Chapter 4

I glanced out the window.

A group of guards in black were standing by the door, whispering.

"So that's the woman Adrian’s keeping. She’s got some nerve."

"Tell me about it. Got caught and still dared to push Molly."

"I've never seen Adrian look at another woman nicely. What’s so special about her?"

"I heard she used to be a highly talented wolf."

"More talented than Molly? Please. Even if she was great back then, she’s just a useless weakling now. Worse than an Omega!"

"She’s probably just good in bed. That's the only reason Adrian kept her around."

Ignoring the throbbing pain in my body, I crawled over and grabbed the phone Adrian had left behind on the table.

Kneeling on the floor, my hands shook as I dialed a number.

The call went through.

I held onto the phone like it was my only lifeline.

"Aunt Leona, my mom is dead. I'm trapped here. Save me!"

Without waiting for a response, I hung up.

I quickly sent my live location via Snapchat.

Then, I deleted every trace of the call and message.

After putting the phone exactly where it was, I slumped against the wall.

Even though I called her Aunt Leona.

I always wished.

I wished my mother had run away with her instead of staying with my father.

Leona knew my mother when they were young, before she became an Alpha.

But later, Leona defeated the Alpha of the Ironridge Pack, claiming her rightful place. She led her warriors to conquer territory, making the Ironridge Pack the most feared pack in the region.

She had tried to protect my mother her whole life, begging her to leave my father, but my mother was bound by the fated mate bond.

Footsteps echoed outside. My muscles instantly tensed.

The moment he walked back in.

The phone I had put back suddenly rang loudly.

The ringtone was my favorite love song.

I froze.

When we were sixteen, we were desk partners.

We would hide our phones in our pockets, sharing a pair of earphones.

I could still feel the warmth of his hand secretly holding mine under the desk, my heart fluttering.

But now, looking at this wooden cabin where I had wasted seven years of my youth.

My patience was completely gone.

He walked over to the phone.

I nervously gripped the hem of my shirt.

He didn't even look at the screen. He just swiped to decline the call.

"Cancel all my meetings."

"Do not disturb me unless the pack is burning down."

A guard outside quickly replied, "Yes, Alpha."

Adrian knelt in front of me, his eyes bloodshot.

He grabbed my hair and yanked my head back.

*Slap!*

A loud, violent slap sent me crashing to the floor.

My ears rang, and the metallic taste of blood filled my mouth.

The physical pain was nothing compared to the absolute humiliation.

His voice shook with pure fury.

"Do you have any idea what you've done?!"

I looked up, glaring back at him.

"I don't care!"

He kicked a ceramic vase nearby, shattering it into pieces.

He took a deep, heavy breath.

"You are going to go to her and apologize face-to-face right now. For the sake of our past, I’ll let this go."

"Otherwise, I’ll make sure you pay for hurting her!"

I gritted my teeth through the pain.

"I barely touched her!"

"Stop blaming me for everything!"

He let out a cold laugh and clapped his hands.

A group of guards immediately marched in, surrounding me.

He stepped back, looking down at me coldly.

"I used to go easy on you because I loved you."

"Since you refuse to learn, maybe it’s time I teach you a real lesson."

Two guards grabbed me, pinning my arms behind my back.

They dragged me out of the cabin. The yard was empty, and the August sun was blindingly hot.

He ordered them to set up a wooden post.

A warrior handed him a thick rope.

Realizing what he was about to do, I started struggling wildly.

But the pain in my stomach was too intense.

Within seconds, I was completely drained of strength.

I looked up as he stepped closer and wrapped his arms around me.

It looked like a hug.

But then, the rough rope was tied tightly around my wrists and bound me to the post.

I could already feel the heat suffocating me.

I stared at him.

"Adrian, growing up, I never did anything to hurt you."

"I don't love you anymore. What you do with Molly is none of my business."

"But you can't treat me like this."

He mocked me.

"So you can treat her like garbage?"

"Elena, why do you always look down on her?"

"Back then she was just an innocent girl, and now she's just a wife with a little temper."

"What makes you think you're better than her?"

"Just because you're the 'legitimate' daughter doesn't mean you're superior."

"To her, you are the homewrecker."

He finished tying the knot and walked back into the cabin without looking back.

The noon sun was brutal.

My arms and legs were completely exposed to the heat.

Before long, my vision started to go black.

My head throbbed, and a wave of nausea hit me.