ARIA'S POV:
Maria had forced me to wear the dress. She had even threatened me with the guards, just like she had done during the auction preparation.
The gown was so short that my butt cheeks were exposed. The chest region was so low that almost half of my breasts were open. And the back, all of it was open. A disgusting excuse of underwear with halter tights was all I was forced to wear under.
I was naked. Maria didn't care at all. All she was concerned about was getting me dressed and sending me off to Dane. She maintained her poker-no-smile face.
But I couldn't care less, because all I could think of was that I was naked, tired, and dizzy. I was given heels to go with the outfit I was putting on.
When Maria was through, she gestured towards the door.
"Let's go." She said. I ignored her.
"Move it." She said. Warning
THIRD PERSON POV:Some days had passed, and Aria was still under intense torture ordered by Dane Seymour.She gets more and more scars, both physical and emotional. She begins to lose color from below her skin, eyes and lips. Her lips are now charred. Her palms, now rough and filled with cuts. Her back had become a canvas for the dungeon guards' whips. All these things Dane Seymour watched from the comfort of his window, sipping tea.The look on Aria's face showed ginger and tiredness. She staggers as she carries the bricks that she had molded on her head.She fights against the urge to fall because each time she falls, she gets whipped. This was just the same for all the prisoners in the crescent pack dungeon.As she moved towards where she was to drop the bricks, the prison guard in charge of her kept telling;"Faster! Stand up straight!"And with every word he spoke came a lash. When she finally got to where the bricks were to be dropped, she managed to put the bricks down, stagger
Anthony's POV:"Alpha Anthony!" The woman who walked into the throne room carried with her an aura of power. Alpha Victoria stood tall, built like a fine warrior, yet had a kind face. She was one of a kind among alphas. She walked over to me, practically gliding across the marble floors, her arms stretching out wide for an embrace. I rose to my feet and met her halfway. "Alpha Victoria, thank the goddess you're here." I said, unable to keep the relief out of my voice. She pulled back, furrowed her brow in worry. "I'll keep it very simple. I learned from Elijah that your lady friend went missing.""She's more than a lady friend to me," I admitted, the image of Aria's lovely face lighting up in my mind. Victoria smiled, a sad smile. "I understand that. I am bringing you good news, however."I felt a glimmer of hope inside me. "Good news?""Yes. I sent one of my boys to a pack to infiltrate, after I had heard the sad news." "Which pack?" I felt like I already knew the answer. But I n
Aria's POV:It was so cold, I felt like I was dying. And then came the warmth, and the calming scent that my senses had become so accustomed to.Anthony.I wished I could hug him so tightly, show him how happy I was to see him, and tell him how his memory had kept me warm when the nights got very cold. But with each passing second, I felt my strength drain from my body. When he carried me up, I couldn't even protest."Aria," he called softly as we got outside the pack house. It was warmer outside compared to that dungeon.I glanced up at him. "Yeah?" I whispered. My tongue felt heavy in my mouth, refusing to cooperate."We'll soon be home, okay?" He gave me a small smile. I'm surprised he can smile in this condition, but then I'm glad the smile is for me. "Hang on a little longer; I know it hurts.""Everywhere,""I'm sorry,"What's he sorry for? It's not his fault. It's Dane's fault. Dane is the one who inflicted all these injuries on me. He's the reason my body is screaming out in pai
ARIA'S POV:The scent of warmth, the peace of home. I never thought that I would be able to experience such again. I never thought I'd have a home aside from Nightfang, but turns out I was very wrong.It felt good to have a roof over your head filled with care. I tried to rise from the bed but winced in pain as I tried to stand up."Here, let me help." It was Alpha Anthony. He was still with me."Were you with me the entire night?" I asked him."I couldn't just leave you here alone. I'm never doing that again." He responded, adjusting my pillow and helping me sit up straight. "How are you feeling today?" He asked me concern pouring from his voice.Of course, I was feeling better than I ever had in the last few days. "Better than yesterday," I told him."Is there anything I could get for you?" He asked, pushing my hair behind my ears and covering me with the blanket."Not really," I say. "I'm fine."There was silence. Then he took my hands in his."I'm sorry." he said. "Why do you kee
ARIA'S POV: It's been two days since I returned to the lycan pack. All seemed well except for the fact that everyone was looking at me with pitiful eyes. I had decided to take some fresh air and warmth from the sun, so I left my room with Claire holding onto me. I hated it, but I couldn't do much because my wounds were still healing and I couldn't walk without an anchor. The weather was nice and sunny. It felt free and breathable compared to the numerous times at Crescent Pack that I had to go under the sun. For the first time in a few days, I got to go under the sun to enjoy its beautiful warmth and not to suffer or engage in any form of torture or hard work. "There is a garden a few meters away from the pack house." Claire said to me: "Would you love to see it?" "Yes. I would love to." I replied. Looking around the beautiful garden, all the time I spent here, I had not known that the Lycan Pack had a garden that was this beautiful. The green grass was reflecting sunl
ARIA'S POV: The least I could let Anthony do for me, was to let his guards escort me to Zilam and then leave. Claire, Anthony and I had spent two days preparing for my return to Zilam. Anthony was still unsure of sending me alone to Zilam. And Claire was rambling on and on about how she wanted to go with me as my personal maid there. I was glad that I had people that cared about me in such a way that was different from the past care and love that Darcy and Logan showed me. Unlike their, this was genuine. And in as much as I was grateful for that, I could not let then get ropes into my fight neither could I let then into my shattered mind. I had to do this on my own. The departure day came faster than usual. I had told Claire and Anthony that all I needed was just a little luggage of not more than a bag. I let him know that I had all I needed at Zilam. There run front of the carriage that had been prepared for me to depart with. Claire hugged me. "I will miss you." She sa
ARIA'S POV: It had been five days since I had arrived at pack Zilam. And so far, I had not been able to find peace neither have I been able to find answers. I still had nightmares of my stay at Crescent pack every single night. Even when I did not have nightmares about my stay at Crescent pack, I had nightmares about how I had been rejected by Logan. I could still see Darcy's face as she smiled wickedly at me hooking her arm with Logan's. Her smile still lived and moved in my memory and seemed to intensify ever since I had come back to Zilam. Even the way she had pushed me off her like I was some disgusting pest that perched on her fair skin. Each and every time, I would awake covered in cold sweat. And for the rest of the night, I would not be able to go back to sleep. I was scared that I might develop insomnia. So I resorted to pills I had gotten from Zilam's healer. They still did not help. All these I pondered on as I went to respond to uncle Jeremiah's call. He had c
ARIA'S POV: I had almost walked halfway down the hallway when I could not take it any longer. I screamed my heart out causing a stir in the hallway. From the corner for my eyes, I could see the alarm on the faces of the guards, servants and maids in the hallway. I had had enough. Who was she to seduce Logan? Why did she did that to me after all she had promised me back in the days. After all she had said about us being sisters for life and the nonsense about how we would have each other's back no matter what. Instead, I had just found out that she had had a crush on my husband. Rather, ex husband, for the past three years and when she had finally seen an opportunity to get her close to him, she did that without a second thought. I had not heard any she had betrayed me and stolen him from me. I had to asked her and know her answer. Turning around, I headed back to the living room. Barging into the living room, I met Darcy sitting on the couch sipping tea. "Why?!" I asked