Chapter 8
1067 Words
Elizabeth’s POV.
“Leave my man alone!” Those were the last words I heard before everything happened so suddenly.
I woke up with a start, the sudden impact throwing me off balance. My body collided with the cupboard next to the window, sending a jolt of pain through my skull as my head connected with the wall.
“Ah!” A sharp cry escaped my lips, but before it could fully form, Sandra's hand clamped over my mouth, silencing me with a menacing glare.
“You think I will let you take my man away from me?”
“You think you can just waltz in her and get to be his mate when I worked so hard to be by his side?”
“You think I'd allow that?”
Her eyes bore into mine, full of malice as she warned me in a hushed tone. "If you scream and attract Alpha Tyson, I'll make your life a living hell."
Fear gripped my heart like icy claws, paralyzing me as I nodded frantically in understanding.
I couldn't afford to provoke Sandra, not with the fragile state of my existence hanging by a thread.
Seeing as she had bullied me into submission, she finally allowed her hand off my lips.
Tears welled up in my eyes as I cradled the back of my throbbing head, feeling the tender spot where pain blossomed into existence. I tried to soothe the ache away, but it persisted, a relentless reminder of my vulnerability.
“Your head aching you is only the beginning of what you will get if you do not leave my mate alone, and you know I mean it.”
Sandra showed no remorse as she towered over me, her presence casting a shadow of dread.
“You know what?” She paused and then came back to stand before me, “Get up!”
Without a word of apology, she seized a handful of my auburn hair and yanked me to my feet.
“Sandra please!”
A cry of anguish escaped my lips until she finally released her grip, leaving me standing on shaky legs. I finally got up but dared not to face her for fear of anything else that was coming my way.
“It's good that you know your place.”
Her voice cut through the tense silence, sharp and demanding. "But before that, have you rejected Alpha Tyson yet?"
My heart sank like a stone as I shook my head slowly, unable to meet her piercing gaze.
Before I could muster a response, her hand connected with my cheek in a stinging slap. Pain radiated from the scratch her sharp nails left behind, mingling with the tears that flowed freely down my cheeks.
"Like I said, this is only the beginning," Sandra hissed, her words dripping with venom. "Reject him, or I'll make sure you regret it for the rest of your miserable existence."
I flinched as she made a mock gesture to strike me again, my hands instinctively rising to shield my face from further harm. With a final disdainful glance, Sandra turned on her heel and left me alone in the suffocating silence of the room, my sobs echoing off the walls.
Despair washed over me like a wave, threatening to engulf me in its relentless grip. How had my life spiraled into this nightmare? Trapped in a world where I was nothing more than a pawn in the power struggles of those around me, with no escape in sight.
As I crumpled to the floor, my tears mingling with the blood that stained my cheek, I knew that the battle had only just begun. And in the war for my freedom, I was fighting not only against Alpha Tyson's acclaimed mate but against my insecurities too, seeing as I could barely protect myself against the cruel machinations of a female like myself.
Alone and broken, I clung to the flickering hope within me, telling myself that this was for the better. At least Connor wasn't with me. I tried to look at things from the positive.
Maybe I needed this. I needed Sandra's hatred and bullying to distract me from Connor, so I had to face and embrace them.
Hopefully, they didn't kill me.
With a trembling breath, I closed my eyes, letting the darkness envelop me as I surrendered to the crushing weight of despair. I was in my own little world when someone tapped me on the shoulder.
“Elizabeth?”
I opened my eyes for a bit, black hair and black eyes stared back at me, lips full and luscious with eyebrows that caved in.
“Why are you lying on the floor?”
I sighed and tried to stand but couldn't. Tyson reached for my arm and gently pulled me up.
“What happened?”
He noticed I was in pain as he pulled me to stand. “Did you hit your head?”
His eyes mirrored pity as I came to see them clearly in the florescent lights from above our heads, his expression twisted so well to show concern.
I wanted to tell him. I wanted to confess that I wasn't fine in his pack. I wasn't happy at all.
“Alpha Tyson.”
I parted my lips to say something to him, but the words stuck to my throat. They refused to come out.
“Do you want to tell me something, Elizabeth?” He offered, his lips trying to twist at the corners. He must have seen how difficult it was for me to say a word and thought looking friendly would help, but it didn't.
It made me even more uneasy.
“Come on. Tell me what happened?” His lips began to cover his teeth as he tilted his head, leaned forward, and raised an eyebrow, “I'm a busy man. You're wasting my time.”
That ended all my trials, to be honest. I shifted backward a step, tightened the curves of my lips, and faked a chuckle, “It's nothing alpha.”
He studied me for a short while and then retreated. He stood up to leave when he bumped into my friend, Rose.
Rose greeted him and then faced me. I knew that look on her face.
“Rose…no.”
Rose eyed me, “Isn't there something you would like to tell the Alpha?”
- Writer
