In love with my StepSon

Chapter Eleven

Melissa

I ran into my chamber and slammed the door behind me with enough force to rattle the frame. My hands were shaking as I wiped the tears from my face and tried to catch my breath but the sobs kept coming in waves that I couldn't control. I pressed my back against the door and slid down to the floor while my chest heaved with the weight of everything that had just happened.

Property. He had called me property in front of his son and the entire household staff like I was a piece of furniture he had purchased at a market.

I stayed there for a moment and let myself cry until my throat was raw and my eyes burned. Then I forced myself to stand up and look around the room that had become my prison. The expensive furniture and silk sheets meant nothing when I was locked in here every night like a criminal. The beautiful dresses hanging in the closet were just costumes I wore to play the role of Luna while everyone knew I was nothing more than a slave.

I had no worth here. My boyfriend Kelan was living his best life with my best friend Cindy and planning a wedding that should have been mine. My Aunt Leyla had sold me for money without a second thought about what would happen to me. And all I could do was stand there and take the abuse while I cried myself to sleep every night.

No more.

I walked to the closet and pulled out my old suitcase from the back corner where I had hidden it. I threw it on the bed and began shoving my clothes inside without bothering to fold them. I grabbed my shoes and my few personal belongings and stuffed everything into the bag until it was full. My hands moved frantically as I worked and I didn't let myself think about what I was doing or what would happen next.

I just needed to leave.

I zipped up the suitcase and dragged it off the bed. It hit the floor with a heavy thud and I pulled it behind me as I walked out of my chamber and down the hallway toward the dining room. The guards at my door looked at me with confusion but they didn't try to stop me. I kept walking until I reached the dining hall where Draven was still sitting at the table finishing his breakfast.

I dropped the suitcase on the floor in front of him with a loud bang that made him look up from his plate.

"I'm leaving," I announced as I stood there with my chin raised. "I can't continue staying here."

Draven stared at me for a long moment and then he began to laugh. It was a deep sound that came from his chest and filled the entire room with its coldness. He wiped his mouth with his napkin and stood up slowly while his eyes never left mine.

"Guards," he called out calmly. "Get her."

I turned to run but two guards grabbed my arms before I could take more than three steps. They held me in place while I struggled against their grip and tried to pull free.

"What do you mean you want to leave?" Draven questioned as he walked toward me with deliberate steps. "You've been bought. You are my property."

"How dare you?" I shouted back as the anger finally overtook the fear. "How dare you think you can buy me? The disrespect, the molestation, everything you've done to me!"

Draven's face darkened and he stepped closer until he was inches from my face.

"You are here on a mission to break my curse and that's all," he hissed. "You will stay here until you fulfill your purpose."

Something inside me snapped and I felt Mia surge forward with a rage that I had never experienced before. My wolf took over my body and forced the shift before I could stop her. The guards released me as my bones cracked and reformed and fur erupted from my skin. Within seconds I was standing on four legs and snarling at Draven with all the fury of a wolf who had been caged for too long.

The guards shifted immediately and their wolves surrounded me with their teeth bared and their hackles raised. I lunged at the nearest one and sank my teeth into his shoulder. He yelped and tried to shake me off but I held on and tasted blood in my mouth.

Another guard attacked from the side and knocked me to the ground. I rolled and came up swinging with my claws extended. I caught him across the face and he stumbled backward with deep gashes bleeding down his muzzle.

"Enough!" Draven roared.

I turned to face him and watched in horror as his body began to change. His shift was different from anything I had ever seen before. His wolf was massive and covered in black fur that seemed to absorb the light around it. His eyes glowed red instead of gold and his teeth were longer than any normal wolf's. He was a beast straight from nightmares and the curse that ran through his bloodline had twisted him into something monstrous.

He launched himself at me with a speed that shouldn't have been possible for something so large. I tried to dodge but he caught me mid-leap and slammed me into the stone floor. The impact knocked the air from my lungs and I felt something crack in my ribs.

I struggled to get up but he pinned me down with one massive paw on my chest. I snapped at his face but he moved his head back just enough to avoid my teeth. Then he leaned down and bit into my shoulder with enough force to make me scream. The pain was blinding and I felt my blood pour out onto the floor beneath me.

Mia howled in agony and tried to fight back but we were no match for his size and strength. He shook me like a ragdoll and then threw me across the room. I hit the wall with a sickening crunch and slid down to the floor in a heap.

I tried to stand but my legs wouldn't support my weight. I could feel bones broken in multiple places and my vision was starting to blur around the edges. Blood pooled beneath me and I knew I was badly hurt.

Draven shifted back to his human form and stood over me with his chest heaving and his eyes still glowing red.

"You will never leave this pack," he declared as he looked down at my broken body. "You belong to me until the curse is broken or you die trying."