Another mistake, another torture.

Joye

Suffocating.

It felt like I was suffocating in this dark room that seemed to close in on me with each passing minute.

Rushing towards the door, I screamed and kicked at the door over and over again, to the point that one of the guards growled and warned me to move away or he would come in to teach me a lesson, but I didn't stop.

I would take hundreds of beatings if it meant that I was going to get out of this room. But the more I banged on the door, the more it seemed like there was no help coming for me.

My mother had been chased away by the guards and even her voice that had been distracting me from the panic that had been incited by my presence in this tiny space was no longer there. There was nothing to focus on.

And so I kept banging on the door with my hands until they felt raw and kept kicking at the door until my feet hurt.

When I was so exhausted, my body hurt all over, I fell to the ground and closed my eyes tight, trying to regulate my breathing and think positively.

But all I could think about was how Ethan had tried to rape me and how he would have gotten away with it. I had been so foolish to have thought that after he had embarrassed me at that party, he would suddenly have a change of heart and want to be my mate.

It was obvious that he just wanted to use me as a plaything and did not think I was worthy to be his mate. To him I was just someone to be used and discarded. Even with my eyes that were shut tightly, tears slipped down my face and I could wrap my hands around myself on the cold floor, knowing that I was only going to be released whenever the Luna wanted me to be or else I was going to rot in there.

I did not realize that I had even dozed off and that it was the next day until there was a bright light shining on my face and a leg kicked me hard in my gut, causing me to gasp, my eyes opening immediately.

I saw a long whip heading for me but before I could escape it, I felt the crack on my back and I screamed, running towards another edge of the room. Ethan barked in laughter, pointing the torchlight at me with a smirk.

"Well, hello sleeping beauty. Look at you, all dolled up in that dress. So you had adorned yourself with the hopes that you would find a mate, didn't you?" He said as he took slow deliberate steps towards where I was standing and if I could enter the wall to avoid him, I would have.

"Tell me something, brat. Did you think that someone like you would be able to find a mate? Did you believe that anyone would want an omega, Joye?"

"Please don't hurt me" I whispered, tears rolling down my cheeks as he grabbed my chin and even in the dark, I could feel that he had smirked at my plea.

"Oh please, let's just flog some sense into her already, "Another voice said. It was a voice that I recognized somewhere and I realized that in my haste to avoid Ethan, I had not noticed or realized that Aurelia was in the room.

Of course, she was. For as long as I had known Aurelia, the only thing that she ever wanted to do when I was around was to pick on me and let me know just how low she thought I was.

I was sure that she felt very angry that I had somehow emerged as Ethan's mate.

Pausing, Ethan turned around to look at her.

"But how about I have some fun first?"

By the dry silence in the room, I suspected that Aurelia did not like what Ethan had in mind, and neither did I.

"Please don’t hurt me. You can talk to the Luna to please release me." I begged and Ethan slapped me hard across the face sending me to the ground.

Aurelia closed the distance between us and reaching for the whip in Ethan's hands, she started to flog me all over and I screamed in agony as each blow landed on my body.

Ethan knelt and covered my mouth, hissing at me.

"Be quiet, brat, and don't worry about getting released. When the alpha comes back, he will deal with you. You are nothing and I hope you never forget that. "

Spitting on the ground beside me, I could only watch in despair as Aurelia giggled and dragged Ethan out of the room, after which the guard quickly shut the door.

A sob escaped my mouth and my entire body shook as I cried for myself.

I could not honestly continue to live like this and I knew that it was only a matter of time before they were back and hurting me again.

Maybe death was truly an option that I should consider but there was nothing here that I could even use to end my miserable life.

Maybe Ethan and Aurelia were right. If I died, then at least they could be together without having to worry about me and I would not be anybody's plaything to be used and discarded. I hated the two of them so much but I also hated all of the guards responsible for holding me back. I hated the Luna for locking me up for no reason at all. Fuck all of them.

But if I died, what was going to happen to my mother?

I could just leave like that but what was going to happen to her? What would my death solve other than bring her pain and anguish?

I could not give Ethan and Aurelia the satisfaction of being rid of me.

The door suddenly opened while I was deep in thought and one of the guards walked in and dragged me out until I was dumped in the hallway that was right in front of the dining hall that was used when the Alpha and his family had guests arriving.

Dumping me on the floor, I watched as a maid hurried over with cleaning materials and gave me a look filled with pity before she hurried away.

"You are to clean this entire hallway and the dining hall, do you hear me?" The guard said and I managed to nod, my entire body hurting from Ethan and Aurelia's abuse as I tried to rise to my feet.

"Hurry up" He snapped when I slowly picked up the cleaning materials and I held my tongue, aware that if I replied in a bad way, I would get punished for it and there was only so much pain I could take in a day before I passed out.

As I started to mop the floor, another guard hurried to meet the one that watched me and from their conversation, I was able to hear the reason why I had been asked to clean this place and the dining hall.

The pack was expecting a very important visitor and the person was the Lycan King.

My face paled and I had to swallow my excitement. I had heard so much about the Lycan King and I was not the only one but people hardly ever saw him and no one could tell what he looked like, only that he was in his mid-twenties and had otherworldly looks.

Not that it mattered anyways, because someone like me would never be able to meet someone like him.

"Will you hurry up? Leave this and clean up the hall right now. They will soon be here."

I wanted to tell the guard that I needed to mop again or the soap lather would make the ground look dull and not sparkle but the glare in his eyes shut me up and I hurried into the dining hall and quickly cleaned what I could.

When I was done, the guard informed me that I was to go to the kitchen and bring coffee that would be served to the guests.

Feeling very lightheaded, I kept my gaze on the ground and tried my best to not fall on my face as I rushed to the kitchen and back. I was in such a hurry that I did not realize where I was rushing until it was too late.

Bumping into someone that was built like a wall, I fell to the ground on my knees as the coffee spilled over the stranger and onto the ground. And immediately I heard the spiteful voice of Ethan, I knew that I had made a terrible error, and that I was doomed.

"Tie her up and get her flogged, as she is so clumsy. Maybe after the torture, she might be able to handle simple duties better.”