Claimed By Three

Chapter 2

LYRA'S POV

They bound me to the wall in chains, a silver collar wrapped around my neck to keep me in place. I had learned to sit still because the silver always burned when it touched my skin. I had bruises and cuts everywhere.

According to Alpha Damien, the demon that ruined my life, I had been his slave for 5 years. He only brought me out of my cell when he wanted me to entertain his guests, or belittle me in front of his pack.

I was the one he poured his anger on when things didn't go well for him. He would always punish me for the slightest things.

Sunlight barely filtered into this prison I now called home, making it difficult to tell night from day. My thoughts wandered very often, drifting in and out of reality had become a habit for me over the years.

The door to my cell creaked loudly as it swung open. My stomach knotted and my hands trembled. I didn't dare look up to meet the gaze of the man who took everything from me. Master Damien.

An evil smile formed on his lips as he stepped closer to me. He didn't even lock the door behind him, he didn't need to. It wasn't like I could leave the room or anything.

He stepped closer, and I instinctively pressed my back against the wall. My heart hammered against my ribs as he knelt directly in front me,his eyes locking onto mine. I feared for what he might want to do with me again.

“Get her,” he ordered the two tall guards at the door, smirking as he handed them the keys to my chains.

They pulled me roughly behind them and I winced in pain. My neck burned and my heart boiled. I vowed to myself that Damien would never get away with all he had done to me. I would end him, one way or another.

My heart gave heavy thuds as I thought of what they wanted to do to me.

“Where are you taking me?!” I yelled before I could stop myself. The words slipped out.

Damien paused in his steps, prompting the guards to stop moving as well.

Damien paused, and the guards stopped too. I shouldn't have spoken, now he'd give me the beating of my life.

The look in his eyes was the same as the one he had six years ago when he took me away.

“Since when did you start asking questions?” he sneered.

A heavy slap swept me from my feet. I cried as I charged towards him.

“b***h,” he spat and continued walking. The guards resumed the dragging.

We entered the massive banquet hall.

He threw me to the floor,my head pounding as I hit the ground.

I kept my eyes down, and wept silently.

I screamed inside my head. If I survived this night, I’d find a way out. And when I did, I swore I swore I would never let anyone cage me again.

“Gentlemen, this is the innocent,naïve,yet beautiful young lady I told you about.”

From the corner of my eye, a tall man rose from his seat. His shoes clinked against the floor as he walked toward me with graceful steps. My body stiffened, every nerve on fire.

He circled me before speaking. “I'll be taking her. Get her ready immediately.”

Taking me? What did he mean?

“Okay, Alpha Lucian,” Damien answered, dragging my chain. My feet scraped the wooden floor. The silver burned and blisters dotted my neck.

“Get them off her!” Lucian boomed.

“What?”

“Did I stutter?”

With a heavy sigh Damien fumbled with the keys as he unlocked it. The collar slipped free and hit the floor with a metallic clang. I whimpered, my hands flying to my throat as I rubbed my tender skin.

Lucian walked around me once more,but this time,he paused right in front me. He stared at me for what seemed like hours.

The world moved in slow motion as I studied his gold, piercing eyes. I caught his scent as he leaned in closer;he smelled like freshly fallen rain.

My heartbeat quickened under his stare. Now that the silver collar was gone, his scent reached me.

He waved at Damien. “Take her away.”

“Wait.”

A voice called. I turned and saw two intoxicating handsome men walking into the hall. They look just like this man. They must have been brothers.

One smelled like freshly baked cupcakes, and the other,like pumpkin spice.

They strode towards me and my breath quickened.

“Mates.”

I heard a voice. It wasn’t loud, it was in my head. My chest tightened. I wasn’t imagining that… was I?

“We haven't met her yet.”

A tall, broad-chested man with a tattoo visible at his neck stepped forward. He tilted my chin up to meet his gaze. “Hello, princess,” he cooed, smiling broadly.

“She’s a beauty, Lucian,” he added. Damien nodded, pride on his face.

“Feed her properly,get her cleaned up and ensure she is healed before we come to claim her.” the other man that just stood there quietly said. He had glowing silver eyes and his build was strong.

“I hope I made myself clear?” he finished.

Damien nodded quickly. “You have my word. She will be ready for your arrival a few hours from now.”

As soon as the men left,Lucian dragged me into the headmaid's quarter.

“Prepare her for her new masters,” he ordered the maid, pushing me to the floor. “They will be here for her in a few hours. If she is not prepared properly, your head will roll.” He slammed the door shut.

Wow, he was selling me.

She heaved a sigh, jerking me up off the floor.

“We have a lot of work to do in such short notice,child,” she shoved me towards her bathroom and ran a hot bath for me. It was then I realised, I hadn't had a proper bath in thirteen years. The pack guards would usually just spray water on me with a hose.

This felt like a nice change,and I savored the moment. Then, without warning, she shoved me forward. My knees knocked against the tub’s edge before I crashed into the bath, water splattering against my face.

She rolled her eyes, scrubbing me from head to toe. I had never felt so clean in my life by the time she had finished. I quickly stepped out of the tub to avoid her grabbing me again.

“I washed you with a medicated soap,your wounds will heal faster now. Come,let me get you fed,” she said , walking out of the bathroom.

I followed her silently as she left me to a small table in her room where food was already sitting.

“Hurry up,now. We are behind schedule. Your bath took longer than I had planned.”

I tore through the plates, shoving mouthful after mouthful past my lips. The flavors crashed together, rich and overwhelming. After years of nothing but soggy bread with a smear of jelly and rubbery boiled eggs, I couldn’t even tell what I was eating.

“Mates.”

The word rang in my head again, sharp as a drumbeat. My breath caught, panic scraping up my throat. Was I losing my mind? What was this voice,this word? Mates?

The headmaid took my plates without a word and moved to the bed. My gaze followed her, and that was when I noticed the gown waiting there. It was short, white, and far more elegant than anything I had ever worn, ever.

“Can I ask you something?” I asked her, still sitting where I had eaten.

She ignored me for a few moments before speaking. “Speak quickly. I am not here to converse with you?”

“What are mates?”

The room echoed with her laughter. “I'm not your mother. She should have explained this to you before her demise.”

“Mates are your soulmates gifted to you by the moon goddess herself,” she finally answered. My eyes lit up as I smiled brightly.

“Do not get your hopes up,child. You are going to be nothing more than a play toy that these men will use to satisfy their lustful desires.

I lowered my head, the tears escaping against my command. I wiped them away in haste, praying she hadn’t seen.

She raised my head up to meet her gaze. “I'm going to apply light makeup on you. I want your innocence to be a bit more pronounced so they will be more pleased.”

In no time,she scattered the products on my face as if she was working on a masterpiece.

She threw the short white dress at me, signalling for me to put it on, once she had finished combing my hair.

She pointed to the bathroom as she gave me another command. “Just take a look in the mirror. Do not touch your face. No crying. Understood?”

I walked into the bathroom, looking my self over as I failed to recognise myself. My long,white hair was lightly curled, laying gracefully across my shoulders and trailing down my back. I looked…beautiful.

The makeup, although it was light,still made my green eyes brighter than I had ever seen them. She walked in and dropped a pair of white flat shoes at my feet.

“Our mates will love how we look now.”

I stumbled backwards. The voice had come again,but this time,louder.

We? Our mates? Who was this voice? As I thought about these questions, I heard a feminine voice chuckle.

“I almost forgot to introduce myself. I'm Thalira,your wolf. It's nice to finally speak with you.”

“My wolf?”I enquired curiously. I had never thought I would even get a wolf.

“Yes! Happy birthday by the way. I didn't intend for us to meet this way though. You were supposed to shift…but for now,I will stand on the side till we finally meet our mates.”

“They are here.” Damien burst through the door, cutting our conversation short.

“Do not test their patience!” he warned with an evil glance in my direction.

“She wouldn't need to. She's ready,” the headmaid said, getting up from the chair she sat on.

He ordered me to follow him. I did.

My heart raced as I feared they wouldn't like me. I needed them to set me free from this hell. Anywhere was better than here.

Damien walked me to the car where they all stood, casting glances at me.

Lucian smiled as he bit his lower lip. “She's pure and innocent right? Never been touched nor aroused? Never shifted?”

“That is correct. She is supposed to shift tonight during the full moon but I suppose her wolf will be too weak because of the silver she has worn all this while,” Damien smiled, pride evident in his eyes.

“I will handle that. I'll ensure she's ready for me tonight,” Lucian smirked as he pulled a thick stack of cash from his car and pressed it into Damien’s waiting hand. The headmaid was right. They just needed me for pleasure. I was nothing to them. After thirteen years of chains,I had been sold into new ones.

I had become their property.