© Claimed By Him ~ Elektra Orfanos

*|Luna|*

"Mistress?" A strange noise came out from my throat as that gentle voice woke me up however my eyes wouldn't open until the rest of my body made some kind of movement. "Mistress?"

"I'm halfway there just give my eyes a moment." I muttered moving my head across the mattress. "Where's my pillow gone?"

"On the floor with your paper and ink... The ink has stained the case."

I slept with my ink? "I'm sorry my eyelids won't corporate. Uh..." I rolled onto my back and brought my hands up to my eyes. I felt the woman lean down to grab everything I had dropped in the night. "What was I doing with the ink?"

"It looks to me you were writing miss."

"That sounds like me." My eyes fluttered open and I widened them to wake them which some how caused the reaction of yawning. My body was too sluggish to move it. "Oh lord..." I turned my head and looked at the maid standing right at my bed holding my papers in her hand. Her raven hair still out in waves on her shoulders and she was still in her nightgown seeming uncomfortable. "You may read the notes if you want."

"I can't read."

"Probably best, you would want me burnt at the stake if you could." I sat up and stared between her and the early morning outside my window. Which was too much movement for my head and so it was sluggish and slow and wasted more time. "Why am I up?" Is the house on fire? Is there a hurricane? Did Alpha finally find me? I looked down at myself and I have a blue ink stain on my chemise right on my stomach. I was writing all of last night, I have been writing ever since I left the Crowly's. The scare from Bloomwood caused some weird incitement until I just timed out and fell asleep in my work.

"You told me to wake you early." Oh right I did.

"Yes! Thank you."

"Shall I make you breakfast?" She asked.

"No, no just go back to bed Lucille and thank you." I climbed out of bed and took her hands in mine. "Don't wake anyone else up."

"Yes ma'am. Shall I help you get dressed?"

"You're no longer needed just get more rest. The ball is tonight so everyone will have a hectic day and you'll have many things to do." I shooed her out then shut the door letting out another loud yawn. "I hate mornings." I got the key to Michael's bedroom from a draw in my desk. I noticed the poster Sam left me in there to and I grabbed it as well and tucked it in my dress just for... Perhaps a comparison. The plan is to get that journal back because it's about time I find out what Michael knew about the wolf and why those men were chasing after him-me-but him.

I waited until I felt her presence descend back to the servant quarters and grabbed my white robe with printed blue flowers over it. Probably not the best thing to be sneaking around in but I know no one else is going to be up at this time of morning. I quietly crept out on tiptoe holding the key to my chest as I met Michael's door. It was blue, an ugly blue and I found my fingers tracing the wood work remembering how many times I would slam my fist against for either a good reason or a bad one which meant his punishment against my flying hands. I suppressed the memories of him while fitting the key into the lock and with a firm click it opened. It creaked open reminding me of that haunted house leading the 'Underworld Club' and I walked in kicking the door closed behind me. I exhaled a breath I didn't know I was even holding and smiled to myself. It still smells like him, even to this day and the memories are still so fresh in my mind. All the furniture has been kept intact and cleaned as if he is just on a long trip and could return any day now. It must be mother who cleans up because she doesn't let anyone else in here, the floor is polished, the bed has new covers and the cobwebs-well there aren't any, I started for the desk however my brow perked when I noticed his telescope at one of the window. "Why would he have there? Facing towards the house?" Out of curiosity I peeked inside and gasped. It looks right into our servant's bedrooms!

"Michael you pig." The one servant who woke me up Lucille pulled back her covers and lay back in bed. How many times had he watched her undress? Now that I think about it he always looked at her so fondly, I thought it was fondness but turns out he was just a skilled pervert. "I knew I kept hurting you for good reason." I just didn't expect it to be this reason. Rolling my eyes I rushed over to his desk and leaned down to open the bottom draw. The book isn't in it...

I went through the other draws finding them vacant then went through Michael's papers that were in some kind of order but it's not on his desk. I swear it was here. I never moved it from here! I slammed my palm on the wood furiously then ran to the wardrobe.

"Where is it!?" I threw around his clothes around his room. Searched under the bed and under the mattress I even looked in his pillowcase. "What did it do? Get up and walk away?" I collapsed on his bed completely perplexed. It has to be in here somewhere! Unless, unless... Dad was in here before and he took off yesterday for where ever he goes during the day.

"His study?" I dread that room. It's the room of punishment for me, I face a painting of an ancestor and father gets out a stick and... I rubbed the marks on my hands for the last whipping. It's to know about Alpha, it's for Michael. I quietly crept out looking to my right at the study door but I have to walk right past my parents bedroom to get there. I know they're deep sleepers but my knees still buckled with the thought of father catching me.

Deep breath.

I rushed across the danger zone, swung open the door and scurried inside closing it very carefully. I squeaked partially freaking out however I am desperate to get out of here and I just want to get this over with. This is the darkest room of the house and is still filled with my old cries and screams from my childhood. Doesn't matter how many times he hit me though because I just always thought of plans to never get caught the next time I do the same stupid things. That was until he started talking during the punishments, he got clever and became verbal. It's better when he doesn't speak. So much better. No time to relive foul awful memories I have to get out of here before the room soaks up my scent because he will definitely know I was in here. I paced slowly to his desk and sunk down behind it looking at the door with my hear erratically beating. I went through father's draws but found something made me suddenly close the draw. "What?" I uneasily opened it again -oh I wasn't imagining it- there were drawings of naked women touching themselves.

I tilted my head forward to stare at one woman's face. "Is that the Count's wife?" A lock clicking echoed in the room.

"Luna..." I shut the draw quickly and stared at my father blankly. His eyes glared at me with a strong ferocity and hate. There's no love in that dark pit off nothingness where a soul is supposed to be. Has he always looked at me in such a way and I've just never noticed? How can one hate their child so much? I've never done anything that ruined his reputation, close but never completely and it's not something I strive for either. "Come over here." He has the door closed behind him. Locked.

"I didn't... I..."

"Come over here."

"I don't want to."

"Then your punishment will be more severe."

"Father please."

"How dare you pry through my things. What kind of child are you?"

"Well I was raised by you what does that say about your parenting skills?"

His nostrils flared and he grabbed the long wooden stick from the little cabinet. "Hold out your hands." I held them up palms facing up. There's no talking my way out of this and the physical punishments is not what hurts me. He smacked the stick down awakening a terrible sting that didn't make me flinch. I knew better than to squirm while he's watching.

"What are you doing up early?" I asked to distract the pain.

"I heard you." He struck again. I winced.

"I came in for some ink."

"Silence." He sneered. I bit my lip. "You are the devil's child."

"Oh father you can't take all the credit." He paused then threw down one heavy horrible swing that made my hands slam into the floor, My eyes started to water but I did not cry out.

"You're a disgrace."

Whip.

"A humiliation." I closed my eyes and pictured myself somewhere else.

Whip.

"A degradation."

"Oh you've been reading the dictionary again." Whip. "Ah!" I couldn't help it. I sunk my hands into my self and tilted away from him.

He caught my hair and pulled me up to whisper ferociously. "I can't wait to be rid of you." He touched my cheek with the stick digging it in till it poked my teeth. "A lot of persuasion will have to be made with the face you have." I closed my eyes and waited for it. The stick suddenly whipped agaisnt my face knocking me back to the desk. I reached up to touch my cheek and felt the warm liquid drip down my face. "You are filth." I didn't dare look up at him, I was too entranced by the blood on my fingers. "I should have just thrown you away as soon as you were born. If I ever catch you in here again..." I shouldered past him and ran back into my room locking the door. I paced over to centre of my room and fell to my knees. The tears poured out and my whole body shuddered letting my head fall to the floor.

"I am not a degradation." I sniffled. "I am not filth." I weeped. The blood dripped down staining my dressing gown. "I hate you." Still sniffling I pulled out the poster from it's place next to my breast and smoothed it out. After all that I still choose to think about Alpha and Sam. I should have let Sam talk to me about this because I don't understand why he gave it to me. Is this just a warning for me? Is he trying to scare me away? He can do whatever he thinks will make me scurry away, I'm not going to ignore Alpha.

He has it out for me anyway.

~*~*~

Breakfast is silent, a pin dropping would have rang in our ears. I never usually am the spark of conversations Ella is always playing the hostess so why is she so quiet? She avoided looking at anyone while she sat next to me and ate silently with her eyes stuck to the spoon. I felt mother's gaze on me but I stared dead ahead resisting the urge to raise my hands no make a gory display of them and as for my face I covered it with my hair in a very unflattering braid.

"Why are we so quiet this morning?" Ella asked confused.

"We're all probably anxious for tonight." My mother said quickly.

Ella turned to me. "Luna did you finish making me that dress?"

"Yes." I whispered shakily,

"By God what is wrong with you? You can at least pretend to be normal!" Ella snapped.

"Ella!" Mother shouted furiously. Does mother know? Of course she knows. She knows everything! But what about the drawings does she know about those disgusting things?

"She's behaving like the undead and I'm the one getting punished? I thought we were all about manners and etiquette." Ella said snidely but I couldn't bring myself to react. She forced me to look at her by clasping my shoulder and nagging at me with her nails. "You always have some thing to say Luna! You're always causing havoc what is wrong with you?

"Silence!" Father roared. I didn't breathe.

"Father?" Ella whimpered confused.

"You can't even shut up and realise the peaceful silence is wanted. That your stupid thoughts are not always needed to be heard." I creased my brow and shot a glare at him. I can handle the treachery at me but I will not have him harm Ella's sweet mind for no reason.

However Ella glared up at me as if I was the one who threw that verbal punch. "It's not fair! Even when you fail, you're still loved by everyone." Ella cried out then ran off crying. I stared after her shocked and my hair fell back revealing the wound on my face.

My mother screamed down at him. "What did you do to her?" He seemed unfazed by her cry and just kept on eating which infuriated her more and she got up to lean over him.

"Be quiet." He growled through clenched teeth eyeing at the staff walking around. Her dark eyes only darkened more and I saw her hands clench tightly into fists at her sides.

"I can raise my voice in my house and I will raise my voice in my own house."

"This is not your house and you will not raise your voice at me." He bellowed.

"And you will never strike my daughter again." She attacked back.

"Sit back down Arielle or you will regret it." I saw his fingers tighten around his knife making my breath hitch.

"I fell." I spoke up.

"What?" She stared at me bewildered.

"I fell when I was running up the stairs."

She crossed her arms and stared at me disappointed. She knows I'm lying and decided to believe it anyway. "We have to get her a new mask to cover that scar."

"It doesn't matter she won't be going." He declared fixing his collar and pushing his dish forward getting out of his seat.

"Hugo!" Mother exclaimed. I can feel Ella watch us from the staircase and I pretented she wasn't there. "Why can't she go?"

"Because I don't want her to."

"Oh because you don't want her to. Well when you put it like that we all must obey. I deserve, no Luna deserves a better answer than that."

I rolled my eyes. "I'm going out." I stated pushing my seat out.

"You sit right there." She ordered but I was already out the hallway heading for the front door.

"Go on without me." I loudly suggested. I thought my eyes were done with crying but the tears started pouring down again and as I walked away from the house my fingers reached up and touched the opened flesh. I must have accidentally split it open when I spoke.

~*~*~

*|Marilyn|*

"Satine! You are getting your dirty paws all over the carpet!" I snapped as she paced inside in full tigress form through the back door and plonking herself in the middle of the hallway. "Satine! Alpha Sari will be arriving in a few weeks. I told you to keep the place clean! Look you have dirt all over the floorboards." Satine usually would roar in annoyance but instead she paced to the rug in the front hallway before the door and collapsed in a clump. Then gestured with her paw over the floor as if to say problem solved I'm no longer on the floor. "You're shedding!" I exclaimed. Her tail simply swished as she panted heavily from exhaustion and I noticed a few of her claws chipped or broken off drawing away my nagging.

Valerie walked into the hallway. "You are cleaning this up Sat or I swear I will..."

'One more complaint and I will pee on this rug.' Satine hissed.

"What happened?" I questioned,

'Vampires.' That's all she said before she began snoring lightly. Valerie sighed and disappeared in the living room. I followed and watched her balance on the chair with it tilted on one leg while rearranging the curtains. I've tried to do that trick and envy her for doing it so skilfully and as if it were nothing. I always seem to fall on my arse and shake the house.

"Why are you fixing the curtains?"

"They were crooked. Honestly our maid is hopeless."

"You only clean up nothing when you're worried. What are you worried about this time?" I crossed my arms under my breasts.

"What do you think?"

"I think it could be your time of month."

"Luna, Mari. I'm worried about Luna and how dare you say that?"

"How do you know I wasn't talking about the full moon? And I'm a woman I'm allowed to. Besides we've done what we've done and he hasn't come after her."

"As far as we know! She could be dead and we don't even know it!"

"Val you overreact over everything."

"Since when are you the calm one?" She questioned hopping off the chair then kicking it back in place purrfectly.

I moved my hands to my hips. "I trust her."

"I do to. I just..." She kept patting the curtain as if it were her pet. "I feel," she sighed. "My gut tells me she's not safe."

"Really? Mine just says I'm hungry." I said sarcastically. She didn't find it too funny while I found it hilarious but locked my mouth.

"If you're not going to take anything seriously I will never speak..." A knocking on the front door interrupted her and we both snapped head so fast that they probably could have snapped off.

"Ugh I'll get it." I rushed out of the living room, skipped over Satine and answered the door keeping my body as a wall to hide her. But all thoughts flew away when Luna stood before me and she smiled nervously at me. I widened my eyes in surprise and beamed up at her because I have missed the little mortal girl so much. "Luna!" I screamed excitedly.

"Oh Marilyn I..." She looked behind me at a giant bengil tiger lounging around on the rug behind me.

"Oh Gods..." She screamed at the top of her lungs harming my ears and I jumped back at the sudden disruption. I turned around to glare at Satine and Luna suddenly stopped screaming. Why did she stop screaming? The tiger -Satine sat up ready to attack and she stared at us with her humungous green eyes frightened.

"Uh...." I said awkwardly. Then stared back at a really frightened Luna and I held my hand up to her. "Don't run." She fainted in my arms. "Oh you're all so dramatic! You would have been perfect for Shakespeare's plays."

~*~*~

*|Luna|*

"What's wrong with her face?" Marilyn asked as I felt someone touch my cheek.

"Do you think that wolf did it?" I heard Valerie's worried voice.

I groaned. "No..." I replied opening my eyes.

"Luna." Mari sighed in relief as she sat over me on her red loveseat.

"I had the strangest dream. There was a tiger as big as a horse with Satine's eyes." I stiffened as the tiger sat in the middle of the living room.

"Don't faint again." Mari begged passing me a glass of water.

"I swear you are more afraid of the tiger than the wolf. That monster you can face but an oversized kitten and you whimper?" Valerie crossed her arms over.

"That's not true. I'm bloody scared of that mutt." I stated seriously. Then stared wearily at the tiger's large face. "Is that really you Satine?" She nodded her head and walked over to me to lay down next to the couch and rested her head on my lap.

"What happened to your face?" Mari asked once again.

"I fell." I lied.

"Luna-" Val began to yell but I interrupted. "I don't want to talk about it." She stared at me probably stunned by my tone. "Please respect that. If you're not going to respect anything else."

"I do respect you."

"I know, but your way of protecting me is so twisted."

"I am sorry but I know you too well. Locking you in your room wouldn't help because you would have found a way out somehow."

"So I should take you drugging me as a compliment?" I asked angrily.

"No. Take it as an experience, so that if it happens again but done by a stranger you have a slight more chance of escaping."

"That is the most pathetic excuse I have ever heard and my father is full of them."

She sighed. "I know, I know. So... What do you want to know?"

"Hm." I tapped my chin as if I'm thinking of an idea. Then stared down at Satine and pointed down at her head. "Let's start with this."

'I'm not a thing.' Satine whined.

"No but for once you're cuddly." I hugged her neck. Noticing that Mari and Val looked at each other shockingly. "What?"

"You can hear her?" Mari asked.

"Oh not this again." I scowled.

-

Helloooooooo fellow myths and monsters and mortals

I hope you're enjoying this book and have enjoyed the chapter. If so don't forget to vote and comment. Check out my other stories too

The Kings Against The Underworld

The Devil's Daughter (completed)

Also follow my Facebook page link is in my bio

Meow for now