Chapter 0003

EMBER

I couldn't watch. I didn't need to.

I could feel Tristan walking away from me, severing our bond and taking part of my soul with him.

My feet couldn't carry me away fast enough, and I stumbled as I sprinted back to my sad excuse for a house. My breathing was erratic, and my hands stayed firmly against my chest as I tried to hold myself together.

The door creaked loudly as I swung it open and slammed it shut behind me. My mind raced as my feet continued to move until I was pacing back and forth. My hands moved to my hair, gripping it on both sides of my head in tight fists as I tried to get my thoughts together.

I had a million of them swirling in my mind, but they were moving too fast, and none of them made sense.

The room around me was blurry, and I was positive it was spinning, but I couldn't focus long enough to make it stop.

How could he do this to me? I had been waiting for him for so long!

I had just given him my virginity!

My skin was damp with sweat from the pain and stress. Yet, all I could smell was him.

I could practically feel him still pressed against me, our naked bodies sliding against one another as he thrust into me, moaning and grunting out his pleasure as he filled me. The memory was burned into me, leaving me feeling sticky and disgusted with myself.

His sweat was on my body mixed with his, the dirt I had been lying on was still stuck to my back in a few places, and his cum was still between my thighs.

I pulled at my hair harshly. Instinctively, I wanted to punish myself for being so stupid as to think someone of his rank would ever be happy with an Omega.

Tears were streaming down my cheeks, and I released my hair as I swiped at them furiously. Yet, as I wiped them away, more took their place.

My hands were just as gross as the rest of my body; dirt was caked under my nails, and as I looked down at my hands, the noise in my head grew louder.

I raced toward my small bathroom, slamming the door open into the wall as I opened it before rushing into the shower.

My loud panting filled the room as I turned the water on. The ice-cold spray shocked my system, but I didn't move.

I deserved this. I had been so stupid…so incredibly stupid.

I let out a moan of anger as I grabbed my bar of soap and began rubbing it over my body aggressively. I needed to get his scent off me. I needed to scrub away the memories of him touching me, kissing me, and fucking me.

Because that's all it was.

Mates made love to each other, embracing their bond and their connection, but he didn't. Tristan had found a weak, willing woman and, knowing he would never want anything more from an Omega like me, had fucked me just because he could.

Still, I couldn't get clean, no matter how hard I scrubbed.

My skin was raw from scrubbing, and my body was stiff from the ice-cold water as I fell to the shower floor, curling into a ball. I knew others would probably be able to hear me through my thin walls, but I couldn't contain the loud sobs as I wrapped my arms around my legs.

Eventually, I forced myself to leave the bathroom and curled under my blanket. The thin cot on the floor did little to cushion my back, but it was better than nothing.

I pulled the ripped and tattered blanket up and around me, staring at the wall as my tears continued to fall.

The day turned to night, only for the world to grow bright again. I groaned, pulling the blanket up and over my head, wanting to stay hidden from the world.

My bed was warm and safe. It wasn't comfortable by any means but was familiar, bringing me comfort.

My bladder had been screaming at me for hours, and I was debating getting up to use the restroom when the front door to my home was thrown open.

The handle smashed into the wall behind it, and I jumped to my feet defensively, my body sore and aching. I didn't care that I was still naked, and even though my soul felt empty and my body hurt, I wasn't ready to give up on life just yet. I needed to be prepared to defend myself.

A glowering Tristan stormed in, the sun casting a shadow over his face as he burst into my home, looking like a storm, ready to destroy everything in his path.

"Tristan!" I gasped in shock, not sure why he would come here.

Since he had acted like he didn't know who I was after we had sex, I assumed he hadn't known where I lived either. "What are you doing here?"

He didn't answer me and instead stepped forward threateningly. "Did you tell them?!"

I blinked, shaking my head in confusion as goosebumps covered my body. I wasn't sure if it was from him or the draft from him leaving the door open, but my heart sped up as his hate-filled eyes flickered down to my body. "Who? What are you talking about?"

"Did you tell them I'm your mate? Are you really so desperate for attention?" He met my gaze again, and I swallowed hard at the fury in his eyes.

I shook my head faster, my lips parting to defend myself. I hadn't talked to anyone! I haven't even left my house. I was in too much pain and too humiliated to show my face.

Before I could speak, Tristan cut me off, "That night must have been the most glorious moment of your poor little life. You just couldn't let it go, could you? You had to run your mouth after I told you not to."

"No! I didn't tell anyone!" I defended, lifting my hands in front of me in a surrendering motion. "It must have been Nia!"

"Funny! She said it was you, and who do you think I'm going to believe? A worthless Omega, or the daughter of the Beta. She has nothing to gain. You do. I told you to keep your mouth shut!" Tristan moved forward, and I stepped back, cursing to myself when I felt the wall behind me.

I knew he couldn't kill me yet, not without it hurting or possibly killing his wolf since I hadn't accepted his rejection, but that didn't mean that he couldn't hurt me, and from the look in his eyes, I knew he wanted to.

"I have nothing to gain! I haven't spoken to anyone!" I pleaded, turning my head away when he lifted his hand toward my face.

He released a low growl as I flinched from him, and my head jerked slightly as he tugged roughly at one of my wild curls. After crying under the shower spray for so long, I had been exhausted and barely made it to my bed, let alone had the energy to brush my hair. I knew it would be a matted mess.

"I told you to keep your mouth shut. Maybe I should do us both a favor and cut your tongue from your mouth so we won't have to worry about any more slip-ups. Hm?" He hummed in question as if he expected me to agree or disagree with him, but I was frozen, stunned with fear. "But no, he likes your tongue."

My eyes widened when his hand released my hair, and his knuckle slid over my bare breast, his knuckle grazing my nipple. I knew the 'he' Tristan was referring to was his wolf, but it didn't send the same zap of excitement through me that it had two nights ago when we had been together.

"I deserve better than you, Ember. You are a nobody, weak and worthless. We both know that." Tristan dropped his hand, and I released a shaky breath of relief at the space between us.

My eyes burned at his words, and I blinked back the tears that had rushed to the surface. I refused to cry for him anymore.

"Yet, my wolf can't let you go. He wants you… craves you in a way that I never will. You were so easy… so willing. You just threw yourself at me like the little whore you are. Since you enjoyed our night together so much, I don't see any harm in letting him have his fun with you. I bet you would like it, love it even…"

There was a low rumble of pleasure in the back of his throat that made my bones turn to ice.

I shook my head again as he pressed his body against mine, trapping me against the wall. "Don't touch me!"

"Don't play innocent now, Ember. We both know you won't be able to resist once I'm inside you." Tristan cooed, and bile rose in the back of my throat.

A sob pushed past my lips, but a knock on the open door had Tristan shooting backward.

I looked up, sighing with relief as I saw one of the other omegas standing in my doorway in their uniform.

"What?!" Tristan snapped, wiping his palm over his mouth and taking a deep breath.

"I am sorry to interrupt, sir, but I was sent to fetch Ember for her shift. She missed her shift yesterday, and Nani is furious." The thin man, Joshua, said.

While his high-pitched voice used to annoy me, I had never been more grateful to hear it in my life.

My boss, Nani, may have been pissed that I was a no-show yesterday, but I would take one of her punishments any day over being used and raped by the man before me.

"Very well," Tristan muttered before glaring at me. "Don't forget what I said, Omega. One word crosses your lips, and there will be Hell to pay."

He stormed out the door as I barely refrained from scoffing. Was this life not Hell enough?

I kept my eyes on his back as he stormed away, not liking that I couldn't read his mind like other mates could. If I could, I would at least have a heads-up for the next time he planned to ambush me.

Only, I didn't want to be here when that time came. If I had learned anything over the past two days, it was that I was utterly alone.

No one was going to save me. I had to save myself.

I wouldn't be here when Tristan returned to forcefully take what he felt he was owed from me.

I was going to escape, even if I had to die trying.