I shivered, sticking my body to the wall, trying to get any source of warmth in this cold cell. I shouldn't have questioned her. I should have just cleaned her room again. I brought my knees close to my chest, crying silently as I hoped somebody would get me out soon.
The sky thundered, causing me to whimper. Did they decide to kill me slowly? Was I going to die in this horrendous cell? I didn't want this to be my end.
I looked down at my hands and saw them trembling. They were turning a bit blue. A shaky breath escaped my mouth and I saw the water vapour disappear in the air.
“I hope you have learned your lesson, Ayla.” I heard Charlene’s voice. They decided to let me out. I sighed in relief.
“Y-Yes. I'm sorry. I won't…” I struggled to catch my breath, “I won't question your orders again.” I whimpered. Every inch of my body was in absolute pain. I was ready to do anything to get out of that cell. I just needed the trace of freedom they allowed me to have. At least I was given a room and food.
“Get up!” she ordered me and I quickly did as I was told. They were finally going to let me out. Did they have another punishment in mind? Even if they did, I was hoping that it would be not as hard as that one. Once she opened the door of the cell, I walked out of it, wishing to never return there.
“Put this over you.” She threw a thick shawl on the ground. Despite the ache in my muscles, I bent down to pick it up. I wrapped the thick fabric around my shuddering shoulders.
I didn't dare to look up as I followed her out of the dungeons. I just wanted to get back to my room and never get out. I wanted to take a steaming hot shower, hoping it would ease the ache in my muscles.
The weather got immediately warmer the moment I stepped my foot inside the house. My father was there, standing at the stairs. I gulped as I stood in front of him. What else did he plan to do to me? Weren't two days spent in the freezing dungeons for questioning my sister's order enough?
“How did the freezing weather feel like, little Ayla?” He smirked.
“Terrible,” I murmured. Was this the answer he wanted to hear or was he going to punish me for saying the truth?
“Are you going to act up again?” I quickly shook my head. The harsh lesson was learned. I was never going to question Charlene or Oriana.
“I won't. I will do whatever you ask me to do,” I spoke, rubbing my arms, trying to warm myself up. I could feel how weak my body was. I just needed to lie down on bed.
“Look up,” he growled. Once I did, I was met with a harsh slap. A yelp escaped my mouth and I could taste blood at the corner of my lips. “This is a reminder of what you are. Trash. Nothing more, but if there's something less, then that's what you are.” He spat his words out and I flinched.
“I get it.” I nodded. My stomach twisted in hunger and I tightened my arms around it. Were they going to give me food? I hold they were planning to do that.
“When was the last time you ate?” he asked me.
“Two days ago.” Starvation was a part of my punishment, but luckily, they did provide me with water.
“Would you like some food?” Every single person in that family enjoyed taunting me.
“Please,” I begged.
“Go to the kitchen. You'll find leftovers. You've got fifteen minutes to eat. If you're not done by then, you're not going to be able to identify your face in the mirror. Get back to your room once you're done and do not get out unless you have chores.” I quickly nodded and rushed to the kitchen after thanking him for allowing me to eat, knowing that if I didn't show gratitude, I would get punished for that.
It took one mistake. One mistake deemed me to a lifetime of torture. One mistake made my parents and my two siblings hate me. One mistake that turned me into a maid from the age of eight even though I was the Alpha’s daughter.
One day, I was playing with my older brother in the woods and we approached the river our parents told us not to approach because it was too far. He knew how much I loved that place and he decided to take me there. One minute he was there and the second he just… disappeared. I looked for him and I couldn't find him anywhere. I ran to the pack, sobbing. I told my parents everything and my father, being the Alpha, ordered the whole pack to search for their future Alpha. They searched everywhere. They searched for a whole month and nobody was able to find him. That was all it took to turn me into the ultimate sinner.
They all deemed me guilty, but none of them knew how much this hurt me. They didn't know that he was my best friend and none of my siblings loved me the way he did. In fact, after his disappearance, I became certain that none of them loved me. They beat me up and called me names. They did that to their little sister. I was only eight.
I lost my best friend that day. I lost the only family member who showered me with unconditional love. I wish I could turn back time. If I could, I would beg him to not even leave the house. I would never approach that river and I… I would make things right.
Here I was, nine years later, a teenager who didn't know what it was like to be loved. I didn't know if my pain was ever going to end. I guess I was never meant to be granted a second chance. I was doomed for life and nothing or no one was going to save me from the hell I was thrown into. Ironically, my brother used to think I would make a better Alpha than he could ever be, but how would I be an alpha when my life was a series of abuse and torture?
Doing my best to ignore the shooting pain in my side, I limped through the forest, trying to stay hidden. The creaking noise of the leaves beneath my feet would usually make it harder for anyone to go unnoticed, but the rain covered the sound of my steps; something I was thankful for. I hid behind one of the enormous trees and looked down at my hand. The gash on my side did not stop oozing blood and its pain did not cease. My body strongly shook as my torn clothes did not help with keeping me warm. My clattering teeth affected my ability to think clearly. I wiped the blood dripping from my nose with the back of my hand: the punch was so strong. Maybe it broke my nose. “Come out come out wherever you are.” The menacing voice taunted me, making me squeeze her eyes shut as my tears rolled down my cheeks. My head was pounding and I was getting more exhausted. I struggled to make my way through the darkness, not knowing if I would be able to survive the night or n
“There’s no need to panic, yeah? I’m going to bring a doctor to check on you.” He stood up and walked out of the room, not giving me the chance to reply. Thoughts raced in my mind. I didn’t remember anything about myself or even the attack they told me about. I didn’t even know who I was. Fear took control over my body, making tears brim in the corner of my eyes. Xander came back with another man who had a white coat on. He was probably the doctor. “Welcome back. Xander told me you can’t remember anything, so let’s just talk for a little bit, okay?” he spoke, and I nodded, knowing that there was nothing else I could do. “Let’s start with a near event. You were attacked three days ago. What do you remember about the night of your attack?” the doctor asked me. I took a heavy breath and tried to recall the events of that night. They said I was covered in blood, and the wound on my side proved that. I tried to remember how I got that wound, but noth
“The food is great! Thank you so much for your hospitality. I don't know how I would have survived without you.” I was truly thankful for everything he had done for me so far. “It's my pleasure. I really hope you like your stay here,” he said. “So, Florence told me this pack is the strongest. Tell me more about your pack. I would love to know more if you don't .” My curiosity was getting the best of me and a part of me hoped that he wouldn't mind. “We are the strongest pack in the USA, but definitely not the whole world,” he started and I straightened my back, ready to learn more about everything. “But being the strongest doesn't mean you don't have rivals.” “So you've got rivals?” If he was strong, then this was expected. “Indeed, but the strongest one is called Crimson Pack. Ten years ago, there was a war between us and luckily, we won, which meant that we got to control the lands of Juliet Rose, but like any war, eac
Everything about this mansion was elegant. The stairs were white and the handrails were made of transparent glass. I placed one hand on the rails while Rowena held my other one. Just like her brother, she was really helpful. I had to repay them one day for their kindness. “You're the younger sibling, right?” I asked her once we reached the top of the stairs. “ I am. I'm twenty. Xander is twenty-four,” she replied as the two of us made a right turn. She was only ten years old when she lost her mother and fourteen when she lost her father. She was too young to go through that. I silently wondered if I was the same. Had I also lost my family like them? Did I have any siblings? Was there anybody out there looking for me or was I nothing that nobody bothered to search for me? “What about you?” she asked. “I wish I could answer,” I mumbled. “Why can't you? This is my room, by the way.” She pointed to one of the doors. “And this is your
“Did you find out who she is?” Jorah, my Beta, asked me. Ever since Priya was brought to my house three days ago in the middle of the night, he had been asking me about her. He did not like outsiders and to him, she was dangerous. “We don’t know who she is. She is definitely a werewolf, but she hasn’t matured yet. She most probably is seventeen. Apparently, she suffers from a complete memory loss, so she doesn’t even remember her name,” I filled him in. I was taken by complete surprise when the patrol brought her to my place. She was covered in her own blood, her clothes were barely covering her body, she was freezing and completely unconscious. Her state had me baffled. If her injury was minor, I would have taken her to Jorah. He had knowledge regarding stitching and cleaning wounds, but the amount of blood she shed on my sweatshirt when I took her from the patrol to my car was enough to make me take her straight to the clinic. “And you actually believe she’
“Promise me that you won't fear me.” His request had me startled. Why would I fear him? He had been kind and sweet to me. What would make him scary? “I promise,” I said as the strong wind brushed my hair, causing me to shiver a little. Maybe I should have brought a jacket with me, but the excitement I felt when he told me he would show me his wolf form made me forget everything. “ Wait for me here,” he told me, and I nodded, smiling a little at him. Cautiously, I sat down on one of the chairs in the backyard. The vast pool in front of me made me wonder if I knew how to swim or not. The water was intriguing that I almost approached it, but I was scared. I didn't want to fall. Not knowing anything about myself was frightening. “It's going to be colder in the forest.” Xander's voice pulled me away from my thoughts, making me look at him. He was holding a huge hoodie for me. My heart warmed at the gesture. “Thank you.” I slowly got up and took the
I pulled the pillow close to me as I kept my eye closed. I could feel the sunlight hitting my face, but I didn’t want to wake up. The soft mattress beneath me made getting up an impossible task. Did I need to get up? Memories of last night played in the back of my mind and the corners of my mouth turned up a little when I recalled how Xander looked as a wolf. A realisation came to me that I didn’t get back to my room and that was enough to force me to open my eyes. Everything seemed familiar. This was the room Xander gave me yesterday. How did I get here though? Had I fallen asleep against him last night while we were in the forest? The mere thought caused heat to rush to my cheeks. I had a light grey duvet over my body; it was so smooth that I didn’t want to push it away. I looked down at my clothes and I found myself in the same outfit I had on last night. I even still had the sweater on. Carefully, I pushed myself up and got out of my luxurious bed. I needed to sh
Almost twenty days had passed since we found out that Priya was allergic to milk. After that incident, I left the pack for three days to finish off some business. When I came back, I was hoping that she would have remembered anything, but that did not happen. Her allergy was the only thing we were able to find out about her. She couldn't remember anything and as the days passed, I could tell that this was taking a toll on her, frustrating her. At first, she was taking the matter lightly, doing her best to get accustomed, but for the past few days, it was obvious that things had been different. She politely refused to spend time with Rowena and she stayed in her room most of the time. I suggested taking her to the forest for a walk, knowing that her wound was in a better state, but she said no. I kept thinking that maybe she was scared of seeing me in my wolf form again, but the look she had in her eyes the night I took her there told me that she wasn’t scared at all.