CHAPTER 2: What are you doing here?

Seraphina's POV

I stopped begging because I realized… I even wanted myself dead.

This beast... this curse, has taken everything from me. My own father’s blood is on my hands, and my wolf? She was silent. Broken. Just like me.

"Perhaps we should run," my wolf howled, her pain mirroring mine.

"You know we can't," I whispered.

"There's no pack that doesn't know us." I could hear the desperation in her tone, but there was really nothing I could do.

Every pack knows who we are, and by now, word of what happened today has already spread. They wouldn’t accept us. No one would open their doors to the cursed girl and her shattered wolf. Not after today.

"If we try doing that, believe me they'd shoot us down on sight." I gently whispered.

I wanted to see the Moon Goddess… to ask her why she chose to afflict me like this.

Was I so unworthy of peace? Of love?

My wounds refused to heal, my wolf was too weak to help. She was barely breathing.

“Get up Bitch!”

Dante’s growl cut like a whip.

He grabbed my filthy, wet blonde hair and dragged me toward his chambers. My feet scraped against the stone floor, my body too broken to resist.

“Please…”

“P.... please, D.... Dante, I'm.... in so much pain already.”

I whimpered, but he didn’t care.

He yanked harder, dragging me across the sand and jagged stones. I could feel the sharp pebbles digging into my skin, scraping, cutting, burning. Each step was agony. My knees were torn, my back stung, my arms ached. Blood and dirt mixed into the wounds. I cried but silently. The pain was louder than my voice.

Inside his room, he threw me to the floor like garbage. The door slammed shut behind him.

He stalked toward me, his eyes blazing.

“You think you can get away with everything just because you're cursed?” he hissed.

He threw me to the bed and ripped the remnants of my tunic from my body. His hands were rough, his mouth was even rougher.

I knew what he wanted, to mate.

He didn’t wait.

He didn’t ask.

I tried to fight back weakly but my wolf didn’t rise.

She wanted him.

I wanted to scream at her. Betrayal never tasted so bitter.

But after everything we’d been through… maybe I could understand that we both needed that little heat.

He grabbed one of my breasts, his lips still against my skin and I felt wet between my core.

"Ah, ah," An embarrassing moan leaves my mouth. I could feel his smirk against my soft skin.

Wait, I can't believe I'm enjoying this. My wolf and I really have no shame.

I gently bit my bottom lips and stared at my mate, as he he parted my legs and dived in to suck my pussy.

"Oh... my," My breath hitched as he thrust in me with his tongue. I grabbed his hair and concentrated on the pleasure I was feeling.

I was breathing heavily as his thrusts were deeper, I called his name as I cum all over him. He didn't even try to look at me softly for the sake of the moment.

Not like I was expecting it or maybe I was.

He continued to try until he buried himself fully within my pussy. He stays still, I'm panting hard and a few tears escape my eyes.

He slowly pulled out and in, I gripped his back tightly, my dirty nails digging in his skin and I smelt blood. As he moved, the pain was replaced by pleasure and slowly and shyly I rotated my hips swiftly, meeting his pace.

Our voices of pleasure fill the room as my mate, Dante pounded me like a possessed man. His lips brushed against my marking spot and I moaned.

Dante has avoided marking me ever since the day we started mating. He knew about my beast like nature so I figured that was why he never marked me.

"Ah! Bitch!" he moaned.

"More, more!" I begged and he obliged, moving in and out faster.

I screamed as I reached my orgasm.

He continued to thrust in me relentlessly until he released in me with a groan. He stayed in me for a long time before getting off of me.

We were panting and trying to get back to reality after our wild sex.

Afterwards, I reached for him, just to feel something. To be held.

He shoved me off the bed like I was dirt, got up and headed to the bathroom.

Tears fell, silent and hot.

Minutes later, guards barged in. Bigger wolves. Stronger than I. They didn’t speak.

I got up, half-naked, I had barely grabbed my already torn tunic, slightly covering my naked body with it when they yanked me out and dragged me toward the palace.

My king sat upon his throne, a storm behind his silver eyes and his face was unreadable.

I stood before him, my legs were really trembling, and my heart was racing so fast.

“You have murdered your Alpha. Your father,” he growled.

“Great King Malrick,” a council wolf growled,

“We must act before she kills us all. She’s a monster. We ask that you give us the permission to end her, Your majesty!”

“Yes,” another voice joined. “Or lock her in the Tombs of Shadows. Let her rot there, My king!”

I trembled, blood trailing down my arms. My hands were chained and my chest felt hollow, like my heart had simply given up.

And then....

“I disown her,” my mother growled.

Her voice was cold. “She is no longer my daughter. I will not be tied to a murderer.”

That broke me.

Real, sharp pain.

Tears flowed freely now. I had no one. Not a single soul. I was dead to them.

Then suddenly, another voice echoed across the hall.

“But... Father…”

All heads turned.

It was Prince Lucien.

His presence was powerful, his long black embroidered shiny robe fluttered behind him as he moved forward.

His gray eyes locking with mine. I looked away quickly ashamed.

His voice was strong, calm, but the tension in his shoulders betrayed his rage.

“You can’t just sentence her like this. We haven’t even asked what really happened.”

Gasps.

Murmurs.

Why was he defending me?

King Malric’s face twisted. “Lucien…”

“No. I won’t stay silent,” the prince insisted. “She’s a member of this pack. We should be helping her find answers, not trying to kill her or branding her a monster.”

Queen Marie placed a gentle hand on her son’s shoulder. “Let it go, Lucien.”

But he didn’t.

“You don’t even know the full truth,” he continued. “Let’s find the cause before we pass judgment.”

A sharp, elegant voice cut in.

“Lucien.”

It was Valeria.

The prince’s betrothed.

She stepped towards Lucien in her fitted crimson velvet dress with gold embroidery and claws polished to match, she looked every bit the royal she was with her dress swaying with every move. Her flawless face twisted with disgust as she looked at me.

“Babe, this isn’t your fight,” she said softly, resting a manicured hand on his arm. “She’s dangerous. She killed her father.”

Lucien didn’t look at her.

“She’s broken,” he said quietly. “She needs help.”

Valeria’s tone sharpened. “She deserves punishment. Not pity."

“She’s one of us, Valeria.”

“She’s a threat.” Valeria growled at him.

“Then why am I the only one who sees the bigger picture that there's more to this?” he snapped back.

“Easy for you to say, prince,” one of the pack members sneered. “You live in a castle. You don’t know what it’s like to fear her.”

Lucien’s personal bodyguard, Rafael growled and stepped forward, claws unsheathing.

“Watch your tongue!”

Rafael lunged at him, wrapping his hand around the wolf’s throat. Squeezing breath of him, the wolf’s face was turning purple.

The prince growled at Rafael, “STOP!”

“Let him be!”

The man was released instantly.

“Yes, my prince,” Rafael mumbled, slightly bowing his head as he clenched his fist around his sword's hilt.

The tension in the room exploded.

“Father, she....”

The king slammed his golden staff.

“Silence, Lucien!”

The King's roar sent a shiver down my spine and the hall became quiet.

“Seraphina Ashwood, by the power vested in me, I hereby strip you of your rank. You are no longer an Alpha-born. From this day forward, you are an Omega, a slave to the pack. You will serve forever."

“I choose not to spill your blood because there has been so much bloodshed in the last few months.”

I could barely breathe. I was falling, drowning, suffocating.

“She will serve in the palace until her death. If she causes more harm, then, she will be executed."

"I'd show no mercy.”

My knees buckled.

No one argued.

Not even the prince.

I was left alone in the center of the throne room, drowning in silence.

As the crowd began to disperse, a guard came to me to unlock the chains tied around my wrists. I saw Lucien staring at me. A flicker of guilt and something I didn’t understand glinted in his eyes.

I didn’t wait.

I ran.

Deep into the forest, away from everyone. I didn’t want to hurt anyone else. I didn’t want to hurt again.

The darkness welcomed me.

And I collapsed beneath the trees.

Hours passed. Maybe days.

When the sunlight finally reached my eyes again, I dragged myself out of the woods.

But the moment I stepped forward, I froze.

There... standing in front of me... was the last person I expected to see.

“What are you doing here?”