Chapter One: Rejected and Broken. 

The sound of Alex's voice thundered across the clearing, making Nora's heart skip a beat “I reject you as my mate!” he bellowed, his voice booming across the trees.

Nora's breathing hitched, her chest heaving as she struggled to process the rejection. Her eyes welled up with tears, but she refused to let them fall. 

Alex's fists clenched, his knuckles white with rage. He tried to speak, but the words got caught in his throat, choked by the anger building up inside. “I'll never be bonded to someone who killed my mother!” he roared. 

Nora's hands trembling as she reached out to him, clutching his leg tight to appeal to his conscience. Her voice was barely a whisper.

"A..lex, I didn't do it. I swear that I had nothing to do with your mother's death.  But Alex was not listening. He lifted his hand to silence her speech. "You're a liar!" he exclaimed, his eyes filled with hatred. "You're a cold-hearted killer." 

"You evil girl, you dare open your mouth to speak? Eve, her step-sister, ran towards her, dragging her by Alex's legs. She could see the cheeky sneer on her face; she didn't need anyone to tell her that she was the cause of her anguish. She lay slumped on the dusty dirt of the Zodak pack's assembly, her tears soaking the soil as her heart splintered into a million pieces. The sting of Alex's words replayed in her ears, and the sour taste of betrayal entered her tongue.

“Alpha Alex, the man who quotes all the phrases of love to her tiny eyes, looks at her with such hatred.” 

Her mind reeled at the cruel twist of fate. His rejection burned through her soul like fire.

"Today, before everyone in the Zodak pack, I renounce Nora as my mate and Luna. I formally declare Eve to be my Luna. 

“Alex, no. "Her heart felt like it had been shattered into a million pieces;  she felt like she was drowning in a sea of despair." You can't do this to me.  With his final sentence, her father stepped out of the crowd."Since it is a law in the Zodak pack that any female wolf whose mate rejects for committing an atrocity must be taken as a maid.” I, therefore, send Nora Roland as Maid into Eve and Alex's home to help them deal with the commotion. Her father's voice was the last nail in the coffin. Being degraded to a maid at the home of her biggest betrayer was a humiliation she never expected to suffer."No, Father, I will never enter Eve's home as a maid."Enough," Alex hissed, stepping forward. His piercing stare met mine for a brief period, and I looked hard for a peek of the love that had once been there. But all I found was cold indifference. 

"You heard your father's decree. You belong to us now. Accept your fate." 

Her hands trembled, and her pulse raced as her eyes wide and breath shallow."No Alex," I screamed. "I did nothing to merit this!

"Alex's lip curved in scorn, and he turned on his heel without another word. 

The rest of the pack members began to scatter, their hushed mumbles slicing through the air like daggers. No one stood up for her. No one dared, not even her childhood friend Mary. How could she? Anyone who did will eventually be cursed and have the same fate.

She was utterly alone. As the crowd scattered, her tears clouded the world around her. Her chest ached, and her wolf moaned inside her, mourning the recently broken relationship. She clutched to the cold soil, the weight of Alex's words still reverberating in her head. Eve stood triumphantly over her.

She bent down, her lips curled into a snarl.

“You are pathetic, Nora. Did you truly believe Alex would choose you over me again?"Her voice was filled with hatred.

“This is your fate now, under my feet, where you belong”.I clenched my hands, pushing my nails into my palms.

"You planned this, didn't you?"I whispered, her voice raspy from grief.

“Hahahahaha.” Oh, dear, innocent Nora. You're as foolish as you appear. Of course, I planned it. It was not difficult to persuade Alex that you were engaged in his mother's death. After all, he has always had doubts about you.”

She glared at her, her anger beginning to boil. “You won’t get away with this, Eve. The truth always comes out.”

“By the time it does, it’ll be too late,” she said, flicking her hair over her shoulder. “Enjoy your new life as my maid.”

She walked away, leaving her trembling with rage and heartbreak.

—--

Tension clouded Nora's emotions as she felt rage and bitter pain. She tightened her teeth and bit her lips until they bled. Her blood-soaked body was shackled to a chair, her wrists and ankles fastened with harsh, cruel metal. She was in a dimly lit room with a strong smell of smoke and sweat. Her bloated, blotchy face glowed as perspiration and tears dripped from her eyes and forehead. She heaved, her teeth clattering in terror as her claws dug deep into her lap. She looked like hell, but her appearance was an understatement of what was going on in her mind. Her wolf roared in her thoughts, her chest was heavy with pain, and her heart felt like it was being sliced with a knife. She buried her claws into her lap, preferring physical agony to the turmoil in her mind. Moans rang across the air as a handsome man fondled a frilly blonde's body and kissed Eve. Nora wanted nothing more than to close her eyes and block out the gore she was seeing, but she didn't dare. She could easily tear the chains that bound her and rip the neck of the crew in front of her, but she wouldn't dare. Around them, more girls stroked their fingers through the male's body. Eve does not mind sharing him with other girls; she would rather share him than let Nora have him all to herself. Those ladies were omegas who came into contact with the Alpha, her alpha, and her mate. Every touch and sound made her wild. Nora's wolf demanded blood. She could easily kill every woman in that room for simply glancing at her partner, but she couldn't. She couldn't do it since she was being punished. In his view, this was only a fraction of the penalty she would face for killing his mother. Her mate now considered her as nothing but trash, and he liked manipulating and playing psychological tricks on her. "Nora, you are losing concentration. Pay close attention to me. "You must watch and enjoy the pain," he said, his voice tinged with passion and dominance. Her eyes widened, and her head straightened. It was unpleasant, but when an Alpha commands, one feels forced to obey it. Eve snickered before approaching her. "Stupid bitch," she said, as another struck her hard while laughing wildly. “Aw, Luna, are you angry? "Is your body boiling with rage right now?" said a blue-eyed one, sneering in her direction. "All hail the Luna." Mocked another. Echoes of laughing flooded the room, and the blonde approached her. "He said you should watch carefully," she whispered into her ears. Nora heaved, her face aching from the scratches and bruises she had suffered from her mate when he punched her during the pack assembly. She bit into her ripped lips to keep from screaming, then pressed her nails more into her lap. "She is so ugly."Do you realize how ugly you are?"One inquired."Look into my eyes!"Her mate snarled. Nora whimpered, wishing for the pain to stop. What he said next caused her blood to run cold. "You know, Nora, I have been thinking. Perhaps it's time we escalated your punishment. Her heart fell, and her mind raced with possibilities. What had he intended for her? Then he walked in front of her, and everything turned black.