ROSELLA
As I was about to step out of our room, I heard footsteps advancing, which sounded exactly like that of Alpha James. A wave of fear washed over me, I froze on the spot, trying to get my mind to think of something quick, but the fastest way was hiding under the duvet on the bed. He wasn’t supposed to be back this early, and I needed enough time to escape, or else or my plans were going to be futile. There was not enough time to undress or hide those clothes, so I did the only logical thing I thought would work for me.
Before he got to the door, I jumped onto the bed and wrapped the thick duvet over my body, revealing only a tiny fraction of my hair. I turned my face away from the door so that he wouldn’t notice anything. I started breathing a tad bit higher, trying to make it look like I was genuinely asleep before he came in.
The door opened before he banged it against its hinge loudly; with the way he opens the door like a lunatic, the door would come undone one day. “Get up and get dressed right now; we’re going for the council meeting in Black Moon pack,” he ordered with a loud voice, and I took a sharp breath. I needed to develop a solution, or my plans were going down the drain, and He would beat me again. I wanted to act like I was asleep, but it would make him come close and remove the duvet from my body. That would be a disaster and only make things worse. If he finds me in this outfit, I would be dead faster than I imagined.
“I…I’m sorry, Alpha, I’m too weak… I can’t get up,” I managed to say with a shaky voice, scared to the bone. Saying that would probably go two ways, him leaving me or getting mad at me for admitting that I was weak; he reminds me countless times of how much he hated vulnerable people. I hope he bought those theatrics. I smiled as I saw the way he looked at me as if he wanted to throw me across the wall and stab me to death, maybe. He sighed before leaving my side for the dressing mirror side. That means he bought my story.
“What? How dare you remind me of how damn weak you are?!” he snarled ferociously, shoving everything on my dresser to the floor. He was clenching and unclenching his hands as if he was restraining himself from doing something tragic to me, but I prayed he didn’t. I can’t escape while I’m bruised. He threw another dirty look at me before
“Answer me!” He shouted, and I took another gulp in fear. I wasn’t expecting him to go off on me like this.
“I’m sorry,” I whimpered with low sobs.
“Is that all you can say? Sorry? I wanted to put your worthless life to good use today, to get the reward of my money, use you to take the Alpha King title by introducing you as my Luna to the Council of Elders, but you choose to be sick today of all days. Useless bitch!” he taunted me with his gut-wrenching words.
Still holding my breath, I tightened my grip on the sheets, letting the warm tears stream down my eyes.
“I’ll be back by evening, don’t even think of using any drug. Stay that way till you get better; that’s what a real Luna would do. Bear all the pain like a pro.” he spat at me before taking out clothes from the wardrobe and walking out of our room. He banged the front door so hard again, and I sighed; I stayed put in case he forgot something.
I stayed that way till I heard the sound of the Limo driving out of the garage. Everywhere became calm and quiet again. I wiped my eyes and got out of bed. Stepping out of the room quietly, I wore the hoodie over my head so the guards standing outside would not recognize me. Not that they do anything all day, they would probably not notice me leaving if I was honest. They would mistake me for one of their alpha’s concubines.
Coming out with the black hoodie and joggers was easier than I thought, and I successfully strolled out of the packhouse without anyone noticing. There wasn’t much money on me as I was never allowed to have any money, so I walked a long distance, constantly looking over my shoulders and filled with anxiety. I hoped he wasn’t turning back to pick me up like that or something.
I shivered from the evening wind, but sweat trickled down my brows due to my skyrocketing temperature. I could barely carry myself now, but I didn’t stop. I would rather die than go back there to continue being treated like shit. I feel like shit anyway, and death seems like a better solution.
Unable to walk further after an hour, I waited and fell on my knees. It appeared luck was in my favor because a taxi finally passed, and I waved down and hopped in. I was heading straight to my parent’s place in the outskirt of the Green Moon pack, where most omega wolves lived with few poor humans. I didn’t know why I was headed there, even when I knew they couldn’t save me from him. A girl has to try, though.
It was almost dark now; I hurried to the almost dilapidated house my parents currently lived. I banged on the door repeatedly when I got there, knowing they were inside, but my father and stepmother were always hiding from debtors. They might be thinking I was one of their debtors who came to harass them for their money. They’ve been living like this since I was growing and I hated it. I wonder why my father won’t find a job like a real man.
I noticed a sound coming from inside, and my father finally opened the door; his eyes widened like saucers as soon as he saw me. I know they would be shocked to see I ran away because he rarely let me visit them. Since we mated, I’ve not called home. This place might look poor than the palace, but I don’t care because I didn’t get beaten every day here. “What are you doing here?” he asked after recovering from the shock. I was surprised because, for someone who hadn’t seen his daughter for almost a year, he wasn’t excited to see me. I hated how Alpha James messed up my life without so much effort; I wonder what kind of threat he must have threatened my parents to make them so unwelcome.My awful stepmother came into view as soon as she heard our voices. This woman was the sole idea of making me get mated to Alpha James. She came up with the business plan, and she made sure to drop hints until he finally suggested it himself. I hated her but not today though, I needed them to keep me
Alpha JulianI sent my wooden sword flying in the air, breaking into the sword of my best friend and beta, Robert. He already knew something was bothering me but knew better than asking anything at this moment. I was too tense to do anything the right way; I wanted a solution so fast. This was my own way of releasing pent-up anger, and I hated how it felt like I had zero control over my emotions. I was trained to do better than this, but I guess desperate situations made you forget your training. He understood that all I wanted to do right now was vent out all my frustration through sparring. We fought that way till I dropped the wooden sword on the floor and sat down. Robert handed me a water bottle, sitting beside me on the smooth floor of our private sparring room. He opened his mouth a few times before closing it back. I knew he had a lot to say to me. He didn’t know what way to put it without pissing me off. I hate that we were reduced to this; I hate that the moon goddess won'
ALPHA JULIANWe walked back to the Alpha’s quarters to get ready for the meeting when Robert spoke up, “Your brother will be coming today as well with his mate so that the pressure will be more on you. You have to be ready for anything,” he advised. I nodded, already aware of what to expect at the meeting. They were trying to undermine my effort as the Alpha King, and they were trying to make me look like a fool. It was a repetitive circle, and I wonder who made the Council of Elders be my power check to start with. They were just older adults with plenty of problems.I dressed up and went to the throne room; as soon as I got there, all the elders, my father, James, my half-brother stood up as I walked into the Packhouse meeting hall. Looking at all of them, I fought the urge to hiss or roll my eyes in irritation. I can handpick a number of elders who wanted me on the throne, and they won' be up to three. I sat down on the throne while the rest bowed before taking their seats. “I wou
JAMESWalking into the house, unnecessary silence met me. Asides from the guards sitting outside, something felt terribly wrong. I could feel it deep in my bones, and it only heightened my anger. I halt the usual hide and seek game, and I head straight to the bedroom where I left her; a little beating won't hurt anyone, especially the fact that she made me lose the tiny chance I had to usurp the throne from Julian. I threw open the door, and I looked around the room. It was empty, and the bed was empty too. I removed the duvet, but instead, a pile of clothes was arranged there, and It made it look like she was trying to deceive me that she was present in the bed. Since when did she start having such sense? I felt instantly enraged; my blood boiled like a pit of lava in hell. How dare she disappears when she’s supposed to be helpful to me?. Who would I pass out my anger on?I was already exasperated that my brother managed to deceive the council of elders, ruining my chance of getting
ROSELLAWe drove into the pack’s territory, towards the four junction roads that lead to other pack territories. I wished I had escaped to a place farther from here to maybe one of the other packs, but Alpha James’s father was the former Alpha king, so he could have easily fished me out even though it took him longer; he wouldn’t rest till he caught me.I sat shriveled up in the car, wrapping my hands around my body, avoiding the look of contempt Alpha James was giving me. I was dead tonight, and no soothsayer could tell me otherwise.“See how skinny and dirty you look. You’ve grown some guts, haven’t you? To even conceive the thoughts of running away is extremely laughable.”“I’m sorry, Alpha...” I whispered, my voice hoarse from crying too much. I've cried enough tears to last a lifetime today, and t looks like I will still cry more tonight.Sorry was all I could say, even though I knew it wouldn’t change anything, any punishment I would be receiving today. My head throbbed as I im
JAMES I sat in the car waiting for my dumb Luna to come back to the car from whatever it was she was doing out there. I was already imagining everything I would be doing to her tonight. I would ravish her mercilessly, making it part of her punishment. I won’t even bother using the lubricant; I’ll penetrate her dryness to teach her a lesson of what she would go through if she ever dared think of running away again. But what the hell was taking her long? A knock on the door interrupted my thoughts; I rolled down the glass to see Gates, the guard I ordered to stay with Rosella while she sorted herself out. I noticed a look of alarm plastered on his face, and I knew immediately that something was wrong. Before he could say a word, I pushed the door open, shoving him off balance at the same time. “Where’s she?” I asked with a snarl, already losing my mind. I looked at the guard and wondered how dumber could he get. I’m sure Rosella must have outsmarted him too. “She told me to turn ar
ALPHA JULIAN After the meeting with the Alphas, I went back to the gym, where I sparred with the sparring robot. I fought and fought for hours till I was tired. The robot wasn’t, though; it didn’t have flesh and blood like me. Too much was on my mind; I would never think of giving up on my throne, nor do I want to give up on finding my fated mate. And it was only a matter of time before James got an heir, which would make his claim for the throne stronger according to our customs in the realm. “What would you do if you were me, Robot?” I asked the skinless robot holding a wooden sword with one hand and a clenched fist on the other.“Black?” I asked my wolf, who had been grumpy since the meeting. “I don’t know, Kay, I don’t.” “Then, let’s go for a run, shall we?” “Sure,” he replied, and I walked out of the gym into the pack’s forest. Aside from my heightened sense of sight as the Alpha King, the moon’s bright lights made me feel better tonight. I had no idea night had fallen al
ROSELLA I had a dream. I dreamt for the first time since I became Alpha James's punching bag and a rag doll. All I have ever had were nightmares––horrible ones that wake me up from my sleep with a bloodcurdling cry and sweats of perspiration and anguish gathering all over my forehead. My nightmares had only one monster ––Alpha James–– and if he isn't slashing me with a whip in one, he's slicing my skin off my body in the other. But for the first time, I slept peacefully, and the peaceful sleep bore a beautiful dream filled with bright full moons glazing over grass fields at night and beautiful night stars and my red hair flowing freely with the night breeze in it and a particular blue-eyed creature serving as the cherry on top of my dream. Try as I may deny it, his blue eyes have been the subject of my dreams.Little wonder, my eyes almost popped out of their sockets when I opened my eyes lazily only to find that familiar deep shade of blue looking down at me and sitting beside the