Violet’s pov

I didn't stop running until I reached the first town I could find.

It was a smart move but it was also very stupid. I was over exhausted and sleep-deprived and my stomach wouldn't stop growling.

My bare feet scraped against the ground as I trudged towards the smell of warm bread.

The bell clinked as I pushed the door in. It was warm and filled with lots of people but it reeked of sweat, desperation and liquor!

Liquor? I panicked. Where did the smell of bread come from?

Did my mind play tricks on me? Nevermind, it did.

I heaved a lazy sigh and turned to leave when a voice hollered at me.

I turned back and my eyes locked on green ones. It was the barmaid and she was smiling.

“You look like you could use a drink. Come on in.” She said,

I looked around the bar for who she was talking to but she pointed at me.

“Yeah. I'm talking to you, Blondie. C’mere.” She smiled.

I gulped nervously. This wasn't exactly the kind of place you could ask questions or get attention but my feet hurt and I was tired and hungry. Here was a lovely lady offering me a free meal. If it was poisoned, at least I would have something in my stomach before I meet my maker.

I slipped into a stool at the farthest corner of the counter, my hands trembling.

“Hey, Blondie.” The middle-aged brunette passed me a bowl of freshly made soup and a piece of bread. My mouth watered at the sight.

She caught me drooling at the food and added a mug to the side. “There you go. You can dig in.”

Without hesitation, I tore at the bread and ate to my heart's content. When I was done, I asked for seconds and the lady gave them to me. I was happy I was being fed but a part of me prayed she wouldn't put it on my tab.

“It's on the house.” She said, as though reading my mind.

“Thanks.” I said with a mouthful.

I finished the rest of the meal and sipped a glass of beer. Wasn’t exactly my first time taking one but my first time not stealing it to take it.

The barmaid leaned in closer. “You’ve come a long way, haven't you?”

Images of the cannibals and the armed strangers flashed through my mind and I shook my head. I reached out to another glass and downed it all in one gulp, welcoming the burn.

It was whiskey.

“It's okay, kid,” The woman patted my head. “It isn't my first time meeting runaways. You're welcome to stay here for the night if you don't have a place to stay.”

Runaways? That was clearly what I was but for her to spell it out for people to hear infuriated me.

“I'm not a runaway!” I hissed.

“Bartender, whiskey!” A customer called out.

“Here.” The woman passed me another glass and went to take the man's order.

I sank in my seat, nuzzling the glass of whiskey in my hand when a man sat down beside me.

I felt his eyes on me and shifted uncomfortably to give him a sign to stop ogling but that didn't put him off.

Instead, he was still staring at me. This time with amusement in his eyes.

I opened my mouth to speak but he beat me to it.

“You look like you've been through hell,” he said.

“And you look like you belong in it.” I shot back.

He chuckled. “Fair enough.”

I turned slightly to look at him, sweeping my gaze over him. He had dark brown hair, sharp features and body any woman would drool over. One thing was certain: he was a lady's man. I could tell from the accessories he had on him . The silver ring in his index finger, the dark tattoos on his exposed arms and the silver necklace…

I picked my eyes. Where had I seen that necklace before?

He cleared his throat. “Checking me out already?”

I coughed. “You wish.”

“Ah. That's what they all say.” He smiled and my heart skipped a beat.

He was dangerously handsome and I didn't want to stop staring at him.

I told myself I should've ignored him.

I told myself to leave him alone.

But I didn't listen.

Maybe, it was the alcohol, or maybe it was the weight of everything crashing down on me but when his fingers brushed against mine, the pain I felt earlier numbed and all I felt was butterflies.

The man, I'll call him black shirt, drew me closer and murmured behind my ears. “One night, no names.”

My heart pounded in my chest. This was stupid. It was reckless but…

When we pulled away and I stared into his eyes, I told myself for once in my life I wanted to feel something other than pain.

I nodded and told him to take me somewhere away from the noise and he did.

*****

I've heard Alpha King Logan mention something about “Regret comes in the morning” when he was advising Mira. Like her, I thought he wasn't making sense but now, I've fucked up, I now know regret comes in the morning.

Sunlight streamed through the transparent window, bruning against my closed eyelids.

My head pounded and my body ached.

“Ah.” I winced as I shifted.

That moment when I moved, I felt it, a familiar warmth behind me.

My eyes flew open and I feared they would get any wider.

Horror stared back at me – sheets, bare skin, a man lying behind me, his face relaxed in his sleep.

Panic surged through me.

Holy shit!

What the heck had I done?

I scrambled out of the bed as if it was on fire.

My body moved on autopilot, grabbing my clothes and bolting out the door.

No names.

No freaking second thoughts.

I had to get the heck out of there.

And fast.

I did. I retraced my steps back to the pack.

The packhouse was quiet when I slipped in. Thank heavens.

I punched my dress at my side and turned to the stairs. My feet had barely touched the stairs when a loud voice cut through the quiet.

“Well, well, well… if it isn't the little night wanderer.”

My stomach flipped.

It was Mira.

How did she find me?

“Turn around!” She yelled.

I nearly shushed her but remembered what happened last time I did that — she had hit me dead in the face with her fist.

Slowly, I turned to face her. She was standing behind me with her arms crossed over her chest.

Beside her were her four ever-present followers giggling with their hands over their mouths as though my presence was some kind of joke to them.

Mira stepped closer. “Where did you sneak off last night? And..” She swept her gaze over me. “Why'd you crawl back like a stray dog?”

My fists tightened at my sides but I kept a neutral look on my face. Responding to Mira would only give her more ammunition.

Before I could answer, Mira wrinkled her nose. “Ew… you smell like the woods?”

“Yeah. She does.” One of her followers said.

Mira narrowed her eyes on me. “Do you roll in the dirt or something? Or…”

She dropped her voice to a low whisper. “Were you out there looking for your real parents?”

My chest tightened when she mentioned my parents. How dare she!

A smirk curled up her lips when she got an irritated look from me. “Keep up.with this attitude and no Alpha will ever claim —”

A howl echoed through the air, cutting her off.

Suddenly, everything stilled for a brief second before the packhouse suddenly came alive. Footsteps began above us and doors began to creak open.

What was happening?

A voice boomed from outside followed by the blow of a loud horn. “His Majesty and Her Highness have arrived!”

Alpha King Logan and Queen Madeline. Here?

My gut-feeling told me this was the beginning of something bad.

That night Alpha Xaden rejected Mira, I had this strange feeling of fulfillment in my chest. Finally, someone had put her in her place. I wasn't happy about the humiliation she suffered. No one deserved that but at least she'll get to taste a little bit of humiliation she caused others.

And when she did, she took out her anger on me.

The ship cracked through the air again, biting through my flesh.

Sharp pain seared across, stealing breath from my lungs. I clenched my teeth so hard, refusing to scream. That was a mistake on my part because when she wanted to stop, she ordered the guards to continue.

“Again!” Mira commanded. “Flog her till I see her bones!”

A strangled gasp escaped my lips when I turned to look at her.

Her gaze locked on me and the leather struck again.

The scent of blood… my blood filled the air and in that moment, I broke.

I had told myself I wouldn't break down in front of Mira. I had vowed never to give her that satisfaction but when my blood pooled at my feet on the floor, I panicked.

Mira chuckled as though satisfied. She had won.

“That's enough!” she said with a stifled yawn as if my mere presence bored her, as if she hadn't ordered the guards to whip me 10 times on my back.

I heard the guard drop the whip. It was over. For now.

I tilted my head to look at Mira and the guards standing behind me.

When my eyes locked on with the guards, their eyes went round.

“My lady, isn't that Alpha Xaden's mate? Oh no. We're in deep trouble!” He said in a low whisper.

“I am Xaden’s mate! No one else!” Mira snapped.

“Y - yes, ma'am.” They answered hesitantly.

She turned to them. “Xaden isn't here, is he?”

“N- No, ma'am.” They both exchange glances after replying.

“Xaden won't know what happened here…” she looked at them. “Unless you plan to tell him?”

“No, ma'am. We'd never let it slip.” They answered together.

“Good,” she smiled.

Both guards shot me a pitiful look before looking away.

Mira stepped up to face me, a cruel laugh leaving her red painted lips. “Oh, poor Violet. You thought you could take what belonged to me and go unscathed?”

I kept my gaze on the ground, tasting copper as I swallowed the boiling rage in my chest.

She grabbed my chin, forcing my gaze to meet hers. “If no one has told you this, Violet, then you I'll hear it from me. You. Are. Nothing! An orphan with no family! I wonder what Alpha Xaden sees in you but don't worry, he'll see what you truly are soon enough.”

She let go of me like I was yesterday's trash.

Tears formed in my ears, dropping to the blood-stained floor.

My body trembled as I sobbed. If it hadn't been for the ropes binding my arms to the walls, I would've collapsed long ago.

“If no one has told you this, Violet, then you I'll hear it from me. You. Are. Nothing!”

Violet didn't need to make that clear to me. I had grown up hearing those same words everyday – from the whispers in the market, the packhouse, everywhere I went, I always heard people say that to me. That I didn't matter. That I was useless. That I was just another woofless orphan that needed to die, a waste of space.

I choked on a sob, my body riveting with pain as I tried to move. I couldn't take it anymore. I just wanted to die.

As my sobs got louder, something in the air shifted.

Mira sensed it too because her eyes darted around the candle-lit dungeon. “Who's there?!”

It was more of a bark than a soft question.

A deep growl came as her reply. The rumble was followed by the sound of heavy boots.

Something dark… something furious was coming our way.

I stiffened while Mira backed away instantly.

What was happening? I couldn't see because my back was to the entrance.

Bloodlust filled the air and I panicked. Who was that?

I shut my eyes when I felt a hand on my chin.

“Violet…” The voice was soft, smooth, almost appealing. I knew that voice.

The ropes loosened and my body swooned.

A pair of warm hands caught me just in time and dropped me gently on the floor.

I threw my eyes open with a low gasp. Our eyes met and tears filled my eyes again.

Xaden.

A wave of relief washed over me. I could finally breathe again.

His gaze traveled over me – my ripped dress, blood-stained skin, whipped lashes on my back.

Something crackled dangerously in the air. I realized it was a growl from him.

He traced my jaw gently, his touch burning my skin. Then, he leaned closer and asked quietly. “Who?”

No one spoke.

His hand shot out and grabbed the nearest guard by the throat. The man choked helplessly, his feet kicking against the ground.

“Who…” Xaden began softly before it became a full growl. “Who dared lay their hands on my mate!”

“It… It was Lady Mira!” The guard gasped.

Mira panicked. “What?”

The guard yelled it this time. “It was Lady Mira's orders! She made us do it! She forced us!”

Xaden let go of him and the man's body dropped to the ground in a crumpled and coughing mess.

“You did this?” Xaden asked in a low growl.

Mira nearly stumbled back as she tried to escape. “She - -”

When Xaden stopped in front of her, she straightened her back, lifting her chin. “Violet deserved it.”

Xaden moved so fast I barely saw it. One second, Mira was standing confidently, then next she was against the wall with his fingers wrapped around her throat in a choke hold.

“I told you!” Xaden hissed. “No one touches my mate!”

Mira clawed at his hand, choking. “P - Please, Alpha.”

Xaden's grip tightened. I watched through blurred vision, my body screaming in pain.

His gaze flickered to me. “What do you want me to do to her, Violet?”

Mira's eyes widened, the other guards choked on a panicked sob. They all stare at me, waiting for their “death sentence.”

I could demand vengeance without blinking.

I could tell Xaden to make her suffer.

I looked at Mira, at her eyes, at the way her body trembled under Xaden's hold.

I should hate her.

I did.

But I was also so tired. Tired of this pack. Tired of all the cruelty meted to me everyday.

“I just want to leave.” I said in a whisper, hoping Xaden could hear me.

Xaden turned to me. “Are you sure?”

I nodded, my throat tightening. I was fading.

His grip loosened and Mira collapsed to the ground, gasping for air.

As if on cue, my body slumped to the ground.

“Violet!” Xaden rushed to my side and scooped me into his arm.

“Dammit! We're getting the hell out of here!” He growled just before I slipped away into silence.

Violet's pov

That night Alpha Xaden rejected Mira, I had this strange feeling of fulfillment in my chest. Finally, someone had put her in her place. I wasn't happy about the humiliation she suffered. No one deserved that but at least she'll get to taste a little bit of humiliation she caused others.

And when she did, she took out her anger on me.

The ship cracked through the air again, biting through my flesh.

Sharp pain seared across, stealing breath from my lungs. I clenched my teeth so hard, refusing to scream. That was a mistake on my part because when she wanted to stop, she ordered the guards to continue.

“Again!” Mira commanded. “Flog her till I see her bones!”

A strangled gasp escaped my lips when I turned to look at her.

Her gaze locked on me and the leather struck again.

The scent of blood… my blood filled the air and in that moment, I broke.

I had told myself I wouldn't break down in front of Mira. I had vowed never to give her that satisfaction but when my blood pooled at my feet on the floor, I panicked.

Mira chuckled as though satisfied. She had won.

“That's enough!” she said with a stifled yawn as if my mere presence bored her, as if she hadn't ordered the guards to whip me 10 times on my back.

I heard the guard drop the whip. It was over. For now.

I tilted my head to look at Mira and the guards standing behind me.

When my eyes locked on with the guards, their eyes went round.

“My lady, isn't that Alpha Xaden's mate? Oh no. We're in deep trouble!” He said in a low whisper.

“I am Xaden’s mate! No one else!” Mira snapped.

“Y - yes, ma'am.” They answered hesitantly.

She turned to them. “Xaden isn't here, is he?”

“N- No, ma'am.” They both exchange glances after replying.

“Xaden won't know what happened here…” she looked at them. “Unless you plan to tell him?”

“No, ma'am. We'd never let it slip.” They answered together.

“Good,” she smiled.

Both guards shot me a pitiful look before looking away.

Mira stepped up to face me, a cruel laugh leaving her red painted lips. “Oh, poor Violet. You thought you could take what belonged to me and go unscathed?”

I kept my gaze on the ground, tasting copper as I swallowed the boiling rage in my chest.

She grabbed my chin, forcing my gaze to meet hers. “If no one has told you this, Violet, then you I'll hear it from me. You. Are. Nothing! An orphan with no family! I wonder what Alpha Xaden sees in you but don't worry, he'll see what you truly are soon enough.”

She let go of me like I was yesterday's trash.

Tears formed in my ears, dropping to the blood-stained floor.

My body trembled as I sobbed. If it hadn't been for the ropes binding my arms to the walls, I would've collapsed long ago.

“If no one has told you this, Violet, then you I'll hear it from me. You. Are. Nothing!”

Violet didn't need to make that clear to me. I had grown up hearing those same words everyday – from the whispers in the market, the packhouse, everywhere I went, I always heard people say that to me. That I didn't matter. That I was useless. That I was just another woofless orphan that needed to die, a waste of space.

I choked on a sob, my body riveting with pain as I tried to move. I couldn't take it anymore. I just wanted to die.

As my sobs got louder, something in the air shifted.

Mira sensed it too because her eyes darted around the candle-lit dungeon. “Who's there?!”

It was more of a bark than a soft question.

A deep growl came as her reply. The rumble was followed by the sound of heavy boots.

Something dark… something furious was coming our way.

I stiffened while Mira backed away instantly.

What was happening? I couldn't see because my back was to the entrance.

Bloodlust filled the air and I panicked. Who was that?

I shut my eyes when I felt a hand on my chin.

“Violet…” The voice was soft, smooth, almost appealing. I knew that voice.

The ropes loosened and my body swooned.

A pair of warm hands caught me just in time and dropped me gently on the floor.

I threw my eyes open with a low gasp. Our eyes met and tears filled my eyes again.

Xaden.

A wave of relief washed over me. I could finally breathe again.

His gaze traveled over me – my ripped dress, blood-stained skin, whipped lashes on my back.

Something crackled dangerously in the air. I realized it was a growl from him.

He traced my jaw gently, his touch burning my skin. Then, he leaned closer and asked quietly. “Who?”

No one spoke.

His hand shot out and grabbed the nearest guard by the throat. The man choked helplessly, his feet kicking against the ground.

“Who…” Xaden began softly before it became a full growl. “Who dared lay their hands on my mate!”

“It… It was Lady Mira!” The guard gasped.

Mira panicked. “What?”

The guard yelled it this time. “It was Lady Mira's orders! She made us do it! She forced us!”

Xaden let go of him and the man's body dropped to the ground in a crumpled and coughing mess.

“You did this?” Xaden asked in a low growl.

Mira nearly stumbled back as she tried to escape. “She - -”

When Xaden stopped in front of her, she straightened her back, lifting her chin. “Violet deserved it.”

Xaden moved so fast I barely saw it. One second, Mira was standing confidently, then next she was against the wall with his fingers wrapped around her throat in a choke hold.

“I told you!” Xaden hissed. “No one touches my mate!”

Mira clawed at his hand, choking. “P - Please, Alpha.”

Xaden's grip tightened. I watched through blurred vision, my body screaming in pain.

His gaze flickered to me. “What do you want me to do to her, Violet?”

Mira's eyes widened, the other guards choked on a panicked sob. They all stare at me, waiting for their “death sentence.”

I could demand vengeance without blinking.

I could tell Xaden to make her suffer.

I looked at Mira, at her eyes, at the way her body trembled under Xaden's hold.

I should hate her.

I did.

But I was also so tired. Tired of this pack. Tired of all the cruelty meted to me everyday.

“I just want to leave.” I said in a whisper, hoping Xaden could hear me.

Xaden turned to me. “Are you sure?”

I nodded, my throat tightening. I was fading.

His grip loosened and Mira collapsed to the ground, gasping for air.

As if on cue, my body slumped to the ground.

“Violet!” Xaden rushed to my side and scooped me into his arm.

“Dammit! We're getting the hell out of here!” He growled just before I slipped away into silence.