DORA
I realized I’d never make it. Even if I hid my scent, it would be everywhere. The steps got closer, and my heart dropped as my brother’s pinewood scent filled my nostrils. Oh Gods no. He wasn’t supposed to be home. With a quick look around, I rushed to the trashcan, and with pain in my heart, I hid the food there. I had just done that and turned away when my brother walked in. His steps slowed as he assessed me with hard eyes. My body instantly began to tremble. “What are you doing here?” He asked in a commanding tone, and my body shivered again. “I–I,” I stuttered. “I came to see if t-there were any chores for me to do.” His eyes narrowed. “Liar! You were here to steal food!” ‘No!” I shook my head in fear, but he was already crossing the kitchen towards me, and before I could say another word, he grabbed my hair, making me wince in pain “You fucking liar!” He growled and slammed my head on the kitchen countertop. I heard a crack in my nose before I was flung to the floor. “I’ll teach you a lesson!” Wiping the blood off my nose, I scrambled back from my enraged brother. “Please! No!” I cried in agony as he grabbed my hair again and dragged me out of the kitchen. My aching ribs burned like fire and tears blurred my vision as I gripped his arm, sobbing and begging. “Please, Scott! Let me go! Please! I’m sorry!” But he didn’t listen. He never does. He dragged me into the spacious living room, rolled me onto my belly and ripped my dress so that my back was exposed. “Please Scott, I’m sorry!’ I cried faintly, barely able to breathe through the blood clogging my nostrils. When I heard the unbuckling of his belt, I turned around in horror, and earned a stomp on the back of my thigh. I screamed in pain, the sound echoing off the walls of the living room. “Turn around again and the next one will be your spine!” He yelled. “Please, I'm sorry!” I whimpered and the next thing I felt was a hot, lashing on my back. Another scream roared out of my lungs as he whipped me over and over again. “SCOTT!” A powerful voice boomed causing my brother to stop. I looked up and saw the stern face of my father, glaring at my brother. “Now is not the time.” He gritted out through his teeth. “Why, Dad?” Scott queried him. “Because we have a very important guest coming in now!” “Who?” My brother asked but just as the words left his mouth, the door opened and in came a group of people. From the way they walked in, I could tell that they were powerful just by the change in the atmosphere but my attention was snagged on the man at their forefront. He was a big man with large muscled thighs and arms and yet he walked with the grace of a gazelle. Dressed in black slacks and a dark purple shirt, I could see the tattoos peeking out of his collar, around his neck. I raised my neck further just to see his face and when our eyes met, time stopped. Or was that my heart? The big man slowed down in his pace with his eyes on me as if he could sense something too and there was something about the way he looked at me, that made every inch of my skin come alive with warmth. Who was this man and why does he make goosebumps break out on my skin? I had no idea I had stopped breathing until I inhaled and all I could smell was something earthy and musky with a hint of fresh rain on forest soil. It was raw and primal, evoking an irresistible pull deep within me. Then in a blink, it was all gone, leaving me breathless, and confused. He looked away, but then his eyes were back on me again like he couldn’t help himself. I stared into his eyes and found them as dark as the darkness that comforted me in the dungeon and the more I stared, the more I felt seen in ways I had never experienced before. My eyes strayed to the curve of his bow lips down to his strong jawline, and I wondered how such a man could be so heartbreakingly handsome without being a favorite of the gods. The man stopped a few feet from me and shoved his hands in his pockets before sending a glare at my father. “So this is how you treat your pack, huh?” He asked in a deep, leveled voice. “...and you dare ask for a peace treaty with me?”DORAThe silence was palpable. I could hear hearts beat faster, see jaws tighten and backs stiffen. A random omega walked into the room, glanced at us all with big fearful eyes before rushing out, and yet no one else noticed her. My father looked between the man and my brother, who was still holding the belt over me. “Alpha Reed,” he swallowed, and all the hairs behind my neck stood up.Alpha Reed? Wasn’t he the most powerful Alpha ruling over the biggest, wealthiest pack in the country?I remembered stories about him and how he had saved people from tyrant Alphas who invaded packs and took them as slaves. Alpha Reed had faced them all at a young age, and he had been ruthless and bloodthirsty about it to the point that he earned the nickname, “The BloodHound.” The people he saved came together to form the Liberty Pack, and ever since, Alpha Reed had maintained his reputation as the most feared Alpha. A deadly shiver ran through me. “I assure you I treat my pack with lenience and
DORA‘Remember what I said you piece of shit!’ My father mindlinked me, making my heart race.“It’s my fault. I-I made mistakes, and that’s why I am being punished.” I said with trembling lips.Alpha Reed cocked his head to his side, making a strand of his midnight hair fall into his eyes. “From the way you’re breathing, you sound like you have several broken ribs. You’ve got a broken nose and bruises all over your body. You don’t look like you’ve been punished, Dora. You look like you’ve been tortured…for a very long time. What baffles me is why your father and brother would do this to you.”His words made fresh tears rush to my eyes. I wanted to break down and sob, but I held it all in. “I wouldn’t blame them.’ I choked out, fighting the stream of tears falling down my face. “I deserve the punishment.”“Why?”I felt a different kind of pain at that question. It reminded me of a terrible memory I always tried to keep buried. I took a deep breath, “Because I am responsible for the de
JASPER“I walked out of the Campbell house into the crisp, night air, and stood under the moonlight with my security team. I closed my eyes as the breeze shook the jungle of trees in the distance, creating a sound that calmed my nerves. “Why did we leave?” I heard Lupus, my wolf, snarl in my head. “I want to be close to her.”I sighed. “Is she our mate?”Lupus paused. “Not sure. I can’t sense her wolf, seems like something’s blocking it but I feel a pull.”“Me too. She feels different.”“Exactly. So hurry up and get back in there.”I rolled my eyes as I subtly shook my head. “I can’t spend another minute in there with her brother, Lupus. He makes me sick.”“Me too, Jasper. Me too. And if you had let me, he would have been kissing dust by now.”I sighed again. “I know but that would be a rash move, Lupus, and any bad move could affect Dora greatly. We need to be strategic.”“Alpha Reed.”I turned to see Alpha Campbell standing a few feet away and when my eyes landed on his son beside
JASPER“As much as I want to," I replied, "a treaty has been signed.” My wolf snarled in response. “I’m just glad you’re bringing her along.”“Me too, Lupus. Me too.”Speaking of Dora, I noticed that she had changed into jeans and a black sweater and was looking slightly better than last time. Still, she looked like a walking pile of pitiful bones as she retrieved a small bag from a corner underneath her bed. I watched her open it, and when she poured the contents into her hand, I was surprised to see it was a pendant with a large ruby stone attached to it.Why would Dora have something so expensive? I wondered as I watched her clutch it tightly before holding it to her chest like it was a long, lost cherished item. Seeing as this was a private moment for her, I quietly left the cell and went to stand with Angel.Shortly after, Dora came out of her cell, hugging a tiny bag to herself.“That's all you got?” I asked, concerned, and she looked away before shrugging in response. “Shal
DORAI inhaled sharply, coughing hard as fear tightened around my racing heart. Where am I?I groaned as I felt pain like no other consume my entire body. Blinking a few times, my vision cleared just in time to see a rat sniffing my bloody hand. I moved, and it suddenly sprinted across the cold, hard floor before disappearing under my bed.Right. I was back in the dungeon cell I call a bedroom, a place I have lived in since I was a child. I thought I would be dead by now. So why am I still alive? The last thing I remember was breaking the glass cup containing my brother's drink and begging for my life while he kicked me over and over again in the ribs until I coughed out blood and blacked out. I closed my eyes, and tears spilt out of it. I should’ve died, so why am I still alive? When will this hell of a life end? I began to sob as I slowly pushed my body up, feeling like I had been run over a million times. I should have healed by now, but my wolf has been close to being non-ex