ADRIANA
I step out into the sun and squint my eyes to protect them from the bright rays coming down on me. The warmth though, it sooths me, the breeze carrying distant trails of flowers and herbs caressing my soul. I take a deep breath and head over to the same place I had my breakfast yesterday.
Santiago catches up to me and takes my hand, twining his fingers around mine, smiling down on my face and I avert my gaze. So cruel on the inside but so friendly and welcoming on the outside.
He drags me along with him, taking long strides to the gazebo and I have to run to keep up with him.
When we turn the corner Poté and Alba are already there, setting the last bits for lunch on the table. It looks beautiful, the table is packed with colorful plates, all types of veggies and two types of meat, served with tortilla’s.
Alba’s radiant smile falls on my face when she sees me. “Luna! Lovely to see you again.” She comes on over, meeting me half way and w
Hey everybody, Thanks for reading my novel so far! For sneak previews and update check out my I****m Jaleesawrites
ADRIANA I panic, his hold on my arm is unforgiving and the look he gives me makes me want to fade away. “You better not tell anyone, because I will hunt you down and everyone you love. Now be a good girl and pour me a cup.” He pushes me away from him and I stumble to his desk, looking for a cup. When I can’t find one he comes over and takes one out of the large cabinet behind his desk. It’s dark grey and industrial like the one in his bedroom, in fact the whole office is a loose copy of the bedroom, dark colors and heavy furniture and all. “You can find cups, glasses, liquor and cigars in here. The rest is filled with stuff you don’t need to know about yet.” He sets the cup on the desk and sits back in his chair, watching me while I pour him some coffee, my hands visibly shaking. “I want to start with learning you the basics from my pack and business tomorrow.” I look up, not expecting this. “You want to teach me how everything works? Why?” He meets m
ADRIANAThe rest of the week goes by in a blur, each day a repetition of the previous one. We have breakfast together, watch over training, get some pack work done, have lunch with Ximena and Jenna or Poté and Alba. In the afternoon we go to his office in Malaga where he explains the basics per department and during the evening he either rapes me at his office or at the pack house.I feel hollow, numb and filthy beyond believe, but I’m also kind of getting used to it. When I play nice and follow his rules he is sweet and the love for his pack and family is amazing, if he would just show me that kind of love. That kind of devotion.Today is Saturday and we just got in the office to work on some small details regarding a deal he made with a new company he is going to invest in.Alvarez Bakery I think it is, I met the older gentleman that runs the company once this week when he came down to the office for a meeting with Liliana. At the moment I
SANTIAGO“Don’t let me regret giving you this.” I breath into the crook of her neck. My teeth scrape along her mark and to my delight a shiver takes her body, my gatita, so responsive.“I won’t.” She breathes and watches me with open eyes, leaning back against the desk. I study her face. The open book it was a week ago long gone, dark circles around her eyes that have turned a dull shade of brown and green, her cheeks hollow from the weight loss. It’s worth it though, she finally listens to me now, she dresses how I want her to dress and doesn’t whine or cry anymore whenever we have sex.She’s finally becoming what I imagined her to be. Diego hates me for it however, hates what I have done to her, how I broke her down. The mutt hasn’t spoken to me since and it’s becoming more and more annoying.I lean back in my chair, thinking. I do need to get her to eat more, become healthy of body again
ADRIANA Somehow, when I dress myself in the scandalous jumpsuit Santiago has picked for me, I find a bit of myself again when I look in the mirror. I lost a lot of weight but the fabric hugs every remaining curve, shows a great deal of my back, the burgundy color seems to make my eyes burn brighter and the tattoo on my back more vibrant. It’s like a reminder that somewhere between the wreckage there’s still the girl I used to be. When I rummage through the jewelry Santiago bought me I can’t help but chuckle when I spot the big and heavy golden chained bracelets. The irony just too much to ignore. They work great with the color of the jumpsuit and I finish up with a combo of golden and black necklaces, black strappy heels with golden heels and soles. Santiago watches me the entire time getting ready, the hunger in his eyes growing every second as he sees me work on myself. Fear for a repeat of what happened gnaws at me and prevents my confidenc
ADRIANA When everyone is back at the packhouse Santiago leads the way to the dining room. He has his arm wrapped around my waist the entire time, holding me close to him like he is scared to lose me to Farkas or Brjent. The sparks from where his hand touches my back take the edge of this meeting for me, soothing the nervousness that is brewing on my insides. I was dreading to be in one room with all of them, Johanna and Brjent being the only exception. He opens the door and reveals the transformed dining room. The rectangular table we normally dine at has been replaced by a big, round one made from salvaged mango wood and brushed steel. The chairs are still the same though, dark brown leather seats and brushed steel undercarriage. The table has already been set and all the plates have nametags, making sure everybody is seated in varied seats instead of next to one another. I internally cringe when I see I am seated between Sophia and Emerson, the only worse o
ADRIANA Johanna inches closer to me, concern mixing with the wariness in her eyes. “What do you mean with, he can’t cope with it?” Her eyes rake my body, lingering on every bruise and bite visible, putting one and one together. “Exactly what you think it means, but nothing I can’t cope with.” I tell her, my voice cold and hard, making it very clear that’s all I’m willing to discuss. Johanna and Brjent exchange a knowing glance with each other, like they expected this of the man who still lays unconsciously on the floor. Johanna reaches over and squeezes my arm softly, her eyes full of understanding. “I’m sorry you have to endure this, whenever he gets too much you have a place to rest at our pack.” Brjent nods behind her and I gratefully smile to them. “Thank you, it means a lot to me.” Emerson looks me over once more, seemingly unbothered by my small revelation about my relationship with Santiago. “I need you to explain what you mean with a powerful
SANTIAGOAdriana blossoms under the attention of the other council members, it’s wonderful to see and also a bit unsettling. It seems so easy for her to find her footing again, so easy to find a comfortable rhythm among this kind of company, especially now she knows they hold no grudges from what happened before.To say I’m relieved that it didn’t escalate in a full blown fight is an understatement.Diego has been happily chatting with Alexis the entire night. He is unbearably content with himself now she is willing to talk to him. It cost him a whole lot apologizing, crawling and practically begging, but when she finally gave in, he was so happy I couldn’t even be mad at him for his behavior.So now their bonding, talking about life here, talking about our pack, what they want for their humans. Something like jealousy courses through my body every time I hear Diego’s roaring laugh, I know I want that too, want that with Adri
ADRIANASantiago leads the both of us into the backyard and I am thankful for that. It’s a bit more secluded, I mean I’m not bothered by nudity, it’s a normal thing being a werewolf, but I just wasn’t feeling stripping down for half his pack.“I can’t wait to see that big puffy dog again.” Alexis grins, she’s been giddy the entire morning. More than happy with the chance to stretch her legs and feel the earth beneath her paws. I can’t help the smirk that creeps up on my face.Santiago catches me smirking. “What’s on your mind?” “Just something big and puffy.” I smirk, Alexis chokes out at that and I can’t hold my laughter anymore. Tears roll down my face and the shocked and questioning expression on Santiago’s face aren’t helping one bit. “What? What is it?” He asks, petting down his beard in case he has something stuck in there. “Nah, come on