Amelia's POVWhen I opened my eyes, I was standing on a stage that was as dark as the rest of the entire theatre that I was standing in. The silence was staggering and it felt like I was the only one there. "Hello? Is anyone there?" I called out, only to realize that I was unable to move. Dressed in a gown that hugged me like a second skin, I watched in fear as the lights on the stage suddenly came on, almost blinding me in the process. I struggled to adjust my pupils to the sudden influx of light. I heard a machine come on and suddenly, there was a dark man standing at the far end of the stage, where the light was not reaching, holding a microphone. "The next purchase for tonight is here. Make your bid" The thick horrid voice announced and my eyes widened in horror.Something was not right at all. Something was incredibly wrong. I tried to scream as I struggled against the binds that held me to the chair, but I found out that my mouth had been duct taped. My entire body felt pa
Amelia's POV'You should have known better, Amelia. Because now, you leave me with no choice but to punish you for trying to run away from me and no less into the arms of another. You will have to pay for that, sweetheart.' Cassius' words resounded in my head all over again. And it made my entire body freeze in fear. I had thought that immediately after Cassius told me that he would punish me, that he was going to make sure I paid for trying to leave, he would begin immediately but after that terrifying announcement, he just left the room and the sharp click of the door told me that he didn't even bother to lock it. Well, why would he? He had me chained to the bed, exactly where he wanted me so it didn't matter if he left the door wide open because he knew he had me.Tears slipped down my cheeks and I struggled to sit up and rest my back against the headboard. The chains rattled as I tried again to free myself only to find out that there was no hope for me. Not without a key at le
Amelia's POVI didn't know why it felt even worse that rather than actually punish me, Cassius had asked that Elena and Elizabeth release me and take me back to my bedroom. And this morning, Blair had been the one that had come to my room to wake me up and tell me the chores that I was having for the day like nothing had happened in the few days that I was not here. Like I had gone on to the wolf's land and returned home. It wasn't even home. Cassius's mansion had never been home to me.It felt like nothing had happened and I was already questioning my sanity, wondering if I had truly even escaped because it didn't feel like anything had changed. I guess it hadn't to Cassius. He had retrieved me and brought me back to where he believed I belonged- a slave in his home. A home that would never be mine, no matter whether or not he just allowed me to stick to doing chores or if he whipped me until I was seconds away from losing my life. Whatever his idea was for letting me go back to
Elena's POVIf there was one person that every time I looked at, it made living as a maid seem like a prize that I should be grateful for, it was Amelia. And it made me feel even worse knowing that she was going through an even rougher time now that she was back at the mansion. I remembered the first time that I met her. I had been sold by my stepfather shortly after my mother died at the age of fifteen and found myself as a maid in this huge mansion. When I entered, my eyes filled with tears, she was the first person that I had seen. The same age that I was even though I didn't know it yet, a gentle smile on her face that seemed like she had rehearsed it several times but it was more sincere than the pitying looks of all of the other maids that I had seen that day. And after that day, I had looked out for her especially when I realized that between the two of us, despite how she made it look like she could handle whatever the world threw at her, she was probably the most fragile
Amelia's POV Maybe it was actually admitting to Elena just how deeply I missed Damien or the way Cassius had looked at me when he said he loved me but when I woke up today, my energy was renewed like I had run a mile. Or maybe it was even the dream I had. The nightmare had been different this time. It had started with me actually being with Damien. With us actually experiencing the happily ever after that I had gotten a glimpse of when I was rescued. The new normal that I had thought was going to be my life. A life that was free of having to always keep my guard up, a life where I could be vulnerable and didn't have to wonder what punishment I was supposed to endure next. I had really thought that life was going to last but like a wind that cut through everything it passed through, the monster had appeared and instead of dragging me, it went for Damien. It had pulled us apart like our bond meant nothing. It had pulled him away until I couldn't see him anymore. I had woken up s
Amelia's POVMaybe there was something in me that had snapped but when I received the message today from one of the maids while I was in the kitchen that Cassius wanted to see me, I wasn't scared. I wasn't terrified. I didn't feel like passing out in fear of what he was going to do whenever I got there. No. I felt power. Unimaginable power and fury like no other. So, instead of heading straight to his bedroom, I nodded and excused myself from the kitchen to my room. Heading straight for my drawer where he had given me revealing casual dresses over the years in hopes that I would wear them but I had never agreed to and had gotten punished for it several times, I decided that today was going to be different. Standing in front of the mirror as I wore the floral dress that was ridiculously short and revealed an insane amount of courage, I took in a deep breath and the scared Amelia vanished before my very eyes. I couldn't be scared. Not when I had a mission. Not if I wanted to esca
Amelia's POVI must have done such an incredible job in making Cassius really believe that I was beginning to trust him, or worse that I actually believed him when he said he loved me because not long after I left his bedroom, I received flowers in my room. I had just returned from completing the rest of my chores when I entered the room and found a bouquet on the bed. A note was tucked in the middle, stating that he would like for me to join him for breakfast tomorrow at the dining hall since he had to be somewhere tonight and won't be able to make it to dinner. First of all, why was he telling me all of this? Did he really think that we were in a relationship? Did he really think that it was that easy for someone that he had brutalized for years to suddenly let go of that pain and decide to have anything to do with him? Hell, I was still his maid when he wasn't trying to force himself on me and when he wasn't trying to beat me up till I passed out. But on the plus side, the fact
Amelia's POV"I would like for you to sponsor me through university. I want to go to college like my peers." I said in one full breath, my lips curving up in a soft innocent smile as I waited for him to process my request. As expected, Cassius's face changed and the mask of the pleasant gentleman slipped from his face almost immediately, revealing the ugliness I was used to. When my smile disappeared from my face, he realized his mistake and quickly tried to fix his gaze but it was too late. I had already confirmed what I was looking for and it meant that Cassius had not changed one bit. I never thought he had, but this solidified my resolve.He was just trying to pretend he had because he was getting what he wanted from me after all this while; my uninterrupted and quick obedience to everything he did.Even though he tried to control the anger in his veins, his glare still shot forward and he pinned me with that hard glare, his menacing face contorted in a monstrous form that beli
Dear wonderful readers, I cannot thank you enough for taking the time to read my book! Your support and enthusiasm mean the world to me. Without you, book one could not have been the success that it is. I am grateful to have such amazing, dedicated readers like you. It thrills me to announce that there will be a book two! I am so excited to continue this journey with you and bring you more of the characters you have grown to love (and certainly some new ones too!). I promise to keep you on the edge of your seat with even more twists and turns. Again, thank you for all that you do. I appreciate every kind word, review, and recommendation. You are the reason I write, and I cannot wait to share more of my stories with you. With love and gratitude, H.B Temilorun
EPILOGUE*Six years later Amelia's POVDreams did come true, I thought as I walked into the woods and stood far away from where my mate was playing with our daughter, Kiara, watching them with a wide smile. She was the spitting image of her father, took his hair, his eyes, everything, and even his smile. The only thing that she probably got from me was my creamy skin and I had not one complaint at all. In fact, it made me smile every time I watched the two of them bicker about something which was almost every time these days, quickly reminding them that they could settle it since they looked very much alike. She threw a punch in the air at Damien which he evaded with ease, but not too much ease that made me realize that he was actually letting her off easy. She tried again and this time that I saw that she was so close to landing a punch but he caught her hand and shook his head, squatting as he ruffled her hair. "Listen to me, Kiara, we have been over this time and again. You are
Amelia's POVI did not think that I would be able to pull this off but looking at the table now, I was proud of what I was able to achieve. The dining hall was large enough to take over fifty people and with the chairs that we added, it was large enough to take almost everybody interested in enjoying this banquet.I had learned that Damien's mother as Luna used to organize something like this and I could see how it was going to help to foster togetherness.Damien had been skeptical about allowing me to do it, quickly reminding me that I was pregnant and that I did not need to do any heavy lifting but I had made sure that it didn't matter, not when I knew that it would be something that people would remember me to, with fondness in their hearts.I felt a sense of pride when I saw everyone digging into their breakfast and having looks of approval. I turned to glance at Blair and she was wearing an equally proud smile on her face. We had done this together with the help of some maids of
Amelia’s POV“How about this one?” Elena asked, her eyes bright as she held up a black sleeveless blouse and a skirt that was probably going to stop mid-thigh, her eyes bright with excitement. “Nope,” I answered, my eyes fixed on the television as I chewed away yet another bag of chips. My appetite had returned with a vengeance after the last couple of weeks that had consisted of vomiting spells and zero appetite. Elizabeth had said that it was because I had passed the first trimester of pregnancy and was now in my second. “Okay, this one is perfect. Why don’t you wear this one?” She came to stand in front of me, holding up a short blue dress that was probably as lovely as the rest but I was not interested, the same with all of the other options that she had chosen for me. I already knew what I was going to wear from the beginning, since the moment she entered the room and told me that I was going out with her and that it was going to be in thirty minutes. “Oh come on, Amelia, so w
Damien's POVI knew that Amelia would probably roll her eyes if I said this to her but she was hands down the most beautiful woman that I had laid eyes on. Perhaps it was the mating bond speaking but it didn't matter. I was hopelessly irrevocably in love with her. She sat beside me, the first aid box on her lap, and opened her hand for me to give her my bruised knuckles. I fought the urge to tumble her on the bed and kiss her senselessly because she looked less than pleased at my injuries even though they didn't hurt and would heal on their own. "It was nothing serious," I said again. When I had told her the first time, she had raised her eyebrows at me in a scolding fashion. It would have looked really threatening if I was not a big bad werewolf that was probably two times her size and towered over most people in the pack, including her. I stifled my amusement at how adorable she was because I knew that she would not appreciate that sort of thing. "I heard you the first time, Al
Amelia's POVThe silence in the kitchen was deafening and the entire atmosphere was very tense after my statement. I was well aware that if I did not do so something to diffuse this, things were going to escalate beyond measure but I had had enough of Nikki, from her passive-aggressive behavior to hurting people like they were not human beings and looking at others from beneath her nose like she was higher than every one of them. Her momentary shock at my statement was quick to fade and she pulled her arm away from my grasp and frowned at me. "Oh and what do we have here? So you really think that just because people have accepted you that you can go around calling yourself Luna and expect people to do what you want? I rolled my eyes, almost chuckling to myself.She continued, "It seems that you have forgotten your place, have you not? You are a slave like her, perhaps that is why you feel so strongly that I am teaching her a lesson." "You bitch!" Elena roared and tried to reach he
Amelia's POVIt had been one month since I moved back to the pack. There was a calendar in the bedroom which I marked every day once I woke up and when I did today, the smile on my face widened as I circled the date. One whole month had passed since I returned with Damien. It had been one month since Cassius was finally defeated.It had been a whole month and even though I had had a couple of nightmares between now and then, whenever I woke up, it was with Damien by my side, holding me tight and reminding me that I was no longer stuck back in that mansion. That I was no longer a slave to a vampire lord that was obsessed with me. That I was no longer living in bondage but free. Being Luna was wonderful here. Everyone had been nothing but so pleasant and supportive, allowing me to ease into the role at my own pace, no matter how slow that was. I was still adjusting to being a very important member of the pack and fortunately, my mate was the most patient and wonderful teacher one coul
Amelia's POVAs the girl, whose name I still did not know but whose face I would never forget wrapped her hands around Damien's neck and pulled him in for an intimate hug, all I could think about was the way she had been with me when I first came to the pack. The very first time that I had fled from Cassius and the words that she had said to me when everyone else had been nothing but caring."Oh? You don't want to know what I know about you? You don't want to know that I know how you were Cassius' slave for many years before you were brought here? You don't want to know how I know that you were not just a slave, but one used solely for sex?"We both know that you don't deserve him, sweetheart. So why are you still here, ruining my plans and making life difficult for everybody?" "Why? We both know that you are nothing but trash. And have you heard where the trash gets one ounce of happiness?" Her words still hurt every time I remembered them but now that I was mated to Damien and ha
Amelia's POV Bliss. I didn't know any other words that could adequately describe how I was feeling and bliss seemed to encapsulate all of my emotions being around Damien these past few days. It was nothing but bliss. It made me wonder if I was no longer dreaming and if this was just a really long dream that I was going to wake up from soon. "Am I dreaming?" I asked him as he cut an apple and fed me a piece. We were having a mini picnic in the woods and for the first time since I was forced to move to this new city, I didn't feel wary about being outside. I didn't feel a strange sense of panic thinking that this happiness could be snatched away from me at any time. The bane of my entire existence was dead and every time I remembered that he would no longer be able to trouble us again, I could not contain my joy. Finally, I would have a shot at happiness. Finally, I could begin life anew and start a family just like I had always wanted with the man that I loved wholeheartedly. I