2| Aching Want.

DAISY

I tried over and over again to break free from the magical cuffs, but to no avail. My eyes stung with tears, my insides ripping with frustration. This was not supposed to be difficult to break free from. I was stronger than this. First I lost my wolf before I even knew her properly. Then I found out that my mate was not who I thought he was. And now I felt diminished. No longer as powerful as I used to be.

Fate couldn’t be crueller to me.

Later that evening an omega walked in carrying a tray with different kinds of food. She set it down on the bedside table and started to turn away.

“The Alpha asked me to bring this,” she said.

“Hey. What’s your name?” I called after her.

She turned slowly. I noticed a subtle wince on her face as she replied, “Mila.”

I nodded at my phone that lay on the floor toward the door. “Can you get that for me, please?”

She shook her head vigorously. “The Alpha would kill me.”

“He doesn’t have to know, you—” My eyes narrowed when I noticed the bruises on her neck.

“What’s that?” I asked as I scrutinized the bruises.

She hurriedly covered them with her hand. “It’s nothing,” she blurted, too quickly.

It didn’t seem like nothing to me.

“Mila. You can talk to me,” I assured her, but she only shook her head again.

It took a lot of convincing to get her to open up about what had really happened. That was after I promised to protect her from whoever was hurting her once my hands were free from these damned cuffs.

“I’m not supposed to be saying this,” she whispered, eyes darting around the room as if the walls might be listening. “The Alpha would kill me if he knew. But you’re a powerful witch and might be our only hope for freedom.”

My brows furrowed.

She went on to tell me about how much of a monster Aldric was. Not only was he a stinking cheat, he was also an abuser. The anger burning through me flared, my hands clenching into a fist as I listened.

Apparently, most of the omegas in this pack were being abused both physically and sexually. He raped and beat them repeatedly.

Disgust filled me as the memories of last night roamed my mind. He had stuck that same dick into me and I enjoyed it like hell.

“We have to inform the Western Alpha King. He must be stripped of his Alpha status with immediate effect,” I spat, venom thick on my tongue.

Mila shook her head. “The Alpha King knows,” she said. “There was a day he came visiting and Alpha Aldric offered him a bunch of omegas as a welcome gift.”

My eyes widened. Rage twisted my stomach. This was terrible. Alpha King Theron Westeros was someone I hadn’t thought was capable of such a thing. But then, I also didn’t know that Aldric was this disgusting.

If the western Alphas were like this, then the whole system was rotten.

The door burst open and Aldric stormed into the room. He fixed Mila with a glare. “What’s taking so long?”

“No— Nothing, Alpha,” she stammered, trembling like a leaf, and bolted from the room.

“Daisy,” his voice immediately turned soft as he approached me and sat beside me. “I know you might think I am being too harsh. But I just cannot let you go.”

My skin prickled when I perceived the stench of sex that clung to him. He had promised never to do it again, not that I believed him anyway. But something was unsettling. He was my mate and I was supposed to feel pain whenever he cheated on me. But I felt nothing.

I shot my brow up. “Is that so?”

“Yes.” Tears suddenly formed in his eyes as he stroked my hair. Tingles involuntarily shot through my body at his touch. The damn mate bond insisted on betraying me.

“I cannot do without you,” he continued with a desperate sincerity that almost made me believe him. “I really do want you.”

Breathing heavily, I blurted the words that felt really heavy on my tongue, “While you were gone, I reflected on a lot of things. I know it’s difficult to let go of your ex-lover. But I have now realized that you regret your actions. So, I forgive you, Aldric. Only if you promise to never do it again.”

His brows furrowed with confusion.

When I first learned he had cheated, my only thought was to get out of here. But after talking with Mila, I could not abandon these girls to keep suffering. I had to do something.

Stupidly believing that I had forgiven him, Aldric released me from the magical cuffs, allowing me to roam freely around the pack.

To help these girls, I had to involve the northern, southern and eastern kings. But without solid evidence, none of them would confront the Western King, who was clearly aware of the abuses taking place in his domain.

So with Mila’s help I started gathering proof: bruises, testimonies, dates and times, names of those involved. Some of these omegas, however, shockingly enjoyed whatever Aldric was doing to them and even argued about who would warm his bed next. The likes of these omegas were not involved in the evidence gathering.

Through it all, I feigned ignorance, pretending to be oblivious about Aldric’s escapades.

One night when I got really overwhelmed with everything that was happening and needed an escape, I found a bar that wasn’t far from the pack to drown myself in alcohol.

“Something strong,” I told the bartender. I intended to drink until I couldn’t feel my senses anymore.

I drank and drank until my head spun and stars pricked at the edges of my vision.

“What is it? Family issues or boy problems?” a voice asked from beside me.

Startled by someone’s sudden interest in me, I almost fell off my stool, but a pair of strong arms steadied me.

When I regained my balance, I finally looked up to see who this stranger was. The look in his eyes was dark and mysterious. He was heavily built and exuded so much power.

“You!” I slurred, jabbing his chest with my finger. “Have you ever been cheated on. By your mate?”

A frown masked his face for a moment, before he suddenly let out a dark chuckle. “So, mate issues.”

The bartender set another drink in front of me. I lifted it, but the stranger’s hand closed over my wrist and he snatched the glass away.

“That’s enough for today,” he murmured.

“No!” I protested, lunging to reclaim my drink. But he waved a hand and ordered the bartender to take it away.

He leaned in, his lips dangerously close to my ear as he whispered, “If you really want to forget your ex, why don’t we try something else?”

His fingers slid to my inner thigh and kneaded gently. Heat flared through me, burning up my skin. I was too drunk to think clearly; all the fog in my mind narrowed to that immediate, aching wanting.

The way he breathed, heavy and steady, told me he wanted me as much as I wanted him. And that aroused me even more.

“No?” He pressed his lips together and stood to leave when I did not answer.

Panic, or even something wilder, flashed through me.

Before I could even stop myself, I grabbed his arm, looking up at him through my hazy eyes. “How much for a night? I am sure you need the money.” I giggled, excited for no reason.

He smirked, shook his head, and then scooped me off the stool, carrying me in his arms.

That was the last thing I remembered.