1. The End of Elara Nightwind
1087 Words
Elara’s POV
Pain. It was all I knew. All I could feel.
My body trembled violently against the cold marble floor, blood seeping from the deep gashes on my skin, pooling beneath me, coating me like a second skin. The sharp scent of scorched flesh filled the air, mingling with the sickening laughter of the men who sat watching.
Alphas. Powerful. Untouchable. They lounged in their seats like kings, their goblets of wine raised as if they were spectators at some grand performance. And I… I was the entertainment.
The scent of burnt skin thickened, twisting my stomach into a pit of agony. It clung to me, filled my nostrils, invaded my lungs until the very air I breathed became tainted with the stench of my own suffering.
My throat was raw from screaming, but no one flinched. No one cared.
To them, I wasn’t a person. I was an object. A thing to be broken, to be humiliated, to be molded into whatever they desired.
The source of my torment stood above me, Alpha Darius, the monster who married and owned me. His dark eyes gleamed with satisfaction as he lifted the red-hot iron rod from my body, strands of my burnt flesh clinging to the searing metal.
The pain was unbearable, a torment that stole my breath, my voice, my will. It was beyond anything I had ever known. A deep, consuming agony that burrowed into my bones, eating away at what little was left of me.
I couldn't even scream anymore.
My lips trembled, the metallic taste of blood thick on my tongue.
“I…I beg you…” My voice was barely a whisper, choked with pain and raw desperation. “Please, Alpha…please stop. I'm your wife!”
Darius laughed. A cruel, mocking sound that echoed off the high ceilings of the grand hall. The gathered Alphas joined him, their amusement feeding his sadistic pleasure.
"Look at this pathetic creature calling herself my wife," Darius sneered, gripping my chin roughly, forcing my face upward. His claws pressed into my skin, not quite breaking it…not yet.
"A worthless, wolfless Omega who thinks she has the right to beg, you are worth nothing and I have more regards for the slaves I own than you."
A fresh wave of laughter rippled through the room, their jeering voices filling every corner of the vast chamber.
I shuddered, but not from the cold.
Darius leaned in closer, his voice dropping into something low, menacing, inescapable.
"You had one job, Omega."
He traced a finger along my cheek, almost tenderly, before his claws suddenly dug in, slicing through my skin. Blood dripped down my chin, warm, sticky.
"You were told to strip. To dance. To entertain our guests."
Tears burned at the corners of my eyes. I bit my lip hard enough to taste blood, refusing to give them the satisfaction of seeing me cry.
Darius’s lips curled, his breath hot against my ear as he whispered his command again.
“Strip.”
I shook my head. Even as my body begged for relief, even as every nerve screamed in pain, I refused.
Darius sighed, as if I were a child throwing a tantrum. Then, without warning, the back of his hand cracked across my cheek.
My head snapped to the side, the force of the blow sending me reeling. A sharp burst of light filled my vision, my ears ringing from the impact.
The room exploded in laughter.
My cheek throbbed, the taste of iron pooling in my mouth. But still, I did not move. I would not yield.
Darius chuckled lowly, straightening. "You thought you had a choice?"
He gestured to the guards standing at the edges of the room.
"If she refuses, then let’s teach her how to be obedient."
Before I could react, rough hands grabbed me, yanking me upright.
I cried out, my already bruised and battered body screaming in protest.
Then...a sudden, sharp rip.
My breath hitched. The tattered remains of my dress were torn from me.
No.
My skin, raw from burns and wounds, shivered under their leering gazes.
No. No. No.
A pit of pure terror clawed its way up my throat. I struggled, frantic, desperate, but their grips were like iron.
Darius watched me squirm, amused.
"Dance, Omega" he ordered.
I clenched my fists. My body trembled from exhaustion, from pain, from fear.
But still, I forced the words out through trembling lips.
"No."
Darius’s expression darkened, his amusement vanishing instantly. His eyes gleamed with pure, unfiltered rage, and I barely had time to brace myself before his foot slammed into my stomach.
The impact sent me skidding across the bloodied floor, my body curling in on itself as agony exploded through my ribs. A strangled cry tore from my lips, but the sound only seemed to fuel his anger.
“You filthy, disobedient w***e!” he snarled, stalking toward me. His heavy boots crushed my fingers as he stepped over me, drawing another choked whimper from my lips.
His hands fisted in my hair, yanking my head back so hard my scalp burned. My vision swam as he forced me to look up at him, his face twisted in disgust.
"I curse the day your father made you my bride instead of your sister," he spat, his grip tightening. "She was worthy...an Alpha blood, strong, powerful. But instead, I was shackled to a pathetic, wolfless Omega like you."
I barely had the strength to respond. My body was failing me, growing weaker with every second.
His other hand fisted and came down hard.
The first punch sent stars bursting behind my eyes.
The second had my head snapping sideways, blood spraying from my mouth.
The third, I barely even felt it.
Everything blurred. Sounds faded. The pain...it was there, but distant, like I was floating above it.
Darius raised his hand again, the final blow.
And then, I heard it.
"Forgive me… I couldn't come sooner to protect you, Elara."
A voice...soft yet powerful, filling every corner of my mind.
A light...blinding silver, erupting from my body, a force so strong it sent a shockwave tearing through the room.
The laughter turned to screams.
The heat of Darius’s body vanished as he staggered back, shielding his eyes, his expression twisted in something I had never seen before...fear.
The world tilted.
Something vast and unknown wrapped around me, pulling me in.
For the first time, I felt at peace.
Maybe this was death.
And maybe...it was better than this life.
- Writer
