I move back from Xiomara and lean against the wall. The gravity of what Iâve just said seems to sink in and she crosses her arms over her ample chest. âSo, in other words, I am your prisoner,â she says, jutting out her chin in defiance and I canât help but chuckle.âAre you forgetting that your father gave you away? Youâre more like a gift, but one I didnât exactly ask for,â I say and grit my teeth. This seems to make her eyes narrow at me. âWhat is that supposed to mean? If you do not want me, thereâs always an option to return to sender,â she says, and Iâm not sure if sheâs actually being serious, but I burst out laughing anyway.âOh, Bambi, do you think thatâs possible in your position? Youâre the daughter of an Alpha, an important chess piece that your father needs to move so his pack can advance,â I say and walk towards her. âYou can be lucky you were given to me and not some warrior with an affinity for violence.âShe sucks in a breath but maintains her defensive position. âYo
I am going to kill him.Who the hell does he think he is? ÂĄDios mĂo! I am not going to survive this without spilling blood, and I donât mean mine!Pacing the floor of what I now know is my prison, I try to come up with some plan of escape. But when I looked outside throughout the day and saw there was no gap between the patrol and how high the gates were, I knew that there would be no escaping for me.And as much as I want to drive a steak knife through Maximâs eye, it would surely lead to my death. So what am I going to do? I want nothing more than to escape here and from my exchange with Maxim earlier, he doesnât want this either.But a Beta is loyal to his Alpha, I suppose.My shoulders sag in defeat and I sink down onto the soft bed, feeling annoyed at how absolutely plush and comfortable it feels. I want to hate it here, I want to pitch a fit and fight my way out of thisâŠBut is it wise? I have nowhere to return to, those thieves stole my money in the alleyway and I defected from
XiomaraI donât know what I expected from this Luna, but her pure kindness isnât something I banked on. She could have easily let me be and not tried to make nice or whatever, but instead, she sent her literal protection away so she can talk to me.And what did I do? I was a complete bitch to her.âWhy donât we sit down?â She says with a small smile. âPreferably before Maxim comes back here and says our hour together is up.âThat actually makes me give her a small smile. We walk over to the sofas and sit down; me with my hands clasped tightly in front of me and her looking comfortable, wearing that smile still on her face.I wonder if sheâs ever suffered, or worked a day in her life. How easy things must be for her as a Luna; I wish I had the same options, and yet I am nothing but a sold bride.âLet me start by saying that you are not a prisoner here; if you wish to leave, the door is right there,â she says, surprising me. Could this be true? Can I just leave here and no one would sto
Things between Maxim and me seem to be progressing. By progressing, I mean weâre civil to each other now and I donât feel like I want to kill him. Now I just want to lightly strangle him.He doesnât bother me and I donât bother him. We keep out of each otherâs way and I find it surprisingly pleasant when Iâm sitting on the balcony in my bedroom just staring over the estate.Itâs beautiful here, but I am way too stubborn to appreciate the beauty.Luna Mia hasnât been back since I saw her last, apparently, her son has a bit of a cold so sheâs reluctant to leave his side. Itâs understandable and Iâm actually glad sheâs a caring Luna - unlike most out there.A knock sounds at my bedroom door and I frown; when I walk over to open it, I get more of a surprise when I see Maxim standing there. âLuna Mia wants me to take you to the packhouse so you can meet the other brides. Are you okay to go?â I blink when I realize heâs actually asking me if Iâm okay to go. Out of the house. With him. Heâs
I donât know how to answer that question, so I just shake my head. âLet us head back, hmm?â I say in an attempt to change the subject and thankfully she doesnât press me.When we get back to the other women, Luna Mia gets to her feet and walks over to me. âAre you okay? Do you want to go home?â she asks, and I nearly laugh at her use of the word âhomeâ when talking about Maximâs place.I shake my head. âItâs okay, Iâm alright,â I say and am about to walk away when she gently grabs my shoulders and shoots me an apologetic look.âIs this about Maximâs decision? Are you upset about it?â she asks, and now itâs my turn to frown.âWhat do you mean?â I ask, cocking my head to the side. âWhat decision?âThe look on her face tells me sheâs just told me something I was not supposed to know. Her eyes widen and her mouth opens in a gasp; then she puts her hand in front of her mouth. âOhâŠOh, Xiomara, Iâm so sorry! I shouldnât have mentioned a thing!âI cross my arms and feel myself glaring. âWhat
Maxim left sometime during the night and didnât even bother to say goodbye to me. I donât know what I was thinking anyway, after we fucked last night, I ran to my bedroom and left him standing there. I know it was stupid! But I couldnât face him after what we did, knowing I willingly gave myself to him like that made me feel cheap. We hate-fucked, itâs the worst kind but also the kind that sticks with you.What's even worse than this is that I won't be seeing Maxim for a while; Iâll probably be gone by the time he comes back. There will be no time for us to talk about this; but do I honestly want us to talk about it?Argh, this is going to drive me crazy. Perhaps I should speak to the Alpha about not sending me away until Maxim gets back; but would he listen to me, though?Before I can wallow more, my bedroom door bursts open and I nearly scream⊠only to see the Gammaâs brides and Luna Mia streaming in and jumping onto my bed. âWha-ââWeâre hijacking you for the day,â Eden says as s
MaximThree weeks in and weâve finally decided to infiltrate the insurgent Rogue pack. Ghost and Descry are out circling the perimeter, while Iâm checking my weapons knowing that shifting wonât help in this case even if my wolf is powerful.To take these fuckers down, I need to think like a hunter. This pack has decimated two new ones integrating with ours, so itâs my duty to remove them. Theyâre Mikhail loyalists and our direct enemy, so we have to be on our toes.Throughout this, I have to force myself not to think about my last night with Xiomara. She fit me perfectly, both her pussy and her mouth. I didnât want to stop; I wanted to get lost in her, wanted to fucking give myself to her and tell her we can stop the bullshit.But then a look of shame filled her as she swallowed me down and she bolted before I could tell her I wanted this and so much more. I knew she wouldnât listen to me, not when she felt ashamed of what I made her feel.And now all I can see is that look in her eye
My body feels like it's been put through a fucking meat grinder. Every inch of my skin is like itâs on fire and when I breathe, it feels like Iâm gargling vodka. Flashes of memory appear in my peripheral vision and I vaguely recall getting home, but thatâs about it.I open my eyes and groan at the harsh sunlight streaming into the room, and itâs only when my eyes adjust that I realize Iâm back in my bedroom. I lift my hand to shield my eyes from the light, but it feels like my arm is being held down.Sweet jasmine and lavender.Turning my head to the left, my eyes widen when I see Xiomara on the floor with her hand on my arm and her head resting against the mattress. Itâs like she fell asleep right here, but why would she? Not only that but her hands are bloodied, almost as ifâŠI look down at my body only to see the bandages and when I lift the covers; I notice that I am naked. All the silver shrapnel and bullets have been removed from my flesh and my body cleaned up.Xiomara tended t