Eva
Nausea rolled in my stomach, and the feeling was so intense that I couldn’t sleep a wink the whole night.Goddess Luna. Give me strength.Finding out that I had a mate was…shocking, to say the least. It was perhaps the worst experience of my life. I was deeply ashamed of everything that had happened, even though none of it was my fault. That horrid man stormed in here and disregarded all our rules, and neither of us could stop him, both because we were defenseless and because he was the Alpha of our pack.Our leader.We owed him respect, and perhaps that was why he felt the liberty to treat us the way he did. I couldn’t forget the words he’d said to me as he walked away, so arrogant and pretentious. I said ‘pretentious’ because he acted all mighty and high and untouchable, but he had no faith or religion, and so that made him a lesser man.But the truth was that even if he was a religious man, I still couldn’t be with him. I made a promise to worship the goddess until the rest of my days—the same way the Head Priestess, Priestess Juvia, and Priestess Lila did.Mine wasn’t official as I wasn’t twenty-one yet, but soon enough, it would be. And I intended to keep my promise. Two more weeks and I’d be a holy woman, perhaps one of the holiest of our world.Why on earth would I exchange it for carnal pleasures? To me, there was no beauty in any of that. His crude words about taking me in front of mirrors didn’t affect me—A shudder coursed through me, so strong that I had to close my eyes. I reminded myself that it was probably my nausea, and nothing else, that made my body tremble whenever I thought about him.The sky outside lightened and I was still awake and immersed in prayers. Danna sat up in bed and watched me for the longest time. When I was done, I met her gaze, and she flashed me a small smile.“How are you feeling?” she asked.I shrugged. “Okay, I guess.”“You can be honest with me, you know. We’re friends.” After she said this, she stopped and then added, “I’m sorry about what I said last night. I was grumpy, and acting stupid. Will you forgive me?”“There’s nothing to forgive,” I told her with a smile.She waited for me to respond to her other question, and I sat on my bed and stared at the holy book on my lap. “I feel responsible for all of this. And I’m embarrassed and humiliated. I feel unclean, and unworthy.”“No,” she said tenderly before sitting beside me. “Why would you think such a thing? You shouldn’t! It’s not your fault.”“Why would the goddess make that horrible man my mate?” I asked. “It has to be a punishment for a sin I’ve committed unknowingly.”Danna shook her head. “Don’t think that way.”I wanted to cry right then and there, but someone knocked on our door, and that diverted the attention away from my emotions.It was Sabrina, another priestess-in-training. “Eva, Head Priestess Bathsheba, and Priestess Juvia would like to speak with you.”Fear tinged my soul. I exchanged a glance with Danna before standing up and following Sabrina out of the door. I was terrified that I would be kicked out of this place because of what happened last night. Alpha Cyrus should never have looked at my face. He committed a grave sin, and as a result, I have sinned as well.We didn’t have to use our veils when we had no visitors, as we were all holy women living under the same roof. I passed by a few people and greeted them, but they all failed to greet me back. I was sure that they’d all heard the scandal by now, and maybe the fact that I’d asked to be given privacy made things worse. I’d only done that to protect the Head Priestess, though.I didn’t do it with bad intentions.My eyes were on the ground as I walked through the long, spacious hallway. The office was right at the end of the hall, and I was sure that was where we were headed. When we stepped in front of the door, Sabrina bowed to me—our usual goodbye—and walked away.I raised my hand to knock on the door when I felt ready to face the women who raised me.But the sound of an argument coming from behind the door made me pause, and I couldn’t help but listen to what they were saying.“…only meant to protect her from all of this, and now, trouble has come to our very doorstep! I say we cast her away now before the worst happens! She was never ours to keep!”“Juvia, how could you say such a thing?” Priestess Lila asked. I recognized her voice. “She is one of ours, and is actually the best priestess-in-training we have! Your words were cruel.”“He threatened to burn the chapel down!” she exclaimed. “How can we sacrifice the life of forty-four for one?”I reminded myself that eavesdropping was a sin, so I knocked, and they fell silent. The door was opened quickly, and Priestess Lila smiled at me as I stepped into the small office.Their faces were all grave, and I had no doubts that they’d been talking about me before I entered. The Head Priestess cleared her throat and sat back in her chair. “How are you today, Eva?”“I’ve been better,” I admitted.“We’re here discussing your fate,” she stated. I already knew that because I’d been listening. “Some of us believe that it would be best to send you away and let the Alpha decide what to do with you.”I froze. I meant to shake my head no. They couldn’t do that to me. All my life, I grew up here among the priestesses. Currently, I’m the oldest priestess-in-training.This is all I know.“There are others who believe that you’re a part of us, and so we must protect you from harm as it is our obligation. However, the choice is ultimately yours. What do you think is best? Will you stay here, or leave to be the Alpha’s mate?”I pressed my lips together, then answered, “I would never leave the Convent.”Priestess Juvia stepped in. “Being a Luna is also a blessing, Eva. It’s a respectable title, the same as being a priestess. You will lead a pack. There’s nothing sinful about that.”“It’s sinful once I’ve given my promise to the goddess.”“You haven’t done that yet,” she reminded me. “You’re still free to make whatever decision you wish. The goddess will not punish you for that.”I met her gaze steadily. “Don’t my wants and wishes matter here? I want to stay. I want to do what’s right for me! I’m not meant to be anyone’s Luna. My place is here!”Priestess Lila nodded at me. “We understand, my dear. And we are ready to fight for you.”Priestess Juvia shook her head, and as she walked out of the office, said, “Then we should all be prepared to burn, then.”After a few minutes, it was my turn to leave the office. I was relieved now that things had been settled; they wouldn’t kick me out, so I still had the opportunity to fight. Besides, it was possible that the Alpha was simply bluffing, and wouldn’t come back for me. Out of all the women he could choose, why me? Simply because of a half-formed mate bond? Rejections happened all the time. He’d reject me and move on, and then perhaps he’d find his second-chance mate.I had no reason to despair.Breakfast rolled around, and all of us reunited in the mess hall to eat. I had my usual breakfast—a bowl of oats and some fruit on the side. A carnivorous diet was not encouraged in our religion, so we always had something plant-based for breakfast, and tried to cut back on meat.I was sitting beside Danna and a few other girls were seated around our table, but they were much younger than us. They were only children. I looked up and saw that many eyes were on me. Some judgmental. Very few were sympathetic.It made me feel terrible, but all I could do was ignore them.I was nearly done with my bowl of oatmeal when we heard footsteps racing toward us from down the hall. It was so silent that they echoed. We all looked at the door expectantly, waiting to see who it was and why they were running.It was little Esther, and her hair was still wet. She was always late for breakfast. Her little frame was trembling, and her face was deathly pale.“They’re burning the chapel!” she screamed. “They’re setting us on fire!”Everyone stood up, horrified sounds filling the air around us. We raced toward the windows of the mess hall and peered out. The chapel was a distance away, but I could see what she was talking about.It was on fire.And he was the one doing it.As if sensing my eyes on him, he turned around, a lit torch in his hand. We stared at each other through the glass, and a smug look came over his face.Tears of hatred and rage slid down my cheeks, and as cries of despair left the mouths of my fellow priestesses, I realized that he’d done exactly what he said he’d do.He won.Cyrus When my Gammas put Eva's belongings in the back of the trunk, I felt a lot more relieved. All the priestesses, big and small, were standing in front of their sacred convent with looks of despair and disappointment. Eva stood beside the Head Priestess, wearing that veil over her face. She was doing it to challenge me, but I'd won one battle today. I'd finish the rest later. For now, she could have her veil. For now. "Ladies," I said with forced politeness. "I do hope you will find it in your hearts to forgive me for this minor inconvenience."I was offered no reply, and took it as my cue to remove my checkbook from my pocket. I wrote a fairly large sum on it—certainly more than this dump cost—and ripped out the check before handing it to the Head Priestess. She accepted it readily. "For your troubles," I pointed out. It was time to leave, and I was glad. I gestured at the car, and Eva seemed to hesitate before taking a step forward. Her face was downcast so I couldn't get a
Eva Once I was settled in my room, I didn’t dare to venture downstairs. This Daxen family were insane, and I wasn’t sure how I was going to cope in this environment. Already I was missing the quietude of the Convent, and how each day was as predictable as the last. We had routine, and most importantly, religion binding us all together. These people didn’t seem like they were religious to me. I sat on the edge of the bed dressed in my full attire. I didn’t dare to remove my veil, mostly because I didn’t know if the Alpha would venture into my bedroom whenever he pleased. There wasn’t a key in the lock, so locking my door to enhance my sense of privacy was out of the question. What was I going to do now? Going back was not possible, not only because he’d just go back and burn the rest of the Convent, but because the other priestesses probably wouldn’t want me there anymore. I was trouble, and I got the chapel burned down. Someone could get hurt because of me, so returning would be
CyrusWe were all seated around the table, yet for some reason, Eva wasn’t down here with us. I wondered why that was, especially because I’d already ordered one of the maids to inform her that dinner was ready. After our conversation earlier, I believed that there would be no such misunderstandings between us. I was wrong, it seemed. Vivian sighed heavily and asked, “Why should we wait for her again?”“Because she’s family,” I answered. “And we don’t start eating when someone is expected. It’s rude, Vivian, and our parents taught you better than that.”My sister made a face before staring at her empty plate with her arms crossed. I glanced at Brock, and he arched a brow at me. It was a question. Is she coming? I didn’t have the answer to that question. I believed she was, but it had been twenty minutes now, and she still wasn’t here. “Maybe she’s asleep?” Vivian suggested after a while. “What we’re doing is ridiculous, you know?”I sighed heavily before sitting back in my chair.
EvaNo key. Knowing I wouldn’t be able to lock the door was slowly driving me insane. I prayed to the goddess for strength regarding this, but my faith must have been failing me because I never felt calm. Mine. That was what he called me. The audacity of that man. The longer I remained in his presence, the better I felt about my decision to be a priestess. Were all men like him? If so, then I was ready to swear my fealty to the goddess and swear them off for good. Perhaps it wasn’t a choice that would be easily made by others, but for me, it was the perfect one. I hated being in Alpha Cyrus’ presence. The thought of him getting anywhere near me made my skin crawl, and not in a good way! I hated him more than I did anyone else in this entire world. In fact, I hated him more than I hated the Devil, who made good people turn away from the light of Luna, our wonderful goddess, and made them forget their werewolf tradition. I was hoping that Marcia would return with the key, meaning
Cyrus “If we lived in one of the more religious parts of this country, you’d be hanged for what you’re doing, you know?” Brock said. He raised his hands when he caught my sour facial expression. “I don’t mean any harm; I’m just stating a fact here.”“There’s no truth in that. She’s my mate, and she belongs here with me.”Brock scoffed. “She’s a priestess, and you’re keeping her here against her will.”“She’s not here against her will,” I argued. “She can leave whenever she wants.”“Sure. You’ll just burn the chapel down again if she does.”“Correct.”My uncle shook his head at me. “Bastard. I don’t know why you ended up such a scoundrel. My brother raised you well, you know.”The mention of my father made me sad, the way it usually did, so I changed the subject abruptly. “I can’t send her back. You wouldn’t either.”“I know she’s your mate, and that being around her feels magical or whatever, but you’ve got to respect her choice in this. What you’re doing is wrong.”I exhaled sharpl
EvaIt was completely late, and I hadn’t been called down for dinner yet, so I assumed that I wouldn’t have to. Mealtimes were the absolute worst for me now, mostly because Alpha Cyrus was there, naturally, but also because his entire family would stare at me eating as if it was the most ridiculous/comical thing they’d ever seen. My knees hurt from kneeling for so long, but I felt relieved for having spent my day praying. This was an all-time record because we had other responsibilities in the Convent, so we couldn’t spend all our days praying. It was an integral part of our lives, but we’d limit it to three times a day only, and then privately at bedtime if we wished to. I didn’t have anything better to do, and besides, I was tired of getting lost in my thoughts. Nothing good ever came of it. I walked closer to the window in my room to see if I could get some fresh air. I could see a part of the main entrance from up here, and so I was surprised when I saw many cars parked outsid
Cyrus Despite my infamous reputation, I generally don’t lose my cool. In fact, I prefer to deal with matters coldly so that I can make the best decisions and never be impulsive. I failed today. When I heard Eva screaming, I felt it deep in my balls. Her scream was dripping with panic and fear, and the sound drove me to my feet instantly. I was rushing up the stairs before I even realized what I was doing. When I saw the Alpha’s brother in her room, touching her shoulders, I lost it. I literally saw red. I rushed toward him and my wolf was screaming kill, kill, kill. The world around me blurred, and all I focused on was kicking the asshole’s teeth out of his skull. I couldn’t hear or see anything else, not until I was pulled back by both Cameron and Brock. “Calm down!” Cameron hissed in my ear. “What the hell are you doing!?”I fought against them, wanting to finish the job. I’d never felt this murderous before. Usually, I never killed for pleasure. This time was different.“He wa
Eva I was still shaking by the time that everyone had left my room. I never thought that I would ever experience such violence in all my life! I’d been touched by that man and called a freak, which left me feeling impure and helpless, and to make matters worse, his blood was still splattered on the side of my bed.Marcia tried talking me out of this state, but I wasn’t listening to her at times. I didn’t do this on purpose; I just couldn’t shake that horrible scene out of the forefront of my mind.“What could I do to help you?” she asked me, pulling me from the depths of my thoughts. “Get me out of here,” I suggested. “I can’t do that,” she replied in a low voice. “I feel for you, Eva, I really do, but if it is Cyrus’ wish to keep you here, then you will not be able to escape him. Unless he changes his mind.”“How do I make him change his mind?” I enquired. “This place is a nightmare, and I want nothing more than the comfort of the Convent. It was a part of my life since I was a b