Maya

I woke up in bed, my skepticism lingering as I tried to piece together how I ended up here.

No, seriously, how did I end up here on the bed? Because I could clearly remember myself falling asleep on the floor, trapped in my thoughts for what felt like an eternity. I pondered the cruel irony of the one's fate who'd be chosen by the Twins for an arbitrary punishment.

I didn't know who it was but obviously, they were unlucky. Unlike my mother who was the real culprit and had the luck on her side.

The Twins hadn't uttered a single word hinting at suspicion towards her. 

And now the burden of my silence weighed heavily. Any revelation about her involvement would inevitably lead to repercussions, with the Twins facing their father's wrath, and the aftermath falling squarely on me.

But should I feel guilty about not telling them the truth? I don't know, neither do I want to.

As I got ready for another day at college, donned in a long-sleeved sweater and wide-legged pants, a lingering question echoed in my mind. Why did they even care if someone hurt me?

I wasn't some sacred, precious belonging to them; they treated me like an object. The question lingered, suspended in the air, unanswered.

Unfortunately, there was no one to provide an answer. Maybe it was an ownership thing, but who knew for sure?

It seemed I had no choice but to remain in this state—unheard and unanswered, lacking the knowledge of why I was subjected to this punishment.

Would they even find peace after my death, knowing they killed their own mate? 

I couldn't say, maybe they would.

Shaking my head to fend off the tears threatening to surface, I went down the stairs without sparing a glance at the breakfast table or the maid patiently waiting with my meal. Kindness, perhaps sparked by the unfortunate news of my role as the next Luna, suddenly radiated from her gaze but I harbored no ill feelings. The truth was, I felt no appetite.

Stepping outside of the pack-house, my eyes fell on their Jeep parked nearby. 

The windows were open, offering a glimpse of both twins, their strikingly attractive profiles on display. Today, it was Leonardo at the wheel, an unusual occurrence as he hated driving unless it was occasions when Maximus would be drunk or just simply dealing with a hangover.

Wait? Did he drink last night? I mean there was no other reason for Leonardo to drive. 

He never vocalized it in front of me, but I knew Leonardo had this itch to crush people beneath their Jeep every time he drove. I had experienced the peculiar dynamics of their car firsthand, particularly when Maximus was drunk. On such occasions, one thing was certain: Maximus, in his own strange way, became the weirdest—or dare I say, the kindest. He spared me from his usual barrage of insults and looked at me weirdly….

The honk of the car shattered my thoughts. 

"What are you doing there, mate?" Leonardo inquired, his gaze now fixed on me, joined soon by Maximus's attention.

I have said it before, and I'd say it again: if not for their sins, they could easily be mistaken for angels. But they weren't.

They were fucking drenched in sins, the evidence of which was glaringly apparent—like the cigarette dangling between Leonardo's fingers, reigniting memories I desperately wanted to avoid and the burns that still bore witness to their existence on my stomach.

Fuck. I didn't want to remember any of it.

"What? Are you just going to stand there, or do you want one of us to pick you up?" Maximus's tone was sharp, a cutting edge to his words.

Certainly not. I'd prefer to stay the hell away from monsters like the two of you.

"I..." For some reason, my voice faltered, even though I had already prepared an answer in my mind.

"What? Expecting the princess treatment now?" Leonardo scoffed, his laughter echoing, "Don't make a fool of yourself, Maya. Know your place."

God! His fucking words! They would never not hurt me.

"I'm not expecting anything," I finally managed to blurt out, forcing myself to walk over to them. Realizing they hadn't brought any of their regular whores, I opened the car door and settled in beside Maximus.

"Well, a slave shouldn't have expectations anyway," Leonardo's sharp eyes bore into me, almost compelling me to cower in fear. Yet, beside me was another devil, and there was no escape. "Don't raise your hopes, Puppet. Your position has always been clear, hasn't it?"

Swallowing the knot forming in my throat, along with my pride, I nodded.

Gosh...I had never thought their words would hurt so much but this goddamn matebond had made everything harder.

"Well, what's got you being so obedient today? Hoping to get fucked?" Maximus emitted a small, humorless chuckle as he slipped his hand around my waist, instantly igniting sparks through my body and a deep-seated fear.

"It's not like that," I stammered.

"Well, I think it is," his voice took on a mocking falsetto, "But anyway, just to let you know, we have better women to fuck than you, Pigeon. The sex with you wasn't even amazing, so you're reserved for when we need to blow off steam. That's when you come in handy—an object to vent our frustration and pent-up anger."

Could he say anything worse than this?

Forget him. Could a mate utter anything worse than this?

Tears welled in my eyes, and I looked away, biting down on my bottom lip to stifle the sob threatening to escape. "I understand," I managed to say.

"Good for you, I guess," I felt Leonardo suddenly shift his attention back to the car, starting to drive as Maximus pulled away.

"Well, that's one less task for us because we really aren't in the mood to put you in shape today."

It wouldn't take much effort to simply utter the words of rejection and reject them, would it? But where could I possibly go after rejecting them? They wouldn't allow me to escape and would turn the entire pack against me in a brutal manner.

I was trapped in this hell.

Sniffling, I wiped my tears with the back of my hand, and they were undoubtedly aware of their success. They had achieved their goal of bringing tears to my eyes at the very start of the morning. Thankfully, they didn't bother to pay me any more of their torturous attention, and the rest of the drive to the college passed in silence.

As we reached the college, Leonardo parked the car, and I hastily got out, making a beeline for the college. However, after taking a few steps, a familiar voice pierced the air.

"Alpha!"

I turned to see Penelope, an old fuck buddy of both twins, rushing towards the car. She winked at me before intentionally brushing past me and running into their arms.

My eyes couldn't help but glance back, witnessing the Twins standing against their Jeep. They welcomed Penelope, pulling her close and sandwiching her between them.

My chest tightened, my breathing became harder, and tears burned in my eyes.

Damn, this hurt. More than everything they had done to me.

"I came earlier because of your text," Penelope whispered, burying her head into Maximus's neck and kissing his skin before moving to Leonardo's jaw. Leonardo closed his eyes and grabbed her butt, squeezing it, "This is the spot if I remember it correctly..." Penelope then shifted to the corner of Maximus's mouth, "And I haven't forgotten yours either, Alpha."

Don't cry, Maya....

You should not cry for such monsters.

"You remember it well, baby," Maximus murmured, his eyes briefly meeting mine before returning to Penelope. He grabbed a handful of her hair, tilting her head, while Leonardo, his gaze fixed on me, lowered his lips and kissed down her neck.

The tears finally slid down my cheeks, and I turned around. My hand flew to my mouth to suppress the sob threatening to break free. Without wasting another second, I rushed inside the college building.

I couldn't take it. I just fucking couldn't, knowing that a part of my soul belonged to them and part of theirs belonged to mine, and there they were, giving everything to another woman.

Is this how Ayla felt because of my mom?

God... I didn't know how long I could hold on, but I was sure I wouldn't be able to endure it as long as she did.