Chapter Four: The Breaking Point
Charlie’s vision swam as she scrubbed the stone floor of the main hall, the bristles of the brush digging into the cut on her hand from the previous night. Her stomach was knotted with hunger, but she pushed through it as best as she could. Her head throbbed with a relentless, pounding ache, and her body felt both heated and itchy, as if her skin was too tight, too sensitive. Every inch of her felt off, like something inside her was fighting to break free.
Alpha Greg’s punishment had been cruel, as it always was. No food, no reprieve. The hours dragged on, each chore taking more effort than the last as she battled through the exhaustion and discomfort. She hadn’t had a single bite to eat since the previous night, and the strain was beginning to show. Her legs felt weak beneath her, her vision blurry at the edges. Yet, she knew she had no choice but to keep moving. If she stopped for too long, if she let herself falter, someone would notice—and then the punishment would only get worse.
The packhouse was busy, wolves moving about, preparing for the evening’s meal. Charlie was sent from room to room, cleaning, scrubbing, fetching whatever was needed. It felt endless, an unrelenting cycle of servitude that left no space for rest or reprieve. Her body felt like it was being slowly worn down to nothing.
When she reached the twin’s quarters, Charlie paused for a moment, leaning heavily against the doorframe. The ache in her head was overwhelming now, a constant pressure that made it difficult to think. Her mouth was dry, her hands trembling as she pushed open the door to Liam’s room.
The moment she stepped inside, she was surrounded by their scent—a potent mixture of musk and pine, strong and distinctly male. Luther and Liam’s scents were intertwined, familiar and overwhelming. It washed over her in waves, making her dizzy.
But it was Liam’s scent that seemed to cling to her the most, wrapping around her like a blanket. Her heart fluttered in her chest as she breathed it in deeply, almost involuntarily. Her pulse quickened, and she found herself standing in the middle of Liam’s room, her legs trembling with the urge to collapse onto his bed and bury her face in his sheets.
What was wrong with her? She squeezed her eyes shut, trying to shake off the strange, primal urge. She felt flushed, embarrassed by her reaction, and forced herself to move, shaking off the pull of his scent. She focused on the task at hand—changing the sheets, fluffing the pillows, and making the bed look pristine.
But when she stripped the old sheets from Liam’s bed, her hands faltered. She held the fabric in her hands, her fingers tightening as his scent filled her nose again. The pull was so strong, so visceral, that it took everything she had to stop herself from rolling around in his bed like some crazed animal. Her cheeks burned with shame at the thought, and she quickly finished her work, folding the dirty sheets and practically running from the room before her body could betray her further.
By the time Charlie made it back downstairs, the kitchen was bustling with activity. Other Omegas moved around her, preparing dinner for the pack. The air was filled with the smell of roasting meat and spices, and the clatter of pots and pans echoed through the room. Charlie could barely stand upright, her body screaming for rest, but she knew she had to keep going. The pack demanded perfection, and she was in no position to fail again.
She worked silently, slicing vegetables, stirring pots, doing her best to stay out of the way. But it wasn’t long before trouble found her.
Leah entered the kitchen with a few other unmated females, her laughter cutting through the noise like a knife. Charlie’s stomach clenched as soon as she saw them. Leah was always the ringleader, always the one who took pleasure in tormenting her. The other girls followed her lead like loyal lapdogs, eager to join in the fun.
“Well, well, well, look who it is,” Leah sneered, her voice dripping with disdain as she sauntered over to where Charlie was working. “The pack’s little slave, hard at work as always.”
Charlie kept her head down, her hands gripping the knife she was using to chop carrots. She didn’t dare respond, knowing that anything she said would only make things worse.
Leah stepped closer, her lips curling into a cruel smile. “You really are disgusting, you know that?” she said, her voice loud enough for the entire kitchen to hear. “I feel sorry for whoever gets stuck with you as their mate. I can’t imagine anyone wanting to be with a twig like you. You’re pathetic.”
Charlie’s grip tightened on the knife, her knuckles turning white. Her chest felt tight, her heart hammering painfully against her ribs. She had heard these insults a thousand times before, but today… today, they felt different. The pressure inside her, the strange heat that had been building all day, was nearing a breaking point.
Leah continued, undeterred by Charlie’s silence. “And can you imagine having to look at that face every day?” she said, her voice dripping with mock pity. “God, I’d rather die than be mated to something so ugly.”
The other girls snickered, and Charlie felt her pulse quicken, her vision narrowing. She tried to keep herself calm, to push down the rising tide of anger and shame that was bubbling up inside her, but Leah just wouldn’t stop.
“You’ll never get a man as strong and powerful as my Luther.” Leah’s sly smile grated on Charlie’s nerves, making it harder to ignore her, especially at the mention of Luther. “He is such a beast in bed!” She sneers. “I almost feel bad that you will never know the pleasures of someone like him between those pathetic thighs of yours.”
Something inside Charlie suddenly snapped at the mention of Leah being in Luther’s bed.
Before she could stop herself, before she could even think, Charlie’s hand had shot out and slapped Leah across the face.
The entire kitchen fell silent.
Leah stumbled back, her hand flying to her cheek, her eyes wide with shock. For a moment, the two of them just stared at each other, the sound of the slap still ringing in the air.
Charlie’s breath came in ragged gasps, her heart racing. She could feel the blood pounding in her ears, her vision swimming. The world seemed to tilt on its axis as she realized what she had just done.
Leah’s shock quickly turned to fury. Her lips curled into a snarl, and her eyes flashed with anger. “You… you little—”
But Charlie didn’t hear the rest. The heat that had been building inside her all day flared to life, and she turned on her heel, fleeing the kitchen before Leah could retaliate. Her legs felt like jelly, her body trembling with a mix of fear and adrenaline as she ran, not stopping until she reached the small closet that served as her room.
Once inside, she slammed the door shut, and pressed her back against it, her heart still pounding in her chest. She slid down to the floor, her hands shaking uncontrollably.
She had just slapped Leah. She had actually slapped her.
And for the first time in a long time, Charlie didn’t feel helpless. She felt something else entirely—something fierce and wild, something that had been buried deep inside her for as long as she could remember.
But the fear still lingered, gnawing at the edges of her mind. What would happen now? What would Leah do? What would the Alpha do when he found out?
Charlie didn’t have the answers, but for now, she allowed herself to breathe. She had stood up for herself, if only for a moment.