ELARA'S POV

I felt a sharp pain that woke me from my sleep.

I had become used to pain at this point, I experienced pain every day from this bond, but this, this pain was different.

It engulfed my whole body, bathing me in aching pain as if hot coal was poured on my body. This pain wasn't focused like the pain from the bond, it was all over my whole body.

I struggled to open my eyes and found darkness staring back at me.

"What... what's going on?" I whispered to myself in the darkness of the prison cell.

Then the realization came.

"I might not make it through this pain".

I had already been sad and mistreated for days now, enduring pain I haven't been able to talk to anyone about, and now...

"Please ....please... help me... anyone" I whispered.

I know the guards couldn't hear me, they couldn't help me.

My head was pounding and everything was just pain, blinking my eyes brought me pain, tears flowed freely down my cheeks.

I was too weak... too weak to even cry for help.

The alpha was right, I am worthless.

And this might just be how I will end.

All these thoughts just kept pouring into my head, I was trying to do anything to stop focusing on the pain, to ignore the pain but I couldn't. 

I slowly felt myself lose control of my body and I fell unconscious.

...

Ice cold water jolted me up from my sleep, but I was too weak to even react. I slowly opened my eyes, but this time, I wasn't met with darkness, there was a light flickering in the corner of my eyes.

I sat up slowly on the straw bed and saw a guard standing in front of me with a lamp and a bucket in his hand.

It clicked, he must have poured water on me to wake me up.

Standing next to him was the beautiful Yvette, the alpha's mistress. Everyone knew her, she was always by his side and in his chambers.

I kept staring between the both of them and Yvette had a cruel smile on her lips.

"Oh, you're finally awake" her words dripping with scorn.

I didn't say anything, I didn't know what to say to her so I just kept staring.

"Stand up," she said.

I reluctantly tried to stand up, my body being very weak from the earlier pain, but I stood up anyway.

She walked to me slowly, and circled around me then scrunched her nose.

"You smell like filth" she sneered

I scoffed, I hadn't had a bath in days and this place reeked, was I expected to smell like roses?

"Well, that's fitting, seeing as you are filth" she continued.

I said nothing and sat back down because my body aches from the pain.

Suddenly she steps in front of me and grabs me by my neck, my hands instinctively reach out to pull her hands back, but her grip is strong, after all, she is a wolf, I could only gasp for air and try to claw at her fingers.

"I am pretty sure you know what happened last night, don't you?" She asked.

I was confused, thinking about what happened, other than the fact that I was in pain for the whole night.

She must have guessed I was clueless from my expression and she continued. 

"Well, the Alpha had me with him all night long and oh, what a night it was, Incase you didn't know, that's part of his plan to punish you, he didn't tell me, but I guessed, when a wolf with a mate is intimate with another, it's torture for his mate, so I'm guessing you were in pain all night, the guards heard you crying"

She said and let out a loud chuckle, my mind started to reel.

This meant the pain I felt last night was from him being intimate with someone else. Tears involuntarily poured from my eyes.

"Oh. Are you sad?" She said, with a fake hint of concern, "you should be, and to be honest, I have no issues in warming the Alpha's bed, but I am deeply unsettled that it was used to punish you, because I am more than that, so I decided it was only right I punish you myself, don't you think so?"

She asked in a soft tone, she sounded crazy.

I was still gasping for air and by now her claws were digging into my throat, I looked into her eyes and saw her eyes glowing, her wolf was at the surface.

Suddenly, she flung me into the wall and my head had the first impact. I fell on the cold ground, my head ringing and pounding.

"That's about right, take it as a gift from me to you, you're worthless and you already know that, I am not even threatened by you, because the Alpha doesn't even want you" she said loudly

I don't know why, but I felt a pang of pain at her words, it must have been the bond reacting to her words. I knew deep down I just wanted to be out of here.

I lay on the floor, my head clutched between my arms because it hurt so badly and I could feel hot liquid seeping through my fingers. I was bleeding.

"I am not sure you will last long here and I will make sure of that, I could easily end you now, but now is not the right time, you should suffer a bit more" she said once more and swiftly turned and walked away.

I heard the gates to my cell close and everywhere was silent once again.

I started crying, was it just a mate bond that made me deserve all this? It was painful, I should have been left without a bond rather than face all this.

"If this is what it means to have a mate, then I wish the moon had never chosen me" I said to myself before my eyes closed on their own.

ELARA'S POV

I heard the sound of my cell door opening again, it never ended nicely whenever my cell door was opened.

I had started getting used to expecting pain whenever I heard it being opened, maybe today would be different, I thought to myself.

There was a guard standing there with a light and he said to me "You. Up".

I tried standing up as carefully as I could because my whole body ached from Yvette's assault.

I stood on my feet and my legs trembled, but I knew I had to be strong or it would even be worse. The guard turned and started walking, I walked behind him and tried to keep up to his pace.

"Please. How long have I been here?" I was hoping he would reply to me because he was the one that brought me bread and water daily. 

I didn't hear a word from him for a few moments.

"A week," he said. I guessed rightly then, he had given me food for 6 days, it was hard to keep track of time in the dungeon, it was underground and morning or night didn't make a difference.

He walked briskly and I lagged behind and then we eventually got out of the dungeon and we went out through the back entrance of the pack.

We kept walking for a few minutes and then he stopped. I felt relieved because I wasn't sure how much longer I could walk.

"Here, you have been ordered by the Alpha to transport these rocks from here to there" he said, pointing at the other end of the pack house.

I thought to myself "that's the whole other end of the pack house, how will I do this?"

"But...I can't do this, I wouldn't be able to do this..please" I didn't even know why I was begging, I knew my pleas would not be heard.

I knew this was a punishment from the Alpha, but I physically couldn't do this, there were a ton of rocks and the distance was so long to cover. 

"Failure to complete everything by nightfall and you will be whipped 20 times" he said strictly, before walking off.

What the hell? I physically couldn't do that, I was never too strong, I could clean and wash for as long as I could, but I doubt I would even be able to lift these rocks. 

I shed tears again, this was becoming too much, I knew it wasn't necessary but the Alpha just wanted to punish me, for what? For being his mate?

I had cried so much these past few days my eyes hurt.

I couldn't do this, but I had to try, I had been whipped before and I really didn't want to relive it.

It was a few years ago, I stole bread from the kitchen and I was caught, I was whipped just 5 times and I couldn't walk for days after that, the scars were still on my back. I was treated once a day, because they didn't want to lose the cleaner of the pack, it was hell for me. I shuddered at the thought.

I decided it would be best to try and move them rather than get whipped. So I got to work.

I walked closer to the pile of rocks and noticed some were smaller than the others, I decided to start with the small ones, there were no tools to work with, only my bare hands.

I took one look at the pile again and bent down to try and lift one of the smaller rocks, it didn't budge, I tried again and after a while, after straining every muscle in my body, I finally lifted it and held it close to my body, I slowly pulled my legs and walked to the place I was to carry them to. 

It took me a few minutes, and when I made it there, I was panting and out of breath. 

I felt someone looking at me and then I turned back and saw the Alpha in the distance, I stared at him for a while, thinking of how cruel he was and then I decided to get back to work.

I took my eyes off him and when I looked back, he was no longer there. "Even better" I muttered to myself. But other people still had waited around, watching me, this was public humiliation.

I made it back to where the pile of rocks were and I bent to pick up another rock.

Rock after rock, walk after walk, hours had gone down, I hadn't been given food or water and the pile of rocks still stood tall, daunting.

I couldn't move my legs anymore, my arms were heavy and it was almost dark. I knew I wouldn't be able to get it done today.

"I shouldn't have even tried" I said, tears started falling again. I was getting sick and tired of crying every damn time.

I just stood there, motionless, I knew I couldn't finish before time, so I resigned to my fate.

As tears fell, my knees fell to the ground and then the fear of the whipping started creeping in.

A guard walked up to me and said "you will be flogged if you fail to complete this task"

I had no words, I knelt there crying helplessly. I know I had tried my best and I tried to numb myself.

After a few moments, another guard came and picked me up. I was carried to where I would be flogged, my hands and legs were tied to a large rock I hugged.

I had been numb the whole process, wondering and thinking.

Then I heard the whoosh of the whip, slicing through the air.

Whack!!

It came down hard and unforgiving on my skin, I could feel my skin break, every bit of numbness I had fled away, I could feel everything, every nail on the whip, the coldness and hotness of the whip.

My eyes widened in desperation and I started struggling against the ropes.

"No...no please" I screamed, that was just the first whip, I had 19 more to go.

The second one came, even more unforgiving than the second.

I screamed for my life, every fiber in my body burned.

Then came the third, the fourth, up until the 10th and I knew I couldn't take it anymore.

I had lost the strength to scream, I raised my head and saw people looking at me, some of them had pitiful looks on their faces. I saw the Alpha in the distance, looking at me, expressionless.

I couldn't move, I couldn't say a word, I could only cry and my eyes hurt now.

The next whip came down on my back, and the minute I felt it, the same minute I blacked out.

THIRD PERSON POV

18 YEARS AGO

The forest had always known her, even before she knew herself. In the pouring night, occasionally brightened with flashes of lightning.

A sound was heard from the woods.

"Did you hear that?" One of the guards said to his partner.

"Hear what?" His partner replied.

"That. Listen carefully, it sounds like....a baby" the first guard said.

The second guard strained his ear and listened carefully, and truly, piercing through the storm and the thunder, a loud shrill cry could be heard, far into the woods. His eyes widened.

"Who could have left a baby in the woods?" He said to his partner.

"I don't know, should we check it out?" The first guard replied.

The second guard nodded and they started walking towards the sound. 

They tried sniffing their way, but they couldn't get a scent of a wolf, and the rain only threw off whatever scent they tried to pick up. The rain quenched the fire from their torches but they moved on anyway.

After some minutes in the pouring rain, the crying sound became clearer and nearer and then a few feet ahead...a baby, wrapped in robe, at the foot of a tree.

Their eyes widened in shock, there really was a child here, and a new born at that.

"We have to report this to the Alpha immediately" the first guard said while kneeling to pick up the baby soaked from the rain, the minute he cradled the baby in his arms, the crying ceased.

Both guards didn't hesitate and ran towards the pack house as fast as they could.

He watched from the trees as they picked her up and ran off towards the pack.

"That should do for now" he said, and disappeared with the rain.

.......

"Alpha, there are two patrol guards outside, they say they have something important to report" the beta said to the Alpha.

Alpha Tyran. That was his name. Alpha Kane's father.

"Let them in" he grunted. The beta nodded and walked away.

A few seconds later, both guards walked in, drenched from the rain, with the baby in hand.

The Alpha looked them up and down. "Who owns the child?" The alpha asked, his face stern and emotionless.

"Alpha, we don't know, we found the baby crying near the pack border" the first guard said.

"Hmm... and no one was with the child?" He asked.

"No one sir" they responded.

He stood up and walked towards the child.

"She has no scent" he said.

"Take her to the pack healer, have her examined and given to the maids"

"Yes sir" they said and walked away.

A few moments later, the beta came to the Alpha with the results.

"Sir, the healer has had the child examined, it seems the child has no wolf, neither is she human, because she doesn't smell like a human" the beta said.

The Alpha's face wrinkled, this was a strange occurrence, but it didn't matter to him.

"Keep her with the maids, she is of no use to us, but there is no need to dispose of her".

The beta nodded and walked away.

The years passed and Elara grew in the pack, she had no initiation ceremony because she was regarded as an outcast, less than a wolf.

She tried to live away from the eyes of others, but they always found a way to taunt her. That has been her life in the pack, from one cruelty to another.

Nobody cared she was alone, no one cared she had no family. The ones that didn't torture her or taunt her simply...ignored her.

They wouldn't lift a finger to help when she was being abused, and she had grown accustomed to that, for a while, she decided it was peace, and had decided to live that way, up until now.

PRESENT DAY.

ELARA'S POV

"I survived", the words left my lips the second I regained consciousness, but I didn't think I would be able to survive much longer.

My hands reached to touch my back and I felt something wrapped around my torso. My wounds had been tended to.

Was this an act of mercy? Or just a way to prepare me for whatever was next? These thoughts ran through my mind.

I let out a loud cough, my whole body ached. I didn't know how long I had been unconscious for, I needed to find out and I needed water too.

I tried to reach for the cup of water but my body ached so badly and I could feel my wounds opening up again.

Fresh tears flowed freely down my cheek. I might have cried these past few weeks more than I had cried in my whole life altogether.

I had always tried to be strong, tried to survive being in the pack, hoping that it would make me feel less of an outcast, hoping it would make me more accepted.

I had hoped being in this was a test of my strength and I was ready to go through it all and be strong to live.

But I couldn't anymore, more tears rolled down my eyes as I stared in the dark.

They had always regarded me as an outcast and I would forever be one in their eyes.

There was nothing I could do to change their minds at this point, it was clear as day, no matter what I did, no matter the effort I put in. I would always be an outcast, because I didn't have a wolf.

The cold breeze blew in and I felt my body shiver and goosebumps all over my arms, I tried to shelter myself from the cold but my wounds just opened further. I bit back a cry.

"I am an outcast in this world" I said loudly, I could no longer hold back the tears and I sobbed bitterly.

And then, in the silence, in the midst of my cries.

I heard it.

"No, you are not an outcast", the faintest of voices said.

There it was again, the voice that had spoken to me earlier, only now, I could recognize it, the voice was female.