Emily’s POV
Do you have days when you don't feel alive? Days when your demons cloud your mental space and you feel the walls of your house closing in on you? days where you just want to die and days where you curse the day you were born?Those are the moments when life seems pointless. A waste of time. It's like a mantra that keeps repeating over and over again in your head until one day it's all you can think about, the only thing you want to do: Die. You can't do anything else, because what else is there for you to do? I hated my life, I hated everything that came with it.There were days I stayed up crying, hoping and wishing for death but it never came. Sometimes I wondered if I was cursed if I had offended someone I wasn't supposed to in my past life and maybe this was my karma.“Emily!” her loud voice called out followed by her laughter that sounded like a cackling of vultures circling above their prey.She grabbed hold of my shoulders as she laughed loudly again. “What happened to your face?” Her eyes widened at the sight of me contorted into something close to rage. “Oh my, what happened?” It sounded like a normal question, a question that came from care but I knew better. Moreover, she reeked of alcohol and could barely stand by herself.I wanted to yell “you did this to me” but I couldn’t risk being punished.“You called Mother” I hated how the word mother sounded against my tongue, it felt like poison but she had forced me to call her that and I remember the first week I refused to and got loads of slap for it.“What are you waiting for? help me to my room” She snarled in my face and her arm rested quickly across my shoulders. The sudden touch made my stomach churn and I had to stop myself from throwing up.The smell of alcohol was overpowering and her weight was enough to bring me down but I staggered through with her, ignoring the sharp pain that ran through my back with every step.We walked up two flights of stairs until we reached their bedroom and I placed her on her bed. She fell flat on her back and let out a long sigh. There was still alcohol on her breath. “I didn’t even do that badly” she mumbled in disbelief before closing her eyes.I almost scoffed. What did she mean by that?I was about to leave when her voice followed me.“I want another bottle of wine and a glass of water. Now” My eyes flickered between her closed eyes and the door, debating whether or not I should get them. She opened her eyes again and I saw anger flash across them briefly before they settled down to tiredness. “Emily, now!” The look she gave me was one filled with hatred and disgust. I hated to admit it but I was afraid of her so I reluctantly returned upstairs and went straight to the kitchen. I grabbed the wine glass that sat on the table and filled it with water.When I brought the drink to her bedroom door, she took it from me without hesitation and drank greedily, emptying the glass within minutes. I thought about telling her she needed to slow down but she already looked like she was falling asleep and I had no desire to wake her.When I was about to return to my room, Avery bumped into me and I almost lost my balance due to the impact, wincing slightly.“Oh my goodness, what happened to your face? you look so ugly” she giggled, grabbing onto my face and turning my head around while her fingers brushed against my skin making me wince in pain again.I pulled away from her as soon as possible and said nothing. If I did, I'd be a goner but it didn't stop my wolf from snarling inside of me and screaming that I should take out her head right there and then, rip her throat apart, bite her head off so she'd stop talking. Instead, I clenched my jaw hard and stared ahead.“You don't like it?" she asked and grinned wickedly. She stood up taller and looked me directly in the eye. "Well Emily, get your fucking face fixed! Father will be here soon with his friends and we don't want them seeing any of that” She strolled off with confident steps until I heard the door slam behind her.I'm going to kill her’ I promised myself mentally but I couldn't find the will to move from my position.When I returned to my room, I stood in front of the once-glorious vanity mirror that was now broken taking in my appearance.My hair was messy and unbrushed, the edges sticking up in weird angles, I looked like a complete mess. The cuts in my lip were still fresh but my nose was crooked and my chin was covered in small scars, some deep and some barely visible. In addition to those , my cheekbones looked hollow.My eyes seemed lifeless, void of any emotion. And worst of all, my face was puffy, reddened from crying or lack of sleep. All in all, a very pitiful-looking person who looked like shit.Yesterday, Father had lost most of his money to gambling as usual and I was the perfect person to take it on, not Avery.Me.I know I wasn't his biological daughter but sometimes I wished things were different, a little bit different. Just so I could live an entirely different life, have more options, have a reason to fight to stay in this world. Not that he really wanted me, he didn't care that much about me- he didn't care at all. He cared about winning more than he cared about anything.“Emily! get your ass over here!”Avery screamed from downstairs, sounding annoyed. I sighed and trudged downstairs. She sat impatiently on her couch waiting for me to come down with the drinks in her hands.The only thing I didn't do after cooking was serve the guest. Father was too bothered about his reputation among his friends and my ugly face wasn't that part of the plan.Emily’s POVI was more relieved to stay in my room away from their boisterous voices. I liked to imagine a quiet peaceful life, where I would go away from here and start a new life. I imagined a future, but the reality was cruel and merciless. The world outside of these walls wasn't kind to my family. The outside world took my family away from me leaving me in the hands and mercy of strangers.My real father died when I was ten, Mother had remarried that monster downstairs a year after. We didn't have any money, things were hard and he was on our way out of poverty but soon Mother died too and the monster downstairs returned to his sick ex-wife and sick daughter.When he had begun hitting me, people in the pack cautioned him, even the Alpha but Hershel Liamsworth didn't take orders from nobody. Soon everyone forgot about me, all I always got were those pitiful stares that made me sick to my stomach . Every day I found myself praying to anyone and everything that they'd take it back.
Luka's POVAll my life, I had watched people fall in love, I have seen them find their mate like it was so easy and yet in my twenty-nine years of existence, I hadn't found her.How was I supposed to find someone I had never seen? Someone I didn't know, how?I didn't even think of what would happen if she didn't exist but that was impossible, right?She had to be out there somewhere, there was no possible way she wouldn't be.I didn't give much importance to others, they didn't matter as long as she was alive. But sometimes I couldn't help but wonder if truly I had one, maybe the goddess knew I was too damaged for her to give me anyone.“We will find her, we just need to keep searching” Alfred's voice jolted me out of my thoughts, he was leaning against the door frame watching me closely. “You know as well as I do that we won't ever stop trying until we find your mate” I looked at him- no, glared at him. “and we still have two more packs to check”. I nodded silently, clenching my hand
Emily’s POVThe next morning I woke up to the endless throbbing of my head, my neck sore and sore. A thin sheen of sweat covered every inch of my body making my tank top stick to my chest uncomfortably. My limbs ached, my throat was dry and my legs and arms felt shaky. All of this combined with the dull pain in my ribs meant I couldn't walk on my own anymore, not in this state. Still, the moment I noticed I couldn't move I tried again, pulling myself up using a nearby table. Slowly I managed to stand but instantly regretted it, my legs gave way under me and I collapsed to the ground, my head landing on the floor beside me.A muffled sob escaped my lips as I laid my head on the floor and closed my eyes, the light of the sun blinding me. I couldn't move or talk, I had no idea how much time had passed before the first knock resounded at the door.I wanted to ignore them and pretend I didn't exist. However, I had no other choice since I couldn't open my mouth even if my life depended on
Emily’s POV“How are you feeling today?” Mother asked me, her eyes scanning my body like a cat that was about to pounce on an unsuspecting mouse.She didn't seem concerned it was obvious from the lack of interest in her voice, but I didn’t know if she was being put to the test for being a good mother or had something because I had no idea on what was going on.What was missing?“Fine, Mother” I kept my reply curt, my eyes were fixed on my feet. There were times I received unending slaps for looking her in the eyes and there were also times I received slaps for not doing that - it all depended on her mood, you see. Right now, I couldn't decide which one she was in.When I dared looked at her, she looked as if she wanted to slap someone. Or at least punch someone. Her face was so red I thought she could start burning the house down. It wasn't rare she was mad at anyone and especially not at me. And this wasn’t just anger at me either. This was fury.I swallowed.“Go back to whatever y
Emily’s POV“Where have you been?” Avery snapped. I almost jumped at how close her voice was to me.Her tone was harsh and cold and I couldn't help but cringe at it. “Out to get your dresses” I handed the bag over to her and she snatched it away from me. I winced at her actions. “That's right, you are a slave and you should never forget this. Don't show weakness or else I'm gonna beat you to death”I hated that sentence.“Thanks” I mumbled without moving my head towards her and turned around heading back to the kitchen without sparing a glance back, ignoring the pain in my throat and eyes that refused to shed another tear, as I walked out with my head held high.I had to make lunch and dinner just in case Father decided he needed to eat his dinner early and I was glad to find a new table in the kitchen.I started working silently and efficiently, I didn't need to say anything to anyone because nobody cared.My mind began wandering.I wondered what had happened that day to make ever
Emily's POV“Come on try them on” Mother urged, her hands clasped together in a cherry excitement that I had never seen before. As usual, I looked at them for an answer first as to what they were for. It wasn’t often I got a surprise gift from someone, I almost- rarely - never did.I stared at the mini black dress with glitters of fake diamonds and sequins adorning it. It seemed too perfect for me. A small part of my mind screamed that this is not a good idea, that something bad will happen if I wear this dress. The other parts were cheering that I could finally get away with wearing a dress like this.But I stripped from the worn-out grey T-shirt to the plain white button-up skirt I was previously wearing. The dress fit perfectly, hugging my figure nicely. The long sleeves covered up the marks from all of my abuse. Mother smiled widely, “Good girl, now let’s see you change, I'll fix your makeup” She said, leaving the room for a moment. When she returned she put a few things into my
Luka's POVThe hotel was supposed to be the best they had in town but it looked like a cheap place with too many rooms and not enough beds. I wonder how Alfred had managed to locate this place.When I got to my room, it didn’t look as bad as I had expected it to be. The bed seemed more solid than it had looked when we had walked in. That was good. At least now I was getting proper sleep, instead of the usual hours of tossing and turning, and maybe that was why it still didn’t look so terrible. I “I'll be in the next room if you need me” Alfred’s voice echoed through my room. I had forgotten he was still here.I nodded at him but still didn't turn until I heard the creaking of the door as it closed behind him.I saw her amber eyes against her freckled face and I knew immediately that it was wrong - she was dead. There was no way her heart could still beat or her lungs take a breath.I remember her battered body on the cold ground in the woods . Her lifeless eyes staring up into noth
Emily's POV"Attention, gentlemen!" Mother shouted while grabbing my arm. Her tall stature made me sink like a malnourished beggar beside her.All the men who were here turned their heads towards us, even some of them who were making out without shame.“Where’s our money Lucia” one man scoffed.But Mother smiled seductively at him but said nothing.“This time I brought a very special item.” She grabbed my arm again and knocked me off balance. "She is Emily, my darling daughter" Her words reeked of sarcasm and fake happiness.Suddenly all the men were excited but like they had never seen a woman before. Their eyes looked lustfully at me.I couldn't pretend I no longer had an idea on what was going on, I just couldn't believe it. It seemed unreal like I was in a dream.I had to be dreaming right? There was no way they could possibly do this to me, they couldn't be that mean.“Since my handsome husband has a small debt. we are being generous to offer our step-daughter in exchange for a