3

I couldn’t believe my eyes. Gaia was here and she was kissing my boyfriend?

“What….” I couldn’t form words.

The lack of guilt in their eyes only made things worse.

“What are you doing out here?” Coen finally decided to speak and my eyes travelled back to him.

“What am I doing out here? What are you doing with Gaia?”

“Isn’t it obvious? We’re together now. She’s giving what you could never give”

I scoffed. “This is about sex?”

He stayed silent. “You said you were okay with waiting until we mated”

He huffed. “Mate with a human?”

“What…”

“Nouria” I heard my name and Torin came into our view.

“What are you doing here? You should have gone back to your room” he reprimanded. He wasn’t even shocked about what was happening. He knew.

“When you said….”

“No. I didn’t know about it then. I already explained what happened. I found out this a few hours ago. I didn’t want to break the news to you because I didn't want you to be heartbroken”

“Why do you even care what she feels? I never stated I was going to mate with her” Coen lied through his teeth.

“Even if I did, which I cannot remember, I was merely saying it to get her to open her legs”

“You fucking bastard” rage slammed into me. I jumped to attack him but Torin wrapped his arms around my waist.

“Stop that Nouria. You can get into trouble”

But I didn’t care. The rage in me just wanted me to tear out Coen’s face. He was an animal.

“Be realistic Nouria” Gaia finally spoke.

“We allowed you into our friend group because if we felt pity for you. You’re below our class. At the bottom of the hierarchy. Did you possibly expect the heir of this house to get mated to a nobody?”

Her words fueled the rage. Torin’s grip around my waist remained. He was trying to get me out of there. I could hear his voice but the words didn’t register.

The rage was greater than his strength. I threw him off me and attacked Gaia. Scratching and biting and hitting blindly.

She returned blows of her own. I ignored the pain. I only wanted to cause her as much damage as possible.

Suddenly, I was yanked by my hair, spun around, and slapped roughly on the face multiple times. When I was let go, I dropped to the ground like a sack of potatoes.

“What is going on here” a frightening voice thundered. I recognized the voice instantly. It was Master Ulysses, the lord of the estate.

“Father” the boys chorused as one.

I gripped the grass underneath me and my heart pounded. The rage disappeared and I was quivering in fear now.

My head was yanked again and I was staring up at the master.

“A human? Fighting her superiors? Are manners not thought in this estate?”

“It was a misunderstanding father. None of it meant to happen” Torin spoke up.

I let the tears fall freely. Nobody was going to believe that.

I attacked my superiors and I’ll be punished for it.

“The girl should be punished,” Coen said and my heart broke all over again. He was the reason I got into this mess.

How could I have been stupid? How could I have lived in delusion that we would end up happily together? I was only a plaything to him. He didn’t care about me at all.

“Coen”

“Father”

“When I asked you to end it, I meant as quietly as possible”

“I know father. I didn’t expect that she’ll react like this. Forgive me. I’ll take care of it now”

“No. The guards should whip her fifty times and throw her into the dungeon. Then you decide on what to do with her later”

“No father. Please reconsider” Torin begged while I hung my head. The tears dropped freely. I was a big fool.

They dragged me away and I could hear Torin following us until his voice faded away and I was left with my punishers.

My hands and feet were bound and I was laid on top of a flat table. And then the flogging began.

Strike after strike, my back tearing and I howled in pain, begging them to stop but they didn’t listen. They finally finished and I was roughly dragged and thrown into the dungeon.

I wanted to pass out from the pain but that wasn’t happening. I was wide awake, feeling every bit of pain from the torture and staring at the dark ceiling.

I sobbed for the most of the night and then my body couldn’t take it anymore. I dropped weightlessly and I passed out.

When I woke up, I could hear voices. I didn’t get to process what was happening when the door was opened and I was dragged out.

A smelly rag was stuffed into my mouth and thick chains were used to hold my wrist behind my back.

“Move” the guard pushed me roughly and I dragged myself.

“Where are the others?” Another man asked. I couldn’t see him in the dark but I could tell he was standing behind me.

“Gathered out front. We have to be fast. The delivery should be complete before dusk”

Delivery? Where are they taking me?

I came to a halt but the man pushed me forward and I fell on my knees.

I tried to talk but my words came out muffled through the gag.

“Listen her bitch” he leaves over me, his breath hitting my face.

“I’ll fuck you up if you try to make my job difficult”

“Where are you taking me,” I said but they couldn’t hear because the gag muffled my words.

The man grabbed me by my hair and dragged me out and into the night. Just outside was a large wagon and I could see a leg hanging from the edge.

“No” I screamed and struggled against the guard.

“Why are you being so fucking difficult?” He pushed me roughly and I landed face-first, hitting my face on the wagon. I tried to stand up but I swayed.

“Knock her out before she wakes everybody. Nobody is supposed to know about this” I heard a familiar voice say and with the last bit of strength in me, I turned around.

Just at that moment, a blow came in.

And the last thing I saw before I succumbed to darkness was Coen’s face.