~SELENA.
Smack!
The hard slap from Luna Helena sent me squarely to the ground. I held onto my stinging cheek, tears streaming down my face as I crawled away from her frightening figure.
“How dare you hurt my son, you little evil?" Her thunderous voice matched the flame of anger in her eyes.
“I swear on my life, Luna. Master Ryan tried taking advantage of me..." I began defending myself with the little strength I had, but she cut me off before I could say more. "Now I see you've grown wings to stand up for yourself, but don't worry, I'm going to break those tiny wings of yours today.”
I was being punished for standing up for myself again. It was nothing new, but at this moment, I couldn't bear to go through her punishment, more like torture.
Still in my pool of tears, I vehemently shook my head against her words, but before I could mutter an apology, her hands were already on my hair with a grip that felt like it could pull off my scalp.
She threw me against the wall, letting go of my hair. I collapsed to the ground, crying my eyes out as I felt a fracture in my ankle.
“Please, don't, I beg of you, Luna." I cried out more as she laid hands on the item I dreaded — a leather whip with double short silver chains at the end. The whip was the source of every slave’s trauma in the pack, except for those who were on good terms with the Luna, but unfortunately, I was not.
A menacing sneer took over her lips as she began walking towards me. With each step she took forward, I shuddered in fear. I badly wanted to escape this horrific reality, but my broken ankle kept me in place. I couldn't even move an inch from where I sat. All I could do was shield my face with my hands, bracing myself for the brutal pain.
It came!
Once!
Twice!
Thrice!
Unable to bear the excruciating pain, I pulled my hands away, only for the next lash to land squarely on my face. The pain felt like a hot iron was placed on my skin. It burned so hot, and for a while, I thought I had gone blind until I was able to open my eyes, only to see my blood splattered all over the floor.
I instantly felt dizzy. My life was hanging loosely in the balance as she raised her hand to deliver another lash, but she stopped when a knock came sounding on the door.
I sighed in relief as she threw the whip to a nearby table and headed to open the door.
“What took you so long?" I heard her say to the person at the door. I curiously raised my gaze to see who it was, only to meet a pair of dark eyes glaring at me. It was Alpha Herbert.
“I met up with Alpha Hunter. I see you've taught her a lesson already."
"Of course, yes,” she proudly replied. Returning her gaze to me, she disgustingly scoffed. “Can you believe this little trash dared to talk back at me?”
My hair stood on end as the Alpha's eyes darkened at his Luna's report. I knew better than to dare utter a word in my defense; I could only hope he would let it slide.
Why was I even hoping when he was just as merciless as his Luna?
I crawled back, shivers running down my spine as he inched closer while fixing me in a predatory gaze. “I have had enough of your bad luck; it's high time I got rid of you.”
My back came against the wall, signaling my dead-end. All I wanted was for the wall to open up and swallow me from his terrifying aura, but it never opened up. I had to keep my head low, bracing for his wrath as his figure came to a stop before me.
“Louis!" He suddenly yelled, and I flinched.
Louis, his beta, ran in almost immediately. The presence of his beta only meant one thing: I would be spending another night in the dungeon, but my speculation was wrong as he added, "Take her to the van; we are bringing her to Alpha Hunter.”
My eyes widened, and tears streamed down my face; the mere thought of facing Alpha Hunter terrified me. I sobbed more at the thought of cruel things he might do to me and felt the urge to beg for mercy.
“Plea-" My word was cut short as he fiercely crashed the heels of his shoes on my face.
“Don't you dare open that filthy mouth of yours to beg me!" He angrily yelled, throwing kicks squarely on my stomach.
I fell on my side, holding onto my stomach.
I should have known begging for his mercy was more like adding salt to my open wound. Alpha Herbert was so heartless; I wonder if he is not the devil himself, if he is not the devil, then he and the Luna deserve a special place in hell.
“Bring her to the van,” he ordered and turned on his heels, walking out of the room while Beta Louis marched towards me. He harshly pulled me up and dragged me out since I couldn't walk properly.
I fell heavily on my stomach as Beta Louis threw me into the van trunk and shut the door against my face, leaving me in the dark. I remained numb on the spot, my chest heavy with pain, and my eyes drained of tears.
I was brought into the pack with no knowledge of who my parents were, and every day of my life in the pack was a nightmare.
I thought my kind were supposed to protect me, but I was dead wrong. They were heartless, hated my existence, denied me warmth, they left me with nothing but nightmares and scars.
I don't think anyone's life is more miserable than mine because every minute of my life has brought me nothing but pain. I didn't know what being loved and happy felt like.
Am I cursed? I guess yes, since my existence was useless to my kind, and they all saw me as a jinx.
Will I die tonight? Definitely yes because no one goes into Alpha Hunter's den and comes out alive, especially for a weak omega like me.
I shuddered in fear as I imagined my fate in the hands of the most feared alpha in the city who is known for nothing good.
There were rumors that he goes insane every full moon and kills whatever crosses his path, but no one has been able to prove it, so I believe it was all just baseless rumors still I was scared of him because all Alphas kill without mercy and derive joy from people's pain but unlike Alpha Herbert, he was in another level of wickedness.
Since Alpha Hunter attacked our pack and later dominated it, he gave Alpha Herbert just one rule: He was to bring anyone guilty of murder or felony to his pack for punishment, and people who broke this rule were sent to him. I guess he killed them because none ever came back.
I never committed any of these crimes; I was only trying to protect myself from Ryan's sexual assault, but no one cares to hear me out, they all think I tried killing the Alpha's son for a reason they all couldn't even prove. Nevertheless, It's a normal judgment in the pack since omegas like us were seen as nothing but a total waste of space.
The van jerked followed by the engine sound dying down, and I easily guessed we had reached our destination, more like my hell.
I let out a whimper as Beta Louis roughly pulled me out of the trunk. His grip around my arm constricted my blood flow as we headed for the entrance. A few steps into the building, we came across a man, probably in his mid-twenties.
“Punctual as always," he said with a smile only on his lips while his face remained stern.
“Of course. I will never wait for me to be told," Alpha Herbert replied and then beckoned for Louis to bring me forward.
“She looks innocent,” the man said, scanning me from head to toe.
Alpha Herbert replied with a sneer. "Her look is just a facade. She's been proved guilty of murder twice.” I remained silent at his accusation.
“Oh, I see. The Alpha would be more pleased to shred the skin of a murderer," the man replied, chuckling, and my face turned pale. Beta Louis handed me over to the man. I shuddered as he grasped my arm and pulled me along with him.
I became lightheaded and could barely keep up with his pace as my mind rampantly flashed the horrifying situation I would finally be in the next minute. We stopped before a door, and he pulled me inside.
The moment we entered, the stench of blood hit my nostrils. I felt chills and at the same time fought the urge to puke.
In my subconscious state, I noticed the room was dark and covered in deafening silence, making me wonder if there was anyone in here other than us until the man spoke up. “Here she is, Alpha.”
"Good, you can leave,” a deep baritone voice replied from the darkness. I heard the door close, and I was now left with the devil himself.
“I'm innocent,” I weakly mumbled, hoping he did hear me out. “I was only def-”
“I don't give chances for criminals to explain their actions,” he coldly cut in, accompanied by the thud sounds of his heavy footsteps approaching my direction. As his threatening aura neared, the shiver in my spine doubled, leaving me numb and battling for consciousness.
Within a blink of an eye, he was right before me, and as he crouched down to me, my gaze fell on a dagger in his grasp. “Guilty or not, no one goes out of my den alive,” he muttered, his tone oozing danger.
Panic crept into my subconsciousness as he began trailing the shiny blade of his dagger along my jawline. He slowly raised my chin with the tip of his dagger, and I was forced to look up. The moment my gaze met his hard blue eyes, I felt a spark from my wolf.
“Mate!"
~HUNTER"You have to calm down, Alpha," my Beta, Liam, begged as I stormed into my office. Trying to stay calm, I ran my fingers through my hair, yet the flaming anger in my chest still lingered.I couldn't bring myself to stay calm.“Damn the goddess,” I loudly cursed, sending every item on my desk to the ground.How can I stay calm when the moon goddess just paired me with a worthless trash, a convict, and a slave? So unworthy of my status!I am still yet to live a normal life since she placed a curse on me, thwarted my efforts to find a solution to stop the curse, and now this?!Is this some kind of joke? I reasoned, clenching my hands into fists.I don't remember asking her for a mate because I have always been content with my fiance. To make matters worse, she wasn't even that beautiful compared to Nadia. She looked skinny, malnourished, and barely had enough flesh covering up her bones. If not for the mate bond I felt towards her, I'd mistake her for an underage.God damn it!I
~SELENAAfter a long moment of battling with my heavy eyelids, I finally opened my eyes, and my blurred view slowly became clear. On seeing the white painted wall, I thought I was in heaven, but as I looked beside me, I saw a life monitor and networks of needles attached to my hand.I frowned, trying to remember how I ended up being in a hospital bed.Well, I remembered I was about to be killed by Alpha Hunter, but then I had an adrenaline rush when I found out he was my mate. I guess I fainted because the panic was too overwhelming for my frail heart.Why was I rushed here instead of being executed right away? Or did he have a change of heart because we were mates?I shook my head, not wanting to believe my thoughts. “You shouldn't give yourself high hopes, Selena. Remember, anytime we hope, it always turns out bad." I reminded myself.Maybe he wants me to feel the pain while he cuts me with his dagger or… I don't really know. But one thing is sure, I ain't getting out of his den ali
~SELENA."Sometimes love is found in the most unexpected places or in persons you never thought you would ever fall in love with."I stumbled upon these affirming phrases while privileged to read through one of Luna Helena's old journals in the pack library.Years ago, my former self saw no sense in the affirmation until last night when I lay on his chest. Then, I came to realize that I had been blinded to the truth because I had never experienced love back in Alpha Herbert's pack.My former self believed that since I didn't feel an ounce of love for the pack that was supposed to stand for me as family, then I certainly would not love someone who does not understand how my life works.This had been my mindset for years, but in the past weeks, he not only changed my mindset but also proved that I was worthy of being loved.After I was discharged from the hospital, he not only brought me back to his pack, but he also gave me a comfortable, spacious room and made sure the maids were alwa
~SELENA“Isn’t the Alpha coming for dinner?” I asked the maid when I noticed there were no cutleries on the other side of the table where Hunter usually sits. “Actually, he told me that you should go ahead and eat without him because he is quite busy tonight,” she replied, and I sighed in disappointment.I've been getting this same excuse for over three weeks. I hadn't seen him since the morning after we had sex, and I couldn't help but wonder if I had done something to annoy him.The feeling of him avoiding me made me sad and sick to my stomach. I could barely eat, though I don't think it was entirely because of his absence.I have a strange feeling that I might be pregnant because I have missed my period for some time now, and I also noticed the old lady who always checked on me had been giving me some weird looks lately.I shot a glance at the door, expecting to see Hunter as it opened, but instead, it was the maid I had sent to the convenience store.“Did you get it?" I asked her
~SELENA"Please leave, I don't want any trouble," I said calmly, but she chuckled in response. "I see you've grown little wings after tasting my man—""He is my mate," I angrily cut in, but she scoffed. "Oh really? Now show me the mating mark," she taunted, purposefully sweeping her hair backward.My heart sank at the sight of the mark on her collarbone, but before I could defend myself, she grabbed my hair with a grip so tight it felt like she could rip it out. I winced in pain as she spoke, her words dripping with venom.“Now listen carefully, you shameless whore of an omega. I suggest you leave this pack because the moment he officially makes me his Luna, I'm going to make you suffer for seducing him,” she seethed, releasing my hair with enough force to send me stumbling back on the mirrorIt shattered and its shards cut into my skin.“Weak, worthless piece of shit!" she spat before storming out, slamming the door behind her.The stains of the insults she threw at me were all over
~NADIA Observing the showdown with Hunter's charity case was quite the entertainment. I didn't anticipate her level of boldness, but I was surprised to see her visibly shaking in her boots after just a taste of what I had in store. She seemed obedient, but that was to be expected. After all, she was a slave—obedience was in her DNA. She'd eat dirt if her master commanded it. I hoped she heed my orders while I was still being nice, because by nightfall, she would have nothing less than ten stitches for daring to disobey me. Maybe… she would consider reporting me to Hunter to get off the hook. I eagerly awaited to see her make that choice. Knowing Hunter would always support me, it would only add more humiliation to her miserable life. Even if Hunter only acknowledged her as his plaything, I still didn't like the sound of it. Why did he need some wretched slave to satisfy his cravings when I was at his beck and call? At this point, I couldn't help but think there were more reason
~SELENA I let my legs carry me wherever my mind wandered. I had wandered a mile away from Hunter's packhouse, feeling a bit lost. I hadn't walked this much or had this much freedom before, except for the few hours I spent on a date with Hunter. Now, I wasn't just confused about where to rest my head tonight; I was scared. I was starting to think leaving the pack's shelter was a mistake. ‘No, Selena.’ Elsa, my wolf sternly rebuked me. ‘You did what was right. We have to protect our pup from people like her'. Elsa' words brought a swell of determination into me. She is right. I had to protect my baby, even if it meant facing the unknown of the night ahead. I've heard scary stories about what happens to young women on the streets at night, I've never experienced it and I just hoped I wouldn't run into any of those men. Though it was still early in the day, I couldn't shake off the worry. My legs felt weak as I walked down the sidewalk, not knowing where to go. I had no family or
~HUNTER The search for Selena has really worn me out. Running through the woods with my pack earlier today left my limbs feeling like jelly. The moment we entered the woods, I could tell she wasn't there. Her scent was nowhere to be found. Still, I made sure my pack searched every nook and cranny while Liam and I scoured the city with the patrol wolves, hoping to find a clue of her whereabouts. But it's like she vanished into thin air. Now, all I can do is try to track her cell phone. Maybe she's still carrying it. But what about that commotion earlier? What if she got caught up in it? My wolf has been on edge since she disappeared, growling non stop. Thinking about it, I can't shake the fear that she might have been caught up in the commotion. The thought of it is unbearable for me. With worry gnawing at me like this as I imagine the worst scenarios, I doubt I'll be able to close my eyes, let alone sleep soundly for the next few weeks. I leaned back against the headrest, an