THE PRESENT
He was disgusting.
I had every right to reject him. Imagine me being mated to someone who endured such illegal, inhumane pleasures as these.
He should just wait for me to regain my strength.
I would personally end his miserable race, but now I had other things to worry about.
He had the money in cash. I watched him sign the papers that now said I belonged to him. I was bound to him.
Automatically, a tattoo of a collar appeared on my neck. This man was now my master; my life, my fate, was in his hands.
My heart was pounding so fast I feared I might have a cardiac arrest. This can't be happening… this can't be happening!
I thought repeatedly, over and over in my head, as my horrified gaze met his glassy ones.
Did he know?
Breaking a mate bond was incredibly evil, as they could not have another mate in their entire lifetime. Any other would be a loveless union.
So it inflicted incredible pain on the one who was rejected, physically and mentally. A never-ending torment, never-ending yearning.
A completely broken soul.
There was only one way to stop the pain: he would have to… kill me. My eyes widened in horror.
Did he know that?
It was a highly hidden secret, as it would mean multiple murder attempts. So only a few knew about such a cruel method.
He walked towards me now, papers in hand. I noticed a flash of red in his eyes, and my jaw nearly went slack.
He was an Alpha.
My breathing became erratic, tears bit into my eyes, my lungs burned for air, clogged so painfully that I could not speak.
Somehow, in the span of a year… he had become an Alpha, and I had fallen to the bottom as an Omega, a powerless, unranked Omega.
I bit my lips so hard I tasted blood on my tongue. Every step he took towards me was worse than any nightmare I'd ever had.
I wanted to melt into the cage and die. My body was shaking as he got closer; it was eating me alive.
Did he recognize me?
How could he?
I rejected him…
Everyone who knew me knew I was married to the Alpha King. No way the Queen would be in a cage being sold like crop.
I laughed inwardly. It was so pathetic I wanted to scream. I wished I could use my wolf to escape.
The smell tingled my nostrils. "Smoke?" I thought to myself. Something was burning. Then I saw myself flying.
My back hit the iron bars of the cage so hard it knocked me instantly.
The pain shot through my muscles. I couldn't move.
"Fire! Fire! Fire!"
"Fire!" someone screamed.
"There's a fire!" another howled. I saw their limbs and fur jump over my cage.
The fire was spreading. I was weak, barely conscious. The smoke burned my lungs, the carbon monoxide poisoned me instantly.
My wolf howled within me. She was trying to stand up, but my limbs were paralyzed.
I couldn't move…
Did I deserve this?
Somehow, my world turned upside down.
Someone stole my life.
Tears fell from my eyes over my nose bridge as the golden flames were the only thing in view.
I was alone.
In this world… I would die exactly how I was born, the way my parents died.
In the flames…
This world was never kind to me…
This world never loved me.
Again, I was alone, slowly burning to death.
Then suddenly, the flames parted before my eyes, and he stood in the midst of the flames.
Bound by destiny.
Separated by pride.
My only soul.
My mate.
Always mine.
I scoffed to myself as I lost my vision.
How embarrassing it was to be seen vulnerable, weak, and completely bare in my wolf form.
The sound of wheels tinged my eardrums, the bump of the stones. The smell of fresh air, the feeling of the wind.
Was this heaven?
Did evil people like me go to heaven?
"Did you collect all the important documents?" I heard a very deep voice ask.
"Yes, Alpha Lord," another voice responded. "We also captured the auctioneer as evidence so he'll stand before the court and the Alpha King."
There was a moment's pause. I couldn't let them know I was awake, so I held my breath.
"My Alpha Lord, do we need to inform the Alpha Emperor of these markets?"
"No need to bother the Emperor. We are not mortals that we need to depend on our leaders. We are not weak," the deeper voice replied.
"By the way, did you free the rest of the prisoners?" he asked.
"Yes. Many of them chose to join our pack; the rest will return back to their families with our shadow security," the second voice informed him.
The sound of his tapping foot irritated me. I hated that sound, yet I stayed so still, like the dead.
A cold washcloth touched my burned flesh, and I flinched, holding back a hiss.
"How long do you plan on playing the dead?" I heard him mumble. My eyes fluttered open to see him opposite me, his face shielded by a letter.
In a long leather coat, a hat, and boots so dark that the night and he were one.
His glass eyes, resembling a hundred shattered pieces, met mine, reflecting the moon into a million light rays. I shut my eyes quickly.
"Every night without a moon is a lonely knight," he whispered, still reading.
His words had deceived me. Thankfully, it was dark or I would have been caught. But why was I in his carriage? Did he recognize me?
A woman, who I presumed was a doctor, was tending my wounds, and another man sat next to him. He blended so well in the dark that I couldn't see any of his features.
I sighed. The tension was eating me alive, and I was starving. I'd only had a slice of bread for breakfast because they wanted my stomach flat enough.
The carriage finally came to a stop. I heard footsteps, and I was suddenly yanked to my feet. I gasped as armored men led me out of the carriage.
"Nap time is over, princess."
As they let me go, I staggered, trying to balance. Then my legs gave out, and I fell to my knees, panting so hard like I'd tried to lift a brick.
I looked up to see him looking down at me. Behind him was a huge castle, highlighted by the car lights behind me.
A mature woman walked out of the mansion and curtsied. "Welcome home, Alpha Lord. Do I dress her as one of your many women?"
His gaze turned so cold I thought she would turn to stone. I felt myself shivering with the intensity of his stare. This was not the man I met a year ago.
"Why do you assume your duties now?" he asked, and she bowed.
"I beg your forgiveness, Alpha Lord," she said, shaking. "I just assumed since you used such a fortune she would be worth so."
He turned to face me, and I tried not to shrink into my own skin. I held his gaze, waiting for any recognition, any reaction.
"Worth?" he said, and shame turned my face red.
"What rank shall I place her, Alpha Lord?" the woman asked politely.
He turned his back on me and ascended the stairs. His last words hit me like a slap.
"The bottom… a servant."