Then a rejection

TRINITY POV

I didn’t even make it to the count of five as the whip cracked against my skin before I passed out.

When I came to, it was morning and the air was frigid.

I was chained to a bench outside the Alpha’s building for everyone to see. Naked. Bruised. Broken.

Every inch of my body burned. The silver cuffs around my wrists and ankles only made the pain worse, while the cold metal bench bit into my battered trembling skin.

I shoved down the bile rising in my throat and lowered my gaze to the ground.

“The jealous pig tried to kill her sister just as she killed her father.”

“She deserved every bit of that punishment.”

“The Alpha was too lenient. He should’ve exiled her.”

The whispers surrounded me. Everyone in the pack must have heard what happened. Rumors transferred faster than smoke in EverCrest. Yet, no one pitied me. No one questioned what had happened. They had already decided I was the villain, just as they always did.

Marisol was the angel. Spotless. Blameless.

It hadn’t always been this bad.

When my father was alive, life was different. Everyone loved me. I was Evercrest’s little princess and the only daughter of Alpha Roland Justice whose family had led the pack for generations. Beyond our territory, my father was the billionaire CEO of Aetheris Technologies, one of New York City’s leading tech companies.

Then he died in a rogue ambush.

Before the traditional six-month mourning period had even ended, my mother married Alpha Jericho Northcott of Silvermist, our neighboring Alpha. With no adult heir to lead our pack, the Alpha Council placed Evercrest under his protection.

I was only eight years old. I didn’t understand pack politics or billion-dollar corporations. All I knew was that another man slept in my father’s bed, another family took over our home, and everything my father had built was no longer ours. I went from being the pack’s princess to becoming Marisol Northcott's personal maid.

My biggest bully. And thanks to her, the entire pack hated me.

Something struck me hard between the shoulders. I flinched and glanced sideways as it dropped to the ground.

A rotten tomato. Better than a pepper. I winced regardless.

“You need to eat that so you can lose some weight, hippo!” a boy shouted.

I swallowed hard and tore my eyes away from the tomato. A pair of red stilettos stopped in front of me. I didn’t need to look up to know who it was.

“Oink,” Marisol grunted.

A few pack members heard her. They burst into laughter. She made another disgusting sound, bleating like a goat, soaking up every laugh at my expense.

It would have hurt more if she hadn’t been doing this for as long as I could remember. When the laughter finally died down, Marisol kicked the leg of the bench to get my attention.

“When will you be done?” she asked, as if I were the one keeping myself here. “I need you to fix my dress for tomorrow. I have a date with Alpha Jason’s son, Brandon of Redmont pack.”

I wanted to tell her to go fuck herself. I wanted to remind her that our father had ordered me to stay here until sunset.

But I couldn’t.

“I asked you a question, you pathetic rhino!” she hissed.

“I don’t know,” I whispered.

“Then ask!” she snapped. “Do you expect me to fix my own dress?”

Yes. You have hands.

“No,” I murmured.

Marisol huffed.

“Why the hell do I even bother? If my dress isn’t ready before eight tonight, you’ll wish you were never born.”

She turned and walked away.

“Bitch,” I muttered, shifting into a less painful position.

Another hour passed before I was finally released, long before the sunset I had been ordered to endure.

I assumed Marisol had spoken to Father. I headed to her room to collect the dress she wanted mended. My steps stopped at the doorway.

Theo was on her bed. Naked. Marisol was on her knees in front of him, pleasuring him.

My heart clenched. The betrayal from yesterday was still fresh. He hadn’t apologized for what he’d done. Yet here he was again.

Theo’s eyes drifted slowly over my battered body, his fingers still tangled in Marisol’s golden blonde hair.

I flushed, and I looked away from his probing stare. I hurried to the corner of the room, yanked open Marisol’s wardrobe, and grabbed the dress.

“The elephant is here,” Marisol taunted.

My fingers tightened around the peach sequined dress—her favorite.

“You’re lucky Father didn’t think much of what happened last night,” she said.

Of course he didn’t. They always believed everyone else over me. It had always been that way.

Marisol would get into trouble, and I’d take the blame. Even if she did something in front of everyone, they’d still find a way to pin it on me.

I folded the dress neatly and headed for the door.

“Wait.”

Marisol’s voice stopped me in my tracks. She spread her slender fingers across Theo’s chest.

“You’ve always wanted a threesome. What do you think? Me, you, and…”

“Not her,” Theo cut in, his nose wrinkling in disgust.

Heat crept up my neck as I caught the look of revulsion on his face.

“Why not?” Marisol asked. “She’s your fated mate and you promised to marry her. You don’t care about her one hundred and ninety pounds that keeps growing by the second. You should be sexually attracted to…”

“Enough,” Theo growled, glaring at Marisol. Then he turned to me. “Get out of here.”

“Y-yes,” I stammered, not waiting to be told twice.

I ran. The second I reached my room, I slammed the door shut behind me.

I walked over to the mirror, tears stinging my eyes as I stared at my reflection. Too plain. Fat. Puffy cheeks. A body no one could ever love.

I wasn’t as slender or graceful as Marisol, but I hadn’t always been this way. I used to be healthy. No one mocked my weight until I turned twelve.

The stress of waiting on Marisol, surviving on barely four hours of sleep while she enjoyed ten, my father’s death, and my mother’s neglect—it all caught up with me.

I wiped the tears from my cheeks and combed back my messy ginger hair. I knew everyone thought they were justified in calling me those names.

But Theo… For the first time in my life, he’d made me feel good about myself. He’d made me feel wanted. It had all been a lie. I should have known.

Fresh tears rolled down my cheeks as my chest narrowed.

“Trinity!” Marisol shouted from outside.

Good Goddess. Couldn’t I catch a single break?

“Trinity!”

I wiped away the rest of my tears, and hurried out of my room. She shot me a filthy look before turning away.

“Come with me.”

I followed without question. The moment we stepped outside, I saw a crowd gathered.

I frowned, wondering what was going on. Then I saw Theo standing in the center of the circle. The crowd parted, and someone shoved me from behind until I stood in front of him.

“Thank you all for honoring my call,” Theo began without hesitation. He addressed the crowd first, ignoring me completely.

“I’ll get straight to the reason I called you here.”

Then he turned to me.

“I want someone beautiful enough to walk with me in public and healthy enough to carry my pups. Hence, I, Theodore Armstrong, reject you, Trinity Justice, as my mate!” he thundered, his voice sending a jolt down my spine.

My body went still.

A desperate plea echoed in my head as my wolf stirred silently. I waited for the bond to snap. For the white-hot agony every rejected mate was said to endure.

Nothing. There was only emptiness. Coldnes.

My heart pounded. Cold sweat gathered on my forehead. The wind roared too loud in my ears. Laughter broke out around me. People pointed in my direction. Everything around me blurred.

“She actually thought Beta's son would choose her. She’s delusional!”

“Theo is too good for a stupid, fat omega like her!”

“Now accept my rejection, you bitch!” Theo roared.

I stumbled back, shaking my head.

“No…”

“No?” He sneered as he stalked toward me. “Then I’ll force it out of your mouth!”

I didn’t remember deciding to run. One moment I was standing there. Next, I was sprinting.

I didn’t stop until twenty minutes later, when I reached an old bar, Rusty Wolf, a place no shewolves of proper homebringing would be found. I rushed inside without thinking.

A party was in full swing. Sweat, cigarette smoke, and alcohol saturated the air. The heavy bass pounded through my chest while flashing neon lights stung my eyes.

I tried to disappear into the crowd. Easily. At the bar, the bartender slid a shot glass toward me.

He smiled and gave me a nod. I didn’t ask what it was. I didn’t ask whether I should drink it. I picked it up and threw it back. Then another. Then one more.

I regretted every one of those decisions minutes later. My head spun along with the lights. My stomach rebelled violently. Each wave of nausea rose higher than the last. I fought it down until I couldn’t anymore.

Hands groped me where I didn’t want to be touched. I shoved my attackers away and stumbled toward what I hoped was the bathroom.

I made it just in time. I dropped to my knees and threw up everything in my stomach. Afterward, I collapsed onto the cold tile floor, too weak to move. My eyes fluttered shut.

When they opened again, I was completely naked.