Larissa: I Hate Them!

"Get out of my room! And don't ever come back!" Mark snapped.

'Did he just tell me to go?'

I blinked hard, rubbing my tired eyes as I slowly pushed myself up from the cold floor that had been my bed all night.

Every part of my body ached: bruised, sore, broken. But I didn't care about the pain.

His words... they felt like a crack of light in my endless darkness.

'Finally, he granted me permission to leave?'

"Alpha, are you saying I can leave the Pack House?" I asked, desperate for confirmation. 'Was I really free?'

"What the hell are you talking about?"

His voice snapped like a sharp slap, slicing through my fragile hope and grinding it into dust.

I swallowed hard, forcing down the lump in my throat. I couldn't show emotion. If I did—if I dared show anger—he'd only use it as an excuse to punish me again.

"You… you said I can leave this place?" I asked again, clenching my fists to stop them from trembling.

"I can't believe how dumb you are, Larissa!" he spat. "I said leave this 'fucking room', not the Pack House."

Then he laughed. A cold, mocking laugh that curled like poison in my chest.

"Listen closely, Larissa Colter. You'll never leave. The day I let you walk out of this Pack House is the day you're no longer part of the Starlight Pack. You'd be banished!"

He added, "But don't get your hopes up... that day's not coming anytime soon. I still have unfinished business with you."

His words cut like a knife to my throat. I nearly choked on the wave of despair he brought.

All my hope, crushed. Again.

"Now get out of my sight. Someone will escort you to your new room," he said coldly, pointing at the door like I was filth.

I knew better than to argue. Speaking again would only lead to more violence.

So I lifted my chin, swallowing every tear, every word I wanted to scream, and walked past him.

As I stepped out of the bathroom, my body stiff and heavy, I refused to let him see me cry.

My fists clenched at my sides as I passed the bed.

She was still there. Naked. Smirking. Her body was marked with red signs of his brute foreplay.

"I'm sorry, Luna," she said with a faux-sweet voice, her eyes gleaming with cruel delight. "I couldn't say no to him… he's just so hot and irresistible. I got wet when his hands touched my skin."

She smiled, a look that danced between sympathy and mockery.

I didn't answer. I couldn't.

I walked on, leaving her and the stench of betrayal behind.

The moment I shut the door, all the strength I had drained out of me.

My knees buckled.

But before I hit the floor, a pair of arms caught me.

"Luna, I'll take you to your room," Pepper whispered gently.

I could only nod.

She guided me down the hall to the farthest door, so far from his.

"This will be your room from now on. I'll bring your things," Pepper said softly, her voice gentle as she helped me onto the bed.

"Would you like breakfast?" she asked, worry threaded through her tone.

I shook my head. I didn't have the strength to respond.

I just needed to close my eyes.

Right now, sleep was the only escape I had left.

Maybe when I wake up…

I won't feel so lost.

…

Days had passed since that humiliating night, when my husband dragged another woman into our marital bed and fuck her right in front of me.

I'd tried to erase the image, to bury it somewhere deep in my mind… but it only got worse.

Because it didn't end there.

Every night since, he brought a different woman home.

Every. Single. Night.

And everyone in the Pack House knew. The truth spread like wildfire, feeding on whispers and sideways glances.

Now, my shame had a name, Outcast Luna.

It was no longer a secret. It was my identity.

Still, I clung to a sliver of hope, praying my father would step in. That he'd finally care.

But instead of showing up himself, he sent my older brother.

Liam Colter.

Talking to Liam was its own kind of torture. He rarely used words. His hands were his language.

"You're so damn stupid and useless, Rissa!" he snapped the moment he entered my room, his piercing blue eyes blazing with that all-too-familiar rage.

I stared back at him, numb.

My brother was handsome, yes. But behind his looks hid a violent temper and a heart as cold as ice.

I had always despised him.

"Speak with your mouth!" he roared.

"You know he doesn't even like me! Why would you and Father force me to marry him? Why?" My voice cracked, my eyes meeting his furious gaze.

His lips curled into a cold smirk. "Look at you now. Only a few weeks in this house, and you already have the guts to talk back?"

He stood and stalked toward me, a dangerous energy rolling off him.

A chill ran through my veins.

"What do you want, Liam?" I asked, my voice low and tight, every muscle in my body frozen.

His eyes glowed with violent intent.

Then, without warning, he seized my wrist and yanked me to my feet.

His other hand twisted in my hair, forcing my face up to his.

"L-Liam… it hurts! Stop it... You're hurting me! Let go!" I whimpered, struggling in his grip.

But he was too strong. I couldn't break free.

His face hovered close, eyes filled with threat.

"This is your last chance, Rissa," he growled. "If you don't use that empty head of yours and get that bastard to sleep with you, I'll kill you myself."

"Liam, that's not going to happen!" I cried, tears burning down my cheeks. "He'll never touch me, alright!! Just forget your stupid plan! Just kill me and get it over with!"

Rage and despair twisted inside me like twin blades.

My father. My brother.

Their lust for power had thrown me into this hell.

'I hated them!'

"Don't be so damn weak, Rissa!" he barked. "You're Gamma's daughter. Prove you're not just the Outcast Luna! Prove you deserve to be Luna of this pack!"

He yanked my hair harder, sending lightning bolts of pain through my scalp.

I clenched my teeth, refusing to scream.

"Get ready," he hissed. "He'll come for you… And you'll have nowhere to run. This is your last chance."

With one final glare, he released me and shoved me hard onto the sofa.

I stared at him, seething, but he didn't care. He turned and walked out the door, slamming it shut behind him.

I didn't have any tears left.

Only numbness.

Trying to slow my breathing, I repeated his words in my mind. 'He will come for you.'

"Who? Alpha Mark?"

Before I could find the answer to it, the door creaked open again, without a knock.

'Alpha Mark… what now?'

I froze. My heart pounded so hard I could hear it echo in my ears. I didn't move, didn't speak. I just stared as he walked in, cold and silent, and sat down like he owned the air in the room.

"What are you doing just standing there? Sit down," he said, his voice sharp and distant, eyes avoiding mine.

I remained where I was, refusing to move until I had answers. "What do you want?" I asked, my voice strained.

He didn't answer right away.

His eyes flicked to me, piercing, unreadable. The weight of his silence was suffocating.

Still, I didn't push him. Not yet. I held my breath and waited.

Then, finally, he spoke, "Tomorrow, you're coming with me to the North District. Be ready. Don't embarrass me."

My eyes widened. "What? Why me? Why are we going North?"

My heart seized. He had dozens of women willing to follow him. Why choose me?

"Because your father forced me. We're attending the Alpha Gathering in the capital to celebrate the Moon Festival. Now SHUT UP! Don't ask anything! I mean ANYTHING!"

His roar echoed in the room, crushing my courage to talk back to him. 

But his words triggered something else entirely.

Liam's voice slithered back into my mind: "This is your last chance."

So this is it...

My final chance

Fine.

I'll play this game. I'll wear the mask. I'll do whatever it takes to survive this madness.

A bitter laugh echoes in my mind. And with it, perseverance.

"Pepper will be here to help you," he added coldly before storming out.

I stared at the door long after it closed.

I have no choice.

'If I fail this time... I'll throw myself off a cliff and end this nightmare myself.'