CHAPTER 3

Madelyn POV

I watched in terror as he plunged the knife into my father's heart and next was my mom. The blood spluttered in my face as it slithered into my mouth. I could savor the metallic taste. My eyes fell shut, tears streaming down my face as I lowered my head into the ground when I felt their link snap inside me.

“Hold her head up. I want her to watch. This is a lesson for her so never thinks of acting smart again in her entire life.” He said as a wicked smirk plastered on his face as he plunged his dagger into my mother's heart.

The guards held up my face and I thrashed against the grip. I wanted to be by their side when they drew their last breath. I wanted to hold their hands so they wouldn't die lonely. My father was not much of a father to me but he once was and I still did love him. But Kieran denied me that as he ordered his guards to pull me away. I stretched out my hands to reach them but it was of no use.

WAKE UP! WAKE UP MADELYN!

Noooo!

I let out a high pitched scream as I jumped to my feet. Sweat had clung to my body like a second skin. Tears pooled at every corner of my eyes. I had been crying in my sleep. Even the rats in my dungeons that had come out to feast on my dinner remains were scared to their bones as they scampered back into the hole they had crawled out from.

I ran my hands on my face realizing what had made me this way. It was that dream, the same one I’d been having for the past three months since I was captured and brought to this pack.

Their screams. The heat from the fire that fanned my face.The stench of burnt bodies. I relived it again and again. No night had passed without me seeing my pack go up in flames or my parents lying in a pool of their own blood.

Was I just unlucky or was I cursed too? To make matters worse the moon goddess had mated me to the same man that was responsible for killing my parents. He had promised not to kill them if I handed him my family's heirloom—the emerald stone and I did exactly as he told me to.

When my mum had told me to run. I didn't exactly obey her. I couldn't leave her there. My conscience wouldn't let me. I had to hide the heirloom in a stash of rocks so I could go back to her and that was when the soldiers caught me and chased me into the woods. I remembered everything perfectly as though it happened yesterday.

My mum's constant pleas not to give it to them fell on deaf ears. If I could trade their lives for the trinket I would do it. With sheer determination I agreed to Kieran Cormac’s Offer. But the disappointed look on my father's face when I gave Kieran the heirloom haunts me even till his very last moments.

“We are going to get out of here I promise you.” I heard this voice before but I thought it was part of my dream. My eyes flew wide as I used the back of palms to scrub my eyelids to get a clearer view of my dungeon. But there was no one.

“Who is there?” I called out still not realizing where the voice came from. My head was still in a jumbled mess to process anything.

“Madelyn, look over here. Inside the bucket.” Her sweet voice echoed again this time softly. I moved to where the bucket filled with water drops from the ceiling was.

Just then I saw my reflection and then her, my wolf. Her fur was white as snow. Her eyes were violet just as mine. She was beautiful and she was a rare breed. I don't seem to recall anyone in our pack who had a white wolf. She was graceful just as she was beautiful.

I let out sobs “Where have you been all my life?” I questioned.

“I understand how you feel Madelyn, but the Lunar queen has better plans for us. I’m your consolation prize.”

I arched my brows in confusion. “What do you mean by that?”

“You’ll see soon. I promise I’ll get us out of here real soon. In the meantime happy twentieth birthday Madelyn. And you can call me Nora.”

“Thank you Nora, I'm glad you’re here. I’ll…”

I was cut off mid-sentence when I heard clanking noises at the door. I pressed myself into the walls stepping back into the shadows. But that didn't matter because the guards and the maids that stormed inside came with lamps.

The rays from the light as it entered my eyes almost blinded me. They pulled me with so much force and I didn't even have to ask. I knew exactly what was happening and where they were taking me to.

On the day I lost the only world I knew. I felt an unexplainable pull towards Kieran. I was wolfless but deep down I knew exactly what it was. And when he pronounced me as his mate my heart almost leaped out of my mouth.

I was taken back to my room. The room he’d always meet me in. The maids ripped the raggy clothes I wore off my body and took me into the shower. The water was warm as it splashed on my body and it felt good.

While one maid was scrubbing my feet and fingernails the other was running her hand in and out of my hair threatening to draw blood from my scalp. The shampoo had a sweet strawberry and vanilla flavor. That made my stomach rumble.

They patted my body dry and handed me a white towel to wrap around my body then they left and I trailed behind them. Just then something hit my nostrils. It was the tantalizing scent of food.

The only time I’d always get to smile in this pack was on days I’d be served food or was allowed to join Kieran at the dinning.

I rushed over to where the food was and started eating. I shoved as much food as I could down my throat and I sipped the fruit juice in between. In a few seconds, I had already squandered the content of my plate.

I was still chunking a glass of water down my throat, when my door creaked open. I looked up to see who it was only to be met by a pair of eyes looking down at me. It was him, my jailer, my mate. The Alpha of Raven claw pack.

My face quickly morphed into a frown, as my insides were seething with anger. I hated his face and the fact that I was bonded to him. He had brought me nothing but misery and he didn't seem to care.

With a few steps, he was already in front of me. His scent made my stomach lurch as acid rose to my throat. That was how disgusting he was to me.His eyes were simmering with lust and as expected, he unwrapped my towel.

His eyes slowly trailed down my body. “You are beautiful.” he finally remarked as he licked his lips ogling at the features on my naked body that caught his attention and I just stood there helpless.

“Pleasure me” he commanded.

I had to do exactly as he wanted. Kieran didn't like to repeat himself and I had figured this out by the way he punished every guard by whipping them. He was a beast in plain words. He'd never beat me. To him I was nothing more than his little slut, and he needed me to have spotless and adorable skin.

Anytime I had disobeyed or even rolled my eyes at him, he'd lock me up in the dungeon and starve me for days or weeks even as I had no way of finding out, since my dungeon had no windows.

I took his cunt in my mouth and sucked on it just as he had taught me to. He shuddered slightly when I blew air on it.

“You've done well, now rise to your feet” he commanded as he locked his eyes with mine and grabbed my chin, slowly pulling me up.

A push from him, and I landed on the bed. “I'll be gentle,” he said. Those were the same dreaded words he used that night, as he tore through me taking my virginity from me.

He spread my legs apart, and buried himself deep inside me, he groaned in pleasure as he neared the end before he collapsed beside me, panting like the animal that he was.

He put on his suede trousers, draping his shirt over his shoulder, “Go and wash up, wear the black gown I got for you and meet me in the hall in an hour”. He said on his way out but just before

he got to the door he stopped “Don't be late” he added and walked out finally.