Chapter 5.
1742 Words
Pandora’s POV.
A wake with a gasp as cold water trickles down my face and body. I look around frantically as I take in the room. It is different from the one I woke up in.
My hands are secured, stretched out at my sides. My throat feels tight and my ankles have been chained.
“Awake, I see. Good.” I blink, and fear courses through me. As I look at the hulking male not far from me. He is standing there with his feet apart and his arms at his sides. He is beautiful. Dark brown hair shaved to the scalp at the sides, the rest of his hair is braided and adorned with silver cuffs. His eyes are green. He has dark tribal tattoos down his throat, down to his wrists, and he has skulls tattooed on the back of his hands. He is tall, muscular, and it looks like he could pop my head off with one of his biceps if it were to be wrapped around my throat.
He is wearing black jeans and a black t-shirt that is stretched so tight it will rip if he moves. I can see the impressions of his abs and n*****s through the shirt.
“Eyes up here.” He snaps and I find myself looking up into his eyes.
“Why a… am … I … He… Here?” I shiver out as the water drips from my braid and hospital gown and I realise he can probably see everything and I look down, feeling embarrassed.
“I said, look at me!” He snaps again and I lift my head and Pearl is growling in my head.
“What is your name?” He says and I bite the inside of my cheek.
“Answer me.” He says when he steps forward and grabs my face, pinching my cheeks, forcing me to whimper loudly.
“Pandoora.” I say as best as I can with my cheeks being squished. He releases me and I move my jaw around to stop the ache and the tingles from the mate bond.
“Pandora, Pandora Morningstar.” I say to him and he watches me, tilting his head to the side.
“Impossible. You’re lying. They all died.” He sneers and I shake my head frantically.
“I’m telling the truth. That is my name.” I say, trying to get him to listen. I know he is my mate, but he is not the one who brought me here. I can tell by his scent.
“Why were you in The Hounds Of Hell Pack? Why where they trying to kill you?” he asks and I look away.
“Not going to tell me? Fine, let’s see how long you last.” He says, walking away until he comes back with something in his hands. I try to shrink away but I can’t get away from him. Why is my mate doing this? I knew I wasn’t loveable. All my life I have been told so.
“You going to talk?” He says as he brings the silver blade close to my skin and I can feel and hear my skin sing.
“Tell me. Why were you there? And why were they trying to kill you? ANSWER ME, PANDORA, OR I WILL START CUTTING INTO YOU!” she shouts and I jolt.
“The luna. Luna Charlotte.” I say and he looks at me.
“What about her?” He says and I shiver and feel like I’m going to wet myself.
“She promised me.” I say as the tears burn my eyes.
“Promised you what?” He pushes, and the blade pierces my flesh and I scream.
“TO TELL ME WHAT SHE KNEW ABOUT MY PARENTS!” I scream, and he stops and moves back slightly.
“And you believed her? No, there is more to this and you will tell me. What do you know about the wolves and humans going missing?” He says and I look at him and shake my head frantically, because I don’t know anything.
“No, you don’t know or you won’t tell me?” He says as he brings the knife up to my face and I screw my eyes closed.
“I don’t know what you’re on about. Please, I’m your mate.” I say to him and he chuckles darkly.
“Only when I decide you are. You think I don’t know what women like you are capable of? That you are a spy for them? Come to take more of our pack secrets, right? So desperate that you would use that name to get them?” What is he talking about?
“I don’t know what you mean. They were going to kill me.” I say and he watches me. I can see his eyes changing from green to black and back again, and I know he is talking with his wolf. He frowns, shakes his head and snarls at me.
“Why?” he pushes again and I scream out.
“BECAUSE I SURVIVED!” I scream, and he looks at me. He blinks and tilts his head to side, assessing me.
“Survived what?” He asks and I break down sobbing as Pearl comes forward and I don’t have the strength to push her back.
“Can you not see the marks on us? Can you not feel our sorrow? You are an alpha. We are your goddess given mate, and this is how you treat that gift?” Pearl snaps and I look up and his eyes widen and I know he sees her through my eyes.
“Your eyes. What is wrong with your eyes? No, it can’t be.” He says and I’m confused. What is he talking about? I go to ask when the door opens and another man steps in. His scent calms me as he steps past this lunatic and stands in front of him.
Our mate, the one who brought me here. The one who was in the room when I woke up for a few seconds.
“Enough!” He says, and the lunatic growls at him and the kind one just growls back.
“This is not how we do this.” The kind one says and I feel the need to reach for him, but I can’t.
“I told you this is what needed to be done to get answers. The answers she is hiding. She is delusional using that name thinking it would weaken us.” The lunatic snaps and I don’t know what I did so wrong or who hurt him to think that me, his mate, would betray him. That I would use a false name.
“They used me.” I whisper and they both stop growling and I can feel their eyes on me and I lift my head as the tears fall.
“They used me like a puppet. They told me if I did what they asked, they would tell me about my parents. That they would help me find them. Even though the pack labelled them as traitors.” I say and I’m full on sobbing now when I look away and Pearl whines in my head.
“How did they use you? Oh, gods, did they rape you?” The kind one asks growling so loudly that I shrink away and I shake my head no. Because they didn’t. They beat me, allowed the pack to degrade me, but never that.
“No, they did … other things.” I say, and they both growl now and I look up.
“What did they make you do that you survived when you shouldn’t have?” The lunatic asks, and I bite my bottom lip and I blink and breathe out a breath to calm myself.
“Me and the other omegas. They used us as their …”
“As their what?” The lunatic snaps.
“Enough, brother, let her tell her truth.” The kind one says and I gulp the bile that is burning up my throat.
“Their drug mule. They use the omegas to traffic drugs. The luna promised that I had to do one more and then they would tell me about my parents. Little did I know that I would be the only one to survive.” I say before I burst into tears and I want to cover my face, but I can’t. So I look down. My shoulders are shaking as I see the faces of the omegas from that night. Knowing they will never be given the funeral rites so they can run in the fields alongside our goddess.
“What about the humans?” The lunatic asks more softly and I look up at him and snarl. Feeling all the rage and fear as it comes to a head inside of me. Pushing Pearl forward. My hands turn, my fingers growing longer and my claws erupt as I scream before I howl.
“I know nothing about the humans!” My jaw snaps, and I scream as blood fills my mouth.
“Hold on, Pandora, I can’t stop it.” Pearl says with a loud whine before she convulses.
“She is shifting without the full moon! GET HER DOWN NOW!” the voices blur and whirl. When I drop to the floor and convulse. The pain is too much. I feel like I’m being torn apart. My claws rake down my face, tearing at the skin to stop the burning.
“MAKE IT STOP!” I say before I howl loudly and then scream. Everything is merging and splitting and I can’t do anything to stop it.
I see alpha Fredrick’s face as he laughs, hear all the words he spoke. Every betrayal, every lie comes rushing to the surface as I heave and arch.
With each snap, I see the flames. With each stretch and pop of ligaments and muscle, I see his red eyes dancing in the flames.
“Come to me.” The voice says and I scream no.
My skin is on fire and my insides boil. My back breaks and the scars and markings ache and I scream out again. The sound of fabric tearing and the sound of panicked voices fill my ears and then. Nothing.
- Writer
