Liyah's POV
It was four days to the full moon. I sat at my bedside window, wondering what the festival would be like. To be in the midst of so many wolves. Everyone in the pack was up and busy making preparations for the moon festival which would consist of different packs assembling together to celebrate the full moon. Though my father had organized it to boast about his success yet again as the world most powerful and influential werewolf, it was also a medium to advertise the bravery of his beloved daughter, Barbara. His daughter who had more blood on her hands compared to her peers. Soon she would find her mate, and once again emphasis would be applied on just how much of a perfect daughter she was.I readjusted on my bed, sighing heavily. I'm not a wolf anyways, so what business does a mere man have with the moon festival? I shook my head. None of these things were my concern. I was insignificant in the picture and my pack. So I shouldn't be thinking about things like this."What are you thinking about now?"I jumped to my feet in a flash, not giving my brain a chance a analyse who the voice belonged to. When I saw the smiling figure of Maria, I exhaled, placing a hand on my chest. "Did I scare you?" She laughed, moving forward to whip open the curtains. "Argh," I complained, shielding my eyes with my hand. "Maria?" I pouted.She placed her hands on her hips defiantly. "Oh no you don't! I'll be darned if I let you sit here and wallow in your self pity all day, Li. It's a beautiful morning. You should enjoy it."I tried to stop the smile that began spread all over my face and failed woefully. "But there's nothing to do, Nan," I groaned. "Let me stay here." I sank into my pillow, gazing up at her.She hadn't said a word since she was struck in the face by Barbara's mom yesterday, and I could still see the purple bruise under her eyes, although she had tried to cover it up by wearing her large, white hat.We both always had each other's back whenever we were treated like punching bags by the pack. Yesterday, I had expected her to come over to my room so we could discuss and try to make each other feel better. But she had wanted to be alone. Several times Nanny Maria and I would get hit for not handling nearly impossible tasks the way it was required of us. And no one in the pack batted an eyelid. It hurt most because Maria was older than the ones who bullied her; Mira and Barbara. Most of it stemmed from the fact that Nanny Maria had been unable to transform to her wolf her entire life. Nanny Maria was the only person I was comfortable keeping a secret with. Each time I needed a shoulder to cry on, she'd turn up and lend me hers. She raised me since I was a kid and loved me like her very own. "Get up, baby girl," She prodded. "What you wearing for the festival?" She asked, wiggling her eyebrows at me.I was so confused I could've laughed. "I'm not going. Why would I?"She folded her arms. "Nonsense, child. Of course you're going."I shook my head sharply. "There's no need to be there. I'm not one of them and so I have no business there.""Li, your father is celebrating..."I glared at her and watched as she tried to stifle a laugh."Okay. I know that doesn't count. But please, I need you to go. Besides, it's a good chance to leave this hell hole," She added, looking round my room, aka cage, in disgust.I shook my head stubbornly. "Liyah."I refused to look up. Whenever she mentioned my full name I knew she was serious."You are 22, and you've lived within these walls your whole life. Only the heavens know how long you'll remain here. And you never get the chance to leave, go out, have some fresh air and breathe. Attending this...festival would be nice for you. You might make friends, who knows? Remember wolves from other packs will be there too." I knew she might be right. I didn't say a word."Please," She begged again.I was silent for sometime, considering everything. I did feel suffocated in here. And the festival might be my one and only opportunity to be let off my leash for a day. They would all be so busy they wouldn't even realize. But... what was the point of freedom for a while if it wasn't going to last?"I'll think about it," I finally responded to my Nan. "Yay! Iffy but positive. I think we're on the right track."I rolled my eyes, giving a loud laugh. Maybe she was right.****NIKOLAI'S POV Two nights to the full moon, I summoned Drew to my chamber. I had already given him the task of prepare my costume for the forthcoming festival. Everyone was instructed to wear an armor with mask as a dress code, to look like warriors from Greek mythologies. "Alpha, you sent for me," Drew said."Yes," I barked, hating that he wasted time with the pleasantries. "Is my costume ready? We have less than three days to the full moon."Drew bowed his head a little. "Well, sir, there's a slight problem with-""What's the problem?" I interrupted, feeling the depth of my voice go deeper as irritation filled me. He could sense the anger in me increasing, as he backed up a little. "Alpha, the costumes aren't ready yet. I've been overly committed to training for the festival too as your backup defense as you've instructed me to do, so I haven't had time to check up on the worker. They'll be ready by-"Before he could finish, I succumbed to the burst of anger raging within me, the left side of my body shifting into my wolf form as I approached him and strangled him with my left hand. "You can't even handle such a simple task you fucking moron!"My grip tightened. "I don't care what you have to do. Just get everything done," I spat, letting him fall to the floor as he had begun to tap my hand frantically."Y-yes, Alpha," He gasped, still clutching his throat. I waved him away, settling down in my chair. Anything that seemed like it was going to stand in my way of revenge, be it friend or foe, I would completely destroy. I had my plans all set. And I wouldn't let a flimsy mistake ruin anything. I would carry everything out as planned, and make them all suffer. How my Elle had suffered.Nikolai POVThe moon festival was just a few hours away. I could feel my heartbeat rapidly in my chest. The long wait for my revenge was finally over. Running the plan one more time in my head, my eyes scanned the map once more to enable me to recollect all the exit routes.I leaned lazily on the Van Drew had arranged for us for the kidnap, awaiting Stephan and the others. The material of the costume and mask I wore was made of a scratchy material and I vowed to tear it off my skin once I was done. When they arrived, we got into the car and soon, we reached the road.It was a rowdy environment; different packs all over the world gathered to celebrate one man. It was obvious that they were compelled to be here due to Jonas' reigning terror amongst werewolves. His title of the most superior alpha was not in vain. No one dared to cross or disobey him.The festival was about to kick off in a few minutes. I told Drew to move the car straight to the exit route and wait
Liyah's POVI shut my eyes from the searing pain that cut through my head as I slowly awakened, trying to take in the unfamiliar surroundings and remember how I got here.My vision was blurry, and my memory was slightly fuzzy but I could tell that I'd been unconscious for quite some time. I slowly stood to my feet, to examine the gloomy room. I felt the color drain from my face as I looked it over; dark, dirt crusted walls, and cobwebs loomed all over. And the cell-like door confirmed my suspicion that it was some kind of basement. My father had one just like this, where he used to throw offenders.The headache surfaced again, forcing me back to the ground. All I could remember was getting dragged off and bundled into a car, then knocked out by a strange face when I began to protest.My heart pounded as I tried to imagine how and why I got here. I scanned the room for escape routes and then I realized something; there was no window, only unevenly poked holes in t
Nikolai's POV Every time I remembered that I had Jonas' daughter held captive in my basement, I had a rush of two emotions; satisfaction that I had completed the first step of my plan, and anger. Anger that she was still there, anger that she was alive. She had no right living. No right to still be alive and healthy down there when she should be in pain instead. She should be writhing in pain every second. Furious, I raked my fingers through my hair, heading down to the basement to see what condition she was in. "Alpha," I heard someone greet me. I half turned to see a woman I didn't recognize. I frowned. She bowed immediately. "Make it quick," I snapped. In reply, she loosened her hold on the loose shirt wrapped around her chest. "Last night...w-was amazing," She stammered. "I had no idea you had your eyes on me all this while. Now I've figured it out I was hoping this..." She motioned to herself then me. "...would lead to something truly beauti—" "Can you shut up?!" I cut he
Liyah's POVMy entire body racked with sobs as I huddled against the wall still shaken from my encounter with my captor. I had had a pretty bad fall when he dropped me, and now I was unable to move my right leg. A tear dropped from my eyes as I tried to twist my foot to the left to see how bad it was. I realized that my ankle had taken the brunt of it.I still didn't get a good look at my kidnapper's face. The dungeon was just too dark. I had hoped to see his face, to enable me find out if I knew him from anywhere. If he was someone I knew then I would try to recollect why he would kidnap me. But I knew I had no enemies, well unless my pack counts. But apart from them, I hadn't had any encounter with anyone else that would make them want to punish me like this. The only thing I had made out so far was that he was obviously the Alpha of the pack. I could tell from the way they addressed him. But that wasn't good news either. It was rare to find a kindhearted Alp
Liyah's POVI felt like I had only just shut my eyes to sleep when I felt someone shake me awake. I opened my eyes weakly to see one of the guards looming above me."Get up," He ordered, pulling me up at the same time. As I stood to my feet I sucked in a sharp breath. My ankle was swollen and it looked even worse than yesterday. The guard didn't look like he cared as he pushed me forward, toward the door. I wobbled to the floor, wondering why the much friendlier guard wasn't here instead.As though he could read my thoughts, he walked in, taking in the sight before him and glaring at his colleague before gently holding onto my arm and helping me up. I murmured my thanks, grateful that at least one person didn't want me dead.I took shaky breaths in anticipation as they led me out of the dungeon. Getting out the dungeon wasn't an achievement, but I was thankful that I at least got to leave. As we got through the last wooden door, I instinct
Jonas' POVI stared appreciatively at the large portrait of myself that had been presented to me by a group of alphas on the moon festival. I would have liked it bigger than it was, but I kept it because it was a sign of respect from those packs. A smirk fleeted onto my lips. It's not like they had had a choice anyway. I would have any pack which didn't present a gift to myself or my daughter eliminated. The consequences of attempting to cross me were too dire.Glancing at the portrait one last time, I settled down into my chair. All my years of hard work had definitely paid off. I was basically untouchable. To crown it all, another achievement had come in the form of my daughter. I was sure there wasn't any father who was prouder of his child. Every time I watched her train, or emerge as the winner in combat, especially with male werewolves, I blessed the Moon Goddess for giving her to me. She was vicious, ruthless and powerful; everything I had ever wanted in
Nikolai's POVMy frown deepened as I observed her from my bedroom window. I didn't understand any of it. She had been working consistently, no food or water, but she never hesitated, never complained even once. It angered and surprised me at the same time. Why was she so calm about everything? It made me wondered if she had a escape plan. I had tried to torture the truth out of her, but every single time she just ended up a sobbing mess, begging at my feet. That didn't seem like someone who had a plan.As I watched her turn the cloth she was using to scrub the walls of the old balcony, i had never felt so confused in my entire life. She worked without ceasing, not stopping for once to catch her breath until her work was complete. I hated the fact that it she seemed to complete each task effortlessly. I wondered if she was only doing it to spite me. And it angered me thinking she wasn't going through any sort of pain. I needed to find other methods of making her
Nikolai's POVI swerved my car into the opening beneath the cluster of trees, parking as quietly as I could. When I was done, I carefully made my way out of the car and moved toward my destination. I had to be quick this time as I had almost gotten caught the last time. The risks associated with my escapades were very high, but I couldn't just sit back and do nothing.My brows furrowed in confusion when I came to face a wide field of nothing but empty space. Had they changed their minds? I was a hundred percent sure that they were supposed to be here. Unconvinced, I roamed round the field trying my best to be as quiet as possible. When I located a small cave-like opening in a nearby wall, I quickly transformed, ready to defend myself against any possible attack. I moved through the passage way quickly. There was no time. When I finally caught sight of a large piece of canvas covering what looked like a vehicle, I rushed to it, quickly pulling it off.