For a moment, all Emma could think of was the first time she met him. She could remember that day vividly in her head, for that day had been unlike any other. It was so because it was very rare, almost impossible, for a man to catch her eye. She had always been one to prioritize other pressing issues in her life over romantic pursuits, and even that day, she wanted to honor her principles more than anything, but she failed. Within minutes of speaking with him, she realized that Jamie was a special man, and there was something about him that pulled her to him. Over the next few days, their connection only deepened and grew stronger. And before she could realize, she was falling in love with him. And today, just mere hours ago, she tied the knot, vowing to spend the rest of her life with him. No where in the journey had she sensed any threat from him, nor any danger. In contrast, she felt the safest when she was with him. It was him that saved her life from those two men in the fores
She saw with her own eyes how seriously Jamie takes his work, so much so that he refused to reveal any details pertaining to work. The only few times she could manage to get things out of him was only after a fight, where he had no option but to speak. Because she knew that, she also didn’t struggle to believe that Jamie would do anything for the brotherhood. But taking her life? Would he ever go to such an extent? “He loves me.” She said, whispering to herself, “He is my mate. We are meant to be together. He would never kill someone he loves!” “You poor thing,” Agatha clicked her tongue, “When will you realize that irrespective of how much he loves you, he will only do what serves the purpose of the brotherhood? And to the brotherhood, you are merely a rogue wolf that has no right to live amongst them.” Despite the churning in her chest, a belief lingered in her heart. It was a small one, fragile at that, but it was resilient. Despite what her mind thought, it believed that Jamie
Emma watched the city move away from her in a distance, growing smaller and smaller with every passing second. The bus she was traveling in was surprisingly full in such an odd hour, but yet, she felt lonely within. Hugging her bag to her chest, Emma felt hot tears emerge within her eyes, threatening to spill over. “Are you okay, child?” Asked the old lady that sat beside her, eyeing her with concern. Shaking her head, Emma looked away from her, looking out the window, “I’m okay.” It was evident from her voice alone that she wasn’t, but the old woman didn’t probe further. Biting her lower lip, Emma held back her sob. If someone told her a day ago that it would only take twenty four hours to wreck her entire life apart, she would’ve laughed at them. And yet, here she was, on a bus that would take her away to a far away land where nobody would find her. Where Jamie would never find her. Her heart constricted upon the thought of him, and it stung the same way it had when lost her p
Emma jolted awake from her sleep at the sound of a door shutting with a bang.Grasping for breath, she sat up straight with widened eyes. Her throat had gone dry from all the panting she had endured during her sleep, and her mind was still gripped with fear. Enduring nightmares had become a common thing for her by now, but she couldn’t grow immune to them. If anything, things had only gotten worse and worse for her. Every night it was a different dream, different struggle yet from the same person. Swiping the sweat off her forehead, she pushed the thin, sorry excuse for a blanket away from her body. Sighing, she ran her eyes over the tiny room she was sleeping in, at the top of which lay an uncovered vent. The winter had begun and it was showing no mercy whatsoever. By itself, the thin walled room barely shielded her from the growing cold outside, and having no heater only made it worse. As if that wasn’t enough, the glass shield of the vent had broken, allowing air to easily slip in
Filled with Apprehension, Emma clasped her eyes shut, hoping that her ignorance will drive him away. But it didn’t. If anything, her silence only seemed to anger him more, for he began banging at the door now. He was a powerful man, but he rarely resorted to violence. Hence, Emma always thought that she had no reason to fear that he would ever be aggressive with her, but the way her room door was threatening to break open, it was possible her worst fear would come true. Scrambling to her feet, Emma looked around frantically. There was only her bag and her cot at her disposal, and she could seem to find anything else that she could use for her defense.Desperate, she took her bag and held it against her chest, hoping that it would provide some sort of defense. “Are you bloody deaf, woman?” He growled, “Do you not hear me?” Grimacing, Emma cried, “What do you want from me?”“Oh, so you are alive.” He said, “Then what’s the problem? Open the damn door.” “No, I won’t! I’d like to be
The moon remained her lone companion as Emma ran into the wilderness. Clutching the straps of her bag hanging down her shoulder, she hurried deeper into the forest for as long as her legs permitted. It was the last place anybody could find her, and for tonight, the forest would be her home. As she finally stopped by a huge rock that shielded her from the view of the rest of the forest, she realized how utterly exhausted she was. Collapsing onto the floor, she reeled in deep breaths to nullify her rapid ventilation. As her heart calmed down, Emma glanced around her surroundings. While the moonlight shone through the canopy, it was still dark for her eyes to make out anything. Apart from the noise of some insects, the atmosphere around her was filled with deathly silence. She could hear her own pulse raging, trying to suppress the adrenaline that coursed through her body. Although out in the wild, Emma finally felt safe. Despite having a roof under her head all these days, she was nev
“Are you still with us?” Jamie’s eyes snapped upward as he heard Anthony’s voice. Eyeing his father with some guilt, he sat up straight and gave him his attention once again, “I’m sorry, you were saying?”“I just asked you what you think of her?” He repeated, exchanging quiet looks with his wife who was seated beside him. Jamie sighed. This was the fourth match his parents had got for him ever since he came back to Ormel. Their desperation for an heir was growing day by day, and with the two forces combined against him, Jamie hardly stood a chance. Being their only progeny didn’t help his chances either, for they were constantly behind him to dictate his life, help him find a woman that would keep him happy. Jamie often wondered if it was this very reason that kept him away from home for so many days. He knew how overbearing his parents were and that after a certain point, he couldn’t do anything to fight them. Sometimes, their attempts at setting him up with someone would be so b
Emma watched as thick, red blood oozed out of her nose, dripping onto the floor beneath her. She felt an excruciating pain raise up her legs all the way to the pit of her stomach as she tried to steady herself, pushing herself off the ground. Gaining momentary strength, she managed to sit up, but soon after, she felt another blow coming at her face. This time, her head flew to the wall behind, colliding with her forehead. “Ah!” Emma cried in pain as an intense pain gripped her head, making her dizzy. Emma could see her eyes blur, the gray stone beneath her body turning. In reflex, Emma tried to shield her body with her limbs, but she couldn’t. Her wrists weighed down with iron cuffs, chained down to either of the walls beside her. Staring at her attire, she found her dress to be stained with blood and dirt. It was drawn up to her knees, from where her skin was littered with various cuts. Tears pricked at her eyes as she tried to find her voice, desperate for another cry for help,
Emma released a strangled cry as he neared her. Inching backwards, she tried to get up on her feet and get away from him, but she couldn’t. Before she could do so much as raise up on her feet, he kicked her down, stamping his foot on her chest. Crouching down, he held her hands and pinned them to the ground, rendering her immobile. She widened her eyes as he inched his face closer to her, feeling completely helpless within the confines of his body. “Let me go!” She screamed, eyes filled with fear. “Please!” “You deserve to die in my hands, just like that bastard that tried to take away my daughter.” He said, “These hands have killed so many of you, you think you will be spared my mercy? Never. I’d rather die than let you go.”Raising his knife, he angled it right above her abdomen. Emma’s eyes widened in surprise as she realized what he was doing. Her baby.. No! He couldn’t do that to her baby. “The venom in your body..” He said, “It’s supposed to kill your ability to shift into yo
Emma released a tearless sob as pushed the flush button on her commode. Leaning back onto her heels, Emma sat down on the bathroom floor as her head began to spin. It was the third time in a row today that she was retching in the bathroom, emptying all of her stomach’s content. She had no clue why she fell so sick suddenly that she couldn’t even keep a glass of water inside her. It was perhaps due to the stress that she’s been experiencing lately, which only aggravated as Jamie left her alone there.She felt her body burn as beads of sweat collected on her forehead. Wiping it off, she slowly reached for the wall for support and brought herself to stand on her feet. Although wobbly, she made her way to the basin and ran the tap, splashing some water on her tired face. As she looked into the mirror, she realized that she looked hideous. Dark circles covered the skin under her eyes as her face shrunk to reveal her bones. She looked visibly dehydrated, in desperate need of help and rest.
The emotion within Jamie swirled in all its fury, growing so magnanimous that he struggled to contain it within himself. He felt himself shake, growing suffocated with each passing second. He could no longer stay in the room. His feet took him away from his mother, going to the window. As he reached it, he swung them open and shoved his head out, reeling in a deep breath. He felt beads of sweat trickle down his forehead and along the tip of his cold nose. She felt a touch on his shoulder then, urging him to turn around but he resisted. “Jamie, please.” His mother sobbed, “Look at me.” “Get out of here.” He said in a low voice. “Jamie…” “I don't want to look at you.” He said, whirling around. “You and your husband, what a fucked up pair you are. One kills his own child and the other covers for him. That was bloody loyal of you, mother.” “What else was I supposed to do?” She cried, “If I had revealed the truth to you, he would’ve killed me too.” Jamie scoffed, looking away. There
Jamie could hardly get the scenes of that afternoon out of his mind. Any lingering hope he had regarding his father instantly diminished as he realized up to what extent he was willing to go to keep the aims of the brotherhood fulfilled. As he rolled on his bed, he realized that perhaps he made a mistake coming here, for he could now see the true nature of his father. At least if he was away, he could have found comfort in the misbelief that his father was a good man, a man who had the heart to at least spare some mercy on an unborn child. But now, he was facing the dark reality he would prefer to have avoided. He didn’t need to know that his father had zero regard for what Jamie wanted and cherished. His aim was more important to him than Jamie’s happiness, and if it meant killing his wife and child for it, then so be it. “You cannot let a rogue carry your child, Jamie. How could you have made that mistake?” His father had said that afternoon. “She is my wife.” He said. “That is
The tension in the air was palpable, making Jamie remain alert to every small movement. The familiar scent of wood and musk was hardly making him feel at home, rather, he felt out of place. Although it had been a mere few days since he was last at this place, it felt like an eternity ago, merely in the wake of everything that had happened in the past few days. Jamie shoved his hands into his pants pockets as he looked over the view from the window, watching over the people that roamed around in their backyard. Nothing was out of the ordinary, but it felt so different to his people once again. When he first arrived at his father’s house, he was greeted by the same people he once assumed to be his loyal friends. Just in a matter of a week, they revealed their true colors and proved to him that they would always remain loyal to the pack and its leadership. He knew he couldn’t blame them, for they were merely doing their job, but he couldn’t help the distaste he’s developed against them
Goodbyes were never easy. There was seldom anything good about your loved one leaving you. Whether it was to reach better places or to go back to fix things in the past, a departure always came with a possibility that the distance they’re going to create between them might be permanent. A harmless journey once took her entire family away from her, and she had no reason to believe that it might never happen again.As Emma watched him pull the zipper of his bag close, she realized that it was time. When he first broke the news that he would be going back home to settle things with his father, she was elated. It was precisely what she wanted him to do and she was glad he made up his mind without her having to reopen the conversation. However, as the night progressed, the reality of it sank in, a new fear creeped inside her. She struggled to accept that he was going to come back to her within a few days as promised, and instead, her mind tried its best to convince her that nothing in her
“How are things faring?” Jamie said as he overlooked the lush greens of the mountain top. He had just stepped out to have a word with Rafa while Emma got busy with preparing dinner for the two. After reaching their new house, the two of them were occupied with cleaning it and making it comfortable for use for a few days. Since it was rather cold than at home, Jamie had to step out into the forest to find some wood for the fire. After it was all set up, Jamie received a message from Rafa that things have calmed down and that he could reach him whenever he pleased. Jamie instantly stepped out as he was eager to know what happened. “It was alright.” Rafa replied, “The men have arrived a few minutes after you have left and were surprised that we have managed to get you out of here. We tried to sell them some bullshit, but they obviously didn’t fall for it. They could understand that we planned your escape, but that was about it. They couldn’t do anything more than that. However, I did s
As the night progressed, Emma lost track of time. Jamie refused to give in to her demands, yet kept her in a constant high throughout. Sparing no mercy for her desperation, he had his way with her, and by the end of it, they both collapsed on the bed. The last memory she had was of Jamie pulling her back against his chest, burying his face in her neck as he whispered to her, “I love you.”She fell into a peaceful slumber after that, chasing her dreams in the darkness. When she was next transported back into reality, she jolted awake to the someone banging on the door. She woke up with a gasp, looking at Jamie who had just risen up. Pushing the duvet off his body, he quickly donned his shorts and headed to the door. Light flooded into their room as he opened the door and the person on the other side started speaking. Emma remained submerged under the duvet and closely watched them, trying to listen to their words. However, she could barely make out anything and only deduced that ther
“Sleeping without me?” He asked as he pulled his shirt over his head, revealing his bare skin underneath. Emma watched as he proceeded to unhook his pants next, pulling them down his legs, “I thought you were avoiding me.” “I was.” He said as he climbed into the bed and then onto her. Careful not to crush her under his weight, he pulled her legs apart and wrapped it on either side of his hips. Leaning down, he stole a kiss from her lips. “I’m sorry,” She said, “It was not my intention to-” “I know what your intention was,” He said, cutting her off with his lips, “And I’m not angry with you.” “Then why didn’t you come up to meet me?” “I was busy with something else,” He said, “And I needed some time to contemplate what you said.” Emma looked up at him in puzzlement, awaiting him to elaborate. He rolled beside her and pulled him along so that she could be sprawled across his body. Resting her head atop of his shoulder, he planted a gentle kiss on her forehead. “I realized that y