3

The incident attracted the attention of the people around him, but no one dared to act. The weak Thomas could only take attack after attack, while Samantha hugged Emily tightly, trying to calm her frightened daughter. The continuous beatings never stopped until finally, the gamma took a wooden block and raised it high, ready to hit Thomas.

Samantha ran quickly, releasing her hug from Emily and protecting her husband. However, the block hit her hard right in the head. Samantha's body staggered, then fell lifeless in front of her husband and Emily.

Thomas looked at his wife's body lying down, unable to hold back his sadness and anger. However, his strength was no match for the gamma, who beat him again until Thomas lay helpless. Blood flowed from his wounded body, and his eyes slowly weakened, but he remained focused on Emily, who was crying bitterly. With the last of his strength, Thomas tried to reach out, wanting to touch his daughter one last time. However, before he could say a word, his life ended there.

Emily sobbed, hugging her teddy bear while kneeling beside the bodies of her parents, who were lying stiff. Her tears flowed heavily, and the sound of her crying broke the silence, but no one dared to approach or show pity. They only watched from a distance, preferring not to get involved.

In the midst of the sadness, a soft voice greeted Emily. A beautiful and elegant woman, Amber, stood nearby, accompanied by a man with a stern face who was watching the situation. Amber crouched beside Emily, greeting her with great tenderness.

“Honey, what’s your name?” Amber asked softly, trying to persuade Emily, who was still in shock.

Emily wiped her tears, sobbed, and tried to answer. “Emily…”

Amber smiled, embracing Emily in a hug full of fake affection. “Emily, do you want to come with us? I will adopt you and take care of you like my own child,” Amber said in a calming voice full of deception.

Emily, who was still too young to understand everything, could only nod slowly. Her tiny hands gripped her teddy bear tightly, trying to find a little sense of security in the midst of the tragedy that had befallen her. The Alpha, Andrew Snyder, ordered the other omegas to take care of Emily’s parents’ bodies.

After that, Emily was taken to a very large and luxurious house. She was amazed and could not believe what she saw. A small smile was etched on her sad face. Amber took Emily to the backyard to meet her son, Zack, who was playing with four Alpha cubs from another group.

“Zack, Mommy brought you a new playmate. This is Emily. Play well, okay?” Amber said as she walked away, leaving Emily standing awkwardly.

Zack, with a sly grin, stared at Emily, who looked confused and scared. The other four Alpha cubs also looked at Emily with a scary expression, as if they had found new prey. Emily felt a chill and a real threat from their gazes. With grins full of malice, they stepped closer, ready to welcome Emily into a new world full of nightmares and suffering.

Back in the present, Amber’s loud and angry voice came through the phone, making Emily’s heart beat faster.

“Are you dead? Why aren’t you talking?” Amber snapped, her voice sharp and full of anger.

“I-I’m sorry, Luna. I’ll be back home as soon as I can,” Emily stuttered, her voice shaking. Amber immediately hung up the call without another word, making Emily feel rushed to get home.

With her body still covered in wounds, Emily gathered every last bit of strength to try to get up. The pain radiated from her entire body, especially her sprained and bruised ankle. The pain was so real, stinging every time she moved her foot, but she knew she had no choice. Limping, Emily began to walk, struggling to hold back the sobs that threatened to break her throat. Her bruised and scratched face, along with her clothes soaked in blood and dirt, were evidence of the suffering she had just experienced.

Every step was a struggle. The pain shot from her leg, spreading all the way to her knee, making her wince occasionally and bite her lip to hold back the moans that threatened to escape. Several times, she was forced to stop, bending over and holding her burning ankle. But the thought of Amber's anger, which might explode if she arrived too late, pushed Emily to keep going.

The sky began to fade into dusk as she drew closer to the large house that now felt like a prison to her. Her tired and puffy eyes, swollen from the endless tears, could barely focus. Sweat mixed with blood ran down her temples, leaving a burning and itchy feeling that disturbed her. However, she continued to struggle to stay upright and move forward, forcing every muscle to work even though her body was almost exhausted.

Finally, she arrived at the large gate of the house, standing in front of the building that towered majestically but now felt so scary. Emily knew that behind that door, it was not a sense of security that awaited her, but a sharp gaze full of demands, anger that exploded like embers, and all kinds of punishments that had become part of her daily life.

With trembling hands, Emily grabbed the door handle and slowly pushed it open. When she opened the door, a glass almost hit her face. Emily stepped back immediately, shocked when the glass shattered and scattered on the wall behind her, glass shards littering the floor. Her eyes widened at the sight of the shards, and before she could control herself, Amber's rough voice filled the room again.

"I called you so many times today! Don't you know there are a lot of guests at home?!" Amber snapped.

Frightened, Emily immediately knelt down, rubbed her trembling hands, and looked at Amber with a face full of pleading. "I'm sorry, Luna. I'm really sorry that I couldn't pick up Luna's call," she said in a low, regretful voice.

Amber stared at her sharply, not giving the slightest mercy. “What’s more important than receiving a call from me? Do you want an even bigger punishment?” Her voice was full of threats.

“N-no, Luna. Please forgive me. There’s a problem on campus, and I can’t pick up Luna’s call,” Emily said, her voice shaking as she held back sobs.