CHAPTER 2

(RHEA'S POV)

"Ahh!" I yelped, the sound bouncing off the walls of the deserted basketball court.

I tried to shield myself from Kaida's unrelenting onslaught, but it was futile. My hands strained against the unyielding rope binding me to the base of the hoop.

"Please, Kaida, have mercy!" I screamed, my voice bouncing off the scorching air as another lash cut through, narrowly missing my face. The sun beat down relentlessly, baking me as if I were trapped in an oven, intensifying the pounding ache in my head.

In that fleeting moment, I couldn't decide what was worse: the scorching heat searing my skin, the biting sting of Kaida's whip, the twisted satisfaction gleaming in her eyes, or the desperate thirst clawing at my throat, longing for just a drop of water.

I winced as another lash of the whip bit into my skin.

The pain was oddly mingling with a familiar numbness on my forearms, almost comforting in its dulled intensity. It was a sensation I'd grown accustomed to, a result of my own desperate attempts to endure the regular onslaught of punishment. Moments of despair often drove me to claw at my arms until they bled, seeking solace in self-inflicted wounds. Yet now, bound beneath the basketball hoop, each sting of the whip served as a grim reminder of my place in the pack's unforgiving hierarchy.

I kept my gaze locked on the ground as as Kaida’s whip cracked against my shoulder with a force that felt like it could shatter mountains.

"Ahh! Please!" My cry carried the weight of exhaustion, echoing through the air once more.

Kaida’s weary sigh echoed through the air before she bridged the gap between us, her oversized shirt fluttering in the breeze like a banner of dominance. Her voice, laced with coldness, seemed to pierce through my very being as I kept my gaze fixed on the ground, oblivious to her approach.

I felt the weight of Kaida's presence as her bare foot halted mere inches from my downturned face.

"What were you thinking when you got yourself off earlier, Street Pup?" Her words struck with the force of a thunderbolt. She was clearly under the impression that I was relieving myself when I discovered Atlas was entangled with her.

My mind raced, a flurry of protests that remained trapped behind clenched teeth. 'It wasn't like that!' I desperately wished I could convey, eager to clear out the misunderstandings.

But before I could gather my thoughts into words, Kaida seized my hair, yanking me forward until our breaths mingled in the charged air. A sharp yelp escaped my lips as I glimpsed the faint scar tracing her right eye, a testament to battles she had fought and won.

I could sense Kaida's impatience growing by the second. Her voice dripped with scorn as she brandished a dagger from her hip, holding it dangerously close to me.

"Were you imagining you were the one slouched over the desk instead?" Her accusation lingered in the air, heavy with relentless condemnation.

My heart raced as I met her piercing gaze, instinctively attempting to pull away from her grip. The sharp edge of her dagger glittered ominously, threatening to pierce me at any second.

"K-Kaida, please, I don't want any trouble with you," I quivered as I plead.

Every nerve in my body tingled with apprehension as I prayed for my words to quell her rage. But past encounters with her had taught me that Kaida was as unpredictable as she was ruthless.

“Then answer me, Stirling.” Kaida's firm command quickened my pulse. Beneath her composed exterior, I sensed a simmering anger waiting to erupt, urging me to provide a satisfactory explanatio

Upon meeting Kaida's intense gaze, I saw a flicker of fury in her eyes, like smoldering embers in a pool of velvet. Her choice to address me by my last name conveyed her demand for nothing but straightforward honesty.

"Atlas... he's just using you," I spoke, my voice trembling with anxiety. The threat of the dagger remained close.

Tears began to filled my eyes as I worried she might hurt my face anyway despite she had never done so in the past.

I wasn’t sure.

I got panicked that Kaida would finally cross that line of restraint she’d always maintained before.

In a rush of panicked words, I spilled everything, desperate to save myself from impending danger. "Atlas is my mate! My wolf instinct tells me that! He's using you for his own desires! Kaida, please, I'm telling you the truth—!"

The sharp pain from Kaida's punch left me gasping, trying to clutch my stomach for relief, but my hands remained firmly bound to the pole above my head. As I struggled to ease the ache, Kaida squatted down and yanked my hair once more, forcing me to meet her stern gaze.

"Atlas is using me, huh?"

Kaida's lips twitched, a fleeting dance between a smirk and a sigh. Her eyes, once alight with anticipation, now held a glint of something more somber, a subtle shift from amusement to disappointment.

 "Well, that's hardly a shocker. Unlike you, Stirling, I'm not easily fooled." Her words dripped with sarcasm, leaving me puzzled about her true intentions.

A soft and resigned huff escaped Kaida's lips. "I gave you a chance to be honest, Stirling. Yet, you choose to claim you're Atlas' mate instead. Well, guess what?" With a swift motion, she withdrew the dagger, twirling it with a dangerous grace that sent shivers down my spine. Leaning in close, her touch on my chin made me tremble. "You've been pushing your luck lately, Stirling. I've been kind enough to spare your face from harm in case you haven't noticed."

My heart raced as she tossed the dagger into the air, catching it effortlessly before swinging it toward my face. I clenched my eyes shut, bracing for the worst, desperately hoping Kaida might spare me.

"That’s enough, Kaida!" A strong, commanding voice sliced through the tense air, snapping my attention towards its source. Through tear-blurred eyes, I made out Atlas's imposing figure, shirtless and arms folded, his presence commanding respect.

"Seriously, are you ever not stirring up trouble with that omega?" Atlas's impatience dripped from his words.

Kaida's response carried a playful tone. "Aw, Atlas, flattered that you're keeping tabs on my little pastime." Even without facing her, I could sense the mischievous grin in her voice.

"I've got eyes, Kaida. It's obvious you're always fixated on that omega," Atlas retorted, his interest waning. "Anyway, time to wrap this up."

Kaida rose abruptly without words, releasing her grip on my chin. I slumped forward, my head bowed, relieved that her hold on me had ended, thanks to Atlas's intervention.

"Hey, let go of that sorry excuse for an omega so she can drag herself out of here. And by the way, that's my basketball hoop you're using to tie her up—ugh, it's going to stink for ages," Atlas's disgusted comment reverberated in my ears as Kaida effortlessly sliced through the ropes binding me.

The pressure around my arms eased as the ropes fell away. I staggered slightly, struggling to find my balance and clear my foggy mind.

Kaida skipped across the court towards Atlas, their conversation blending into a haze as I focused on the newfound freedom of my arms. I rubbed my wrists, trying to soothe the lingering ache from where the ropes had dug into my skin.

Before I could wrap my head around what was going on, Kaida had vanished, leaving Atlas and me alone on the outdoor basketball court.

My entire frame trembled as I attempted to rise, still shaken from Kaida's cruelty. Just as I managed to steady myself, Atlas was already standing a few pace before me.

Despite the ache in my body, I mustered a respectful bow. "Thank you for your assistance, Alpha Atlas," I said, struggling to maintain composure.

Atlas's expression soured, a glint of disdain flickering in his eyes. "If you plan to just stand here all day, I would have dragged you away myself. Remember, I'm paying you to work, Omega! If you're just going to laze around, consider yourself lucky if I only cut your pay in half!"

His words struck like a blow, and I winced inwardly at the sharp reprimand.

"Back to your duties. The manor requires all hands on deck for tomorrow's banquet. Your culinary skills are the only reason you're still here, so don't give me a reason to reconsider," Atlas ordered, already turning away as if dismissing me were just another task on his agenda.

And somehow, his dismissive attitude struck a nerve, prompting Starlight to somewhat override me, and before I could stop myself, words spilled out my lips.

"You should treat me with kindness and respect, Alpha!" I declared boldly. "I'm your mate, chosen by the Moon Goddess herself!"

The words tumbled out of my mouth before I even processed them, but as soon as they were spoken, I knew I had crossed a line. The death glare I received from Atlas was chilling, and my heart sank in regret.

The next thing I knew, his hand was around my throat, squeezing tight. Pain shot through my windpipe as I struggled to breathe.

Regret instantly tore at me from the inside, realizing the danger I'd brought upon myself with my foolish defiance: I just challenged the alpha of my own pack!