Amelia's POVI knew I had sworn I was going to make sure that I didn't feed Cassius' need to see me down and afraid but the moment I had entered that room, I knew that I was about to break the one promise that I had managed to make to myself. I was delirious with pain. Even though I didn't know what the time was, I knew I had been screaming for so long my throat was starting to feel very raw. It felt like hours. I was so thirsty and my eyes felt like they had spun to the back of my head. "Remember that you made me do this." He told me and I gasped, his face blurry because my eyes were filled with tears. My entire body shook like I was having a seizure when he started to come close again. I knew I had said I was not going to beg him but I didn't know when I found the strength to speak. "Please stop, Cassius. Please." I croaked. I would have grabbed his hand if he had not tied me to the chair, arms, and legs so that I would not be able to move. He pouted, a frown creasing up his fo
Damien's POV"The house is empty. There is nothing left. No one left." Nathan said to me slowly and even as those words hit me, I could not believe it. I knew my Beta would not lie to me and right from the main gate that led to Cassius' mansion, I had already suspected that something was wrong. The place had looked abandoned and even though I didn't want to believe it, I wanted to hold on to the hope that I was not too late. That I had not lost Amelia. Standing outside the mansion with some of my pack's finest warriors who had followed us, I had waited for Nathan to go in and come out and now that he was out, I found it almost unbelievable that everything was gone without a trace. Because if I accepted that reality, then it meant that I accepted the fact that once again, Cassius had outsmarted me. And that I had taken a thousand steps backward in getting my mate to come back home with me where she belonged. I had lost her again and the knowledge felt like there was a knife twisti
Amelia's POVWeak. That was how I felt these days. Like there was a straw stuck in my hand, draining all of the life out of me. I couldn't eat well. I couldn't even sleep well. I was not even sure that I was alive. But my heart was still beating in my chest despite everything so I guessed that I was, unfortunately. If what didn't kill you truly made you stronger, then I was reading the wrong manual because I was not getting stronger. Every day felt like I was an inch away from life and the damn thread in my shoulder was the only thing holding me back from embracing the cold hands of death. The only thing stopping me from finding peace. If Elena was here, she would probably scold me for thinking so much about death. But she was not here to even do that anymore. It had been a week since we moved to this new city, not that I had gone out of the house to sightsee. I was a prisoner and not on a trip, unlike my captor who could leave the house whenever he wanted and he was surely making
Amelia's POVThe silence in the bathroom as I stepped into the ice-filled bath was thick with sadness. It was just me and Elizabeth now. It looked very familiar to the times when she would bathe and dress me back at the former mansion after Cassius had brutalized me. Perhaps the silence was because there were no more words to say. Elizabeth's eyes were swollen from sobbing beside my bed and she looked like she had aged a couple of years faster than her real age. Sorrow would do that to you. Then again, perhaps it was the way I also looked. I knew I was withering away and being in the ice bath didn't make any difference. Not when the pain kept eating away at me like a monster that was starved. I knew Cassius had said that he was not going to kill me but at this rate, I was beginning to believe that in fact, that was his plan. That I die a slow painful miserable death. Because that's how it felt every time he left the house, the pain seemingly more excruciating than the last. And wh
Amelia's POV Anyone who saw me would probably think that I had a penchant for failed plans at this point because why was I yet again, trying to escape Cassius when I even knew that there was a thread that he could use to track me burning bright in my shoulder and drain my blood? The answer was very simple. I was banking on two outcomes: I could escape and be free, or I could die trying. Because if Cassius was not going to set me free or put me out of my misery, then I was going to do that for him by myself. Elizabeth would have to forgive me for this plan. If Elena was still alive, she would probably scream and even slap me for still trying to escape when I knew the kind of man I was trying to run away from. She would probably tell me that this was my most stupid idea yet. But despite everything, she would not stop me, because she knew how important my freedom was. It was more important than anything else. I was actually very surprised when Blair did not look at me suspiciou
Amelia's POVFloating. It felt like I was floating.I realized that I was not actually floating though when I opened my eyes slowly and found myself staring at a fan that twirled attached to the ceiling. Was I still alive? Because this was definitely not what heaven would look like or hell for that matter. So where was I? The last thing that I could remember was not seeing clearly thanks to the excruciating pain of the tracking thread tightening inside my skin the farther I tried to get away from Cassius. I also remembered that someone had screamed for me to get out of the way but I had been too slow. How was I even alive after all of that? Sitting up gently and resting on the headboard, I looked around the room and realized that I was not back at the mansion. That made me heave a sigh of relief. Cassius had not found me yet.But what if he had and this was just another place of his? My relief turned to anxiety and I stood up from the bed immediately, wincing when my entire bo
Amelia's POV"I'm so sorry." The maid whispered as she dabbed my back with the cold towel. She held the ice pack against my shoulder where the tracking thread was embedded into my skin, tightening the minute Damien had left the house to track Cassius' movements. "It's not your fault" I whispered back, fighting the urge to scream when the thread tightened and twisted inside my back again. Cassius was insane if he thought that he would come here and take me back and I would still love him. Not that I ever did.He had to be really insane because how could you put someone through this much pain and say that you love them? How could you try to make sure that they died if they left you? And still have the guts to be searching for them when they leave you? I realized that I was still thinking of myself as a person to Cassius. It wasn't what I was to him. To him, I was property. Like a piece of prized furniture or painting. That he believed he could treat however he wanted and would still
Amelia's POV You know that moment they call the calm before the storm? That moment where everything seems to be going so well and then something very bad suddenly happens? That was exactly what was happening right now, I believed. Because one minute I was in Damien's arms celebrating the fact that we were now well and truly mated and having no regrets about taking that decision and the next minute, he was sitting up wearing his pants. Sitting up on the bed, I dragged the covers to my chest, my eyes wide with fear. I knew without a doubt that something was wrong. Something had definitely happened. Just thinking about it made my heart hammer in my chest in fear. "What's wrong, Damien?" I asked again when he pulled his shirt over his head. He turned to look at me and when his eyes went dark with rage that was clearly not directed at me, I confirmed that something was indeed wrong, without him even having to say anything. Coming to hold my shoulders with both hands, he kissed my f
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