THREE

Exactly one year and twenty three days now, I'd found out Zayden was my mate. I'd just turned eighteen a week before and had my first shift. Most werewolves had their first shift at sixteen, and some as early as fifteen, but the late bloomers experienced their first shift at eighteen, and mine happened a week after my eighteenth birthday.

My first shift wasn't as painful as I'd expected. Ailana thinks it's because my body has gotten used to pain, but I doubt it. I may have developed a certain tolerance, but from what I have read and seen, nothing can be compared to the pain of a first shift.

When I didn't find my mate immediately, I started to panic. I prayed and hoped that the Moon goddess will bring him my way soon so it'd be the end of my mystery. Even if he wasn't a strong wolf, at least, that will be one more person to love me after Ailana. I had dreams of us running away together, but then the Moon goddess had something else up her sleeves.

When I finally perceived his scent a week after my first shift, I'd been overly excited, but my excitement was short-lived. The moon goddess paired me with the strongest werewolf in Silver Moon pack, second only to his father, the present alpha. Way more than I bargained for. But I took one look at my mate's face to know that he didn't want me.

'Are you going to reject me?' I'd asked him with shaky voice. Since Zayden is three years older than me, I assume he has known we were mates for the last three years, but he did nothing to show it.

As the most sought after bachelor in the pack and also an alpha wolf, Zayden was very popular, especially amongst the female gender. He was the pack player that changed bed partners as frequently as he changed his clothes. I'd served his table many times, and attended to his needs, and my back had suffered from his own whip on many occasions even before then, but I'd never one day considered the possibility of him being my mate. If I noticed all his scornful glares and resentment towards me, I didn't think it was abnormal considering my history with his family and pack. On the contrary, I'd have thought it abnormal if he'd been friendly with me.

'No' he'd replied with anger 'I can't deny not hating you or being ashamed of you, but I can't reject you either,'

I'd had hope after those words. He wasn't going to reject me. I don't know if my wolf will be able to take a rejection after all I've been through. I didn't want that. He said he hated me but maybe he'll get to know me and like me eventually.

I may not be in his league of girls but it had to account for something that I was his mate right? No matter how much he hated me, he'll still feel the mate bond, and maybe he'll get to like me. But he looked at me and saw a disgrace. He looked at me and cursed the goddess for making us mates.

'You mustn't tell anyone that we are mates,' he'd reached for my neck and squeezed it then. I nodded, tears falling from my eyes 'If you do, I'll kill you. No one has to know, not even Ailana,' he'd warned.

The one person that was supposed to end my suffering made it worse. 'You can't be my luna. I mean, just take a look at you!' He released me so hard that I fell to the ground and coughed, trying to regain my breath.

He rained curses on me that night, spat in my face, and kicked me countless times with his hard boots till blood started to drip from my nose and mouth.

Everyday after that day, I'd felt chronic pain from the effect of him being with another woman. Some days were worse than others. He'd taunt me through the mind link while he fucked another, and some times, he made me watch.

He'd tie me to a chair in his room, gag my mouth and make me watch while he had threesomes and foursomes with other women that were not members of my pack. Since he didn't want people finding out we were mates, he didn't have sex with any member of Silver moon pack whenever he wanted to give me a show. It's like my pains were a major turn on for him. He told me once that watching me suffer made his cock hard, and he made sure I suffered the pain in the last one year and twenty-three days.

I cried many nights hurdled up on the cold floor of my room, it was hard hiding the pain, and Ailana quickly noticed, but I couldn't tell her for fear of what her brother would do to me if he found out that she knew, because I know she'd not be able to hold back. She'd go straight to confront him, so I lied to her every time that it was just a stomach ache.

I hated that I had to lie to her. She'd been worried about me developing an ulcer, so she'd bring food and drugs for me, drugs that she made sure I swallowed in her presence. I took them because I didn't want her to suspect, but even her act of kindness was causing me more damage. I was taking self-prescription for an ailment I didn't have. She never suggested I went to the pack doctor because he wouldn't treat me. I wasn't allowed health benefits no matter how sick I was anyway.

After the alpha made that announcement about Ailana and Zayden competing for the alpha seat, things have been very strained between brother and sister. Zayden thought it was an insult that his father will suggest that, and he made a habit of badmouthing his younger sister and accusing her of trying to steal his birthright.

Personally, I feel like Ailana deserves the alpha seat more than Zayden. Not because she is my friend, or because of the things I know I'd benefit from her if she becomes alpha, but because she was more of a leader than her elder brother. I think Alpha Thane made that announcement to make Zayden seat up. Zayden has a record of pursuing everything in skirts, squandering pack funds, and picking up unnecessary trouble with other pack alphas.

Ailana on the other hand was very good with accounting. Many times when Zayden siphoned pack funds, she'd been the one to fish him out. Her wolf isn't nearly as big as Zayden's but it was an alpha wolf all the same. Zayden had knocked her out occasionally on the training grounds which proved his wolf was stronger than hers. Zayden had attended the alpha academy for a whole year, so that gave him an upper hand, but if she trained harder, and if she got the opportunities that Zayden had and attended the alpha academy herself, then there's every possibility of her beating him and claiming the alpha seat.

I pulled myself from my sad thoughts as I neared the kitchen. I was late to my duties as usual, but to my relief, the kitchen was empty when I entered. Only a single omega girl was present in the kitchen, kneeling down with her hands behind her back, serving a punishment.

Stacks of dishes lay heaped on the sink and several others scattered here and there on the cabinet. Spoons, forks, cups, knives, plates, pots, trays, kitchen rags, and napkins. The whole place was messy. I wondered why Zella hadn't summoned me despite the abject state of untidiness of the kitchen.

I moved to the sink with speed, not saying any word to the omega girl. It isn't unlikely to find a help serving a punishment, especially in the kitchen. I'd never understand why Zella thought the kitchen was a better place to be punished.

If I did it with speed, it will take me two hours and thirty minutes to wash all the dishes. That was enough time before it was time to start preparing dinner for the pack. But nothing ever went the way I planned.

I'd just washed a single plate when I started to feel it. My mate was having sex with another. I cursed, bent over, and clutched my stomach as the pain started slowly and intensified with each passing second. The pain on my back hadn't even healed, and now I had to deal with something much worse.

Hot tears blurred my vision and I screamed, clutching my stomach as the pain was gradually becoming almost unbearable. I swayed, and it was in the process of trying to hold myself from falling that my hands knocked over a plate from the sink. I tried to save it before it hit the ground, but I should have just let it fall. In the process of trying to save one single plate, I managed to knock down a heap of plates with my elbow. Some flew to other areas of the sink, but others went falling to the floor, one after the other, breaking into many smaller pieces.