SEVEN

KIARA

 "W-what? It's not possible," I said, suddenly feeling sick to my stomach. Melissa shook her head, her short blonde hair disheveled by her rapid movement. 

"I'm telling the truth, I swear. No one else knows. I saw him do it," she insisted. 

I stared at her, torn. There was no way Denzel could have murdered his own mate. He was gentle and kind. 

"He's not who you think he is. He has succeeded in fooling everyone else. Not me though."

"Why are you telling me this?" I croaked. 

"You deserve to know the truth before it's too late. You must keep this from Denzel. If he finds out that you know about this, he's going to get rid of the both of us." 

"What?" I gasped, struggling to wrap my head around what she'd just said. 

"If you wish to know more, you can call for me. I'll tell you everything I know. For now, I have to go." 

She hurried out of my room before I could stop her. Right then, my knees gave out and I sank to the ground. 

The door opened and Cassy walked in, a puzzled look on her face. 

"Who was that? A maid?" She asked, shutting the door.

When I didn't respond, she furrowed her brows. 

"Kiara, what's wrong? You look so pale," she said, hurrying to my side.

"It's nothing. I lost my balance, that's all" I lied, forcing out a smile.

Cassy sighed, shaking her head in disapproval. 

"You should be resting," she muttered, helping me to sit on the bed. 

She peered at my face, her brows knitted into a frown.

"Are you sure you're okay?" She probed further.

I wasn't okay. The more I thought about what Melissa had said, the more the pressure in my chest grew.

I guess a part of me had deluded myself into believing that Denzel was different. 

After getting dressed, I curled up on the bed. Cassy laid down on the bed beside me.

"I know there's something bothering you, Kiara. Want to talk about it?" she said. 

"I don't know. I just don't know what to do anymore," I sighed.

"What's wrong?" 

"What if Denzel is just as terrible as Lucas or worse?" I asked.

"If he turns out to be a jerk, I won't let him off for deceiving you, you know that, don't you?" She said. 

I chuckled. 

"I'm so glad you're here with me," I whispered. 

She patted my shoulder. I could tell that she had a smile on her face.

"Get some rest for both you and your baby's sake. I'll be right here when you wake up" she said. 

Although I knew she meant well for me, I had a feeling she wouldn't be there for much longer. She was rarely by my side these days. Whatever secret she was hiding was occupying her time. 

Deciding not to allow my thoughts to dwell on this, I gave in to my exhaustion.

It wasn't long before I sank into slumber.

...

I was standing on a cliff. Walking towards me with a stoic expression on his face was my mate, Denzel.

My heart was racing in my chest. Fear gripped me, making me immobile.

"Denzel, please. Please, forgive me!" I cried. He didn't react. He didn't stop. 

"Please, spare my life!" I sobbed, a raw ache in my chest.

He halted in front of me, his eyes turning black. 

"No, you deserve to die, Deanna," the words had barely left his lips when he pushed me off the cliff. A scream tore out of my lips as I fell into the crashing waves.

...

Wake up, Kiara! 

Wake up! 

Someone was yelling at me. 

With a strangled gasp, I opened my eyes. With a jolt, I realized that I'd been having a nightmare.

'Where am I?' I thought, unable to move my body.

My clothes were soaked and I was freezing cold. 

Eventually, it hit me. 

I was in the water. I couldn't tell if it was an ocean or river. 

But, I was unable to swim. My time was running out. Panic was quickly setting in. 

I can't breathe...

I'm drowning...

I can't-

I felt a pair of strong arms wrapping themselves around me. One moment, I was trapped underwater, the next, I was sitting by the shore. There was someone with me. Someone who was holding me. Someone who smelt so good...

"You're okay, Kiara," a familiar masculine voice whispered. 

I knew that voice. 

I was safe. I could feel it.

"It's okay, you're okay. Breathe, Kiara" he whispered, stroking my hair. 

I coughed, shivering from the cold. 

He rubbed my upper arms to warm me up while I instinctively relaxed in his arms, feeling the warmth oozing from his body. 

"I can't believe you. How on earth did you jump off the cliff? You could have gotten seriously hurt" he said.

His words made no sense to me. 

Why would I jump off a cliff? 

We stayed like that for a moment. Then, he pulled away enough to stare at my face. 

"Denzel," I breathed, my eyes watering.

"I want to make you my Luna" he suddenly said, gazing into my eyes. 

I sighed. 

I'd just barely escaped death by drowning.

Was it really okay for him to say that? Especially since I was pregnant? Especially since I didn't know anything about him yet?

"Kiara, I want you" he whispered, brushing my hair away from my face. 

I stared at him. At his wet hair, at his wet eyelashes, at the gold in his eyes, at his bow shaped lips. He was beautiful. I couldn't deny it. This beautiful man wanted me. 

Yet, he was a complete stranger. 

He pulled me closer to himself and I rested my head on his chest. My eyes slipped close as I listened to his strong heartbeat. 

"We're close, yet far away from each other" he whispered. 

I had so much to say to him. But, was it okay to?

"I want you to talk to me. You do realize that you haven't said anything, right?" He continued. 

I sighed, clutching at the fabric of his shirt. 

"I don't know anything about you" I mumbled. 

"What do you want to know?" He asked. 

'Her. Deanna,' I wanted to say. 

"Everything about you. If I'm going to entrust myself and my unborn child into your arms, I should know what I'm getting into, don't you think?" I said.

He went still. I panicked immediately. 

Maybe, I shouldn't have said that, I thought. 

Worried, I pulled away to look at his face. He looked surprised.

"Did I say something wrong?" I asked cautiously.

"No, it's just... it's the first time you're talking to me without whispering or mumbling" he said and I blinked, feeling my cheeks heat up. 

"I think you have a point. My name is Denzel Amoris. My father is a demon werewolf and my mother was a human," he said, running his fingers through his damp hair.

"Was?"

"She died when I was seven."

"Oh... I'm sorry about that," I mumbled.

He smiled at me, entwining our fingers together. 

"My father is the present king of the northern werewolves. I rebelled against him and was thrown out" he continued. 

My eyes widened. 

"I established my own pack by gathering rogues. The pack grew until it became a kingdom. Naturally, I became their king. I met Deanna when I first became king. She was my first mate. She died due to unpleasant circumstances" 

There it was again. He was hiding something. Maybe Melissa was right after all. 

I felt disappointed.

"What about you? I don't really know your origin. You never talked about it." 

My hands began to tremble as my anxiety kicked in. Would he betray me if he knew who I was?

On second thought, maybe this was better. Cutting him off from my life wouldn't be so difficult since I didn't trust him. 

"My name is Kiara Claris" I said. 

He raised a brow. 

"Of course I know that. I want to know about your childhood." 

I frowned, confused.

"How? I never told you -"

"The necklace around your neck is a distinct one. Of course, I know that you're the princess of the southern werewolves, the one rumoured to bear the power of the moon goddess."

I froze, my blood running cold in my veins. 

"Is that why you've been trying to keep me by your side? Is that it?" My voice shook as I stumbled to my feet.

Denzel frowned. 

"Kiara, what are you talking about? That's not it," he said as he slowly rose to his feet. 

My chest felt tight and for some reason, I couldn't get air into my lungs. 

"You're not planning on making me your breeder, are you?!" I wheezed. 

"Calm down, Kiara. You're not thinking straight" he stressed, his eyes filled with desperation. 

For the life of me, I couldn't relax. My heart was pounding in my chest. He was right, I wasn't thinking. I couldn't. 

Something was happening. My body was burning up. Sweat dripped down the sides of my face, the tips of my fingers tingling.

"Kiara! Focus! Look at me!" I heard Denzel yell. 

"W-what's happening to me?" I gasped, tears blurring my vision.