CHAPTER ONE

LORI

My eyes snap open as the door to my room crashes against the wall. There she is—my nemesis and, unfortunately, my sister—Celine, as confident as ever.

“Get your dumb ass up.” She screams. “You worthless tramp.” 

This has been my life since the day Celine chose to turn it upside down. All it took her was one lie, and everything turned to hell for me.

I rise slowly from the narrow bed I’ve been confined to for the last seven months, gathering what little strength I have left. Still groggy, I lift my head to face Celine. Her hand strikes my face with such force that my ear rings sharply. 

“You dare look into my eyes, bitch?” Celine snaps. 

I lower my head, letting my hair fall over my face, concealing the tear that trails down my left cheek. I quickly blink it away, desperate to shield myself from any more of Celine’s scorn.

“Go clean the living room before Barrett returns.” She orders. “And the rooms upstairs.”

Barrett, once my mate, is now my biggest nightmare. His rejection was nothing compared to the relentless torments that followed. By now, Barrett is out on his morning run, which is why Celine is free to wreak havoc on me.

I hobble out of my room, struggling to keep my legs steady and shivering from the cold. Celine sizes me up with eyes clouded with disdain. Not having a blanket on cold nights is punishing enough, but mine comes with doses of malnutrition and hard labor. 

My pregnancy means nothing to Celine; a slight mistake earns me a slap or jaw-dropping insults. Occasionally, sleeplessness is added to the mix, and today’s one of them. As I enter the living room with a bucket of water, I shudder when my eyes meet Barrett’s, and I quickly lower them.

“Good morning, Alpha,” I say hurriedly, praying he’s too distracted by his phone conversation to continue from where Celine stopped.

Barrett sizes me up before walking past me to leave the room. I move in a rush, but I’m too slow as his shoulder hits me and I trip hard to my right. The bucket drops from my hand, spilling water on the ground, and I quickly hold one of the chairs to stop my stomach from hitting it.

My baby is my priority; it's my only ticket out of this misery. The door slams shut as Barrett’s voice orders from behind it.

“The room should be sparkling in thirty minutes.” 

I recover quickly, wiping up the spilled water and cleaning the room while timing myself with the clock in the living room. Luckily, I finish in twenty-five minutes with my heart thumping and sweat streaming down. 

I quickly head upstairs to avoid being seen by any of the guests. The faster I’m done, the earlier I can have my first meal.

The meeting takes a long time, and I finish cleaning the rooms more slowly than I should, being careful not to disturb the meeting downstairs. As I descend the stairs, I hear Barrett’s voice approaching the living room door, and my heartbeat hits the turtle in turbo mode.

I hurry my jelly legs away, avoiding anyone leaving the meeting room. I’ve seen enough terrors to learn to escape them swiftly. Sitting in my room with my eyes going blurry with dizziness from hunger, a knock on my door startles me.

The door creaks open slowly, and Miya, one of the pack nurses, steps in with a tray in hand.

“Hey, Lori.” She smiles warmly. 

Miya is the only person permitted to see me since I’ve been subjected to this horror. She brings me food and meds daily, under strict supervision by Celine, so she doesn’t feed me too well. She’s also the source of the only smile I get.

“Hi, Miya.” I smile back, a little relieved after the day’s work.

Miya’s brows furrow as she lifts the tray on top, setting it aside to reveal another hidden underneath. I shoot her a puzzled gaze, but she pushes the bottom tray forward. My stomach growls at the sight of the meal, and I swallow my retort with a quick bite of bread.

“I have to tell you something, Lori.” Miya finally speaks as I chew the last piece of bread on the tray.

I nod once, unable to speak with my mouth full. Miya hesitates, and my heart does a huddle jump. She looks at the door, then leans in.

“Celine is trying to kill you and your baby.” She says, slightly above a whisper.

My eyes stretch open, and I choke on the food sliding down my throat. 

“I saw her poisoning that food.” Miya points at the tray she removed earlier. “I had to get these from the pack hospital, and I was only able to bring them in because she’s at that meeting.”

Not my second baby. My hands tighten into fists on the hem of my worn-out gown, and I look down, feeling my face burn up as anger floods me.

“You have to leave, Lori.” Miya’s voice draws me out of my building fury.

She’s already standing at the now open door to my room, looking down the hallway impatiently. She beckons to me with her hand, and I hurry to her. But instead of going out, I tug at her hand, pulling her inside.

“I already tried, Miya, many times, and you know that,” I whisper.

“This might be when you get lucky, Lori.” Miya pulls me after her towards the hallway. “I’ll help.”

We hurry down the hallway, halting at the kitchen near the back door. We duck behind a table when we see a guard pacing slowly outside. Due to my previous escape attempts, the back door is always locked and guarded. Miya somehow has the keys, but I’m too grateful to ask how.

“I’ll distract him. Go.” Miya says, then hands me a key. “It’s for the door. Now go.”

Miya crawls away, and I prepare myself for her signal. Suddenly, a scream sounds from the front of the house. I peek above the kitchen table to see the guard storm off. I say a silent ‘thank you’ to Miya before carefully unlocking the door.

The adrenaline strengthens my legs to work better as I dash off. I make my way towards hopeful freedom through the midst of towering trees. Suddenly, a howl echoes behind me.

“No,” I whisper, looking over my shoulder in the direction of the sound.

Miya’s distraction wasn’t enough, but I can still make it. My pace increases; I can’t lose again. Then I catch a glimpse of the road, finally. I’ve never come this far in my past attempts, and this makes my heart dance in anticipation. 

The setting sun on the horizon radiates the mirror of my hope. As I approach the road, I hear a few vehicles pass. 

‘Nothing can stop me now.’ I brag in my head.

A few paces from the road, a strong hand seizes me. I close my eyes, and tears escape immediately. I’m hit to a tree trunk with a hand firm on my neck, then I open my eyes.

“You think you can run?” Barrett’s voice, low and powerful, growls at me.

His eyes are dark, full of the same rage as the day my life went downhill.

“Please,” I whisper, hope choking out of me as his hand does to the breath in my lungs.

“You’ll regret this, whore.” He spat furiously.

Barrett starts dragging me after himself, with every step a reminder of the whips and starvation that followed my previous failed attempts. I turn to memorize the road in the distance, and that’s when I see them, blue eyes in the distance, staring intently.

Not knowing what to expect, I say the only word my lips can manage.

“Help.”