Zaya
"I'm leaving."
I didn't look up to even acknowledge her. She should have been gone a long time ago. Maybe if she had never stayed over, I would never have seen that. Or maybe it was a good thing.
I was getting too comfortable living in some la-la fairytale land that never existed. The truth of it all was that Ryan was a heartless monster who took me against my will to become a breeder for him.
That would never change.
It was stupid of me to think it could ever be anything different.
I stood there and watched him having sex with my sister, out in the open, like I didn't even matter. Obviously, I didn't matter to him, but it still hurt to find out about it this way.
Chloe stretched her hand to touch me. "You can't remain this fucking angry at me before I leave," she said.
I scoffed, incredulous. Was she even being serious right now? She still had the same careless tone she'd had when we were kids and she would always take the things she knew were mine. Then she'd break them and say, "It's broken, Zaya. You can't still be angry about some piece of trash."
This was different.
We weren't kids anymore and this situation definitely wasn't about some broken toy. This was my real life that she was playing with.
I was done.
"You are so selfish, Chloe," I said.
She had the audacity to actually look offended by my words. "It just happened, Zaya. And besides, your Alpha wanted it. That hardly makes me a bad person."
"Why am I in this situation?" I asked.
"What are you even fucking saying?" she replied.
I scoffed. "I'm here because Mum and Dad value you more than they do me. I'm here to take your place," I said.
"You're the older one, Zaya. You're just doing your duty. Don't blame that on me."
My eyes were finally opened to the true reality of who she really was — a selfish brat with no regard for anyone else but herself.
"You find him attractive, obviously. And you obviously think you're the better choice for him. So why don't you stay here and let me leave?" I shouted.
She shrank back. "How can you even say that to me, Zaya?" she said, forcing tears to her eyelids. She probably thought that the gaslighting and emotional manipulation would work for her like it normally did. But not today.
"You were shameless enough to lay yourself out in the hallway like some kind of tramp—"
She slapped me hard across the face.
"How dare you! You're a useless piece of shit, Zaya. That is the reason Mum and Dad don't love you."
I spat away the blood that filled my mouth when she struck me. And for the first time, I had no regard for anything else. I fought for myself and struck her back.
I could see my claw marks on her face as I fought to keep my wolf at bay.
She fell to the ground and glared at me. "I will fucking kill you," she screeched, her eyes turning dark as she lunged for me.
"That is enough!"
The thunderous voice of Alpha Ryan was enough to keep us both frozen in place.
My heart was beating fast and goosebumps crawled over my skin.
With each heavy step he took closer, fear consumed my entire being. His presence felt overwhelming, and I noticed how tall he was.
"What the fuck is happening here?" he bellowed.
I flinched. "Nothing," my voice lower than a whisper. I was terrified.
"I was just fucking leaving," Chloe said and walked towards the door.
"You're going to really rot here, Zaya," Chloe said. "I hope you never come back."
Those words cut me like a knife and tears burned at my eyelids. Today I was able to be fully sure of a lot of things.
Nobody wanted me.
Not my pack, not my Alpha and, even if it was already obvious, not even my kidnapper.
I was utterly worthless.
I blinked back the tears and cleared my throat once Chloe left. "I'll go back to my room now."
I sidestepped him and made a move to escape towards the staircase. I didn't want to be around him. I didn't even want to look at him.
I just couldn't unsee that scene.
"Stop right fucking there!"
His voice boomed. It was like an automatic response. I stopped dead in my tracks, like my body was conditioned to follow his every command.
He walked slowly towards me.
He was the apex predator and I was the prey. In this jungle I was at a loss and I would get eaten alive.
"What was the meaning of that?" he asked.
I turned towards him but could not meet his eyes. "I don't know what you mean," I said.
"Fucking look up at me," he said.
My eyes met his and I almost gasped. He made me feel so small, like I should just disappear. The storm raging behind his eyes threatened to consume me.
"What the fuck is your problem?" he asked.
I was shocked.
Here he was, standing right there, making me feel like I was the crazy person for what he was doing with my sister.
"Why did you have to do that?" I asked, my voice cracking.
It took everything in me to will myself not to cry.
Before I knew what was happening, his hands wrapped around my neck, choking me.
I clawed at his hands but he wouldn't let go.
"Listen carefully," he spat. "You are nothing to me. Just a tool to bear children for me, nothing else," he said.
The tears finally fell from my eyes.
"Do you understand me?" he asked.
I nodded my head frantically. "Understood," I said.
He flung me aside like I was some kind of ragged ragdoll and walked past me.
My eyes were opened.
Ryan was a heartless man and I wanted nothing to do with him.