ARTEMIS' POV:-

My mother pulled me into the room she had set for me. It was beautiful. She left me alone and I sat down on the ground. I hugged my knees tightly and started sobbing. The pain of my wounds was too much and yet, I felt no physical pain. Maybe because my heart was crushed under Elijah's heel. "I can't believe it. I never thought he would betray me. I always thought he was telling the truth." I thought to myself, hoping Tracy would hear me and say something to me about everything that happened to us.

I was surprised again when I heard nothing from Tracy. It felt like she was ignoring me. I knew she was awake and she could listen to me. I just didn't know why she was angry at me. "I was such an idiot to believe everything he was telling me. He must have been lying all along. I just wish I would never have trusted him." I thought while I was sobbing quietly.

The bedroom was quiet. There was no one else in the house besides Victor and my mom. The silence was almost deafening. "You will not talk to me either, Tracy? It's just you and me. No one else but us. I want to hear from you. I want to listen to your voice." I asked Tracy in a low tone. I wanted her to talk to me. It felt like I was the one who made the mistake.

I gritted my teeth in anger as I didn't hear from Tracy. She didn't even move. She was posing as if she was asleep inside me. But she was forgetting the fact that I could feel whatever she did. "Just say something. Tell me it was not my fault. Tell me I didn't bring it on my head. Tell me I didn't make any mistakes." I yelled at her angrily. But she just wiggled her tail. She was behaving like I was the one who cheated on Elijah. While the reality was totally opposite.

I stood up and walked towards the bed. I grabbed the pillow and buried my face in the pillow. I screamed as loudly as I could. I screamed until my throat started to hurt. Then I grabbed the pillow and threw it back on the bed. "If that's what you want. I will be doing the same to you from now on. I will be giving you the same silent treatment from now on." I added in a low tone as I dropped down on the edge of the bed.

A light knock on my bedroom door pulled me out of the oceans of my thoughts. I looked up at the door with a confused frown on my face. I quickly wiped my tears with my sleeves because I didn't want anyone to know that I was disturbed. "Come in!" I replied in a low tone, waiting for the person to enter my room who knocked on the door. The door opened and Mr Rodriguez stepped into my bedroom.

I masked my face with a small smile. I needed a place to stay until I would have a job to support myself. I didn't want to cause trouble to anyone. "Sorry to disturb you, Sweety. Are you alright? Your eyes are bloodshot and puffy. Have you been crying?" Mr Rodriguez asked me in a concerned tone as he sawy face. It was the first time I had been crying like that. Maybe because I had been so happy living with Elijah, I forgot how miserable my life used to be when I was living with my father.

I masked my face with a wider smile. Hoping he would buy the act. I didn't mean to lie to him. But I didn't want to worry him either. "Umm.. no! I am fine. Did you come here for a reason?" I replied to him in a low tone then asked him what brought him to my bedroom. It was not like I was pushing him out of my bedroom. I just didn't want him to see me like that.

Mr Rodriguez nodded his head slowly as he heard me. Surely he didn't buy my fake smile. He was concerned about me. "Oh, yeah! Alpha Elijah is at the door. He wants to meet you." Mr Rodriguez replied to my question in a calmed tone. He was polite and I was glad. I was not in the condition to deal with someone mean like my father. Or someone like Elijah.

As I heard Elijah's name, my insides started burning in rage. I didn't want to see him or hear his name. At least for a few days. Or maybe never. I didn't know anything at that moment. "I don't want to meet him. Tell him to leave. I don't want to see his face." I replied to Mr Rodriguez in a low tone. It disturbed me that Elijah was there to see after everything he had done to me.

Mr Rodriguez walked towards me. I looked up into his eyes, knowing well what I was supposed to do. "Artemis! He is the alpha of this pack. You can't deny his orders, Sweety." Mr Rodriguez added in a low tone while staring at me with wide eyes. Yes, he was the Alpha. But that was not the reason he came here. I knew it well.

I narrowed my head..my eyes were on the ground, staring at the perfect carpet on the floor in my room. "He is not just alpha for me. He is my boyfriend. At least, I thought he was. Anyways, I don't want to see his face. Tell him to go away." I replied to Mr Rodriguez in a low tone. I was hardly able to keep my voice straight. I wanted to cry more but I didn't want Mr Rodriguez to see me miserable.

Mr Rodriguez nodded his head. He patted my head twice. "I will tell him what you have told me. You don't have to be worried about anything. You are home. You are safe." Mr Rodriguez spoke in a gentle tone. My eyes went towards his eyes. He had a gentle smile on his face that made me feel safe around him. Mr Rodriguez turned around and walked away. I went towards the window to look outside.

I felt Tracy open her eyes as I saw Elijah standing in front of Mr Rodriguez's house. Mr Rodriguez was talking to Elijah. What hurt me mose was Tracy's behaviour. A few minutes ago, she was not even moving so she could ignore me. "I can't believe it, Tracy. You are punishing me for something that was not my fault. Don't tell me you are still taking his side." I growled at Tracy angrily while staring at Elijah.

I saw him walking towards his car. Part of me wanted to jump into his arms and hide in his arms so no one would ever be able to hurt me like that again. But that part was delusional like Tracy. "He has the audacity to show his face here. Can't he just leave me alone?" With tears in my eyes, I thought to myself. I was staring at his eyes. Searching for any remorse in his eyes for his actions. But I saw nothing.

I walked back towards the bed and sat down on its edge. There was no way I was going to cry over that man anymore. Even though it hurt like a bitch, I didn't want to waste anymore tears on that man. A light knock on my bedroom door made me wipe my tears again. I guess I couldn't cry until everyone went to bed. "Can I come in, Artemis?" Mr Rodriguez asked me in a low tone. I stood up from the bed and masked my face with a huge smile.

"Yeah! Come in." I invited Mr Rodriguez into my bedroom. He stepped into the room and walked towards me. He grabbed my hand and pulled me towards the bed.

Me Rodriguez made me sit on the edge of the bed and he sat down on the chair. "What is going on? I don't want to prey but I need to know if you are fine." Mr Rodriguez asked me in a concerned tone. He was staring at my face to read my face. I didn't mean to concern him about my troubled life.

Maybe my stepmother was right about me. I was a jinx. Wherever I went, I took a package of trouble and bad luck with me. Maybe she was right about me all along. That I was nothing but a burden. I turned my face away from his gaze because I didn't want him to see me crying. "I am alright. There is nothing that I can't handle on my own." I replied to Mr Rodriguez in a low tone. It was true. It was not the first time that I was dealing with a problem. Living with a bitch my step mother, I got accustomed to dealing with problems.

She was the very first problem that I learned to deal with. And it started when I was only a toddler. There were many nights she didn't feed me and I slept empty stomach. But my father never knew anything about it. "Okay, Sweety! If you say so. I believe you. Now forget about everything else. Tell me something. Are you hungry?" Mr Rodriguez asked me in a low tone and I placed my hand on my stomach.

I didn't want Mr Rodriguez to hear my stomach growling. Whenever Elijah asked me if I was hungry, my stomach responded to him by growling out loud. But I guess that day, even my stomach was sad. Because I was hungry and my stomach didn't make a sound. Maybe it only happened around Elijah. "Yes! A little." I replied to Mr Rodriguez in a low tone.

Mr Rodriguez chuckled as he heard me. He patted my head gently. "Okay, would you like to have roasted lamb ribs with mashed potatoes? I am not sure if you like it or not. I can make you something else if you don't eat that." Mr Rodriguez asked me in a low tone and I turned my face to look at him.

It was actually my favourite dish. And there was no way I was not going to like it. "No! It's perfect. I will have lamb ribs with mashed potatoes. I like it very much." I replied to Mr Rodriguez in a low tone.

"Would you like some garlic bread with it?" Mr Rodriguez asked me another question. Hearing the name of garlic bread, my stomach finally growled. But it was not as loud as it used to be. I was thankful that it was a hushed growl.

"Yeah! I would love it." I replied to him in a low tone. My cheeks burned because I knew he might have heard my stomach growling. It was embarrassing. I was glad he didn't laugh at me like Elijah used to laugh.

"Okay then, give me five minutes to heat everything up for you." Mr Rodriguez replied to me in a low tone as he stood up from the chair. I also stood up and smiled at him. This time, the smile was not fake. For some reason, I felt comfortable around him.

"Sure! I will be there in five minutes." I replied to him in a low tone. Mr Rodriguez nodded his head and he walked towards the door. He stepped out of my room and I walked into the bathroom. I washed my face as quickly as I could. I used cold water so I wouldn't have puffy eyes or red cheeks.

I pulled my shirt up and turned around. I was staring at my back. It had almost healed. There was not even a drop of blood on my back. My inner shirt was red with blood. I pulled my shirt off of my body and wore an oversized hoodie that I purchased from that mall. I stepped out of the bathroom and walked towards the door.

I went downstairs and followed the aroma of the garlic bread. I stepped into the kitchen and found Mr Rodriguez heating up the dinner for me. It reminded me of Elijah. He always cooked for me. Even though he knew that I knew how to cook. "Ah! You are here right on time." Mr Rodriguez's voice pulled me out of the oceans of my thoughts. I smiled widely and walked towards the kitchen counter.

I sat up on the chair while Mr Rodriguez served me dinner. He placed a plate in front of me then he sat down on the chair beside me. "It smells so good. Thank you, Mr Rodriguez." I thanked him as I grabbed the garlic bread and took a small bite.

Mr Rodriguez chuckled softly and patted my head again. "Oh, don't be so formal. I can't ask you to call me dad or stepdad or papa. For now, you can call me Victor." Mr Rodriguez spoke in a gentle tone.

I smiled and nodded my head. It was going to be awkward to call him stepdad that early. I needed time to adjust with the fact that he was my stepdad. Not that I ever wanted my mom to be around a bully like my father. My father belonged with his bitchy wife. "Oh, okay, Victor." I replied in a low tone as I grabbed a rib and took a small bite.

My eyes widened as the flavours of all the herbs burst in my mouth. "How is it? Do you like it?" Victor asked me in a low tone while staring at me. I looked at him with a small smile on my face.

"Yes! It's delicious. Did you make it?" I replied to Victor in a low tone. I couldn't help myself but dig in as if I was starving. Yes, I was hungry. But I was not starving or something.

Victor smiled widely as he heard my question. As if it was something he was proud of. "Oh yeah! Every once in a while I like to cook at home for my family. It's a way for me to connect with my family." Victor replied to me in a proud tone. He was not bragging. He was good at it. And it was so sweet of him to be so nice and caring towards my mom.

"It's beautiful! My father never stepped into the kitchen to make me anything at all. He never even asked if my stepmom cooked or not. He always praised her cooking when she didn't even know how to boil eggs." I added in a low and sad tone. I didn't know why I wanted to tell him all that. Maybe because I started to feel comfortable around him. Maybe because he was kind towards me.

"So you can cook?" Victor asked me in a low tone while he poured me some orange juice. I finished the content in my glass already.

I took a sip from the glass to wash the food into my stomach. "Yeah! Since I was a child." I replied to Victor in a low tone. I started cooking when I was hardly able to reach the counter. I used to stand on a chair to cook. My stepmom used to punish me if I didn't cook.

"Your father doesn't know?" Victor asked me in a low tone as he heard my response. I turned my head in his direction. He was worried about me. He was angry for some reason.

I sighed and shook my head. Hell, he never even asked me if I had my meals. He never really cared if I would have died. "I think he never tried to understand. I was the one who used to cook inside that house. Whenever my stepmom was not around, my father would throw the food in the trash saying that it tasted like poison. I couldn't understand how he didn't feel that there was no difference." I replied to Victor's question in a low tone. It was painful for me to admit it but it was true.

It took me a few months to realise that my father didn't care about me. He just cared about himself. He loved himself. "He was just a blind man with stupid ambitions. I bet he took you away from your mother just to hurt her." Victor added in a low tone. Hearing him, I lowered my eyes. I guess he knew well what kind of person my father really was.

I still couldn't help but be sad. He snatched me away from my mom and he didn't care if I would have died. I bet he wouldn't even try to look for me when I was abducted. "Oh, I am so sorry. I shouldn't have said that." Victor apologised to me in a low tone. He sounded guilty.

I forced a small smile on my face and shook my head. "No! It's okay. It's nothing new for me. I thought I was the only one who felt that way. I guess normal people could think that way." I replied to Mr Rodriguez in a low tone. It was difficult for me to admit that my father was a lousy son of a bitch.

A worried look appeared on his face as he heard me. He patted my head again to make me feel better. "Did he ever abuse you in any way?" Mr Rodriguez asked me in a low tone.

I chuckled bitterly as I heard his question. It was a funny story about what I did to him when he tried to abuse me. "He tried once. He slapped me. The very next day, social services and the police were at my door. They never touched me again. If that counts." I replied to him in a low tone and Victor laughed out loud.

He calmed down a little then he asked me. "What about mental abuse?"

"Oh, I can say that I am still not crazy enough to take my own life. Not that I didn't think about it. I just didn't want to die without looking at my mother's face one last time." I was honest with Victor. I felt like my secret was somehow safe with him. I had thought about it a few times but I never tried anything stupid. I wanted to live for the sake of my mother. I remembered her cries and her pleas when my father snatched me away from her. I wanted to meet her again and tell her that I was alright.

There was a concerned look on his face as he heard me. He was worried if I still felt that way. "Maybe my mother's memories are what kept me sane for all those years. You know, my friends and my classmates thought that I was insane. Because my father had told everyone that my mother was dead and I thought she was alive and I could remember her. According to them, it was impossible because my father told them that she died right after my birth." I added further in a low tone. I told him because at some point, I also started to question myself if those memories were actually true or not.

"He is a crazy man. I am just glad that you are no longer around him." Victor whispered softly as he patted my head gently. He was trying to make me feel comfortable around him.

"Anyways! Would you like something sweet? I baked some lava cake. I think there is no woman in this world who would ever say no to chocolate." Victor asked me in a neutral tone, changing the subject completely.

"Yeah! I love chocolate." I replied excitedly. Chocolate lava cake was my favourite. It tried to bake it but it never worked out. Either I overcooked it or undercooked it.

With an excited smile on his face, Victor stood up from his chair. He grabbed my plate and threw it in the sink. Then he grabbed a plate and opened the fridge. He pulled out the cake from the fridge. He took a big slice out of the cake and placed it on the plate. He decorated it with some whipped cream. He placed the plate in front of me. I took a huge bite and a wide smile appeared on my face. "How is it?" Victor asked me in a low tone and I smiled widely.

"It's perfect. It's so delicious. You know, I tried to make it many times. I screw up every single time." I replied to him in an excited tone. I couldn't help but stuff my mouth with the cake.

He chuckled as he heard me. "It is not as easy as the other baking goods. I will teach you. Don't worry." He replied in a low tone, making me excited about it.

"You really will teach me?" I asked him in an excited tone and he nodded his head with a small smile on his face.

"Of course, I will. My kids are not interested in baking and cooking. It will be amazing to have a child who enjoys cooking." Victor replied to me in a low tine and I shrieked lowly in excitement.

Before I knew it, I was done with the slice of the cake. With a pout on my face, I looked at Victor. "Can I have some more? It's very delicious." I asked him and he chuckled softly.

"Of course, Sweety. You don't have to ask me. You can take whatever you want. It's your home too." Victor replied to me as he sliced up another big piece of cake and placed it on my plate. He gave me the can of whipped cream so I wouldn't be able to add as much as I wanted.

"Thank you so much for everything." I thanked him as I started eating the cake again.

"Artemis! Whenever you are ready to talk, let me know. I would like to help you with whatever is bothering you." Victor spoke in a neutral tone. I turned my face towards him.

"I… umm… I was.." I tried to say something but I couldn't. I was just too nervous.

"It's okay. I don't want you to open up just now. Take your time. Don't be so hard on yourself." Victor spoke in a low tone as he noticed me getting nervous.

A small smile appeared on my face as I nodded my head. I knew he was trying to help me. I was not ready to talk about it just yet. I needed time. But it felt good to know that someone actually cared about me. "Sure. I will consider it." I replied to him as I finished the cake. I grabbed my plate and was about to take it towards the sink.

"I will take care of it. Don't worry about it. You look exhausted. You need rest." Victor spoke as he took the plate from my hands and walked towards the sink.

"Go and get some sleep. You look exhausted. And keep your door open. I will ask Amy to patch you up." He added in a low tine as I didn't move from my place. I smiled and nodded my head slowly.

"Did Elijah tell you something?" I asked him in a nervous tone. I didn't want him to know about everything just yet.

"Yeah! That you were wounded. And that you saved Ryan's life." Victor replied in a low tone and I sighed in relief. At least, he didn't tell Victor that I was raped.

"Oh! Yeah! It was my duty." I added in a low tone and lowered my head.

"Just go back and get some sleep. Hopefully, you will heal soon." Victor added in a low tone. I nodded my head as I walked towards the door of the kitchen.

"Okay. Good night, Victor." I greeted him.

"Good night, Sweety." He greeted me back.

"I can't believe it. I thought Elijah would have told him everything. But Victor hardly knew what happened to me." I thought to myself as I walked back towards my room. My mom was nowhere to be found. I figured that she was asleep. I was glad that she was not there to listen to everything that was happening in my life. I didn't want her to worry about me.

"Maybe Victor didn't want me to feel awkward around him. Because he was asking me different questions. I just wish I could forget about all those horrible things that happened to me tonight. If I can ever forget it all." I thought to myself while entering the bedroom. I closed the door and walked towards the window. The moon was shining brightly in the sky. It looked beautiful and sad. As if it was lonely just like I was.

"I wish Elijah wouldn't have betrayed me. I wish he would have stayed loyal to me like he always wanted me to stay loyal to him." I thought while staring at the moon. I didn't know why I would be punished like that. It felt like I made a mistake and I was supposed to be punished for that.

Talking to someone like Victor somehow helped me with that boiling lava inside of me. I was no longer angry at myself. I was not even sure why I would be angry at myself. I was not supposed to be angry at myself.

Maybe it was all because of Tracy's cold shoulders. She was giving me cold shoulders as if I was responsible for everything. "I am going to need to visit Lauren tomorrow morning. I know he was not done but I can't take any chances. I don't want to get pregnant with a wild wolf's child." I thought to myself while staring at the moon. I walked towards the bathroom with a bathrobe in my hands. I locked the door and stripped my clothes. I filled the tub with warm water and added bath bombs for the fragrance. I soaked myself in the warm water to wash off the disgusting feeling and the pungent scent of that dirty and nasty wild wolf of my body.