I woke up few hours later to see it was evening already, I was clueless to know the hours that had gone by since I passed out, my head felt giddy and heavy at the same time. The events of the day came rushing back to my memory and I felt a pang of anger.
I vowed to make Lucas and Jennifer pay for what they did to me I tried moving only to realize my hands and legs were tied up, my stomach still hurting from Lucas punch growled because I barely ate since my mother's demise. When I heard the sound of laughter from the devil-duo, they were laughing in mockery at my pathetic state. I felt a splash of cold water on my face, an act that made my sun-tanned skin redder that it was.
“Look at how pathetic you look, If only you hadn't tried to trap Lucas into marriage using your mother fake health status as a plot to make him get married to you. I would have spared you, darling old friend.” Jennifer spatted out in a cruel voice making me wonder if this was the same sweet girl I shared my candies and sweet cotton with, whom I got hurt for many times from bullies during childhood. I widened my eyes seeing a gun in Lucas, he was caressing the gun with the usual wicked smirk on his face.
“Let me do the honor, darling.” And I saw him placed the gun in her hands obediently. She crocked the gun and pointed towards my direction, I had managed to unite my right hand when a silver bullet hits my shout with a swift force. I got thrown backward due to the impact that caught me by surprise. My head spins as I tried to grab a chair near the dinning area with my free hand.
“You are a disgusting wannabe!” Jennifer’s voice echoed in my head. I felt remorse forever trusting Lucas that he would cherish and protect me.
“Did you think I was going to marry you? Lucas chipped in with disgust written over his face. “My father purposely arranged a marriage between the two leading parks for our family personal gains, I wasn't going to marry you anyway whether you accept it or not. Anyway I don't need to explain myself. After you're gone. I'm going to be the most powerful Alpha leader of both Nombre and Red Moon parks.” Lying down in a pool of blood unable to digest Lucas confessions of wanting to marrying me the first place when I heard him spoke again.
“With your weak mother gone like the west wind. Did you think I would keep you alive? Lucas leans towards me with a disgusting grin plastered on his face, his green eyes shining threateningly as he speaks.
“You are not that important, Annie. You're nothing, more useless , just like your mother, and you deserve a painful death just like hers.”
“What did I ever did to you? My voice trembles with tears flowing down my cheeks. My vision was becoming blur, rapidly weakening me. I can't believe I was so foolish to get ensnared into the game of these two, less than few hours ago Jennifer was consoling me at my mother's funeral and now she was a traitor standing in full glory in full glory glory staring at me with a satisfied pleasure. I was so foolish and naive, I never imagined they concocted evil plans against me until today. It was more of a harboured hatred and a planned work from the beginning. I was the fool who never noticed Lucas has nothing but ill feeling towards despite putting my trust in him. All the people I regarded as family has betrayed me.
“You will no longer be a burden in my life, Annie, not in Jennifer's. It will be my utmost pleasure to send you to hell along with your parents.
I remember how Lucas had showered me with affection in the past, why couldn't I read in between the lines that he never loved me, his family just coveted me because I was the sole heir to my family dynasty and I never imagined in the whole wide world that Lucas was concocting a sinister plan against me.
My heart shatters in the moment. I always believed my father's death happened in a strange circumstances. Now there's no doubt Lucas and his treacherous family had something to do with my father's death, rumours in town said before my father's untimely death, he was last seen with Lucas, my mother and I had refused to pay heed to those rumours. Because I was blinded by love for him, my mother also trusted him because he became a pillar. She had no doubt about him
Now more than ever I was convinced Lucas had something to do with my father's tragic death.
More than ever I wanted to stay alive and extract revenge, now I wished I explored them earlier to have an escape option.
Lucas's evil smirk was the last thing I saw before another muffled shot resonated throughout the wood.
The last shot forcefully pierces through my chest. I barely managed to look up to the faces of the two people who hated me so much.
“Why Lucas?” I managed to ask with a half howl, anguished and broken. “Why are you doing this to me?
Nothing prepared me for this moment l was too naive for the evil that surrounded me.
I was lost with a lot of unanswered questions.
A sharp pain and dizziness suddenly attacked me. Instinctively I brought both hands to my chest feeling something breaking inside.
“I hate you, Annie Baltimore and I hope you rot in hell forever and ever.” I could only emit a loud cry of pain and despair.
At that moment Jennifer shot me with another bullet taking me with surprise, she was more than eager to get rid of me.
“I accept your rejection,” I managed to say before darkness and oblivion completely took over me, another dreadful howl this time from Lucas reverberated through the vast wood dispersing every living thing from the vast wood.
“How do we dispose of the body without being seen? Jennifer ask Lucas with concern.
“I have perfect plan for that, we will dispose of the body by the table-white cliff outskirts of town. I planted lots of Alibis Incase the town nosy sheriff ask any questions or poses any threat, because I know he would've let this slid easily. Let get going so we can dispose of the body, the moon is out already, a perfect timing.” Assisting Lucas to thrown Annie's corpse off the cliff. She was damn happy things went according to plans, looking at Lucas with an accelerated breathing. Finally he will be completely be hers even though she has been marked by him, she was finally going to be his sole Luna, the stars really aligned in her favour.
Lucas looks at his shotgun and places it carefully in his pocket, making sure no one saw them.
“Don’t worry my queen ,I told you no one comes around here and she is dead and gone from our lives forever.
Hearing a gasp but from the distance, so he doesn't pay any attention to it nor worry about anything else.
Jennifer was right after all, everything turned out well. Annie Baltimore is dead and now the entire parks of nombre and red moon belonged to him, the future Alpha.
I woke up with a full ache in my head, realizing I had been dreaming and groaning in pain. Letting out a low curse, I felt a bandage wrapped around my head which was a physical reminder of how I escaped death.
The sun halos brimmed through the window, I glanced to see myself in a dimly lit room. I glanced towards the other side of the bed fixed with blood drip.
My wolf body drained and worn out from the profound effect of the silver bullets shot in to my bloodstream, letting out a low curse, I had underestimated the pain of silver bullets and I never knew it would be this agonizing.
I felt a bandage wrapped around my head, which was a physical reminder of how I escaped death.
I felt empty—hollowed our by grief and loss as the weight of memories of past events pressed on me. I slowly recollected the memories of past events, and it was as if I died once.
My heart sinked, I had lost my word in chaos of shattered images and love torn by grief and betrayal. The death of my beloved parents had already pushed me almost to the brink of insanity and now coupled with the cruel betrayal of Lucas intensified my agony.
The shattered fragments of my heart seemed already scarred by the betrayal of Lucas. Recalling his animalistic behavior clawed my soul,beach memory like a sharp sword ripped through my chest.
The love and bond that has once been a a source of warmth turned a scary memory tormenting me with realization that what we shared would remain a nightmare.
I lay there looking lost, staring in to empty space as I wallowed in self-pity hoping to wake up from this unexpected nightmare
“I will get back at them, I muttered trying to comfort myself”.
My ears perked up on hearing the sound of footsteps, weariness met anticipation, I wanted to meet who rescued me. I lifted my gaze despite being exhausted and smiled warmly. I had endured only God knows how many days of exhaustion, saying I was beyond exhausted would be an understatement. The door opened and my tired eyes met brown eyes which are normally warm and compassionate. However, his eyes darkness he walked towards me like they were hiding secrets. My intuition told me he was the one who saved me in an instant.
“Thank you for saving me”. I found muttering in a low tone.
“It is the will of the Moon goddess,she saved you, not me”. He offered , a subtle flicker in his eyes revealing more than his words conveyed.
“My grandmother will be here soon, she's a traditional healer too and she has been helping me nurse you back to life”. A knock on the door cut short his conversation. A beautiful woman with silver hair colour walked in to the room, she carried an air of elegance with an aura of prestige hovering around her.
Her eyes filled with love and concern suddenly lighten up, she became happy and and walked towards me patting me gently on my freed hand. A sign that she was happy to see conscious after many days of being bedridden.
“Here, dear,” she said, bringing me out of thoughts. She handed me a cup filled with a traditional medicine she brewed.
“My grandmother is the healer of the golden moon pack, the brown eyes stranger who hadn't utter a word since grandmother came suddenly spoke out with pride.
The scent wafted through the air—a mixture of local herbs. I took cups from her hands with shaking hands, grateful for her care and drank the concoction carefully so it wouldn't spill. Warmth spread through me, a balm to my damaged soul and body. As the comforting effects settled in, so did the flood of memories. Tears swell in my ears and I began to cry.
