04: Experience The Same Hell

“Let go of me! Let me...”

Before I could utter another word, a searing slap landed across my cheek, sending me sprawling to the ground. Paige and the other girls forcefully dragged me into the restroom and locked the door.

Struggling to my feet, I attempted to defend myself, but an unexpected punch struck my stomach, sending me reeling in pain before I crumpled back to the ground. It became evident that facing all of them in a physical confrontation was futile; my only option was to escape.

“And where do you think you’re going?” Paige sneered, yanking me by my hair. Almost simultaneously, someone else restrained my hands while the others unleashed a barrage of punches on my stomach and chest. Though I screamed in agony, my pleas went unheard, and no savior appeared.

Alone and defenseless, I crumpled weakly to the ground. Soon, a chilling silence settled, and I succumbed to the encroaching darkness.

****

“Dorian!” I called out, struggling to keep pace with his longer strides. He enjoyed this little game, telling Papa he was helping me train my legs. I called his name again, already tired from the running. Just before I could call out a third time, I missed a step and found myself falling.

“How could you be so clumsy?” Dorian scolded, catching me and wrapping his arms around me. Pouting, I was annoyed that he raised his voice at me. “You’re the one who kept running,” I whined.

Instead of scolding me further, Dorian nodded and pressed his lips against my forehead. “I’m sorry, princess. I’m here now.” That was all he needed to say, and suddenly, everything in the world felt perfect again.

Dorian knelt, pressing a kiss on my knees. “See, the pain will go away now,” he promised, and I nodded eagerly. Regardless of what he did, I didn’t care as long as I was in his line of sight. I wanted to touch his face, but my hands were too weak—they fell to the side.

“It’s okay, princess. I will carry you. You have nothing to worry about now. I am here.” The calmness and gentleness in his voice were so inviting that I relaxed in his arms, enjoying his hands stroking my hair. It felt calm and soothing until...

Suddenly, I felt a fall from a height and collided with something hard and damp. My eyes snapped open, and I saw the girls' bathroom's familiar ceiling and stained walls. Disappointment and pain made my heart ache as I realized it had only been a dream. In the dream, our younger versions had overlapped with the current ones. The dream made me yearn for the Dorian I knew when I was twelve years old. It was just a dream, a dream I desperately wanted to return to.

As I tried to stand up, loud laughter erupted from the side. I turned to see that aside from the corner where they had dumped me, the entire bathroom and its surroundings were full. I was no longer their Alpha’s daughter. Now, I didn’t even know who I was or if I had a family.

The sound of their mocking laughter pierced through me, and all I could do was cry and lay limply in the corner where they had left my weak and injured body. Animals.

I groaned in pain as I tried to move. My clothes were a mess, damp, and stained an unpleasant color from the grime on the dirty bathroom floor, with patches of blood here and there. Feeling something on my head, I discovered it was tissue paper. Weakly, I took it off and tossed it aside.

I raised my hand to my face, touching it. The moment my fingers grazed my skin, a surge of pain shot through my body, and my eyes welled up with tears. The bruises were still there, a painful reminder of my vulnerability. I was too weak to heal myself, still far from unlocking my wolf.

The stares, laughing, and pointing continued as I tried to get myself to my feet. Some people had even whipped out their phones to take pictures and videos. My cheeks burned with anger and shame; I’d never felt so degraded. If only I could vanish into a hole and escape this misery.

The group of girls who had tormented me reveled in laughter. Gritting my teeth in fury, I vowed to make them pay for their cruelty one day. Thoughts of Dorian consumed me. How could he allow this to happen to his supposed princess? Why had he so easily believed Paige’s lies? More tears rolled down my cheeks as I continued to inch closer and closer towards the door, fighting the pain and stares from the onlookers.

I even saw Paige in the crowd, snickering as I walked. I tried my best not to lock eyes with her. I had been through more than enough with her already. I soon managed to get to the door, and then someone pushed me, and I fell to the ground.

My gaze met a pair of shoes—I knew precisely whose. Looking up, I saw Dorian, his expression a mix of annoyance and surprise. I wanted to say something, but my words were choked by the flood of tears that were about to explode from my eyes.

Silently, he glared at me, his eyes growing colder. The onlookers in the bathroom had all come out to watch the debacle between us. I could still hear the sounds of camera shutters as they continued to take more pictures of us.

“Get out, everyone,” he barked, and like magic, the whole hallway emptied, leaving just me, him, and his Beta. I felt a little relief from all the students being gone. I could barely stand all of their mocking gazes anymore. I felt the hairs on my neck stand on end as I felt his eyes wash all over me.

I yelled in pain as his hold over my hand tightened even more. My arm was going to break off. I closed my eyes to accept my demise, but suddenly, it stopped. My arm fell weakly to my side, but I stayed on the floor, not daring to look up.

“You wondered why I did this to you, April. But I did nothing wrong. You deserved everything that you got.” I could feel the spite in his voice, and hot tears rolled down my cheeks. Suddenly, someone grabbed my hair, forcing me to lift my head and stare at Dorian. His green eyes pierced me deeply; all I could see was pain and wickedness. Their loving twinkle had disappeared, and I doubted I would ever see it again.

The pressure on my hair was released, and I fell to the ground and chose to stay there. I watched as Dorian walked away. I could tell from the look in his eyes that my hell had only begun. Suddenly, his heavy footsteps stopped, and I could hear his voice, subtle but ferocious, speak to me.

“I will have you experience the same hell you built for Stacie.”