Chapter 3

The Beating

As hard hands push me onward and my feet stumble over rocks and roots, darkness falls over me. My ripped dress barely clings to my bruised body as the chilly night air claws into it. I am unable to resist. The treachery that pierced deeper than any wound caused by Selena's claws hurts every part of me.

I hear harsh, heartless laughter all around me.

"Look at her," sneered one of the swordsmen. "The buddy who was turned down. The daughter of the previous Beta, reduced to nothing.

Dirt and leaves stick to my skin as I collapse to the woodland floor after a forceful push. Panting, I brace myself on my hands and attempt to muster the last of my remaining power. But a boot slams into my ribs before I can even consider getting up. I let out a weak cry as the pain bursts through me.

"Omega trash," screams forth another voice. "You should’ve never thought yourself worthy of our Alpha."

The words hardly register with me. I just experience pain that spreads throughout my limbs like wildfire. The warriors are closing in, their shadows hovering over me like ravenous beasts, and my mind is spinning.

Jake stands silently with his arms folded over his chest from the edge of the clearing. He remains still. doesn't talk. His golden eyes briefly lock with mine before averting his gaze, as if the sight of me were unbearable.

Something remorse? Doubt? flashes over his face, but before I can catch it, it's gone.

I manage to cough out, "Please," in a voice that is almost audible.

Someone grabs my hair and violently shakes my head back. The sting is so acute that my eyesight is blurry. Even though I don't know the warrior, I can tell he's smiling with delight.

"Are you starting already? Horrible.

My side takes another punch, and then another. My instinct takes control and my body coils in on itself. The suffering is unrelenting and unending. My pulse slows and my breathing becomes labored. Desperate for anything, anything to grasp onto, my fingers burrow into the soil.

Then, just as I'm about to lose consciousness, a voice breaks through the mist.

This is not all that you are. You have to live.

I did not write those words. They originate from deep inside, a presence that is both familiar and alien. It's incisive, demanding, and dominating. My wolf.

Something that I had long believed to be dormant comes to life.

The pain is lessened when heat permeates my veins. Something fresh, something old and strong, hums through my body. Inside of me, my wolf rises like a storm and growls.

Then I do something that nobody anticipates.

I chuckle.

The voice is faint and fragmented at first, but it increases, despite the pain that is crushing me. The fighters freeze, bewildered and cautious. Jake also tenses up.

I force myself to drop to my knees, my split lip oozing blood. I continue despite my ribs screaming in protest. I raise my head and look into each warrior's eyes individually, my laughing turning into something more acerbic.

"You think you’ve won?" With a sly grin vanishing from my lips, I rasp. "You think breaking me will make me disappear?"

My wolf awakens once again, her presence enveloping me like a protective barrier. I sense her strength and desire for retribution.

They'll cover the cost.

They must be unnerved by something in my gaze because they pause for the first time.

Excellent.

Then suddenly there's a fresh presence in the clearing.

A loud, frightening growl rumbles through the treetops. The warriors tense up, whipping their heads in response to the noise.

Out of the shadows come two silver eyes that shine.

Damien.

He enters the moonlight with a dominating, deadly presence that makes my breath catch. Even though his large bulk is covered in darkness, his strength is evident and scary, and it crackles in the air.

Damien only smirks as the warriors automatically shift into a defensive position.

With a voice like ice, he declares, "Touch her again, and none of you will survive this forest."

Tonight, for the first time, my assailants are terrified.

The shadows behind Damien change. Other forms appear, their eyes gleaming in the darkness like coals. Rogues unpredictable and deadly. They're not here to hurt me, however.

Blood is the reason they are here.

Jake's face darkens as he stiffens. He moves closer to try to stop him, but Damien growls again, low and deadly.

When Damien replies, "You had your chance to protect her," "Now she belongs to us."

Jake's hands tighten as his face contorts with something unreadable. The fighters look at one other uneasily, their confidence wavering.

My power comes back in sluggish, searing waves as I raise my chin. I'm more than simply a rejected partner now. I am more than that. Something hazardous.

Damien's sparkling eyes meet me as he holds out a hand. "Lily, come. They no longer have your position."

I pause, giving Jake one more look. His mouth opens, but nothing comes out. It's too late, whatever remorse remains in his eyes.

Damien's hand is taken by me.

I feel a crazy, electrifying burst of excitement the instant my fingertips meet his. My wolf awakens, attracted to him in ways I cannot comprehend.

And I am convinced of one thing as I go into the shadows beside Damien and his outlaws.

This is only the start of my revenge.

However, as I take my first step, my breath is taken away by a searing agony that tears through my chest. A scream gets stuck in my throat and my knees give way. Something seems to be shattering inside of me, fracturing beyond repair.

Damien's glittering eyes darken as he holds my hand tighter. "They’re severing your bond," he whispers in a low, lethal voice. "But they don’t realize..."

I hear his following words vividly, oozing with a promise of vengeance, but my vision blurs as the anguish consumes me.

"They don’t realize that severing a bond with a wolf like you has consequences."

I feel a rush of energy that is unadulterated and uncontrolled. My wolf growls louder than ever within my head, causing my body to tremble. The suffering changes and becomes strength instead. It is black and engulfing, crackling in the air. The warriors take a step back, their faces showing signs of terror.

Damien tightens his hold on my wrist as his eyes narrow. "Lily," he cautions, "you must keep it under control."

However, I am unable to.

Around me, the forest quivers, the shadows grow longer, and the wind howls like a savage. Something within of me was awakened by the broken relationship, not destroyed. Something more powerful. Something deadly.

Jake steps forward reluctantly, his eyes wide with surprise. "Lily... what have you done?"

My own eyesight colored with a bright, unnatural gold, I meet his stare. My wolf whispers the solution into my head, and a grin appears on my bleeding lips.

I've turned into something they're afraid of.