Autumn's POV Unable to take my eyes off it, I nodded. It was very striking. and horrifying. I had assumed I was going into a pack. I recognized now that I was walking into a prison. one that I came up with. As we got closer, the gates opened. As we went by, the guards saluted. I got a peek at their faces. Hard. Alert. These were not the indolent border patrols I knew. These were experienced fighters. The packlands spread out before us inside the fortifications. a mix of more traditional pack structures and modern buildings. Everything was shining. Clean. Prosperous. Powerful. As we drove, Mathias pointed out locations. the exercise area, the medical facility, and the educational institution. As he related the history of the pack, his voice grew proud. How they had developed into one of the most powerful packs in the nation from a tiny, struggling gang. I paid attention. Nodded. smiled when it was appropriate. However, I felt empty within. Empty. Despite its grandeur, this venue fe
Autumn POV I picked up the mask and touched the elaborate design with my fingertips. It was similar to keeping a secret. How appropriate. After assisting me with mask security, Mrs. Potts took a step back to evaluate her job. "Oh, Miss. They won't be able to breathe after you." I gave her a smile, appreciating her generosity. But with every minute that went by, fear spiraled closer inside. The mantelpiece clock struck seven. A maid materialized in the doorway as if by omen. She curtsied and said, "Beg your pardon." "But the guest of honor is requested to make her entrance." Mrs. Potts gave me a handshake. "Love deep breathes. You'll succeed." I gave a nod, lacking confidence in my ability to act further. As she escorted me out of the room, Mrs. Potts's incessant speech provided a calming background to my racing mind. She remarked, "Now don't you worry about a thing?" as we strolled. "Just nod and grin. Let Mathias speak for himself. If someone invites you to dance, sim
Autumn's POVThe tune intensified. Mathias's hand was waiting there. I gazed at it. My thoughts were empty. The room fell silent. Everyone is looking at us."Shall we, my dear?" Mathias spoke in a soft voice. Not in his eyes, however.I reached into his hand. It was a surrendering feeling. He guided me to the ballroom's center. Like the Red Sea, the multitude was divided. I felt like they were staring at me. Judging. waiting on my failure.Mathias touched my waist with one hand. I winced. He acted as though he were blind. He lifted our combined hands. I stiffly and hesitantly followed his direction.The tunes began. Mathias shifted. I faltered."Calm down," he murmured. I felt his warm breath in my ear. "Follow my lead."I made an effort. God, I really did try. My feet, though, were lead. My body refused to comply. We made abrupt circles. I infringed on his rights. Once. Twice. thrice.Mathias was always smiling. However, his hold became more firm. Warning.Gazing down, I saw our feet
Autumn POVHe whirled at me. He drew me closer again. Our bodies squeezed together. "You're not my mate," he said. It was not a question. I shake my head. "No." "Then what is this?" His voice sounded harsh. Desperate. "I don't know," I replied. And it was the truth. The music reached a crescendo. Kavan dipped me low. My back arched. His face was just inches from mine. For a minute, just a moment, I thought he might kiss me.I had a brief moment where I believed he might kiss me.The music then stopped. He straightened me out. Retreated a step.The enchantment was shattered.Around us, cheers broke out. Perplexed, I blinked. I was unaware that we had a viewership.Kavan gave a rigid bow. I gave a curtsy.He turned to walk away. Paused. glanced over his shoulder back at me.He declared, "This isn't over." It was an assurance. a danger.Then he vanished, engulfed by the throng.I shook as I stood there. My skin continued to tingle in the places he had touched. My heart pounded.What ha
Autumn's viewpointKavan's expression was twisted with revulsion. He spit out, "My father?" "You're carrying my father's child?"Unable to meet his gaze, I nodded."Please," I murmured. Now the need was intolerable. "Aid me. I need, but I can't."Something flashed in Kavan's eyes. Desire? Anger? I was unable to tell.I had a brief moment of fear that he would cave in. Maybe they'll take me straight to the restroom.His face then became stern. "No," he responded. He spoke in a frigid tone. "Avoid being around me. Knowing what's best for you will make you avoid it."He turned to walk away. stopped at the entrance. "I'll tell my father everything if you breathe a word of this to anyone," he declared. Concerning the forest. About us. Everything."Then he vanished.I fell to the ground. My eyes burned with tears. Everything was breaking down.A few minutes went by. or perhaps many hours. I was unable to tell. My body's need and my heart's misery were at odds.A tap on the door startled me.
Chapter 15, Breakfast with the Devil Autumn's Viewpoint The night was unending. A feverish dream. I slipped in and out of consciousness, stuck between blazing heat and cold chills. Mrs. Potts' incense gave the room a strong, suffocating fragrance. It hid my heat, she'd added. I kept my secret safe. But it couldn't stop the dreams. Kavan's face. Twisted with disgust. There was hatred in his eyes. Mathias' hands. Possessive. Claiming what was not his. A child. Growing within me. A ticking time bomb. When dawn arrived, I was unsure whether I had slept at all. My eyeballs felt dirty. My head hammered. Each muscle ached. Mrs. Potts rushed in, pulling open the curtains. Sunlight pierced my eyes. I groaned. "Up and at 'em, miss," she called. "There's no time to spend. "His Lordship will be expecting you." I blinked at her. I tried to make sense of her words despite the fuzz in my brain. A sudden knock at the door startled us both. Sarah, the maid from last night, stuck her head in.
Kavan POVMy boots made loud noises on the marble floors as I stormed out of the dining room in anger. The taste of anger lingered in my mouth, bitter and sharp. I ascended the staircase, skipping two steps each time, with my fists clenched tightly by my body. The portraits of my ancestors watched me closely as I passed by, silently judging. I was indifferent. Allow them to make a judgment. They had passed away, and I was still living.When I walked into my room, it was dim and chilly. I turned on the lights and went to the wardrobe, pulling open the doors with excessive force. The scent of cedar and leather filled my nasal passages. I took out a fresh white shirt and black pants, throwing them onto the bed.There was a sound of knocking at the door. I was unable to reply before it opened suddenly. I turned quickly, with a growl in my mouth.Mrs. Potts was holding a tray as she stood at the doorway. Her usual severe bun held back her gray hair, while her eyes showed the same mix of ex
Kavan POVI loathed it."My father spoke, his voice consciously impartial, to Kavan." "I was surprised to see you here."I stood up, making my face show no emotion. I could express the same sentiment. This is not a place for non-military personnel.Autumn flinched at the word, and a small, mean part of me was pleased.My father's eyes hardened. "We were just leaving. Come, Autumn."He placed a hand on her lower back, guiding her past us. As they passed, Autumn's eyes met mine for a brief moment. There was something in them—fear? Defiance? I couldn't tell. I looked away."Your Majesty?" Marcus's voice was tentative. "Shall we proceed?"I noticed that I was not moving, with my fists tightly closed by my hips. I made them unwind, disregarding the pain in my hands from digging my nails."I said yes with a clipped voice." "Let's finish this quickly."The small interrogation room was bare, with bright fluorescent lights glaring above. As I entered, the slaver, chained to the table, widened
All did not sit well with me seeing Autumn become so flirty with my dad. I knew she had to be up to something, but I could not quite wrap my fingers around it yet.After my dad and she left, I was worried, and I decided to follow my instincts to go check up on her. I knew something bad was happening, and I could not just stay by and think about it.“Sunny, I have to go now. I will be right back,” I said. “Where are you going, Kavan?" She asked. “No, you don't have to worry; I will be right back in no time,” I responded. “Okay, I will be waiting for you here. Do not take too long,” she added. I faked a smile and left, heading to my dad's room.I could hear someone screaming and shouting from his room, and I knew all hell has finally broken loose; he must be trying to force himself on her again.I banged at the door, and I slammed the door open. My hunch was right. The sight in front of me was so gruesome, as I could see my dad on top of Autumn, trying to force himself on her.“What do
MATHIAS’S POV Autumn was being flirty with me, and she made it so obvious to everyone. I was sure she did not know if Kavan was being serious about Sunny or not, but I believed him either way."Mathias, can we go to your room, please? I feel like spending the night with you,” she said. Kavan looked stunned when he heard her say that and was looking at her for some sort of explanation; she ignored him and was persistent in going with me to my room.I took the opportunity and grabbed her waist, gesturing her to my room and leading the way. Oh yes, finally!” I said. I was filled with excitement as I beamed with smiles all plastered on my face. Autumn was trying to make Kavan regret his decisions by getting him jealous of me. Either way, I was enjoying it, so I did not bother to think much of it.“Kavan, I think we should go too. We have told dad what we came here to say,” Sunny said, almost dragging Kavan away. Kavan did not want to leave as he continued staring at Autumn, waiting for h
AUTUMN'S POV Marcus dragged me by my hair and forcefully started kissing all over my body. I felt so disgusted as I struggled to pull him off me. His grip on me was too tight, and I was unable to get him off. At this point, I was screaming and shouting, hoping someone would hear and come to my rescue. This was not the first time Mathias had tried forcing himself on me.The last time was when Kavan luckily came to my aid. Mathias had dragged me from Mrs. Potts room to his room and tried molesting me. I was trying to fight my way out, but his grip on me made it so difficult and hard to leave. I could hear banging at the door, and Kavan suddenly slammed the door open. He came to my aid again, and I knew he had a hunch about this earlier because he knew I would not willingly go to Mathias’s room unless I had a plan. “What do you think you are doing, dad?” Kavan said, pushing his dad off me. “Why are you here?” Mathias responded. “Shouldn't you be with your pregnant wife?” he added. “W
AUTUMN'S POV I was being flirty with Marcus, and I made it so obvious to everyone. I did not know if Kavan was being real with the pregnancy with Sunny, but I suspected it to be only an act to get his dad deceived."Mathias, can we go to your room, please? I feel like spending the night with you,” I said. Kavan looked stunned when he heard me say that and was looking at me for some sort of explanation. I ignored him and was persistent in going with his dad.Mathias took the opportunity and grabbed my waist, gesturing me to his room and leading the way. Oh yes, finally!” Mathias said. He was filled with excitement as he beamed with a smile all plastered on his face. This was part of my plan and also to make Kavan feel a bit jealous about it. I could see the jealousy all over his face, and he was very terrible at hiding it.“Kavan, I think we should go too. We have told dad what we came here to say,” Sunny said, almost dragging Kavan away. Kavan did not want to leave as he continued st
MATHIAS’S POV “You have always been selfish, Mathias; you have never truly cared about me or my feelings,” she said, trying to gaslight me. “Me selfish? How dare you say that to me?” I responded. “That is the truth; why don't you want to accept that fact?” she added, trying to instigate me to respond. I knew all she was doing and just played along with her tricks.“You are lucky, Autumn, that I am in a good mood, or else you know what I would have done to you,” I responded. “What haven't you done, Mathias? I still remember vividly how you raised your hands on me,” she said. “I cannot believe you would do such to me,” she added. “I did not mean that, Autumn, and you know that, you keep pushing me to the wall,” I responded.She was about to respond back at me, but then Sunny and Kavan suddenly showed up and told me that they had something to tell me..Kavan saw me and Autumn already there; it was as if she wanted to leave, but I was stopping her from leaving. Kavan and Autumn looked at
AUTUMN’S POV “You have always been selfish, Mathias; you have never truly cared about me or my feelings,” I said, trying to gaslight him. “Me selfish? How dare you say that to me?” Marcus said. “That is the truth; why don't you want to accept that fact?” I added, trying to instigate him to respond. “You are lucky, Autumn, that I am in a good mood, or else you know what I would have done to you,” he responded. “What haven't you done, Mathias? I still remember vividly how you raised your hands on me,” I said. “I cannot believe you would do such to me,” I added. “I did not mean that, Autumn, and you know that, you keep pushing me to the wall,” he responded.I was about to respond back at him, then Sunny and Kavan suddenly showed up and told Mathias that they had something to tell him.Kavan saw his dad and I already there; it was as if I wanted to leave, but he was stopping me from leaving. Kavan and I looked at each other briefly before we avoided each other's eye contact. We had to ma
KAVAN'S POV Sunny and I went to look for my dad. We had gone to his room after revising for the plan I told her already. “You know what to do, right?” I asked her. “Yes, I do,” she responded. "Okay, give me an example; express yourself,” I added.“No, it is not needed. I will do that when I see your dad,” she said. I did not argue with her and just nodded in response to her. We first went to my dad's room to see if he was there, but he was nowhere to be found."Dad,” I said, knocking softly on the door. “Are you in there?” I added. “Maybe he is not in the room,” Sunny said. “I guess too; let's go to the balcony or the dining hall,” I added. “Let us go to the balcony first,” she responded, and we both left and headed to the manor's balcony.There we saw my dad and Autumn already there; it was as if she wanted to leave, but he was stopping her from leaving. Autumn and I looked at each other briefly before we avoided each other's eye contact. We had to make it look like we got betrayed
MATHIAS'S POV “Did he catch you hiding?” Kavan asked her. She responded and told him that I did not, but I noticed her presence. “He did not see me; I made sure to hide very well,” she responded to him. “So when they both left, I came out of my hiding spot and quickly went to Mrs. Potts room, and then, I think, after a few minutes, he also came by to check up on her,” she added.“Did you try leaving when you saw him?” Kavan asked her. "Yes, I did try to leave, but he held me back,” she replied. I was spying on Kavan and Autumn and also listening to their conversations. After some while, I got bored of it and went to the library to cool my head off. After some minutes there, I asked a guard to request for Marcus to come to the manor. “Hey you, come here,” I said, sighting one of the guards I saw. "Yes, sir,” he responded. “I want you to call Marcus for me, get in touch with him, and tell him that I want to see him at the manor right now,” I said. “Okay, sir,” he responded and left.
AUTUMN'S POV I do not owe you any reply, Marcus.“ I responded to him. “Why can you not get that you are just a tool for Mathias? He is never going to trust or actually love you like his son; you are just doing this for nothing. Are you blind to see that?” I added.“Shut up,” he said. “You are working so hard for him, but when he is done using you, he is going to leave and dumb you without even looking back at all,” I responded. “Who asked for your opinion, Autumn? Why can you not just keep your mouth shut?” He fired back at me.“You don't own me, so I can speak and give my opinions whenever I want to,” I said. “You are not the boss of me, and you cannot control me, scumbag,” I added. I have had it enough with both him and Mathias; people have been calling me names, but I have just decided to keep calm all this while, but now I am so tired of it, I cannot take it anymore.“Since you are done barking Marcus, how about you leave?” I said. “I already told you to mind your business,” he r