Chapter 1 IMELDA

IMELDA’s POV.

The entire place looks beautiful and I can’t help but click more pictures. Coming on this trip was definitely worth it. I mean after all Elias and my best friend did to me, this is exactly what I need.

A trip to one of the thickest jungles in Italy. Not that big of a jungle but the lush of green everywhere makes it look like that.

“This way,” the tour guide calls our and I nods making my way to the rest of them.

Three days ago, I packed my bags and I left America, away from its toxic nature. I walked in on my best friend fucking my boyfriend on our engagement night. Nothing prepared me for that and I was shattered. Broken even.

Without thinking twice, I got on a plane to Italy and here I have been living my best life.

“Imelda?” I hear my name from a distance and I abruptly turn. No one is in sight and the rest of the people are way ahead of me. I shake my head to remove whatever cliché thing going on in my head but as I make to walk away again, I hear my name again. This time, it is more louder and more convincing, the person is calling me like he or she knows me—i genuinely can not pin point it.

“What the heck?” I mutter under my breath as the voice comes again.

Then I make up my mind. I did not pay good money to get scared on my trip. Whoever that is, I am going to find them and give them a piece of my mind.

I look forward and the rest are nowhere to be found. I already know my way around the jungle so I can go back myself.

The name come again and this time, I follow it. I don’t know where I am going but I continue to follow the voice until I stop in front of what looks like a huge cave. The erie silence sound the cave sends a cold shiver down my spine but something keeps dragging me closer.

I look around, no one is here but I can just feel it.

“Imelda,” I hear my name again. This time from inside the cave and it sounds like the person calling mw knows me.

If my mother was here, she would have snatched my hand and we would have made for the resort but God rest her soul. She died three years ago from cancer and I have bend forced to live with my father and my step family until I moved out early this year.

Things have been shitty in my life and that’s why I take a step inside the cave. What can be more shitty than my life at the moment?

The cave is dark but somehow I manage to find my way like I have known it all my life.

Then I stop when a burst of light stops me right in my track and my jaw drops when I see the sight before me.

Chained to the walls is a man—a grown ass man actually.

His body is bare and his long hair is hanging loosely by his sides. His eyes are closed and he looked like he has been sleeping. The wounds on his body catches my attention. It’s like someone deliberately hurt him when they know he is unable to save himself.

My eyes travel down his perfectly sculpted body, his eight packs could make other men hide in shame and his dick—

“Imelda!” I immediately reprimanded myself. What the heck? Why am I thinking of his dick?

“Hello?” I finally call out but I am met with stiff silence again. It’s like the voice calling out to me had totally disappeared leaving me to navigate this mysterious cave myself.

“Hey!” I call out again, “are you awake? Are you alive?”

I take a step further again until I am standing directly in front of him. The beauty on this man’s face. How can someone be so handsome? He looks like he is not even from amongst us. Looking at him, I can not help but think who he actually is.

“Hi, are you awake?” I call out again.

“You talk to much!” A voice hisses and I gasp, taking a step back. The man on the chain immediately opens his eyes and I am drawn by how deep and blue his eyes are. It’s like the ocean is actually in there.

God! This man is fine!! Even heaven can bear me witness.

“You” I finally find my voice, “who are you and why are you in here?”

He looks at me for a few seconds like I am some kind of a taboo. The look of disgust and disdain on his face does not go unnoticed by me. Like he is some kind of God and I am a lowly soul who had come to accept judgment.

“You are in my cave and you woke me from my sleep,” he begins to talk again, “I should be the one asking you that,”

“What?”

“Unless you are her.”

His voice turns icy and lethal as the words leave his mouth.

“Are you her?”

“What?”

“How long has it been?” He mutters to himself before returning his focus to me.

“Come. Touch my chain.”

“What?” The third what leaves my mouth like an open secret. I have heard stories of women been molested by men in the woods but never did I think I would be in the same situation with someone who is already pansy down—does he even realize that?

“Touch my chain, you lowly peasant.” He hisses.

Peasant? Who uses such words again?

“Why?” I ask, “Will you take advantage of me if I do?”

He chuckles and the whole cave shakes to it’s foundation making my fear intensify.

“Touch my chain now.”

I don’t know what pushed me but then, k find myself touching the chains. It looks so heavy like the kind that holds a ship to the ground. The moment I touch it, a golden light emanates from it and becomes like a whirlwind.

I immediately move away from the chaos as his screams fill the entire cave but I am too scared to move. What in hell’s name is happening here? I should have gone with the tour guide and not—

Then I see him emerge from the golden light like some kind of celebrity. His wounds have healed but the man coming towards me looks different from the man hanging from the chain. His face and entirely body looks the same but the aura, they is something dangerous about it.

“You—

The words hang in my mouth when he grabs my neck and shoves me against the wall.

“We meet again, amber.” His deep baritone rings out.

Amber? My name is Imelda. Sure, he’s mistaken.

“I am Imelda,” I manage to tell him even as his grip tighten, “and you are hurting me.”

“You sure have some nerve coming here,” he continues, he doesn’t even look like he cares about the air being sucked out of my lungs.

“Let me go,” I beg, “I only—

He tightens his grip around my neck as he leans closer, his nose buried in the crook of my neck.

“It is you,”he mutters, “you have forgotten when you pushed that dagger into my chest, Amber?”

He looks at me again. This time, pure anger emanated from his eyes. A tear slips out of my eyes. I only came to Italy to forget about everything that has happened. Who would have thought that I would meet my end here?

The tears continue to fall but the man in front of me doesn’t even look fazed.

“I will give you my judgment when I bring you to my pack house,” he snickers again as he lets go of my neck, “come with me.”

“Where are we going?” I still can’t help but ask.

“Asfort,” he replies, “don’t act like you don’t know it, princess.”

Suddenly the tears stop and my jaw drops. I was thinking he was a bad man but the truth is, I must have saved a mad man.

“We are in Italy,” the words come out of my mouth before I can stop myself and his forehead creases into a slight frown.

“What is Italy?”

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