She Will Pay

Edward’s POV

I ignored the screaming from earlier. It was probably nothing. At least that’s what I told myself. Amira was always wanting attention. This wouldn’t have been her first trick.

My father sat across from me in his study, a folder of documents open on his desk. He’d barely finished explaining the final arrangements for the ceremony when a mind-link came through so urgently that it cut straight through my thoughts.

‘Edward! You have to help me! It’s Amira!’ Lena’s frightened voice made me sit up.

‘What’s happened, sweetheart?’ I answered her back immediately.

‘She’s hurt me! Please, Edward, I need you!’ Her voice was shaken. I could tell she was hurt. Or scared. Maybe both.

I pushed my chair back and stood. My father lifted his eyes from the papers, watching as I straightened my jacket.

“I’m sorry. I just got a mind-link from Lena. Apparently, Amira is up to her usual bullshit again. I’ve got to go make sure Lena’s all right.” My voice was firm as I got straight to the point.

Father closed the folder and nodded his head once. “Go see what’s happening. We’ll finish this conversation later.”

I didn’t need to be told twice. I hurried out of the study, my footsteps quick against the floor as I headed down the hall. I tried reaching Lena through the mind-link again. ‘Where are you?’ I asked in a rush.

‘I’m at the bottom of the staircase leading to the second floor. Please hurry, baby.’

I increased my pace, irritation building with every step. I’d been home for barely any time, and already Amira was causing problems. I should have known better than to expect a peaceful evening. Lena had put up with enough of her over the years, and I was tired of hearing about their arguments.

When I reached the staircase, I spotted Lena standing near the bottom step. Several pack members lingered nearby, whispering among themselves, while others seemed suddenly interested in anything except what was happening in front of them.

Lena turned the moment she saw me. Her expression crumpled, and she hurried toward me, holding one arm close to her body. “Baby!” She pouted as tears came down her beautiful face.

I caught her as she reached me, wrapping an arm around her shoulders. “What’s wrong, sweetheart? What happened?”

She pressed her face against my chest, her voice trembling. “It was Amira. She attacked me!”

I pulled back enough to look at her. “What do you mean, she attacked you?”

“She came downstairs with Valerie, and the next thing I knew, she was grabbing me and threatening to hurt me. I tried to get away, but she wouldn’t let me go.” Her eyes filled with tears. “I was so scared, Edward. I’ve never seen her act like that before.”

I frowned. “Where did she hurt you?”

Lena hesitated before lifting her arm. “My wrist.”

I took her hand carefully, expecting to find a few red marks or perhaps some minor bruising. What I saw instead made my expression harden. Her wrist was badly swollen, the skin stretched tight around the joint. Deep purple bruising covered the area, with patches so dark they looked almost black beneath the lights. The discoloration wasn’t scattered randomly. It formed the unmistakable outline of a hand wrapped around her wrist, the marks of individual fingers visible through the angry bruising. The print circled nearly the entire wrist, as though someone had clamped down and squeezed with enough force to leave their grip stamped into her skin. “What the hell?” I muttered. Not believing what I’m looking at.

Lena sniffled. “It hurts.”

I turned her hand slightly, careful not to press against the swelling. The bruises looked painful enough that I didn’t want to risk making them worse. “Sweetheart, this is bad. We need to get you checked by the pack doctor.”

“No!” She pulled her hand back against her chest, shaking her head. “You don’t understand. You need to do something about her first. She can’t get away with this!”

“Lena, look at your wrist. You’re injured. Let me get someone to examine it.” My voice softened as I tried to get her to be seen.

“I don’t care about my wrist!” she cried, her voice rising enough to attract more attention from the people nearby. “I care that she thinks she can do whatever she wants and nobody will stop her. She’s been getting away with everything for years, Edward. How much longer are you going to let her treat me like this?” She sniffled some more as her bottom lip puffed out even further.

I clenched my jaw. I knew how much Lena hated Amira, and I couldn’t blame her for being upset after seeing the damage on her wrist. Whatever had happened downstairs, it had gone too far.

Before I could answer, someone approached from my right. “Edward.”

I turned to find Wyatt walking toward us. My future Beta wore a serious expression, and the way he glanced at Lena’s injured wrist made my stomach tighten further.

“What happened?” I asked.

Wyatt shook his head. “I saw the whole thing. Lena isn’t lying.”

Lena looked up at him, her eyes shining with tears. Wyatt moved closer, lowering his voice slightly, although there were still plenty of people close enough to hear him. “Amira and Valerie came downstairs, and they started shit with Lena. They were giving her a hard time, and then Amira grabbed her. It happened right in front of everyone.”

I stared at him. “You’re telling me Amira started it?” My brow rose. I still couldn’t believe this. The nerve of her.

“That’s exactly what I’m telling you. Lena wasn’t looking for trouble. She was standing with the other girls when Amira came over, and things got ugly. I saw Amira grab her wrist.”

I looked around at the people gathered near the staircase. A few immediately looked away when my eyes met theirs. Nobody volunteered another word, and I wasn’t about to waste my time dragging answers out of a crowd that clearly didn’t want to get involved.

Wyatt had been training alongside me for months, preparing to take his place as my Beta once I became Alpha. I trusted him to tell me the truth, especially about something that had happened in front of so many witnesses. “Did anyone try to stop her?” I asked.

Wyatt shook his head. “It happened fast. By the time anyone could react, Lena was already hurt.”

Lena’s lower lip trembled as she leaned against me. “I just wanted to enjoy your homecoming, baby. I didn’t want any trouble. I don’t understand why she hates me so much.”

I looked down at her injured wrist again. The handprint was impossible to ignore. She had used enough force to leave her skin swollen and darkened, and Lena was still cradling her arm as though even the slightest movement hurt.

My anger sharpened. Amira had always been a problem. She’d spent years acting as though the rules everyone else followed didn’t apply to her, and she’d made a habit of creating uncomfortable situations whenever Lena was around. I’d tolerated enough of it because I hadn’t wanted constant arguments disrupting the pack, but this was different. Hurting someone badly enough to leave a mark like that wasn’t something I could overlook.

“She needs to be punished,” Lena said, lifting her chin. “You can’t let her get away with this now that you’re becoming Alpha.”

Wyatt nodded his head. “I agree. If you let her walk away without consequences, she’ll think she can do whatever she wants.”

I drew in a slow breath, trying to keep my temper under control. The ceremony was supposed to mark the beginning of my leadership. I should have been thinking about the responsibilities waiting for me, the visiting Alphas, and the promises I’d made to my father. Instead, I was standing at the bottom of the staircase dealing with another mess involving Amira. “What do you want me to do about it?” I asked Lena.

Her expression changed. The sadness remained, but there was something harder beneath it now. “Put her in the dungeon.” I raised an eyebrow. “Or chain her outside on a post and give her five lashes with a silver-tipped whip,” she continued, her voice growing more forceful. “Let everyone see what happens when she attacks someone. Maybe then she’ll finally learn that she can’t put her hands on people without consequences.”

Wyatt considered that for a moment before speaking. “Why stop there? Make her scrub the entire courtyard with a toothbrush while the visiting Alphas watch. Let her spend the whole ceremony cleaning the mess she’s made of your homecoming.”

Under different circumstances, I might have laughed at the absurdity of the suggestion. There was nothing funny about Lena’s injured wrist, though, and I had no patience left for Amira’s behavior. “Enough,” I snapped.

Both of them fell silent. I looked toward the staircase, my jaw tight. Amira had run upstairs, apparently believing she could escape the consequences by hiding in her room. She’d made a serious mistake if she thought I was going to let this go simply because she didn’t want to face me.

I stepped away from them and faced the staircase. My anger had been building since Lena’s mind-link, and seeing the bruises had pushed it past the point where I cared to entertain excuses. I wasn’t interested in hearing Amira explain herself, and I certainly wasn’t going to let her turn this around on Lena. “AMIRA, GET YOUR FUCKING ASS DOWN HERE RIGHT FUCKING NOW!” My voice carried through the pack house, cutting through the conversations and music. I stood at the foot of the stairs, waiting, but I didn’t see her appear.

Lena moved beside me, holding her injured wrist close to her chest. I glanced at her once more, taking in the swelling and the dark marks left by Amira’s grip. She’d come to me frightened and hurt, and I’d be damned if I let the person responsible walk away without consequences.

I turned toward Lena, my expression hardening as I made my decision. “I’ll make sure she’s punished. I will make sure she pays for what she did to you, and I will not go easy on her.”