Chapter 1
TORTURE
Vera Clayton:
“Congratulations, you’re three weeks pregnant.”
The doctor’s words kept ringing in my head throughout the drive home and I found myself fiddling with my fingers while trying to hide my excitement.
I hadn’t expected the dizziness and aches to actually be attributed to pregnancy because Alpha and I had only been intimate a few times and during those times, he always made it a priority to pull out and stain my thighs with his cum. He had always been careful not to pour his seed inside of me so how was it possible that I was pregnant?
The doctor had told me that it was still possible to get pregnant even after I explained my s**ual relationship to him. Although I had been a little freaked out when he had handed me the test results, I couldn’t help the happiness that crawled into my heart.
Early last year, my father had arranged my marriage with Nicholas Preston, the Alpha of Northern park. Every other woman in my shoes might have been excited for such an opportunity but I wasn’t. I found myself to be rather unlucky and cursed.
Nicholas Preston was a man with looks that could put any woman on her knees, pooling with a great year for him. His jet black hair and light hazel eyes, along with his defined jawline, pointed nose that led down to mildly plum red lips, added to the things that made him a greatly desired man. He was tall with straight hair that he preferred to keep tamed and an aura that commanded respect. He was a rumored war machine, a blood-thirsty beast that never hesitated to bring upon death to all to dared defile him. He was a power hungry monster who ruled with an iron fist.
Thinking about how many packs he had destroyed and taken over, innocent lives he had shed for the mere sake of expanding his territory, grew a sick feeling in the pit of my stomach but I had no choice. My wedding to him had already been stamped and there was no amount of resistance or protest that could change it. So I accepted my fate and rather decided to get to know him, perhaps he wouldn’t be as bad as the rumors.
Or so I had thought. I had soon enough eaten my words, having my benefit of the doubt slapped to my face because I had discovered almost immediately after our marriage that he was worse than the devil himself.
He treated me like scum and made sure to rob in my face how my parents never cared about me. He always said that if my father cared about me, he wouldn’t have agreed to give him my hand in marriage. He would beat me till I was on the verge of passing out, use my b*dy to clean the floor and later on manipulate my b*dy into growing wet enough for him to f**k my aching b*dy till I had passed out. I spent every day the next morning covering my bruises with makeup.
Every day was a bloody nightmare living with him but I had to suck it up and live on, for the sake of my father. I knew it wasn’t his fault that he agreed to get me married to him, Nicholas was an irresistible monster and he prided himself in the fact that he always took whatever he wanted, even if he had to make sure of his threatening aura and hierarchy.
I had considered running away a few times but I never went through with it. Besides, there were times when Nicholas showed me a sweet side of him. It was a side that gave me hope in our marriage. A Luna must always be strong in the face of adversity… that was what Nicholas always kept telling me, whenever he was beating the crap out of me.
I wasn’t exactly one of the strongest wolves, but I wasn’t the weakest either. I was a gamma wolf, but with my lack of skill, I could be mistaken for an omega. My wolf wasn’t of the regular size Gamma wolves usually possessed, she was smaller and it made people question my ranking truly.
Sighing, I tried to bear a positive mindset. A smile found its way to my lips and I rubbed my belly, hoping that this pregnancy was going to be my ticket to a better life and happier marriage. I had hoped that Alpha Nicholas would look at me more kindly and treat me nicer, now that I was carrying his child. I wanted this child to bring us together and shape us into an ideal couple.
I was anxious to know what his reaction would be once I got to tell him and the moment the car came to a halt, I dashed out of the car, running into the huge mansion with a smile plastered on my face.
“Alpha… Alpha…” I called out to him while running in the direction I knew I would find him.
He always spent the majority of his days in his chamber, seated on his throne while he deliberated with elders and fellow high ranking personnel, issues that threatened the safety of wolves and his territory.
Pushing the huge brown mahogany door open, I rushed into the room with a smile on my face, breathless from all my running but the smile soon faded when at one glance swept over the room, discovered my father knelt in front of Nichols, his b*dy badly bruised and beaten up.
The Beta, Hunter Garret, stood up almost immediately at my intrusion, his aging face twisted into an expression that screamed accusations at me. I moved my eyes to fall on the Gamma but he looked away, his face coloured with disgust.
I faced Nicholas, confused and shocked by the cold atmosphere and the sight I was currently witnessing. His darkened eyes fell on me and I gulped because I recognised that look as the one he gave whenever his blood was boiling over.
I immediately rushed beside my father, looking over his wounds with worried eyes before I turned to Nicholas again, “what has father done? Why is he covered in bruises?”
“Ask him yourself.” His nonchalant tone had me blinking in fear.
I turned to my father but he lowered his head, choosing to remain silent. Panic grew in me and I reverted my eyes to the alpha, “please, what has he done?”
“He allied with other Alphas and plotted to dethrone the Alpha. He’s being charged with treason and you know the punishment for treason.” Hunter answered, glowering at me.
My eyes widened as my blood ran cold. Treason? Never! My father would never betray the Alpha like that. He was his most loyal devotee. He would never do that!
“No. No, no, no… There must be some mistake. Father can’t do such a thing. I beg you, please reconsider.” I frantically pleaded with tears in my eyes.
Nicholas arched a brow at me, “he already confessed to it.” His tone lacked emotion.
The breaths got knocked out of my chest at his words and I immediately turned to my father in denial, “papa, what are they talking about? You’re innocent right? Papa, tell them you’re innocent.” I cried while feeling his face.
My father’s silence and lowered gaze confirmed my deepest fear. Nicholas wasn’t lying, he had actually confessed. He was actually guilty of the accusations… But why? Why did he do it?
“Why, Papa?” Tears streamed down my face.
I saw Nicholas signal the guards to take him from me and I began screaming, “please, please don’t kill him. Have mercy on him. Nicholas please I beg you, don’t kill him, I have no else except him. Forgive him.”
I didn’t care that I was creating a scene, I was just a woman desperately trying to appeal to the heart of her dear husband. I wanted him to look at me and understand my pain. I had never requested anything from him before so I wanted him to really consider me even if it was going to be just once.
Nicholas rolled his eyes at my tantrum before gently raising himself from his throne, proceeding to take slow menacing steps towards me with dangerous eyes glinting with rage. He approached me and before I got the chance to understand his next line of actions, I found myself writhing on the floor with arms wrapped around my stomach, flying across the room, from the effect of his kick to my stomach.
“No, don’t hurt her! She has no hand in this, leave her alone!” My father screamed. “Stay away from her, you f**king monster.”
I coughed, gasping for breaths while fighting tears. I looked up and he was in front of me, he grabbed me by the neckline of my blouse and went ahead to drag me all the way to the round table while I kicked, screamed and fought. “W-wait… N-no, I’m pre–”
He slammed my head against the table repeatedly, silencing the rest of my words and when he saw that I was beginning to bleed heavily, he tossed me on the floor.
Why did he beat me like that in front of all of them? I knew he had no regard for me but today was on a different level. I looked into his eyes and all I saw was disgust.
“P-please… don’t.” I managed to gasp through fading consciousness.
He scoffed then went ahead to spit on me. I watched him through teary eyes, unable to move a single bone in my b*dy. I felt pain everywhere and I feared for my unborn child. I didn’t deserve to be treated like this… I hadn’t offended anyone so why was the goddess subjecting me to such torture?
“Take her out of my sight. I want her whipped and locked up in the dungeons with no food and water, till I request her presence.” His words sliced my heart. His voice was devoid of attachment of any sort.
When the guards were hesitant to approach me, he screamed at them, “I said take this piece of trash away from my sight before I snap all your necks! She’s not my Luna anymore.”
It seemed like time had slowed down as I laid on the floor gasping for breaths, writhing on the floor like a wounded worm, trying to get one last look of my father while the guards grabbed me and began dragging me out of the room. I couldn’t even fight, I was already weakened from the beating I had received.
While getting dragged out of the room, I watched the Alpha walk up to my screaming father and jerk him out of the hold of the guards holding him down. He was fighting to get to me, I saw it in his eyes that he never wanted this life for me.
“Go to her.” Nicholas said to him with a devilish smile that hinted at mischief.
I watched my father waste not a second to think about his words. He had barely limped two steps when my eyes widened, my heart feeling like it had been sliced from my b*dy at the sight I had just witnessed.
Nicholas had pushed his claws through my father’s chest and ripped out his heart while he was trying to get to me, without the blink of an eye. In that moment, he stood as the personification of the devil, with those darkened eyes and cruel grin.
“Noooo!” I screamed, as the agony consumed me, unable to come to terms with the horror I had just witnessed.
I had forgotten how to breathe as I stared at my father’s collapsed b*dy, his lifeless eyes boring into mine. I couldn’t believe what I had just happened, I could only feel endless tears stream down my face while Nicholas growled at me, proceeding to dart out his tongue and lick the flesh blood that still dropped from my father’s beating heart. My heart thudded in my chest, the trauma of what I had just witnessed, drowning me, pushing me past the border of sanity.That was all it took for darkness to claim me.