[SAMANTHA’s Point of View]
I was aghast—totally petrified at what I saw—and didn’t notice I shifted back to my human form. I grabbed a fabric that was hanging on a wall not too far from me and used it to cover my body. Ethan was lying unconscious on the ground after I rammed him against the wall; I wondered if I had broken all his ribs and punctured his lungs with it after blood burst from his mouth. There’s no way I would let him die that easily!
What made it more painful to know was that Ethan did those horrible things to me. My best friend! My childhood friend in Silver Crescent, whom I thought was the only person who was happy that I moved into this place, apart from my mate.
Tears streamed down my face. No physical wounds or any trace of injury were left on my skin after I morphed to my werewolf form and then back to my human self. But the trauma, the screams, the excruciating feeling of the silver chains around me—it remained in my head like a nightmare. The trauma, the screams, and the excruciating feeling of the silver chains around me lingered in my mind like a curse, bringing misery to me. My whole body trembled as beads of cold sweat formed on my forehead. I remembered the feeling of the silver chains around my wrists, ankles, and neck. Sobs emerged from my throat. Why did he do that to me?!
“Why, Ethan!” My voice broke as I screamed at him, filled with rage and confusion. “I can’t understand why you did this to me! Did Richard Bennett order you to take me away from my kids?! Tell me it’s him, Ethan! Tell me that someone forced you to do this to me!
He looked at me with black, swollen eyes and then winced as he grinned. “No one ordered me to kidnap you, Samantha. It was all my decision. I hurt you because I had to. I had to take you away from your kids and Alpha Dominic because I have to.”
My heart shattered into millions of pieces as I hissed at him, baring my teeth with rage. “You are my best friend, Ethan! I trusted you like a real brother! Like a comrade!”
He scoffed, “Do you think I like that this happened as well, Samantha?!” He grimaced as he leaned more comfortably against the wall, then glared at me, "Do you think I enjoyed seeing you hurting on that g*dd*mned table?!"
“You bastard!” I kicked him in the gut and he coughed. “You f*cking bastard, I will kill you!!!”
“YEAH! KILL ME NOW, SAMANTHA! Kill me now so you won’t know who you truly are! Kill me and your life and your kids’ lives will be in danger!”
“What are you talking about?” I asked him with danger in my voice, “Why will my children’s and my life be in danger!? What do you know, Ethan! You and Lena are not making sense! Did Lena command you to do this to me?! Is she behind all of this!?”
“No!” His answer was swift with panic in his voice. “The Mother Luna has nothing to do with this, Samantha. It’s true; we know something about you, but she has nothing to do with what I did to you. I did this to protect you and the kids. And because you are too stubborn to leave Silver Crescent and Alpha Dominic. This is serious, Samantha! This is why I had no choice but to f*cking scare you and hurt you like that!”
“And you think I believe you after what you did?!” I barked at him, “I peel your skin from your flesh and your flesh from your bones, Ethan!” The irises of my eyes turned golden orbs as I widened my eyes on him threateningly.
"That’s why, Samantha, despite your breathtaking beauty, I never fell in love with you," he grimaced. “You are always g*dd*mned scary!”
“Don’t make this a joke now, Ethan.” I bent down and leaned closer to him. “I will do what I said if you don’t tell me who these people are who want my children dead!”
He could barely open his blackened eyes as he stared straight at me, “Do you think after all the desperate things I did to you, that this is still a joke, Samantha?” he coughed and then continued. "You can’t stay in Silver Crescent because there are people there who want you dead," he said, wheezing in pain. “When I saw your children shift to their werewolf form, that’s the day I knew your life was in danger, Sam. I thought I could scare you to get out of this pack with your twins. BUT NO! You’d rather stay here and die than listen to me!”
“Then tell me who these people are and I’ll kill them myself,” I scoffed at him, “You f*cking tortured me, you *sshole!”
“As if you were not used to getting bullied before,” Ethan smirked, “Look what you did, though. You had awakened your wolf. Are you not going to thank me for that?”
I kicked him in the gut again and he whimpered in pain.
“Who wants us dead, Ethan! Don’t make me ask again! What is my connection to the primordial bloodline!? What will happen to me and the kids once everyone finds out about this!?”
“The Black Claws! They are after you and your kids!” he answered swiftly when he saw I was about to kick him again. “And about your connection to the Royal Family, I have no idea yet. What I know is they have so many enemies everywhere. Greedy individuals aim to seize power from them. And knowing you have a connection with the family means you are a candidate for the throne! And people from powerful clans are not happy about that! That’s why I had to do this to convince you to let go of Alpha Dominic and hide yourself from the packs.”
I was skeptical about everything that came out of his mouth, but Ethan would never lie to me. I saw the fear in his eyes as I glared down at him. “Then help me meet the Royal Clan, Ethan. Help me find out where I really came from.”