Scarlett's pov
"Mummy?"
It's nine in the evening and time for dinner when Maya looks up at me from her bowl of porridge.
My heart melts at the way she says that word, like it means the world to her. It makes me feel she sees me as her source of knowledge, so when I look down at my daughter, with her light brown hair and deep blue eyes, a smile lights up my face and I pinch her cheek lightly.
"Yes, darling?" "Will I ever have a mate?" I blink as a slightly amused look spreads across my face. "Why are you asking about that? You're still so young." "But let's say hypothetically." My eyes widen and I chuckle. "Hypothetically? Who taught you that word, Maya? it's a big word for a six-year-old." She shrugs. "Mr. Marcus said it when he was asking Miss Sara a question in class today, he said hypothetically speaking..?" Another chuckle bubbles up from within me because I know the teachers she's talking about. They handle the grade one class at her school and Marcus is always making jokes to Sara because he wants to go out with her but can't summon the courage to ask her out. I have a lot of free time sometimes and my daughter is my life. I always make sure to check up on her. "But why would you ask if you'll get a mate? Everyone gets a mate when they come of age, and that's going to be twelve years from now for you at least, you're still six, you should be worried about your fine arts class. That donkey you drew looked like a table." "I don't want a mate mummy." My hand pauses at the tip of Maya's hair and I look down at her. Her porridge has not been touched and she's staring up at me, her gaze, serious. She's peering up at me with emotion in her eyes and I'm confused. "Why do you say you don't want a mate?" Maya turns away and hesitates before speaking. "Daddy's your mate isn't he?" My blood runs colder than the treat we're consuming but I nod and my daughter looks away. "I don't want a mate if my mate is going to act the way Daddy does to you. He always makes you cry and scream and I don't like that. I don't want a mate." Every word my daughter says is like an arrow to my heart and I feel tears prick the back of my eyes as I listen to her. I always hoped this would never happen. "Daddy loves us in his own way, Maya." With the way my voice cracks and my throat closes up, even I can tell I'm lying. Maya snuggles in closer to me and goes back to eating her porridge. '"I still don't want a mate." I have to pull her in closer and let her settle against me before I let my tears slip out. I use my other hand to cover my mouth at intervals when I feel a sob trying to force its way up. I clean my tears the moment they come out so they don't drop and my daughter doesn't notice but Maya still turns to touch a bruise on my forehead. "Does it still hurt?" I shake my head and pull her in for a hug, finally allowing some silent sobs to come out. In all my years of having her, I've always hoped that she doesn't notice any of my struggles. I've always wished for her to have a happy childhood, to not see that her dad beats her mum and to not be affected by it. To live like a happy child, from a happy home, not scarred by her parent's issues. It hurts me deep into my soul that she's noticed and that it's even affected her mindset on mates. Mates are sacred. Her mate will love her and care for her.We were happy once, Hunter loved me before he married me and we had a grand wedding. He was a handsome young Alpha, the heir to the Nightshade pack, and the most charming person I had ever been chanced to come across. He had come to my parent’s pack to discuss with the Alpha there about a treaty. My father had been on the Alpha’s inner council, and the moment Hunter laid his eyes on me as I accompanied my father to the Alpha’s home, I knew we were meant to be. The pack I am from is a small one, I was happy to leave with my mate so I could become the Luna of his pack.
Hunter was caring and faithful, but that was before I gave birth and the child wasn't male. He changed like the tides after that. His family already has a history of having more females than males, he has three sisters himself, and as the only male, if he doesn't provide an heir......... Hunter's scent wafts into my nose and I stop crying, moving my head up instead to smell better. I mentally prepare to take Maya to her room, and when the faint pulse of his presence across the mate bond reaches me, I stand up with Maya cradled against me immediately. "Honey, Daddy's back home now so I'll need you to stay in your room" I'm already making my way there as I speak, almost running so I can get my daughter to safety even though she protests. "But I haven't finished my ice cream." "I'll buy you a big tub tomorrow if you go straight to bed. Love you, honey." I drop her at the entrance, close her door, and turn the key in before bringing it out. I wait to hear her footsteps and the ruffle of the sheets as she gets into bed before I go back to the living room. Hunter is waiting when I get there. The way his suit hugs his body makes me wonder if I can look that good in a dress. Hunter is the Alpha of the Nightshade pack, a pack that has me as its Luna but in which I suffer a worse fate. He stumbles and I run to catch him, the scent of alcohol and other women already coming off him in waves. I remember my shortcomings all at once and I hold back tears. "Stay away from me, you bitch!" His slurred words hold all the venom I can imagine he has in him and as tears fall down my face, I wonder why he doesn't let me do that, stay away from him. I've asked for a divorce but he's refused, keeping me with him instead so he can hit me and beat me up. "I only wanted to help you. I'm sorry Hunter.." Hunter stumbles over and grabs my hair, yanking it before I can crawl away. "If you really want to help, then you're going to let me fuck you, right here and right now. Maybe this time your barren womb will bring forth my heir." His breath reeks of alcohol and as he starts pulling at my clothes, a sob forces its way out of me. "Hunter wait, p..please stop." I say the words over and over again but he doesn't listen. Tears are streaming down my face and my sobs leave me shaking, but he doesn't listen and he's still grabbing at my clothes, determined to have his way with me no matter if I want it or not. I'm pulling the parts he's pulled off back on when my eyes catch on something. My breath stills. "Hunter, stop." Maya's in the hallway to her room, tears streaming down her face and shattering my heart the minute I see them but putting a stop to mine. Hunter rips the strap of my dress and drags my panties off my bottom. "Hunter, I said stop! Our daughter is watching!" My husband's eyes rise to meet that of his sobbing daughter and the lethal anger I see in them makes my heart stop. I should not have said that."Maya RUN!" Maya screams and goes bolting off the way she came but Hunter follows her, stumbling on his feet but still going after my daughter.No.I'd rather be dead before I allow him to lay his hands on her.I scramble off the floor and run as fast as I can to intercept him. He's still drunk so his steps are slow but he's almost at the door to her room. I beat him to it and slam it shut."Hunter, leave Maya out of this! She's never done anything to you, it's me you want to hurt."My husband grabs me by the neck before I can even realize it and hauls me up, choking me as he does so."You'll get your turn, stupid cunt. You think I don't see the way you dote on her, your precious daughter, while I'm made a mockery of by everyone around me. I'll kill her today, and then fuck your brains out, maybe the death of one child will get your body to bring out another, and if you still refuse, I'll kill you too."Hunter throws me with the strength of an Alpha and I crash against the wall, my b
We drive for three hours before any thoughts start running through my mind. The first one that hits me makes fear race through my heart. Where will we go? I can't take us to my parent's pack. Hunter's pack is really strong and it'll only be a matter of time before he comes for me. He'll charge me with attempted murder and take Maya away from me before he kills me. My parents won't be able to stop him, and Hunter's pack will stand behind him. So maybe I should take us elsewhere. I have a distant cousin who lives a few cities away. My atm and one of my credit cards are in my pocket, and luckily it's the one Hunter doesn't have access to. I've been saving some money for Maya's education in case Hunter decides not to sponsor her schooling anymore, I'll have to use some of it to get us far away from him. Tears prick the back of my eyes and I blink them back, keeping my eyes on the road and watching as the clouds roll by, thick and heavy in the night. I've been living in so much f
Roman's povA few hours earlier....."You're being silly Roman."My father paces behind his desk."Think of the pack, the wolves you have to protect. Are you going to leave them without an heir!""I'll do what I want Father."My anger gets the best of me and I squeeze the pen in my grip, keeping a hold on the frustration I'm feeling right now and reining my emotions in once more."I won't be forced to go on blind dates with someone I barely even know. I'll do what is best for me when I'm ready."My father is quiet and I know he's assessing me. We come from a long line of Alphas and even at sixty-two, I can still see evident traces of the man he once was. The man he forever is though the title he once held is now mine. He turns to look at me and I can see the stubbornness in his eyes."This can't go on for much longer, Roman. A pack needs a Luna as much as it needs an Alpha and there's nothing holding onto the past will do for you except cause you more pain. The blind dates are being
Scarlett's pov Why is he looking at me so much? I can barely pull my eyes away from his but if he had pulled his away from mine then we wouldn't be here, would we? What startles me the most about him is how huge he is. He's as large as Hunter, maybe even larger. I probably look like a younger sister next to him. "Who are you?" His voice sends a shiver down my spine and the pleasure that rocks through my brain is unexpected. I don't know what to say. "I... I... Actually..." "If I wanted you to stutter I wouldn't have asked a question at all. What the hell are you doing in my pack, Rogue?" The way his voice is dripping with disgust and hate snaps me out of my reverie. I take a step back before stealing a glance at everything around me and clearing my throat. "I am not a Rogue." "What are you then? I don't have too much patience and the little I have is already running out." Okay, who is this prick? Annoyance flares alive in my bones and I want to lash out at him. Ask him
"What is your name?" "Scarlett Johansen." "What pack are you coming from?" "The Greenwoods pack." The sound of his pen as he writes on the jotter in front of him, does nothing to quell my fear. "How old are you?" "Forty-two." At this, he raises an eyebrow. Like I haven't been lying to him all along and he's just noticed that I have. "Is there any reason why you're in my territory?" I avert my eyes from his and look around. There's something strange that happens whenever he looks at me. Something in my stomach becomes liquid and my mind can't stop bringing up disturbing images. It's shameful. If I blush, I'm going to slap myself right here and right now. "Well...... we were driving, and Maya said she was hungry so I drove to the diner to get her something to eat. I didn't know this land belonged to the Ironclaw pack." Alpha Roman chuckles and stands up so he can walk out from behind his table. "Now that you know it belongs to the Ironclaw pack, and you know I am the Alpha of
Roman's pov What am I doing? Scarlett's eyes are wide with fear and she's moving back, away from me. Fuck. ~I told you you'd hurt her~ I growl and push my wolf's voice out of my head. What the fucking hell am I doing? My word is a command that cuts through the air and stops her right in her tracks. I have to be more controlled than this. I need to get a hold of myself. But how can I when she's standing right in front of me? My second mate, totally oblivious to that fact because she didn't break the mate bond with her first mate. She’s running away from him and has somehow managed to get to me, and now she’s planning to run away from me too. How can I watch that happen? "Are.... you feeling okay, Alpha Roman?" Scarlett takes one step closer to me and I growl at her while stepping back to put some space between us. I'm acting like an irritable wolf who hasn't seen a female in years. When she says she wants to flee far enough that no wolf will ever get to her, I panic and re
This house is huge. That's the first thing I notice about it. Alpha Roman's beta takes us through wide hallways and past beautifully furnished rooms. The sunlight streaming in through the windows and the obvious wolf design incorporated into almost everything makes me feel a sense of awe. I pull Maya closer to me and I notice she's actually focused on something else, or rather someone else. The blond-haired man Roman says is his beta walks in front of us, but I notice the way he always turns back after a few minutes to shoot Maya a silly look. Sometimes he sticks his tongue out, other times he makes a silly face. Maya's look is neutral and I don't know if he's trying to make her laugh or loosen up a little. I'm pretty sure Maya's more on guard than I am, and that's scary. "Here are your living quarters, princess." I frown and open my mouth to correct him that my name is Scarlett, not beautiful or princess, but Maya beats me to it with a very uncharacteristic scoff. "My name's M
~You can come to me Scarlett, I won't hurt you.~The voice sounds so far but it feels so near.~You're my mate, Scarlett. I could never hurt my mate.~My eyes snap open and I notice it all at once.Maya's gone!I get up and a second later I'm bolting out of the door.I'll kill them!I'll kill every person that has laid a hand on my daughter!"Maya? Maya, where are you!"A lady comes out from one of the rooms in the large hallway and I rush to her, grabbing her by the shoulders."My daughter! They have my daughter! Where have they taken her?"Maya's scream is like an electric shock when it wafts into my ears and I jolt away from the bewildered lady. My ears follow the sound of Maya's screams and my legs spur me on faster than they have ever. I take the stairs four at a time, slipping more than once on the tiles but running like my life depends on it."No! Cockroaches are gross! Arghhh get them away from me!"I see Maya, in her nightshirt and pants, her hair loose and unruly but running