LOGINAn heir?
I was to remain here and give him an heir...
By doing-
Instantly, I try to push him off me but he doesn't budge, laughing instead. "I will not," I say. My voice is hoarse and hateful.
Oh I'd be damned if I let this horrible creature inside me.
So that's why he was keeping me locked here- waiting for me to break. He wanted to use me as a breeding mare.
He actually wanted me to be his plaything; his whore. I'm shaking my head no, trying to push this beast of a man off me. Liam smiles and leans closer- he lets his forearms rest on both sides of my head.
Our bellies are touching; I can feel his groin on my lap.
My body tenses up.
Being his whore, bearing his child, then what? He would take his sharpened claws and slit my neck open on the birthing bed? I would suffer through hell to bear his child only to be sent to the true hell?
My mate licks his lips and smirks.
"I would never take a rogue into my bed. But you are my mate, so what choice do I have? Children born of fated mates are often stronger...my heir must be strong."
He must be joking. Do I look like a birthing vessel to him? I am a rogue, true. But I am definitely not less than a living thing. My blood boils and I seethe internally.
I hack up spit, throw it in his face. Liam barely reacts.
"Get. Off."
"I have a deal for you, rogue." His eyes are roaming my face, glancing at my lips with such intensity. I watch his eyes move, observe how his lips twitch.
"You have two choices." The alpha pauses, leaning closer so our lips are only a hair's breadth apart. I can feel my heart racing madly; hear the thumps ring in my ears. I hate myself now for reacting. I know he can hear me fumbling within; I know that even my face gives it away.
My mate leans closer, missing my lips by just a bit and grazing his way down to my ear.
I shiver, hold in a shocked gasp.
"One, you die. Two, you bear my heir and gain your freedom. It's pretty simple."
Pretty simple?
What does that even mean? I have always hated pack wolves; I had vowed in the past never to bow my head to any alpha. Now to save my life- a life he had no right over- I will not only have to bow but open my legs as well.
His hard body is pressing against mine; my breasts feel stiff. I ignore my body, try to push him off me. This only makes him chuckle and he grabs and holds my hands above me.
He leans into the crook of my neck and takes a big sniff.
"Oh how I hate you..."
My lips are shaking; I can't understand why my entire body is rapidly becoming sensitive.
"What's your choice, little wolf?" Liam raises his head from my neck and looks at me. His eyes are dilated; he's barely sane. The thought of him losing restraint is making me excited for some reason. I want to vomit.
Two choices.
Die or fuck your rogue hating mate?
I choose to live. I have not survived this far just to die in such a pathetic way. One thing is for sure, though; I will make this creature pay for this humiliation.
I will make him regret ever putting me in such a position.
Oh how I hate you too...
"I will give you an heir, then." My voice comes out like a hiss; angry but cautious.
Liam's face immediately goes cold then. He rises from my body, leaving aftershocks of the contact. "Now you've agreed, you are bound by this. I will let you out of this room. But should you utter a word of the true nature of our relationship, I will kill you."
Not if I kill you first...
"Yes, Alpha."
He looks at me for a while with a variety of emotions going through his eyes. Hate, disgust, restraint.
He leaves without a word and for a reason unknown to me, I break down.
Is it my fault?
Is it my fault that my family had been maltreated for a crime they did not commit. Was it my fault for running and becoming a rogue?
My hands are shaking, the weak wolf inside of me is trying to claw her way out. She's confused, angry and feels betrayed by the world.
Is it my fault?!
"It's not! It's not!!" I scream in answer as I throw the pillows to the ground and claw the bedsheets to pieces. I grab my head, shaking in anger.
Images of my parents being mauled by their own packmates flash in my mind.
They had told me to run. I had to...
Circumstances have made me a rogue; it was never my fault.
I was a child...
A child forced to live a life of hardship for something unknown to her. Now I am being judged and hated for being what the world made me.
My own mate hates me enough to kill...
I wail and cry aloud with anger. What horrible fate was this? What did I ever do to deserve such a life?
And the goddess...
Could she not have picked any other wolf to be mine? In fact, was it not better I had none at all than becoming the mate to a man who hated me with every fibre of his being?
I cry and wail as loudly as I can, the reality of my situation catching up to me.
A rogues life was already tough; what did it mean then to be a rogue slave?
"It's not my fault..." I whisper, like a prayer- hoping desperately that I can survive this ordeal.
Hoping my mate does not actually kill me...
Gwen's POVThe tent was still and cold, save for the gentle crackle of the fire warming us. Its warm glow shines against the canvas, creating long and Bling shadows that moved in the low light. I lay on the soft furs, finally free from the excruciating and damn pain that had plagued me for days. The healer had left, her magic still in the air like the scent of fresh rain after a storm.But the tempest within me? It was far from over. I was changed.The power I had taken from Morgana was gone already, torn from me in a painful ritual that left me feeling empty and transformed into a new being.Yet, for the first time in what felt like ages, I could breathe. I was no longer in darkness. I was alive, hale and hearty. And I owed my survival to Liam, he is truly a sweetheart.He had remained by my side through it all.I turned slowly, my look landing on him as he sat near the tent's edge, his body tense and hands held into fists. His golden eyes were fixed on the fire, but I could sense th
Gwen POVAgony. Infinite, unbearable pain. It felt as if something within me was burning, like something was changing in my system, changing from the core. My body was failing me, each breath shallow and slow, and despite my efforts to hold to life, I was slipping away gradually.I wasn't merely weak, I was dying.Liam remained by my side without pause,he kept on caring for me. His hold on my hand was firm and soft like leather touch, as if he believed it could bring me to this world. His golden eyes, usually full of life and sweet, were now filled with hopelessness and sadness. He barked commands to the healers, demanding solutions, but they couldn't provide him with what he desperately needed: a cure. A means to restore me back to life.Alven and Xander stood at the entrance of the tent, watching with solemn expressions. They understood, as did I. If something didn't change soon, I wouldn't survive this.The tent felt suffocating with heat and silence, heavy with the scents of blood,
Gwen POV The potion's bitter aftertaste clung to my tongue like poo, heavy and sickening to the mouth. My body felt ablaze, as if fire raced beneath my skin, jarring and blocking every nerve in my body and soul. Something was unfolding, something I can't really picture.Something dangerous.Liam still held my hand tight, but his tightening grip revealed his fear. He was clinging to me with all his strength,so tight like he was about to lose something dear.The healers were frantic and kind of confused, their hands pressing against my scorched and pale skin as they murmured prayers to gods who had never aided me. The tent's air was thick and stifling with heat and cold, saturated with the scent of blood and herbs.And amidst it all? I felt myself fading.Not into death.But into something else, something unexplainableSomething darker.*********The whispers emerged first.Soft. Somhow Familiar.Did you really think you could kill me, little wolf?My breath caught. No. No, she was gone.I h
Gwen POVPain. Chills. Darkness.I floated in-between awareness and unconsciousness, my body failing me gradually.I could hear voices, faint and echoing like sounds from another reality covering me. I was uncertain whether I was alive or about to fade away like dust.I felt a weight on my chest strong hands shaking me. Liam.His voice was rough and urgent. "Gwen! Open your eyes, damn it!"I wanted to comply. Desperately trying to.But fatigue force was pulling me deeper into darkness.I felt weak, really really weak. Not from battle wounds, but from the life growing within me. The child was taking everything I had.And now? I wasn't sure I had anything more to give.*******Somewhere in the distance, I caught Alven's voice. "She's getting colder."Xander swore. "She's losing too much energy."Liam growled like a tiger, his breathing heavy. "We need to get her back to camp. Now."Strong arms lifted me from the ground, holding me against familiar warmth.Liam.Even amidst the pain and co
Gwens POVI was very aware of the change within me. The gradual, invasive feeling ran into my bones like a toxin tonic. My muscles twisted with pain, my breaths came in quick gasps so fast and unencouraging, and my vision was starting to fade at the edges. Though I stood and continued to fight, I was far from my peak.And that was surprising and shocking as well.Liam stood beside me, his sword dripping with blood, his look surveying the destroyed battlefield. While the fight pressed on, the scene was transforming into something else. The assassins had been neutralized, but the shadow wolves were still around.And now?Now we were up against Varic.Or whatever he had turned into.******Varic's figure twisted in the moonlight. His bones stretched and awkward, his complexion darkened to something unrecognizable, something scary. His eyes shone, no longer the dull, aged look of an elder, but rather something sinister, something dangerous. Something unexplainable.Liam stiffened next to me
Gwens POVThe night was unnaturally quiet.I stood outside my tent, my hand resting lightly on my belly, looking into the shadowy camp in the front of me. The moon cast long shadows over the huts and training areas, but something felt off, something fishy was going on.Ever since the elders' meeting, I had sensed they wouldn't let this slide. They really meant it when they said they wanted to get rid of me.And now? They were making their move already.A faint brushing in the trees heightened my tension. My fingers holding the dagger at my waist, surprises weren't on my agenda right now.Liam was still inside the war tent with Xander and Alven, strategizing for battle. We were aware of the impending coup; we just didn't know when it would unfold.But inside, I sensed it was going to happen tonight,I could feel it in my body and soul.********As I turned to head back to the war tent, a familiar voice stopped me."Out alone at night, Queen?"I froze. It was Varic,that bastard.Slowly, I







