chapter 1

   

NANCY'S    POV

   

"Is there anything you're even good at?" His voice echoed as he threw the tray off the table.

I shook with fear as the sound of breaking ceramic filled my senses, and without adding too much thought, I scrambled, trying to pick up the mess he had made.

My hands trembled as Alpha Peter’s angry voice cut through me, throwing insults.  Everything in me warned me to keep my head down, but somehow I found myself looking up at him.

Before I could blink, his palm met my face with a hard and painful slap.

A scream left my lips, and I forced them shut as the metallic taste of blood coated my tongue. My face throbbed, but I tried to look past it. I wasn't going to let him see my pain; that was an oath at this point.

Tightly gripping the tray of ceramic pieces, I tried my best to walk as calmly as possible. The maids whispered and stared as I walked past them, trying my best not to cry. I sucked in my cheeks, looking straight ahead.

Whispers filled the hall as I walked to, but I barely flinched. Stepping into the kitchen, I tried my best, imagining I was deaf as I focused on the tray I was cleaning.  The warm water soothes my tense and injured hands.

The murmurs were unavoidable anyway. They'd been a constant presence since what happened to my family and me, nearly a year ago.

I had once been one of the happiest girls in the world. If not the happiest. Being the Alpha's last child and only girl, I was surrounded by love and luxury.

But that all changed the night my family was murdered by my father’s best friend and my godfather, Beta Peter. The alpha of the Midnight Ridge pack had been betrayed by his closest ally

The memory still haunted me; my mother’s panicked face when she woke me up, and their pained looks while they were being torn apart.

Pulling the tray out of the warm water, I shook my head in hopes of getting the haunting memories of their lifeless bodies from my mind, but it still stayed.

I turned about to walk away when a hand pushed me back, so hard I almost fell into the sink. "Cursed bitch," I turned to find one of the head maids who also happened to be one of Alpha's flings.

Rage bubbled through me, but retaliating would only get me in trouble, and that was the last thing I needed. Taking in a series of deep, slow breaths, I placed the tray down and headed straight for my room. And by that I meant the basement.

It was a stark contrast to the large and beautiful bedroom I'd once had, but I had been thrown out after my parents' death, and I had nowhere else to go.  

My stuff had been thrown out along with my family's things. Luckily, I had been able to find a few of them in the trash and made the most of them.

Shutting the door behind me, I folded my brown hair into a messy bun, letting out a pained sigh, and threw myself on the bed. Which was also the code name for a flimsy foam I  picked from the garage six years ago.

With what I had heard from the maids, the pack was expecting someone important today, but I didn't know who. But it wasn't like I cared anyway; it always meant one thing: no rest for me.

Shutting my eyes, I turned to my side in hopes of getting some sleep before the real labour started, but I had barely even lasted a minute when something banged on my door.

Frustration brimmed with every bang, and I silently begged for the person to get the message.

But the banging continued getting louder and more intrusive, for a second, my breath hitched as memories from that terrible night flooded in.

"I can smell you, Nancy. Open up," David's voice tore through the door, his deep voice instantly putting me in a safe mood. It was just him. David, the only son of Beta Peter, and now that he was Alpha, David was sure to be the heir.

He had always been my best friend, and even though I hated him after the rebellion, he refused to leave my side  

For the first three months after my great loss trying his best to cheer me up, even though his father was very against it.

I had barely gotten up when the door gave way, making me flinch in shock. He gave me a smile walking in, and I felt a chill run down my spine.

There was something about him, something different. I could not pinpoint it, but something in his eyes made my blood run cold.  

   

"You need something?” I asked, taking a step back without thinking, my eyes not leaving his.

There was something off about him, and the way his dark blue eyes scanned me only made me feel greatly uncomfortable. Not even his dimpled grin could save that.

"Yes, actually... I do need something," he said, his voice barely above a whisper as he got closer to me.

His thumb grazed my cheeks, and I took another step back. Why the hell was his touch so cold?

"I need you."

A nervous laugh escaped my lips as I backed away. "You're funny. Unfortunately, I don't have time for your jokes. I need to get some sleep before the guests arrive," I said with humor, but his face only tightened.

"I'm not joking, Nancy,” he growled out, grabbing me by the arm. Before I could react to his rough behaviour, he clashed his lips on mine.

I tried to pull away, but he was stronger than me, and he held me by the arm, keeping close. His scent was intoxicating in the wrong way, and I wanted to throw up.

“David, what are you doing?” I asked, my voice trembling.

His once familiar eyes were now dark with anger. I tried my best to push him off, but one hard slap was enough to make me freeze. My cheek stung instantly. It was the second one today, and this time, I could feel the tears coming.

“You’re so useless,” he growled. “I think you’re good enough to please me, and you have the nerve to resist?”

Words failed me, and I placed my hand on the brushing cheek while I searched for a way to escape. The basement was a tiny room, and with the way he hovered over me, I had little to no chance.

“Please, David,” I whispered, still in disbelief that this was the boy whom I used to tell everything to.

He lunged for me with incredible speed, slamming me to the floor. I forced out a grunt as pain rippled through my body from the impact.

Before I had the strength to get up, he was on top of me, ripping my clothes apart, and panic took hold. His hands roamed my body, kneading and tugging at my boobs.

With one of his hands on my mouth, he pulled out his member, pressing it against me. My heart drummed, and I tried to hit him, to scream, but he barely budged, pinning my wrists above my head.

David positioned himself in front of my opening and just as he was about to penetrate, something awakened. My body felt like it was on fire, and my vision turned gold-like.

Just as he leaned in to kiss me, my fight or flight came to life, and I smashed my forehead on his nose as hard as I could.

His scream echoed through the walls, and I lifted myself off the floor as he staggered back. I stretched out my hand, and a knife flew into it.

The same one I always kept underneath my pillow and normally that would have been shocking on an average day, but I couldn't care less.

He stared at his blood-soaked hands, running towards me with rage, and without another thought, I spun the knife, driving it into him.