Chapter 1Steven held Ella close as they strode back into the pack mansion after a week away.
His eyes swept the grand foyer, and a growl rumbled low in his chest as he barked my name.
"Where the hell is Nancy, that damn bitch?"
"She was told yesterday to be on her knees, ready to lick the mud from our boots when we got back," Ella chimed in, a smug smile playing on her lips.
Just as Steven's wolf was about to surface in rage, the omega housekeeper, David, stepped forward, his posture submissive and trembling.
"Alpha, your mate has been... confined to the basement for a week now, on your orders."
Steven went silent, the memory slowly surfacing.
A week ago, Ella had vanished during a border patrol.
Steven had hunted for her all night, finally catching her scent the next morning and finding her bruised and covered in foreign marks, huddled under a blanket in a rogue motel.
He had held her close, veins throbbing in his neck as his Alpha timbre shook the walls. "Who marked you, Ella? Tell me!"
Ella had sobbed against his chest, her delicate finger trembling as she pointed at me. "It was... it was her... the rogues last night... they said Nancy sent them."
Panic seized me.
I tried to explain, to swear it wasn't me, that I would never betray my own pack.
But Steven wouldn't hear it.
His eyes bled to the amber glare of his wolf, his face a mask of icy fury.
"Ella would never lie. She reeks of innocence." He spat the words at me, his voice dripping with venom. "Nancy, you venomous bitch, are you trying to destroy her completely?"
My blood ran cold. This was how my fated mate saw me.
No matter what I said, it wouldn't matter.
He shoved me to the ground, kicking and punching me, his Alpha strength cracking my ribs.
In his rage, he howled for the pack guards, who dragged me down to the stone-floor basement.
He brought in a dozen enforcers, their faces hard and cruel.
"You goddamn whore! How dare you pull such a sick stunt on Ella! You're going to pay for every bit of pain you've caused her!"
I lay helpless at his feet, claws scraping stone, fingers clutching at his pants leg, begging. "Steven, please! I'm carrying your pup! In the name of the Moon Goddess, please, just investigate this!"
But I had overestimated my place in his heart.
He didn't even care about the heir I carried.
He kicked me square in the stomach, his face contorted with rage. "Don't you dare speak of the pup, you lying slut! You know that bastard isn't my blood!"
"You touched what's mine, so you're going to suffer the consequences." He gestured to the enforcers, his eyes filled with disgust. "Have your fun, boys. Don't hold back. And don't stop until I give the command."
For a week, he never asked about me.
For seven days and nights, I was tortured until I begged the Goddess for death.
Without Steven's Alpha command, those males wouldn't stop.
They beat me, they violated me.
I fought back until my wolf had no strength left, until all I could do was whimper for mercy. But they didn't listen.
The pain slowly gave way to numbness, then coldness.
My body was a canvas of wounds, fresh ones layered over old.
The basement floor was slick with my blood, its copper tang heavy in the air.
I don't know how many days passed before someone wrapped their hands around my throat, squeezing the life out of me.
I died in that cold, dark basement, forgotten and alone, my bond to my mate snapping like a dead thread.
Chapter 2
"Steven, baby, give me a hand. This stuff is killing me!" Ella struggled with the overflowing shopping bags in the trunk of the blacked-out SUV.
Steven chuckled and ruffled her hair. "You goofball. Let me take care of that." He gathered the bags easily, Alpha strength making nothing of the weight, and followed Ella inside. He caught the worried look on David's face and his mood soured instantly.
"Spit it out, David. What is it?" Steven snapped.
David hesitated, wringing his hands. "Alpha, about your mate... Shouldn't we... let her out now?"
Steven scoffed. "Mind your damn business, David. What did that bitch offer you to stick your neck out for her?"
David swallowed hard, his face pale. "Alpha, the... the smell coming from the basement... it's... well, it's been a week, and the copper scent... my wolf can't escape it. Are you sure the Luna is... alright?"
"She's fine. A little bloodletting won't kill one of our kind." Steven dismissed him with a wave of his hand. "She messed with Ella, she's gonna pay. End of story."
David opened his mouth to protest, but Ella cut him off, her voice sweet as poisoned honey. "David, you may be an old friend of the pack, but Steven is Alpha of this territory. You wouldn't want to disobey a direct command, would you?"
David, defeated, bared his throat in submission and retreated. Ella snuggled up to Steven on the massive leather couch, a triumphant smile on her face.
"Steven, you promised. Once you reject that she-wolf and sever the bond, you'll make me your Luna, right?" She batted her eyelashes playfully. "Don't go back on your word now."
Steven held her tighter, pressing a kiss to her temple. "Of course, darling. When have I ever lied to you?" He frowned, his face clouding with disgust. "If it wasn't for that manipulative bitch, Nancy, trapping me with that false claim of carrying my pup, I would have never been bound to her in the first place."
"Her bloodline's influence was too strong to ignore. The elders would've rioted." He clenched his fists, knuckles cracking. "But thanks to her little stunt with you, Ella, I finally have grounds to cast her out for good. Goddess, every time I think about what she did to you, my wolf wants blood."
Ella buried her face in his chest, hiding her smirk. "It's okay, Steven. I know she was just jealous of our bond and wanted to ruin me. If she just gets on her knees and apologizes, I can forgive and forget."
Steven's eyes softened. "You're too good, Ella. That's why that bitch took advantage of you. It fucking kills me."
They continued their sickeningly sweet display of affection, limbs tangled together, blind to my presence. I stood inches away, seething with rage, wishing I could shift and tear them apart with my own claws. Wishing my wolf could manifest and make them suffer as I had.
But my hands passed right through them. Just cold air. A stark reminder that I was dead. My wolf was dead. The mate bond was a severed, rotting thing in my chest.
There was no revenge for me.
Chapter 3
After a while, Steven pulled away, his voice dropping to that cold Alpha tone. "Ella, you just wait. I'm going to make that bitch pay in blood. She'll be on her belly at your feet, begging for forgiveness."
"Just knowing you'll make her pay is enough for me, Steven," Ella purred, her fingers trailing down his chest.
They made their way down the stone steps to the basement, Steven kicking the heavy oak door open with a grunt.
"Nancy! Get your mangy ass out here and apologize to Ella!"
But, of course, I couldn't answer.
Silence.
Steven's wolf bristled at the lack of response. He motioned to the guards. "Break it down."
The enforcers smashed the inner lock, and the stench hit them like a physical blow. Blood. Decay. The unmistakable perfume of death. Steven's face paled, his wolf recoiling, but he quickly masked the reaction. Ella wrinkled her nose in theatrical disgust. "What the hell is that smell? Goddess, it's foul! Let's just go, Steven."
Steven hesitated. His inner wolf whined a warning.
I sneered from the shadows. They wanted to know what it smelled like? It was the smell of a body left to rot. The stench of congealed blood and torn flesh was so overpowering that even the battle-hardened guards grimaced and covered their mouths.
Steven sensed something was deeply wrong. "Ella, wait out here. The scent is too strong for you. I'll drag that bitch out myself and make her apologize." He turned to David, jabbing a finger. "You. First."
Steven followed David cautiously into the gloom, but Ella grabbed his arm, her voice a breathy whisper.
"Steven, be careful. Don't be too harsh with her." Her eyes darted sideways. "We just need her to agree to renounce the bond, remember? The pack can't think you're discarding your fated mate for no reason. It's for your reputation, darling." Tears welled up in her eyes, perfectly timed.
Steven embraced her briefly. "You're so fucking thoughtful, Ella. I'll handle it."
He followed David into the dark, musty basement, lit only by a single flickering bulb that buzzed like trapped flies. He didn't notice the dried blood crunching under his boots. Didn't recognize the sticky resistance of the stone floor beneath his steps.
My blood.
He stood in the center of the room, chest puffed with Alpha authority, and roared, "Nancy! Get the hell out here!"
His voice echoed off the damp walls before dying into silence. I floated behind him, inches from his shoulder, staring at my own lifeless body tied to a pillar. My head hung at an unnatural angle, throat crushed. The dim light hid the full extent of the horrors inflicted upon my flesh. The torn clothes. The shredded skin.
Steven scoffed, impatient and oblivious. "Turn on the damn lights!"
