Adam’s hand on my mouth prevents me from uttering a sound but the sound of my heart breaking all over is a thundering sound between my ears.More is said, more words exchanged, ideas on how to ruin my life and I feel faint, my mind shutting down. I vaguely see Adam holding something under the window, but I can’t make out what it is. At some point he drags me away, far enough that I collapse on the ground on all fours, throwing up.“Danielle,” His voice is soft but my head jerks.“No. No, I was such a fool, trying to save them, worried for them and here they are.” My eyes lit towards my mate, tears burning them, tears of desperation and devastation, “Am I that unlovable that they just - Am I not worth anything? Adam-”He drags me to him, “You are. You’re worth everything to me. I swear, Danielle. If they don’t cherish you, I’ll cherish you enough for every single person on this earth. Don’t cry, sweetheart.”“I feel so stupid,” I sob. “Ever since I came here, all I do is cry. What
“These are all lies!” Jason scrambles once he realises that he has been implicated. “Those documents are fake! I would never-”“I got them from your computer and your emails,” I counter. “I saw the purchase of the wolfsbane that was used on me. I saw names of girls who have been living in the red-light district area, frames who have been forced into the position of pack breeders, who are abused almost daily. I saw their names in emails. You bought them from their packs in exchange for money.”My voice grows louder as Adam lets me take the stage, “Everything is there in those papers, the transactions. There are interviews with those girls. They are willing to testify how they were forced to come here under the guise of mating other males and then forced to become your mistresses and then disposed of into the red-light district. The previous Alpha was also doing something similar, but it wasn’t this bad. Jason took it a step further by looking for females in his own pack, females he wa
“What do you want to do then?” Adam asks me.I look at my father’s face and despite the love that is still in my heart, I know that love has been tainted with their betrayal.“Let them go back to their pack,” I say, slowly.I see the relief in the faces of my family and a bitter laugh escapes me, “Did you think I’d sell you into slavery like you did me?”Their faces stiffen and each beat of my heart is filled with a vicious pain, “No. I’m not you. I would never hurt you. But I will cut off all my ties with you. I can’t bear to look at your faces.”I see the flash of anger in my father’s eyes, “We are your parents. You can’t just cut us off!”My smile fades from my lips, “Why? You cut me off when you sold me, didn’t you? I’m just returning the favor.”I crouch next to him where he is kneeling and I grab his face, forcing him to look at me, “Or are you upset because now I am the Alpha’s mate and me cutting ties with you means you losing a powerful connection?”My voice is cold bu
Five years later…“Isiah, you get back here right now!” I call out, sternly.My two-year-old toddler freezes in his spot and looks over his shoulder at me, as if to assess the level of danger in my voice. It takes him a moment to decide that it’s worth the risk and he begins trotting away at full speed. However, before he can get too far, my four-year-old, Leila, swoops him up, gleefully and the two go tumbling down the hill and I sigh in exasperation.“Let them be,” Comes Adam’s voice from behind me, filled with laughter. I look over my shoulder at him, to see him carrying Sheila, Isiah’s twin. Sheila is quieter than her brother but when provoked, she turns into Satan’s personal assistant. She’s also a daddy’s girl as is evident when she refuses to let me hold her, turning away and hiding her face in her father’s neck.My voice is tense, “I don’t mind but considering where we are-”Adam’s hand comes to rub my neck, his voice calm, “This isn’t our first trip to the Silver Stone
Seeing my parents again has made me question my trip back to the Silver Stone Pack. It hurts to see them; despite how much I’ve healed. It’s still a sore subject. I wonder if I’m putting myself in pain more than it’s worth.Then, I look down at my beautiful children and I know they deserve to be here. They should see the place where their mother was raised and grew up. It’s part of my history which makes it part of their history too.My family has already ruined so much for me. I can’t let them ruin this too. Besides, there are lots of good memories I have here. And I want to show that all to them.“Come on,” I say, scooping up Isiah as I continue down the grassy hill to the Silver Stone Pack. “I have a place I want to show you.”The kids are delighted at this mystery and Adam looks at me curiously as well. I smile that devilish smile that swears I won’t tell them anything until we get into town.There’s a certain entrance that Alphas and Lunas usually use, and I know people will
"Danielle," my dad calls. "Come downstairs please. I need to talk to you."Wondering what he wants, I make my way downstairs and into the living room. “Dad, if this is about your sandwich, you shouldn’t have left it out for me to ea-”My words get stuck in my throat as I look at the expression on his face. I stop in my tracks, studying him, “What did I do?”“We need to talk,” My father gestures towards the couch across from him.“About?” I sit down slowly, wondering why he has such a pinched look on his face."I received a message for Robert today.”There is this blankness in his tone as if he’s not altogether here.“The Alpha?” I mutter. “What does he want with me?”My father is silent for a moment and then, "He’s chosen a mate for you.”My eyes widen, “But I just turned eighteen yesterday. Isn’t that a little fast? I’ve not even gone roaming yet.”It is usually the pack alpha appoints mate unless someone has met their true mate. It’s a common practice among wolf shifter p
“You want me to leave the pack?” I give a shaky laugh, my tone disbelieving. “Dad, are you hearing this?”My father is staring at the ground, his fingers entwined so tight that his knuckles are white.At his lack of response, something cold moves through my body, and this time my voice is more scared, “Dad? Dad, why aren’t you saying anything?”“He agreed to this,” Robert says. “It’s for the good of the pack.”I’m beginning to feel hysterical at this point, “This is a joke, right? I can refuse, can’t I? I refuse. I won’t go. This is my home-”“Enough!” My father’s voice is sharp in a way that I’ve never heard before. I slump onto the couch, shell shocked, mumbling, “This isn’t real. This can’t be real.”“Unfortunately, it is,” Robert tells me. “The sooner you make your peace with this, the easier it will be to adjust.”“But my family is –”“This mating is a political thing, Danielle,” The Alpha says, his voice calm. “You are the only female who fits the requirements.”“But-”
It’s when Robert is leaving, I beg him, “This whole situation seems strange. Don’t leave me here. I want to go home.”“This is your new home, Danielle,” Robert’s voice is harsh. “You are not a child anymore. Try to get to know Cameron and life will be easier for you.”“But-” Tears are in my eyes.“Good God, Danielle!” Robert bursts out, displeased. “You’re acting as if I’ve thrown you to the dogs! The Moores have a whole mansion! They are rich beyond belief! They are respected in the pack! What more do you want? If I had known you were this spoilt, I would never have considered you!”His outburst makes me freeze.He gives me a sharp look, “This is your life and if you were smart about it, you would make do with this rather than acting like an infant. And till you come to terms with your new living situation, you are not to contact your old pack.”I watch him leave, my heart in my throat.My father’s aloof behavior and the Alpha’s cruel dismissive tone has me frightened out of my