A smile crawled on Camilla's face when she saw what was in the bag. There were fruits that would last for a week and cooked chicken with rice. There were also some beverages, and she quickly hid them under her bed, being cautious enough that her stepmother wouldn't see them. It's not like she comes in to inspect her room every now and then, but she does it once in a while when she does go in to look for her stolen jewellery, which magically disappears in the house every Friday evening. Her own daughters had the habit of stealing her expensive jewellery and selling it in exchange for a lot of money, of which only God knows what they spent it on because, as she knows, they were always given thousands of dollars but it was never enough for them.
Most of the time, she got beaten because they would hide some in her clothes and accuse her of selling the rest. She sat back on her bed, crossed her legs, and dug into the sumptuous meal in front of her. She had starved for two days, and the plate was licked clean in just a second."Camilla!" A sharp, annoyed voice rose from downstairs, jarring her from her thoughts. Using a handkerchief, she wiped her mouth clean to look like someone who hadn't eaten at all, put on her worn-out shoes, and rushed downstairs. She found Larissa and Lakisha sitting on the sofa with their legs crossed into fours, pressing the expensive phones they were given last year when they turned eighteen. "Where is our breakfast?" Lakisha, who was dark-haired compared to Larrisa, asked, and her lips curled upward in disgust."In the kitchen. Dammit it!" She wanted to yell at her, but she shut her mouth, swallowing her words, and went to the kitchen without responding to her. She served them bread and some orange juice, then excused herself to go back upstairs. "You are not done yet," Larrisa drew her back, flipping her white hair over her shoulders. "Hand over the juice for me!" She demanded. As long as she didn't want to and wanted to ignore her, she had no choice. Carefully, she picked up the half-full glass of juice from the table and handed it over to her. Luck wasn't on her side because the glass slipped off Larissa's hands and dropped on the floor, causing some shards to cut her feet when she tried to jump away."What have you done, you freaking imbecile?" She yelled, attracting the attention of everyone at their mansion who looked at her with pity. They all knew what was coming for her. Karina rushed downstairs when her daughter screamed, releasing an exaggerated cry. She gripped Karina by the neck, slapping her and punching her all over her body. Her dad came down, and she looked at him with pity in her eyes, hoping he would save her from those beatings. "Just for once, father." She pleaded, but he never came to her rescue. Just like a log, she closed her eyes and let the three of them trash her the way they wanted. Even if she were to fight, she would never win because they were stronger than her. They ate nutritious foods, while she starved for weeks. She only ate once or twice a week if Ash succeeded in stealing some food for her. Even if they were nutritious enough to give here some energy, she still wouldn't be able to do it because they had wolves, unlike her."It's just a few hours." "Only a few hours, and then I'll be out of here forever!" She whispered to herself, turning to look at the silver clock on the wall, but her face was gripped by force, a rain of slaps washing all over her but she had already seen the time, and she counted even though she felt herself losing consciousness. It was ten o'clock, so only fourteen hours remained until midnight, when her nightmares would end. "Only fourteen hours, Mil." Just hold on a little. "You have waited for this day for seventeen tough years, but not anymore." Even when rapid stars flickered in her blurry gaze as if singing for her while the darkness took her, she passed out with a smile on her face. "Only fourteen hours!" Her subconscious mind whispered to her. * * *Camilla woke up at eleven p.m. She struggled to sit on her bed, rubbing her swollen eyes. She doesn't remember crying, but she was sure she had done it while sleeping. A small note caught her eye, and she quickly grabbed it, unfolding it and wondering who it was from. "After you passed out, your dad instructed that you should be thrown into the wolf's den because everyone presumed you were dead." You had bled so much, but I couldn't believe it. The moment they threw you in, I bribed the den keeper, and he allowed me to take you. You weren't dead, Mil; you had passed out. You know my mother is a witch, right? Well, she treated you. You had a weak pulse, and she even doubted if she'd save you, but she did only due to your strong will. I am so sorry that I can't take half of your beatings, and I have to watch as they do this to you. I am also sorry that I can't be there with you when you wake up. But don't you worry. Your wolf will be coming today, so don't think of anything else. When she comes, run! far away from here and never come back, "With love, Ash!"The letter was read. As much as Camilla wanted to go out and thank Ash, she just couldn't. If Karina and her father thought she was dead, then she should better remain there until she runs away. The clock clicked by, and she waited. Her heart thumped wildly, and she could feel herself sweating. Her left eye twitched, causing her to curse under her breath. The last time her left eye twitched, she never saw her mother again. And when the eye twitched again, her father was denying her in front of the world, saying she was just a servant and not her daughter."What will happen today?" "Heavens, let it not be what I am thinking," she held her palms together for a short prayer. The wall clicked twelve, and she closed her eyes, waiting for the heat to consume her body. Ash had told her her body would burn, heat would consume her, and her bones would start breaking. She waited for the burn; none came; she waited for heat; none; she waited for the snapping of her bones; nothing; she waited for the desire to run; nothing! "oh no!" She screamed, palming her face. "This can't be." "This won't happen to me." She jumped from the bed and began pacing in her dark room, which was only lighted by the moon.It was a full moon, and she could hear wolves howling from afar. Why was hers not coming? That would have been the perfect chance for her to escape because she would have camouflaged herself with the crowd and run until she reached her mother's house, but her wolf was not there, which means she couldn't get out. She wished Ash was there with her. Even though he couldn't have helped in any way to bring out her wolf, he could have hugged her and wiped her tears away. But he wasn't. The clock clicked by: twelve, one, two, three, until it was four a.m., time for her daily chores. She could hear Karina's footsteps as she approached her room, and she waited for her.The door was kicked open, Karina's red head came first to peep as if she wasn't sure if she was there, and then a "I knew it!" came. She didn't wait for her to tell her what to do; she walked past her, grabbed her mop, and went upstairs to work. Maybe that was her fate. She will never have a wolf but will be a slave in her father's house. After she was done, she rushed downstairs to prepare breakfast and then returned to her room. Before she could leave, her dad called her back, and her heart thumped, thinking he was finally going to accept her as his daughter. "Did your wolf come?" He asked."So he knows my birthday," she whined inwardly, then turned to face him. "No." His brows knitted, a deep frown consuming his face like a wild fire consuming a dried twig, and then he said, turning to Karina, "I told you." She doesn't have my blood, not even one drop. I now believe what you said, darling. Mary lied to me; this isn't my daughter! He spat, glaring at her harshly."Even if she were your blood, she could never have a wolf." "Mary was a human, wasn't she?" Larrisa chuckled, coming downstairs with Lakisha trailing behind her. Mary was Camilla's mother."Human?" She asked. "If she's human, why did you send her on a mission?" "It's only wolves who partake in such missions, right?" She asked in disbelief."Mission? Are you crazy? Your mother was banished, bitch! Lakisha laughed."Banished? But why? "My mother wasn't a traitor!" She cried, but they just laughed at her."Your mother was banished, honey, for disobeying the alpha," Larrisa chuckled, patting her father's back. "When your father's men saw you, your mom was given a chance to kill you, but she refused, so the only thing they had to do was banish her..."Interjecting her daughter Karinna grinned, "and oh! The news is that she barely made it. "She was killed by hungry rogues out there," she laughed loud enough to wake the dead, her eyes shining with pure evil.
Her mother was a human; she was banished and dead! She will never have a wolf! She couldn't take it anymore. She had heard enough! She had taken so much for a day. She blocked her ears and screamed. She opened her eyes and glared at her father, who had shock written all over his face maybe because she had dared to scream at him but she never gave a damn. She made up her mind. Although she wasn't a wolf and was a human who will barely survive out there, she will have to do it. Looking at the doors, she ran towards them, pushed them wide open, and ran!Camilla found it hard to escape since she was blocked at the door. She looked behind her, and she froze on her steps when she saw her father staring at her with a smirk on his face. "Do you really think you can escape me, punk?" He asked, slapping the right side of her cheek. She gasped, raising her head to look at him with tears brimming out of her eyes. Her father had no regrets about it whatsoever. In fact, he looked like he would slap her again and again until all his anger disappeared. She was used to Karina beating her, but she had never thought that her father could do that. She held her cheeks, biting her lower lips so that she couldn't cry anymore. They liked seeing her break down; they always liked seeing her in tears, and she was never going to give them what they wanted. "Did you really think you could escape, huh?" For your information, I knew about your plans with your boyfriend long ago. He is the one who saved you from the wolf's den, right? He wrote you a letter aski
What kind of life is this? Camilla asked herself. All her life, she had been praying for one thing: peace and comfort, but all she could ever get was the opposite of what she had always wanted. She now realises she will never meet her mother again. Her father will never love and accept her as his daughter, and her wolf, which she had been waiting for all her life, will never be with her again. She didn't know why it hurt her so much knowing she would never have a wolf like others. If only her mother had told her she was of human blood when she was still young, maybe she couldn't be hurt because she would have never waited to wolf out. She curled herself into a foetal position, panting for breath like an athlete. Her stomach was growling because she hadn't eaten anything for hours; her throat burned because she was thirsty; and the heat in there wasn't helping at all but was worsening her situation, and the air quality was getting worse. She wished that Karina would never have said t
Alpha Killan furrowed his thick brows, looking at Cameroon and his wife. They dared sell Camilla to him? Well, he wouldn't have had any problems with it if she wasn't his mate. They had definitely crossed the line. "Pardon, Alpha Cameroon. What did you just say?" He asked, hoping he had heard his own words. "To repay the loan we took from you two months ago, I would like to offer my daughter Camilla to you as a mistress." You are quite drawn to her, right? "You couldn't pull your hands off her." Cameroon grinned like someone who was about to offer a huge favor to the alpha of alphas. Alpha Killan knitted his brows together, pressing his lips into a thin line. "And what makes you think I will agree to that offer?" "Yeah, she is beautiful and pretty, but what if she isn't my type?" Karina, who all that while was looking at Alpha Killan with hope brewing in her eyes, chipped in to try and make him agree to their offer: "Sir, that girl is exactly your type." She hasn't been touched ye
Camilla watched from the balcony as people mingled around. When alpha Killan demanded that she be taken upstairs, she found herself led by the maids to a huge room, which she was told belonged to the alpha. It took her not more than two minutes to see the door that led her to the balcony, and she didn't hesitate to order a glass of juice and walk over there. From there, she could see everything going on down there. Although her eyes were glued to the millions of people who had gathered for the post-full moon celebration, she was only following two people. Cameroon and her stepmother, Karina. She sighed in relief after they were escorted to the gates without being pushed around. She had asked Alpha Killan not to do anything to them, and in return, she was to stay in the palace forever. That was the condition he had made, and she had no objection to it because at least she wouldn't be staying as a mistress but as his luna and wife.She inhaled sharply when Alpha Killan's words that Came
One Week Later"Are you sure about this?" Alpha Killan asked while walking into Camila's room. A week had already passed, and it was finally the day they had been patiently waiting for. Camilla was going to be introduced to all members of the Midnight Moon pack as their Luna. It was also Alina Mellow's return to the city, so it was a double event for her. She didn't know whether the members would accept her as their Luna, and she also had no idea how Alina would react after all; she was still Alpha Killan's girlfriend, and Alpha Killan had decided he wouldn't break up with her on the phone but would wait until she arrived and then sit her down for a talk."Yeah. I am," Alina inhaled nervously, turning to face Alpha Killan. "It's just that we have nothing to do about this, and I have to be introduced to the pack members whether I like it or not," she said, double-checking her make-up and her dress."We won't do this if you are not yet ready, Camila. You should know that by now," Alpha
An alarm blared from the other end, causing Camila to groan in annoyance. Sweeping her hands over the bedside table, she grabbed the light blue watch that had been tickling all that time and smashed it against the wall. A chuckle made her sit on the bed, and a blush rose on her face when she saw who was standing in front of her. Alpha Killan, with a towel wrapped around his waist, was sitting on the table across the bed, his right leg crossed over the left, looking at his laptop."Morning, honey," he greeted, closing the laptop. "I asked the maids to bring our breakfast upstairs and have already prepared the bath." He smiled, coming closer to her and kissing her forehead. "Does it hurt?" He then asked, caressing the mark on her neck, which was taking longer than expected to heal."Not as much," she said, biting her lower lip, wondering whether she should tell him what she had been opting to say since the day she was brought to the palace."I wonder why it's taking so much time to heal
"Look who we have here," the sarcastic voice said again, causing Camila to turn and face the person even though she had wanted to ignore her."What is it, Alina?" She asked in annoyance, no longer faking a smile or pretending that she was happy to see her. "I am not in the mood to argue with you today, please," she said, looking around in hope to see Alpha Killan approaching, but he was nowhere to be seen. "Dammit!" She cursed inwardly, knowing that she had to tolerate Alina, whether she liked it or not."I am not here to argue either. I am only trying to find out why you are here because if you have forgotten, you are in the hospital." Alina rolled her eyes, squeezing herself beside Camila even though she had made it clear that she didn't know why she was there."Thanks for your concern, Alina. Thank you very much, but as you can see, I am very much okay," she responded, and she decided to take out her phone and make herself busy."You know that's rude. As a Luna of this huge pack, y
What's going on here?" Alpha Killan's voice came again, causing Camila and Ash to turn only to find him standing behind them with both hands shoved on either side of his trouser pockets. Camila, who knew what was going on with him right then, smiled and turned to introduce both of them. "Uhm, honey, meet my best friend who has been saving me from my father and stepmom since I was young, Ash Moon, and Moon, this is my mate Alpha Killan," she smiled, motioning them to shake hands."Uh," Ash cleared his throat while scratching his head, "it's nice to meet you, Killan, I mean Alpha Killan," he smiled."Mmh," he hummed, checking him out. "Why are you holding her hands?" he then asked him."What? Oh, this?" He asked, pointing at their intertwined fingers, from which he withdrew his fingers. "I didn't know I was holding them, hehe," he smiled, avoiding his harsh glare. At that moment, Ash realized that if Killan's glare were daggers, he could have been dead long ago.Camila, who didn't want