"I am Vika Grannim, an omega, a maid. They said it was my honor to serve the Princess, the only royal bloodline of the Bitha Kingdom. But they were wrong. I was whipped, kicked, abused. Give in to the bullying? Praying for mercy? Waiting for a gentle prince to save me? Of course not. I wanted to be strong enough to protect myself and my family. I would be the strongest warrior in the kingdom. Hold on, someone was watching my training. He was Prince Regent Asher. Had he remembered it was me that he kissed in his dream? Wait, he was my mate? Why? He should be the fiancé of the Princess of Bitha Kingdom. Prince and maid were fated. Was that possible? Hang on, I was the real Princess of Bitha? Marked By the Moon is created by Helen Snowie, an eGlobal Creative Publishing author."
Vika's POV
"Take off her shirt." The cold order stabbed into my ears.
Shian, Princess Devi's chief maid, stripped my blouse off and dragged me to face a floor-length mirror.
I was forced to kneel on the cold stone floor. Through the mirror, I clearly saw the spoiled brat of a royal sitting cross-legged on the bench at the end of her bed. Her fingers toyed with her black curls. The look on her face told me that she wanted to rip me into pieces.
"You lowly, filthy Omega!" She grabbed the whip next to her teacup. "Maybe the next time you bring my breakfast, you'll be sure that none of it is cold!" Princess Devi screeched. "You really need to learn how to serve your masters!"
Ouch! I felt the thick straps of the whip she held so tightly in her grip scrape against my skin as she swung it at me.
I saw myself in the mirror with my upper body nearly naked. Warm blood flowed from my shoulder as my skin broke. With fists clenched at my sides, I gritted my teeth against the pain.
She liked showing her physical strength by using tools since she had shifted several days ago.
Finding some stupid excuses to whip her maid's topless body was Princess Devi's latest favorite entertainment.
Why topless body? Because no one else would ever know how cruel our esteemed Princess Devi was as long as they couldn't see the wounds.
She was the only daughter of the late Alpha king and his queen. I heard they were great and merciful. Obviously, Devi did not inherit those good traits from her parents.
Woosh!
The second, third, fourth... I saw my body shaking. Each whipping smacked my dignity.
'Hang in there, Vika. Don't fight back. She's the princess, and I am just a maid. There's no use to reason with a spoiled royal. I guess I'll just have to deal with it.'
I took a deep breath and reasoned with my angry self.
'Don't do anything stupid, Vika. She's the future Luna. Don't hit a royal. Don't cause any trouble for your family.'
More whips fell on my back. My lungs heaved in my chest and blood boiled in my veins. I put my entire body weight on my fist pressed against the floor. Only then could I suppress my anger and prevent myself from throwing my fist at the abuser.
No begging, no crying. I just stared at her face wrinkled with anger over my bloodied shoulder through the mirror.
"What's that look on your face? Are you staring at your face in the mirror? You sh*tty Omega! Look at your ugly face! You're the ugliest she-wolf I've ever laid eyes on!" she shouted like a maniac.
The mirror honestly reflected my green eyes and blonde hair. I was pleased to look at it, but it never mattered to me. It wasn't as if I had any privileges because of it.
Suddenly, Devi grabbed my arms. Her long and sharp red nails dug into my skin. Great, new cuts on my arms.
I looked down at her face. She was scared. I could read how she felt from her brown eyes. Not only fear but also anger and doubt were visible. Those emotions revealed that Devi was not as strong as me, physically and mentally, even if I couldn't shift until midnight.
If I were not an Omega, not her maid, I would easily tear that whip out of her hands and turn it around on her.
But I couldn't.
"Get down on your knees and beg me! Say you were wrong!" she shouted in my ear.
Tightening my lips, I gritted my teeth until I thought my jaw would snap. I could be forced to kneel, but I wouldn't give this spoiled princess the pleasure of seeing me cry or hearing me beg.
"What an unruly, ugly Omega!"
Devi yanked me by my hair and threw me to the ground. She kicked me in the stomach with the tip of her high heels.
I groaned, wrapping my stomach with my arms, but she began to kick my arms. The cuts her red nails left on my arm started to bleed. My stomach and arms were bruised, but no one would ever find out about it.
Thank the moon goddess. As long as I shifted at midnight, the bruises and cuts would heal quickly.
Finally, she got enough out of her and stopped kicking me.
"Shian and you." She released my arm, called her favorite maid, and pointed to another Gamma.
"I'm tired. Train her. I'll enjoy my breakfast without that damn cold butter." Throwing her whip to the floor, Princess Devi stretched and left the bedroom with her pride and crown.
My eyes widened. So, that was the issue? Her butter wasn't warm enough? What the hell was wrong with her?
"Always as you wish, Your Highness." Shian bowed her. She was entirely devoted to that princess. Gosh, I hated that skinny she-wolf.
I fought through my pain, put my blouse back on, and stared at the two Gammas.
Shian raised the whip and flicked it at me, her thin arm swinging even more quickly than the princess had been capable of.
I didn't turn or flinch this time. My arm stretched out. With some effort, I caught the tails of the whip. Wrapping them around my arm, I yanked in one fluid motion, resulting in the whip becoming free from Shian's grip.
"I won't let you whip me again, Shian," I said. They were not royal members. I could fight back.
The elderly maid laughed and rolled her eyes at me. "What? A lowly Omega tries to fight back against your superiors?" She approached, held her left hand, and wanted to slap me.
"Back off!" I grabbed her wrist hard and threw the slap back on her face. Woah, that felt good.
"How dare you! You bitchy Omega!" she screamed, covering her face with her hand. The pink mark on her face made me feel proud of myself.
Shian stopped her. Her dark eyes were full of disdain. "Let me give you a lesson. Loser!"
Shian jumped forward and grabbed my wounded arm, squeezing tightly.
I hissed, instinctively pulling away, but Shian gripped tighter.
"You made the princess upset today, b*tch," she muttered, dragging me along behind her.
She was thinner than me. How could she be so powerful? I was surprised to find that her grip was stronger than Devi's. She shouldn't have been physically superior to the daughter of the late Alpha king.
I gulped as Shian grabbed my collar and took me to the maid's changing room next to the princess's bedroom.
I clenched my fists, my arms, and my hands, shaking with rage. Growling, I pounced on Shian.
I grappled with her, grabbing her brown hair, clawing at her stupid face, and biting at anything I could.
"Argh!" Shian got the upper hand, throwing me off of her.
With a heavy thud, I landed on the floor. My back cracked uncomfortably.
"You slutty beast!" Shian rushed to me. I managed to dodge her kick.
Pushing that elderly maid aside, I turned and headed for the door, not looking back.
I heard them shouting at me to come back, that I was disobeying the princess's commands, but I knew they wouldn't dare go to Princess Devi and let her know that they had failed in their task of beating me. Admitting their failure might cause Princess Devi to lash out at them irrationally. As much as the other two maids liked to dish out pain, neither wanted to take it.
I went into the toilet and paused for a moment to assess the damage. A few of the cuts on my arms were bleeding, but I would be all right. I used the bottom of my gown to wipe off as much of the blood as possible.
I looked at myself in the mirror and felt like a loser.
Shian got the better of me. She had shifted already, but so did that elderly maid. I could easily slap the older Gamma maid, but I couldn't even hit Shian once.
'It's okay, Vika. You will be turning eighteen tomorrow. At midnight tonight, you'll shift for the first time and become stronger. Then, you won't let Shian or any others bully you again!' I comforted myself and smiled after gently patting my cheeks.
When I headed back to the kitchen for my next assignment, I found Helen, one of the maids in charge of the rest of us, standing with a tray. She looked around as if she was looking for someone.
Her eyes fell on me, and I sucked in a breath.
"Good, Vika, you're back. Mary is in her room, sick as a dog in bed. I need your help."
'Who is Mary?' I stared at Helen, not sure what to say as she thrust the breakfast tray at me. Clearly, delivering breakfast was not my strong suit.
"You must take this up at once," she continued. "Make haste!"
"To whom?" I asked her, trying not to sound disrespectful. But I needed to know where to go.
Helen rolled her eyes. "To Prince Regent Asher, of course!"
Two years ago, Ricky found himself coerced into marrying Emma to protect the woman he cherished. From Ricky's perspective, Emma was despicable, resorting to underhanded schemes to ensure their marriage. He maintained a distant and cold attitude toward her, reserving his warmth for another. Yet, Emma remained wholeheartedly dedicated to Ricky for more than ten years. As she grew weary and considered relinquishing her efforts, Ricky was seized by a sudden fear. Only when Emma's life teetered on the edge, pregnant with Ricky's child, did he recognize-the love of his life had always been Emma.
22-year-old Evelyn Carter is attempting to start over in California while avoiding her past. She will be embarking on a new career path as a private school teacher. She is smart, attractive, and doesn't put up with nonsense. Who wouldn't notice her? However, what happens when she attracts the attention of someone unwilling to let her go? Who wants her and nothing else after falling in love at first sight? A 25-year-old billionaire CEO and single father, Lucian Carrington. He takes what he wants and he is also a very dangerous man. All it needed was one look at a stunning woman to realize she was HIS, even though he doesn't believe in relationships because they always end. Preview: Miss Carter, you will be mine. I say firmly. "Release my arm, Mr. Carrington, before I force you to." She says, seeming to smile at me. I give her a sly smile. Squeezing my wrist with her other hand, she twists it uncomfortably. I gave a painful hiss. "Don't underestimate me, Mr. Carrington." "This is the only time I will allow you to walk away from me, Miss Carter." She glared at me as she turned. "Mr. Carrington, I am no possession of yours." I was left standing there when she opened the classroom door and left.
Warning! Mature Contents! ***Excerpt*** "You belong to me, Sheila. I alone am capable of making you feel this way. Your moans and body belong to me. Your soul and your body are all mine!" *** Alpha Killian Reid, the most dreaded Alpha in all of the North, wealthy, powerful and widely feared in the supernatural world, was the envy of all other packs. He was thought to have it all... power, fame, wealth and favour from the moon goddess, little was it known to his rivals that he has been under a curse, which has been kept a secret for so many years, and only the one with the gift of the moon goddess can lift the curse. Sheila, the daughter of Alpha Lucius who was an arch enemy to Killian, had grown up with so much hatred, detest and maltreatment from her father. She was the fated mate to Alpha Killian. He refused to reject her, yet he loathed her and treated her poorly, because he was in love with another woman, Thea. But one of these two women was the cure to his curse, while the other was an enemy within. How would he find out? Let's find out in this heart racing piece, filled with suspense, steamy romance and betrayal.
Lindsey's fiancé was the devil's first son. Not only did he lie to her but he also slept with her stepmother, conspired to take away her family fortune, and then set her up to have sex with a total stranger. To get her lick back, Lindsey decided to find a man to disrupt her engagement party and humiliate the cheating bastard. Never did she imagine that she would bump into a strikingly handsome stranger who was all that she was currently looking for. At the engagement party, he boldly declared that she was his woman. Lindsey thought he was just a broke man who wanted to leech off her. But once they began their fake relationship, she realized that good luck kept coming her way. She thought they would part ways after the engagement party, but this man kept to her side. "We gotta stick together, Lindsey. Remember, I'm now your fiancé. " "Domenic, you're with me because of my money, aren't you?" Lindsey asked, narrowing her eyes at him. Domenic was taken aback by that accusation. How could he, the heir of the Walsh family and CEO of Vitality Group, be with her for money? He controlled more than half of the city's economy. Money wasn't a problem for him! The two got closer and closer. One day, Lindsey finally realized that Domenic was actually the stranger she had slept with months ago. Would this realization change things between them? For the better or worse?
My name is Katia, and I am just trying to survive until my fated mate arrives. Which may be easier said than done. Rejectection is the last straw. Whispering my acceptance of his rejection. I run through the pack house, out across the manicured lawn into the forest. "I'm sorry, my sweet girl," I say to my wolf. I'm sorry you have been stuck with me and have had to suffer everything I have. She whispers," it's not your fault, Katia. We came to a cliff with a waterfall. The hurt keeps pounding at me. I need it to stop. My sweet girl, and I just want peace, I keep running and leap off the cliff. Spreading my arms wide, with tears streaming down my face, I fall, not making a sound, waiting for sweet oblivion where we feel nothing ever again. "I love you, my sweet girl! Until we meet again, "My wolf replied just before we hit the water, "I love you too, Katia. I have never regretted a moment with you." The Snow Moon pack is having their last barbecue of the summer next to the waterfall on their land. The adults are laughing and joking while watching the pups play. The alpha, beta, and gamma are swimming with some of the older children and playing a game of Marco Polo. Someone yells, "Oh my goddess, someone just jumped over the waterfall!" Everyone is frozen as they watch what looks to be a child falling arms spread wide, no one makes a sound. The small body hits the water like a plane crashing into the side of a mountain. The alpha, beta, and gamma, spring into action, swimming towards the area the person went under. The alpha is screaming his wolf is going crazy repeating, "Find her. Find her...find her!" They dive and the beta surfaces with a small person in his arms. Alpha takes the girl from his beta, laying her on the ground. The men are shocked by what they see. She is covered in scars and injuries. Her body is twisted and broken. The Beta asks, "Who could have done this to someone so defenseless?" Alpha drops to his knees, repeating, "MATE...MATE...MATE!"
A sudden twist of fate connected Helena to a prominent and influential person. To onlookers, she appeared as a naive bimbo. In truth, she was a top-tier specialist, shrouded in layers of hidden identities. Charlie declared, “She’s quite delicate and easily hurt. Cross her, and you’re crossing me.” The elite families, outwitted by Helena's prowess, kept these truths from him. Helena eventually broke free from Charlie, sending him on a frenzied worldwide hunt. To him, she was a bird with dazzling wings, and his goal was to help her reach new heights.