Chapter 5

I sighed in resignation and slowly climbed down from the tree. The two men stared at me with a mix of longing and relief. They stood up and took a step toward me, but I backed away; I didn’t want to be touched. I saw the hurt in their eyes, but it wasn’t the time for physical contact—and I was still afraid they might harm me. I simply stared back at them intently, my arms crossed over my stomach.

Alex: Amelia, I know we don’t deserve your forgiveness, but I promise we’ll work every day to earn it.

Zach: I know you don’t believe us, Amelia—I know. We hurt you so much, humiliated you so deeply... caused you so much pain. And we are terribly sorry...

Alex: Please, come back to the pack house with us; let us make amends.

Amelia: What proof do I have that this isn’t just another one of your traps? After all, I’m just "the Hideous One"—the girl a mate would have to be pitiful enough to accept!

I saw guilt wash over their faces.

Alex: Amelia, we’re sorry... we were jealous—jealous of whoever would be lucky enough to become your mate!

I let out a joyless laugh.

Amelia: Oh! So that why you’ve been humiliating me ever since I was forced to live under your roof?

Zach: Amelia... I’m sorry... I should have protected you... we should have protected you... You were defenseless, having just lost your father, and we only added to your grief. It’s no excuse, but we were young, and we had to do what our parents ordered us to do. And by the time we were old enough to understand that what we were doing was wrong, it was too late.

Alex: So, we kept going... but please... you have your wolf now, and I know she’s begging you to come back to us; you know the bond is pulling us toward each other...

I let out another joyless laugh.

Amelia: My wolf has been my only friend for three years! Three years of enduring humiliation from my pack mates, three years of you breaking my heart every single day—and you think mere words can wipe all that away? Today is my birthday; I’m eighteen and can finally shift, but she’s been with me for three years—ever since the time you told me the world would be better off without me and I tried to take my own life. That’s why our Goddess awakened her: so I’d have a friend to talk to. Despite everything you’d done to me, I still went to the Winter Ball, just as you asked... Do you remember what you did? You tore my clothes, leaving me in rags in front of the pack. The dress I’d made with my own hands using the best fabrics I had available—which is to say, the scraps no one else wanted and had thrown away. You told me I was a mistake of nature, a piece of human trash, and that you couldn't wait to become Alpha so you could kick me out of the pack! Well, that’s done now: you’re Alpha, and I’m no longer in your pack. This place is my home! This patch of land lies between your pack’s territory and the Southern Pack’s territory. So, I ask you: why would I go back there to be humiliated again, beaten again, and treated like a nobody again?

I felt tears sliding down my cheeks and angrily wiped them away. I didn’t want to cry in front of them. They stood pale before me, realizing the implications of what I had just said.

Alex: You’ve known for three years that we were your mates…

Zach: And you didn’t say anything…

Amelia: Would you have believed me? I was just the monster, your family’s slave…

Zach: My parents paid you for the work!

I let out a disbelieving laugh as I looked at him.

Amelia: Sorry to disappoint you, Alpha Zach, but I didn’t receive a single dollar for all the work I did. If it hadn’t been for Mr. Johnson—who brought me a meal at school every day—I would have starved to death long ago. But then again... Mr. Johnson lost his job because he was accused of having an inappropriate relationship with me! So, for the past month, I’ve only eaten the few pieces of fruit I could find along the way. Your parents forbade me from eating until everyone else had finished—including the staff. They pay to do nothing while I do all the work! There’s never anything left, and on the rare occasions when a scrap remains, you rush to grab it, so I get nothing! So, Alpha, tell me: why would I go back to a pack like that, to a house like that?

Alex: We didn’t know you were our mate…

Amelia: Oh! And is that reason enough to justify your actions, Alpha Alex? A reason to justify the violence?

They sighed in unison, and I saw their shoulders slump.

Alex: No, you’re right; it’s no excuse. We were cruel to you—so cruel… but we promise it will never happen again. If you decide to live here, we’ll give up our Alpha titles to stay with you. Even if we have to sleep outside, we want to be near you and work to earn your forgiveness.

Amelia: Why? What difference does it make that you know I’m your mate now? I’m still the same girl I was yesterday—the one you loved to brutalize. Look at my neck, look at my face… I have these marks because of the two of you!

Zach: Amelia… those marks will fade soon, and I promise you’ll never get another one…

I turned my back on them and pulled up my shirt.

Amelia: And what about this one? What am I supposed to do with it? Am I supposed to forget that, too?

I heard them growl fiercely as anger took hold of them.

Zach: WHO DARED TO MARK YOU LIKE THAT?

I turned to face him, unimpressed by his outburst.

Amelia: Don’t you remember? Three years ago, today—on my birthday—you had me whipped fifteen times with a lash soaked in belladonna, simply because you wanted to punish me for sleeping in on *your* birthday! You had just turned eighteen… it nearly killed my wolf…