Willow Baker POV
I gasped for air, leaning against a tree to support myself. My free hand desperately pressed against the bloody wound on my stomach, trying to stop the bleeding. Asa wailed against my chest, unable to understand what was happening but grasping enough to know something was wrong.
Why was this happening to me? Where did it all go wrong?
The howls spurred me on as I tried to coax Asa to stop crying. Her cries would only make it easier for them to find us if they had not caught our scent already. She just needed to hold on a little longer, and we would be across the border.
Branches and leaves crunched underneath my feet as I kept looking behind me for pursuers. Suddenly, I lost my footing and collapsed to the ground, barely avoiding crushing Asa underneath me.
Her wailing turned into whimpers, and all I could do was whisper sweet nothings. "Shh, it's okay. Everything is going to be okay."
Watery black eyes stared up at me as she reached out to touch my face with her tiny hands. This child was worth saving even if it cost me my own.
Gritting my teeth, I forced myself to my feet and hobbled towards the direction of the border. The light at the end of the forest was only several feet away. Seeing how close we were to freedom, I could feel a smile breaking out on my face.
That relief was short-lived when I stepped out into the clearing. The border was just a couple feet away, and we would have been scot free if not for one thing. Standing in front of it was my worst nightmare.
"You finally decided to show up, whore," Shawn sneered. "You kept us waiting."
How was this possible? I had been certain he and his group were behind us. How did he manage to cut in front of us?
We were so close. Once we crossed the border, they couldn't touch us, not unless they wanted to start a war.
There was no way I could get past them in my condition. No, even at my best, I was no match for a gang of werewolves. I was never allowed to learn how to fight. At most, I would be able to claw at their faces.
Even so, I couldn't give up here. Laying on my back and showing my belly wouldn't save us. If they didn't outright kill me, I would be beaten black and blue to the point of crippling me. Shawn once swore that he would make sure I would never be able to run ever again.
"Don't you have anything to say to us, bitch. You made us waste our time to come get you," he said as he strutted towards us.
I growled, clutching Asa close to me to shield her from him. There was no way I was going to let him touch a single black hair on her head.
He stopped in his tracks. His handsome visage morphed into an ugly snarl, and I tensed in case he was planning on jumping us. Knowing him, it was just a matter of time before he decided to skip the talking and get down to being physical.
"Slut has forgotten her place," snickered one of his minions. "Shall we teach her a lesson?" he asked as he licked his lips and leered at me.
I shuddered in disgust. Despite what they thought of me, I had only laid with one man, and that was only because my parents had drugged me into doing it for money. I didn't even know who it was as my mind had been in a haze, but Asa's hair and eye color gave me some ideas.
That's why I dared to venture into enemy only way Asa could live was if she entered Datumia, one of the lands that belonged to demons. Specifically, I had hoped to reach Eriateva.
The head of the family that ruled that place was the only one I knew that lived near us to possess black hair and black eyes like Asa. The sign of demon blood that coursed through their veins alongside their werewolf blood.
A loud whistling sound was my only warning before I felt something strike my left shoulder, knocking the breath out of me. I barely managed to stay on my feet, but my legs shook from the effort.
Asa bawled and shrieked at my tight grip, and I murmured apologies. I didn't dare loosen my grip in fear that I would actually drop her.
Even though I wished to see who my attacker was and what I had been hit with, I didn't dare take my eyes off Shawn.
His face had relaxed as he said, "Babe, I told you I didn't want you killing her yet."
Rose strolled past me to cuddle up next to him. "Sorry, my bad, my aim isn't very good."
"That's alright."
I nearly barfed at the disgusting display. My legs could no longer support me, and I fell to my knees. Glaring up at the ones responsible for my misery, I asked, "Why?"
"Isn't it obvious, you dumb bitch?" She flipped her long blonde hair to the side. "I couldn't stand the sight of you. With your dirty hair and ugly face, you are worthless compared to me, but you acted like you were better than me."
She was delusional. I never thought of that. Not once in the entire time I had been forced to be what amounted to be a slave even though I was supposed to be a simple maid.
Was it so wrong to want to live? To want to live with my daughter in peace?
I was so preoccupied with my thoughts that I was caught off guard by the kick to the stomach and fell on my side, protecting Asa from the fall.
She was suddenly ripped from my grasp, and I watched with dread as Shawn swung her by her feet. He turned his attention to Rose and asked, "What do you want to do with it?"
"We can always raise it to be our replacement slave," she said with a laugh.
Tears streamed down my face as I desperately reached out to Asa who also reached out to me. "Give her back. Give my baby back."
A kick to the head knocked me down, and my world spun. I could barely make out what they were saying.
"What should we do with her?" Rose asked.
"She's dead anyway. Leave her here to be eaten by the wildlife," said Shawn as they walked away.
"I'm so sorry. I'm sorry your mother was a worthless woman in the end," I muttered to myself.
If only things were different. If only I had been braver and fled sooner. If only I had been strong enough to protect her.
If I had another chance, I would make sure you were happy.
Maverick Peterson POVThe prickling sense of unease that persisted in the back of my mind kept me from focusing on the document in front of me. Setting it aside, I stood up and threw on my coat.As I stepped outside, the servants nearby bowed their heads before returning to what they were doing.'Hurry Maverick.''What do you sense, Shadow?'The demon blood in my veins enhanced my werewolf half's senses to the point where I could know what was happening at the edges of my territory. It had reached the point where I blocked it all out to stop the sensory overload and left it to my inner wolf to let me know what was happening.'There are werewolves near the border by Prerana.'I grimaced.That place was disgusting to say the least. One trip had been enough to solidify my opinion that my ancestors were right to break away from the kingdom and create their own country.The memory of dark brown hair and dark brown eyes flashed before me before receding into the background.Well, the trip h
Willow Baker POVMuffled noises reached my ears.What was that sound?I had thought I had lost my hearing when I could no longer hear those monsters or my baby's cries in my final moments.Had they changed their mind and come back to torment me?Had they decided to heal me just to break me all over again?I deserved it. I deserved it for being a failure as a mother."Willow." The voice sounded familiar, but I couldn't place it. "Willow, you must hold on. Do it for the baby." My baby. My baby needed me. "Push."With my head full of cotton, all I could do was obey the voice's command. I didn't know how or what I was pushing, but I pushed with all my might.A baby's cries cut through the haze, and, for the first time since I regained consciousness, I could clearly see what was happening in front of me.Asa was cradled in another woman's arms. The sight drove my normally silent wolf mad, and I snarled at the woman to return my baby, my pup, to me.The woman didn't seem bothered in the sli
Maverick Peterson POVStopping what I was doing, I glanced at my surroundings. It felt like I had been doing something else, but I was drawing a blank, which was completely unnatural. With demon blood, I shouldn't be having memory problems.'What's wrong, Maverick?''What was I doing?''You were going over the documents your father assigned you to look over.''Doesn't something feel off?''No? Perhaps you have been pushing yourself too hard.'I grimaced.That didn't sound right, but I couldn't think of any reason for the dissonance I was experiencing. It felt as if I was supposed to be in mourning, except no one in the family died recently. I couldn't think of any friends or servants who had died recently.It was quite perplexing, to say the least. Perhaps father would be able to tell me what was wrong if Shadow didn't have any answers.Anything Shadow couldn't help with meant that the problem was a demon issue and not a werewolf one.Setting aside the papers and making sure everythin
Willow Baker POV"Are you really sure you should be up so soon? You haven't fully recovered," said Sheila as she rocked Asa and hovered over me.I smiled. Seeing her so full of life and worry, I had never been more grateful that the Moon Goddess gave me a second chance and allowed me to see her again. "I'm fine. I shouldn't impose.""Leave her be. She's not a child, Sheila," said Rickey as he drank his coffee.I pretended not to hear him. While I couldn't forgive him for trying to kill my baby in his pursuit for revenge, I knew that grief could drive people mad. Besides, I had already paid him back.My hands shook in my lap as I recalled exactly what I did to him. I can smell his fresh blood scenting the air. His eyes were staring at me with such hatred as his life had been drained out of him."Willow?" The feeling of a hand on my shoulder startled me as I jerked away. Sheila's expression screamed worry. "I think you should rest. You don't look so good."I placed my hand on hers as I
Willow Baker POV"You ungrateful bitch, where were you? You were gone for two days," Rose shrieked into my ear as she yanked on my hair.I kept myself from flinching and answered, "I was feeling unwell, so I thought it was best not to stick around. I wouldn't want the young miss to get sick because of me."She shoved me aside with a sniff and studied my figure. "You finally lost weight, you pig. You must have made yourself sick by stuffing your face with food. That's what you get," she said with a high-pitched laugh.Remaining silent, I could feel my nails digging into the palms of my hands. Last time, I didn't have any difficulty letting her words flow past me. What I thought hadn't mattered I just needed to do as I was told.Now I wanted to slap her and pull on her hair to show her exactly what it felt like. I wasn't the only one she harassed, but I was her favorite punching bag. I never went against her, and no one would have cared if anything happened to me except for Sheila.'I s
Willow Baker POVOne Month LaterI never knew screwing people over would be so satisfying. No wonder people like Rose did it all the time. It was really satisfying watching the other servants squirm and suffer this past month at the hands of Rose.'I told you.''Hush you.'Since I had already knew firsthand several of their tricks, it was easy to turn their plans around. The best part was that no one knew that I knew what they were up to and was purposefully getting them punished.After all, I was just worthless Willow. The stupid werewolf who submitted to everyone regardless of status whether they were a purebred Alpha or a barely passable Omega, I would always bow my head and do whatever was asked of me. Nothing was too low for me to do.Which was why I was the last person for them to suspect of sowing chaos throughout the househ
Willow Baker POVOne Week Later'Finally. I thought we would never leave that damn place.'I didn't reprimand her for her language. She wasn't wrong. It had taken an extra week before I could sneak away to visit Sheila and Asa. Even though I had warned them ahead of time, I'm certain that they were worried about me.Well, at least Sheila and my baby, not Rickey.Knocking on the door, I waited for Sheila to answer the door. The moment she laid eyes on me, she herded me inside as she patted me down and inspected me for injuries."Thank goodness." She breathed a sigh of relief when she found nothing wrong. "What happened?""I have something I need to tell you two," I said without hesitation.Her small smile turned into a frown at my words, and she rushed to grab her husband. We settled into the living room as I held onto Asa.
Willow Baker POV"Now I think we should have a quick little chat before Sheila gets back," said Rickey.That's when I realized my error.Normally, he would avoid staying in the same room as me unless Sheila was there. Since he didn't like or trust me, he would always stick close by if he could. Now it was just the two of us, ignoring Asa who had no clue what was going on.He had purposely sent Sheila away for whatever he had planned. Nervously holding Asa close, I kept my eyes open for any hostile intent.Instead, he sat back down and clasped his hands together on the table."I don't like you, and you don't like me, but we both obviously care for Sheila." I wasn't sure where he was going with this and didn't lower my guard. "That's why I'm not going to point out that there's something suspicious about what you said."I tried to think of what he meant, but I couldn't come up wi