Maya

When I awoke, I found myself in bed, my body aching and covered in numerous marks. My strength had abandoned me, leaving me barely able to move. For a moment, even my memory played tricks on me.

Shit!

I could recall nothing but the sensation of two heavenly scents wafting into my nose. Then, it all became a hazy blur as I sat up, taking in the marks on my skin and the overwhelming exhaustion that had settled within. Pain coursed through all my limbs, even underneath my skin.

And then it hit me, all at once.

They had raped me before branding me. They marked me…..

My eyes widened in sheer horror as my trembling hand reached to touch the places of their marks—I could feel it. Both on the same side: Maximus's mark higher up, and Leonardo's a bit lower.

No! No! No!

I hurriedly sat up, the duvet slipping from my body, revealing even deeper marks than I had initially noticed. Their finger imprints, their bites, the painful bruises, and even traces of blood on my skin, between my thighs, and on the sheets ....In one night, they destroyed me completely.

Tears welled up in my eyes, and a sob escaped as I pressed my hand against my trembling mouth, a sob threatened to break through.

How could they do this to me?

God…how could they just do this?!

Without another thought, I rushed to the bathroom. I felt tainted all over, and the sensations of their marks sent prickling agony through me with every passing second. I stepped into the shower, my hands trembling as I turned the faucet. The cold water met my skin, and everywhere their hands had touched, it burned mercilessly. So fucking bad.

Sobs wracked my body, escaping my lips non-stop, while the pain in my chest intensified with each memory assaulting my mind, mirroring the speed of the water cascading over me. It wasn't just the physical pain or the biting cold that left me breathless; it was something far more profound, something I had known all along.

The Matebond. 

Despite everything they had done, it had a way of making a part of my soul feel complete. But what was the point of feeling whole when I knew that this sense of completion had come at the cost of the worst imaginable suffering? There was no point. Just nothing at all.

As I sobbed, sinking to the floor, unable to contain my emotions any longer, I suddenly heard footsteps.

Shit! I had forgotten to lock the bathroom door.

In a frantic rush to close the door before the two devils entered, reality struck me with a brutal force—I had messed up. Just the moment I brought myself to stand up—They were already here, right before me. Their eyes were fixed on me through the shower glass, both impeccably dressed from head to toe, just as they had always been—the charming twins who turned on their charm for the ladies who hadn't yet witnessed the horrors I had. The dark side.

However, that dark facade only existed because of me, didn't it?

My body froze as my eyes locked with theirs.

I couldn't utter a word, couldn't move or even blink. All I could do was gaze at them because that was all I had ever done—look and obey, despite every fiber of my being yearning to do nothing but escape.

They looked so unmistakably alike, yet the subtle differences in their familiar gestures, especially the look on their faces, in their own unique ways, made it abundantly clear that the one wearing the shirt was Leonardo, and the one in black was Maximus. They both despised me, but they did so in their own twisted, sick ways.

"Are you planning to stand there, or do you want one of us to help you, Pigeon?" Maximus inquired, his eyes briefly flicking to his mark on my neck—a dark half-moon—just beneath Leonardo's, which was slightly lighter.

Help? I wanted to laugh at that word and of course, they indeed said in a laughable way—they didn’t want to ‘help’ me. All they wanted was to see me dead.

I chose to remain silent. They were utterly terrifying, and I couldn't help but wonder if they could see the tears streaming down my cheeks. I prayed they couldn't, because revealing my vulnerability would only give them another reason to torment me, to revel in my pain.

That was their ultimate goal, wasn't it? To push me beyond the brink so that I'd take a step with no way back. Yes, that was.

"So, I'll take that as a yes. Let us assist you then?" Leonardo chuckled. "Max, you take care of her. I'd rather not change again." With that, he strolled out of the bathroom, leaving just Maximus and me in the shower.

A faint, chilling smirk tugged at the corner of Maximus's lips, and it sent a shiver down my spine.

"Well... well..." He advanced slowly into the shower, and I pressed myself further against the wall. They were monsters, and I was painfully aware of the depths to which they could descend. I had no intention of experiencing it again, not at all.

I stood there, paralyzed, unable to think of what to do next—whether to take a step back, attempt to push him away, or anything at all. In that fleeting moment, he trapped me, setting his hands against the wall behind me, his dark eyes fixed on mine, noting the fear that was evident in my gaze. The water drenched both of us, his black shirt now clinging to his rugged muscles, and he ran his fingers through his hair, pushing it backward. Not a single droplet seemed to affect his irresistible allure.

Why did God have to make devils look so incredibly beautiful?

"Since you brought me here, and thanks to you, I have to change all over again, what do you think I should do?" He traced his fingers along my bare shoulder, and I flinched in shock.

I was not merely scared of him. It would be an understatement to say I was scared. I was terrified, absolutely terrified of both him and Leonardo.

"Please, don't..." I managed to muster, a sob escaping my lips.

He chuckled darkly, "Well, I haven't even started doing anything yet." His warm breath sent shivers down my skin, his intoxicating scent filling my nostrils. "Do you think I should do anything?" He leaned closer to my face, his hand sliding around my bare waist as he pulled me close to his body with a swift, unyielding tug. My naked body pressed against his hard form, and a whimper escaped my lips as his lips brushed against mine.

"To be honest, last night wasn't enough for either Leo or me. Should I make up for it now?" He inquired, a smirk playing at the corners of his lips as he grasped my jaw. "What do you say?"

"No, please..." I attempted to pull away, but he only held me tighter against him.

"Please, Max..." My futile pleas fell on deaf ears as he traced his nose along my neck, right over his mark, where he inhaled my scent.

"Fuck!" Maximus muttered under his breath before trailing his nose down my jaw, tilting my head as he reached my shoulder. Sparks shot through every inch of my skin, sharp like needles.

"What do you think, Maya?" He asked, kissing my jaw, his touch suddenly tender, like the deceptive calm before a storm. "Should I fuck you right now to my fill?”

I shook my head. The memory of the excruciating pain I'd endured last night alone sent shivers down my spine. The way they had treated my body like an object, even after the mark... I couldn't find words to describe what they did to me. They ruined me.

"No, please," I shook my head.

"But you do enjoy our touch, don't you?" He inquired, his hand moving between us to brush his fingers against my bare stomach, then trailing down to my lower abdomen. “So why are you trying to resist us?..." A soft gasp escaped my lips as he gently kissed the corner of my mouth. I struggled to resist the involuntary reactions his touch ignited.

"Are you still going to say no?" His smile was wicked, reflecting the darkness in his malevolent eyes that was fucking scary. So fucking scary.

"Please, Max...don’t.”

"Well—"

"Max, how long is this going to take? Don't toy with her now," Leonardo's voice boomed from outside. "We have a pack meeting to attend, and we can't afford to be late."

A pack meeting? 

What was going on?

It was rare unless there were urgent matters to address and important announcements to make.

"Damn it," Maximus muttered under his breath. Thankfully, he released his hold on me and grabbed my wrist, pulling me out of the shower.

"Wear this and come out." He tossed a robe my way before taking one last glance at my body and then left the bathroom, his wet clothes sticking to him. I stood there, still in tears, managing to slip the robe around myself.

As for getting out of this bathroom, I had no idea how long it would take.