Total Eclipse of a Shattered Heart

My mind has been in such a middle these past few months. Trying to survive the death of my husband then my father, all while trying to raise my three girls. Orion, Aurora, and Star are my eight year old triplets. They have red hair, like their father, with my amber eyes. They know I’m sad and they do their best to make me smile. But most days it’s like trying to pull myself out of a vat of quick drying cement. We recently moved into my fathers family home all the way in Sedalia, Colorado. It’s a pretty big house with plenty of space and it’s own private road. I know nothing of this town or neighbors as I was estranged from my father from half my life. Right now the girls are plying in the snow, this being the first time they’ve seen the real thing in person. Colorado is a decent pace of life versus the hustle and bustle of the Texan lifestyle they are used to. “Girls, time for dinner!” I called to them from the front porch hoping they heard me over their vigorous snowball fight. “Coming mom!” They hollered in unison. As we sat down for dinner I looked at their red noses and puffy, smiling cheeks and smile. “ what do you girls think about checking out the local nature preserve tomorrow? It’s supposed to have a small park in it.” I waited while they finished chewing their dinner to answer. “Will we see any scary animals?” Star asked looking as though she’d bolt under the table at my answer. “No, love I don’t think we will. But you can stay as close to me as you’d like if it will make you feel better. “ After seeing that Star was reassured of there potentially being minimal danger, they all agreed to have a family outing at the reserve. After dinner the girls washed up and got ready for bed. I decided to take a hot bath to see if it would wash away the funk in my mind. As the tub fills I strip out of my sweats and look at myself in the mirror. My slanted ambers eyes had dark circles under them from my lack of sleep and stress. I sighed as I pulled my waist length black curls out of the messy bun I threw it in and let it drape over my shoulders. I’m by no means plain, nor was I drop dead gorgeous. But I did have an hourglass figure to my 5’ 9” frame paired with my cocoa brown skin and amber eyes. People use to call me an exotic beauty, even though I’m half black and half white. My mother died my freshman year of high school and I ended up living with a friend until graduation. I didn’t really go to college as I wanted to travel and “find myself”. I found myself alright. Married to a big burly red headed truck driver from texas who loved me with all his heart. I missed Shawn terribly. The way his big beard would always have food particles from his every meal in it. Or how he always made me laugh even when we shouldn’t be laughing. I shook away my thoughts of longing and got into my tub. I laced the water with eucalyptus and bergamot to help revitalize and relax my body and mind. I got out when the water turned cold and after drying off I threw on one of Shawn’s old shirts and some panties and crawled into bed. Most days I’d find myself curled up in the closet with Shawn’s favorite hoody, crying over our family albums, wishing I could hear his voice just one more time. As I laid there staring at the pale white of the ceiling fan blades that spun lazily in my room, I tried to remain positive about mine and the girl’s future. I awoke the next morning feeling refreshed and surprisingly well rested. I got dressed in a pair of hip hugger jeans and a v-neck black long sleeve shirt. When I stepped into the kitchen I couldn’t help but laugh. All three girls were doing their very best to make breakfast so that I didn’t have too. “You three seem to be hard at work.” I said as I leaned against the door frame smiling at my triplets. “We’re sorry about the mess mom, we just wanted to surprise you!” Orion whispered as she stared at the floor and blushed. “There’s no need to be embarrassed or worried. I’m not mad, I’m surprised and very happy! Tell you what, after we eat we can all help each other clean up. How does that sound?” They both look up at me with their matching eyes and nod happily while jumping up and down. I smile as I grab utensils and set the table. The girls started bringing over the eggs, pancakes, and bacon they made and I went to the fridge to get them some orange juice and make me a cup of coffee. “After everything is cleaned up, you three need to get dressed in some warm clothes. It’s going to be pretty chilly out there since it snowed last night.” “Yes ma’am!” They all said in unison. I swear you never get used to how freaky they can be when they say things at the same time, or finish each others sentences without even practicing first! Once everything was cleaned up and the girls were ready to go we got into my blacked out 2023 Jeep Grand Cherokee. The nature reserve was only 20 minutes from the house so the girls had some time to rock out to their favorite band, one-direction, while I tried not to roll my eyes at their silliness. “Alright girls time to get out and enjoy some nature!” I shouted out as I pulled into the parking lot for the reserve. If you could even call it that. It looked like everything here was reclaimed by the wild. We got out and looked around and noticed we were the only ones there. I looked at the girls and shrugged. We started heading into the thick evergreens and the further from the car we got the more comfortable the girls seemed to get. “Aurora! Don’t wonder off too far!” She just waved back at me and keeps following the fox tracks she found. After wandering for the better part of two hours we finally come across the park. It’s extremely outdated and looked like it hadn’t been played on in over a decade. But it seemed to hold their combined weight so I let the have at it. As I sat on the near by bench watching the girls play I heard a branch snap along with rustling in the bushes. Startled I hollered for the girls and told them it was time to go. Right as the girls walked up to the bench we heard a loud snarl and what looked like a pack of giant feral wolves jumped out of the trees. “Take my hand and run!” I screamed to the guts as I grabbed for their hands and took off towards the car. Just before we could reach the tree line on the other side of the park I was tackled to the side by what felt like a semi truck. I screamed as the air was knocked out of my lungs by the impact of my body bouncing off of the cold hard ground. As I tried to catch my breath I heard the screams of my girls and before I could go to them I was hit over the back of the head rendering me unconscious. I awoke to the splash of cold water onto my naked skin. “Why am I naked?” I thought as I tried to clear my blurry vision. “Wake up b***h, it’s time to play!” Growled out a deep raspy voice from in front of me. As my eyes adjusted to the dim light I noticed a big scary half naked man standing just a few feet from me. “Why am I here? Where are my girls? What have you done to them!!!” He just smirked and stalked closer. The closer her got the more I was able to make out the details of his face and torso. He must of been at least 6’ 2” and very muscular. He had what look like claw mark scars all over his chest and stomach. He also had a scar from the top of his left eyebrow down to his chin making it look like the human personification of scar from the lion king. He ran a big burly hand through his unkempt chin length black hair and smiled. “Well, pet, the little brats are being taken care of and are no longer your concern, but tell you what? You behave and do everything you’re told, I’ll let them live. Sound like a plan?” He smiled sinisterly at me as I gaped at him in horror. I have no idea where we were, how long I was out cold, nor did I know if my girls were even still alive. Tears started to run down my face as I nodded at him. Too scared to use my voice as I didn’t trust the right words to come out. “That’s a good girl! Now seeing as you birthed three children I’m assuming you’ve had s*x before. So let’s get started. Oh and the more you fight, the more damage is done to you.” He reach for the top button of his jeans and I started to panic. I couldn’t really get away considering I was chained to a wall by my wrists that were above my head, making my size 48DD’s look appetizing to anyone who could see them. He laughed as his pants hit the floor and he took the last 4 steps towards me. “Now be a good little c*m w***e and make daddy happy.” I spit in his face and kicked him in his balls as I tried to get loose from the shackles. He let out a thunderous growl I didn’t know a human could make and punched me in the stomach and face like I was a punching bag. I don’t know how long he beat me before I felt him between my legs. I choked on the blood in my mouth as I tried scream for him to stop. He grabbed me by the throat and slammed my head against the wall, affectively rendering me motionless from the daze it out me in. “Now since it’s your first time with a wolf such as myself, I was gonna be gentle. Now I think I’ll just take what I want from you, however I want it.” Right as I was trying to comprehend what he just said I screamed as he forced his sick inside me and proceeded to thrust in and out of me with an almost bone shattering pace. I screamed and screamed until my voice ran out. I don’t know how long it took for him to get himself off. All I know is every minute of it was pure hell. I was in so much pain I couldn’t even fight off the darkness slowly creeping it’s way across my vision. “That was the best damn s*x I ever had! Who knows. Once I’m done using you I’ll move onto your girls!” He laughed sadistically as he stalked out of the room naked and covered in my blood. Once he got to the door he turned and sneered at me,”on second thought, maybe I’ll go pay them a visit. “ “NOOO!” I screamed as he slammed the door. I thrashed and pulled and screamed for what felt like ages. But no one came to rescue us, no one even came to feed me. I endured countless nights of torture, r**e, and manipulation. All the while not knowing if my girls were alive or dead. I was barely fed and when I was it was two slices of bread and a bottle of water. I’m pretty sure every one of my wounds has an infection and I’m border line septic. But my captor didn’t seem to care. He never told me his name, nor would he tell me where my girls are. He told me the only thing he wanted me to call him was “daddy, sir, or master” and if I didn’t to just keep my mouth shut. Today he came in with a tray full of food and a set of keys. “If you’re a good little c*m w***e I’ll undo the shackles and let you eat some of my dinner, what do you say?” I nodded and lowered my head so that he couldn’t see the smirk on my face through my blood soaked hair. I have been waiting for this moment. For him to feel confident enough to think he broke me and to feed me enough food to give me the energy to escape. I have no idea the layout of this hell hole, but I’ll figure it out as I go. All I need to do is incapacitate him and make a run for it. As long as I can get to the door I can lock him in here, find my girls, and try to get to safety. My thoughts were interrupted by the sound the shackles made as he unlocked them. I tumbled to the floor landing face first in a mixture of my blood and other bodily fluids. “s**t. I guess I should’ve thought of catching you since you haven’t been able to use your arms for awhile, but where’s the fun in that? Hahahaha!” He laughed and sat on a stool on the other side of the room slowly eating the food he brought as I tried to use my arms again. I was eventually able to drag myself over to him and sat there with my head bowed waiting for him to feed me. From what I saw of the plate out of the only eye that wasn’t swollen shut from the abuse I endured in our previous session he had brought steak, baked potatoes, green beans, and dinner rolls. By the time he decided to give me any of tit there was two bites of steak, half a baked potato, three green beans, and one dinner roll. “Here b***h, eat!” He then dumped the food onto the filthy concrete floor in front of me. I stared at it for a second before I responded. “Thank you master.” I rasped out the words that tasted like s**t in my mouth. Knowing that it would help solidify the thought in his mind that he broke me, mind , body, and spirit. I sat there and slowly ate the leftovers he gave me and tried to ignore the fact that they were ever on the floor. He stood up when I finished and pulled his zipper down and then proceeded to pee all ovhead. I sat there stunned as he never used his own piss to torment me with before now. “I just wanted to reward you with a shower since you thanked your master for feeding you.” I just nodded and looked at the floor. As he turned away and walked towards the shackles I stood up and made a dash for the door. Little did I know, that that escape attempt was the biggest mistake I ever could have made. Right as I thought I was going to reach the door and be home free I feel pain in my scalp as I’m yanked back and down onto the concrete floor with all the force he could muster. “You lying, f*****g cunt! How dare you! After everything I’ve given you, you decide to try to leave me!” He roared above me as he kicked me any and everywhere he could reach on me. I was so malnourished and so weak I felt it every time a bone broke. After a few minutes he stopped and walked out the door leaving it open. I must’ve blacked out because I was startled awake by screaming and whimpering. When my good eye cleared it widened in horror at the sight before me. He had strung up all three of my daughters to the walls with nails in the center of their palms and feet in a spread eagle position. “Now that mama is awake she can watch as I punish the three of you for her crimes.” He nodded towards someone behind me right before I was lifted up and placed back into my shackles. “Now. You lied to me, betrayed me, and tried to escape. So by my count that’s three things you did wrong and since you have three daughters, one for each crime, I will just make you watch as I f**k and beat them against this wall. then when I’m done I’m gonna kill them and you are gonna watch every minute of it.” No!” I wailed as he just laughed and my girls stared at me with horror and pain in their eyes. I screamed and thrashed but the two men he had brought into the room held me against the wall opposite my girls and taped my eye lid open and every time I tried to look away the would move my head so that I could see. He not only r***d them, he mutilated them in front of me and when he was finished him and his three goons just walked out. Leaving my babies hanging on a wall across from me with a different amount of their insides dangling out of each of them. They didn’t even in tape my eye. I don’t know how long he left me down there but eventually the sweat made it to where the tape came lose and I could close my eye. But by then the damage was done. Even when I closed my eyes I could still see my sweet little girls decaying right in front of me. One day I cracked my eyes open to a sound I haven’t heard in quite some time. Gunshots, and growls. Then all of a sudden there was an explosion above me. I just hung there and slowly started to laugh hysterically. “Now no one will ever find me and I’ll die down here” I laughed to myself. I don’t know when the door opened because I was to busy losing myself to hysterics. All of the sudden my head was whipped the side from the harsh slap I received to my face. When I brought my head back around I was startled by the ethereal beauty of the man that was standing before me. “I’m terribly sorry about hitting you, but in all fairness I did shout at you for damn near 10 minutes now. We are here to rescue you but I need you to try not to lose it. They are distracted upstairs and im gonna try to sneak you out and get you medical attention.” I just smiled and shook my head. If he thought he could save me he was dead wrong. No one escapes from master. No one. But he broke the shackles with his bare hands and cover my battered body in a button up tshirt the hung down to my mid thigh. Once I was covered he picked ne up bridal style and carried me out of what apparently was a basement in a run down cottage. We had just reached the top of the stairs and we’re headed down a hallway towards a door that led outside when we heard shouting from behind us. He didn’t even hesitate to burst out into a sprint for the door. Once he reached the doe he kicked it open so he didn’t have to put me down and kept running. We barely made it to the tree line when we were tackled to the ground. “How dare you entitled pack wolves come into our territory and take what’s ours! She is mine and you can’t f*****g have her!” My master screamed at my savior. I just laid there and watched the drama unfold between these two giants. My savior was taller than my master and had way more muscles. I was too busy checking him out that I almost missed what he said. “ she is my mate and I am no ordinary pack wolf you rogue bastard! I’m the f*****g king!” He hollered with so much power in his voice that my skin broke out in goosebumps all over. His voice even while angry was sexy. “What the f**k is wrong with me and why aren’t I afraid of him?” I thought to myself. Next thing I knew five wolves came out and circled the king and started lunging for him while my master watched with a smile. The king was strong! He killed three of the fives wolves and was working on the last two when master started to panic. He came over to me and pulled my back flush up against his front. He moved my hair to the side and shouted,” you’ll never have her as your mate because she’s MINE!” I have no idea what they were talking about nor did I have the time to process because the next thing I knew I had sharp, searing pain in the side of my neck that started spreading throughout my body. I started screaming and flailing so he threw me to the ground with a smirk. I was too busy succumbing to the pain that felt like someone poured battery acid onto my bloodstream that I had no idea what happened to master. The only thing I cared about was being able to die so I could see my girls again. King Bastien’s POV “Hey Bash! We found him! Let’s go!” Yells my Beta, Jaxon. I tear out of my office like my ass in on fire and run out the front of the palace shifting in mid air. I follow along beside him and we have about 20 wolves behind us as we go to kill the rogue who has been causing trouble between the realms. “How far out is he?” I mind-link him. “He’s camped out between the vampire and the dragon realm, that’s how he was able to get to the human world. He’s been jumping through the portal in that the vamps have.” I growled in frustration as we picked up speed. All the realms have a truce between us and have not had a war amongst us in centuries but if the vampires or the dragons are helping this bastard there will be hell to pay. “ I should’ve killed his instead of exiling him!” I was pissed. Everyone knew that Draden was a bad seed and we all worked hard at trying to stop him. Apparently killing him should’ve been the punishment instead of exiling him to nomads land. Nomads land is where each realm sends its exile and its far from everyone else. Only down side is it isn’t sectioned off or monitored so they can come and go as they please. Something that needs to be discussed at the next meeting of leaders. As we get closer to Darden’s camp we slow down and I’m distracted by the most delicious and relaxing scent of eucalyptus and citrus. “Mate!” My wolf is proud in around in my head. Contrary to popular belief. Our wolf spirits don’t speak to us with words. They use their emotions. I was startled. I have been searching for my made since I turned 19. I only prayed she wasn’t where we were headed. To my utter dismay the scent of my mate was coming from a shattered basement window at the back side of the house. “Listen up! I’m going down to the basement. But I’ll need all of you to create a distraction long enough for me to get clear with my mate.” I linked to everyone. The shock was clearly felt through the link but everyone agreed and didn’t start asking questions. They all understood that now was not the time to pester me about their queen. We watched the lights towards the back of the house got out and I nodded. My warriors and beta charged forward and started attacking the small force Draden was able to scrounge up while I snuck in the back and shifted back to human form. Lucan’s, unlike werewolf’s don’t shred their clothes when they shift just our shoes. Which is odd I know but also helpful since I’m trying to be stealthy. The closer I get to the bottom of the stairs the stronger my mates scent gets as well as bodily fluids, blood, and death. Judging by how strong her scent is she is still alive but for how much longer I do not know. I break the lock on the outside of the door and push it open the minute I do I hear a raspy laugh of hysterics. I walk towards a very emaciated young woman covered in blood, open wounds and filth. “Ma’am I’m here to rescue you, ma’am? Ma’am!” I tried to get her attention and stop laughing but words aren’t working so I slapped her. I regret it the minute I do it but it gets me the desired reaction. I get her free and cover her in my shirt. Then I carry her out of this god forsaken place and attempted to get clear of the place before we were found out. I was mortified at what I saw inside her prison. I hope those children weren’t hers because to do what was done to them in there was beyond sick! Right as I’m about to tear through the tree line Draden tackles me.He distracts me from the reinforcements he called long enough for them to surround me. Jokes on him I’m a f*****g king and a Lycan one at that! I stopped paying attention to Draden which was a mistake because by the time he has my focus again he forced his mark upon my mate! I saw red and shifted shredding the last two wolves in front of me to pieces and pouncing on Draden himself. I ripped his arms and legs from his body and he laughed while I did it which field my rage all the more. I took his head between my jaws and bit down until my teeth went completely through his school and his head exploded like a smooshed grape. I shook out the gore from my maw and shifted back. Wiping my face off with the back of my hand I bent down to pick of my writhing and screaming mate. The minute her skin touched mine she went limp. I panicked and prayed to the moon goddess she survived. I linked my beta and he barreled through the trees toward me. “Every last one of them is dead my king.” I just nodded. Staring down at my mate making sure she is still breathing. “I’ve linked the doctor your majesty. She is waiting for our arrival. I’ll lay down and you both can ride on my back I’ll make sure to get there swiftly as well as carefully.” I looked up at my friend, my brother, and nodded to him gratefully. He laid down and I layer her on his back before jumping upon him with her. After I she was secured in my arms I reached forward and tapped his head and he bolted off towards our realm. It probably would’ve been faster to use a portal but I didn’t want anyone but the royal pack knowing about her until she was comfortable with it. Plus I wanted to ensure she was safe from any further danger. While we traveled upon the back of my beta I looked upon the face of my mate. She needed proper nutrition and care but she was still absolutely stunning and incredibly strong for a human to have survived how ever long she was with Draden. She was gonna have to be as strong as I hoped her to be because since Draden bit her, she will be turning into a werewolf. I just hope he didn’t cause her too much damage and she survives the shift. Once we reached the palace the doctor was out front with a gurney and her medical team. “Give her to me my king so that I may care for her, you can be present for the entirety of her care unless I need you to leave the room. “ I laid her upon the gurney and followed behind them to the medical wing. They immediately hooked her up to tubes and machines. And began cleaning and stitching her wounds. All of the sudden the machines started beeping crazily,”we’re losing her!” The nurses start running around trying to keep my mate from dying.”Bastien! You need to mark her! If you don’t we will lose her.” I stared at her like she was crazy. “You want me to what?” She rolls her eyes at me. I leaned over my mate and bit into his mark, only deeper.