DEL MORINO It was raining heavily and the storm outside raged on,shaking the walls of my room.Lightening struck across the sky, illuminating my room in an instant. Itwas as if the weather shared thechaos inside my mind.I heard the thunder rumble even before I woke up with a jolt,drenched in sweat, my heart drumming in my ears, racing as if it could break free from my chest.It was the same dream. Thesame nightmare that had hauntedme for years. I wished it could stop but instead it continued stubbornly."Fay."Her name slipped from my lipslike a whisper, but there was noone to hear it. No spirits, nosaviors-just me and thememories. Memories I wanted to stop everyday but every night they reappear.I missed Fay. A lot. But the nightmares, I just wanted them to stop already. I knew one thing was fuelling them and it was my guilt , the power of not moving on was holding me back , feeding them every night.I rubbed my temples,trying to shake off the images which burned into m
DEL MORINO Dinner had been cleared minutes before I heard the sound of footsteps, heavy footsteps of the guards and something else which was light and the door was pushed open.I sat in my usual seat,draped in furs and arrogance, astwo of my guards practicallyshoved her forward. Laylastumbled, catching herself beforeglaring at them. I love that. If given the chance she had smack him on the head.She lookedworse, thinner than sheought to be, her cheekbonessharp and her eyes sunken and red which showed that she might have cried a lot.Thefire in those eyes, however,burned just as brightly as anything."Careful"' I growled at the guards."I didn't ask you to deliver herbroken."The guards muttered apologiestheir heads bowed as theystepped back. Not that I caredfor their excuses or for LaylaMy attentionwas entirely on Layla, who stoodher ground like a stubborn treerefusing to bow to the storm, she had even braided her hair.Nice."Leave us" I commanded with awave of m
DEL MORINO I stood looking out of the window on the moonlit night, I couldn't stop thinking about Layla. The vodka in my glass wasn't cold anymore, just like how my heart felt.My other hand rested in my pocket, a habit I'd developed over the years to hide my clenched fist.The memory of Layla's attempted escape simmered in my mind, growing my anger. I could still picture her desperate eyes, but I quickly pushed that image away. Weakness was not an option; not now. The punishment I had imposed was necessary—she needed to grasp the repercussions of defying me.As I thought about her, the memory of my late mate, crept into my thoughts. Layla looked so much like her that it was almost scary - they both had bright green eyes and dark black hair. It felt like fate was teasing me, making me remember the person I had lost."Your Majesty," a soft voice broke into my thoughts.I turned to see a middle-aged maid, her silver hair neatly arranged at the back of her neck. "Dinner is served, sire
LAYLA As I was plunged into the dark murky water, the shock enveloped me,jolting my entire body with the intense cold My heart raced and I could literally hear each beat in my ears. I forced myself to open my eyes, squinting against the murky depths. I wasn't alone. A figure floated just inches away, his gaze fixed on mine. Before I could react, he raised a finger to his lips, silently signaling me to remain quiet. I didn't even need to nod—there was something about him that commanded my obedience. I heard footsteps crunching above, voices whispering anxiously as they searched. For something. For someone. "Are you sure she was here?" A man asked. " Yessir." Another reply. " Stupid damn omega had no scent." A gruffy voice added.
LAYLAAs we got to the Packhouse, I felt my breath hitch in my throat.The immense structure stood high against the bright sky ,its imposing presence both awe-inspiring and frightening.Each stone seemed deliberately placed to show respect, representing the might of its ruler—the Lycan King, Alpha of Alphas. I haven't taken my time to have a look at the Packhouse since I arrived, I guess it's the biggest I have ever seen and no Alpha could boast of a Packhouse like this one.I risked a glance at him as he dismounted effortlessly, his figure intimidating that I quickly looked away.He didn’t look back to see if I would follow, but I was expected to. His presence commanded fear and respect in me, that all through the walk here ,I was very quite.Clenching my teeth, I stood aside , my eyes roaming and seeing the guards stationed at various places. I didn't see them when I ran out this morning.I felt my heart beating fast as I followed him, each step filled with a sense of worry about wh
I hate him.That was why he bought me. My eyes were filled with tears and my chest felt like someone was squeezing them. A tear dropped but I whipped them off quickly.The door creaked and then he was standing before me, a slight smirk on his face.“You have work to do and you would be under —”“I'm not doing anything. Just let me go over to my aunt's.” I begged. “Please.”He looked at me and didn't say anything for a while.“You didn't leave when I asked you to.” He said angrily. “ You had your chance.”When he waved his hand, the older woman who was standing outside the door intervened. “You now own this one. Attend to her. She mustn't leave your sight.”My skin crawled at the icy finality in his voice. The woman had unreadable sharp eyes. _____I woke up to the sound of loud snoring. It filled the room, breaking through the silence. The older woman— the one who had been keeping an eye on me , was asleep, deep in her dreams, completely unaware. I sat up slowly, hardly daring to br