[Arissa's POV]
I sat on my knees in the middle of the large throne room, staring up into the cold, black eyes of my stepfather. His face held no signs of emotion, and his lips were pressed tightly together.
Somehow, he already knew of Gillian's fate and had been ready to throw me to the dungeon the minute I returned.
"I'm sorry," I whimpered, unable to stay quiet. "I tried to save him."
I knew that nothing I said would save me, but I had to try.
"Please, believe me."
As I spoke, I kept my gaze firmly fixed on him.
"Do you think your words hold any weight?" He asked, slowly leaning forward.
"N-no," I stammered.
"You let my son die." He continued standing. "Not only that, but you also left his body behind for the hunters to do what they please with it."
Surging forward, my stepfather let his hand connect with my cheek, sending me sprawling to the ground.
A loud crack echoed around the room as my head connected with the tiled floor.
"Give me one good reason why I shouldn't kill you right here and now!" My stepfather snarled, grabbing my hair and pulling.
"I have no reason." I responded weakly.
There wasn't any reason for him to not kill me. I was always a sore spot for him, and this was the perfect reason to get rid of me without any question.
"Insolent bitch!"
A yelp escaped me as he pulled hard enough to lift me from the ground.
"Death would be too good for you."
With a loud growl of rage, he heaved, throwing me across the room and crashing into the wall.
"Take her away!" He roared at the guards that stood by the door, keeping us in and everyone else out. "Be sure to chain her feet as well. Tell the caretaker he is not to feed her for a week. "
"Yes, sir." The guards boomed together.
Letting out a laugh, I collapsed on the floor and closed my eyes. It seemed that, after years of torture, everything was finally over and I could die in peace.
Two Month’s Later…
[Ivan's POV]
I stared up at the large arena where voices could be heard cheering on whoever was currently losing their life. It was a disgusting way to entertain oneself, but it was my brother’s favorite.
If it weren’t for the fact that I was in need of an omega to procreate with, I wouldn’t have even come on such an occasion.
Grimacing, I made my way inside and towards where Isaac waited for me. He had invited me here to pick out an omega to take back with me. I needed to create an heir to get the elders off my back, and what better way than to get a breeder?
As I made my way towards the steep stairs that led to the main sitting area of the arena, Isaac came strolling down.
He wore a white button-down with the top buttons unbuttoned so you could see his chest hair beneath and a pair of black sacks. His long black hair was up in a bun at the top of his head, and it seemed he had grown out his mustache and beard.
"Brother," he called, opening his arms wide. "I was starting to believe that you were going to blow me off."
"Of course not." I responded. "I got stuck dealing with some matters."
"Come, come," he continued, closing the distance between us and wrapping an arm around my neck. "The main event is just about to start."
"Hurray," I grunted sarcastically. "You know how much I dislike this type of thing."
It was quite boring to sit and watch criminals fight for their lives against wild animals. I preferred to hunt them like live game, but to each their own, I suppose.
"Our first up is special." Isaac said, winking. "Come, Tania is waiting on us."
"How is she, by the way?" I asked, allowing Isaac to lead me towards the top of the stairs and out into the much too bright day.
"Same as always." Isaac responded. "I’m hoping that this fight today will brighten her mood."
Brighten her mood... From what I knew, she just hadn’t been the same since her daughter was thrown into the dungeon for unintentionally killing Isaac’s son, Gillian. Though Isaac did his best to sooth her, she just wouldn’t come out of her slump.
"Is this special fighter that entertaining?" I asked, lifting my brow as I spotted the woman in question watching us approach.
She looked much older than the last time I saw her. Her pale skin held wrinkles and dark circles marred her undereyes. Her golden blonde hair, that used to always be fixed to perfection, looked lackluster and she seemed to have lost a lot of weight.
"Something like that." Isaac said, taking a seat beside his wife and then motioning for me to do the same.
Letting out a sigh, I lowered myself onto the stone bench and turned my gaze towards the middle of the battle ground, where a lion was currently ripping a man apart.
"Poor fool." I hissed as the beast ripped the man’s head clean from his body. "Tell me again why you enjoy things like this."
"Isn’t it enjoyable to watch criminals get their justice?" Isaac asked in confusion. "Hanging them or torturing them just isn’t the same as making them pay a bloody price."
As Isaac spoke, I could see a slight mania behind his eyes.
"Ah!" He said, snapping me out of it. "Here she comes now!"
"She?" I repeated looking towards where his gaze was.
Squinting I made out a tiny figure being led out onto the grounds by two large guards that made her look like a child in comparison. Her long blonde hair hung in greasy knots around her body, and her frame looked to be nothing more than a skeleton. Her eyes that stared straight ahead were flat and held no semblance of humanity. Her skin, which was much too pale, was covered in scars and lash marks. She was nothing more than a walking dead woman, but somehow held herself with strength and poise.
"Isn’t that..." I began as recognition struck me.
"That’s right." Isaac beamed proudly. "It is Arissa."
As the words left his mouth, I tried to put this girl with the one I knew from before. Back then, she was a mere teen that was just blossoming into a beautiful woman. How was it possible she ended up like this?
[Ivan's POV] I didn't quite know what to think about what I was seeing. From what I could remember, Arissa was a meek and demure girl. How was it possible she was now this cold and malnourished creature I was seeing? "I thought she was put to death for Gillian's death." I murmured, keeping my gaze fixed on Arissa. She seemed oblivious to the crowd that was screaming and cheering for her. Her blank gaze never wavered from where the beast she would be fighting would come from.
[Arissa's POV] "Me?" I repeated, feeling amusement flare. "Do I owe you money?" "No." No? Then could it be… "That bear was your pet!" "No." Hm… if the bear wasn't his pet and I didn't owe him money then... "You're here to finally kill me!" I yelped in excitement. "To be so young, you seem ready to end your life." The man chuckled, lifting his brow. Laughing, I let his words wash over me. Of course, I was ready to die! After two months of pure hell, who wouldn't be? "If you're just going to not tell me why you're here, then I'm going to sleep." Turning, I made my way to the small cot I was given to rest on and plopped down. "I've got a proposition for you." The man announced once I got comfortable. "Go on." If he thought I was going to get back up, he was wrong. "I'm listening." Closing my eyes, I waited for him to speak. "I'm here to make you a mother." He began. Eyes widening, I turned over and fixed my gaze on him. What the hell did he just say? "Mother?" I repea
[Ivan's POV]I quickly made my way through the halls of Isaac's castle, earning myself strange looks from the workers.The woman in my arms remained unmoving as I continued to carry her.I knew that she was malnourished from how thin she was, but just how light she was surprised me."Ivan?" Turning, I found Isaac heading towards me with a look of alarm on his face. "What happened?"He eyed Arissa with disgust and curiosity as he asked the question.
[Arissa’s POV] I stared at the woman staring back at me in the mirror. Who the fuck was she and how did she get there? Also, why did she have my face? "Could you please sit down so I can finish brushing your hair?" The sullen woman sighed, bringing me back to attention. "Only if you answer my questions," I hissed. My mind was whirling, and I was trying to figure out if this was real or a dream. Dreams faded so much into reality for me these past two months that I’ve been imprisoned to the point I didn’t quite trust myself.
[Ivan's POV]I did my best to keep my gaze fixed on Arissa's face, but the overly revealed cleavage was making it hard.Her chest was rising and falling seductively with every breath she took, and I wasn't sure if she was aware that the top of her dress was wide open.Even if I only intended on creating an heir with her, I was still a man, and it was difficult to not get aroused. Despite her tiny build and the bones that stuck out from malnutrition, her breasts were huge and perky. If I was being honest, so was her ass, and it was fucking alluring."Why do you keep mention
[Ivan’s POV] I wasn’t sure exactly what to say to her words. She seemed amused at what she was seeing, and it was really pissing me off. "Are you into voyeurism?" I asked, twisting around so she could get a look at Carina’s bare chest and pleasure-filled expression. "Should I make it easier for you to watch?" "W-what?" Carina yelped, tensing up. "Ivan, make her leave!" "Instead of watching, should I join?" Arissa asked, beginning to move forward. "You look like you’re having so much fun."
[Arissa's POV] I woke with a start to find myself in an all-too familiar bed and room. It was my childhood room, and again I was reliving the day that my life went to hell. Standing, I watched the door, waiting for Annemarie, my nanny, to come bursting in to wake me. Just like clockwork, she showed, her face in a fluster. "Arissa," she beamed realizing I was awake. "Today is the day!" I felt my heart tug at her excitement because I already knew what was to come. We would head to the ceremony for coming of age wolves only t
[Arissa’s POV] I watched the boy as he made his way towards me. It seemed that I was going to end up dying here, but then suddenly I heard an odd voice. "Get up," it muttered urgently. "Get up and fight!" Confused, I jumped up just as the boy lunged at me. Moving out of the way, I whirled and jumped on him as he slammed into the ground. Reaching around, I wrapped my arm around his throat and began to squeeze as hard as I could. This would be the first time I ever killed someone, and there would be many more after him. Three years of this: fighting, killing, growing stronger and harder. Then I would be brought back to the pack and find that my father had died and my mother had remarried. Her new husband would mark me as an omega and I would be sent to live in their quarters until I turned 18. I would ultimately stay there until a few nights before the blood moon. After being dosed with wolfsbane in my meal, I would be taken to the breeding house, where I would inadvertently cause my