Chapter 3: Is Today My Death Day?
Avery
With Eva's moans as background, something inside me finally snapped. Despite my weakened state, I scrambled to my feet and ran. The mate bond had been severed by his rejection, at least enough that their renewed passion no longer caused me physical pain. My body felt hollow, emptied of everything but raw grief.
I ran without direction, stumbling over roots and rocks, branches whipping against my face and arms. Each footfall was unsteady, my vision blurred by tears and pain. Several times I nearly fell, my ankle twisting painfully as I stepped into a hidden hole or tripped over a fallen branch.
Finally, my legs simply gave out. I fell hard, face first into the dirt, and this time, I had no strength left to rise. What was the point? My mate—the one person the Moon Goddess had chosen specifically for me—had rejected me with disgust and hatred.
So I lay there in the cool earth, the smell of dirt and fresh grass filling my nostrils, and I wept. I cried until my throat was raw and my voice reduced to a raspy whisper. I cried until there was nothing left inside me.
End Of Flash Back...
The earthy scent of soil and grass was still vivid in my memory as my feet carried me mindlessly toward the kitchen area. The rich aroma of breakfast foods wafted through the air—bacon sizzling, bread baking, coffee brewing—smells that would never be meant for me.
I watched as servants carried out trays loaded with steaming food: fluffy scrambled eggs, perfectly cooked bacon, stacks of pancakes drizzled with maple syrup, and fresh fruit arranged artfully on fine china plates. My stomach responded with a loud, painful growl, reminding me that I hadn't eaten since yesterday morning.
Without thinking, I paused, my tongue involuntarily running across my dry, cracked lips as saliva flooded my mouth. For a moment, I was lost in the fantasy of what it would be like to eat such a meal, to feel full and satisfied for once.
That's when I heard it.
"Where the fuck is she?"
The Beta's enraged voice cut through the kitchen's pleasant sounds like a knife. I knew immediately that Beta Kevin—my former mate—was looking for me.
In this house, there was only one person designated to serve both the Alpha and Beta exclusively—me. They had arranged it this way deliberately to torment me, the Alpha's sister and the person who had supposedly killed our parents with her own hands.
Their goal was to make me suffer without allowing me the mercy of death.
With a groan, I shifted the cleaning basket I carried and turned toward the sound of his voice.
The moment Beta Kevin spotted me, he stormed over, his face twisted with rage. Without warning, his hand slashed across my cheek with brutal force. The impact was so powerful that my right ear instantly went deaf, a high-pitched ringing replacing all sound.
I staggered but didn't fall. I'd learned long ago that falling only invited more attacks. Blood trickled from the corner of my mouth as I kept my eyes downcast, waiting for whatever would come next.
I stood frozen, not making a sound. Years of experience had taught me that silence was survival—speak only when spoken to, or risk being beaten to a pulp.
I definitely didn't need another week in the dungeon, a place more terrifying than even the basement. Every time I made a mistake, that's where they'd lock me up—sometimes for hours, sometimes half a day, once for an entire half-month.
The strangest part was always waking up with needle marks alongside my bruises and wounds. Once, I even noticed green liquid around the puncture sites. What the hell were they injecting me with? I never got answers, only more pain.
So I just trembled in place, waiting for Kevin to speak first, clutching my cleaning basket like it might somehow shield me from whatever was coming.
"Well, look what the fucking cat dragged in," Kevin's voice sliced through the silence. His black eyes raked over me, lingering on the places where my threadbare shirt failed to hide my skin. "The Alpha's pathetic excuse for a sister."
I kept my eyes down, focusing on the tiles beneath my feet. One cracked, three whole, two with stains. I'd memorized every imperfection in this floor.
"What's wrong, little wolfless? Cat got your tongue?" He stepped closer, the leather of his jacket creaking as he moved. "Or are you just too stupid to form words?"
I flinched when his hand shot out, grabbing my chin and forcing my face up. His touch burned against my skin.
"Answer me when I speak to you," he growled, his face inches from mine.
"I'm sorry, Beta Kevin," I whispered, the words automatic, rehearsed from countless similar encounters.
He snorted, his eyes narrowing. "Look at you. Dressed like you've been digging through garbage." His fingers trailed down my neck, across my collarbone, casual and possessive. "Though I guess that's all Trevor thinks you're worth."
My heart hammered against my ribs as his hand dipped lower, brushing over my breast. I bit my lip hard enough to taste blood, fighting to stay still.
"Not that you'd know how to dress properly anyway. Pathetic little bitch." His lips curled into a cruel smile before he spat directly in my face.
I didn't wipe it away. I couldn't. Moving without permission would only make things worse.
"What's this?" Kevin's interest suddenly sharpened. He grabbed the hem of my shirt and yanked it up without warning, exposing my torso to the cold air. "Well, well, what have we here?"
My chest was covered in angry red scratch marks—Eva's handiwork. Some were deep enough to have drawn blood, now dried in dark crimson streaks across my pale skin. The fresher ones still glistened slightly.
"Fuck," Kevin breathed, his pupils dilating as he stared at the marks. "Eva's been playing rough with you again, hasn't she?" His thumb traced one of the scratches, pressing just hard enough to make me wince.
Something shifted in his expression—a dangerous hunger replacing the casual cruelty. Despite having rejected me as his mate, his body was responding to mine. I could smell the change in him, that sharp musk of arousal cutting through his usual scent.
"You know," he said, voice dropping lower, "just because I didn't want you as my mate doesn't mean you're completely useless."
His hand slid up to cup my breast roughly, fingers digging into the soft flesh. "Maybe I should remind you what you're actually good for."
"Please don't," I whispered, panic rising in my throat.
Kevin's face darkened. "Did I fucking ask what you wanted?" He shoved me backward until I hit the counter, pinning me there with his body.