Dawn
When I opened my eyes, I found myself still sprawled in the same position on the floor in the now empty living room. I groaned as I slowly pushed myself upright. My entire body throbbed with glaring pain. The hunger pangs hit hard; I hadn't eaten all day. Once again, exhaustion pulled at my limbs causing me to fall back. I laid back, closed my eyes and tried to will the pain away. But it wasn't subsiding. My nose picked up the scent of food. It teased my senses and mingled with the echoes of laughter from the kitchen. Bitterness and hatred simmered within me. My wolf growled angrily. It could still sense my mate's scent, but something about it had changed. "Looks like she's finally awake," sneered my step-sister. The laughter abruptly stopped. I had to fight the urge to react. That bitch. I wanted to stab her in the eyes and destroy her beautiful face. She'd done a lot of things to me but this was the worst betrayal ever. She was so greedy. From the moment Grace married my father, Sofia had been provided for. She got everything she wanted and more, yet she somehow only wanted the little I had. She had won, hadn't she? I felt it in the puffed-up aura of her wolf. She felt like she'd beaten me at everything. My internal tirade was paused by shuffling footsteps as they all filed back into the living room. From my corner on the ground, I watched them troop in. The satisfied smirks on the faces of Grace and her evil daughter made me want to scream. But I couldn't do anything. I was too terrified and tired to let my emotions show. On the inside, I was angry but my expression was always pale and cowed. My wolf whimpered at the sight of my mate's arm wrapped around Sofia. It hurt more than the physical pain I was in. “Sit up.” Grace demanded, shoving a bowl of leftovers into my limp arms. The desire to fling the bowl at them surged, but I couldn't waste precious food or energy. Reluctantly, I seated myself, unable to fully relax as my back still screamed in protest from where the silver whip had left its mark. "Eat," my father ordered, his tone cold and commanding. Humiliation swirled around me, but I obliged. With hands that trembled, I shoveled bacon bits and chicken strips into my mouth. The flavors were lackluster, but it was sustenance and I needed it. Their eyes bore into me in a heavy silence. My stepsister snickered in the arms of my mate, whispering loudly, “Didn't I say it? You all owe me.” Father grunted and her snicker increased. “Wimp.” She mocked, snuggling into Alex's arms. “How could someone like this become Luna? She'll run this pack to the ground. Alex needs a strong woman beside him, not a weak mutt.” She continued. Grace chuckled, her eyes remaining on me as she watched me eat. I tried to ignore their mocking, focusing on the much-needed nourishment. Rest and sleep beckoned. I needed respite from the physical and emotional torment I'd just endured. But from the way they all watched me, I knew that my ordeal was far from over. I could feel an underlying tension in the air. Something was about to happen. Something that I wouldn't like. Once my bowl was scraped clean, I licked my fingers. There was nothing to be ashamed of anymore. Alex had betrayed me already. Why should I try to be prim and proper? I didn't need to impress anyone anymore. “Stop that.” Alex hissed suddenly, as if he heard my thoughts. His voice was commanding, his aura so powerful that my hand fell to my lap. This is the first time he'd addressed me today. He sat up, pushing Sofia away as he stared into my eyes. Automatically I leaned forward, seeking and reaching for the connection we shared. I got nothing. “What happened?” Alex asked. I blinked, my head was blank. Wasn't I supposed to be the one asking that question? Wasn't he supposed to be explaining everything to me? The accusation in his tone grated my nerves. “Are you that dumb?” He gritted, his dark eyes narrowed into slits. For the first time, I felt the power of his Alpha wolf. It commanded me to speak. “You betrayed me,” I croaked. The room erupted into laughter, and he smirked. He stood up and walked to me. He grabbed my face roughly and looked at Sofia before facing me. “If not for the respect I had for your family, I would have ripped your head off, for that silly interruption of my mating ceremony.” My heart squelched. “You are not my mate. You never will be. And even if the Moon goddess decided to make such a mistake, I reject it. I reject you.” My ears were ringing. My wolf was crying. Did he just? It wasn't possible. What happened to Alex? Was he under some sort of spell? This had to be a dream. Before we discovered we were mates, Alex was the closest thing I had to a friend. He was my knight in shining armor. He had been the one who approached, helped, and listened to me. Who's this? What happened to my Alex? Alex took care of me. He would never hurt me. I remember how excited he was when we discovered that we were mates. “Do you hear me?” He growled. I couldn't recognize the man before me. “W-what, what happened?” I sputtered. “This isn't you. What did they do to you?” Ignoring me, he returned to his position and pulled Sofia into his arms. “I need details, Dawn. What exactly did the head of the servants say to you? Why did he terminate your service at the pack house?” Alex continued. “He said I wasn't strong enough to complete my tasks. I was weak, underfed, and too tattered.” I croaked. My father released another dissatisfied grunt. “This is how you pay back your family?” Grace sneered. “Ungrateful mutt, can you do anything right? How are we supposed to repay everything that we owe the pack now?” Yes. My father owed the Alpha a lot but instead of taking up jobs like every male did, my father made me a slave to pay for it. I was quick so I ran errands between packs. I also did menial and laborious tasks. I slaved from morning till night to pay for a debt that I didn't own. As if that wasn't enough, after working from morning till evening, I had to go and check how much I'd been able to pay for with my services for the day before going home. And when I arrived, I had to inform the family before I was given food to eat. Grace ranted on about my wickedness but my eyes remained on Alex. “Why?” I croaked. I was trying to recognize the man before me. Alex chortled, “Sofia was right all along. You are really very stupid. Did you ever think that you and I could become a thing? Oh please. We both know that the only reason why I haven't announced my true mate to the pack is because of the rules.” His lack of remorse made me feel worse. I suddenly realized how stupid I was. In our pack, a female couldn't be mated before her elder sister. I was the eldest and until I was mated, no male was supposed to approach Sofia. Alex had used me to get close to my sister. Dry laughter escaped my throat. I wondered what their plan was. What they did tonight was an abomination. If the word got out to the rest of the pack, he would lose his chance to become Alpha. Is that why we were still here? Did they want me to continue pretending that he didn't reject me? Did they need me to play the role of a fool? “You leave me no choice.” My father said suddenly. My eyes perked up and I looked at him. The emotions in his eyes surprised me. For the first time in a long while, he looked sorry. My heart jumped. My wolf wailed. It sensed a storm worse than the one I was in. With a grin, Grace jumped to her feet and dumped a package on my lap. “Open it.” She hissed. I stared mutely at it. I looked up and saw a gleam of victory in all their eyes, except that of my father. He looked like he was about to break down. My body began to tremble. I preferred it when my father spoke to me without compassion. He looked like he was drowning in regret. There was no way in hell, I was going to open that package. It had to be Pandora's box. I knew whatever was inside was worse than anything I could conceive. I looked to my father for help. But he bowed his head and cleared his throat. Grace sucked her teeth impatiently and tore open the package. Different photographs and two other sheets of paper fell out. I stared at the photograph. It was that of an old creepy-looking man. He was older than my father. I didn't understand. There were many pictures of him. I grabbed the second sheet and it was an address. The tension was suffocating me. Was this the new place that I would work in? Was that my new master? It didn't make sense. Why then did father look so guilty? I picked up the final sheet. It had more weight than the rest. I flipped it over and gasped. It was a marriage contract, signed by my father in exchange for the money he owed. A marriage contract between me and Rhys Hallowvern. My body shut down. I felt numb like I was floating in my subconscious. But I could hear a voice screaming in pain. The pain in the voice resounded with mine. I could barely see. I didn't want to see it. This had to be the most cruel joke yet. I'd heard stories of Omega's being sold off into marriage with rich old werewolves who needed a baby. Omegas were naturally the most fertile of all werewolves, so those beasts used them as baby-making factories. The omegas were brutally dealt with until they died of exhaustion. It was how packs breed and increase in size. I not only heard the horrid stories, but I'd seen some who escaped. Was this happening? Was this really happening? It was only when someone shoved me into my room and locked me in that I realized that I was the one screaming and clawing at the door. I didn't stop. I couldn't stop. This was the lowest of all. It was evil, it was vile. It was horrible. The pain from being betrayed, rejected, and sold off morphed into something that I couldn't recognize. Rage. Pure unfiltered rage roared through me. I was losing touch with reality. I could feel my sanity slipping. I was going rogue. My blood was smeared on the walls as I continued to hit and scream. I don't know where the energy came from, but it fed me with strength. I screamed for hours, breaking my puny fingers and wrists as I punched holes into the walls. The door flung open after a while and Alex came in. His eyes flashed gold showing that his wolf was present. He growled at me and instead of fear, I growled back and lunged at him. My fists connected with his face. Irritated he flung me away. But I was up on my feet in a second. I'd always been known for being fast. I was faster than most wolves. It was working to my advantage. My claws dug into his skin and I dragged them down. He was stronger than me, so with little effort, he detached me from his body and held me by my neck. I didn't feel pain. I was powerful. I writhed manically in his grasp until I successfully lodged my claws in his cheek and dragged it. He let out a scream and tossed me away. I fell out of the room and there stood Sofia terrified for her life. With a growl, I grabbed her hair and smacked her into the wall. I dragged her back, ready to attack again. I was relishing in her fear and screams. “She's going rogue!” Alex growled, slamming into me. “We have to put her down.” Knowing what was coming, I struggled until I was free and bolted out of the house to freedom.Dawn As soon as I was inside the forest, I shifted to my wolf form. I couldn't recognize myself or my wolf. I wanted to howl out, but the fear of being hunted had me running. Then hunger came. I tried to ignore it until I began to feel dizzy. And so for the first time in my existence, I hunted by myself and ate to my fill. I wanted to be as far away from them as possible. I wanted blood. I wanted to spill all their blood. I could feel my humanity slipping away and I loved it. I ran, a blur through the night, feeling the wilderness beckoning. The moon watched silently as I tore through the forest, my senses heightened, and my instincts untamed. I ran until I was bored of it. I transversed the forests but found myself unable to cross into another territory because I was still bonded to the pack. I was losing my mind. I knew it. I loved it. I wanted to go fully rogue. I'd always been weak but this gave me power. I ran until I felt a change in the air and a delicious scent. I'd cro
DawnI jolted up from a very upsetting nightmare. I was alone, naked, and in an unknown place. My gaze hastily flitted around the room and tried to piece together what may have brought me here.My eyes landed on a pair of freshly folded clothes, then on a note that was on top of it. I slowly reached for it. As soon as I touched it, a familiar scent hit my nostrils and everything that happened last night returned with a bang. My hands flew to my chest as I tried to suppress the memories of his hands on me. It was like I could feel every touch from his powerful hands. His voice rang in my head. I remembered his command, my madness and suddenly I remembered the most important thing.I should be dead. That man was supposed to kill me after everything. Everyone knows that you don't give a rogue a chance to live. Rogues couldn't think straight. They only had an appetite for death and nothing more. But then, I didn't feel any of the anger that threatened me implode within me last night. I
DawnI was led into the back seat of one of the most expensive vehicles I'd ever seen in my entire existence. The two men discussed my fate outside, the older man was visibly angry. He didn't gesticulate or raise his voice, but the fear in the eyes of his associate was clear as day.Watching them made the temperature in the car drop and I folded my arms as fear rang through me. How was I going to survive this? The mean-looking older man terrified me. He looked like someone who didn't take no for an answer and never forgave anyone.How was this my new reality? I glanced at the door handle and wondered if I should make a run for it. It was the right thing to do. Yet I already knew that I wouldn't get far enough.Sitting in the car drained me of all my energy. I wanted death. It seemed to be the only thing that may put me out of my misery.After discussing, the two men headed to separate vehicles, and another man whom I'd never seen before entered the driver's seat. He flashed me a warm
RhysOh Alpha! Kaden's singsong voice rang in my head.I closed my eyes and gripped my cup. I was certain that there was no one as annoying as the Beta of Golden Crest. I left the place in his care for less than a week and from the tone of his voice, I had a feeling that my pack was up in flames.I didn't want to know though. I didn't care about all that. I left because I needed a break. Not from the pack, I loved it too much to be ever tired of it. But I needed a break from Marcus's pandering.The man had refused to leave me alone. It was getting to the point where it was going past fondness to crossing boundaries. He believed he was looking out for me but he didn't realize that he was doing too much.I now avoided him. Our conversations had become tight and uncomfortable. He couldn't understand that I couldn't do what he wanted. It wasn't possible. He refused to see that though.You need to come back, your uncle-I abruptly cut off my connection with him. I didn't want to know, I di
DawnI stirred awake the next morning, trying to think of all the things I knew about the Alpha of Golden Crest. He was supposed to be cold-blooded and barbarous according to rumors I heard but so far, everything I believed about Golden Crest had been false.Could it be that he was younger than I expected? It wasn't possible. He'd been Alpha of Golden Crest for a long time and was always at odds with Alpha Devon, the old Alpha of Creekside and the Alpha Prime. That should put him at the same age as my father, right?I was brimming with questions about him, but there was no one to ask. I heard a lot about this particular Alpha who was now my husband but there was nothing about his physical appearance. Instead, my memories were filled with gory stories about him.They said he showed no mercy. He was also partly insane. He was also the only werewolf arrogant enough to openly challenge the old Alpha. He was also very vengeful and didn't take any kind of disrespect. He'd done a lot of thin
RhysShe looked like she was plucked out of my dreams. She looked more healthy and beautiful than she looked that night. Those green eyes shone bright. There was insanity in them instead, I saw confusion.Her blonde hair was let down and called me to run my hands through its lusciousness. The gown she put on was short and very flattering for her exquisite figure.That's why it had to be a dream. I was so exhausted that she'd left my brain and was now appearing to me. But apparitions didn't stagger and fall on your bed.“What the fuck are you doing here?” I repeated. Her eyes widened and she gripped the bed behind her.“You….” She stuttered.All the bravado she had that night was nowhere to be found. She didn't have that spark that she had that night. She looked terrified and weak.It suddenly dawned on me. “You were stalking me?!”“What are you doing here?” She accused, pointing at me and getting to her feet.My wolf wasn't as surprised as I felt. It was excited to see her and that t
DawnI dreamt again and this time around, it was following me like a shadow. This time around I wasn't afraid, it was like a cloak and my wolf liked it a lot. In my dream, we roamed about a weird city and it was guiding me through it. It knew everything about the city and me. It behaved like it was part of my subconsciousness.I tried times without number to get a look at it but when I turned around or tried to look at my shadow, it was nowhere to be found. I woke up a bit dazed and confused about the whole thing. I rolled on my very soft bed and stared at my room. Everything in here was temporary and I didn't think I should bother to claim it. But after lunch last night, the three ladies whose names were Kayla, Layla, and Tayla, dragged me out of the pack house to the different stores in town where I made tons of purchases.They were odd triplets, who were together at all times and had a weird sense of humor. I didn't understand them most of the time and I suspected that they didn't
Dawn A crowd was gathered outside the pack house. From within it, I heard snarling sounds that seemed to be coming from a young werewolf. The crowd parted for Kaden, Lex, Princess, the triplets, and I. Noting the way the crowd regarded them, I made a mental note to find out what exactly the Triplets do and who Princess is. A boy was in the middle, baring his teeth and lunging at anyone who moved an inch closer to him. Kaden and Lex exchanged a glance and then shook their heads. “This is the 6th time this week alone,” Princess complained beside me. “We don't even know what it is that possesses these kids.” Apart from the deranged look in his eyes and the purple stain on his lips, the boy in question looked harmless. I raised a brow, wondering why they were all so concerned and more importantly why they were all gathered. “Why not inject him with a sleeping tab or something,” I murmured, not understanding what the fuss was about. Princess shot me an incredulous look. “That b