Chapter 57

Her body tensed after hearing a thunderous growl from behind. Isabella flashed her a smug smirk and flitted her gaze behind her only to find a seething Damien standing near the entrance with Ryan and Zion beside him.

Cashing in on her frozen state, she pushed Emmaline away stumbled backward, and ran to Damien. He wrapped an arm around her in a protective manner.

"H-Help me, son. She-She was about to k-kill me," Isabella started crying while pulling his shirt to show how scared she was. Damien patted her head and started consoling her.

"You're fine Mom. I am here." He cupped his mother's face and spoke while looking into her bloodshot eyes. Isabelle nodded while her eyes continued shedding tears non-stop.

Emmaline was not at all interested in her dramas so she simply looked away when her gaze collided with Ryan and Zion's who were already in her direction. Ryan, as usual, wore his blank look but she could see the concern hidden behind that cold façade. Zion on the other hand was scowling at her. Emmaline was confused by his unexplained enmity with her. She has never crossed paths with him then why the hell he hates her so much?

After calming Isabella down, Damien pulled her behind him and prowled toward Emmaline. His stony eyes suddenly fell on the blood patches spattered on the wall behind her.

White hot anger surged through his veins, "How dare you hurt her?"

His temper flared at her audacity to raise her hand on his mother. But Emmaline didn't back down either.

"Because she insulted my family." She retorted.

Watching them fight gave me immense pleasure to Isabella. Her plan worked. She had seen the love in Damien's eyes for Emmaline. The charade he orchestrated to display his hatred for Emmaline and assure Xander that he did everything for him didn't work with Isabella. She easily saw through his lies. He was hurt and dying of guilt by breaking Emmaline.

Isabella was frightened by his son's anguish because his concern for Emmaline would interfere with her master plan of eradicating the last bloodline of the Dawson family. So, she decided to stir troubles 'cause Damien can tolerate everything but he would go berserk if someone dares harm his family.

Stomping his boots on the concrete, Damien approached Emmaline and glared down at her, "Despite knowing your evil intentions, I allowed you to live a normal life. You were a threat still I provide you with shelter and food which is against our pack's ordinance. You were supposed to be treated like a prisoner but I made you my Luna."

Emmaline scoffed, "Luna?" she shook her head and gave him a sardonic smile, "Yeah, a Luna who was caged in the four walls of the room and was given meals two times a day. She was given a bed to sleep in, furniture to sit and a window with grills to let her breathe the fresh air and admire nature with sealed lips. But there was one major flaw in your definition of extravagant life, Alpha, I had no one to talk to. I used to just roam in the closed room like a freak and stare at the walls 24/7. You confiscated my cell phone and laptop, stopped my studies, and cut off my social circle."

Damien narrowed his eyes at her while she continued, "What are you even bragging about? You turned me insane and here you're talking about giving me fair treatment. I am your prisoner or a slight correction, slave." Emmaline said and shot an accusatory look at Isabella who paled in response.

Damien frowned and followed her eyes. Feeling heated stares at her, Isabella looked at Damien who was glaring at her with questionable eyes.

She vigorously shook her head in denial, "She is lying, child. In the initial days, I used to send maids to call her for breakfast but she was the one who refused it. That's when I decided to give her some privacy considering her emotional state. But I thought her respite would be over by now so I approached her today to hand her over the responsibilities of Luna of Shadow Banes. I brought her here so that she could have a chat with her foster family and we both can work on mending our relationships. Because after all Emmaline has to bury the past and work for the future, for the betterment of the pack and the reputation of our family." She articulated and eventually exhaled a deep sigh, "Unfortunately, she is still glued to the old rivalry. I thought to cheer her up but she resorted to nasty fights."

Emmaline was stunned by her bare-faced lie, "SHUT UP!! YOU BLOODY HAG, YOU'RE THE ONE WHO WAS SPEWING BULLSHIT ABOUT MY PARENTS-"

"EMMALINE!!" Damien cut her midway and grabbed her forearm. Emmaline winced in pain and tried prying his hand away but her resistance only enraged him more.

Damien roughly pulled her forward making her collide with his sturdy figure.

"You can't talk to Mother this way." He roared.

Emmaline jutted her chin out and snapped at him, "And she has no right to call me a liar."

Damien opened his mouth to retaliate but he was pushed back by Emmaline.

"None of you have the right to treat me this way. You sick, selfish, and vile monsters, I won't let you hurt me or my loved ones." Emmaline screamed out loud. She was fed up with being their toy. But it was her chance to fight back. So, she wasted no time and dashed to the dark hallway where the prison was.

A scream left her mouth when her silver hair was grasped in a vice grip and the next moment, she was tossed to the ground.

"ENOUGH IS ENOUGH!!"

Damien growled while eyeing her small figure sprawled on the floor.

"Since day one you're trying to get under my skin, pushing my buttons, and offending my parents. I am done being the good guy because you aren't worthy of my patience."

He then walked closer to her and cupped her left shoulder. Emmaline hissed when he forcefully pulled her up and made her sit on her knees.

"If someone else would have been in your place, I would have ripped his heart out for hurting my mother. Yet I am giving you a chance to redeem, Princess."

Emmaline slowly lifted her head and looked at him with teary eyes.

"Apologize. Now."

She stared at him in disbelief.

“Really Damien? You really think that I would hurt your mother over nothing?” Emmaline couldn’t help but chuckle at his way of arriving at conclusions without even hearing the other side of the story.

Damien shot her a murderous look, “WHAT MAKES YOU THINK THAT I WILL DOUBT MY MOTHER?”

He exploded and grabbed her right shoulder before pulling her from the ground, “You are after my family since the very beginning. It’s a shame that we are bonded. By making you my Luna, I really put my family at risk.”

For some reason, his words hurt Emmaline. His voice dripped with disgust and the rage shining in his dark steel orbs sliced her heart into pieces.

“Then why did you marry me? I never asked you. I would have killed your family either way.” She grated out while looking straight at him. She was angered at his manhandling ways.

Damien let out a low growl and cupped her chin tightly, “Because I want to keep you in control. Death is an easy escape for you, it will be fun breaking you, taming you, and making you obey my each and every word with sealed lips. Your bridle will be in my hand Em and you will be forced to surrender to my demands. That’s why I made you a part of my life.” Damien didn’t hesitate a bit to reveal his evil plan to her.

“Now fucking get on your knees and apologize to my mother this instant.”

Emmaline straightaway refused. She shook her head in denial, not even gracing him with a verbal response.

Damien nodded and flashed her a smirk.

“Very well then. ZION!!”

He hollered and pushed Emmaline.

“I am here, Alpha” Zion responded as he appeared from the hallway while dragging a barely conscious Jasper. Emmaline was startled and rushed to him but was pulled back by Damien.

Zion threw Jasper on the floor. Emmaline gulped and eyed the hunter in his left hand. It was drenched and she knew that it was laced with wolfsbane.

Frustrated, she craned her neck and threw Damien a displeased look, “What is the matter with you? Why are you torturing me like this? Your father wiped my entire pack and turned me into an orphan. You barge into my life and snatched away my freedom. Forcefully married me and captured me in your house. Now you all are just playing with me by using my family. I told you that your mother was the one who pushed me to the edge. Fine, you won't believe me but everyone deserves a chance to justify themselves. Before punishing me why don’t you ask Ryan? He is the sole witness.”

Emmaline spoke in an earnest tone and then looked at Ryan.

Ryan, on the other hand, broke into cold sweats after gaining the spotlight. Zion also looked at him and waited for his response. But his eyes widened after watching the colors draining off his face.

‘Emmaline was speaking the truth.’

Panicked, he turned to Isabella who was like a deer caught in headlights.

Emmaline somewhere was hoping that Ryan would defend her considering their previous encounter. She had seen the sincerity in his eyes when he came to apologize to her. He was Damien’s servant, no doubt but the least he could do was protect her from being falsely accused.

She waited for him to spill the beans but to her dismay, Damien started chuckling, he was not at all convinced to see the truth.

“I saw you strangling Mother with my own eyes. Do you think I need proof to punish you?”, he spoke bitterly. Emmaline mentally groaned at his stubbornness.

“But you don’t know the reason behind it.”

“STILL, YOU’RE LIABLE FOR PUNISHMENT!!”

He shouted out of the blue and grabbed her neck, “You hurt my mother and there is no way I would grant you impunity. Taking about rights, it’s time we fight fire with fire.”

Seething, Damien then shifted his eyes to Zion who stiffened after hearing his next words.

“Beat the boy till he bleeds to death.”

*****