The Lycan King’s Abused Mate

Prologue

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It was a dark and cold night, with the winds lapping against the window and causing it to rattle loudly. A storm was brewing outside, flashes of lightning exploding across the bleak, grey sky. But on the inside of the manor, trembling as though her heart was about to explode from her chest, Bella wasn't even paying attention to the chaos outside.

She was shrivelled up in the corner of the room, dragging her knees to her chin and wrapping her arms around her legs. Pain tore through every part of her body, and she bit her hand to prevent herself from screaming. The pain was intense, unlike anything she had ever faced. Only her forearm was burned, and yet it felt like her entire body had been left over the open fire.

The pounding on the door continued, and she shook with each heavy knock the door took. She could feel his anger, like a poisonous cloud which was washing over her. He had never been this angry before, and she was gutted to think that for one fleeting moment, she thought she had escaped this madness. For less than twenty four hours, she had actually believed that she had escaped. But then reality kicked in, and now here she was, on the receiving end of his wrath.

She had been plotting her escape for months actually. Alpha Luke hadn't paid any attention to her during that period, which was why she thought she could get away with it. He never sought her out, except for a few nights when he would stumble to her room at night and rip off her dress. Bella knew to withdraw into the deepest and darkest part of herself whenever that happened, and as he pounded into her swiftly and silently, she would allow her tears to flow freely. Once he was done, he would turn around and walk out of her room without even a single word.

It was after one of these horrible nights that she told herself she was going to escape. Her plan was airtight; once the sun set, she would pretend to carry a random box to the shed behind the manor. No one would stop her, because it was very common for her to do that. Afterwards, she would slip through the c***k in the fence which she had spent weeks enlarging, making sure it was large enough to let her pass through. Once she was out of the manor, she would make a run for it until she crossed the river which ran across the back of the house, and then she would keep heading east until she reached the highway. Once she reached the highway, he would never be able to find her.

Everything had been going smoothly, until she passed the fence and suddenly came face to face with Brandon, Luke's beta. Bella froze at the sight of him, and she knew instantly that she was f****d. Brandon was out on his evening patrol, and he didn't even hesitate before he howled into the darkness and alerted his Alpha.

What happened next was a blur. Luke came down and found her with her bag filled with clothes, and the guilty expression on her face told him everything he needed to know. Bella felt like her heart was going to explode from her chest, and she was scared witless as he made his way towards her.

A heavy slap landed across her face, and she fell to the ground in a face-full of dirt.

"You thought you could escape, didn't you?" he growled. "You f*****g b***h! You think you can get away from me that easily, don't you?"

A kick to her face caused blood to splatter across the ground, and she cried out in agony. Luke didn't pause even for a second. He descended on her, heavy punches landing on every part of her body. Bella's screams were lost to the roar of the wind, until he dragged her back to the manor and threw her on the floor of his study.

"Do you have any idea how f*****g stupid you are?" he thundered. "You think you can embarrass me in front of everyone and get away with it?"

Bella was sobbing on the floor, covered in blood and bruises. It took every ounce of her strength to stay conscious, as she could feel herself slipping into the familiar darkness already.

"You will never attempt something like this again, do you understand me?" he thundered. "Never again."

She said nothing, but Luke mistook that for defiance. He lunged at her once again, this time dragging her towards the fire which was burning in the grate. Bella screamed as she tried to get away from him, but he held her in place effortlessly, and then he brought her arm over the open flame.

Her screams filled the entire manor, and Luke took a savage pleasure in listening to her. He held her hand firmly in place, unbothered by his own arm which was burning as well. He would heal from this quickly; she wouldn't.

With a sudden jerk, Bella wrenched her arm from his grip and bolted out of the room. Luke hurried after her, but she seemed to be moving with some blinding speed which he'd never seen before. In a second, she was up in her room and had bolted the door behind her, seconds before he began to pound on the door.

Now she sat in the corner of the room, desperate for the noise to stop. Her tears were flowing nonstop, and her pain was so familiar that she wondered if there had ever been a time when she wasn't so miserable.

A time when her mate wasn't an abusive Alpha who thrived on hurting her.

"You're f*****g dead, do you hear me?" he whispered harshly. "f*****g dead."

Bella drew her knees tighter towards her and screamed. In that moment, she wished that death would come and save her from this misery and hopelessness. Surely even hell would be better than this nightmare.

But fate had a different plan in store for her. Indeed, her life was about to take a turn which she had never expected. Because at that exact moment, nearly six thousand miles away, her true mate had suddenly woken up from his nightmare, with a single word on his lips.

"Bella."

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