Chapter 1. Battered

Alexa

“I, Norman Reedus, Alpha of Bright Claw Pack…" His voice echoed through the halls as he stared at me, “Reject you, Alexa Grey, as my Luna and mate from now till eternity.”

I dropped to the ground, clutching my chest, revered with teary eyes while I stared at the man who was supposed to love and protect me—my mate—while he stood in front of me, unbothered by what he had just said or done.

Beside him was the pack's slut, Xena, with her arms proudly wrapped around him, flaunting his mark on her neck.

"Norman, is... is... Please tell me you're playing games with me... Please tell me this isn't a tr... ahhhh!"

A kick slammed to my side—Wade.

"How dare you speak to your Alpha in that manner?” he shouted as he sent another forceful kick to my rib, making me wince in utter pain.

I laughed silently to myself as I muttered, loud enough for them to hear,

"Who would have thought that the man who couldn't meet my eyes an hour ago would kick me so easily now?"

“Alexa!” Norman snarled as he walked towards me, yanking me by my hair. “I don't have time for this shit, so let's get this over with. Say the words!”

Wincing in pain, I clutched my hair, trying to pry myself free from his painful grip.

“W-what did I do wrong?” I asked. I could feel my voice trembling—not from fear, but disbelief. My pride was crumbling, but I refused to show weakness.

“Don't ask me bullshit if you don't want a beating,” he growled, aggressively planting his free hand on my face before pushing me to the floor.

He slapped me. Norman slapped me. The hands that were once meant for my protection—all because of that bitch. I gulped down my tears. No, not now, not here.

“Arghhh!” I screamed, feeling a hot, sticky liquid run down my nose.

“I won't repeat myself, Alexa,” he warned. “Accept the rejection. Now!”

I touched my face as I carefully brought myself to my knees while wiping my nose.

Raising my head, I stared into his eyes once more. I sensed something strange in them.

 What was going on? Why was he adamant about rejecting me? What was wrong with his eyes?

As far as I am concerned, Norman's my mate, and the moon goddess only blessed you with one. So why was he trying to throw away something so sacred?

I knew his parents never had an atom of love or respect for me, but still, he had proven to care about me regardless. Or were they forcing him to do this? Is this about his title?

If it was about the Alpha title, then we can leave it. Run away and start a pack of our own. Together.

“Do not have any stupid ideas, Alexa.” Norman coldly cut me out of my thoughts, his eyes flashing with disgust. “I know you better than you think I do, so know this—I chose to reject you. I am tired and bored of you.”

My heart clenched as I felt my wolf lurch forward.

 Bored of us?! my wolf repeated, as I stared at him in disbelief.

My wolf tried contacting Venom, Norman's wolf, but she was blocked out.

“N–Norman,” I started, only to be interrupted by Xena, who spoke, rolling her eyes.

“What is taking you so long? It was supposed to be a simple rejection and then I would be Luna.”

“Sorry, babe. I'll handle it now,” Norman hurriedly coaxed.

As if on cue, I felt a strong grip on my shoulders, pulling me to my feet.

“Give her a beating. It seems her brain is lagging,” he sighed.

Wade and the head warrior, Dan, wasted no time in following their Alpha's orders, and in an instant, a blow landed on my stomach, and heat seared through my body.

I gagged, winded, and lurched to cover my abdomen, but another one quickly followed, and another, as I continued to scream in pain and in agony.

My throat cracked from the amount of shouting I was doing.

“I–I accept! Please stop!” I cried, just as the last blow hit my abdomen.

“What is that?” Norman mocked, as he signaled them to release me. “Could you repeat it so my mate can hear you?”

I flopped onto the floor, blood and spittle mixing alongside the pain I felt as the men left my side.

“I accept,” I finally croaked as they beat me. But it wasn't surrender—it was my means to survival.

"Good!" he responded, and immediately, a hot searing pain shot through my body like a wave, causing me to scream.

I gripped my hair, writhing on the ground, as the pain of rejection tore through me. My wolf howled in pain—not because we loved him anymore, but because the bond itself was scarred.

A groan broke through my scream, followed by a pained howl, but it wasn't my voice—it was...

“G–get her out of my sight,” he hissed, clutching his chest as his orbs glowed, and he staggered, with his Beta and lover quick to catch him.

Which meant his wolf didn't want this either. He must have been forced to do it.

My screams were broken to my ears, appearing distant as I felt myself being dragged off while Norman was escorted back to his chambers.

“Please stop, you're hurting me!” I kicked, struggled. I wasn't going down quietly.

“Shut up!” Wade snarled, and I felt his claw dig into my flesh.

I struggled under their grips, trying to get away, as they dragged me deeper into the forest.

Suddenly, my body was flung to the ground. I stifled, feeling my vision blur as my head hit a tree trunk.

“Can we have a go at her?” I heard one of the men speak, making my already broken heart miss a beat.

“Are you crazy?” Wade barked.

“No!”

“We can have fun beating her up as per his orders, but we will respect our Alpha.”

The air seemed to go silent until one of the men agreed. “Alright, but no one touches her pretty face.”

A broken sob escaped my lips as I caught sight of their sharp claws glistening under the sunlight.

“Help! Moon goddess, please!”

Slowly, they moved towards me, and without hesitation, their claws met my flesh.

Blood gushed out from my wounds as multiple cuts and blows were made to my body.

I screamed as I tried my best to lift my weak body to run, but a punch sent me back to the ground.

With every cut, I felt a thousand ants crawl over and under my skin as my wolf tried her best to heal the wounds as fast as she could—only to be cut again.

Tears poured down my eyes. “Let me go! Please. I beg of you... ahhh... Stop!”

I thrashed about, kicking and failing, as adrenaline coursed through my body in an attempt to escape.

"Leave... me... Please, I'll go away. I'll go away, please," I begged between tears, but it fell on deaf ears.

Slowly, my body grew numb, and eventually, they grew bored seeing as I stopped struggling.

“Remember what you said, mutt,” Wade spat. “Stay away from the pack!”

I closed my eyes. My ears buzzed as I heard their footsteps fade away.

I was weak, and my wolf was on the verge of dying.

It was starting all over again.

Alone.

Rejected.

Tears welled in my eyes as the memories I had been trying to hide came crashing down on me.

Why was I like this? Why was the moon goddess punishing me?

What wrong did I ever do, to be cursed like this?

First, I lost my pack, my parents, and then I lost my sister. And now? It was rejected by my mate and here I am, left to die in no man's land.

I have no idea as to how long I stayed sprawled up on the cold hard ground, but it seemed like forever.

Suddenly, I heard rustling sounds from the direction Wade and his men had left from, and I tried to open my eyes.

I cried silently as leaves crunched under the weight of something.

A rogue?

Wild animals? Probably.

My blood could have attracted some wild animals.

I prayed silently as the sounds grew closer.

Please, moon goddess, don’t let this be my end. I need my revenge.

My heart raced at the possibility of death—or worse, taken by something sinister. But, as always, my prayers went unanswered as I could feel consciousness start to give in to the weakness.

 Moon goddess, please, I muttered with the last strength the beating left me with.

Just then, a calm voice sounded above me. “Hmmm, what do we have here?!”