**Emily’s POV**
A large bucket of water was thrown over me, which brought me out of my reverie.
At first, I wasn’t quite sure why anyone would pour water over me until I opened my eyes and observed my surroundings.
My pack members- or whatever was left of them- stood side by side in a semicircle, looking as though their worlds were coming to an end. While my mom was made to kneel in front of Beta Marcus who stood at an alter-like structure addressing the crowd as he had already made himself Alpha.
“Mom!” I called through our mind link but no reply came forth; it was like she had shut off everything, including me, her daughter.
I wouldn't blame her for doing so after everything she passed through last night. My eyes strayed to her chest and I noticed the bleeding had stopped.
It should bring some sort of relief to me, but it made me even more frightened. No treatment was given to her and the wound might get infected which would lead to her death.
The thought of my mom dying wasn't what I wanted to imagine but I didn't think I could do anything about it not happening.
At the moment, I could only pray to the moon goddess to save her, everyone left in my pack and me.
Fighting off tears that threatened to spill, I forced myself to pay attention to what Beta Marcus had to say because it was beginning to seem like he would be the one to decide my fate.
“…We all know how our past Alpha died a week before, right? He died fighting off wild bears!”
It was only a few people that knew what happened to my father. Hence the announcement he was making.
Regardless, I didn't think he was telling the truth.
It had to be something about the way he said it that got me thinking, or probably because of what my mother said to me at the tunnel. But I could tell he was lying. My father didn’t fight off wild bears because Beta Marcus was the fucking wild bear!
I believed that since the only evidence brought was his ripped clothes drenched in blood. I didn't think that was enough evidence.
“I almost died during the process too, but that’s not why we’re gathered here.” He went on.
“Mom!” I tried again, but no response came through, she wasn’t even moving at the spot at which she knelt.
“We’re here because I want to bring an end to the reign of Alpha Silver and his lineage! We are here because it’s time for a mightier being to rule the Silverstone pack! We’re here because it’s my turn to be your Alpha!”
His voice thundered causing an uproar in the crowd. A lot of people from the crowd cheered him on while a few others booed.
“I see some of you have some things to say, and if you do speak up now!”
At first, I wasn’t expecting anyone to say a thing, seeing as most people in the crowd were already chanting Beta Marcus’s name; and I could safely say I was beyond stunned when a middle-aged man pushed through the semi-circle to come up front.
He shouted: “my family and I will rather die than serve you, Marcus!” His tone and his audacity baffled me.
I could only watch silently as Marcus’s dark eyes darkened with contempt for the man. He tilted his neck, stared pointedly and smiled, an evil smile. “If you think the same way as this young man here, please step forward,” He commanded.
I wasn’t expecting anyone else to join in this madness. I didn’t even want anyone to. My initial shock was replaced with fear when more people started stepping out of the crowd; even my mother left her position to join them.
I didn't know how she got the strength to stand. But I was glad she was alive.
I shook my head and a scream threatened to spill out of my lips as more came out.
I believed they were out to support my mother. However, it was the stupidest thing I had ever seen.
But, I couldn't utter a word let alone try to warn them. I wasn’t sure what it was I inhaled earlier but it had succeeded in making it impossible for me to move or speak.
I was fúcking numb.
Alpha Marcus- like the crowd chanted- tsked loudly at the crowd of rebels standing before him. And with a dismissive wave of his hand, he ordered; “Behead them all!”
No! I tried desperately to speak but no words would form. I was freaking paralyzed.
I could only watch helplessly as the crowd chants grew louder, they were becoming wilder with each passing minute.
“Behead them all now!” He barked, making the crowd erupt in a fit of wild frenzy. I couldn’t help it, tears poured down my eyes uncontrollably.
“Mom!” I tried again through our mind link but it came out dead. I was forced to watch each person who stood against Marcus have their head chopped off. When it was my mother’s turn, she finally looked in my direction, mouthed something seemingly like; ‘I love you’, smiled and knelt before the executioner.
I shuddered as anger and betrayal streamed through me. She couldn’t do this to me!
She shouldn't!
She was the only one I had, yet she had sacrificed herself freely.
"Please, no."
Everything seemed to happen in slow motion.
How the axe swooshed through the air and chopped off my mom’s neck while her gaze never wavered from mine, nor did her smile falters all through those 36 seconds of her murder.
I could not place the height of pain I felt as I watched her lifeless head roll on the floor continuously until it stopped at the bottom of Silverstone’s pack sculpture. Tears burned at my eyelids but refused to drop.
“Now that that’s been settled, we’ll move on to matters arising,” Marcus said.
He looked like he enjoyed every second of what just happened; and the crowd, which feared him more than they respected him, chanted on. “Should we kill the past princess or let her live?!” My heart skipped a beat when my name was mentioned.
Turning to look at the crowd, I noticed how a lot of them, especially the women, looked at me with pitiful eyes. The crowd chanted some indecipherable gibberish that sounded like wanting me to live, but I could only stare at them in fright.
I wasn’t sure of what I wanted. I just knew I didn’t want to be beheaded too.
“You all have nothing meaningful to say!” He yapped, “So I’ll do this my way, I say we sell her!”
I heard some bursts of laughter in the crowd at his statement, and I could swear I had never been this angry in my entire life.
“Yes, we sell her and use the money generated for her parents' funeral!” The crowd cheered.
I watched as I noticed how our new Alpha walked up to two lanky bodyguards, pulled them close and whispered something into their ears.
At his command, the two bodyguards walked towards me, brandishing heavy chains in their hands. I still didn’t try to say a word as they pulled me up like a rag doll and forced me to stand before Marcus.
“Pray they sell me, Emily.” A voice whispered from beside me, it was Laurel.
She was my friend and also the daughter of my father’s Gamma who was killed; with nothing left to say to her, I ignored her cries and awaited my fate.
“Knock her out!” Marcus yelled. It was as if that bodyguard had been wanting to do that his entire life. For as soon as the command came, he raised his battlefield helmet high and plummeted it right at my face. My head reeled.
Before everything went black before me, the last thing I saw in my subconscious before I slipped into unconsciousness was my mom’s lifeless head rolling towards me.
**Emily’s POV** “Mother, please wait, no!” I cried out with my arms stretched out in front of me, “Do not leave me alone!” Just as I was about to touch her, her head fell off her neck with a sizzle of blood following suit. Lurching back, I screeched… I woke up with a jolt to realize that it was a dream. And that I was lying naked on the cold cemented floor with my arms and legs clasped together by cold metallic chains. Thankfully Laurel lay beside me, naked too, and fast asleep. “Laurel, wake up” I called softly, shaking her limp body. I gasped softly when my eyes caught sight of her battered skin as she sat up. “What happened to you?” I asked, resisting the urge to openly stare at the large slices of welts across her back, “Alpha Marcus happened,” she replied, calmly. She looked pale and tired, but from the stubborn set of her chin, I knew she didn’t want to talk about it. “Where are we?” She asked, looking around. Her question made me finally take a good look at our enviro
**Emily’s POV** I was immediately ushered out of the glass box as soon as my transaction had been finalized. The chains around my wrists were replaced by a handcuff and an extremely fancy leash was clasped around my neck as if in a bid to refrain me from running away. “Wait, before you take me away, I want to see my friend! I want to see Laurel.” I pleaded with the men dragging me, but my pleas fell on deaf ears, as they wouldn’t even glance in my direction. I was practically dragged out of the backstage, down a dimly lit corridor and pushed into a dark room. I gulped in fear when I noticed the huge form sitting at the far end of the room, but the fear immediately dissipated when a very pleasurable smell assaulted my nostrils. It was him, my mate… “Hi?” I called softly but was met with silence. Taking a deep breath in, I walked into the room but stopped abruptly when he got up from the chair and turned to face me. I gasped, not due to fear or shock, but because the person standi
**Emily’s POV** The drive to his house was quiet and exceptionally uncomfortable; I was seated in the back seat of a sleek Porsche car while the middle-aged woman from earlier sat in the front with a chauffeur who was too relaxed to be an employee. “What’s your name?” He asked. “Emily,” I whispered, ignoring the lopsided grin on his face. “I don’t think he’s a chauffeur, his aura is too strong to be one,” Someone whispered. I looked around but found no one. “Did you say something?” I asked the middle-aged woman who stared at me with a funny expression on her face. “I did.” The same voice replied, “And stop looking around, you look crazy!” It said with a giggle. In frustration, I closed my eyes and pressed my head against the window close to where I sat. After a while, I realized the voice was in my head. “Who are you?” I whispered almost to myself. I pinched the bridge of my nose as her cheerful laugh rang through my head. “I’m Ariel, your wolf." My eyes snapped open and th
**Emily’s POV** I regained composure and heaved a breath. 'Nothing suspicious,' said Ariel. I smiled with a nod. I was still frightened about the past event. Try as I might to forget all that happened, I couldn't. Again, staying in large gatherings frightens the fúck out of me. But I wasn't in a large gathering at the moment. I didn't know why I was uneasy. Perhaps, it was the eyes of the women on me that made me feel that way. I nodded in greeting as I passed by three women, but none responded. Instead, I was rewarded with a shrug, glares, and some mumblings amongst them. Dismissing them, I turned away and walked towards a pretty girl sitting alone in the corner of the room. "Hello." “Hi,” She greeted me with a smile, discarding the book she held earlier. “You must be, Mary?” “I am, Mary.” She responded. She stood to her feet, dusting her hand on the chiffon knee-length, A-shaped dress she donned. "May I ask what for?” “I was asked to come to meet you, I am Emily.” At the
“Which one of you is Emily?” A plump woman asked as she approached Mary and me.She was of average height and her dark brown eyes stayed on mine.“I am,” I answered and I took a step forward. I had just finished taking my bath and was about to change into clean clothes Mary handed to me when she walked in.“Come with me, Emily.” She said, “The Alpha wants to meet you.”“Now?” I asked in bewilderment.It was way past 9 pm and I was barely done with what I was doing. Perhaps, he wants me to walk naked to him.I doubted he'd be fazed.I flushed at the idea of being in front of him with nothing on. It was never going to happen though.He didn't want me in the manner I was thinking and I was certain I didn't want him to.Or maybe I was trying so hard to convince myself because my wolf thought otherwise. The first time we met, she had even urged me to kiss him and do nasty things with him.I kinda did nasty things with him. I believed it would never happen again as I had let my wolf do the
**Emily’s POV**About a year ago, I broke up with my ex-boyfriend, Jake because he had found his mate- who was also a friend of mine at the time. I was heartbroken.I felt like my world had crumbled. It was the worst feeling I ever experienced in my entire life.But now that I think of it, the way I felt then seemed like a joke compared to how I feel right now with Alexander and the blondie making out on the bed, which stood less than five feet away from where I crouched picking his damned papers.“Oh, so goooddd, fúck me already!” Blondie's wanton moan infiltrated my head, breaking my heart even further if that was even possible.I blinked away tears that welled in my eyes as I struggled to focus on the task at hand and not how I was eager to yank her away from him.Earlier, I thought I didn't care about what he did. I do care honestly.He was my mate and he shouldn't be fúcking anyone in front of me. He didn't even accord any freaking respect to me because if he did, he wouldn't do
**Alexander’s POV**I took a few steps away from her, not because I was afraid of her but to distract myself from her intoxicating smell that seemed to be filling my senses in ways I couldn’t quite explain.Ever since I laid my eyes on her at the auction house, it had been one heck of trouble after the other.Initially, I felt she was a spy sent by one of my enemy packs because I could not understand how a Royal would be put up for auction at the same time I was there.Until I felt the need to get to her. The need to yank her off the stage away from the men leering at her flawless skin and seductive body.I felt all that at a distance and I didn't think I was moved as I could get any woman I wanted. But, it was until my wolf confirmed she was my mate.Goodness, she was my fúcking mate. I never imagined having a mate, or worse seeing one being auctioned like a whore.I bought her on impulse. It wasn't my intention because, at the time of confirmation, I never believed she was mine. It
**Emily’s POV**It has been exactly six days, two hours and twenty-four minutes since the day Alexander sent me out of his bedroom.Ever since then, I haven’t laid my eyes on him. It was almost as if he had disappeared into thin air, leaving me in a confused mess.I shouldn't bother about him or what he does, but I was. He was a beast and could kill me if I made a wrong move but the rest of the sanity I had left in me wasn't functioning when his name came up in my head, I presumed.Instead of running away, I wanted to be close to him.Further, I wanted to explain to him that I didn’t intentionally burn his footboard. I wanted to make him understand that I wasn’t a spy sent to him. Lastly, I desired to let him know I had finally learned how to summon the quiet flame and that I could, in fact, use it against my foe if only he would help me.I found Alexander to be the best person who'd help me defeat Alpha Marcus as he was formidable.Heck, both were formidable. But I heard a lot about