CHAPTER THREE

Amelies’ POV

So many things have happened to me since I breathed my first breath. I've been a slave, did the dishes and mop the floors. My entire life…well, you would be right to call it miserable. 

I've been through hell and misery but I've never been tortured. You may say hell is a form of torture but I've never been subjected to a chair and have volts of current pass through my body. 

Yes, that's what I meant by torture. And that's what happened three weeks ago. I screamed the whole time as I kept receiving volts of electric current to my body. My face wasn't left out. The thick palm did a pretty good job on my lips and cheeks. 

The fist was hard and terrible. 

I screamed but it wouldn't stop until they got what they wanted. My ears kept picking the words 

Who the hell are you

What's your real name 

While I remembered my name to be Amelie in the midst of pain—I didn't know of any other name again—I knew nothing about the other question. 

All I knew was that I'm married to Artemis, the alpha of Waterfall park, which made me typically a Luna but I wasn't one in the actual sense. I was yet to perform the basic function of ensuring a succession during the three years of being mates. 

So Luna was ruled out of the equation. Besides, the alpha no longer saw it fit to call me his Luna.

But the torture happened three weeks ago. The memories are still vivid. I always wake up screaming at the top of my voice than I ever did in my three years of being at  Waterfall. But I wasn't strangled in the dreams anymore. For the last three weeks, all I got from the dreams were pain. I mean, real pain. 

The air washed down my lungs. I stare through the green terrain outside our mansion. I needed to clear my head but most importantly, I needed to think things through. Maybe the whole marriage was a mistake in the first place. 

Yes. I think Athena got it wrong this time. The marriage happened two months after I turned eighteen and I wonder what Alpha Ryder got in return. 

Safety. 

But the moon goddess was wrong with my choice of mate. She didn't see this coming and I bet she now realized her mistake. 

My eyes followed the black stripes littered on my arm. I rubbed and imagined it would all go away.

But no.

It only brought back memories. Bad memories. I wish the moon goddess left me at Summersile. Even though I was a slave there, Dave made it wonderful. But right now, all I got was pain and misery. 

My thoughts drifted when a bird flapped its wings above me. 

Freedom. 

That's what best described its situation, the direct opposite of mine. 

I shoved whatever thought aside and shuffled my feets towards the huge double entrance door. I needed to know his reasons for treating me like shit. Yes. He should do me the honor of saying it to my face. 

My eyes caught a lady talking with some unknown dude but I didn't care when I shuffled my feet forward. My shoulders gently pushed the lady aside as I swung the door open.

"You don't belong here you know," a voice taunted. 

But I didn't mind. It's probably Arla or her younger sister Sonia, who had come to visit. And that wasn't my concern. I needed some answers. His apologies didn't do any good. 

I scanned everywhere for my mate but he was nowhere to be found. 

"Hey, Tobias, have you seen the boss?" 

You heard that. I just called my mate 'boss' because that's what he is to me even though we were still legally married. 

"No. Something wrong?" he asked. 

Everything is wrong. To be taken by some unknown men in my home was wrong. Claiming to have searched the other parks before finding me was wrong. And not being straight up with me was wrong. In fact, the marriage is wrong in the first place.

But I was not about to drop those words in front of Tobias even though every bit of my nerve wanted to. 

I faked a smile. "No, nothing at all."  But I bet Tobias must have seen the uneasiness on my face. 

I found my way to his study, where I thought he would probably be. The company seemed to be taking much of his time since he no longer saw a use for me. I paced, my feet pushing forward and I sent a tray of meals crashing to the ground. 

"Oh no, I'm so sorry," I exclaimed. 

"Don't worry, miss, it's nothing. I will just get the whole thing."  She bore a smile, not a real one though. 

But I didn't waste anymore time. And soon I approached the study. The door was closed which denotes he must be busy. My ears could pick some sound from within but that didn't stop me from barging in. 

But I wished I never opened that door because my whole world crumbled with the sight before me.