Once Bitten

Summer's POV.

"I bet he can't wait to be surprised by me tonight!" A fulfilling smile suddenly twisted across my lips as I looked at the gift box I had in my hand.

It was my boyfriend's birthday today, and no matter how broke I was, I was still willing and ready to surprise him.

I was still ambling closer to my room so I could keep the box and get dressed for the night party at the Pack's Mansion when I was suddenly pulled out of a trance by my stepsister's moaning.

"Oh, Yeah!!! Yeah!! Fuck me, hit me!"

I paused for a second, feeling irritated by her whispers from her room. It was obvious that she was being banged from behind by one of the werewolves in our pack.

"So disgusting!" I scoffed and was going to ignore her and leave, but then I was stopped in my tracks instantly by a familiar voice.

I was sure I recognized that voice from somewhere since it rang a bell in my head, but I begged silently to the moon goddess that it shouldn't be who I thought it was.

I turned on my heels at this point and began to go closer to the door, Ava's moans still echoing in the house, when suddenly she uttered…

"Jackson! You love me, right? You want just me and not her, right?" She moaned loudly at this point, the name she called sending a shocking wave down my spine.

At this point, tears had welled up in my eyes, but I tried my best to hold them back for a second to be certain if it was Jackson in her room.

"She means nothing to me, Ava! She's just a lowlife Omega and a poor bitch that I never want in my life!"

Suddenly, Jackson responded with a husky voice that left me panicking and panting so deeply.

"You will be my Luna! The next Luna of the Ravenwood pack! Trust me, Summer is just being used to get there!" He blurted out, still making Ava moan his name continuously.

At this point, I was so close to the door that, after nervously swallowing the lump in my throat, a sensation of urgency overcame me, and I immediately pushed the door open.

To my utter surprise, I found him; my boyfriend; making out with my step-sister in her room, right here at home.

"Jack... Jackson?" I muttered softly, my eyes blinking rapidly in disbelief. It was hard to accept what I was witnessing.

Someone I deeply cared about, someone I loved, and someone I had promised to stand by was actually fooling me all these years. He had only been using my feelings to achieve his own goals.

Watching him having sex with my sister, hearing her moans fill the air, brought me nothing but pain and regrets.

What made it even worse was that they seemed so enchanted in each other's arms that they didn't even notice me entering the room.

At that moment, a sharp pang of hurt ravaged me. I couldn't stop myself from dropping the box I was holding; it clattered loudly as it hit the floor, and I grabbed my chest in a tight grip.

The noise of the falling box snapped their attention to me instantly.

"Summer!?" Jackson's voice came swiftly, the moment he spun towards the door and saw me in pain.

He seemed as surprised and taken aback as I was, yet his fixed gaze held no hint of fear or concern about losing me.

'He was really using me...' I judged inwardly, my hand clenched tightly over my chest, my heart throbbing with a blend of fury and pain.

My eyes had already welled up with tears, and the rage inside me was so overwhelming that I couldn't utter a single word. The weight of heartbreak held me in a silent grip.

"How could you just burst into my room like that, Summer? Have you no respect?" Ava erupted, her voice piercing the air at a volume that bordered on shouting.

She, the one who was betraying me by sleeping with my boyfriend, had the audacity to act as though she was the one wronged? What an utterly heartless person she turned out to be.

"Don't listen to her, Ava! She's just craving attention now, but I won't entertain it! So what if she caught us together? After all, she's not my true mate," Jackson's words cut through the tension, a dismissive tone lacing his voice.

And then it hit me, like a bolt of realisation crashing down; Ava was his true lover, his mate. He had known this all along, yet he had led me on, promising love and affection.

"You're a monster, Jackson! How... how could you?" I cried out, my feet seemingly glued to the ground where I stood.

"A monster? You were the one who pursued me relentlessly, forcing yourself into my life, and I simply used you to fulfil my desires! Besides, there's no crime in having sex with my actual mate, is there?" His voice carried a snarl as he turned towards Ava, who sat beside him.

And just then, he sealed his words with a deep kiss, a smile playing on his lips as he did so, right in front of me.

Witnessing such a nasty scene, my legs felt weak beneath me, a rush of guilt and shame washing over me. Who could have ever imagined?

"You're never going to..." I began to speak about my intention to finally put an end to everything as he wished, but I was caught off guard by a strong grip that reached out from behind me.

I swung quickly, my tear-stained face coming face-to-face with my stepmother.

"How dare you barge into Ava's room without knocking?" She accused, her words sharp as a whip.

In an instant, her hand collided with my cheek in a stinging slap, her grip on my wrist intense.

"Ahhh!" The sound slipped from my lips, my long brown hair shielding my face as I instinctively cradled my right cheek.

Before I could regain my pose from the force of her slap, she hauled me out of Ava's room, dragging me toward the living room.

"How many times do I have to remind you not to disturb Ava when she's enjoying herself?" Her voice thundered, hands planted on her hips as her anger roared to my face.

At this point, I couldn't bear it any longer; I couldn't endure standing here while she painted me as a fool, when it was Ava who deserved the blame.

"Disturb her? She's in bed with my boyfriend, Sarah! She's the one in the wrong here, and you..." I was about to continue, but my stepmother's hand shot up, poised to strike me once more.

Reacting instinctively, I raised my own hand to shield myself from the impending blow.

However, the strike never landed. Instead, she delivered a shocking divulgence that left me utterly stunned and baffled.

"Starting today, you belong to Alpha Alexander! The ruthless second son of Alpha Hamilton!"

My head snapped towards her, my eyes widening in a mix of shock and confusion. My heart raced, as I tried to make sense of her words.

"What?" My exclamation hung heavy in the air as I stepped closer, my lips trembling as I struggled to form a coherent response.

"You heard correctly! Ava can't accept the role of the second son's Bride. She's mated to Alpha Jackson and is destined to be his alone. And you, Summer," She paced toward me, a smirk dancing on her lips.

"You're meant to be his contractual breeder forever!" Her words landed like a blow, the weight of their implications crashing down on me.

"Bear him a child, and you'll gain your freedom. Fail to do so, and you'll remain bound to him for the rest of your life, Summer!" Her declaration came with a clenched fist, brimming with anger and rage.

The very idea was impossible, unimaginable. I would never allow myself to be forced into a situation like my sister had been due to some agreement. Never!

"I refuse to be a pawn in your scheme, Sarah! If he desires Ava, then she should go to him and fulfil whatever duties she has. I won't allow this!"

My decision surged as I voiced my resistance, the fiery purpose to leave clearly expressed in my words.

With a swift turn on my heels, I moved to take a step forward. But Sarah, my stepmother, interjected with a chilling threat that froze me in my tracks.

"Take one more step out of this house, and your sick mother won't live to see another sunrise."