Zhera
839 Words
When the feast ended, Derek didn't carry Zehra back to the room, He dragged her by the wrist, his pace so fast she had to stumble to keep up. The alcohol had fueled his aggression, and he was screaming for a release that felt more like a war than an act of passion.
"You're mine," he hissed into her ear, his teeth grazing her skin with enough force to leave a bruise.
"In the light, they mock you, In the dark, you are the only thing that keeps me sane,Do you hate me, Zehra?"
"I pity you," she gasped, her voice breaking.
His response was a growl that shook the bedframe.
He took her again, harder this time, as if he could f*ck the pity out of her soul, He didn't see the silver tears tracking down her face, nor did he see the way her fingers clutched the sheets, her nails turning into sharp, wolfish points for a fleeting second before receding.
****
The following morning, Derek left for a border patrol, leaving Zehra at the mercy of the pack's women.
Without his direct presence, the maltreatment took on a more physical, spiteful edge.
The Omegas and the lower ranking females were led by Liora, Camille’s closest friend.
They cornered Zehra in the laundry courtyard, where the steam from the massive vats of boiling water created a thick, suffocating mist.
"The Alpha is gone for the day," Liora said, her eyes gleaming with malice,"Which means the special treatment ends,The laundry needs doing, and the human needs to earn her keep."
They shoved Zehra toward the vats,The water was near boiling, the lye fumes stinging her eyes,Zehra tried to lift the heavy, water logged sheets, but her body was exhausted from Derek’s nighttime demands,she stumbled, and the hot water splashed against her arms.
She cried out in pain, but the women only laughed.
"Does it hurt, little toy?" Liora mocked, stepping closer and grabbing Zehra’s hair, "Imagine how much it will hurt when Derek realizes Camille’s father is bringing an army to take back his daughter.
Do you think he’ll fight for a human? He’ll hand you over as a peace offering."
Liora leaned in, her voice a venomous whisper. "I heard Silas is still looking for you. He’s offered a bounty,Maybe we should just let him know where you are."
Zehra’s breath hitched,The mention of Silas brought back the smell of his cigars and the sound of the attic door locking,her trauma flared, but this time, it didn't make her shrink,It made her boil.
The water in the vats began to bubble violently, though the fire beneath them hadn't changed, the mist thickened, turning a strange, ghostly silver.
"Stay away from me," Zehra said, her voice dropping an octave, sounding ancient and heavy.
"Or what?" Liora laughed, reaching out to slap her.
Before the hand could connect, the shadow of a massive, spectral wolf lunged from the steam,it wasn't physical, but the force of it knocked Liora and the other women backward.
They screamed as the wind whipped through the courtyard, freezing the boiling water in mid air.
Zehra stood in the center of the chaos, her silver eyes glowing with a terrifying intensity.
She didn't know how she was doing it, but she knew she was no longer the girl from the orphanage.
Derek returned that evening to find the pack in an uproar.
Liora had been found shivering and catatonic in the courtyard, claiming she had been attacked by a ghost.
Derek stormed into his chambers, ready to demand answers.
He found Zehra standing on the balcony, her back to him,She was wearing nothing but a thin shift, and the moon was shining so brightly it made her skin look like polished marble.
"What did you do?" Derek demanded, his voice a low thunder.
Zehra turned, On her arms, where the hot water had splashed, there were no burns.
Instead, there were intricate, glowing patterns,marks of the Moon Goddess, symbols of a Lycan Queen’s awakening.
"I didn't do anything, Derek," she said, her voice calm. "I just stopped being afraid."
Derek walked toward her, his hand reaching out to grab her, but he stopped.
For the first time, he felt a spark of fear. Not of her strength, but of the realization that he was losing his grip on his toy.
She was becoming something he couldn't control.
His wolf, Vane, whined in his head, a sound of pure submission.
"You're a human," he whispered, his voice cracking.
"You're supposed to be weak."
"I am whatever the Moon needs me to be," Zehra replied.
She walked past him, her shoulder brushing his, She didn't flinch, She didn't look down.
Derek stood alone on the balcony, the scent of her power filling his lungs, He looked at the bed, then at her retreating figure, and for the first time in his life, Alpha Derek felt small.
He had spent weeks breaking her, only to realize he had been forging a weapon that might eventually turn on him.
- Writer
