Maya

I awoke in my bed, enveloped in their residue—traces of their essence clung to me like unwelcome tattoos. The duvet shrouded my nakedness while drawn curtains veiled the morning light. Disgust flooded me as the reality of last night's debasement crashed over my senses, eclipsing any remnants of self-respect.

Tears cascaded down my cheeks the moment I dared to open my eyes.

Why did I surrender to that? How could I fucking let my own desires betray me? And how could I allow myself to feel any desire for those monsters?!

God! This was so fucked-up!

They fucking damaged me, stained me with the inescapable memories now etched into my mind.

Throughout the night, they used me like a slave, making me surrender to their dominance. What defense could I muster when I had invited this upon myself?

As I rose from the bed, pain coursed through my entire body and the first sob slipped past my lips but the anguish in my heart eclipsed the physical ache. Damn it! It was as if they had torn me apart—shattered me into irreparable shards, and I was powerless to stop it.

Their haunting words echoed relentlessly in my mind...

"Have you ever wondered what it's like to see your mother's body hanging on the ceiling, her face all blue and eyes void of warmth and totally frozen?" Maximus had chuckled darkly, when he thrust deep into me with each word, "Or have you ever thought what would it feel to hang from the ceiling, get your throat broken and tongue hanging out? What do you think, Maya? How much courage do you think one needs to take that step?"

"You should think…Maya because one day, your mother will be sharing the same fate. It's just a matter of a few years—we'd execute her, but you...you'd witness it and forever be the same slave of our pack. You'd be the pack-whore for every warrior to fuck and blow off their steam—that's what your position would be and it's not going take much long before you meet that fate," Leonardo had said it coldly when he'd pulled me in for a kiss.

God....the thoughts—they were killing me.

My wolf, too, had fallen into a sorrowful silence. I sensed her struggle, sharing my pain. The torment inflicted by those two monsters wounded us both.

"I don't even deserve to exist..." The words trembled from my lips as I slowly rose, battling against my aching muscles. Despite the pain, I forced myself upright. Wrapped in the duvet to stave off the shivers, my skin felt as cold as ice, my strength fleeting.

Step by faltering step, I made my way to the bathroom, desperate to scrub away their taint. Their scents lingered, their marks a grotesque reminder—I loathed my own existence, thanks to the twins who had cruelly fulfilled their promise to make me despise myself.

I was naive to believe I could endure their torment and emerge victorious. Their sickening hold over me was unbreakable. Just three days since discovering they were my mates, and already, they had ensnared my entire existence, becoming the haunting shadows I could never shake off.

Death might be the easier path, but what awaited me beyond it? Peace? I doubted it.

They'd haunt my soul. There was no doubt.

In the bathroom, as I shed the duvet, the mirror unveiled a canvas of their brutality—bite marks, claw imprints, and crimson patches, reminders of their cruel grasp that marred my skin.

Those conniving, twisted bastards! They possessed a sick mastery of bringing me to my knees, compelling me to fucking hate my very existence.

But the cruelest revelation awaited me—I couldn't even meet my own gaze in the mirror. Disgust surged through me, a searing self-loathing for allowing them to degrade me so profoundly.

 How could I just ask for that? Why couldn't I just hold back and resist them?!

"Why did you let this happen?!" The scream ripped from my throat, propelled by a surge of rage. I seized a nearby vase and hurled it at the mirror. The glass shattered, shards cascading across the bathroom, some finding purchase in my skin. Yet the physical pain paled against the torment within, “How could you fucking ask for that?!"

Running my fingers through my hair, a restlessness consumed me, constricting my gut and suffocating me.

Calm down, Maya. Breathe.

"Fuck! I can't fucking—" And then I felt it—A strange twist churned within my abdomen, accompanied by a constricting sensation in my throat—a nauseating turmoil clawing its way through me.

I stumbled toward the toilet, anticipating the inevitable, and promptly vomited.

It had to be exhaustion. My body was drained, devoid of strength.

Just as I hoped it was over, another gut-wrenching convulsion seized me, forcing another round of retching. It felt agonizing, as if my insides might spill out any moment, yet mercifully, that catastrophe never unfolded.

Summoning the last dregs of energy, I rose once more, my weariness palpable. Entering the shower, I diligently purged their fluids and scents, exerting every ounce of strength to erase their marks. Though unsuccessful in removing their imprints, the now inflamed and irritated skin attested that I had at least covered them with my own.

After freshening up, executing each mundane task with a hollow sense of lifelessness, I dressed myself—a long-sleeved dress to shield against prying eyes. With heavy steps, I descended the stairs.

My life couldn't plummet any further, so I resolved, at the very least, to refrain from starving myself.

Last night, they had stripped away a part of me, leaving an agonizing void within.

A bitter chuckle escaped me as I pondered my naive belief in the so-called sacred mate bond—the foolishness of my own thoughts. How ignorant I had been!

There seemed no purpose in allowing anyone to wield such power over me. They intended to destroy me, to push me to my limits, but I refused to surrender to thoughts of ending my own life.

I wanted to see what extent they could cross. I really wanted to see it all.

Breakfast awaited me at the table, and for once, I decided to partake. It was a rare occasion because I simply hated sitting here or anywhere where there would be any pack members or maids who had only started to be kind to me because of the news of me being the future Luna.

I could give a less fuck about anyone else. I was just too…empty. A chill seemed to have permeated my own being and an icy detachment had settled in.

Midway through my breakfast, my so-called mother appeared out of nowhere, taking a seat right beside me.

"Well, well... if it isn't my precious daughter."

God! What did she want now?!