Esmeralda
Disbelief washed over my face at the recognition of the voice.
So clear, yet ambiguous.
So calm, yet dangerous.
So brief, yet confusing.
So deadly, yet charming.
Surely, it belonged to Phoebe… but at the same time, it sounded like Vanessa’s. Stealing a glance at the figure before me to clear my doubt, I was greeted with confusion.
How could one voice sound like that of two people?
Or were ears deceiving me?
How could Vanessa possess such a physique as Phoebe? I was sure my eyes weren’t deceiving me either.
“Vanessa?” I asked in a whisper, trying to steady my breath but it only worsened.
“In the flesh,” She replied, filling the air with a deadly aura that choked me.
I should have known that this girl was dangerous.
She never spewed empty threats.
That instant, I knew I was done.
“You should have stayed in your lane, but you chose to cross it,” She continued, filling the air with her deadly voice, “You messed with the wrong girl. Now, I will show you what I am made of,” A dangerous smirk played on her lips, making me gasp in fear, pressing my body hard against the wall as if to disappear into it.
Taking a few daring steps toward me, enclosing the space between us, her hands found their way to my shirt, squeezing it hard and forcing my eyes to look at hers.
A cold wave of uncertainty embalmed me and my heart sank into a bottomless abyss as her hands travelled to her claws hanging in the air, ready to sink into my flesh.
I could swear that I died many times.
Her unblinking eyes pinned me down as she watched me like a hawk watching its prey.
Except she was the hawk.
And I was the prey. Defenceless. Weak. Vulnerable.
Can’t someone walk into this moment and save me from my death?
I could smell death at the corner of the hallway, patiently waiting for my soul to be delivered.
With wide-horrified eyes, I watched her, waiting for her next move and in a twinkle of an eye, Vanessa vanished, replaced with Phoebe, watching me keenly with her blazing hazel eyes.
“Phoebe, please,” I muttered, struggling with tears.
A deafening scream escaped my lips as I jerked to be free from her grasp.
Why was Phoebe doing this to me?
When I thought she was gone for good, she haunts me in every way.
And now, she was haunting me with Vanessa’s face.
Was she doing this on purpose? Or was it my imagination?
When will I be free?
“Quiet, bitch!” She snapped, yanking my hair hard as her face slowly replaced Vanessa’s, “Good girl,” A satisfactory smile replaced the smirk on her face. Just as the smile appeared, it vanished in a blink of an eye, replaced with a mighty frown.
Her long sharp claws found their way to my hair, shoving it aside so that my neck came into view.
I swallowed hard, my heart pounding loud as the thought of her next move lingered on my mind.
“You will go nowhere close to the Alpha,” Her breath fanned my partly closed eyes as her claws reached for my neck, grazing my skin gently before sinking them in.
Biting my lips hard I swallowed the yelp that threatened to escape from it.
Watching me cry was the last thing I wanted.
“Anytime you see me in the Alpha’s quarters, you will mind your business while I mind mine and we will work together,”
Her claws dug into my flesh again as she stared at me. Eyes wide, observing my reactions, but she was left with none.
“Hand me the keys?” She demanded, stretching out her hands at my face.
“What?” I gasped, surprised at her request, “I promise, they are not with me,”
“I should have known. A filthy bitch like you is not worthy of holding the Alpha’s keys,”
Ouch!
“I will spare you if you abide by the rules. If not, I won’t hesitate to bury you alive. Is that understood?” She growled, making me nod my head vigorously.
She was scaring the hell out of me.
Why does she have to take over from where Phoebe stopped?
I swallowed the tears that burned my eyes, refusing to give my emotions away.
“Don’t forget that I am watching you. You think I don’t know that you are not from this Pack? Your scent is different from the rest of us here. And that of your stupid witch friend,”
She is not stupid. I screamed in my mind, afraid to voice out my words.
“Lastly, if you tell anyone about our encounter, I will kill you before you can say Jack,” She added, disappearing from my face as she appeared. Leaving me all alone in the darkness.
My hand found my chest, clutching it hard as I sank to the floor in a kneeling position, gasping for breath.
Her presence seemed to suck the air, leaving me breathless.
The atmosphere was calm now, and the aura shifted from danger but fear still lurked in my heart, paralyzing me to my bones.
What if Phoebe was still in the darkness, gawking at me silently, waiting patiently to attack…
My eyes sprang open, searching in the darkness as my heart pounded against my ribs.
Fear cloaked me like a garment, seizing the air as my breathing became erratic.
“I don’t like it here,” I whispered into the darkness, hoping some prince charming could save me as tears flowed freely from my eyes.
The atmosphere was harsh and unwelcoming, filled with sick people.
I wish I could escape, but I knew it was impossible as Alpha Kade won’t give me any chance of freedom. I was his mate and I belonged to him.
Now I knew the Moon goddess hated me for mating me with Alpha Kade.
Echoes of light footsteps that resonated throughout the room sprang me up to my feet and I hurriedly wiped my tears to avoid anyone noticing.
Peering into the darkness, my eyes met a tired-looking Jade with beads of sweat forming on her forehead, beside her was Vanessa looking all sweet and radiant.
A look from her sent me almost crashing against the bench.
What was she doing here?
Why was she with Jade?
Something was fishy.