ONE

LAURA'S POV

“Father please!” I cried as the whip hit my back, ripping into my skin because of the thorns on it. I cried profusely and pleaded that my step father spare me but all my pleas fell on deaf ears.

I lived with my mother after the death of my father and after a while, my mother remarried. My step father was the sweetest before he got married to my mother but he changed.

As soon as he got into the house, he became the worst, he made sure he seized every opportunity to hit me but whenever my mother was around, he became nice and sweet.

“I’ll make life unbearable for you until you plead for death.” He snarled as he hit me again. I couldn’t cry out loud because he threatened to make sure the number of my lashes increased if I cried out.

Holding back my tears, I wondered what I'd done to make him hate me so much. I was so happy when he joined the family but now it seemed like I met my doom with him.

The whip dropping to the back of my neck jolted me out of my thoughts, I was already on the floor and crying, I looked up to meet his gaze and it was burning with anger.

Staggering and finding a way to stand up, I rushed down from where I was to another side of the room. The pain was unbearable and although I’d tried to hold back my tears, I couldn’t do it.

“I’m sorry.” I apologized amidst tears but he wasn’t listening to me and I knew just then that he’d made his mind up to not spare me.

I sobbed bitterly and prayed silently that my mother would come back home. I silently prayed that my mother would open the door and eventually find out how horrible her husband had been to me. I had no more strength to run or even plead for mercy anymore.

Giving up, I closed my eyes as the pain hit me one after the other. This is what usually happens whenever my mother leaves me alone with my stepfather.

I shouldn’t have agreed to the marriage when my mother sought my consent.

The remarriage only brought me pain and agony, constant torture and frequent prayers to be taken away by the grim reaper. Whenever other kids my age say things about their father, I only keep shut and listen to them.

I wanted to be able to say nice things too but how would I be able to do that when my real father is dead and my stepfather is a beast.

The lashes stopped suddenly and I just laid down there in pain, the sound of the door closing shut made me realize that he left the room already.

I don’t deserve to be treated like this, I was treated like a slave in my own mother’s house. At age eighteen I already have bruises adults even older than me didn’t have. Not even slaves were treated this way.

I curled up in a ball and cried till my eyes threatened to fall out of their sockets. The agonizing pain I felt in my stomach made me fling my eyes open and there he was.

His shadow hovering over me again, my lips quivered and I tried to stand up but I was stripped of every ounce of strength left in me.

“What do you think you’re doing?” He asked, his voice coming out in a roar and every growl of his got to me.

“You think wretched bitches like yourself get to sleep?!” He added before yanking me up with my hair and my head spun.

The pain pulsated through every part of my body as he dragged me out of the room and outside. I closed my eyes, I couldn’t fight anymore.

Maybe this is it. Maybe this is when he’ll kill me and I can finally be at peace.

Picking me up by my throat, he threatened that he’d kill me if I didn’t follow his lead to where we’re going and I have to stop crying.

I swallowed the bile at the back of my throat in fear and I felt a hard slap across my face, I staggered for a while before holding onto one of the trees for support.

“You better behave or you’ll have yourself to blame!” He growled and I struggled to stand properly. Part of me wanted to just challenge him and tell him to kill me if he feels I’m some sort of bad luck.

Not saying anything, I followed him as we made our way through the woods and soon, he stopped in his tracks. Stopping with him and moving closer to see the men standing in front of us, I froze.

My stepfather went to them and they spoke for a while, all they said was inaudible so I couldn’t hear. Curious, I watched as one of them left the group and soon returned with another man.

It was easy to tell that he’s an Alpha. The ground shook with every step he took and his face was pitch black because of the hoodie he had on.

He stopped in front of us as he removed his hoodie but I couldn’t get a clear view of his face because I couldn’t look directly at him. His pheromones are so strong that I fell to my knees weak at once.

He crouched in front of me and lifted my face so I was staring at him. My heart beat so fast that it felt like it was going to jump out of my chest.

He had shoulder length hair that spilled over his face. His face was set in a hard, determined expression as his red eyes glazed with anger and I swallowed my spit again when he touched me.

He took my neck in his hands and his grip was so tight that I found it difficult to breathe properly as I threw my head back and let the tears fall freely.

Who is this man and why did my stepfather bring me here?

“You can have her, she’s all yours.” I heard my stepfather say.