Elena’s POV“Father, please!” I fell to my knees, the cold stone of the throne room biting into my skin. My chains rattled with every movement, the sounds echoed through the walls of the throne room. I cried, but no one was there to help me. I was all alone.“You can’t do this to me. I’m your daughter!”My father, the great Vac Alderwood, alpha king of Winter Clove barely looked at me. My dearest father’s dark eyes were void of any compassion.He stood tall, proud, and entirely indifferent to the pain choking my voice.“You are not my daughter,” he said, his tone flat, almost bored.“You are a disgrace. An omega. You were rejected! What would the people say about the daughter of an alpha king being rejected? How would the people, your people, look at us? How would they respect us? How can you rule a kingdom after me, when you can’t even keep a man?!” His tone had gone from bored to angry in a matter of split seconds, and all that vile was directed at me.The words struck me like a p
Elena’s POVHe looked me in my eyes and gave me a small smile before turning away. Panic swelled in my chest. My father stood by the side of the door, watching it all. With teary eyes, I looked at him, the man whose blood rushed hot and brimming in my veins. Didn’t he care what this monster of a man was going to do to me? The heads of women hung from different walls of the Brimstone palace, alpha Salvatore's home. Did my father hate me so much that he was willing to condemn me to such a fate?“Father, please!” I cried, but my pleas fell on deaf ears, and soon, I was dragged out of the palace, thrown into a carriage and locked away on my way to Brimstone Castle.The guards didn’t seem to care that I was trembling, or that my wrists still bore the marks from the chains that had dragged me. Once the carriage stopped, I was hurled down to the ground.“Careful, Xandax.” One of the guards snapped at the man who held me.“She is the alpha’s property now. He’ll kill you if he sees so much as
Elena’s POVThe goddess couldn’t do this to me. Not again. Why was I cursed with such an ill fate?The moment I realised I was mated to alpha Salvatore, it was like the world stopped spinning, and all I could feel was the searing pain in my chest.What was supposed to be the most precious moment in my life—the moment I found the other half of my soul for the second time, turned into a curse.I stood frozen in the shadows, watching the other women skillfully take his rather huge cock into her mouth as her hands worked at the base. She made strange choking sounds, but the dreadful alpha paid no mind to her. His dark eyes remained on me, boring holes into my soul. He didn’t say a word, couldn’t feel the pain that squeezed in my chest as the woman took him in her mouth over and over.I couldn’t move, couldn’t speak. I just stood there, my legs weak and trembling beneath me. Why didn’t he feel it? Why didn’t he know? Wasn’t he supposed to feel the bond the way I did? Wasn’t he supposed to
First Person's Perspective ElenaThe guards held my arms tight as they dragged me down the cold hallway. Their grip was painful, their fingers digging into my skin like iron shackles. I didn’t fight them. There was no use. Fighting would only make things worse. My body ached from exhaustion, and my mind was too drained to resist. They shoved me into the small, dark room, and I stumbled forward, barely catching myself before I hit the cold stone floor. The heavy metal door slammed shut behind me, and the sharp sound of the key turning in the lock sent a shiver down my spine.I was alone again.I stood there for a moment, staring at the door, my breathing ragged. The silence in the room felt thick, pressing down on me like an invisible weight. My legs trembled as I sank to the floor, pressing my back against the freezing wall. A lump formed in my throat, and before I could stop it, hot tears streamed down my cheeks.I cried hard, my sobs shaking my whole body. My shoulders trembled as
First Person's PerspectiveElenaThe next day was too quiet. The kind of quiet that made my skin crawl. I sat on the small, hard bed, gripping the rough blanket with trembling fingers. My whole body ached, my head felt too heavy for my neck, and my eyes burned from exhaustion. But I refused to close them.Every time I did, I saw him.The man in the black cloak.His glowing red eyes stared into mine, never blinking, never looking away. His voice slithered through the darkness like a snake, whispering words I didn’t understand, promising things I didn’t want to hear. His cold fingers brushed against my skin, sending icy shivers down my spine. But when I opened my eyes, he wasn’t there.I was too afraid to sleep.The first night was the worst. My body begged me to rest, but my fear kept me awake. I paced the small room over and over, my bare feet freezing against the stone floor. Every few minutes, my head drooped, my eyelids too heavy to hold up. I slapped my own face, hard, to shake of
First Person's PerspectiveElenaAfter Salvatore punished the maids because of me, everything changed.Before, they were quiet, careful, doing their jobs without looking at me too much. Now, their eyes were filled with hate. They didn’t say anything, but I could feel it. Every time they walked past me, I felt their stares burn into my skin. Every time they handed me food, their fingers would brush mine a little too roughly. Every time they cleaned the room, they would “accidentally” knock something over, making me clean it up myself.They couldn’t hit me. They couldn’t yell at me. But they found other ways to make me suffer.Small ways.Ways that looked like mistakes.The first time it happened, I was exhausted. My body ached from days without sleep, and all I wanted was a warm bath to wash away the sweat and fear. My muscles felt sore, my head heavy, and my thoughts slow. I just wanted a moment of peace.Lina, one of the maids, came in and ran the bath without saying a word. I didn’t
First Person's Perspective ElenaThe next morning, when Lina brought my breakfast, I had already made up my mind. I couldn't take it anymore. I was tired of the cold eggs, the burnt toast, the way she looked at me with that smug expression like she enjoyed making me miserable.As soon as she placed the plate down, I reached out and grabbed her wrist before she could turn away. My fingers pressed into her skin, my hands shaking with frustration."You're doing this on purpose," I said, my voice unsteady.Lina raised an eyebrow, then smirked. "I don’t know what you’re talking about."I tightened my grip. "The locked door. The boiling water. The freezing baths. All of it. You’re trying to torture me."She yanked her arm free and took a step back, rubbing her wrist. "So what if I am?" she said in a low voice, her eyes full of anger. "Because of you, I got punished. Because of you, we all live in fear now."I stood up so fast that my chair scraped loudly against the floor. "I tried to sto
First Person's PerspectiveElenaThe next morning, the door creaked open andAres was there.He leaned against the wall, arms crossed, his expression unreadable. His dark eyes flicked toward me, cold and calculating, but he didn’t say a word.I swallowed hard. My hands trembled as I took a hesitant step forward. My instincts screamed at me to turn around, to retreat back into my room, but I forced myself to stay put. I had to face him.I had seen enough of Ares to know that he wasn’t the kind of man who appreciated people talking back to him. He wasn’t the kind of man who gave second chances.And yet, I had to try.“I... I wanted to thank you,” I said softly, forcing myself to keep my voice steady. “For helping me with the maids.”Ares didn’t move. He simply stared, his gaze piercing through me like a blade.For a moment, I thought he might ignore me completely. Then, with a small scoff, he pushed off the wall and started walking down the hall.“Hmph.” That was all he said.Heat rose
Chapter Twenty SixFirst Person's PerspectiveElenaThe second we walked into the huge wedding hall, every single person stopped talking. It was like someone had pressed a mute button. Two hundred people turned to stare at me like I was a ghost who had come back from the dead. I could feel their shock hitting me like a punch to the stomach. There I was—the daughter they had thrown away, the sister they had forgotten—standing next to the most powerful and terrifying Alpha in the whole territory.Percy looked like a princess in her big white wedding dress with too much lace, laughing at something stupid Ron had said. But the moment she saw me, her smile vanished as if someone had wiped it off her face. Her eyes widened in pure horror, and for a moment, she looked like she had seen a demon instead of her own flesh and blood."What is SHE doing here?" Percy screamed, her voice slicing through the stunned silence like a dagger. Her perfectly manicured finger trembled as she pointed at me,
First Person's PerspectiveSalvatoreFour long hours had passed since I gave Elena that cursed wedding invitation. Four hours since I watched her small hands shake while holding the expensive paper. Four hours since I saw her fighting back tears like a soldier refusing to surrender. And yet, even after all this time, I could still feel the weight of that moment pressing down on my chest.The castle halls were completely silent as I walked to her room. I had sent all the guards away earlier. What I needed to say to Elena tonight was private. No one else needed to hear it.I didn't bother knocking.Her room was dark except for one small candle burning on the table next to her bed. The weak flame made shadows dance on the walls, flickering as though they, too, trembled under the weight of what was to come. The air was thick with an unspoken tension, a suffocating stillness that made my pulse slow and heavy.Elena sat curled up in the window seat, her back turned to me, her delicate shape
First Person's PerspectiveElena I was sitting on my small bed, carefully sewing a hole in my favorite blue dress when the door suddenly opened. The sharp needle slipped and poked my finger. A tiny drop of red blood appeared on the fabric as I looked up, surprised. One of the maids stood in the doorway, her face blank. "The Alpha wants to see you right now," she said in a flat voice. My stomach twisted into knots. Why did Salvatore want me? Since that terrible dinner with his mother and his future wife Hermione, he had left me alone. Did I do something wrong? Was he angry with me? I wiped my bleeding finger on my old skirt and stood up. The walk to his office felt like it took forever. Each step made my legs feel heavier. When I finally reached the big wooden door with fancy carvings, I didn't wait for permission to enter - I knew better than to make him wait. The study smelled like leather chairs and smoke from the fireplace. Salvatore sat behind his huge desk covered with
First Person's PerspectivePercy's POVMy whole body wouldn't stop shaking. Hot tears ran down my face, ruining the expensive makeup that had taken three hours to apply. My beautiful white wedding dress - the one I designed myself with special lace from France - now felt like a stupid costume. Like I was pretending to be happy when my heart was breaking. The door opened quietly behind me. "Percy?" Massy's voice sounded worried. "The wedding starts in twenty minutes. Why aren't you..." Her words stopped when she saw my face. I turned away quickly, wiping my wet cheeks with angry hands. The black makeup smeared on my fingers made me feel sick. "Percy, what happened?" Massy rushed to me, her pretty pink bridesmaid dress making soft noises as she moved. "Are you feeling sick? Should I get you water?" I tried to speak but my throat hurt too much. How could I tell her? How could I say that Ron - the man I stole from my sister Elena, the man I bragged about to everyone - had been
Chapter Twenty TwoFirst Person's PerspectivePercyThe wedding preparations were making me crazy. Everything was going wrong and I couldn't stand it. I wanted everything to be perfect for my big day, but no one seemed to understand how important this was. I looked at the flowers on the table and felt my face get hot with anger. "These flowers are completely wrong!" I shouted, hitting the table so hard it shook. The glass vase almost fell over. "I asked for white roses! These look like dirty weeds!" The poor flower lady, a small woman with scared eyes, stepped back. "But Miss Percy, these are white roses..." "Don't lie to me!" I grabbed the ugly flowers and threw them against the wall with all my strength. Petals flew everywhere like snow. "Leave right now! Don't come back until you bring real white roses!" She ran away so fast she almost fell over her own feet. I turned to the baker next. He was sweating like he had run a mile. "What about my cake?" I demanded. He wiped h
Chapter Twenty OneFirst Person Perspective Elena The dream still clung to me like a second skin when the door creaked open. My body stiffened before I even saw him, my pulse jumping beneath my throat as if it knew who stood there before my eyes could confirm it. Salvatore filled the doorway, his broad shoulders nearly brushing the frame. Moonlight from the hall spilled around his silhouette, casting long shadows across the floor that stretched toward me like grasping fingers. His dark eyes swept over me, taking in my tangled hair, the sheen of sweat on my skin, the way my fingers twisted helplessly in the sheets. "Another bad dream? or still shaken by the one from last night?" he asked again, voice low. I swallowed, my throat dry. "Y-yes." The word came out too small, too weak. He stepped inside, the floorboards groaning under his weight. The door clicked shut behind him, sealing us in together. My back pressed harder against the headboard as he approached, the mattress dip
First Person Perspective Elena 's POV For days, I watched everything with careful eyes, studying every movement, every habit, every tiny crack in the pack’s security. I listened to conversations, to footsteps, to the way the wind carried voices from one end of the estate to the other. I learned the patterns, the weaknesses—. the small, careless mistakes that could be my way out. The guards were predictable. They changed shifts at the same exact times every single day, never early, never late. The night guards were the laziest, their discipline slipping as soon as the moon rose high. By midnight, most of them were slumped against walls or snoring quietly, their weapons forgotten beside them. The east gate had been broken for weeks, a jagged hole in the metal barely hidden by overgrown vines. They kept saying they would fix it, but no one ever did. The kitchen staff, tired and overworked, always left the back door unlocked when they dragged the heavy trash bags outside, too exhauste
First Person Perspective Elena The heavy door clicked shut behind Salvatore with finality, sealing me once more in suffocating silence. His words coiled through my mind like poisonous vines, their roots digging deep into my consciousness where I couldn't pry them loose. *There is nothing for you beyond these walls.* *I am the only protection you have.* I pulled my knees tighter against my chest, the rough fabric of my thin nightdress scratching against skin still tender from healed lashes. The dying fire cast flickering shadows across the stone walls, making the room feel alive with unseen threats. Maybe he was right. My father had sold me for a handful of silver. My mate had chosen my sister without a second thought. Even if I managed to escape this gilded prison, what awaited me? Empty forests? Hostile towns where no one would shelter a runaway slave? But then I considered the cost of staying. My freedom - gone. My will - broken. My very soul - bartered away to a man who
First Person's PerspectiveElenaThe door creaked as it opened, the heavy wood scraping against the stone floor. I didn’t need to look to know who had entered. The air changed, growing heavier, thicker. That familiar scent—leather and crisp winter pine—wrapped around me before I even heard his steady footsteps.Salvatore stood in the doorway, his tall frame filling the space. The dim light from the window cast long shadows over his face, making his sharp features look even more severe. He didn’t speak right away. He just stood there, watching me with those dark, unreadable eyes."Still sulking?" His voice was low, rough, edged with something I couldn’t quite place.I kept my gaze fixed on the cracked stone wall behind him, refusing to look at him. "I’m not sulking."The bed dipped as he sat beside me. My body tensed. His warmth pressed too close. Too overwhelming. A firm hand gripped my chin, forcing me to turn my face toward him."Look at me when I speak to you."Reluctantly, my eyes