Given To The Comatose Alpha

02||~ Atria.

~~~~

"Let Atria go in your place."

The word struck me like a lightening bolt and I laid there dumbfounded. "W-What?"

Tabitha frowned, looking displeased. "What do you mean?"

"She looks like you. Except for a few..." Damon scrutinized me. " Misgivings, someone who hasn't spent a long time with you won't notice."

The moment he said these words, Tabitha's eyes grew wide and she looked at me once again- her disdainful eyes sizing me up.

Tabitha and I indeed shared a deep resemblance, it was why she never allowed me out of the pack house.

We were once best friends, we went everywhere together and our identical face made us inseparable. But everything changed after my tenth years birthday.

Tabitha detested the fact that we looked alike the most- she once said that It made her want to carve out her face, because whenever she looked into the mirror, all she saw was the daughter of her mother's murderer.

Alpha Ronin had a thoughtful look. " You are right, We just need to clean her up and send her off." The cold words sent a chill through my heart and I couldn't hold back anymore.

My whole body shook as I said. "Damon, I am your mate." Damon's expression sent a chill through me.

"Mate?" He sneered. "If it weren't for Tabitha insisting that I left the mate bond, you think I wouldn't have rejected you?"

My heart sank. " Why do you hate me so much? I never did anything wrong to you." My voice was trembling, it took every strength in me not to collapse at that moment.

His eyes turned cold. "You dare ask me why I hate you? Did you think I would care for you after everything you did to Tabitha? Because of you, she can never give birth."

A lump formed in my throat. " We were kids back then, I had no idea that something like that could happen."

All I knew was that it was a day before my tenth birthday. My parents left on pack business and I waited all night In the snow with Tabitha.

By midnight, The Alpha came crashing into the pack, weak, gravely wounded and carrying the dead Luna in his arms.

He claimed he had been ambushed at the border of the rogue pack opposite ours and my parents had aided the enemy.

They personally killed the Luna and seriously injured the Alpha. He managed to escape them but it was too late for the Luna.

The instant she heard the news, Tabitha also collapsed and almost died. That was the day my life turned into hell.

" Enough!" Alpha Ronin snapped. " We have already wasted enough time discussing here. Get someone to dress her up, I will try to stall the Blood warriors for a few more minutes."

Tabitha still looked unconvinced but she wiped off her tears and Damon helped her to her feet. The Alpha and Damon walked out, then two old and strong Omega's walked in.

"Wash her up and conceal her wounds."

"Yes, Lady Tabitha." The two Omega's immediately hurried towards me. I shook my head, trying to crawl away.

"No, I am not doing this." I protested weakly as they grabbed me.

"We are not asking you to." Tabitha snickered, then with a bright smile, she said. " Keeping you alive had finally proven to be useful, consider it paying for your parents debt."

Her word struck a cord.

It didn't matter how horrible she treated me, after all, my parents were the cause of it. My body fought, weak, desperate, but my will didn't. Like always, I stopped struggling.

Fine, if she wanted me to die in her stead, then I will do it. But after this, she should consider her debt finished. From now on, I owe her and Cranebane pack nothing.

I was dragged into Tabitha's bathroom.

Despite my insistence, the two women washed me up, it took quite a while to wash off all the dried blood from my skin. After that, they helped me change into a white turtleneck gown.

While they were trying conceal the wound on my neck with a concealer, I gazed at myself in the mirror for the first time in five years.

The face In the Mirror looked nothing like I remembered, sunken jaw, dull blue eyes, wild hair. Had I always looked like that? More of an animal than a girl.

I guess I have.

Even in Tabitha's dress, anyone with discerning eyes could tell that i was an imposter.

"She's ready, lady Tabitha." The oldest of the maids announced

Tabitha nodded absentmindedly. "You can leave." She dismissed the maid and we were soon the only one left in the room. I sat with my spine straight, not even daring to breath too loudly.

The room descended In silence, a deep silence that crushed me under it's weight. Tabitha walk behind me, a strange vial In her hand. "Drink this." She threw it to my lap.

I eyed the glass vial which held a strange black liquid in it with a skeptical look. "W-what is this?"

Tabitha's glowered. "Don't ask what you don't need to know, just drink it." I didn't move. Tabitha let out threatening growl.

She took heavy strides over- just when I expected her to slap me. She snatched the vial from my lap, tilted my head up and forced the bitter liquid down my throat.

Satisfaction flashed in her eyes.

Fist clenched, I told my self to endure, just a little more and I will be off to be a ghost bride.

"Aren't you curious about what I just gave you?" I didn't respond. Her lips curled.

"I just gave you Ripping- a poison I got with quite some difficulty. I was going to give it to your parents once they were found, but it seems you will get a taste of it first."

My heart grew cold.

Did she really have to go this far?

"Just pray you die from the ghost bride ritual. If you were to survive, you will die from a heart wrenching pain. Three months, that is how long you have."

Her eyes gleamed with malice while my eyes were fixed on her.

'Deep breaths, Atria, don't make this worse, just endure it and get it over with.' I told myself, but my whole body was trembling with unrestrained anger.

I have always prided myself in my level of tolerance but at this moment I wanted to tear off all pretence and just wipe off that smile from Tabitha's smug face.

Just then, the door swung open and Alpha Ronin walked in. "Is she ready?"

Tabitha straightened. " Yes."

" Come with me." Head bowed, I rose to my feet and followed the Alpha, leaving behind Tabitha whose sick gaze followed me like poison.

The moment we were out the door, the implication of what was about to happen slammed into me like a sledge hammer and my stomach twisted.

My eyes moved through the long hallway, trying to search for an exit or even a way to escape but I knew it was futile because I would be caught no matter what.

We walked towards the Alpha's office. Damon was by the door, when he caught sight of us, his tense shoulders relaxed.

"Wait!" He suddenly called out to us and my heart bursted with hope. But when he opened his mouth, only these cruel words came out. "I, Damon Wayans, reject you, Atria Calcio as my mate."

And like that, my hope was snuffed out like a candle.

Once again, I didn't resist. "I accept your rejection." A sharp pain pierced my heart and if it wasn't for Alpha Ronin's cold grip on my arm, I would have collapsed to the floor.

Cold sweat dotted my forehead. I panted, shadows dotting my vision. I didn't even feel my own body move until we were outside the pack house.

Before me stood a white car, and two huge men wearing, blood red masks leaned against it. I couldn't see them clearly through the haziness in my eyes.

" Is she the one?" The biggest one asked and Alpha Ronin nodded meekly. The man sized me up but the mask hid his expression. Then he just shrugged and opened the door of the car.

I was so weak that Alpha Ronin had to half drag- half walk me to the car. The moment I was placed in the car, my head buzzed and I knew that my body had reached it's limit.

Right before I was swallowed by the darkness, a thought occurred to me that made me tremble.

I am going to die soon.

~P-Lia~