Chapter 1 : Blood in the Water

Tessa POV

The water ran red.

It trickled down my arms in thin, winding streams, spiraling along the curve of my wrists before vanishing into the drain. Steam curled around me, thick and suffocating, but I didn’t move. The scalding spray beat against my skin, raising angry welts where bruises had already begun to bloom.

I braced my hands against the cold tiles, sucking in a sharp breath as pain flared through my ribs. He hadn’t held back tonight.

I pressed my forehead against the wall, squeezing my eyes shut as memories of the last hour clawed at me.

The way his fingers had dug into my arms, his breath reeking of whiskey as he hissed insults into my ear. The sharp crack of his palm across my cheek, the way I had crumpled to the floor without resistance. I never fought back anymore. Not when I knew it would only make it worse.

"You should be grateful I even keep you," Callum had sneered, looming over me. "A weak little thing like you would be nothing without me."

I had stared at the floor, waiting for it to be over. Waiting for him to lose interest, to get bored of breaking me just like he always did.

And now here I was, trying to wash away the evidence before anyone else could see it. Before I had to walk into a room full of wolves who would never suspect that the Beta’s wife - the woman who should have been cherished, respected - was nothing more than his personal punching bag.

A hollow laugh bubbled in my throat. How pathetic.

My fingers curled into fists.

How long are you going to let him do this to you?

The thought slithered through my mind like a serpent, unwelcome and taunting.

Long enough, I supposed. Until there was nothing left of me.

A sharp knock at the door made me jerk upright.

"Tessa," Callum’s voice was sharp, impatient. "Get dressed. We’re leaving in ten minutes."

I inhaled slowly through my nose, forcing the tremor from my voice. "I’ll be ready."

Silence. Then footsteps retreating down the hall.

I let out the breath I’d been holding, sagging against the wall.

Then, with numb, mechanical movements, shut off the water and stepped out of the shower.

The mirror was fogged over, but I wiped at it with trembling fingers, revealing my reflection.

And there I was.

Hollowed-out eyes, dark circles smudged beneath them. A cheekbone marred by the faint outline of a fresh bruise. My lips were split, but not enough to be noticeable under makeup.

I could hide this. I always did.

But the thing I couldn’t hide - the thing that rattled me to the core - was the emptiness staring back at me.

This wasn’t who I was supposed to be. This wasn’t the life I had once dreamed of.  This was ambition of my mother. Pack's new Beta wife... 

The packhouse was alive with the hum of conversation, golden lights casting a warm glow over the crowded hall. Laughter echoed off the high ceilings, the scent of wine and roasted meat thick in the air.

I stood beside Callum, my hand resting lightly on his arm.

I barely heard the words passing between him and the other ranked wolves. It didn’t matter. I had learned a long time ago how to stand there, silent and smiling, nodding in the right places while my mind drifted elsewhere.

Callum was charming tonight. He always was in public.

No one would ever suspect the darkness lurking beneath his skin.

No one would believe me if I told them.

I let my gaze flicker around the room, taking in the mingling pack members, the occasional glance tossed in my way. Unmated males sizing me up like a prize too worn to be worth fighting for.

The hall was filled with golden light and the soft hum of music, a stark contrast to the cold pit in my stomach.

The air smelled of fine wine, roasted meats, and the mingling scents of wolves dressed in their best. Laughter and conversation rippled through the space, but to me, it all felt distant, muffled - like I was standing behind glass, watching a world I didn’t belong to.

I've adjusted the sleeve of my dress. Long, flowing fabric in a rich emerald green, elegant enough to satisfy Callum’s demand that I must "look presentable." But its real purpose? To hide the bruises that marred my arms, the fingerprint-shaped stains blooming across my pale skin.

I've felt his presence before he even touched me.

Callum’s hand landed on my lower back, sliding down just enough to remind me who I belonged to. His fingers pressed, firm and possessive, over the spot he had bruised the night before.

"Smile," he murmured, lips grazing the shell of my ear. To anyone watching, it would look like an intimate whisper. "Don't embarrass me."

I swallowed the bitter taste in my mouth and forced a smile.

I can do this. Just for tonight.

Just long enough to survive.

I drifted through the party like a ghost, nodding when necessary, offering polite laughter at the right moments. No one noticed how my hands trembled when I lifted a glass of wine to my lips. No one saw how I flinched when Callum’s grip tightened around my waist in warning.

The music swelled, and the scent of expensive perfume mixed with the scent of wolves in the air. Conversations hummed around me, though I barely processed any of them. My focus was on keeping up appearances, on making sure Callum had no reason to punish me later.

I barely even registered when someone approached us, a Beta from another pack offering a tight-lipped smile as he greeted Callum.

"Beta Callum. Good to see you."

Callum's grip on my waist loosened just slightly as he turned his attention to the other man, his expression shifting into the charming mask he wore in public. "Likewise. And how is your Alpha?"

The conversation droned on, and I let my mind drift, trying to ignore the dull ache in my ribs, the sting of the bruises hidden beneath my dress.

I exhaled slowly, willing the night to pass quickly, unaware that everything was about to change.