Parched

"From today onwards, I will take every decision of your life. What you will eat, where will you go, when will you speak, what you will wear it will be all as I wish. And if you dare to defy me then till now it must have been crystal clear to you how far I can go to keep my words," his voice unsympathetic and cold, causing a shiver down her spine. Out of fear she was not even able to raise her head and kept her eyes casted down. He lifted her head up with his forefinger, underneath her chin and stared directly into her mesmerizing hazel eyes. "Understood?" Her throat was parched and her mouth was dry. Her tongue felt heavy in her mouth. The seam of her lips was cracked and pasted with each other and she couldn't find enough courage in herself to say anything using her tongue, so she just nodded and casted down her eyes again. He raised her chin more now with his forefinger and thumb, indicating her to look in his eyes and she did so. "Understood?" He asked again and raised both his eyebrows, warning her. "Yy....ye..ss" she croaked out. Her eyes were widened with fear and hands were fisting the bedsheet. Her cheeks were imprinted with red finger marks. "Good. Now take of your clothes and fulfill your duty" he ordered. She only pleaded him with her eyes. Clearly, she didn't want her wedding night to turn out like this.

"Whose child is this?" His voice was cold and icy, blood shot eyes drilling holes in her watery ones. Scared, she cowered back only for her back to met the wall. A sob of pure horror left her parched throat, her hands lifting up to shield her already bruised face. "I asked," He stepped dangerously closer to her, his hot breath fanning the back of her hands. His sandalwood scent which used to calm her nerves in past, today did nothing other than heightening her fear. "Whose." His rough hands yanked her soft ones from her face, before clasping her jaw tightly, his fingers digging in her bruised skin making her wince. "Child" He whispered deadly, leaning down till his stern lips were brushing over her quivering ones. Tears after tears dripped down her cheeks. "Is in your stomach?" His already tight hold had tightened in bruising manner, making her flinch hard. Her head began to spin in fright, darkness invading her vision. Her heart pleading for some miracle. That wasn't the first question, her husband was supposed to ask her on her wedding night.

I have to admit that my husband's true love is a charming and charismatic woman. After she returns to the country, my husband, who always says he knows nothing about being romantic, racks his brains to think of ways to please her. Even my son wants her to be his mother—he says it to my face, too. To my husband and son, I'm only worthy of cooking and cleaning for them. Later, an autistic little girl tugs on my shirt and says firmly, "Zach might not want his mommy, but I do!" It's only then that I realize flowers can bloom in parched land. When I'm finally living the life I want, my ex-husband and son come to me, telling me they regret their actions… My ex-husband calls and says Zach misses me. I answer, "I'm not his mother anymore." Then, he says he's made a mistake—he's realized that I'm the one he loves. The man beside me kisses the back of my hand, sounding jealous as he says, "Do you think you deserve to be with her when I've yet to win her heart?"

Just because I forget to bring my mate's lover back—leaving her alone in the wilderness for three hours—he flies into a rage and throws me into an abandoned well in the desolate countryside. "You need to experience the torment that Belinda was put through." The well is deep and narrow, forcing me to curl up in my wolf form. I struggle to breathe. I plead for mercy and beg for forgiveness. However, all he does is tell me off icily. "Stay there and repent for your sins. You'll only understand the dignity required of a Luna once you learn your lesson from this." He orders his men to seal the well with a large boulder. I let out anguished howls and roars as I claw my way upward. However, I only fall back down over and over again. The walls of the well are covered in my claw marks. I continue like this until I can't make a sound through my parched throat. … Half a month later, my mate's heart softens when he sees the birthday gift I've prepared in advance for him. He decides to end my punishment. Unbeknownst to him, worms and snakes have already gnawed my body beyond recognition at the bottom of the well.