04: Beta's Dark Secret

FELICIA 

When I opened my eyes again, my body jerked in fear. Beta Andrew was sitting right next to me. “Calm down, Felicia. You need to calm down.” His voice was gentle. Gulping hard, and looking at my surroundings. I was in the hospital.

“I know you are afraid. And believe me when I say that, I will not touch you without your permission.” He pushed me to lay back down on the bed while he made a promise. 

Marlee came into the room, a file was in her hands. “It was a panic attack. Nothing to worry about.” Marlee spoke with a smile on her face. I smiled back then narrowed my head. 

“You can take her home, Beta. But remember to keep her calm.” Marlee added further. Beta Andrew stood up from the chair he was on. As I was preparing to get up, Beta Andrew suddenly scooped me up in his arms. Carrying me bridal style in his arms, he walked out of the hospital. 

Once we were back inside his house, he laid me down on one side of the bed. “Go to sleep. You need rest.” He growled at me, without even looking at me. 

How sad can it be that he just marked me to prove his utter loyalty for his Alpha. And how sad it was that the man I loved, who promised me the whole world, marked my sister before my eyes. I turned to the other side. Silent tears were pouring out from my eyes as I tried to sleep.

…

A few days passed. As per his promise, Beta Andrew didn't try to touch me. He would mostly leave the house before I would wake up and come back when I am fast asleep. I would spend the whole day alone under his roof. Sometimes, I even cried and asked the Moon goddess why I was being punished like that. 

Except for loneliness and depression that was taking over my mind, life was peaceful. No one was around to blame me for everything Rebecca did wrong and blamed it on me. Besides that, I sometimes heard distant cries, painful cries, in the middle of the night.

Beta's home was far deeper into the woods. I couldn't say if it was just rogues trying to lure people out or someone was actually crying in pain. 

That night, I woke up when my throat was dry as fuck. I looked at the jug and found it empty. I had no other choice but to go to the kitchen to fetch some more water.

As I went downstairs, the screams that I used to hear from a distance, started to get louder. My mind was telling me to stay away but my limbs started following the sound. It was coming from inside the house. 

My thumping heart was leaping into my throat as I reached for the door that led to the basement. I had wandered through the whole house. It was not too big, but big enough for two people. There were many rooms but Beta Andrew neither let me have a separate room, nor did he want to take another for himself. 

Aside from that, I was never able to see the basement because it was always locked. Gulping hard, I pushed open the unlocked door. The screams became louder. My heart was trembling in fear for some reason. 

As I reached the ground, and turned around, my eyes widened at the sight in front of me. I saw men, around thirty of them, all naked. As I reached closer, I realized what was happening, my heart nearly stopped beating. I could recognize them all. 

My body trembled with fear. I slapped my hand on my mouth so I wouldn't make a sound. I was already sobbing with fear. I started slowly stepping backwards. I thought I was gonna escape. And I wanted to run away from Beta's home because I had no idea what he was doing with all those men. They were all the men who assaulted me.

Until my back hit a hard chest. Someone grabbed my shoulders. I was about to scream but he turned me around. It was Beta Andrew. “You weren't supposed to be here. What are you doing?” Beta Andrew asked me angrily. 

I tried to pull away from him but he was too strong for me. “Let me go! I will tell everyone what you have been doing here.” I was literally punching his chest. But it didn't affect him at all. 

The next second, he threw me on his shoulder and walked out of the basement. He carried me straight to his bedroom. “Let go of me, you monster. I recognized them all.” I cried as I tried to free myself from his firm hold. 

With wide eyes, I watched him locking the door of his bedroom. Then he took me to his bed and sat me down on the edge. “Calm down, Felicia. You need to listen to me.” He whispered softly, holding my hands into his large ones. 

“Let me go!” I whimpered, fearing for worse than what had happened to me not too long ago.

“I am not gonna hurt you, Felicia. Never!” He suddenly stated, as if he understood the fear I withheld in me.

Tears were still in my eyes. I blinked a few times. Then a fresh set of tears started flowing from my eyes. “What are they doing here? Out of all people, out of all the places? If you wanted to hurt me so bad, you could have left…” 

“They are being punished!” Before I could finish, he intervened.

“What?” I asked, out of confusion.

Beta Andrew cupped my face with both of his hands and pulled my face closer to his. “They are being punished for what they did to you. They ruined your life in a few hours. Now their lives are trapped in those few hours. They assaulted you. Now they assault each other every single day for the scraps of food I throw at them.” I was stunned when I heard Beta Andrew.

“I thought, no one believed me. Why keep them alive? Just kill them. They destroyed everything.” I cried, trying to pull away but his hold on my face was firm.

“I need them to tell your father that you were innocent. Either they bark the truth or your sister confesses her lies. Rebecca will never do such a thing. But I can make them tell the truth.” Beta Andrew explained further. 

He tucked me in the bed and covered my body with the blanket. He suddenly zoomed out of the room. He came after a few minutes with a bottle of water in his hands. “You go back to sleep. I'll feed the bastards and come back. You are safe in my home. You are safe with me.” For some reason, I believed every single word that came out of his mouth. Probably because I knew he never lied to anyone.