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 water was warm. It had been weeks since I last had a hot bath. But Maria reminded me I wasn't here to relax. She immediately went to work, dumping shampoo on my hair and roughly washing it. Even in such a rough bath, I felt my nipples get hard. The memories of intimacy with Logan still lingered. As Maria rubbed her hand against my body, it seemed to be one of Logan's strokes, the kind that would make you wet in a split second.
With a pour of water, a little hotter than usual, I snapped out of my imagination.By the time she was done, my skin was raw and red. But I felt clean from top to bottom. She applied a sweet-smelling lotion to my skin and some oil to my hair.
"What's all this for?" I asked.
She didn't reply.
Next, she pushed me back into the makeup room, picked out a dress, and held it up in front of me. All the color drained from my face when I saw it.
"I'm not wearing that!" I cried out. "It's disgusting!"
"You don't have a choice." Maria said simply: "Hurry up, the other girls are on stage already!"
"No! "I won't wear that trash!"
"Very well. I'm calling the guards!"
"Fine!" I screamed out of frustration. "Fine! I'll wear it! Are you happy now?! "Does this make you happy now?!"
"No." She said it plainly and threw the gown at me.
I wanted to vomit as I pulled it on. It was a short red lace gown. It barely covered my ass when I wore it. It came with some fishnet tights that were just as terrible at covering anything up. Paired with it were heels, and even more debasing underwear.
I felt disgusting wearing it.
Maria put some makeup on my face and sent me out to go on "stage." There was a guard waiting outside. It was the same guy who punched me every morning.
"Let's go." He said that and turned to leave.
I followed behind him, pulling the gown down, but that didn't help. The front side only went down, revealing my cleavage as I pulled it lower.
I gave up, hot tears pricking my eyes.
I still had no idea what this damned stage was all about. Was it some freaky sex thing that Dane put up? I mean, I wasn't going to sing on stage, judging by the outfit I wore.
The closer we got, the louder it became. I could hear men's voices. There are a lot of them. My heart dropped into my red heels. Oh my goodness, it was a sex thing!
"Go in," the guard said gruffly as we got to what looked like a back door.
I turned and glanced at him. He was glaring at me. Without further words, I turned and walked inside.
It appears to be backstage of some kind, and the noise was even louder here. I kept walking until I could see the outline of a stage.
"Go out there." I heard someone say it behind me.
I didn't want to. The person pushed me, and I tumbled out into the open. The crowd went silent, and I felt color fill my face.
Men. There are a lot of them. It looked like a party of some sort, and all of them wore masks. I turned to see five other girls on the stage. They're all wearing the same ridiculous outfits as me. The stupidly bright spotlight was on us, making it impossible to see the crowd except for vague outlines. And I was standing in front of them, half naked.Great. Just fucking awesome.
"Finally, the belle of the ball!" Dane's voice rang out through the arena. Even though he wore a mask, I could recognize that it was him. He walked over to me and placed his hand on my lower back, pushing me forward. "I present to you..."
"I'll take her." A voice from the crowd said, Shivers ran down my spine as I heard how deep and authoritative it was.
As all eyes turned to see who it was, murmurs rose from the crowd. I couldn't see the crowd clearly, with the bright spotlight in my eyes. But in the crowd, I could see a man's silhouette. One thing that stood out was how big he was. Even sitting, he appeared bigger than everyone else.
Was he the one who had spoken?
"She's not for sale, this one," Dane said, clearing his throat. "She's my prized possession. And I.."
"I'll take her. Or did I stutter, Dane?"
"No, not at all." Dane said it hurriedly. "My apologies, but this one is taken."
The crowd apparently didn't like that, as they broke out into shouts of disagreement.
I felt dizzy and nauseated at the same time.
"Please calm down, there are other girls here too." Dane said. "Just make your pick and...."
The man stood up. And, according to the goddess, he was like a tower, tall and imposing. Heads turned as he walked through the crowd, and they parted ways like they knew who he was.
"Sir, please remain seated. The party is still in...." Dane was saying: However, the man didn't seem to hear him. Or perhaps he didn't care. "Sir?"
The man walked right up to the stage. I felt it. A tug. It was small and unnoticeable, but it was there. And his eyes through that mask were just staring at me, I felt my body grow hot under his scrutinizing gaze.
"Follow me." He said, his voice making goosebumps cover my skin.
"You can't do that yet!" Dane cried out. "You haven't yet paid for...."
A bag of gold coins was thrown in Dane's face with such force that it shattered his mask. The man turned his head slowly and stared at Dane. I could feel the murderous aura radiating from him."Is that enough?" he asked.
"Y-yes. She's all yours now." Dane stuttered. I glanced at him, and h was bleeding from his forehead.
If I wasn't so scared of this man, I would have said serves Dane right.
"Go with him." Dane said to me. I saw fear flash in his eyes for a moment.
Yes, I was more than eager to leave this place. But with his man? I wasn't so sure. My heart was racing, and I felt like I couldn't breathe. He turned and walked out. I followed behind him.
The crowd was silent.
The further away we got from the party arena, the slower the noises started again. By the time we were out of the pack house, I could hear the party back in full swing.
It bugged me just how much money this man had given Dane for me. Who was he? What did he want? Why did he pay that much money for me?!
A carriage was waiting outside. I assumed it was his ride. And then he would take me to wherever he came from. Until now, I had no idea what he was going to do with me.The man paused. I didn't see it on time, making me slam into his back. I grabbed my nose, wincing in pain. He didn't make a single noise, nor did he move. I slowly walked up to his side.
"Alpha Aria, what are you doing here?" He asked.
My eyes went wide. He knew my name. The first thing on my mind was to deny it. I didn't know this man. Who knew what kind of person he was?
"I'm not..."
He took off the mask and turned to me. The first thing I noticed was the long silver hair that flowed down his back. I thought that hair looked oddly familiar, until I saw his face. I gasped as my hands flew to my mouth. I knew him! I knew exactly who this man was!
His face was hard to miss. "Alpha Anthony..." I breathed. "You're....but how?"
He turned and faced me. His eyes were narrowed. And he looked pissed. "What are you doing here?" He asked again. "How did that filthy scum named Dane get his hands on you?" What happened back at the Nightfang Pack? You were fine the last time I visited. Aria, are you...."
"Stop, please," I said, my voice hurting. I couldn't handle all his questions. It was making my head swim. I felt the dizziness returning. I feared I would faint if he continued.This was all too much to bear. There was no way the Lycan King himself, feared by all the Alphas in the country, Anthony Bourdain, had just bought my freedom.
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
ARIA'S POVFor the first time in two months, I was happy to open my eyes to the sun coming in through the window. I opened my eyes to a brand new day of hope and joy. And for the first time in a while, I could really say, "Hello world!" And mean it.This excitement is killing me. Finally, I will be healed. I will avenge myself and take revenge on Logan and Darcy.Just imagine how they would look when they see me wolf out. Imagine their faces. Imagine...imagine. I screamed screams of excitement into my pillow and kicked my legs while rolling on the bed. I bet their jaws will drop to the earth's core. I bet they will regret the day they both betrayed me. "You seem to be very happy." I heard a voice say,"Of course, I am." Do you even know what this means to me? I feel like exploding with joy. I feel so..." Wait, who am I talking to. I raised my head from the pillow and turned around. Bright green eyes staring right at me."Alpha Anthony!" I yelled. Shocked, I tried to move away. Inste