Chapter 003

Valeria POV

Days passed, yet every memory remained sharp. Every betrayal. Every pain. Nothing faded, I stared at the stone wall of the cell, chains biting into my wrists and ankles. Bruises from the torture covered my skin, aching with every breath. Their voices still echoed in my head.

Traitor.

My sister’s smile, cold and satisfied, my mother’s mocking gaze,They haunted me endlessly.

Cold wind slipped through the cracks of the cell, brushing against my skin. I curled into myself, wrapping my arms around my knees as my body trembled. Tears spilled freely down my face. If anyone had told me my own family would betray me, I would have laughed. I took my sister’s place. I sacrificed myself. I was forced to mate the demon Alpha, and this was my reward.

They turned their backs on me and branded me the evil one.

A broken smile tugged at my lips as tears continued to fall. This was my fate to die at the hands of Alpha Sebastian, just like everyone who dared step into his territory. I was meant to be his Luna… and his victim.

“You’re cursed, Valeria,” I whispered.

My hands shook as I wiped my tears, then rested my head against the cold stone wall. I closed my eyes, wishing this nightmare would end.

A sudden knock shattered the silence.

The iron hatch slid open.

“Lady Valeria, you are requested,” a guard said.

I didn’t respond. I didn’t move. Everything felt unreal. As if I were trapped in a dream I couldn’t wake from. It wasn’t enough that Helen betrayed me, she had stolen my identity too.

“Get up, traitor,” the guard snarled.

He yanked me off the floor. Pain shot through my body as the chains tightened around my limbs. Every step burned. I struggled to stand straight as he dragged me out of the cell.

The hallway lights blinded me. I squeezed my eyes shut,I couldn’t remember the last time I’d seen sunlight. A rough shove from behind forced me forward, and I kept walking, numb, broken, Until we stopped, Helen’s chambers.

I heard her laughter echo through the room. It rang with triumph, as if she were celebrating a long-awaited victory. I couldn’t stop wondering what had gone wrong, how my sister, the one who once loved me, had turned her back on me so completely.

Her laughter slowly faded,She turned her gaze toward me, and a malicious smile curved her lips. Rising from the bed, she walked toward me with deliberate steps, as if savoring every moment.

“What kept you so long?” she asked.

I stayed silent. I didn’t trust myself to speak. Everything that had happened felt unreal, twisted beyond reason.

She sighed in irritation and squeezed her eyes shut, taking a deep breath. When she opened them, a cruel smile spread across her face.

“Don’t give me that look, sister,” she said coldly. “I’ll ask again,what kept you so long?”

Still, I said nothing. I was holding myself back, fighting the urge to do something reckless. She wasn’t just a traitor, she enjoyed my suffering. I once believed she loved me. Now I know the truth.

My sister would go to any length to see me dead all for power, wealth, and authority.

Before I could reply, a sharp, burning pain tore across my cheek. I staggered backward as her maids burst into laughter.

Tears welled in my eyes. “I… I…” I stammered, but the words wouldn’t come. If I wanted to survive, if I wanted revenge I had to endure this, She raised her hand again.

I shut my eyes tightly, bracing myself for another blow. Seconds passed. Nothing happened.

Slowly, I opened my eyes, Helen lowered her hand, her smile twisted with satisfaction.

“It’s been a while since I’ve had some fun,” she said softly. “How about we start now, right here, in front of my maids? After all, you’re nothing but a slave to me.”

She laughed and clapped her hands in delight.

I was still trying to understand her words when she snapped her fingers,Two guards walked in, she pointed at me.

“Give her twenty strokes of the whip. Make sure you leave marks on her,” Helen ordered coldly.

She stared at me for a moment longer before turning away. The guards grabbed me roughly, and I struggled with the little strength I had left, but it was useless.

Two of them pinned my arms tightly, forcing me against the wall. I fought to free myself, but my body failed me. Tears streamed down my face as I shut my eyes, waiting for the pain to tear into my back.

Then a voice thundered through the room.

“Let her go!”

Alpha Sebastian’s growl froze everyone.

The guards released me immediately, and I collapsed to the floor. Panic flashed across Helen’s face as she rushed toward him, fear clear in her eyes.

“M-My Lord, I—I—” she stammered.

Alpha Sebastian turned to her and brushed her hand away from him. His voice was cold and deadly, carrying a warning no one dared ignore.

“No one is permitted to touch what is mine. No one.”

I said nothing.

I forced myself to stand, ignoring the sharp pain in my knees and knuckles. My tears had dried, but I felt no relief. No comfort. Only emptiness. I was humiliated, not just by my sister, but by the monster who had turned my life into a living nightmare since the day I arrived at this pack.

I walked out of the room, each step felt heavier than the last, as if invisible chains dragged me down. My bruises throbbed, but the pain in my body was nothing compared to the betrayal burning in my chest.

“Valeria.”

A familiar voice echoed from the hallway.

I turned, but no one was there. Suddenly, someone grabbed me and shoved me into a corner. Panic surged through me as I struggled, thinking someone was trying to take advantage of me.

A hand covered my mouth.

“Valeria, it’s me Bernard.”My heart stopped.

“Bernard?” I whispered, disbelief choking my voice. The same Bernard who had rejected me with nothing but a note?

“Yes,” he said desperately. “Please, Valeria, I’m sorry. Helen lied to me. She deceived me,told me horrible things about you. She convinced me to elope with her, and after we did, she said she never wanted me as her mate. Please… I’ll do anything to have you back.”He clutched my hands tightly.

The world spun around me. My knees almost gave out. I tried to speak, but no words came. Everything suddenly made sense, the rejection, the betrayal, the cruelty.

It was all Helen,slowly, I pulled my hands away from Bernard and walked toward an open window in the hallway. The pain in my chest was unbearable. I felt numb, hollow, as if every piece of me had shattered.

No one wanted me, a wolfless mate,Betrayed by my sister, Abandoned by my parents, There was nothing left.

I stepped onto the window ledge and shut my eyes tightly, ready to fall, Then a hand grabbed me from behind.