Thank you for daring to read this book.
I hope to communicate with my dear readers in the comment section.
I am Dedicating the work to my kind and steadfast Editor, Rosa, for keeping me on my toes, LOL, and my awesome readers, that have read most of my books and left tons of comments making the writing journey encouraging and fun. I hope to go on another adventure with you guys on this one.
I hope you enjoy the story and the adventure it will bring. xxx
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Emma.
"Don't forget about me, Emma," Declan told me, and I woke up from my sleep again, panting. I had dreamt about Declan for three years. I kept a journal and wondered about the tricks my mind was playing. Was it real or a figment of my imagination?
My real life was trash. Being from a low family in a pack was difficult because I had to be submissive every time. It was in my nature, and I hated it. Most of the time, I'd walk away from problems to avoid being rude or offensive. It wasn't easy, but that was the card life dealt me. I had four loving brothers, a depressed mother and a father with a gambling problem. They all showed their love the best way they could, and I never asked for too much. Asking for too much would make me disappointed.
Being a pretty woman, the eldest son of the beta family of our pack, Tomas Jefferson, took a liking to me. We had been dating for four years. I was hoping he would pop the question soon, but I wasn't going to hold my breath for it. A lot was in play where our relationship was concerned, and people often said he could do better. Tomas always shut them up by proving his undying love. I had often been tempted to compare him to mysterious Declan, but I knew that would be wrong. The man in my dreams was very unrealistic.
Other than Heather, my best friend, I had not discussed Declan with anyone, and I doubted I ever would. Living in fantasy was borderline behaviour, and I didn't want anyone to call me out on it.
I managed to get up, and it was a beautiful morning as usual. I reached for my phone to try Tomas's line. I had been unable to reach him for two weeks, and now I was worried. What was he doing, and why was he avoiding me? The worst part was Heather said she had seen him around. Being from a low family herself, she did not dare to ask him why he was making himself scarce. I did not dare go to the beta's house uninvited; I might be punished for it. Tomas has to take me there or invite me. My pack was that fucked up, and they took the hierarchy breed thing too damn seriously. If it weren't for that, I would have gone to his house to ask him what his deal was.
I dialled his number with no expectations, and to my surprise, he answered. I did not know how to feel about it.
"Tomas," I managed, and he answered me with his smooth, calm voice.
"Emma, are you alright?" he asked, and I sighed, relieved at his tone.
"Two weeks, Tomas. Why?" I asked him, and he sighed quietly.
"I will come and see you as soon as I can, Emma," he said, and before I could say anything else, he hung up. Before he hung up, I heard his friend's voice in the background, asking him to hurry. I wondered what they were up to. I could never know because I wasn't in that circle.
I managed to get off bed to get ready for the day. I was still job hunting and had an interview lined up for the afternoon. While in the shower, I thought of Tomas's behaviour. It was unfair. No matter how busy he was, he had no right to treat me the way he had in these two weeks.
Six months ago, things had changed between us, but I thought we were getting back on track. I was hoping he would have popped the question by now, but he seemed to be waiting for something. I have asked him severally why he was unwilling to take the step, and he always avoided answering the question altogether. I decided I needed to give him an ultimatum. We weren't getting any younger; most of the people that got together when we did were married with children. We met when I was nineteen. I was now twenty-three, and we were still in the early stages of our relationship, fixed to one spot, unmoving. It was frustrating.
I have heard people ridicule me because of this, claiming I am aiming higher than my status. Some even say I am trying to raise my family's status by snagging a rich guy, but none of those things ever got to me. Tomas showed me that he genuinely loved me, and I knew I would have felt the same about him if he were from a poor family.
The alpha and his family were the wealthiest among us, powerful and highly influential. The lower class was insignificant. We were easily intimidated and highly submissive. My mother always told me there can't be a leader without followers. One day they will come to understand our relevance. Cross-breeding between the higher and lower breeds was kicked against, but some people still scaled through it and got together; that was why my relationship with Tomas wasn't completely hopeless.
People could upgrade their status. They could become more relevant if they became influential and made a lot of money, but the higher families made this impossible for us by keeping the key positions and gainfully paid employment offers within themselves.
There was no poor high breed. They always had money or someone to lift them up.
In search of status upgrades and financial stability, the lower breeds joined the mob or practically lived in the Casinos, trying to make their big win. That first big sum that will lift their family from the ground. My father was caught in that world, sadly making him an addict. He had gambled everything away. Our family used to have enough. We weren't rich, but we were okay. My father gambled us into destitution, and I knew if there was anything worse than being poor, we would be there because he couldn't stop.
If Tomas marries me, my family will have some money and influence by association. That was why people believed I was with Tomas for the gain. Yet that was no excuse for him not to want to move our relationship forward. I decided I was going to give him an ultimatum. If he wasn't planning on marrying me, we might as well end it so I can move on with my life. I hoped that wouldn't be the case because I loved him.
I got out of the shower and decided to prepare for the day. Trying to get a job as a Book Keeper was pretty hard, primarily because of my status. Most firms were uncomfortable hiring people like me for critical positions in their company. They claimed I would not have the confidence and authority needed for the job. How the fuck was my family going to escape poverty if we were not allowed good jobs?
I secretly loathed my father for the mess he put us in, but I had to keep trying. Hopefully, I will get lucky one day. I promised myself if that ever happened, I would apply myself and lift our financial status. If not for anything but for the sake of my brothers who were having it hard in every aspect of their lives.
My pack was fucked up.
Just as it should be in every werewolf world, we had one Alpha family, and the head of that family was in charge of our pack. There were several packs in our country with different Alphas. Above the Alphas were the mob families. They controlled and ruled everything.
Due to my predicament, I had resulted in applying for a job in an establishment outside my alpha's territory. My chances were higher there, but it was prohibited, so I had to be careful about it.
Knowing I had to walk from my house to the company where I had an interview appointment because I had no transport money, I got ready immediately. I did not want to miss my appointment.
It wasn't long before I finished dressing up; I heard my brothers having a heated argument. I left my room immediately to see what was wrong. The moment I was in view, they went silent as if they did not want me to hear what they were discussing.
"What is going on?" I asked Kyle. He was the youngest. We had only a two-year age gap, but I let him know I was older. He looked at Tevin, the most senior, and Tevin sighed.
"Emma," Tevin said. He was holding an envelope in his hands. They were shaking, and I knew that whatever was in it was the cause of the problem.
"Emma, I know you are a tough girl, and I know you are good at getting over things," he said, and I looked at him impatiently, but that did not make him hasten his speech.
"Tomas is getting married to the Alpha's daughter," He said, and I frowned at him. Shock washed over me, and I could not believe what he had just said. Was it a joke? But he wasn't smiling. My brother was too serious-minded to joke like this. I had just spoken to Tomas, and he said he would talk to me later. Maybe it was a different Tomas, but the beta only had one son, and his name was Tomas. Slowly the shock became rage. I felt humiliated and insulted by Tomas. I had just spoken to him this morning, and he didn't sound as if anything was the matter. I reached for the envelope to see the content.
"They were cruel enough to send us an invitation," Tevin said while I opened it to see its content. It was a wedding invite, and my boyfriend was the groom.
Emma. Still going through the motions, I stayed fixed, staring at the invite. This was cruelty. Why would Tomas do this to me? I did not deserve this kind of treatment. I had been nothing but kind to him. I never asked for much. I gave him his respect regardless, and I never cheated. My dreams had nothing to do with my reality. Tomas had my heart, and he broke it. Did he not value my love? Did he not think of me? Why would he do such a thing? I stared at the invite; angry and confused tears streamed down my face. I contemplated going to his house and confronting him. I was an Omega, which gave me limits, but I needed to know. Was his family forcing him to do this, or was it all him? I knew getting back with him would be impossible; the Alpha's daughter was premium compared to me. Veronica was a beauty, an alpha breed and had the family name to back her up. I was pretty but an omega and my father had gambled us into the gutters. I looked at Tevin, and his eyes were filled with emotion
Emma. I got home in tears. I could not believe what had just happened. The words Tomas used were heartless and cruel. I knew my father was the reason for all our predicaments, but Tomas had no right to use his shortcomings like that. His words and behaviour were wicked. Not breaking up with me wasn't cowardice on his part, as I had implied. He did not feel I was relevant. He did not see me as a person. I was a werewolf just like him. I couldn't fight and kickass, but I was educated and had prospects if given an opportunity. The only difference was that I had a father that made poor decisions that landed us in the hole. While he came from a lineage of rich people with strong connections, my family had nothing. No money, no contacts and no power. Our breeds were worlds apart, but he wasn't better than me. Tomas had hurt me in the worst way possible. I could not believe he was the same man that used to spend time with me. He used to tell me he loved me and did not care what the world sa
Emma. The wedding came. It was hard being there, but I had no choice. The Beta and Alpha family spent a lot of money organising the wedding. I could understand why they would want to celebrate it in grand style. The marriage signified the union of our pack's two most powerful families. The way it seemed, Tomas would easily be the next Alpha. I doubted he had the authority and command to lead. Still, since Alpha Gibson did not have a son and women were not allowed to lead, the burden fell on Tomas, which was why I believed the match was made in the first place. Veronica looked over the moon about it, and from what I gathered, Tomas was her boyfriend long before we met. They ended things when she travelled. I was his pastime. He knew the relationship wouldn't get anywhere, but he led me on. I was mad, and I honestly did not wish them well. I prayed their lives would be filled with bitterness and regrets. My entire family was made to sit at the back of the hall. Our table had the leas
Emma. ONE MONTH LATER. A restaurant finally reached out to me and said they had a free spot. I visited them a few months ago, and they were fully staffed then. The manager promised to call me when they needed help, and I doubted it would happen. I guess I was wrong. They told me I could come for the interview on Monday or Wednesday. The salary they were offering was decent. I told my brother about it, and Tevin gave me money to use the bus instead of walking. I was so excited and thanked him. I was too eager for the job and decided I would go there on Monday. I called Heather using the pay phone and told her about it. She was so happy. She offered to bring me money for transportation, but I told her not to bother that my brother had taken care of it. I knew she was happy for me. I woke up very early the next morning, excited about the interview. They called me and offered me the Book Keeper's position which meant I had gotten it. I just had to find a way to make sure my pack's Alpha
Emma. THREE MONTHS LATER. "Did you miss me," Declan said, pouring me a glass of wine? We were in a fancy restaurant, and I was wearing a short black lace dress. He looked handsome in his white shirt and his hair slick back. It was another dream, and I loved it. A glorious escape from my reality of work and mob assaults on my family members brought upon us by my dear daddy. "Do you want to talk about your day?" he asked, and I nodded, lifting the wine glass. I took a sip, and it didn't taste like wine. It was scented like lavender and tasted like honey, and I wasn't surprised. It was a dream, after all. "Work was hectic today. I had a lot of entries to make." I said, and he nodded and held my hand. "You are special, Emma, a part of my soul," he said, ignoring everything I had just told him, but it was alright. I was dreaming, and things weren't always going to happen as I had hoped. "A part of your soul?" I asked, and he nodded with a smile. "I am still searching for you," he sai
Emma. It had finally happened to us. What we all dreaded for years had finally happened. My father had failed us in every way. We sat in chains at the back of the van, dreading what awaited us. My mother and I wept. I knew Tomas couldn't save us anymore when they clamped the silver on my wrist. Beggers couldn't be choosers, really. I should have taken Tomas's offer. It had literally come in the morning. If I had said yes, this wouldn't have happened. Now I did not know what to do. No one ever gets freed, especially omegas. Once we find ourselves in the underworld service, we can never come out. We are as good as slaves. I did not know if they would keep us together or apart. I feard for my fate and my brothers'. We were physically appealing; they might use us for the pleasure service. Being Tomas's mistress was better than this. The van finally stopped, and we were ushered out. They led us into a tall building still in chains. We used the elevator to the floor they were taking us
Emma. I was led into a VVIP lounge with only Tomas there. The moment I stepped in, he came to hug me. I cringed at his touch, but I had no choice. "I hope they are treating you right?" He said, and I nodded. There was no point telling him what was really happening in the place. We suffered everything except for the beating. No one touched us with silver whips, thanks to Tomas's arrangement with them. "Come sit next to me," he said, sitting on a couch. We were not allowed to sit on the customer's couches, so I shook my head and remained standing. "Forget about the rules, Emma. You are exempted when you are with me," he said, and I reluctantly went to sit with him. Tomas played with my hair and kissed me on my lips, then breathed in my scent. "I am sorry I did not move quickly. I do not know why my phone was switched off. I placed it on the table at home and found it switched off when I returned. I am sorry, Emma," he said, sounding genuinely broken. Then he held my hand and kissed
Luca. Emma's scent had stayed with me since the day I kissed her at Alpha Gibson's doorstep. Although I had done it to save her from the embarrassment, it had stuck with me. She was sweet and helpful when I met her. She tried to strike up a conversation with me all through the bus ride, but I was undercover and needed to be inconspicuous. That was why I ignored her, but she was amusing. How she kept staring at me when she thought I wasn't looking was intriguing. She would often look away so I wouldn't catch her staring. As much as I wanted to get up and sit elsewhere, her scent filled my senses and gave me a calming peace. She seemed a bit timid and reserved, and I figured her Omega nature was the cause of it. From how we interacted, I noticed she tried to conquer that side of her and be daring once in a while. She was full of life and highly optimistic. The Emma I saw now is the complete opposite of the one I met on the bus. What must have happened that landed her into slavery? I k