Chapter Three

Rhea's POV

The damp air clung to my skin as I curled into myself in the shadowed corner of the cell. The walls were slick with cold, and the silence around me pulsed with dread.

I pressed my trembling fingers against the rough stone, tracing aimless shapes. My thoughts were a storm, crashing one over the other. I could barely breathe.

Then came the sound that twisted my stomach, heavy, deliberate steps.

A guard stepped into view. I rushed to the rusted iron bars, fingers wrapped around them with white knuckles.

"You came!" I rasped. "Are they coming to get me out?" My voice cracked with fragile hope. "When will my parents come to take me ?"

His smirk was a punch to the gut. There was no sympathy in his eyes, only mockery.

"Home?" he scoffed. "They’re never coming. The Griffiths disowned you the moment they found out about your little fling with Cyrus.”

What?! Disowned me?! No. This can't be. I'm their only daughter.

His words slammed into me like a falling wall.

My knees buckled, and I sank to the ground, heart thrashing against my ribs like it was trying to escape.

He continued, “You’re a discarded filth now. They've already claimed Natalie as their daughter now. The perfect lady. The future Luna. You’re now finished."

"Nooooo…..…" I choked, voice shaking. "No, that can’t be true. My parents, they wouldn't do this to me. I’m their daughter. Please. Please just send for them. I’ll give you anything you want."

The guard’s face twisted with cruel delight. "You?" he spat. "You're nothing now but a used-up whore. Alpha Logan discarded you like trash. Natalie is the jewel he wants. You’re just a stain they’re scrubbing out of their lives."

His words cut deeper than a blade.

"And that’s not the worst of it," he added, eyes glittering with malice. "Alpha Logan has decided to gift you to the rogues. Said you'd make a fine toy for them. After just two days in their hands, you’ll be begging for men just to sleep at night."

Laughter bubbled from his throat, dark and twisted.

My vision blurred. My body gave out. I couldn't believe my ears. They didn't just want me out of their lives. They want me destroyed. Crushed and broken.

The rogues. Living monsters. Monsters without morals.

Logan was now giving me to them? My mate? My husband? Again, rejecting me was not enough. He was giving me to those who would devour me without stopping.

A scream tore through me but was inside. My voice was lost to the weight of betrayal. My mind reeled as memories of our childhood flooded in, fragile things now bleeding at the edges.

Logan and I had once walked hand in hand through the moonlit gardens, the scent of roses wrapping around us. He’d glance back with quiet concern to make sure I didn’t trip over the stones. He used to care. He used to love me.

Until Natalie slithered into our lives.

After she arrived, his warmth iced over. His silence became a weapon. I tried to hold onto what we had, but every time I reached out, she was already there, poisoning everything.

The sound of keys snapped me out of my spiral. The guard unlocked the cell, his grin widening.

"Or maybe," he said, stepping inside, "you can change your fate."

I looked up, eyes raw with sudden hope. "You’ll let me go?"

He chuckled. "No, little Luna. But maybe you and I can have some... fun first. Might as well enjoy yourself before the rogues ruin you for good."

His eyes roamed over me with lust.

"You’ve got that look, like you’ve missed a man's touch. Let me warm your bed, sweetheart."

I recoiled, heart slamming against my chest.

"Don’t you dare touch me! I’m still your Luna........"

"WAS your Luna," he snarled. "Now, you’re just meat for the wild dogs. Open your legs, let me have a taste of your hole."

I tried to run, but his hand shot out, seizing my hair and yanking me backward. I fell, slamming onto the stone floor with a scream. He dropped on top of me, breathing like an animal.

"You're prettier than Natalie, I’ll give you that," he murmured, his filthy fingers tugging at my clothes. "Waste sending you to those beasts. I deserve the first taste."

I thrashed. Kicked. Screamed. "Get off me! No! Stop!"

He slapped me hard, the sting echoing inside my skull.

"You’ll take it," he growled, "and you’ll like it…..” Without warning, he tore my dress forcing his way towards my breasts.

"What's happening here?!"

A new voice split through the air. The weight lifted off me.

The guard scrambled up, face pale with panic. A higher-ranking officer stood in the doorway, gaze sharp and unamused.

"I heard a woman scream," he said flatly. "Explain."

"She was acting out, sir," the guard stammered. "I was... disciplining her."

The officer glanced at my torn clothes and swollen cheek. His lip curled in disgust.

"Enough. Prepare her for the public parade. She leaves for the rogues tomorrow, and Miss Natalie insists the whole town watch her fall from grace. We have work to do."

The guard bowed quickly, then spat at me before slamming the cell shut behind him.

I sat up slowly, clutching the remnants of my clothing. My fingers wouldn’t stop shaking. Silent tears slid down my cheeks. Why? Why me? Why would the moon goddess allow all these to happen to me. I could feel the world titled around me.

A parade. Natalie wanted my disgrace to be a spectacle.

She wanted the world to watch me break.

************

The next morning, sunlight spilled through heavy clouds, pale and cold. It felt wrong, that something so bright could exist on a day like this.

The guards dragged me from the cell, tied my hands, and threw me into a rickety prison cart.

My feet barely held me. My body was weak. My soul even weaker.

Outside, the streets were alive with cruelty. People had gathered in droves. They’d come for blood. They wanted to witness my shame firsthand.

"There she is! The traitor!"

"Whore!"

"Shameless bitch!!"

Their screams pierced the air like blades. I lifted my head, trying to hold what little dignity I had left. But the tears wouldn’t stop falling.

A rotten egg hit my face, splattering across my cheek and seeping into my hair. Its smell clung to me. The crowd erupted.

More eggs. More rocks. The sharp thuds against my skin made me flinch. I curled in, but I had nowhere to hide.

"I didn’t betray him!" I cried out, voice cracking. "It was Natalie! She set me up! Please.........please listen to me!"

But no one did.

Their hatred was louder than my truth.

Then I saw them.

Logan and Natalie stood on a balcony above, watching from their throne of lies.

She looked like a queen......flawless, untouchable. Her hand wrapped around Logan’s arm, lips curled in a wicked smile.

Logan’s eyes flicked toward me.

Then, cold and final, he turned his back.

My heart shattered all over again.

"Logan," I whispered, his name barely a breath as another stone struck my ribs. My voice drowned in the roar of the mob.

The cart creaked forward, pulled by guards who didn’t bother to hide their disgust. My legs gave way. My body swayed. I could barely breathe through the pain.

Eventually, the town faded behind us. Trees replaced buildings. The road narrowed.

And then we stopped.

The edge of the Crescent Fur Pack. The border where my people ended and the monsters began.

The soldiers abandoned the cart in silence. None dared linger.

I was left tied, alone, and shaking.

Then came the whistle.

A chorus of low voices followed.

"Well damn. This is Alpha Logan’s wife? Damn, she’s a beauty."

I forced my eyes open.

Ragged men surrounded the cart, their eyes lit with wicked excitement. Teeth yellowed. Faces filthy. Clothes reeking.

There were about ninety of them.

And every single one was looking at me like I was a prey ready to be slaughtered…