Chapter 2: Chiara

Three Years After

Wincing, I dabbed the make-up brush harder against my skin. The foundation gradually concealed the finger-shaped marks around my neck. After I put on the choker again, it would look like nothing had ever happened.

Just the way I liked it.

Every day, it got harder to cling to my quest for revenge. It started with the hope of taking out the Pack Alpha and gaining my freedom. Reality soon dashed it, and my next goal became much less until it devolved into the simplest things.

Silent protests, never-spoken insults, and vague jabs against my tormentor. I took my wins, no matter how small, to keep myself sane and continue fanning my dwindling fire.

My wolf whined in my head as I finally finished my make-up and put on the choker again. The silver metal was cold against my skin, and I gulped as its familiar weight settled on my neck. It was encrusted with diamonds to complement my ball gown. Nevertheless, its meaning hadn't changed.

It's been years since I shifted into my wolf form and fully reconnected with my animal spirit. She was getting restless, and I feared the day I would have to set her free. With how long my wolf had been repressed, she could be out of control once unleashed.

That's a problem for another day, though.

Someone knocked on the door, and I opened it to see one of my handmaids waiting outside. Samantha was holding a bouquet of tulips.

"Do you need help, Mistress - oh, you're ready," she muttered, blinking her owlish eyes as she looked at me. "You look beautiful, Mistress. Alpha Adrian will surely be pleased. Is there anything else you need help with?"

I smiled at her, my lips tense. "I'm good, thank you." Then I pointed at the flowers, silently asking her.

Samantha grinned and handed the bouquet to me. "This is from Mrs. Knightley. She says she can't attend the Gala tonight."

Ah, a token of apology.

"Alpha Adrian is already waiting at the ballroom, Mistress. Should I escort you - "

"No, it's alright. I'll go myself."

Samantha opened her mouth to protest, but I closed the door before she could utter another word. I always tried my best not to snap on my handmaids. After all, they're just doing their jobs. But often, their blind devotion to that man infuriated me. Sometimes, if it's not devotion, then it's fear that was keeping them in line.

I took the bouquet of flowers and tossed it in the nearby trashcan. It was another thing that made my blood boil, precisely the person who gave it.

Mrs. Emmera Knightley, my mother, had avoided me for years. It was the same as my father, although my mother and I were initially close. I could still remember the night when it all changed.

***

20 Years Ago

Mommy and Daddy were fighting again. The sounds of broken glass and screams filled our tiny house. Sometimes, they stopped briefly, and I could only hear muted noise and whimpers from Mommy while Daddy hurled insults at her.

I sat atop the stairs, too afraid to linger inside my room. The walls were too thick there, and I couldn't hear anything. The silence only made me more anxious. It didn't help that the shadows in my room were scary. It's better here on the stairs with the dim light coming from the living room. At least it's not entirely dark here.

A deafening shout made me sit up straighter.

"You keep on asking for more, but what have you given in return?! All you ever did was burdened me with a fucking girl. An omega, nonetheless!" Daddy growled.

Slowly, I crept down the stairs and peeked into the living room. Daddy's words were familiar, and I feared what he usually did next after screaming them.

Sure enough, Mommy was already on the corner, her poor body trembling. I wanted to run to her and shield her from Daddy's anger. It's me he's mad about, anyway. But my own fear paralyzed me.

"She's not just my daughter, Frederick, she's yours, too!" Mommy snapped back despite the slight waver in her voice.

"Leeches, both of you! You useless, good for nothing bitches! I shouldn't have married you. I shouldn't have made you my mate! Waste of space - "

I swallowed my sobs and retreated back up the stairs as the sounds of flesh hitting flesh reverberated in the room.  My small hands balled into fists around the hem of my shirt. Mommy was back again to whimpering. It would take some time before Daddy stops.

Once Daddy grew tired, I hurriedly returned to my room to let him pass up the stairs towards his own. I counted down from 100, patiently waiting, before going out again and dashing towards the kitchen. I dampened a washcloth, then set out to find Mommy.

I found her on the floor beside the couch, as usual. Hesitantly, I approached her and reached out with the damp cloth.

"Mommy? Here let me clean your - "

A sharp sting on my right cheek interrupted me. Eyes blown out wide, I slowly turned my head back to Mommy and held my stinging face. For the first time, I saw her looking at me with anger.

"I hate you," Mommy whispered.

I gulped and stared at her, the loud thudding of my heart drowning out her words.

"I wish you've never been born."

Mommy stood up afterward and didn't spare me a single glance. Shame curled deep in my gut, and I hung my head, silent tears streaking down my already bruising cheek. Those words were the last ones she's ever spoken to me since then. After that night, she ignored me just as Daddy did.

***

The memory sent a pang of pain in my heart. I wished things would've been different. Maybe if they were, I wouldn't have made the decisions I had... Perhaps I wouldn't have doomed myself and my soul for eternity. Little old me was too caught up with my fear and shame that I grabbed the first chance to help my family - a family that didn't even want me.

But it's all in the past now, and the only thing I could do was move forward.

Steeling my resolve, I took a deep breath and exited the room. I headed straight to the ballroom entrance, where Adrian stood and waited for me.

I swallowed the bubbling fear and approached the Alpha. His cobalt eyes narrowed into slits as he saw me. It took everything to stomp down my flight or fight instincts against the predator before me.

'Pick your battles, Chiara,' I thought to myself. Know when it's worth to strike back, and when it's better to yield.

Adrian's eyes followed me until I stood in front of him. They were filled with terrifying obsession and possessiveness, threatening to drown me in their dark blue depths.

"You're late," he snapped, his fingers reaching to grip my chin and tilt my head back. He scrutinized my face, looking for any imperfection.

I made sure to lower my eyes to his lips and appear subservient. "I apologize, Alpha. Please, discipline me as you see fit. I am yours." My hands balled into fists on my sides.

It seemed my display of submissiveness coaxed his wolf's ire since Adrian relaxed his grip on me afterward. "Hmm, you look stunning tonight, and I'm in a good mood. I'll let this slip just once."

His body crowded mine as he kissed my temple. "I can't wait to ravish you, but, alas, it has to wait. You'll behave in front of the guests, hm?"

I gulped but nodded mutely. Dread filled my gut as I thought of what could happen tonight.

This Gala might just be the death of me.