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1056 Words
The isolation room smelled like death.
I lay on the ground, cheek pressed against dirt-covered stone. Every part of my body screamed. The cuts on my back had reopened when the guards threw me in. Fresh blood seeped through my white dress, warm and sticky.
My hands were numb. My feet were cold. I couldn't feel my fingers anymore.
Maybe this was where I died.
The thought didn't scare me. At least it would be over. No more pain. No more torture. No more being called barren, worthless, a disgrace.
But then Arghea stirred inside me.
My wolf had been so quiet lately, beaten down by years of wolfsbane and abuse. But now she whimpered—not in fear, but in something else.
Then I heard footsteps. Heavy, purposeful footsteps coming down the hallway.
My body went rigid. I tried to curl into myself, tried to become invisible. Whatever was coming, I couldn't take more.
The door exploded inward.
Light flooded in—bright, blinding, painful. I threw my arm over my face. Tears streamed down my cheeks.
"Summer..."
The voice was deep. Rough like gravel. But not cruel.
Not Rhys. Not the guards.
"I will save you. Hang in there."
Strong arms slid beneath me. The movement sent fresh pain shooting through my wounds. I gasped, biting down hard to keep from screaming.
He lifted me like I weighed nothing.
I should have been scared. But I was too tired. Too broken. And something about his scent made Arghea push forward with sudden strength.
Vanilla and pine and something wild.
Mate, Arghea whispered urgently.
No. That couldn't be right. My mate was Rhys.
I forced my eyes to focus. Dark hair. Sharp jawline. Eyes that looked almost golden. A long scar running from his cheek down to his neck.
He was beautiful in a dangerous way.
My hand moved without permission, touching his face. Rough stubble scratched against my palm. He was warm. Alive. Real.
"Help me..." The words came out broken. "Free me from them..."
His jaw tightened. Those golden eyes darkened with rage—but not at me. For me.
"I will. And I will make them all pay."
Hope. Dangerous, fragile hope cracked something open inside my chest.
He carried me out. Up stairs. Toward light and warmth and air that didn't smell like death. I could hear music now. Laughter. Crystal glasses clinking.
The party.
No. Not back there. Please.
His arms tightened slightly, as if sensing my panic. His scent wrapped around me stronger, and somehow it calmed the worst of my terror.
We reached the doors. Golden light spilled out. Then we stepped inside.
The music stopped mid-note. Conversations died. Every eye turned to us.
I wanted to disappear. I was covered in blood and dirt. My dress was torn and stained. I looked like exactly what Rhys always said I was.
"Oh my! Rhys look..."
Virgie's voice cut through the silence. She stood beside Rhys on the stage, one hand on her pregnant belly. Her perfect blonde hair. Her perfect black dress. Everything I wasn't. Everything I could never be.
"Alpha Luxian, what are you doing with my wife?"
Rhys rushed down from the stage, face pale, sweating.
"Saving her from you," Luxian said simply.
"Alpha Luxian, please, you must have misunderstood. She is delusional and not in her right mind—"
"Shut it, Rhys!"
Rhys stepped back. I'd never seen him cower before.
"Mom... can you back me up?"
Luna Jocelyn stepped forward, fake concern plastered on her face. "What's going on, Alpha Luxian? Why are you with my daughter-in-law?"
"I need your son to break his bond with Summer now. Or I will take her by force."
What? Break the bond?
My heart stuttered. Part of me wanted to protest.
"She's my chosen mate and wife, Alpha! You can't do this!"
"And she's my fated mate, Rhys."
Gasps rippled through the hall.
"Since you and your mother are making her life hell, I'm claiming her. Leave her. Now." Power rolled off Luxian in visible waves. "Or I'll do even worse to get her from you."
"But Alpha, you are cursed! She will only meet the same fate as your previous mates!"
"Listen, Rhys. Reject her now, or I'm pulling all my support from your pack. Funds, military, protection. And let's not forget how much you owe."
Rhys's face went ashen.
"You never love her, Rhys. Just let him have her," Virgie whispered.
"Rhys, please don't put the pack at risk... After all, she is barren and not appropriate to be your future Luna," Luna Jocelyn added.
"Just do it, Rhys. NOW."
I watched my stepsister convince my husband to throw me away.
"Do it now!" Luxian's command rang through the hall.
Rhys took a shaky breath. His eyes met mine for one second. I thought I saw regret.
Then it was gone.
"I, Rhys Glomarian, reject and sever all ties between us, Summer Yversen."
I gasped, clutching Luxian's shirt. My body arched as the severing tore through me.
But underneath the agony... relief.
I was free.
"Great. I'm taking her to my place. Have a good time at your party tonight, and congrats!"
Luxian turned away from them all. I looked back one last time. Rhys stood frozen. Virgie beside him, hand on her belly. Luna Jocelyn with that cold smile.
But Luna Jocelyn's expression made something cold settle in my stomach. She wasn't angry. Wasn't worried.
"Where are you taking me?"
"Home. I'm taking you home."
Home. I didn't know what that meant anymore.
His arms tightened around me. Protective. For the first time in three years, I felt safe.
But then exhaustion hit hard. My vision blurred. My body felt impossibly heavy.
Except Arghea wasn't settling down. She paced inside me, restless and agitated.
What's wrong? I asked.
Silence. She kept pacing, radiating anxious energy.
Arghea, please. What is it?
Finally, she answered. Her voice was low, reluctant.
Four mates. He's had four mates before us. And they are all Dead. Summer. Arghea panicked.
My thoughts stuttered. What?
My eyes were already closing. Exhaustion dragged me under despite the warning. But her final words followed me into darkness.
We're next, Summer. We're going to be number five.
And suddenly, I wasn't sure if I'd escaped one nightmare only to walk straight into another.
- Writer
