Chapter 6

Zach: I never… I never ordered that… who hit you?

Alex looked at me, his eyes filled with pain.

Amelia: Ashton… with every blow, he told me that *you* were the one who had ordered it… as punishment for my lateness.

Elza whimpered in sorrow within my mind. She, too, remembered that event—and all the ones that followed.

Amelia: I thought I was going to die that day… but your mother came and shoved me onto the floor to clean up the lunch you’d thrown down because it wasn’t to your liking… You looked at me with such disgust… You told me it was a justified punishment for daring to be late for your birthday lunch.

I wrapped my arms around myself for comfort.

Amelia: Not a single day since my father died—not one—has gone by without you making me feel how unwanted I was in your home. What did I do to deserve this? What had I done to *you*? What did I do to your parents? My father was your father’s Beta. He wasn’t perfect—I know that—but he was my father, and he gave his life to save you. Do you think he’d be happy to see how you treat his only daughter?

They sighed sadly. The worst part was that it hurt me to say these things to them, but I wanted them to understand that what they were expecting of me was difficult right now.

Amelia: The pack… they treat me exactly the same way your family did. Everywhere I went, I wasn’t welcome. I was mocked, humiliated, beaten… they tried to drown me in the school’s vat… the one and only person who was kind to me was Mr. Johnson… but because one of your girlfriends told you I was granting him favors in exchange for good grades, he lost his job. And when I tried to explain to you… do you remember what you did, Alpha Alex? You punched me in the stomach to make me lose the pup you accused me of carrying, then you locked me in the dungeon for five days… five days without water, without food, without anything… not even a sheet to cover myself at night.

I wiped my cheeks while continuing to stare at them.

Amelia: So, why should I trust you today? What makes you think I can trust you? You’ve been brutalizing me for ten years… ten years…

Zach: Amelia… I understand how you feel… I promise you we never ordered you to be whipped, and Ashton will have to answer for his actions.

Amelia: And the two of you? To whom will *you* answer for your actions? You hit me too; you hurt me as well!

Then, everything started spinning, and my vision went completely black as I lost consciousness.

Alex’s POV

I rushed to catch my sweet mate before she hit the ground. I looked at Zach in anguish. We had so much more to atone for than I’d realized.

Alex: Should we take her back to the pack?

He sighed softly.

Zach: I’d be tempted to say yes, but I’m hesitant. She doesn’t want to go back, and we haven’t finished talking. But she needs medical attention...

Alex: Let’s take her... it’ll just be one more thing we need to make amends for... can you check the household staff’s payroll records? I can’t believe our parents used her like a slave...

Zach: It was all planned... and believe me, if it’s true, I’ll pay her everything she’s owed... but there is no way our Luna will ever be treated like that again. And the rest of the staff will have to learn to actually work for their wages.

I lifted her gently. She was so light; I could feel every bone through her clothes. I felt so guilty—I was partly responsible for her starvation. We turned back, carrying her in my arms.

Zach: I’ve contacted our pack doctor. He’s going to meet us at our new apartment.

Alex: Good... we’ll have to protect her in front of the pack, too... this has all gone too far, Zach... her back... my heart aches just thinking about it...

Ashton had been our father’s Beta—the man who had taken over for Amelia’s father after he died. He was our Beta now, and he would have to answer for his actions. We arrived at the house, and I could feel the staff’s eyes on us—but mostly on Amelia, who was still unconscious in my arms. We headed up to our new apartment, and on the landing, we ran into our mother. She looked at Amelia with disdain.

Anne: What’s wrong with her now? She’s been nothing but trouble since she came to live with us!

Zach: Mom? Why do you hate her so much? She was just a child when she arrived...

My mother sighed softly.

Anne: You were kidnapped because of her father! Because of *her*! Her father was supposed to watch over the two of you, but she was sick, and he was distracted.

Alex: But Mom, it wasn’t Amelia’s fault she was sick—she was just a child. And her father... he’s the one who saved our lives, not the one who kidnapped us. He died saving us, leaving her all alone, and all she’s found here is contempt!

Anne: Since when do you care about her? Even *you* hate her!

Zach: Because you forbade us from being kind to her when we were young. But now, Mom, we need to make things right with her...

Alex: She’s our soulmate, Mom... and because of everything we’ve done for her, she doesn’t want us! Because of what you and Dad did to her, she doesn’t want us!

Zach: Is it true, Mom—that you never paid her a wage? That she wasn’t allowed to eat until everyone else had finished, and she had to make do with leftovers?

Anne: Yes, it’s true! Why would I have paid her? She was living here for free, wasn’t she? She was housed, clothed, and educated—and she managed to eat, didn’t she?

Zach: How can you be so heartless? She was just a child!

Logan: What is all this commotion about?

I looked at my father, anger rising in my heart. He looked at Amelia in my arms and sighed angrily.

Logan: What is she doing in your arms?

There was disdain in my father’s voice, and I felt a growl of anger rising within me.

Alex: She is our mate!