Chapter 2

CHAPTER TWO

I stared at the towering figure before me, my heart pounding as I recognized the voice that cut through the darkness. It was William, his golden eyes gleaming with a predatory hunger under the midnight moon. Tears streamed down my face as I realized my escape had been thwarted. How had they found me? Had someone seen me slip through ? The questions swirled in my mind, but there was no time for answers.

Footsteps crunched behind him, deliberate and heavy. I didn’t need to look to know it was Damian, the other half of my torment. Instinctively, I pushed myself backward, my hands scraping against the rough forest floor. My swollen ankle throbbed, but the pain was nothing compared to the terror gripping my chest. I was trapped, cornered by the two monsters who had made my life a living hell.

“Please,” I whispered, my voice trembling. “Please, just let me go. Haven’t I suffered enough?”

My plea hung in the air, fragile and futile. William’s lips curled into a cruel smirk, and Damian’s low chuckle echoed like a death knell. They didn’t care. They never had.

“No amount of begging will save you tonight,” William growled, his voice dripping with malice. “You’ve committed a crime, Ava.”

A crime? The word echoed in my mind, absurd and unjust. Running for my life, fleeing their abuse—was that a crime now? My stomach churned as I realized the depth of their twisted logic. To them, my existence was an offense, and my escape was an unforgivable betrayal.

“William, please,” I started, but before I could finish, he lunged forward, seizing my hair in a brutal grip. I clawed at his hand, my weak struggles no match for his strength. Pain exploded in my scalp as he yanked me forward, my body slamming against a jagged rock near a tree. Stars burst behind my eyes, and warm blood trickled down my temple.

“Shut up, peasant,” William snarled. “Like I said, no amount of begging will save you. I can’t wait to see what your father does when he finds out you tried to escape.”

He was right, and the realization crushed me. My father would show no mercy. The man who once called me his daughter had forced me to walk across burning coals for daring to speak back to my stepmother. Escaping the pack? That was a death sentence. I could already imagine his cold, unforgiving eyes as he delivered my punishment.

“William, please,” I sobbed, my voice barely audible. “Don’t take me back. He’ll kill me.”

Before I could say more, Damian stepped forward, his massive frame looming over me. He grabbed my chin, yanking me to my feet with such force that my toes barely touched the ground. I gasped, struggling to breathe as his grip tightened, cutting off my air. My hands flailed, clawing at his wrist, but it was like fighting a stone wall. His smile widened, feeding on my suffering.

“You shouldn’t worry about your father, Ava,” Damian said, his voice low and menacing. “You should worry about what we’ll do to you before we drag you back. You should wonder if you’ll even make it to him alive.”

His words sent a fresh wave of terror through me. Were they planning to kill me? Tears burned my cheeks as I imagined the worst—my body broken and discarded in the woods, never to be found. The thought was suffocating, but I was powerless in their grasp.

“Enough,” William said sharply. “Put her down before she chokes.”

Damian released me, and I collapsed to the ground, gasping for air. My lungs burned as I tried to steady my breathing, but before I could recover, Damian pinned me against the tree, his body pressing against mine. “You’re ours tonight, Ava,” he whispered, his breath hot against my ear. “You belong to us, and not even the Moon Goddess can save you.”

I swallowed hard, dread pooling in my stomach. Were they going to use me again, here in the dark, unforgiving woods? The thought made my skin crawl. William began unbuckling his belt, his eyes locked on me with a sickening hunger. Damian followed suit, his hands moving to his trousers while keeping me pinned to the tree.

“No, no, no,” I pleaded, my voice breaking. “William, Damian, please, I’m begging you!”

Their laughter was a knife to my heart. Damian shoved me to my knees, the impact sending a jolt of agony through my injured ankle. I bit back a scream, fear drowning out the pain. This was it—the night I would break, the night I would be used and discarded like garbage.

But just as despair consumed me, the impossible happened. A monstrous shadow exploded from the darkness, colliding with William in a blur of fur and fury. The impact was deafening, a sickening crunch as he was slammed to the ground. I screamed, my voice raw with shock. The beast—massive, with eyes like burning coals—vanished into the night as quickly as it had appeared, leaving William’s crumpled form behind.

Damian released me, rushing to his brother’s side. “William! William!” he shouted, his voice laced with panic. I remained crouched, frozen in place, my legs refusing to move. William’s chest rose and fell faintly, the only sign he was still alive. Deep claw marks raked across his torso, blood seeping into the earth. How could this happen? William, the future alpha, was invincible—or so I’d thought. Yet here he was, broken and vulnerable.

What kind of creature could do this?

Footsteps snapped my attention to the shadows. A new figure emerged, its eyes glowing a fierce, unnatural red. It wasn’t a beast, but a man—or something like one, impossibly tall and broad, exuding a primal power that made the air heavy. He strode toward Damian, who knelt beside his brother, clutching him tightly.

“Take him to your alpha,” the figure commanded, his voice deep and resonant, carrying an authority that chilled me to the bone. “Run, and don’t look back. When you reach your alpha, tell him the Dragon did this.”

The Dragon? My mind reeled. Was it a title, a name, or something more sinister—a beast in human form? For the first time, I saw fear in Damian’s eyes, raw and unfiltered. Without a word, he hoisted William over his shoulder and fled, his footsteps fading into the night. He didn’t fight, didn’t resist. He just ran.

Who was this man, this Dragon, who could instill such terror in someone as cruel as Damian?

The figure turned, his piercing red eyes locking onto mine. My breath caught, my chest heaving as I stared into the abyss of his gaze. I wanted to run, to scream, but my body betrayed me, rooted to the spot. His presence was overwhelming, a force of nature that made the forest itself seem to bow.

Forcing myself to move, I scrambled to my feet, ignoring the searing pain in my ankle. I limped away, taking a different path through the woods, my heart pounding in my ears. Every step was a battle, but I couldn’t stop. I glanced back, expecting to see him pursuing me, but he stood motionless, watching me with those unyielding eyes. Why wasn’t he chasing me? Was it mercy, or something worse?

My relief was short-lived. I froze as a low growl rumbled through the trees, followed by the glint of eyes glowing under the moonlight. A pack of wolves emerged, their forms massive—larger than William in his wolf form. Their snarls vibrated through the air, and I realized with sinking dread that I’d stumbled into their territory. The Dragon hadn’t chased me because he didn’t need to. He’d let me run straight into a trap.

My legs gave out, and I sank to my knees, tears streaming down my face. The wolves circled closer, their teeth bared, their eyes hungry. I was surrounded, defenseless, my injured ankle rendering me useless. My wolf, silent and dormant, offered no help. I’d never shifted, never felt her strength. I was alone.

As the wolves closed in, their growls growing louder, I braced myself for the end. The forest seemed to hold its breath, the moonlight casting long shadows that danced like specters. I closed my eyes, waiting for the inevitable, Death!.