Chapter 2
1522 Words
Kali POV
My words made Venus snarl at me. She was hurting. First from our mate's rejection then the accusations he threw at us.
I understood her proposition but running away was something I was not willing to do. Wouldn't that mean I was guilty as charged?
" I am not going anywhere until Alpha Luca grants me an audience. I have to prove my innocence.” I answered firmly.
What would running help us with? No matter what hole we crawled into,we were never going to escape Luca’s wrath.
Running away would also mean letting the person who took Katya's life and framed me walk scot-free.
“ Prove your innocence with what exactly? Crawling and groveling under his feet, begging him to believe you? Let's face it,he will never listen to a word you say let alone believe your innocence.” Venus snarled in my mind.
I hated to admit that she was right but that part of me that still believed in our matebond pressed on.
“I am not doing this for us only. Katya didn't deserve to have her life taken so brutally. Whoever murdered her is still out there. Do you think her soul will rest in peace?” I shot back,trying not to sound annoyed at my wolf.
However, Venus sneered. “ You think she is proud of you now? Kneeling here, torturing yourself for days fighting for what you can't achieve. This is not what you need. You need to be powerful. That's the only way you can serve her the justice she deserves.” My wolf suggested.
I almost laughed out loud at her words. Power?
“Sounds tempting but who the hell would give us that? Our own mate rejected us,mocked us and accused us. I bet he can't wait to get rid of us. My parents were omegas. That's the sad reality of our life.” I reminded her.
" What a stubborn human." My Wolf spat before retreating to the back of my mind.
Yes, she was right. I was born stubborn as a mule. Stubbornness and my pride were the only things I could brag about. That's why I planned to kneel until I was granted an audience by Luca.
If I could not succeed, at least I would die trying. Giving up is a word I knew nothing about.
My growling stomach acted as a reminder that I had taken nothing more than a few sips of water for the last two days.
I didn't feel hungry nor was I in the mood to eat anything, not like anyone bothered to give me anything to eat.
Maybe to them, I would do humanity a favor if I died out of hunger.
Night passed and morning came. I could feel my body was at its breaking point.
My drenched body, swollen knees, grumbling stomach and burning body made me feel like I was breaking apart.
My vision became blurry before darkness swallowed me entirely.
The freezing water thrown to me served to jolt me back to my senses.
“ I almost celebrated your death. Turns out you refuse to die just like you refuse to admit to your crime.” A voice I knew so well mocked.His words were filled with venom, making my already broken heart shatter into small pieces.
Luca sat on a chair, high and mighty like the Alpha he was.
He was looking down at me with those cold and piercing dark orbs. His gaze was like a king's looking down at his subjects. Under his piercing gaze, I felt like an ant facing an elephant.
If looks could kill, I sure would have been six feet under, shredded like minced meat.
" Luca please, believe me.I did not commit whatever crime I am being accused of." I attempted to explain myself, crawling on my already hurting knees to reach him.
However, what welcomed me was a harsh kick on my chest which sent me flying meters away from him before crashing on the wall. The impact made me choke on my blood.
" Are you trying to insinuate that I am blind and framing you? I saw you with my own eyes. How dare you still deny it at this point?” He retorted.
He claimed he saw me kill her, but I was only trying to see if she was still breathing.
My hands were covered with blood, making it difficult to prove myself otherwise.
" I swear I don't know what happened. I passed out and when I woke up,the princess was already…" I attempted to explain but my words seemed to have triggered Luca.
He marched to me,his hands wrapping around my neck in a tight grip.
“ Don't f*****g take my sister's name in your rotten mouth.” He screamed at me,his expressions twisted.
The pressure on my neck made it hard for me to breathe. I clawed my hands at him but he didn't bulge. Slowly, I started seeing darkness.
Just when I thought I'd be finally meeting the moon Goddess, Luca released me.
I gasped for breath,my hands flying to my neck where Luca choked me.
" I didn't kill Katya. I don't see a reason why I should end her life. It's absolutely unreasonable to kill her." I argued once my breathing stabilised.
To me, it sounded unbelievable.
I was incapable of taking another person's life.
“ You don't f*****g need a reason to kill her. You have always been jealous of the life Katya lived. She was a princess and you are nothing but a weak and pathetic omega. You hated her for her status. That's why you killed her.” Luca screamed at me.
I could not help but chuckle at how absurd he sounded. Me? Jealous of Katya? The only person who treated me like her sister?
" I am innocent, I will always stick to the truth." I said, tired of explaining myself, tired of having to plead for my innocence.
At this point, I knew that Luca hated me to the core.
He already despised me for being his fated mate. Someone from a humble background like me never deserved to be mated to him.
Clouded with his hatred, I realized that he was never going to believe anything I said.
He had already tried me and made the judgment, maybe I should just accept my fate.
" Of course you are innocent. Everybody is innocent but I give you my word Kali, I will make you experience hell down on earth. Everyday, I will make you regret being alive." Luca spat so coldly that I shivered.
It was clear like day that nobody was ever going to believe me.
Perhaps, acknowledging the fact that my mate was my greatest curse would give me closure.
In the face of injustice, I chose to numb my senses and endure it all.
What was right and what was wrong? Who could decide that? All that was left was to accept my fate.
What more could I do?
Nobody was willing to listen to me and even if they listened, they didn't believe me.
I gave up trying to prove my innocence, to them I was guilty and no amount of explaining and pleading was going to change their minds.
" Whip her everyday until she begs you to stop." He ordered, stepping outside.
" I am still your mate." I whispered weakly.
" Yes, but that will change soon. I don't need a pathetic excuse of a rogue for my mate." He spat venomously.
" I, Alpha Luca Thorne, reject Kali Dillons as my mate and Luna of the Moon lake pack." With that, he walked away, without looking back.
Tears pooled in my eyes as the excruciating pain wasted through my body, tearing me apart.
Everyday,I would be whipped, something that turned into a routine.
I could feel every part of my back be torn with every whip that landed.
I screamed, cried but it was all in vain.
I was probably whipped until I lost consciousness.
That became my life over the few weeks.
Luca never came to see me again in the dungeons where I was imprisoned.
The guards would come and whip me daily. Being restricted with silver chains made healing slow. They also injected me with wolfsbane, making sure to leave me weak,at their disposal.
Luca made sure to serve me the hell he promised.
I grew weak from all the whipping and poor diet.
Since I wasn't allowed to shift, my wounds piled up.
At times,I wished for death.
I thought of killing myself but stopped . Suicide was for the weak.
I wasn't weak.
I was strong and refused to break. It didn't matter what they threw me, I would stand firm and prove to them that no amount of torture was enough to break me.
My wolf , Venus,deserted me. She retreated to the darkest parts of my mind
No matter how much I called out for her, she never resurfaced.
It made me wonder if she was avoiding me or was simply in too much pain.
- Writer
