Chapter 67 You belong to me, Amarien.
Amarien's POV
I could barely see anything in this place. It's all dark, like a shroud of darkness had covered my face. I looked around, hoping for any hint of light in this depraved place, but none came.
I shuddered. There was no air here. No cool. No heat. Just nothing. Like a hollow void.
Where am I?
Then the memories shut back at me. Zephyr's words, Daevir not turning to look at me as I was dragged out, the pain in my heart that he will never learn about this child.
And this child would probably be dead before I set foot in the nunnery.
My eyes burned with tears, and I began crying.
"Where am I?" I said, looking around, for hope, for light. Something to calm my beating heart.
I tried to feel the ground, and all I felt was ashes and sand. A cloud of darkness hovered over me, and I clenched my teeth, trying not to think of what this was.
Was I…dead?
Suddenly, I heard a crunch. And then footsteps. My heart slammed in my chest, and I wondered who it was approaching me in this darkness, and why I was scared of him; I couldn't even see him.
My gaze wondered but I couldn't catch a shadow.
"Who are you?" I stammered, fear cracking my voice. I got no response, and my pulse quickened, my hair prickled with fear. It felt like this person's presence weighed more on me than anything else.
"Daevir …" I quivered.
And then a low, menacing hum hummed in the air.
"Daevir? How cruel of you, Amarien." His voice growled like low thunder.
That voice. I know that voice! It can't be. How did he find me?
And like I opened my eyes after being shut tight, light suddenly swamped this place, revealing what looks to be a deep forest in the South, with the full moon blazing high and wide in the sky.
A tall figure towered in the distance. That was him!
It was Theron.
He was just as I met him. Icy blue eyes, a tall gait, with fierce muscles hidden in dark leather armour. His dark hair ran to his shoulders, and his smirk settled on me with a cold intensity.
I felt my heart leap in my chest.
"You would think Daevir would be the last person you'd call in such a time as this." He said mockingly.
I crossed my arms over my chest as the icy, cool air of this place pierced my skin. I was terrified. Theron was so high and frighteningly handsome, I thought he'd kill me, afterall, he had his chance once. Maybe he was sent by the gods to put an end to my misery.
"You've been crying…" his gave lowered to my cheeks.
"I'm scared." I managed to say. Theron chuckled and stepped closer and closer until he touched my cheeks, wiping my tears. Immediately, I felt a surge of warmness wash all over me.
"You don't have to be. Not anymore." He said
"Am I dead?"
He smiles. "No."
"I'm sorry I lost your bracelet." I sniffed. "Your bracelet cost me a lot. Yet, I lost it all for nothing. I couldn't even summon you when I needed you."
Theron's gaze remained on me, and the darkness in his eyes intensified, as if a primal force dwelled there.
I lowered my hand, terrified.
"It was good you didn't call me when you wanted. How else would I have found you here?"
"How did you find me?"
"I have my ways," Theron smirked.
I paused for a moment, thinking of the awful things Catherine had said about the bracelet.
"Catherine said the bracelet was a courtship symbol. She spreads lies like birds spread seeds."
Theron nodded attentively, then his wicked smirk returned. "That's not a lie, Amarien."
My thoughts blazed with the mystery of this Alpha. What does he mean?
Theron held out my hand and looked at it carefully. "The moment that bracelet touches your skin, I claim you as mine."
I shook my head. "But that's not possible. I'm not even a werewolf. You won't want anything to do with a weak concubine banished to die. Surely there has been some confusion somewhere."
Theron sniggered, low and ominously. "You don't even know who you are, Amarien."
He raised my wrist to his lips and kissed it, then turned it around so my palm faced him. Slowly, I saw him whip out the bracelet that Catherine stole from me and tie it back to my hand.
"But I can assure you of one thing." He kissed my wrist again and raised his eyes to meet mine with such intensity that it made me hold my breath. "You belong to me."
Snap!
I jolted awake from the bed, drenched in sweat that stained the wooden box I had for a pillow.
It was a dream!
It was nothing but a dream. I held my hand to my face to be sure I was still alive.
Oh, the gods. Theron wasn't here. I said with relief. I still felt the goosebumps from the dream right here in real life.
How could a being be so intimidating?!
With my hands over my face, I slowly opened my eyes to see the shimmer of light that caught my eyes. It was something on my wrist.
My eyes widened in shock as I saw it, and I jolted away, terrified.
The bracelet. It's back on my wrist!
"Wake up, you useless lots! It's time to pray!" A nun called out into the room, shaking me up.
Oh, the gods, I had soon forgotten where I was: The nunnery!
I had been dragged and locked up in his room with 50 other past and currently admitted concubines.
The nuns claimed we only get to be promoted out of this tight hole of a room when we have blotted ourselves from the poison of the palace and proven ourselves worthy to be looked upon with reverence.
It's been two months here, and I've never been afforded that promotion.
Some of the nuns claim I might never get that chance in a lifetime, not after what I had done in the palace.
The women climbed out of their wooden beds, their rough white tunics catching the early morning sun as we all lined up to get out of this cramped room to our place of prayers.
My eyes settled on the bracelet, and I shuddered, quickly tucking it into my sleeve so that none of the nun leaders would see my contraband.
Contrabands could get you killed here. These nuns show no form of mercy; they are ready to expel one's soul out of their body at any cost.
I buried myself in the crowd as we got out of our room into the Nunnery's compound, standing in the bare morning sun, awaiting our fate.