Pains
1582 Words
Moe's POV
I was pushed to the ground of the cells instantly as Dexter barked, "You dared to lay your filthy f*****g hands on Laura?" He asked, his voice heavy and filled with something dark that made the small underground space feel even tighter than it already was.
My body hit the cold concrete floor hard, and the impact knocked the air out of my lungs. The smell of damp walls and iron bars filled my nose.
My palms scraped against the rough surface, and pain shot up my arms. I tried to sit up, but before I could even gather myself properly, Chase's boots came into my view.
"She's gaining more guts because we let her live in the pack house," Chase added, his tone colder than winter. There was no sympathy in his eyes, only disgust and anger.
My heart was racing so fast I thought I would faint. My baby. They had taken him from me when the guards dragged me out.
They had told Dexter and Chase everything at once, explaining that I had attacked Laura, that I had caused a scene, that I had disrespected their Alpha.
I had screamed and begged them not to take my child, but no one listened. They were already furious before I even reached this cells right now.
Now I was alone with them here.
"I did not hurt her," I said, forcing the words out even though my lips were trembling. "I was only saving my marriage. I am married to Damien and I am the Luna, I would not stand another woman entering my matrimonial room. I hadn't even finished—"
KPAA! A hot slap landed on my face so hard that my head snapped to the side and my vision went white for a second. I crashed back to the ground, my cheek burning, my ears ringing.
Dexter crouched down in front of me slowly, like he was looking at something disgusting. His fingers grabbed my chin roughly and forced my face up.
"Luna?" he repeated mockingly. "You dare call yourself that?"
His grip tightened painfully. I could feel his wolf close to the surface, his eyes flashing faint silver. He was just like Damien. They all were.
"If not because you are mated to us," Dexter continued, his voice low and dangerous, "do you think we would ever let you come close to the pack house? Do you think we would allow the disgraced Gamma's daughter to breathe the same air as us?"
My stomach dropped.
The truth of his words hit me hard. The only reason I had been brought into their lives was because the Moon Goddess not only tied me to Damien but to them as well. Because rejecting me would weaken them. Because breaking the bond would fracture their strength as Alphas.
Chase stepped closer, towering over me. "You should be grateful," he said coldly. "We tolerated you. We gave you a roof. We allowed you to stay in our brother's house. And this is how you repay us? By attacking a pregnant woman?"
"I did not attack her!" I cried, pushing myself up onto my knees. My hands shook violently. "She lied! I didn't even touch her properly. She fell on her own."
Dexter laughed, but there was no humor in it. It was sharp and cruel.
"You expect us to believe you over her?" he asked. "Laura carries Alpha blood in her womb."
Those words made my heart skip.
Alpha blood.
I opened my mouth to speak but Chase suddenly grabbed my arm and yanked me up to my feet so roughly that my shoulder burned.
"You think because you birthed a child, you suddenly have power?" Chase's voice was right in my ear now, his breath hot and heavy. "You think being mated to us makes you untouchable?"
I tried to pull away, but his grip was too strong. I felt small between them, weak, trapped.
"My child is yours," I said desperately. "He is of Alpha blood too."
Dexter's expression darkened immediately.
"Don't say that," he snapped. "Don't you dare compare that boy to what Laura is carrying."
My heart stopped.
That boy.
That was how he referred to my son.
"He is Damien's son," I whispered, my voice shaking. "He has his eyes, just like all of you, You all know it."
Chase's fingers tightened painfully around my arm.
"Those eyes mean nothing," he said. "Bloodlines mean everything. And that child—"
He stopped, glancing at Dexter.
"And that child what?" I asked, fear creeping into my bones.
Dexter stood up slowly and looked down at me like I was beneath him.
"That child will never be Alpha," he said calmly.
The words did not make sense at first.
"What?" I breathed.
"You heard me," Dexter continued. "He will never lead this pack. He will never sit on the Alpha seat. He will never command warriors. He will never inherit what belongs to us."
My knees felt weak again.
"But… he's Damien's first son," I said. "That means—"
"It means nothing," Chase interrupted harshly. "Do you think we would let the son of a traitor's bloodline rule over us? Your father sold information to rogues. Our cousin brother the Beta died protecting this pack. And you think your son deserves to lead?"
My throat felt tight."My father's sins are not mine," I said softly.
Dexter suddenly grabbed my hair and pulled my head back, forcing me to look up at him.
"They are," he said firmly. "Everything about you is a stain. We only endure it because the bond ties you to us. Because breaking it would cost us strength."
His words cut deeper than any slap.
"So behave," Chase added, his voice cold and threatening. "Know your place. Stop challenging Laura. Stop challenging Damien."
"I am his mate!" I shouted suddenly, something wild rising inside me. "All of you are my mates! I am not some random woman you picked up from the streets!"
The cell went quiet for a second.
Dexter's jaw tightened.
"Yes," he said slowly. "You are mated to us. But do not confuse that with importance."
He released my hair, and I fell back to my knees again.
"You were chosen by fate," he continued. "Not by us."
Tears blurred my vision.
"I never asked for any of this," I whispered.
"And neither did we," Chase shot back immediately."Blame the moon Goddess for ever creating such a cursed bond."
Silence fell for a few seconds, but it was heavy and filled with tension.
Then Dexter spoke again, his voice calmer but even more dangerous.
"You humiliated my brother today."
"I was protecting my marriage," I insisted weakly.
"You embarrassed him in front of his warriors," Chase said. "You challenged his authority."
"You made him look weak," Dexter added.
That was it.
That was the real problem.
It was never about Laura.
"I was hurt," I said softly. "He brought another woman into our room, cheating is not something the pack tolerates, it's against the rules"
Chase's eyes hardened.
"And you think screaming and causing drama is the way to handle it?" he asked. "You think acting like a jealous worthless woman fits the Luna of this pack?"
The word Luna sounded like an insult now.
Dexter suddenly grabbed my arms and forced me to stand again.
"If you cannot act properly," he said slowly, leaning closer to my face, "then we will teach you."
A chill ran down my spine.
"How to be silent," Chase added immediately.
Dexter's hand slid to my throat, firm enough to remind me how easily he could stop my breath.
"You will respect Laura," he said. "You will not question Damien. You will not interfere again."
"And if I do?" I asked, even though I was terrified of the answer.
Dexter and Chase exchanged a look.
Then Chase leaned down until his lips were near my ear.
"If you don't behave," he said slowly, "you'll lose your stupid child."
My heart stopped.
"What?" I gasped.
"You heard me," Dexter said, his voice flat and emotionless. "That boy is only alive because he is tied to us."
My breathing became uneven.
Chase's grip tightened again."Don't test us."
Tears streamed down my face uncontrollably now.
"He's innocent," I said. "He did nothing."
"Then make sure you do nothing," Dexter replied coldly.
My entire body was shaking.
"If you continue embarrassing our brother," Chase said, "if you continue acting out of line, we will make sure he grows up far away from you. Or worse."
My vision blurred again as silence filled the space again.
"You need to understand something clearly," Chase said. "Laura's child carries clean Alpha blood. That child will be the future of this pack."
"And yours," Dexter added, looking down at me with no emotion at all, "will never be Alpha."
The words shocked me to my bones.
It felt like someone had ripped my heart out and crushed it in front of me.
Never be Alpha.
My son.
My baby.
The tiny boy who had just learned to smile. They were already deciding his future. They were already stripping him of his place.
My lips trembled as Chase released my arm abruptly, and I stumbled slightly.
"You will stay here tonight," Dexter said. "Think about your actions."
My body felt numb.
"If you want your son to stay alive and anywhere near this pack," Dexter said one last time, "learn to behave."
- Writer
