CHAPTER 4
~GABRIELLA'S POV~The party lasted the whole day, and by the evening, my entire being was now nothing but an empty shell.Although the fact that I had met my mate today was something that kept a smile on my face throughout, I was sure my mother noticed it—my first genuine smile in years.I sat quietly on one of the chairs in the hall after a long evening of cleaning up the mess the guests had made. Her footsteps sounded behind me.I quickly got up from the seat and turned around to face her."Mothe, I mean, Luna,” I said, slightly inclining my torso in a bow. She walked toward me, saying without a moment to spare, “You should start preparing to depart; the warrior wolves from the Darkmoon pack will be coming to pick you up in two days,” she said.“Yes, Luna,” I replied as the joy I had in my heart completely drained out. What exactly was the point of finding my mate now that I was going to get married to someone else? The glow in my eyes faded away again, and I could see my mother's lip curving up into a smirk.“Finish with whatever you're doing here and go pack your bags. I'll get you a proper dress and a new pair of shoes so you will look presentable to the alpha king."My mother said, then happily walked out, her every step echoing loudly in the hall.I stared at her blankly, watching as she went through the exit. My fist tightened in anger, but my face remained expressionless. I let out a sigh, then turned to the ground, saying, “I'm going to escape.”After my day's chores, I retired to my quarters. I fell on my bed weightlessly and stared at the ceiling, thinking of ways I would leave the house without being seen.Then it hit me.The passage I used to help Steven escape was perfect. I was going to finally run away with the man of my dreams and never come back, even if it meant becoming a rogue.Firstly, I had to write to him. I didn't want to go through the hassle of looking all over for him; I needed to somehow reach him and tell him to meet me at the end of the tunnel.I got off my bed quickly, picked up a pen and a piece of paper, and started writing.Writing the letter took only 5 minutes. There was no way of getting the letter to him, so I just had to leave the letter at the end of the tunnel, hoping that the moon goddess would come back before my departure.That same night, I left my room and quietly rushed to the tunnel's entrance. Everyone except the night wolves were sound asleep, so I had to move around as stealthily as possible until I got to the entrance.As I got to the entrance, I took off all the clothes I wore and shifted into my wolf so I could see clearly in the dark. I ran through the tunnel as fast as I could and in no time, got to the other side. I gently placed the letter on the ground, and my mission was complete. Now I just had to wait and see if he would come back here again.The next morning, I woke up to the sound of my alarm, this time feeling a little more energized than before, and to my own surprise, I had a smile on my face.I had a feeling today was going to be a good day.I walked out of my room after dressing up and met all the maidens waiting for me at my door, each with a basket filled with clothes.“What is all this?” I asked, a perplexed look crawling onto my face.“We've been sent by Luna to help you pick a dress for your departure the day after tomorrow,” they said in unison.A smile grew on my face; at least Steven would see me in a beautiful dress and not the rags I usually wore. I let out a sigh and said, “Come in, let's get started.”Dressing me up took a few more hours than I expected. They sewed, stitched, and mended until the dress was as beautiful as a rose. In fact, the dress was made to look like one. It had petals that reached up to my upper chest and petals that fell down to my feet. The red color felt so natural and free, although I would have preferred black.The dress also came with transparent silk gloves that reached all the way to my upper arms.“You're so beautiful,” one of the maidens said as she placed a rose above my left ear.I smiled. “I hope he likes it too,” I thought to myself.After all the dressing up, we all returned to our daily chores. Me and my two trusted friends stuck together the whole day, cleaning and serving the family with whatever they needed. For some reason, my mother was a lot nicer to me today, probably because she didn't want me to think about running away.As night came, I told Marian and Lily about my escape and about my mate. They both decided to help me get ready for the night I would leave my pack for good.That night, I went to the tunnels again and ran to their exit. There I met the envelope I dropped, and my heart sank in disappointment.I picked the envelope up as a sad expression grew on my face and turned it over.To my surprise, there was a new seal at the front. I broke open the seal and took out the letter inside the envelope, and to my utmost relief, it was a different letter.“He replied,” I thought to myself, holding the envelope tightly to my chest.*****The next night, I got ready for my departure. Marian and Lily stayed in my room to get me ready. They helped me put on my dress and helped with my make-up. They also escorted me to the entrance of the tunnel, and I bid them goodbye.This time, I couldn't transform into my wolf because I didn't want to ruin my makeup and dress. I walked carefully through the dark tunnel with a flame torch, braving through with thoughts of a happy future with my mate.I could feel my freedom waiting for me at the end of the tunnel, and every dream I ever had was coming true.“You really think you're smart, aren't you?" Her demonic voice sounded, shattering my hopes into a million pieces.I slowly turned around with a shocked expression on my face. “L.. Luna?” I said it with shaking in my voice.“Hmm. So, you found your mate, and we're planning to run away with him. I thought there was something wrong when I saw your happy face after the ceremony," my mother said as she walked toward me."How did you know?” I asked as I stepped back."I found this,” she replied, pulling out my letter and throwing it to the ground. “You're going to marry the alpha king of the Darkmoon pack, and that's final,” she continued.“No, no… I'm never going back!” I yelled angrily as I turned around to run away. I suddenly bumped into my younger brother's chest; he held me tightly by my arms, and a smile grew on his face.“Why are you being such a selfish big sister? Do you want the Darkmoon pack to go to war with us?” he said, throwing me to the ground.“Please, I just wanted a good life. I'm tired of this place,” I said as tears filled my eyes.“Oh dear, this is your home. Well, not anymore since you'll be going to the Darkmoon pack soon,” my mother said, leaning forward to mock me.“Take her away,” she ordered. Four warrior wolves marched out of the darkness and dragged me by my arms back to where I came from, and in just a flash, the flicker of hope I had was gone and my life was over.****The next morning, I was out in a carrier with all my luggage. My face was blank again, and my eyes were filled to the brim with nothing but sorrow.The carrier, which was being controlled by a Darkmoon warrior wolf, began our journey to the pack I would spend the rest of my life with.Two warrior wolves sat on both my sides, and none of them said a word to me through the entire journey.After a long ride, we finally arrived at Darkmoon territory. The entire place was covered in gray fog, and I could sense multiple wolves lurking in the shadows, possibly for security reasons.We drove through the pack and finally arrived at the gates of the alphas home. I got down from the carrier with the other warrior wolves, and they helped me carry my bags. Into the mansion.The ambiance of the place gave me a bad feeling in my stomach. I could sense multiple ominous auras lurking around the mansion. The darkness that dwelled here was unimaginable.I walked through the gardens, staring blankly at the ground. A voice sounded.“Welcome,”I slowly raised my head, and my eyes widened as I heard his voice.Our eyes met, and my heart skipped a beat. Tears filled my eyes as I said softly,“Steven.”CHAPTER 5~GABRIELLA’S POV~As I stared at him, my heart beating even more rapidly than it ever did whenever I stood before my mother, tears gathered in my eyes. I tried my best to hold back the sadness, but my efforts were futile. Staring at him filled me with mixed emotions of happiness, anger, and grief. Until this moment, I thought my life was over. I thought my mate would be here waiting for me.I rushed toward him, asking with excitement, as I grabbed his hand, “Where have you been? I thought you would return to my father’s mansion, but you never came. Is this your pack?"Steven stared at me with a piercing gaze, his eyes suddenly filling with contempt. I could feel a dark aura surrounding him, one I never noticed the first time we met. Something about him was different—something I couldn’t put a finger on. The omega aura I sensed around him at the peacekeeping ceremony was completely gone, and something a lot more powerful and ominous filled the air.“Unhand me, woman!” he said
CHAPTER 6~GABRIELLA'S POV~In the blink of an eye, it was morning again—my first morning at the Mortimer’s mansion, at the dark-moon pack. The sounds of birds chirping all the way from the forest that surrounded the mansion were even more disturbing than my alarm back at Montgomery's mansion. I forced my eyes open and got off my bed, not a single second later than I usually did. To my surprise, the other maids were still asleep.“Huh?” I asked as my eyes moved from one maid to the other. I walked around the room for a few seconds, wondering what the time was, as there was no way of telling from this part of the mansion. I rushed to the bathroom to take my shower, and after, I got dressed in a maid uniform that was handed to me by Gregory the day before. I walked out of the room and down the hall, where all the maid rooms were lined up. The entire place was completely empty and quiet; it seemed no one had awakened.I decided to use the opportunity to explore the mansion myself. I went
CHAPTER 7~STEVEN’S POV~I sat silently in one of the many living rooms in the mansion, my legs crossed and my arms folded against my chest. I had a blank expression on my face, moving my eyes to the side frequently to check the time on the ticking pendulum clock that rested on a wall a little distance from my right. The room I was in had a dark brown ambiance and dark brown curtains with golden rose patterns hung over the windows and doors that led outside the living room. Today was a very important day. Today a meeting would be held between me and the council members on the matters of uniting all the packs and reigning over them as the only alpha. This was my goal ever since I was born. While all the other kids made friends and had dreams of being united with their mate, I spent days and nights plotting, looking for a way to merge the packs. After a few minutes of waiting, I heard clicking sounds coming toward one of the entrances. Soon after, the door opened and Gregory stepped i
CHAPTER 8~STEVEN’S POV~“The Dark-Hound Pack has already signed the agreement and is already under my control. I’ll have them help spread the message to all the other packs,” I said, scribbling my signature onto a letter I was going to send to Montgomery's mansion."But why don’t we spread the message ourselves?” Gregory asked, looking a little troubled.“The message will be from an unknown sender, proposing the deal to the alphas and asking those who agree to meet at an undisclosed location. The alphas who refuse to comply might get violent and want to attack the only pack they think the message is coming from. If they lay siege on the dark-fang pack, I can use the opportunity to assess them and know exactly what I’m up against,” I replied with a cold stare.“But… sire. Innocent lives will be lost; the dark-hound pack will be destroyed if they are attacked by more than one opposing pack at the same time,” Gregory argued.I let out a sigh, got up from where I sat, and walked toward a
CHAPTER 9~GABRIELLA'S POV~As my eyes met with Steven's for the second time since I came to the mansion, I felt nothing but admiration and love for the man that stood before me. He had the same expression as the day I arrived; he seemed nothing like Steven from Montgomery's mansion, but for some reason, I felt like they were the same person. But why didn't he recognize me?I had lost all focus on my surroundings and even on my own body as I fell deeper and deeper into his intense gaze.His brows suddenly furrowed, and that sudden movement snapped me out of my reverie. I immediately bowed and greeted him politely, but he completely ignored me, walking past me without uttering a single word.I turned to stare at him as he walked away, wondering where he was heading. I stealthily followed behind him, moving from rose bush to rose bush, trying to avoid his eyes. After a few minutes, he arrived at the gates of the mansion. He stood in front of the gate for a few minutes, and I could see hi
CHAPTER 10~GABRIELLA'S POV~The silence in the air was unbearable. I could hear my own breathing, and with every step, I took crushed dried leaves under my paws, making sounds that echoed through the forest as if informing the other wolves of my location.I moved steadily, my eyes focused on the prey before me—a large, dark brown deer. As I got in close range, I leaped toward it, but before I could reach it, it jumped out of the way and took off. I landed head-first on a rock and yelled in pain.“Hunting is so hard; how am I supposed to survive this?" I thought to myself, using my paw to gently rub my head.“The other girls are gone; there's no way of finding them now, and the bell is going to ring anytime soon. What to do, what to do..."I said this as I sat there with a worried look. It had already been the first hour; I had never gone hunting before in my life, and my wolf wasn't fast or strong enough to run from other wolves.I let out a sigh,got up from where I sat, and walked th
CHAPTER 11~GABRIELLA'S POV~After waiting for a while at the door, other wolves started to show up with their kills hanging below their jaws. Some carry animals as small as rabbits, and some drag in games as large as boars.They all shifted back into their human forms and began walking back through the door. I looked around for the other girls but couldn't find them until I was inside, holding my kill tightly.“How was it?” Christine's voice sounded from behind me.I turned around to face her, and I found all three girls smiling at me.“Whoa! That's amazing, and it's only your first time?” Clarabelle exclaimed, staring at my game.“Well, a lot of things happened, but I don't want to go into detail,” I replied with a smile as sweat rolled down my face."Let's go dump these bad boys and get some rest; tomorrow's a big day!” Christine said, tapping her catch twice on its stomach.We all nodded, then followed her to the area where the kills were submitted. As we walked through the croud,
CHAPTER 12~GABRIELLA'S POV~I ran after the bright orange light through the passages, and each time I came to a corner, the light was already at the other end of the hall. It would remain shining for a moment, then vanish, fading out with the giggle of a little girl.I wasn't the least bit comfortable with what was going on, but for some reason I kept on following the light until it came to a halt in front of a large door.The lantern sat there, shining brightly on the carvings on the wooden door. I walked slowly toward it, and when I reached it, I picked it up and let out a sigh.“What place is this now? I'm completely lost,” I said as I exhaled. I stared at the large door for a moment, then turned to a small knob that hung from it.I wrapped my fingers around the knob and was about to turn it when I felt a gentle tap on my shoulder.“What are you doing?” Marie's voice sounded behind me.I felt a chill go down my spine, and I instinctively sprung up from the ground in fear. I fell b