, that's fine.Anthony raised a brow at my curse word.If he has a problem with it, that's on him, not me. I was trembling in my boots from the cold. From his presence. And the last thing I wanted to do was watch my tongue."We should get going." He turned and walked to the carriage. He moved like he was gliding, his feet barely touching the ground and his hair flowing behind him. He had this grace and fluidity that he moved with.I guess that's why he was called Blessed of the Moon Goddess."Alpha Aria, are you coming?"I exhaled, my breath forming wisps of steam in front of me. I made my way over to the carriage, another cold wind rais
Aria's POV:This situation is very uncomfortable."Why did you --"Anthony made a move. He crossed the space between us and took my right hand. Before I could ask what he was about to do, he brought my wrist up to his face, inhaling deeply.I turned bright red and pulled my hand back. "What are you doing?!" The words tumbled out of my mouth.I tried not to think about the fact that his hand was so warm, much larger than mine. He raised his eyes to mine."Your scent is strange,""S-strange?" I sniffed my wrist, trying to figure out if there was a strange smell. I smelled of the bath oils Claire put in the bath water. Roses and vanilla. "It seems okay to me."Anthony didn't look convinced. But he didn't press either."Alpha Aria, I'll ask you again. What were you doing with Dane?" He inquired, his brows furrowed.I chuckled bitterly. "I can't understand why you're more upset at this than I am. It's not like I was with him....things just happened.""Things like what?" He pressed on. His
Chapter seven:Aria's POV:The next day came too fast. I hadn't gotten much sleep after my conversation with Anthony. My mind wouldn't let me sleep at all. After getting ready, Claire informed me that I was to have breakfast with Anthony.The dining hall was in another wing—I guess Anthony's private wing. It was a very impressive hall, with high ceilings and golden chandeliers. Everything screamed pure wealth. I mean, what else did I expect from the Lycan King himself?The dining table would comfortably fit a hundred people. At the far end of it, I spotted Anthony. The nervousness settled in my belly again; all I could hear were the sounds of my heels clicking on the marble floors. The closer I got, the more nervous I became. Anthony rose his head from his breakfast, his eyes meeting mine."Good morning, Alpha Aria." He said, tipping his head in acknowledgement."Alpha Anthony, good morning too." I replied, my voice sounding breathless."Join me," he said, pointing to the seat closest
Aria's POV:The pack healer was not at all like I expected them to be. Back at Nightfang, the pack healer was an ancient woman. I wasn't sure of her age, but she seemed generations old.The pack healer in front of me was a man, and a young one at that. He looked no older than me."Yes, you are poisoned." He announced, after a few minutes of checking my body."You seem really young," I stated."I recently took over." He said it with a soft smile. "But I can assure you, that doesn't make me any less qualified." He finished off, turning to Anthony."What can be done about it?" Anthony asked.The healer shook his head. "I'm not entirely sure. This poison is very ancient. I haven't seen anything like it before."An ancient poison? Wow. My life just got even better. This was the first time I'd heard of ancient poisons."What does that mean?" I asked."It's a hundred, maybe even more, years old. "And I'm afraid I have no cure for this poison.""You mean you can't help her?" Anthony questioned
Aria's POV:The rest of the day went by without much hitch. According to Anthony, the healers should start arriving tomorrow or so. As Anthony had instructed, I spent the day resting with Claire by my side, answering the questions I had about this place.She didn't have many answers.And now we were in the throne room, as healer after healer came in and examined me."I'm afraid, Alpha Anthony. But this is beyond me." Yet another healer said with a disappointed sigh. The tenth so far.I had come in here with high hopes. That maybe someone has something that could help out. My hopes were starting to dissolve. One after the other, they all said the same thing. The poison was too ancient. They hadn't heard of it. They didn't know how to remove it. If it came to the worst, I would have to kiss my wolf goodbye, or worse, my life.I can't die like this. I refuse to die like this, succumbing to a poison that has no name. If I die, whoever poisoned me will win. And I'm sure that person would al
DARCY'S POVAhh, the life. I'm waking up snuggled in Logan's strong arms, the sun filtering in through the windows. So this is what Aria has been enjoying? What bliss. Waking up in the arms of the one you love the most. "Are you awake already?" Logan whispered, his voice deep and husky. He wrapped his hands around my waist, pulling me closer to him. "Isn't it too early to be up? Just wait a little more."I tried to control my giggle. "Don't be silly, baby, you are an alpha; you have work to do, and so do I." I said, trying to pull away from him."But it's too damn early," he protested, dragging me closer. I removed his arm from my waist and sat up in bed. With a smile on my face, I turned to him. He laid on the pillows, a lazy smile on his lips. "Come back to bed now."I shook my head. "Hush now sweetheart, let's get ready for our bath, shall we?" I said, dragging him out of bed. He groaned, but got out of bed. His arm snaked around my waist possessively, his lips peppering small k
Darcy's POV:We discussed our future and the pack duties over breakfast, and when we were finished, he had things to take care of, so he left for his duties while I... went to take care of my own things.I headed back to my room. To my surprise, Selena had left and was already waiting for me. I got changed into a more casual gown and sat down at my desk.Selena rose to leave. I called her back. "Where are you going?"She turned, an impassive look in her eyes. "To let you rest up, my l....I mean my mistress.""Did I excuse you?" "No, my mistress. I didn't think you could... I'm sorry," she rambled pitifully. "You didn't think I could..." I mimicked her. "You don't think! You do as you're ordered! "Is that clear?!""Yes, my mistress." She replied. I rolled my eyes in annoyance. "Anyway, I need the most expensive gown out there to be bought, letters to be sent out to the most esteemed Alphas and guests, the most skilled event planners, the best chefs, and the best wine makers. I need