01 - Broken Friendships

Zara’s POV

Loud moans filled the room, followed by the loud sounds of flesh slapping against each other. Cries of pleasure filled the room while I struggled to push down the searing pain from the mate bond in me. It burned through me, and every thrust spread through me like a burning fire. I was strapped to a chair as I watched my fated mate fuck his mistress right in my presence.

I tried to look away, but the memories of both of them were forever etched into my memory, and no matter how much I closed my eyes, I couldn’t stop seeing them, and the loud moans were making it worse.

“Don’t be shy now, Zee. Watch how much he loves being inside of me, don’t you dare shy away now.” Karen moaned out; the loud skin sounds had reduced now. She knew I hated it when she called me Zee; she lost that right months ago when she decided to take everything that was mine.

Karen and I used to be inseparable—best friends—until everything changed for the worse. When I lost my whole family in a rogue attack, the royal family scattered all surviving children across various regions, and I met her in culinary school. We instantly clicked, and we made a pact to be best friends forever. When I met Jeremy, and he claimed me, we moved here together, hoping she would find her mate here too. She switched from the sweet girl I grew up with into this monster I can barely recognise. Now she has taken everything from me, and she still won't stop tormenting me.

Rough hands grabbed my face and forced me to look up. An angry Jimmy was staring down at me, and I was so lost in my thoughts that I didn’t notice him approach me. He let go of my jaw before smacking me hard across the face. The chair was shoved back, and he pulled me back while Karen giggled endlessly in the background.

“My instructions were clear, omega. I said fucking watch me fuck your little best friend. Is that too much for your pea brain to process?” he asked through gritted teeth, and I shook my head as tears started to pool in my eyes.

“Wolfless mutts like you should have been killed as a child, but the Moon Goddess keeps playing favourites.” Karen hissed, and

“Now she’s going to ruin the mood with her stupid tears like she’s innocent,” he snickered before moving back to the bed, where Karen looked up at him with sexy eyes. The sight disgusted me to no end, but I didn’t dare close my eyes or look away again. I was already deep in this mess. They had sex for another thirty minutes while throwing jabs at me, and I sat there in silence, not daring to make another sound, even when it was even more painful than the last.

Jimmy left the room after Karen feigned a yawn and decided she wanted to sleep. He didn’t spare me another glance before walking out of the room. My heart sank because Karen was worse in private; it was like the demon possessed her.

“Now we are alone, dearest best friend, let’s play.” She cackled with this glint in her eyes, and I shook my head, hoping she would take mercy on me and spare me this time.

“Why are you doing this to me, please? Haven’t I suffered enough?” I asked through tears, and that only made her cackle more. She looked like she was thoroughly enjoying my humiliation. The past few weeks have been more diabolical than even I can comprehend.

“You know the Alpha king is coming here soon, visiting every pack in the regions, and you will be on Jimmy’s side as his Luna, not me. That position belongs to me, but lying to the Alpha king is a felony. I can’t pretend to be you, and I also can’t kill you outright because that would mean the Alpha king would have me killed. So let’s see how far your body can go before it breaks down, and being fair, I have been enjoying this even more.” She announced as she examined her body in the mirror.

“One look at me, and you’d know I was destined for this. I look like a perfect example of a Luna. Not a stupid bitch like you who keeps getting everything handed to her on a silver platter,” she continued, and I could only sob uncontrollably. What did I do to deserve a friend like this?

She spun towards me abruptly, and she walked to the chair I was strapped to. I was expecting her to hit me, but the hit never came. Instead, she squatted and started unhooking the straps. I didn't know whether to be scared or not; uncuffing me could mean a lot of things.

“I don’t want to be a Luna; I have never wanted to be a Luna. If Jimmy can just break the bond, I would disappear and never be seen again, and you can be his Luna. You guys can be happy together forever.” I tried to explain, desperately hoping she would speak to him and end my misery for life.

“You know his mum thinks I’m not good enough for her son. How did you even get to win her over? Everything I do seems to piss her off.” Karen replied, and for a split moment, I almost thought we were back to being friends.

“I don’t know, but I….” I stammered, and she cut me off with a wave of her hand. She finished uncuffing me, and she asked me to go to my room. She walked off before I could even get a chance to thank her for ending my suffering early. I tried to walk to my room, but every step hurt. Even my werewolf bones don't heal as fast as normal anymore because I’m always injured every time.

I finally made it to my room, and I collapsed on the sheets as soon as I got to the bed. I let my tears fall freely as I screamed into the sheets. I didn’t deserve any of this. If I knew that a year ago, I was entering into the worst arrangement of my life, I would have rejected Jimmy on the spot. I wouldn’t have travelled half around the realm to be with him. Now I’m stuck here and I can’t go home again.

If the Moon Goddess was real and fair, she would destroy the bond between Jimmy and me.