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Demi's pov

The whip cracked against my bare back, an excruciating pain cascaded through me.

I pressed my lips close forcing back the agonizing whimper from the burning sensation on my palms and knees.

The heat from the hot coals I was atop burned my skin as Nina repeatedly brought the whip down on me, bruising my back greater than it was already.

I couldn't cry out for help nor could I show any sign of pain as it would increase my punishment and you might wonder what punishment could be worse than this.

A punishment worse than this would be seeing my baby brother in this exact position as I am because I defied their orders.

And currently I could hear his cries as he screamed, rolling on the ground in attempts to get to me but he was being held back by the guards who were busy laughing at his misery.

Demi, I am sorry, He mindlinked me and I looked up to make eye contact with him. A tear slid from my eye down my cheek as I could see the regret in his eyes as brown as mine, I would never eat again.

It's not your fault Haris, I comforted him and just then the whip landed on my back again and I bit my lip muffling the scream that threatened to come out, you were just hungry, it's not your fault.

"Tell him to stop yelling!" Nina barked at me as she circled me and I knew she was giving me a look of appraisal marveling at the artwork of wounds she had inflicted as this was her favorite pastime , "That fat pig ate my pet's food and he has the nerve to cry!"

A tear slipped down my cheek again as the hotness of the coals met my skin producing a hissing sound as the embers kissed my skin.

It wasn't bread, meat or crackers.

My brother was so hungry that he ate food from a dog's bowl and I was being punished for it. I felt like a failure and the only thing I wanted was to die at the moment.

I could not protect him nor fend for him, I could only feed him with scraps of what was given to me after slaving in the kitchen. He was so weak that his wolf hadn't surfaced at his age and most grievous of all, I am sure my parents would be ashamed in their graves.

My heart broke at the intensity of the situation, dog food!

The whip landed again and Haris called out my name making me yell in anguish breaking the rule of not making a sound during punishment.

I looked up in fear at the realization of what I had just done.

My eyes met with Nina's and her lips turned up in a devilish smirk, I could see the gleam in her eyes as we both heard his footsteps which we always heard any moment I screamed.

I could smell him, his appealing scent no matter how much I tried to resist filled my senses and my wolf whimpered in need of him.

He's coming, Her tone was sad as she notified me, Maybe he would take pity on us this time.

She always had hope and it annoyed me but I couldn't blame her.

Who wouldn't want to be loved and cherished? Who wouldn't want to experience the love and warmth that came from the one designated for you by fate and who wouldn't want an attractive golden boy-loving partner for a mate?

The door to my designated tutored room opened and I whimpered immediately after he entered and his scent filled the room.

"Mate." I Turned looking up at him to hold his gaze but Nina's palm immediately met with my cheek, slapping me so hard that I fell against the coals on my wounded skin and I screamed out again as the pain was too much to bear as my skin burnt with sharp stings.

"Pathetic." Logan, the Alpha of our pack and my mate groaned like he was in pain from seeing me, "Why did you have to scream and disturb my meeting?!"

"You didn't have to come down my love. I was handling her just fine." I watched as Nina walked up to him and I returned to my former position on the coals before I was told that moving would attract more punishment.

I saw her place a hand on his chest leaning towards him and his hand went to her waist drawing her close to him.

He hugged her close, dropping his face to her neck sniffing in her perfect scent before moving back to her face and giving her a deep kiss.

I cringed as she let out an expression of pleasure from kissing my mate.

A dull ache gnawed through me, it was a pain greater than what I had felt before and the reason why I was feeling this pain was because he never let me reject him.

He rejected me but forbade me from accepting his rejection as that would bring his powers down so any time he got physical with Nina, I could feel the pain.

My heart tore each time I saw him with Nina.

He always takes her out on dates, gets her flowers, and introduces her to dignitaries. He showered her with love, pampered her, and designated me to be her slave.

It should be me cozying up to him like that.

It should be me he kisses and buys flowers, it should be me who gets to hold his hand and who he spends his nights with but it wasn't me.

It was her, it was her all along.

From the moment I had a crush on him while I was younger to find out that he was my mate to being maltreated while hoping in my heart that he would have a change of heart and finally accept me someday.

You call me hopeless yet you wish for him, Harlyn my wolf stated with a dry chuckle.

And I couldn't agree with her less, I was truly hopeless, waiting for the day that Logan gets to claim me as his and relieve me from this torment.

"Get up!" Nina screamed at me the moment she pulled away from Logan, "And get out of my sight. I can't bear your stench anymore."

How wouldn't I stink when I am forbidden from bathing and I eat rotten food and live in poor conditions?!

I wanted to clap back but I knew that would bring more trouble, "Thank you, mistress." I said before standing up and I walked on the hot coals as I exited as she always instructed.

The moment my feet touched the bare ground I fell down with a painful sigh, gritting in pain from the burning of my wounds and the searing discomfort I felt all over my body.

"Get a cup of coffee ready to my office in ten minutes,"

Logan pronounced not even glancing my way as he walked off with Nina.

The other guards holding my brother let go of him and followed suit leaving just him and I.

"Haris." I croaked stretching my hand out to him as he hurriedly got up from the ground and rushed to grab my clothes.

"Demi, I am sorry." He ran to me handing over the gown and I nodded as he apologized over and over again, "I am sorry Demi."

"It's not your fault, she would have tortured me even if you did nothing, It's not your fault."

"I was so hungry, I am sorry." He apologized again and I hugged him close as he sniveled and I couldn't help the tears that fell from my eyes.

He didn't deserve this.

He was just 6.

I have failed as his sister.

"It's okay Haris." I rubbed his hair playing with the strands as I rocked him to stop crying, "You deserve better than this, I would never fault you for being hungry, you are my baby."

"No." He shook his head while still crying, "I am just a fat stuffed pig and I stink, that's why no one wants to play with me."

"I stink too Haris and you are not what you called yourself."

"The other kids call me that."

I pulled him gently away from me and cradled his face in my palms,

"You are my cute chubby angel."

My fingers pinched his cheeks lightly and he gave me the cutest smile with missing teeth, "There you go and you have the most beautiful smile."

"And you too." He pulled me in a hug, "And you give the best hugs Demi."

I nodded rubbing his back as he hugged me and we stayed in that position for a while before Logan's terrifying growl invaded my mind and I shivered in fear pulling away from Haris.

He had asked me to get coffee for him in ten minutes and I had spent a while here bonding with my brother.

I scampered to my feet ignoring the injuries and quickly told Haris to go wait for me elsewhere as I didn't want him to be at Logan's mercy while I rushed out to make the coffee praying that me disobeying him like this and being late wasn't going to cost me my full hand because the last time this happened, he had chopped off a part of my pinky on my right hand and forced Haris to eat it which had marked the most traumatizing day in my baby brother's life.