03: THE VERDICT

SIENNA

Once my eyelids cracked open, the uncomfortable feeling in between my thighs was the first sensation that I paid attention to. I tried to sit up but found that I couldn't move. There was a muscular arm wrapped around my waist, keeping me immobile. I winced when the dull pounding in my head spiked up a bit.

'Where am I?' I wondered, still feeling groggy.

I was warm, comfortably so. And this scent washing over me was lovely. So much that I wanted to lay there for the rest of my life.

Bringing a hand to my head, I squeezed my eyes shut. I couldn't remember what had happened the previous night. My last memory was the moment I'd escaped from the pack.

I sighed, moving my limbs a little. Then, I felt it.

I, Sienna West, was no longer a virgin.

Straining to free myself from the arms of the stranger whom I'd slept with, I rolled to the side.

Worried that I might have awoken the stranger, I glanced at him. However, he was still sound asleep.

He was gorgeous. The way he slept, with a serene expression on his face, made him seem like a dark angel. His unruly bed hair was such a sight. This man's eyelashes were so long, they kissed the top of his cheekbones. His slightly parted lips were fuller at the bottom, but they were perfect. Down to his chiseled jaw, he was pure perfection.

The more I watched him, the less I felt bad about sleeping with him. At one point, I actually liked the thought of it.

Deciding that I'd overstayed my welcome, I figured it was time to leave.

Only then did I realize that this man was a Lycan. Despite being asleep, his aura was a dead giveaway.

Disgusted, I hurried out of bed.

The moment I got out of bed, my legs gave out. Maybe it was out of pure shock, but I knelt there, my eyes wide.

I knew that I had the stranger's impressive length to blame for the soreness between my thighs. But, I was also aching in other parts of my body that had been banged up during my struggle with Nathan.

This wasn't the time to be weak. I needed to leave. I gritted my teeth, pushing myself to my feet.

Slipping on my clothes in a hurry, I stumbled out of the room, hurrying towards the exit of the bar.

Several drunk people were littered all over the place. It was easy for me to slip out unnoticed.

I didn't know where else to go. If I wanted to escape from Nathan, I needed to go beyond the pack's border. But doing that was also risky.

Finally, I made up my mind to run far away. I would rather die than allow myself to be further humiliated by that bastard.

The sun was still halfway up, and the path to the woods was deserted. So, I quickened my pace, ignoring the crunches of dead leaves under my bleeding feet.

If only I had a mature wolf, shifting would have been much better.

"Stop right there!" Someone yelled, and I took off into a sprint immediately, my heart racing against my chest.

I could hear the sound of feet pounding against the ground and the not-so-subtle growls of the wolves that chased after me.

Panic clawed at my senses as I ran, panting for air with sweat blinding me. I can't get caught by them. I must escape.

My sides were burning as my starved lungs strained for air. Several times, my feet got torn by the sharp twigs on the ground. But I refused to let it stop me.

"Get her!!!"

"Don't let her enter the Lycan border!"

For a moment, my heart stopped. The last thing I wanted was to end up in the net of the despicable monsters called Lycans. Even so, I couldn't let myself go back to where I'd run from.

While I thought about this, my feet scraped against a large stone, and I stumbled forward, crashing to the ground. Pain speared through my entire body, bringing fresh tears to my eyes. Gritting my teeth, I pushed myself to my feet. But, there was so much blood on the ground. My biggest toe had just been ripped open, and it hurt like a bitch.

Behind me, the noise grew louder. When I tried to move, my legs gave out, and I fell. Only then did I realize that my ankle had just been sprained.

Swallowing the cries that threatened to escape my lips, I pushed further, limping towards the rosemary bush that served as the pack's border.

Again, my legs gave out, and I started to crawl, my nails digging into the sand.

For the first time in a long time, I prayed to my dead father.

'Please, save me. Dad, please save me. Help me,' I sobbed, half blind from both tears and sweat.

Just a little more.

With the bush only a few feet away, I reached out for it, my fingers grazing the leaf.

In that moment, a boot was slammed onto my hand, crushing it to the ground. A scream escaped my lips as I felt the bones of my fingers crack under the impact.

Nathan's face came into my line of vision, his face twisted with menace. He reached out to cup my jaw, his fingers digging into my chin.

"You thought you could escape from me? Look where you are now," he snarled.

I gazed up at him with hatred brimming deep inside of me. I spat in his face, and his expression darkened.

"To hell with you," I spat.

Right then, he slapped me across the face, hard enough to knock me out.

When I opened my eyes again, I was hanging in an inverted position on a giant tree in the middle of the main pack house. A crowd was gathered around the tree. Several pairs of eyes glared at me with disdain and disgust.

My gaze widened when I noticed my mother among them. I could smell the alcohol on her. She'd always been an alcoholic. I'm almost certain that she'd been just as drunk when she'd sold me as a slave.

Alpha Declan, Nathan's father, cleared his throat, his fierce gaze pinned on me. I swallowed hard, my stomach tightening into knots. I had a feeling that I was knee-deep in trouble.

"Today, we're gathered here to announce the punishment of Sienna West," he began, and tears filled my eyes.

"I didn't do anything. Nathan tried to force himself on me! I swear! I was only running to save my life! Please, have mercy on me, Alpha!" I cried.

One of the guards smacked me in the face and shoved a piece of cloth into my mouth to silence me.

I couldn't breathe.

So, I struggled against my restraints.

"Sienna West is a traitor to the pack. She tried to assault my son after he rejected her because he found out that she's a whore. She also tried to bring calamity into the pack by attempting to cross the pack's border."

No! I wanted to scream.

More tears escaped my eyes as my head swam.

One more time, I met my mom's dull gaze, mentally pleading with her to save me. But all she did was stare.

"In three days, Sienna will be tortured to death," Alpha Declan announced, and the crowd cheered.

"Do you want to survive?" A female voice filled my head, and I fought to remain conscious.

Yes.

I want to live.