Charlotte Moore's POV
After a while, I didn't feel the anticipated pain of my throat being cut. I slowly opened my eyes and found that Sebastian was no longer there. I dressed and walked out of the cave, only to see him standing by the river, talking to someone on the phone.
I tiptoed, hoping to slip away unnoticed. I had only walked less than ten meters when he shouted at me.
"Where are you going? Did you think I'd let you go so easily?"
I turned around slowly, nervously licked my lips, waved my hand, and said, "I'm not trying to escape, I just wanted to get some fresh air."
"We'll wait here for a while. My Beta will be here to pick us up soon,"
I gave him an OK sign, then dejectedly sat on a large rock. I picked up a twig and absentmindedly toyed with the ants crawling on the ground.
"Keith, what do you think he'll do to me when he takes me back to the castle?" I woke Keith from her slumber.
"I don't know," Keith's weak voice echoed in my mind again.
"Do you think he'll reject us?" I asked again.
"I don't know," she repeated the same answer.
"Well, do you think he'll kill us?" I pressed on.
"I don't know," she repeated yet again, "All I know is that I must be with him. I can't bear the pain of rejection anymore."
"Fine. You rest for now, I won't bother you," I sighed silently, shaking my head in resignation.
Sebastian was pacing along the riverside, seemingly in an argument with his wolf. He was completely naked, his body covered in strong muscles. He stood about six feet five inches tall. In the sunlight, his handsome appearance seemed surreal.
We stood there, separated by about a dozen meters, not speaking to each other.
After about half an hour, a black Rolls-Royce pulled up by the roadside, and a brown-haired man in his twenties got out of the car, holding a gray T-shirt, blue jeans, and underwear. He walked up to Sebastian and respectfully handed him the clothes. Then he turned away to avoid seeing Sebastian's nakedness. When he accidentally caught sight of me sitting on the rock, his face showed surprise.
"Come on, get in the car," Sebastian called to me.
"Oh," I walked towards the car.
Beta opened the car door for me, welcoming me inside. But suddenly, his expression turned alert. He closed the car door and reached into his coat pocket, pulling out a gun and pointing it in my direction.
His unexpected action startled me, leaving me frozen in place, my heart pounding.
Had I done something wrong? Why was he pointing a gun at me?
Instinctively, I raised my hands in a gesture of surrender.
I closed my eyes, overwhelmed by feelings of bitterness, pain, regret, and anger. My mother had died trying to save me, and now, I might not even survive another day, let alone seek revenge. It felt like a cruel joke. So be it! All men must die, and being shot would be a swift end.
Strangely, the bullet didn't fire.
I cautiously opened my eyes to see what was happening.
Sebastian and his people were all watching me, tense, and the sound of familiar footsteps came from behind me.
Once again, I closed my eyes, hoping that this was all an illusion, a dream and that these footsteps were merely products of my subconscious fear. He couldn't have found me. Please, Moon Goddess, don't let him come closer!
"Charlotte!" I heard Morgan's stern voice, and just hearing it made me shiver uncontrollably.
I wanted to scream. I wanted to wake up from this nightmare. Please, goddess, make him disappear.
"Why did you come here? To find Alpha King?" He was already behind me, his voice echoing in my ear. It was real, not an illusion. He had really found me.
I opened my eyes and looked at Sebastian with pleading eyes.
Please save me, don't let Morgan take me back. I had barely escaped, and I didn't want to return to that hell. If you would take me away, I'd do anything you asked.
Sebastian merely glanced at me and then averted his gaze. He regarded Morgan with the look of a king observing a subject, radiating an air of nobility and sternness.
"I'm afraid I have to take your daughter with me; she's my mate."
I was overwhelmed with joy. He was my savior. I would love him forever.
"I will let you take her, but not now. She hasn't finished high school yet, and it'll take a week to process her withdrawal. You can come back for her in a week."
No! One week was enough for me to be tormented to death. I couldn't imagine what Morgan and his tribe of brutes would do to me.
I blinked at Sebastian, desperately hoping he'd understand my hint.
He did understand, I knew it, but what he said next chilled my heart.
"Okay. I'll be back to pick her up next weekend," he said, his tone like he were casually saying, "Okay, I'll come back to pick up that shipment."
Why? Why was he giving in so easily? Because I wasn't pretty enough, my breasts were not big enough, my butt not round enough to attract him?
Would he really come to pick me up next week?
Would I even be alive when he came?
Only Morgan knew the answer. Whether I lived or not depended entirely on what Morgan had in store for me.
For a moment, the crowd was in an uproar. Participants competing freely? Didn't that mean there would be fights, possibly even fatalities?"Well, everyone, what do you think of Alpha Asher's proposal?" Sebastian asked with amusement.The crowd exchanged glances, unable to utter a word.Only Alpha Morgan had a satisfied and confident look on his face."I think Alpha Asher's proposal is excellent, adding more excitement to the competition," Morgan nodded, affirming."Good, if there are no objections, let's do it!" Sebastian looked around and gave the order, modifying the rules.On the way to the jungle, I heard people murmuring behind me."If later Morgan wants to snatch our prey, let him, no need to risk our lives for it, anyway, he's going to win.""Yeah, no one is his match."My heart twinged. Uncle Asher, does he really not fear death? Goddess, please let Uncle Asher win.Reaching the edge of the jungle, each Alpha transformed into a wolf, lining up neatly. Morgan's brown wolf was t
As the bastard Morgan entered the castle, even though I had mentally prepared myself, my body couldn't help but tremble.His gaze locked onto me, filled with the usual contempt, disdain, and mockery.A myriad of emotions swirled within me—anger, resentment, and... fear.I clutched my skirt, palms sweating profusely.Why? Why wasn't he surprised to see me at all? It was as if he had anticipated my presence here.He briskly approached me, a smirk playing on his lips.That smile transported me back two years, to that night he drained my strength.Painful memories surged, causing my legs to weaken, my body tilting backward, on the verge of losing balance.Fortunately, a strong pair of hands caught my waist. Even through the thin silk fabric, I could feel the warmth of his palms."Don't panic; you look perfect right now," Sebastian whispered softly behind my ear.His encouragement awakened me from the nightmares of the past.I straightened up, forced the most graceful smile, and welcomed m
Charlotte's POVJessica was found dead on the second day of her imprisonment, succumbing to cyanide poisoning.A farewell letter was left on the cell wall: "I regret what I've done. I can't bear the consequences."A bottle of cyanide was discovered in her wardrobe.The poisoning case concluded with Jessica's admission of guilt and suicide.Both Giselle and I doubted this outcome, but unfortunately, with the upcoming hunting competition, the castle had no extra resources to investigate further. The existing result was deemed the best under the circumstances.Jessica's death stirred up quite a commotion in the castle. The maids claimed Jessica's ghost roamed the third-floor staircase at night. The youngest, Julie, and Rita were so frightened that they fell ill with high fevers. The older maids took advantage of the situation, spreading ghost stories to scare Julie and Rita, paying no heed to Giselle's reprimands. The entire castle's affairs came to a standstill.On the eve of the huntin
Olivia's POVThe castle prison was located on the basement floor of the tower. The bald walls and floor were made of gray cement, devoid of any decoration except for a glaringly white light on the ceiling, resembling a cement box.A silver-haired, stern-faced jailer led me forward. As he took each step, the keys on his waist swung, clashing against each other with a metallic sound.Entering from the outside, we walked through a long corridor with prison cells on both sides, densely packed like chicken coops. The cells were small, about two meters wide and two meters long, just enough to fit a barely usable small bed. The worn-out inmates, with haggard expressions, peeked through the cell doors whenever they heard footsteps, wondering if a new prisoner had arrived."Hey! Girl, why are you in here? Is it for adultery?" shouted a young male prisoner. He was sturdy, wearing an orange prison uniform, and had short, thick red hair.His words prompted laughter from other male prisoners. They
Five days before the hunting competition, news arrived that soldiers patrolling the swamp in the southwest had caught a middle-aged woman with suspicious behavior and a nervous demeanor. I was in the office, cross-referencing this month's procurement records with Eileen.Upon hearing the news, I walked to the window. On the asphalt road in the center of the castle's front lawn, two soldiers escorted a ragged woman towards the castle. As they approached, I recognized her as the fake maid who had brought me rose tea the day before yesterday. Despite changing her clothes, she was dirty all over, yet I could still recognize her.I wanted to see her immediately. As I stepped out of the office, I ran into Sebastian coming out as well. Upon learning that the culprit had been captured, he, like me, was heading downstairs to see what was happening."It's her, I recognize her!" I told him, grabbing his hand and running downstairs.The two soldiers brought the woman before us, pressing her shoul
"Is it her?" Sebastian pointed to a maid and asked me."No," I shook my head, answering.Sebastian waved his hand, signaling the maid to leave."What about her?" He pointed to the next maid and asked me."Still not her," I said somewhat frustrated.The maid who brought me the rose tea was not any of these five new maids. So, where did that person go? Such a conspicuous person disappeared in the castle."Have any of you seen any suspicious individuals?" Sebastian questioned the six guards on duty.The guards looked bewildered, pale-faced, shaking their heads, seeking Sebastian's forgiveness."You useless bunch! Any random stranger can come and go into the castle. What's the use of hiring you?" Sebastian roared at them, "The six of you, get out now!"The entire castle fell into silence, and no one dared to make a sound. They shrank, trying to hide themselves. No one wanted to become a target of Alpha's anger.The six guards knelt down, crying, pleading for Sebastian to give them another