Chapter 003 Heartbreak

WINTER

Hurt twisted my belly. The glint in Seven's blue eyes was like nothing I had ever seen before. What was it? Hatred? Disgust? Or both?

With a smirk, Seven leaned forward to my level. "I'll only say this once, Winter. I never loved you. And I never will!"

A pang of pain, one stronger than all others, tugged at my heartstrings. I held my chest and squeezed hard. Tears continued to flow freely. My lips trembled as I stammered, "Sev... Seven, how... how could you do this to me?"

Relishing my hurt, Seven smiled again and then snorted, "This is on you. It's not my fault that you were down bad for me when I was just toying with you.

"You know what? You don't deserve to be my Luna. I need someone strong, extremely beautiful, and from a powerful family. You have none of these qualities, so why should I sentence myself to marriage with you?"

With a shrug, he continued, "Think about it. If you are being honest, you'll agree with me that I deserve better."

Every word that Seven sputtered was like a spear piercing my already broken heart. Nonetheless, a part of me still felt like this was a joke. Was it April Fool's Day?

But we are in August!

I tried to mind link with him. But I failed, just like I always have since I came to know Seven.

I honestly thought it would work now that we already had sex. Boy, was I wrong.

Maybe because this was just sex to Seven. He probably didn't feel the same connection I felt to him. Maybe he was serious about never loving me. It wasn't uncommon for hot guys to use and dump naive girls.

More tears streamed down my cheeks as this realization hit me. The past three years had been all a lie. He never had feelings for me. He just wanted to get into my panties once I clocked eighteen.

"And you tell me this after taking my virginity? How cruel could you be!" I screamed, pounding his chest with my small fists.

"You are a dick!"

Gripping my hands and pushing me away, Seven snorted, "Took you long enough. Now go and never come back!"

Rage heated my cheeks. I felt my blood boiling in an instant. "You are a disgrace to this pack. Your father would be so ashamed of you!" 

Those words escaped my lips before I could think twice. I had just crossed the line. Seven was sure going to kill me!

Surprise flickered over his face for the briefest of seconds. He blinked severally, but his eyes soon turned red. He gripped my neck and pressed hard.

"Get lost! Don't ever show up in front of me. Otherwise, I'll kill you with my bare hands!" he roared and threw me out of the room.

The door was slammed in my face afterward. Struggling to stand on my feet, I clutched what remained of my dress. Half of my cleavage was in full display despite my efforts to cover it. There was a slit on my thigh, which that animal had made just to get inside me.

In a fit of pique, I kicked the door, stubbing my toe in the process. Great! One more thing to cry about.

"Fuck!" I cursed amidst tears.

Sadness filled my heart again as I picked up my pair of heels and purse. My hopes for tonight were dashed. I thought we were going to have a romantic dinner. Little did I know I was walking into the snare of a beast.

Salty tears mixed with mucus found their way into my mouth. My whole body shook as I turned around to leave. Out of nowhere, Seven's stepmother, Nora, appeared on the landing of the stairs.

She looked up at me with her eyes widened in shock.

"Winter! What happened to you?" she asked worriedly.

Turning back around, I wiped my tears quickly. I did a 360 again and then forced a smile. "It's nothing."

"How can it be nothing?" she uttered, walking over to me. "Your dress is torn and your hair is a mess. Don't lie to me, Winter. What happened?"

I waved my hand in pretense. "It's nothing, really. Seven and I just had a pillow fight. My dress was a little tight, so it got torn in the process."

Nora's eyes narrowed. She clearly didn't believe me, but she said, "Gosh! When will he stop playing so roughly? Look at you. How could he allow you to come out like this? You are on your way home, aren't you?"

I nodded, avoiding her eyes.

"Come. Let me give him a good scolding and get you something to wear. You can't go home looking like this."

When she reached out to take my hand, I staggered back and shook my head hard. "Don't worry. It's already dark outside. And Melanie's house is only a stone's throw from here."

"But you--" she begins. 

However, I was already at the foot of the stairs and heading for the door before she could finish her words. Nora clearly meant well. But who knew what Seven would do to me if she scolded him on my behalf?

First, he didn't give a flying fuck about me. And then, he threatened to kill me.

I had better get out of here.

The gravel outside Seven's mansion pricked the soles of my feet as I walked on them. 

Strands of my red hair were pasted on my forehead and over my eyebrows, but I was too disheveled to push them back. All I wanted to do now was just cry on the shoulders of someone who cared about me.

With a heavy heart, I walked on the nearly empty street. I soon found myself walking past the gate of my friend, Melanie's apartment building. The elevator ride up was the longest I have ever had even though this wasn't my first time being here.

Once the doors opened, I trudged down the hall to Melanie's door. My fist hurt as I banged it hard.

"Do you want to break down my—" Melanie began as she answered the door.

But the second she saw me, she froze in horror. "What the hell happened to you?"

"Mel!" I burst into tears in an instant. 

Melanie opened her arms wide and pulled me into the apartment. "Oh, dear! Come... I'm so sorry."

She made me sit on the couch and then offered me a box of tissue paper. I whipped out a few and blew my nose hard. My body shook as I continued to bawl my eyes out.

Melanie held me close and rubbed my arm in silence. For an indeterminate time, I just cried, cried, and cried. It wasn't until when my eyes were sore and my throat was dry that she finally spoke up.

"What happened, Winter? Why are your clothes torn? Weren't you supposed to go on a date with Seven?"

"He did this!" I croaked.

Confused, she asked, "Who?"

"Seven did this!"

"What Seven are you talking about?"

"Which other Seven do you know?" I gasped in frustration. "Of course, it's Seven Greywolf! My boyfriend!"

"Hold on... You mean to tell me that Seven, as in, the Alpha of Blood Crest Pack, did this to you?"

All I could do now was nod hard. Tears were stinging my eyes again. The lump in my throat had also returned.

"How... I... How..."

Just as Melanie was still trying to come up with what to say, the door swooshed open. Nico, my other friend, walked in. Melanie must have texted her. She threw her bag on a couch close by and rushed over to us.

"What's this I'm hearing? What happened to you, Winter?"

Again, I burst into tears. Nico ran to my side and gave me a bear hug. She patted my back and asked, "Who did this?"

"She said it was Seven," answered Melanie.

"What? How could he?"

Melanie had no answer to that. The two of them spent the next few minutes consoling me. After forcing me to drink a glass of cold water, I was finally able to tell them all that happened.

"That bastard!" Nico cursed without a care in the world. "Who does he think he is? How dare he take advantage of you?"

"Winter, you have got to report this to the cops or even the elders."

"What elders?" Nico snapped. "Have you forgotten that the so-called elders are Seven's age mates except for his stepmother? And as for the cops, they will all take his side!"

Melanie argued, "But—"

"Nico is right," I interrupted. "It wasn't even rape. He was violent, but I allowed him to. Besides, who would believe me if I said that their beloved Alpha used and dumped me?"

Hearing this, Melanie's shoulders fell. She saw my point. Seven was loved by all in the pack. Unlike some Alphas, he was a kind and considerate leader. Ever since he took that position, there hadn't been any complaints about him. 

As much as I felt cheated, I didn't want to come under fire for calling out Seven for hurting me. It would only make my wound deeper.

Nico paced about in the room. With her face contorted, she wagged her finger in the air. "Something has always been fishy about that guy. He didn't even attend your coming-of-age ceremony. How could he miss the eighteenth birthday of someone he claimed to love?"

That was a good point. Seven was a little weird, but I thought that was only normal considering all that he went through. Also, I didn't throw a fit when he went out of town a day to my birthday because I wanted to be an understanding girlfriend. 

Seven always did right by me. Perhaps that's why I never noticed anything wrong until he dropped me like a hot potato.

Note to self: Never fall for a man just because he shares your trauma.

Realizing what a fool I had been, hot tears clouded my vision. I buried my face in my hands and wailed.

"No, that's enough!" Nico rushed over and knelt in front of me. She made me look at her and then wiped off the tears on my sore cheeks.

"You can't allow that bastard to break your soul. He has got to pay for what he did. First, go take a shower. I have an idea."

"What idea?"

"Just trust me, Winter," she said vaguely, her eyes dimming.