Fated bonds: Her Cure, His Regret

Ashley’s P.O.V.

“I, Alpha Vincenzo Anderson, reject you, warrior Ashley Miller, as my mate and Luna. You are banished from my Enchanted Gardens Pack.”

When my mate uttered those words, I knew that my life would be another name of suffering. Ending up in a rogue’s pack was just the beginning of my nightmare. Five years had passed, and I was stuck in an endless cycle of misery. Surviving every day was a new challenge for me.

And like it wasn’t enough, the rogue king’s recent increased interest in me turned my life into hell!

King Ralph was kind enough to let me be a part of his pack, but his lecherous intentions weren’t a secret from anyone. He was a playboy, sleeping around for fun. Maids weren’t safe from his dirty nature.

All thanks to my rotten luck, Ralph had set his eyes on me now. His bizarre offers were getting ridiculous day by day as he gave me two options.

“Sleep with me or cook a feast for one hundred warriors!”

Although he was confident that one would never sign up for such an inhumane workload, I chose my dignity. I could never bear to sell my body at any cost.

So, cooking a three-course meal for one hundred wolves on his order, I was cursing the man who was responsible for my condition. The heartless Alpha Vincenzo Anderson, the one who rejected me on the day of our mating ceremony.

Disregarding the sacredness of our bond, my Alpha mate didn’t hesitate to reject me, severing the red threads of matrimony. In just one day, I was turned into a convicted criminal from a soulmate, banished from my homeland. Vincenzo didn’t even consider that I hadn’t stepped out of our pack in my whole life.

His cruel rejection snatched everything from me, forcing me to stay in the rogue territory. There was no place for criminals in the entire world.

Sighing dejectedly, I blinked away the tears, moving as fast as I could. It was my duty to serve the dinner on time. But the warriors in the dining hall took my helplessness as the joke of the century, making fun of me.

One warrior smacked my ass. “Here’s the pack’s slut. Are you free after banging our Alpha tonight, Ashley?”

Lowering my head, I could only swallow the insults as it was the secret of surviving in this lawless community. I had learned this lesson after countless punishments in the past five years.

As this feast was my penalty for refusal, I had to do everything alone from cooking to serving. No one was allowed to help me at work. So, I focused on service, disregarding warriors’ venomous words.

It was the Moon Goddess’s blessing that dinner went on smoothly without a hitch. I was scrubbing the stains from the floor after the meal when my friend, Jenna, came to me.

“Hurry up, Ash. The kitchen must be closed before nine. King Ralph is really pissed off tonight!”

Gazing at the mess in front of my eyes, I calculated the time required in my head. The heaps of dishes and cleaning gave me a rough estimate.

“I need at least one more hour to wind up the kitchen, Jenna.”

She looked around and closed the door, whispering cautiously.

“King Ralph has arranged a drinking party at the ceremony hall. I have heard that he will call you there.”

Jenna told me that Ralph was looking for an excuse to trouble me, punishing me with more work after the feast. That married man was furious that I wasn't ready to be his mistress like other girls.

Taking a deep breath, I shook my head. The news of the night shift had turned my mouth bitter.

“What will be, will be, Jenna. I won’t give into his tricks. King Ralph can go fuck himself.”

After Jenna’s heads-up, I finished the work halfheartedly, preparing myself for another round of distress. I was closing the kitchen when a guard called me from outside.

“Ashley! Our king is calling you!”

The moment I was dreading was there, challenging my sanity. I didn’t have the choice to say no, as I was just another discarded shadow, scraping out a living in the filth. This pack was a joke, a makeshift kingdom of outlaws and exiles, ruled by the monster drunk on power and his own delusion of royalty. Ralph would skin anyone alive who dared to defy his command.

Whispers followed me as I walked behind the guards to the party hall, feeling the suffocation in the air. My skin prickled with warning as I grabbed the tray and walked through the tall double doors.

Ralph was sitting on a gold-plated high seat, with his legs spread wide. His smile was all teeth when I bowed and served him the glass of stolen wine.

“Ah, my little favorite stray! I thought you must have collapsed after preparing the feast.”

I quickly stepped back as he stood up, approaching me. The crowd of his loyal warriors went silent as he continued in a sultry tone.

“But you are here, serving drinks. You have great stamina to take my big d*ck, doll.”

My heart pounded like war drums in my ears as he eyed his companions to leave, circling me like a vulture slowly.

“I have been patient, offering you to live in comfort. But still, you played hard to get, doll!”

King Ralph stopped in front of me, his eyes gleaming with lust settled a chill in my bones as he said.

“It ends tonight, doll. You are mine!”

*Trigger warning: Sexual assault*

“No!”

An involuntary gasp spilled my lips as he seized my chin, nauseating me with his touch. He forced me to look up and growled.

“You will submit to your king! I will tame you into a dirty little whore like you are!”

“No, please leave me!”

The tray landed on the floor with a loud thump as I held my hand out to maintain the distance between us. But that drunk man didn’t listen to me. He grabbed my wrists in one fist, holding me forcefully. I squirmed against his iron hold as he tried to tear my shirt.

“Save your strength for later, doll. You have to please my wolf!”

He extended his claws, scratching the flesh of my arms to silence me. His hands roaming on my skin made me feel sick to the stomach. I screamed at the top of my lungs.

“Help! Somebody, please help me.”

Fighting against his mighty Alpha wolf, I was begging for mercy when the door flew open, followed by a loud thud.

A fierce voice questioned, “What the hell is happening here?”