Ending Eight Years of Hell with the Alpha, My Road to Sweetness

I was originally an illegitimate daughter of the Lancaster pack, growing up depending on my sick mother.

My sister Hannah was born with a silver spoon, the pride of heaven, loved by the Alpha Jace, and treasured like a gem.

Eight years ago, she died in childbirth, leaving the newborn Mason.

The Fairfax pack needed someone to take care of the child.

My father used my mother's medical expenses to threaten me, forcing me to sign an eight-year contract, marrying in to take care of their father and son.

And here is the cub I'd nurtured through eight cycles -whose fur I'd groomed, whose howls I'd soothed-now stood before me as a snarling shadow.

With a flick of his hand, I was sent crashing into the iron - barred cage.

Inside, a pack of feral, starved were - tigers prowled, their eyes glowing a malevolent sulfur - yellow. Their ragged breaths carried the stench of decay, mingling with the coppery tang of my own blood .​

As the night wore on, a symphony of pain played out within the cage.

Their claws raked across my flesh, tearing through my once - sleek silver fur.

I could feel the sinew and muscle beneath being shredded. My mangled body slumped against the cold bars.

They magnified every bite, every scratch, turning the agony into an endless, torturous loop.

Mason Fairfax loomed on the steps outside.

In his werewolf form, he towered over me, his claws as long and sharp as ancient daggers.

"How does it feel, traitor?"

"When you sank your fangs into the throat of the pup my mother left me, did you think justice would come for you? You're nothing but an interloper, a parasite in our pack! I'll rip you to shreds and feed your remains to the vultures!"​

My throat was raw from hours of howling in pain, but I summoned the last of my strength to snarl back.

"The pup died in his sleep! I tried to save him, but the darkness took him!"​

"Lies!" Mason slammed his paw against the cage with such force that the iron bars groaned and bent.

The were - tigers inside went into a frenzy, their claws scratching furiously at the metal, their fangs snapping inches from my face.

I attempted to scramble away, but my injured leg gave way beneath me, and I crashed to the cold, blood - soaked ground of the cage.​

A low - ranking pack member dared to step forward. "Young alpha - in - waiting, the diviners have foreseen the pup's death in the stars. Madam had no part in it!"​

Mason whirled around. "Silence, worm! Even if it was fate, she failed to protect what was most sacred to our pack! She must pay with her suffering!"

He turned back to me, his gaze a searing brand.

"Triple the guards! And bring the silver - tipped whips. Let her scream until her voice is nothing but a whisper in the wind!"​

As the were - tigers closed in, their claws extended and mouths foaming with anticipation, I let out a final, mournful howl .​

Time became a blur of pain and darkness.

And then, the heavy thud of powerful footsteps.

"Mason Fairfax. What blasphemy is this?"​

Alpha Jace Fairfax loomed at the doorway.

His nostrils flared as he took in the stench of my blood and pain.

"Release her. Now. Or face the full wrath of the alpha's judgment."​

As the bodyguards unlocked the cage, my weakened form trembled violently.

Every muscle in my body protested as I tried to stand, my legs shaking like reeds in a storm.

I nearly collapsed, but as Jace reached out a hand to steady me, I flinched away.​

His brows furrowed, and a low, dangerous growl rumbled from his chest.

"Why did you not call for the pack? "​

I bared my teeth in a pained snarl, fresh blood trickling from my reopened wounds.

"Call for help? In this pack, I am a ghost, a forgotten shadow. Who among you would answer the cries of an outsider?"​

In the sterile hospital wing of the pack, the acrid stench of antiseptic burned my sensitive werewolf nostrils.

I lay on the cold, hard metal table.

The healer's tools, glinting menacingly under the harsh, artificial lights, sent jolts of fear through my veins.

As the antiseptic touched my lacerations, it was as if liquid fire coursed through my body.