Esmeralda
The night was long and terrifying.
I couldn’t sleep all night as I was afraid of what he would do to me.
The sounds of his constant mumbling, groaning and jerking kept my eyes glued on him.
And his cursing too.
Sometimes, he whispered words that sounded like pleas while sometimes, he shouted from his sleep like someone was after him or chasing him in a hot pursuit.
It was strange because I had never imagined anything could make this monstrous Alpha behave vulnerable in his sleep.
I couldn’t fathom what was happening to him but I knew it was a dream.
A bad dream. His worst nightmare.
But what kind of dream frightens the Alpha of the Dark Moon Pack?
Suddenly, he woke up, gasping and panting hard. My blood almost froze when he shot me a deadly glare. But after a few seconds, he went back to sleep.
It didn’t take long before the jerking began again.
The second time was the worst.
He jumped on the bed like he saw a ghost in his dream and dashed out of the room.
What in the world was troubling his sleep?
Whatever it was, I could tell that it was powerful.
My body relaxed in his absence.
Though I tried to sleep, sleep eluded me.
I was afraid of not being conscious when he returned.
I didn’t want him to touch me in inappropriate places.
To my relief, he didn’t come back to the room.
Though my mind was at ease, I wouldn’t deny that I was still scared.
I hope he doesn’t come back.
I didn’t realize when I fell asleep until I heard chains rattling.
Something brushed my hand and my eyes flew open at once.
He had come to take me!
The fear that gripped my heart melted away when my eyes met with an unfamiliar guard.
Thank goddess.
“Get up and follow me,” His hoarse voice filled my ears and I followed him dutifully, ignoring Emerald’s disapproving groans.
It was high time I listened to myself and stopped allowing Emerald to control me.
I didn’t want any trouble from them.
I have been beaten enough and my body aches from constant lashes.
I kept following him into the darkness even when I didn’t know where he was taking me.
But I knew it was the Alpha’s order.
I halted when he signalled to me to stop walking.
My gaze travelled around, but I didn’t see the Alpha anywhere.
I thought the guard was taking me to him.
Was he avoiding me?
Maybe he wants to change my room.
At least I wouldn’t be scared that he would take advantage of me any time.
To my surprise, He grabbed my arm after fumbling with a padlock and threw me roughly into a dark cell.
It wasn’t surprising anymore, how I get thrown into cells every now and then.
Maybe it was my home. It’s time I faced reality.
I didn’t care if I was in a cell, as long as it was far away from that devil.
The guard left without wasting time after locking the cell with three large padlocks.
My hope dashed when I saw him take the bunch of keys.
Fuck!
There was no way I was leaving this hellhole.
But what did I do?
Why would he have me thrown in a cell?
Maybe he was tired of seeing my face.
Or maybe he didn’t want me to stain his bedroom as a slave.
“Esmeralda!” A voice called in the darkness when the door closed.
I muffled a scream, jumping as my heart almost flew out of my ribcage.
Who the fuck was that?
“It’s me, Selene,”
“Do you fucking want to give me high blood pressure?” I asked, hitting her shoulder as my hand rested on my chest.
“You almost killed me. You know how much I hate dark places, then you did that?” I hissed, fuming in anger.
“Sorry. I just wanted you to know I was here,” She apologized, pulling me in a warm embrace.
Good thing Selene was here. I was not alone.
But what did Selene do?
“Are you fine?” She asked.
“Obviously, I’m not,” I chuckled.
“Did you do something? I got an order that Aphelion wants me behind bars this morning,” She explained, pinning her eyes on me as if reading the answers.
“Same. Except the guard just instructed me to follow him without telling me where he was going. Then I met myself here, with you,” I said, letting out a bitter laugh.
Crazy right?
When your life is crumbling before your eyes and it’s still funny.
“So you didn’t do anything?” She asked keenly.
“I didn’t, except Emerald’s constant disagreement with him beating or trying to force himself on me,”
“Did he succeed?” Fear gripped her voice.
“He didn’t. Something always interrupts him,”
“Thank goodness,” She let out a sigh of relief.
“Did you offend him?” I asked.
“I didn’t do anything. I’m just confused. At least, I’m far away from those bullies.
We stopped talking when the door opened. Before us were two plump women clad in cream uniforms, holding cleaning equipment… And lamps.
Their scent gave them away as Omegas and their uniforms gave them away as cleaners.
I hope they brought some food.
Selene held my hand in support as we watched them move toward us without saying a word.
They buried themselves in their work, cleaning the bloodstained cell that smelt of death.
In no time they were done. Without spilling words to us, they carried their equipment out of the cell.
Before one left, she gave me a pitiful look before turning to her colleague.
“They are too pretty to be hung. It’s a pity,”
“Poor girl, her execution is in two days. I wondered what she did to the Alpha,”
The other said before locking the door, leaving us in darkness once more.
Fear seized my heart at their confessions.
Their words rang in my head repeatedly and I seized Selene by her dress.
“Did you hear that?” I asked breathlessly, “The Alpha is going to kill us. We would be hung to death,”
My world came crashing at the thought of dying.
My hands brushed my neck and I broke down in tears.
I would be hung to death in the next two days and there was nothing I could do about it.
I couldn’t even escape. The pack was guarded heavily and the keys were with the guard that left some minutes ago.
I let out a loud wail, screaming my lungs out when I remembered those words again.
How didn’t I see it coming?
Of course, he would have me killed.
I was the Luna of his rival and it would be his pleasure to make me suffer the way he did to Kade’s family.
I was on my own. No one would save me.
The cold locket brushed my skin and my mind flew to Madam Dora, Jade and Amelia.
They all think I am in the human world now.
They didn’t know that my days were numbered.
“Calm down, Esmeralda, crying won’t help,” Selene tried to console me but I had had enough of the consoling.
“We can escape,”
“How?” I asked angrily while she kept mute.
I ignored her, screaming loudly as anger tore in my chest.
The angrier I became, the more I felt something wake within me.
The feeling was surreal, I couldn’t explain it.
It charged me from within, leaving me with electrocutions each time an angry scream tore off my throat.
I couldn’t stop it. It was consuming me.
Emerald’s angry roar worsened the situation as my head began to spin.
I wasn’t in control of my body anymore.
Something was driving me with full force from the inside.
Something powerful.
I growled loudly as the force threw me on the floor.
“Esmeralda?” Selene called in a shaky voice.
“Don’t take it to heart, he might change his mind,”
He was not changing anything.
Once the Alpha’s mind was made up, nothing changed it.
“Selene…” I called softly before my eyes closed and I embraced the darkness.
The last thing I heard was Selene’s desperate screams for help.
***
I woke up with a start, wincing in pain. Everywhere ached.
What happened to me?
Why was I laying on the floor?
A sharp pain in my head made me scream.
“Esmeralda!” Selene yelled in excitement before rushing to meet me.
“I knew you would come back to me,” She hugged me… more like squeezed me as she sobbed softly.
“You were out for days. I was scared to death. Don’t ever scare me like that again,” She hit me lightly before burying her head in my neck.
“What happened to you? I didn’t know what happened. I didn’t know what to do. I tried to call for help but no one was willing to help us. I cried all day while watching you lay unconsciously,”
“It’s fine, Selene. I’m feeling much better now,” I replied, sitting up.
“Where did you go? What did you see?” She asked.
“I didn’t know but I saw myself in the past where my mum kept telling me how powerful I was and how the time to use my powers was fast approaching,” I racked my head to remember.
The beautiful image of my mum’s face filled my head.
“What did she say you need to do? And what is happening?” Selene asked impatiently.
“I don’t know. I saw some strange things about me and I am sure that it’s the reason Phoebe keeps haunting me. She said things to me but I couldn’t hear them. I think it’s locked in memory,” I said, looking up at her as if expecting her to do something.
“You are saying you went into a trance…”
“Yes, and I was told about my real power and identity. But to use them, I was told to leave this place,” My face dropped in a frown.
“I don’t know how that will ever be possible,” I added.
“It will be fine. I’m sure there will be a way. We will find a way,” She assured.
“I don’t see how. We can’t find the keys or anyone to help as Madam Dora did,” I blurted.
We were doomed.
We will die here.
It was only a matter of…
“Wait a minute,” I called Selene, my eyes widening in disbelief, “How many days was I out?”
“Two days,” She blurted.
I gasped loudly, “So we would be killed… today?”
“Yes. I heard it will be in the evening,” She confirmed.
“Then we must get out of here fast,” My heart raced in anxiety.
I searched around for any object that I could use to break the iron bars but there was none.
My eyes rose to meet Selene when she laughed strangely.
What was funny?
“Look at you,” She said amid laughter.
My brows creased at her actions.
Was she mad?
“What’s funny Selene?” I asked, keeping a straight face.
“What are you looking for?”
“Anything that can open the door. And you should help in the search too, not just laughing like some lunatic,”
“You seem to forget something,” She said, smiling sweetly.
“What?” I asked as my mind flew to many things.
What was I forgetting?
“Firstly, I am a witch. The only way to live here is by casting spells. I will cast a spell and we will teleport to anywhere,” She said proudly.
“But… you said you were not so sure about your powers,” I said unconvinced.
“I know but I practiced a lot in the Blood Moon Pack and part of it worked,”
“So you are saying, you want us to teleport?” I asked while she nodded, “To where?”
“Your past, where those precious memories were locked. That is the best way we can escape from that monster. No one can find us in the past,”
Sounds convincing.
“Are you sure?”
“There is no harm in trying,” She replied, flexing her fingers before stretching her hand to meet mine.
“You may want to hang on,” She held me in a firm grip as she muttered some strange words.
The heavy wind blew, scattering things and making them fly around, almost hitting us.
“We landed on our butts as the wind threw us roughly.
“Fuck! That was wild,” Selene said as she lifted me to my feet.
“It fucking worked. Your spells worked. You are a badass witch!” I laughed, hugging Selene who smiled proudly.
The Alpha of the Dark Moon Pack would receive the shock of his life when he finds the cell empty and disorganized.
My eyes swept the house in front of me. My old house.
A smile crept on my face when I saw my mum walk into the house from work before yelling out my name as she climbed the front porch.
This was it. My past.
“Go on, I’ll be waiting,” Selene urged, but this strange feeling wouldn’t stop stirring within me.
“Hold on,” I held her back, “I just want to ask, if you can bring us here, can you take us back into the present?”
Please say yes.
“Uhm,” I could hear Selene’s heartbeat increase and a dreadful feeling washed over her.
Her eyes met mine, pleading before they sank to her feet.
I knew the answer before she said it.
We are screwed for life!