Marked For His Pleasure

Dungeon escape.

Daisy was dragged to the pack’s battlefield and tied to a massive rock, heavy silver chains clamped around her ankles and wrists.

The crushing bite of silver against her skin forced a broken whimper from her throat as she tilted her head back, struggling to summon her wolf. Nyx did not answer. No matter how hard Daisy tried, her wolf felt dormant, as though trapped deep within an unreachable void.

‘This isn’t right. Megan must have done something to Damian. There’s no way he doesn’t know me. Not after we mated. Not after he promised I would be his Luna, even as an omega.’

Daisy bit down on her lower lip as tears streamed down her face, sliding over her cheeks. The silver burned relentlessly against her skin, each second making it harder to breathe, harder to move.

Daisy stood in the middle of the battlefield for what felt like an eternity before the sound of approaching footsteps reached her ears. One by one, pack members gathered, forming a wide circle around her. The weight of their gazes was cold and judgmental, twisting her stomach with disgust and humiliation as she realized she was no longer alone.

Daisy’s hair fell across her face, strands sticking to her damp skin as beads of sweat coated her body. Her bathrobe hung loosely around her frame, slipping enough that it threatened to expose her to everyone present. She trembled, unable to move, bound tightly by the silver chains.

Alpha Damian and Megan soon made their way onto the pack’s battlefield, stopping before the gathered crowd. The murmurs slowly died as Damian stepped forward.

“I know this gathering was sudden,” Alpha Damian began, his voice heavy with authority, commanding enough to send a chill through the air. “But being an alpha means protecting order within one’s pack. Today, this lady…”

His words trailed off as he strode toward Daisy and grabbed a handful of her hair, yanking her head up so her face was fully exposed to the crowd. Gasps rippled through the pack.

“This woman dared to defy me by sneaking into my chamber, posing as my Luna, and even claiming that I marked her as my mate.”

The crowd erupted instantly.

“That woman is trouble. She must have ulterior motives.”

“How shameless.”

“Disgusting behavior.”

The murmurs grew louder, filled with scorn and mockery, each word piercing Daisy’s heart deeper than the silver chains ever could. Just hours ago, she had woken with happiness blooming in her chest. Now, she stood befall the mockery gaze of the pack’s.

Alpha Damian raised a hand, and a guard immediately stepped forward and placed a long, thick whip into his grasp.

“Today, this is to show everyone present that being an imposter is treason, and the punishment is a slow, painful death,” he growled, his voice rough with authority. Tightening his fist around the whip, he moved swiftly and struck Daisy across the back.

“Arrhh,” she whimpered as her legs gave way, forcing her to her knees. More tears slid down her face as she lifted her gaze to Damian. How did he change so drastically overnight? she wondered as another lash landed across her back. Megan had always been jealous, but she… no, she could not be capable of changing Damian so suddenly. The thought left Daisy torn with confusion and despair.

“Alpha Damian, please, you have… you have to believe me. I am your mate,” Daisy stammered. She pleaded with him to listen, but the more she begged, the more merciless his strikes became. Each blow was harsher than the last, the whip tearing into her bathrobe. Every time he pulled it away, it ripped fabric and skin alike, leaving her trembling in agony.

When Daisy’s eyes rolled back and her body went limp, Alpha Damian let the whip in his hand fall to the floor. “Tomorrow, we begin questioning. So, young lady, prepare yourself to tell me the truth about who sent you into my chamber and who made you commit treason before me, unless…”

He paused, gathering a mouthful of saliva and spat it onto Daisy’s face, though it landed on her hair instead. “If you hesitate in telling me the truth, I’ll make sure you beg me for death but you won’t get it so easily.” His amber eyes were icy, and his gaze so cold it felt like the heart of winter itself.

Daisy’s limp body was dragged to one of the pack’s dungeons and thrown onto the rough ground, littered with bones, filth, and some unidentifiable liquid. The entire place was dark and reeked of a foul stench. Her feet were firmly secured to silver metal that burned into her skin, making it impossible to move an inch.

Daisy lay on the floor for hours until the iron door of the dungeon slowly opened. Lifting her head, she beheld Megan standing before her, a sly smirk on her lips.

“Me… Megan,” Daisy stammered, her words trailing.

Megan ignored her and stretched out a hand, offering a key. “Take this and leave the dungeon.”

“Huh? You’re… you’re letting me go? Megan, why did you suddenly claim my mate as yours, and why… why are you pretending not to know me, despite the fact that we’ve been friends for a decade?” Her voice cracked, the little strength she had left straining with each word.

Megan’s sly smirk didn’t waver. She tilted her head, her sharp gaze lingered on Daisy, unreadable yet cutting deep.

“Be grateful I’m letting you go. I don’t know you, and I don’t care who sent you, so get out while you can,” Megan spat.

Daisy felt a twinge of confusion. Was Megan feeling pity or delight? She wondered, but from the way Megan looked at her with a cold gaze, Daisy felt a sting in her heart and became certain that Megan didn’t truly know who she was.

Megan tossed the key to Daisy, then turned and walked out of the dungeon, leaving the gate open. Daisy swallowed hard, grabbed the key, and freed her legs from the silver chains cutting into her skin. She rose to her feet and limped past the other dungeon cells, each filled with prisoners who reeked of blood and filth, their bodies lifeless.

“Hey… don’t escape from your cell!”

“Who cares? Leave her be.”

“b***h, leaving your cell is dangerous.”

Voices from the dark cells yelled and screamed, making Daisy flinch, but she ignored them. The thought of being trapped longer spurred her onward. She bit her lower lip, every inch of her body urging her to run faster, even as exhaustion weighed her down and a sharp, stinging pain jabbed at her chest.

Outside, she headed straight for the pack woods, desperate to escape the hell she had been trapped in.

“I’ll escape now, and later I’ll figure out…” Daisy thought trailed off as the sound of rushing footsteps reached her ears.

“We must find her, or our heads will be served on a platter to Alpha Damian!”