2. Beg Me to Stop

Avery’s POV

I lunged at her, ready to rip her apart with my bare hands, the betrayal burning inside me like a wildfire. How could the closest people in my life have played me so cruelly?

Lila was my best friend, my only friend. I'd trusted her with my life, shared my deepest secrets with her. How could I have been so blind to her true nature? The realization hit me with the force of a sledgehammer, shattering any remaining illusions I had held.

And Nathan? He was handpicked by my father, the son of a trusted friend from another pack. How did I not see his true intentions? How did I miss the signs that he wanted to take everything from me, to strip me of my pack and my power?

I wasn’t crazy in love with Nathan. Not by a long shot. My heart had already been claimed and broken by my one true love, a love lost to time and fate. But it still stung deeply to be in this position, to be betrayed by those I had welcomed into my life, to be played so thoroughly by people I should have been able to trust.

The pain of their betrayal was a sharp, unyielding blade, cutting deeper with every thought. My rage fueled my movements as I closed the distance between us, ready to unleash the storm of my grief and anger on the one who had shattered my trust.

I tackled Lila to the ground, slamming her head against the tile with a force that sent a jarring shock through both of us. She cursed at me, her eyes blazing with hatred, and then she head-butted me hard. Stars burst behind my eyelids, the pain momentarily blinding me.

Before I could strike again, I was lifted off my feet by two strong men, their grips like iron. I recognized them as patrol guards. Lila must have mind-linked them. Each guard held one of my arms, pinning me firmly between them.

“You bitch!” she hissed as she rose up, brushing herself off. “Release her,” she ordered before taking one of the guard’s tasers and pressing it to my side.

The electric shock tore through my body, a searing pain that felt like it was ripping me apart from the inside. I screamed, my knees hitting the floor hard as the force of the fall knocked the breath out of me. The taser’s relentless current sent wave after wave of agony surging through me, my muscles convulsing uncontrollably.

Lila didn’t stop. She pressed the taser to my side again, and another jolt of electricity surged through me. My screams echoed off the walls, mingling with the sound of my own rapid, labored breathing. Each shock felt like fire coursing through my veins, burning away any semblance of strength I had left.

By the time she got it out of her system, I was writhing in a world of agony, my voice hoarse from my screaming. My body trembled violently, the aftershocks of the torture leaving me gasping for air.

“Beg me to stop,” she said above my head with an antagonizing look, her voice dripping with malicious glee.

I couldn’t form a single letter as my body was still going through the aftershocks of the torment I had just endured. But even if I could, I would never give her that satisfaction. My defiance burned as fiercely as the pain, a silent refusal to be broken.

Deeming herself triumphant enough, she ordered, “Take her down to the cells and throw her in one of them,” her voice cold and venomous. “I will wake up Nathan and come down right away.”

She smiled, a twisted grin that sent chills down my spine. “Better say goodbye to your lovely life. It will end in a few minutes. An overdose of lethal wolfsbane seems like the right way to kill you. In excruciating pain and agony until your last breath, a legendary way to die, trust me,” she mocked.

I struggled against the guards, but my strength was sapped, my body limp and battered,  weakened by combination of the torture and the wolfsbane already coursing through my system. Desperation fueled my voice as I rasped out, “You are betraying your oath to protect your Alpha! How dare you betray me too!”

The guards' faces remained expressionless, their loyalty clearly swayed by Lila’s manipulations. The cold tile floor seemed to rise to meet me as they dragged me away, my heart pounding with a mixture of fear and rage. As Lila’s laughter echoed in the corridor, I knew I had to find a way to survive this nightmare.

To my utter misfortune, the reception was still in full swing, and the hallways were deserted. There was no one around to hear my desperate cries for help. The guards dragged me through the empty corridors, their footsteps echoing ominously off the walls.

They threw me violently onto the filthy floor of the first cell, the impact knocking the wind out of me. The rusty bars clanged shut with a finality that sent a shiver down my spine. I was left alone with my wildly beating heart, the silence of the dungeon pressing in on me.

Desperation clawed at my throat, and I screamed, the sound reverberating off the cold stone walls. My cries seemed to be swallowed by the darkness, leaving me feeling even more isolated and helpless. The cell reeked of decay and despair, mirroring the turmoil inside me. As I lay there, bruised and battered, I knew I had to find a way out before Lila and Nathan carried out their deadly plan.

My salvation appeared in the form of Elizabeth, my former nanny, the woman who had raised me after my mother died when I was ten.

“Elizabeth!” I cried out, my voice trembling with a mixture of hope and fear. A part of me dreaded that she, too, had come to witness my demise and revel in it. By that point, I had lost faith in everyone close to me, expecting betrayal from all sides.

Elizabeth's voice was tender, a soothing balm to my frayed nerves. “My sweet girl! What have they done to you? Come on! We don’t have much time before they come down here.” She extracted a key from her apron pocket and swiftly unlocked my cell, her movements precise and urgent. She motioned for me to follow her out of the basement.

“Elizabeth, I…” I began, my voice choked with gratitude and confusion, but she cut me off with a stern look.

“Keep quiet and follow me,” she whispered firmly, guiding me through the labyrinthine halls towards the servants’ exit. Her presence was a lifeline, a beacon of hope in the darkness, and I clung to it with every ounce of strength I had left.

We stepped outside into the backyard, the cool night air wrapping around us like a cloak of urgency. Elizabeth held my hands tightly, her eyes full of a sorrowful resolve. "This is as far as I can go. You need to run as fast as you can, Avery. Save yourself, my girl!"

I shook my head, my heart aching with the weight of her words. "But it's my pack! I can't abandon my people and run away like a fugitive! They need to pay for this betrayal! Them and everyone who helped them!"

Elizabeth's gaze softened, her voice firm but gentle. "And you will make them pay, dear. I know you can, but not right now. You are too weak to fight today. But I know you, Avery. I raised you to be the extraordinary person you are now, and I know you will manage to get this pack back. But now, you need to live. You need to run. You know where to go right?"

Suddenly, the sound of footsteps broke the silence, and Elizabeth's face turned pale. She pushed me towards the shadows, her urgency palpable. "Go, now!"

I hesitated, but there was no time to argue. As I slipped away into the darkness, I heard the guards capturing Elizabeth. Her voice was defiant as the mistress demanded to know my whereabouts, but Elizabeth refused to betray me. The air was soon filled with her screams, a haunting symphony of pain that tore at my heart.

I wanted to rush back, to save her, but I knew that her sacrifice would be in vain if I did. Tears streamed down my face as the realization hit me: she was injected with the lethal potion meant for me. Her life was the price of my survival.

The only thought that rang through my mind was revenge. I knew exactly where I needed to go and what I needed to do. The betrayal would not go unpunished. Strengthened by Elizabeth's unwavering belief in me, I vowed to reclaim my pack and make those who wronged us pay dearly.