Lucian’s POV
As I rode through the countryside, the scenery passing me by in a blur, my thoughts were fixated on the dark haired girl that I had in my home.
I had decided to take this journey to make an important negotiation with a pack, to focus on matters of the pack and put aside the tumultuous feelings she stirred within me. But it seemed that even the rolling hills and verdant forests couldn't banish her from my mind.
I could still smell her sweet scent on my clothes and feel the softness of her skin beneath my fingers. Every time I closed my eyes, I saw her face, her dark curls tumbling down her back, her full lips curved in a smile. Her bright blue eyes that always seemed to be filled with fear, no matter how I try to act as normal as I could be.
Even as my beta recounted pack affairs, I struggled to concentrate. His words were a mere buzz in my ears, drowned out by the incessant echo of Amara's voice. It was as if she had taken root in my mind, a stubborn weed that refused to be plucked.
I shook my head, trying to rid myself of the thoughts. It was foolish to be so preoccupied with a woman, especially one who was not even my mate nor wife. But every time I closed my eyes, I saw her face, felt her touch.
I knew deep down that I was merely running from my feelings, and that until I confronted them, they would continue to haunt me. I had damaged her, I wanted to view her as just someone to discard after her job is done but it was so goddamn hard. I couldn't just let her go; I have grown possessive of her. And I want to make amends. To make her feel better than I did in the past.
After I got back to the estate, my idea was to summon her to my chambers. I felt guilty, though I would never apologize but at least maybe flowers would make her day. Not sure.
Then, I decided to just visit her chambers. And now here I was, in her chambers, staring at the empty space where Amara used to be. Marcus, my beta, walked in and gave me a questioning look.
"You summoned me. How was the trip?" he asked.
I shrugged. "A success but also disappointing. I couldn't focus on anything except her. It's like she's haunting me. I can't just get her off my mind."
Marcus sighed. "You seem more obsessed than I thought. Maybe it's time to let her go. It was a well planned escape. Something she has probably been planning it for weeks. She doesn't want to be here. Besides, she wasn't even able to breed a son for you. Just let her leave. "
I felt a surge of anger rise within me. "Don't you dare suggest that. I won't give up on her. She might even be with child right now. I need to know. "
"Just forget about that nobody. She isn't even worthy to bear your seed. There are so many other clean ladies out there who can bear your child" Marcus said.
"Don't you ever in your entire life refer to her as a nobody", I growled at him.
I turned to Elsie, Amara's maid. "Elsie, where is Amara?" I demanded.
Elsie shook her head. "I don't know, Your Highness. She disappeared in the night. I searched for her but couldn't find her."
My frustration grew, and I clenched my fists. "You know more than you're letting on, Elsie. She wouldn't have been able to escape without help."
Elsie looked down, avoiding my gaze. "I swear, I know nothing. I would never betray you or Amara."
I took a deep breath, trying to calm myself down. I knew Elsie was telling the truth. We had been close since childhood.
"Fine. But if you hear anything, anything at all, you'll come to me immediately. Understood?"
Elsie nodded, and I could see the relief on her face. "Of course, Your Highness. You have my loyalty."
I dismissed her with a wave of my hand, lost in my thoughts once again. I knew I had to find Amara before it was too late.
Just as I was about to leave the room, Elsie stopped me. "Your Highness, may I speak with you for a moment?"
I turned to her, curious. "What is it, Elsie?"
"Why do you need her back, Your Highness?" Elsie asked. "Do you truly care for her or is it just a matter of pride?"
I felt a pang of guilt at her words, realizing that my actions might have come off as possessive rather than caring. But I knew deep down that it was more than just pride.
"I don't know. Sometimes there is no reason for something. But I know this is not about pride. This is just about something that I can't explain." I said, my voice low and sincere. Elsie was like a second mother to me and she would understand me best. She could understand the feelings I could not put into words.
"I just want to see her one more time and make sure she is fine.” My wolf seemed to happily agree to that idea when I said that, feeling a bit relaxed than it did when we had discovered that Amara was missing.
Elsie's expression softened and she hesitated before speaking. "She ran off to the south, Your Highness. She's headed towards the mountains. To my cousin. I have no idea if she will still be there at this time but you can try."
Relief flooded through me, and I couldn't help but feel grateful for Elsie's loyalty and willingness to help.
"Thank you, Elsie," I said, giving her a small smile. "You don't know how much this means to me."
As I left the room, I felt a newfound determination to find Amara and bring her back to me.
I looked at Marcus who stood not too far from me and gave him a stern look.
“Gather the search troops and find her”
~Amara~ My body stilled and I came to a halt as I heard the voice very close to me. Elsie had told me about some wolves who had been ostracized by Lucian for betraying the pack and how they always roam around in anger, killing anyone who comes from the pack. I can’t even decide between them and wolf hunters who I should be more scared about. My hands instinctively went to my belly and I sent a silent prayer up to the moon goddess to protect me and my baby from whatever this is. I slowly turned around and came face to face with perhaps the ugliest man I have ever met in my entire existence. He was burly and tall with a wicked sneer on his face. A fresh cut which was perhaps gotten during a tussle lined his left cheek. When he opened his mouth to speak, his breath reeked of a mix of garlic and alcohol. “You reek of ShadowClaw. Aren’t you the little wolf that Lucian has been hiding from everyone else like a priceless trophy? Hm?” I shuddered when his fingers brushed my skin. This sud
Adrik paced the breadth and length of his study impatiently, huffing as he did so. “Where is she? Where are they? Why aren’t they here yet?” Adrik’s right hand man Chad, sat on a 1990 classic grey chair and motioned for him to do the same. “Calm down Adrik. I’m sure they’ll be here any minute from now. She’s too weak for them not to be able to handle” “This wouldn’t be the first time that they’re disappointing me. Sometimes I wonder if I should have just gotten myself more suitable persons to handle the work for me” He sat on the edge of the chair, the ring on his forefinger impatiently hitting against the table in front of him. His eyes flew to the clock on the wall and trailed out back to the window. One could easily see that his patience had run thin. What if those idiots failed to deliver the job as promised? Getting that woman would mean killing two birds with a stone. His grand plan will finally work as he will have the special child immediately after he is born. The bonus po
I see you’ve gotten the tropy that you have been looking for”. A middle aged woman who looked like she had seen the worst things that life had to offer, sat on a couch in Adrik’s sitting room, her legs crossed. She gave a lopsided grin while looking at Adrik who was fixing them some drinks at his private bar. Adrik turned with two glasses of wine and walked slowly towards her, a victorious glint shining through her eyes. He handed one glass to her and took a sip from his. “For a supposed trophy that has been causing havoc in my kingdom, I expected much. But she was just average” “Well, she hasn’t been treated well by your aides, not that we want to spoil her but you should know that she is carrying the child that you have always wanted. Nothing should happen to it until it is born” Adrik nodded. “I know that. That is why I still have the patience to tolerate whatever is spilling from her mouth. Such hassles". The woman smiled and fixed Adrik a serious gaze. “What are you going
I woke up with a throbbing headache and a split skull. Yep, I could definitely say that my skull was split in two because why do I feel like someone performed an acrobatic on them? I tried to move my hands and met with stiff opposition. I pulled a little bit hard and was rewarded with a sharp pain in my wrist. Startled, I opened my eyes and looked over at my hand. I was chained to the head of a bed with a handcuff. I looked around the room; this definitely wasn't the prison that I was confined to. This space was much better and cleaner. It almost looked like a normal person’s home but I knew that having a home was far from me. “Sweet. You’re awake. I was wondering whether to baptize you with a pack of ice cubes. Thankfully you got the memo before you woke” My head turned to the sound of the voice. It was him. The same werewolf who had ordered my abduction. Then the realization hit me. I was supposed to have been out of here by now. I pretended that I had collapsed after they ope
I looked at the petite omega who was brushing my hair. She looked so thin that I wondered if the last time that she ate good food was weeks ago. Are omegas treated that badly in this pack? Lucian, no matter how ruthless he was, never treated an omega badly to this extent. Not again. How did Lucian’s name come up again? I really need to find a way to get rid of the thoughts that keep intruding into my head. I sighed and looked at the omega through the mirror. “Why did Alpha Adrik order that I be cleaned and brought to his bedroom?” She kept on brushing my hair, pretending to not understand what I was saying. Were they sworn to an oath of secrecy too? This pack is strange for all the right reasons. Adrik must have them at the edge of their seats. Is he that ruthless? Even more than Lucian? Uh-uh Here we go again. That’s it. No more. I sat up and looked at myself in the mirror. Within a few days, my eyes have sunk a little into my sockets and my collarbone has become a bit conspi
The shock of the impact paralyzed me for some seconds before I finally regained myself. I had it coming right? I mean, dress up and come to my bed equaled this, didn't it?He pressed me more into him, all the while forcing his tongue down my throat. His breath tasted like rotten tuna and his animalistic growls made me want to tear him apart. Not in a good way, trust me. My opinion wasn’t any of his concern as he continued his assault on me with his hands.His mouth finally left mine and went down to my neck and I got a much-needed breather. I could feel him growing harder and harder on me and his ragged breath poured on my ears like a generator that would soon run out of fuel. Maybe his mate would have found it sexy but I definitely did not. I wanted to get out of this room; I wanted him to get his hands off me. And goddess knows that I wanted to choke him so much there and then.“Get on the bed and spread your legs”, he ordered gruffly.I swallowed hard and pressed my lips together.
“Amy…wake up Amy”A guttural sound that I was never sure could come out from my vocal cords escaped my lips. Someone was shaking me frantically and whoever this person was, he or she was bent on stripping me of the rest that I had managed to get not too long ago after the excruciatingly tiring tasks that Adrik signed over to me for the day.I tried to move my feet but they proved uncooperative, like they were tied together and placed underneath some kind of rock. Yep, that was how tired I was. And honestly, all I wanted to do was lie back and enjoy the little solitude that I had left before the next morning. but this person was insistent.Oh, goddess! Has Adrik sent one of his thugs to come pick me up for another tete-a-tete? I had barely survived the last desecration which he made on my body and I am not yet ready for another one.Surely he cannot be this insatiable when it comes to women? And besides he has a whole harem. What’s
Days after the incident with Alpha Adrik, I was let off on some heavy jobs that I had been doing. I know that I should be glad and even grateful for that but you know what they say about dining with the devil. One has to use a long fork to be prepared for when he decides to suddenly tear your throat out from your neck in the middle of dining. I was worried. I worried that by the time he decided that I must have been healthy enough to start the tasks again, he would increase it to three times whatever I used to do. Honestly, I’d much rather continue at this pace. But how can I stand against the almighty Adrik’s decree? I decided to take a little walk around the garden of the manor to clear my head because it was a little fuzzy. All my plans to leave this place have fallen through and from the hard-faced warriors that I see at every corner of the manor, I just knew that escaping this hell is not a reality anymore. A tiny kick in my belly suddenly rooted me to a stop. I gasped in surpr