So many men has touched me!

EMMA

I’ve been locked in this cage for nearly three months now, and my condition has deteriorated to the point where I can barely recognize myself. My clothes are torn, and I haven’t had a bath in days, maybe weeks. Every night, a different stranger comes to tear away what little dignity I have left. I scream, I beg, but nothing changes. They seem to take pleasure in my suffering.

But what choice do I have? I endure it all for Elijah. Carlos has kept his promise to make my life hell, and here I am—rotting away in this nightmare. But there’s a small flicker of something inside me. A quiet hope that, maybe, Elijah is better off without me. I am nothing but a curse in his life, and I refuse to drag him down with me.

I stare at the cold stone walls surrounding me, lost in memories of Elijah and the love we once shared. As I drift in that memory, the sound of footsteps pulls me from my thoughts. I close my eyes, bracing myself for another night of suffering.

Another man. Another violation.

“So, you’re still alive?” I hear a woman’s voice and look up to find Hayley, the witch. What is she doing here?

“I’m not weak enough to die so easily. I’m a survivor,” I reply, refusing to show any sign of weakness. They don’t deserve to see me broken.

“I’m here to take you to the Alpha,” she says, and I’m confused.

“By Alpha, you mean Carlos, right?” I ask.

She shakes her head. “Elijah is the Alpha now. And he’s stronger than ever. Since you left him, he’s only grown more powerful. I always knew you were the one making him weak. But now he’s stronger than before,” she says, her voice filled with praise for him.

A small part of me feels a strange sense of relief. Elijah is strong. He’s better off without me.

“Take me to Elijah. I know he’ll come to free me,” I say, hope flickering in my eyes. But Hayley laughs, a cruel sound that makes my stomach twist.

“I doubt he wants to free you,” she says, her voice laced with mockery. “He’s not the Alpha who loved you. He’s the kind who’s ready to kill, and soon he’ll be a father. Your sacrifice will mean nothing in the end.”

The words hit me like a slap. Elijah... a father? That means Violet is pregnant. This is what I wanted for him, isn’t it? Then why does it feel like someone’s ripped my heart out?

Hayley opens the gate to my cell and grabs my hand, dragging me through the secret passage. Every step I take echoes with the memories of my pain—the screams, the broken pieces of myself that I can never put back together. I’m ruined, beyond redemption.

I’m wearing a white gown, now stained with dirt and blood. As Hayley drags me down the passage, I try to steel myself for whatever comes next. We reach a door that I’ve never seen before. She pushes it open, and I step into a room that feels foreign—full of shadows and whispered tension.

Carlos and Elijah are sitting together, drinking. Elijah doesn’t look up at me at first, his face covered with a thick beard, looking more rugged and distant than I remember. He’s not the same man I fell in love with.

“Look who decided to show up,” Carlos says, grinning as he looks at me. Finally, Elijah’s eyes meet mine, but there’s nothing there. No warmth. No love. Just cold indifference.

“Alpha, should I leave?” Hayley asks Elijah.

“Not yet, witch. Come and stand here,” Elijah replies, his voice void of emotion. Hayley obeys, standing beside him.

“What happened to you, Elijah? This isn’t who you are,” I say, my voice breaking despite my efforts to stay strong.

“You’re wasting your time,” Carlos sneers. “He doesn’t care about a slut like you, who let so many men use her.”

His words cut through me like a knife, but I clench my fists, refusing to let him see how much they hurt.

"It wasn’t my choice. You forced me into this," I said, my voice cold. "And congratulations—your pack is going to have an heir soon." I turned to Elijah, who was looking at his father with a calculating gaze, like he was planning something.

"I'm glad you're at least good for something," Carlos sneered. "But now, I have to kill you. Your usefulness is over, and I can’t live another day knowing you’re still alive. I hated your mother, and I hate you because you look just like her."

I closed my eyes, bracing for death to take me in its cold embrace.

But then, I heard Carlos let out a shrill scream. I opened my eyes to see Elijah holding Carlos's heart in his hand, the lifeless body of his father crumpled on the floor.

"Your time is over, Dad," Elijah said, tossing Carlos’s heart aside carelessly. I stood frozen, too shocked to move. He wiped his hand with a handkerchief, then turned his cold gaze toward Hayley.

"Now, tell me why I should spare your life," Elijah demanded.

Hayley dropped to her knees, begging for mercy. "I will serve you with my life," she pleaded. "Please, don't kill me. I have a family."

Elijah took a threatening step toward her. I rushed forward, my voice trembling as I said, "Elijah, stop! Please, spare her. She has a family."

He paused for a moment, but he didn’t turn to look at me. Then, without warning, he snapped Hayley's neck in a single motion. A chill ran through me, and every hair on my body stood on end.

I screamed, horrified by the bloody mess before me. Elijah moved toward me, his footsteps heavy. A wave of fear swept over me, and without thinking, I took a step back—my back slamming against the door.

"Are you afraid of me?" Elijah asked, his voice low and dangerous. He was only two inches away now.

"Yes," I whispered, my voice shaky. "I'm afraid of the man who now has the devil in his eyes. What happened to you, Elijah? You were better than this." It pained me to see him transformed into something I barely recognized.

"I killed the two people who brought misery into your life. This is the only fitting end for them—to make you endure the same torture they put you through," he said, his breath warm against my face. I wanted to kiss him right there, but he wasn’t the man I once loved.

"If you really wanted revenge, why wait three months?" I asked, my voice trembling with confusion and hurt.

He placed his hand on my face, his touch cold. "I couldn’t kill them until I knew where they kept you. When news of Violet’s pregnancy came out, I found out your location. That sick bastard told me where you were. I wanted to kill him in front of you. I wanted you to know that the man behind your suffering is dead, and nothing can harm you anymore."

I didn’t know whether to feel relief that he had done all of this to protect me or sadness that he had become a merciless monster in the process.

He bent down slightly to kiss me, but I turned my head away, unable to accept it.

"I’m dirty. I’m ruined," I whispered through my tears. "Don’t touch me. I’ll ruin you. So many men have touched me. I’m not worthy of your love or affection anymore."

He grabbed my face, forcing me to look at him. Without warning, he slammed his lips onto mine. The kiss was soft, tender, as if he was afraid to hurt me, yet it was full of longing and regret.

This kiss told me everything—how much he had missed me over the past three months. I couldn’t resist him, and I kissed him back, our bodies colliding in the heat of love. His lips pressed against mine like they were precious to him, like he was afraid to lose me all over again.

When he pulled away, a slurping sound echoed in the room. We both gasped for air, our chests heaving as we stared into each other’s eyes. I could see the pain in his gaze, and it mirrored my own. I cried, throwing my arms around him, holding onto him as if he was the only thing keeping me from falling apart.