Chapter 2

VIOLET’S POV My heart began to race so fast I thought I was going to pass out from it. I didn’t know if I was ready to meet my mate just yet, and fear gripped me. It was as exciting as it was scary. What if he rejected me? What if he turned out to be nothing like I had imagined him to be? “Mate wouldn’t reject us, Violet. Be hopeful and think positively.” Aria said in a now calm voice. She must have sensed my panic and decided to calm me down. I nodded in agreement, seeing as she could be right, and I wanted to stay positive, still holding the late Luna’s words to heart. I felt my lips curl into a smile, small at first before it widened. I had gotten my wolf, just like everyone else. I’m not a freak anymore. I was engrossed in my thoughts that I didn’t even realize that someone had made their way down to where my cell was until their voice snapped at me, startling me awake from the daydream I was having about my life. “A good morning to you too Violet,” she stood by the bars, allowing the guard who let her in work on the locks. The door was pried open, and she walked inside standing a few steps away but in front of me. “You need to get busy. Sam is going for training, and he wants you to get cleaned up for the day. Come on, up!” I nodded, noticing that the bite marks from last night had healed completely. I was ecstatic, but since no one knew I had my wolf, I wasn’t sure I wanted anyone to know. “Morning Sussy, did you sleep okay?” I pushed myself off the ground and faced her with a small smile. Out of everyone in this pack, Sussy was the only person I considered a friend. She was the only one who didn’t treat me like I wasn’t worth living. While I would be given chores an entire army was meant to do, she would often sneak around at night just so she could help me finish on time. I had no way to repay her except the gratitude in my heart. But that didn’t mean I was ready to tell her about this morning though. I was afraid it could make things change between us. “I could help you clean up, you know. Ooh, I know, we could also get your hair washed and braided.” She voiced excitedly and I couldn’t help but beam at her. “Goddess no, Sussy. Thank you for the kind offer, but don’t worry about me. I’ll simply wash up and head up for my duties. Worry not your young, silly heart.” I joked, lacing her arm with mine as we made our way out of the cell. As we walked, she rambled on and on about different things I wasn’t paying attention to, even though I was looking at her. Two things had kept me going over the years. The first being that I was desperate to find my mate. I wasn’t certain he was going to be from this pack, but I stayed nonetheless, hoping that if he wasn’t, he would find his way to me. The second was Sussy, my only dear friend. Her kindness reminded me of the late Luna, and I needed the warmth she brought about her. Once we made it out, Sussy gave me a brief yet big hug before skittering off to finish up her own chore. As ordered by Sam, I got myself cleaned up in the Omega Slaves’ washroom. While I wasn’t always allowed to wash up, on the day that I was, I made sure to enjoy every second of it. Once I was done and dressed in clean clothes, I headed over to the Drilling Grounds, feeling excited because it was one of my favorite places to work in. Every time I had to work there, I was fascinated about the trainings going on. There was this need for me to want to learn all that there was available about the pack’s Military training. I wanted to learn to defend myself against all that bullied and hurt me. I wanted to protect those I cared about, Sussy and my mate in this case. Just the thought of losing her was enough to get my blood boiling, and I wasn’t ready to lose another loved one simply because I was too weak to protect them. So, what if I was only twelve when the rogue attack happened and the late Luna felt the need to save me? I should have been able to do something in return for her, but what did I do instead? I watched her die for me even though she wasn’t my mother. She stood in as the parent I needed, protecting me like I was her own when I couldn’t even protect myself. I wanted to be strong like other wolves. Strong enough to not only keep myself safe but also to keep others safe. I don’t want to weak and pathetic anymore, I said internally to myself, only to hear Aria clear her throat, as if announcing her presence to me. “You were never weak, Violet, neither were you pathetic.” She said to me, making me stop in my tracks. How would she know whether or not I was weak? It’s not like she was here to have known. I couldn’t help but feel irritated at her words. “I get that you’re trying to make me feel better, Aria and I appreciate you, I really do but you have no idea how much I have been beaten simply because they knew I couldn’t fight, I wouldn’t dare to.” I may have spoken in my mind but the manner in which I did made her go quiet, so much I feared she had disappeared again. I felt panic start to rise. “I’m sorry Violet. I understand what you went through and I apologize for not being there with you.” I nodded, probably looking like a clown if anyone saw. I continued walking; noticing that I was starting to stand for too long, and that could get suspicious. While Aria and I were in a good place after our conversation, there was this sense of restlessness she tried not to give off, but I could sense it. Every now and then, I felt my heart skip a beat while she got excited for a reason. “It’s mate. He’s close. I can sense him.” She informed me. For a moment, I thought about running back to my cell but I refrained from doing so. This was going to be a life-changing moment, and even though I was scared to my bones, I wanted to know just who this mate was and if he wanted us. I took deep breaths when I got to the door and placed my hand on it, urging myself to push it open. I pushed the door open and walked in, then came face to face with Sam, who had just spun around to face me. “Sam is my mate?” I screamed in my mind from shock. Aria stayed quiet, but I could sense her joy and guilt. She was excited to meet her mate but hurt that the same person who had hurt me for years turned out to be my Fated Mate. Like my life wasn’t bad enough. While he stood in the distance, I knew not to expect anything from him, but I hoped that he would at least not embarrass me in front of the people training. His eyes had turned red, and he looked just about ready to shift and pounce on me. Aria then thought it was a smart move to wave at him. Next thing I knew, from saying hi to my mate, he had his hand around my neck, choking me. “You cannot be my mate, Mamba!” he sneered baring his teeth at me. “I refuse to have filth like you as my mate just because the moon goddess wills it so. I refuse to harbor any bond with my mother’s killer.” I couldn’t take his insults much longer. So, I spoke, it was out of turn but I had waited this long for my mate and I wasn’t ready to lose him, even if he was Sam. “I did not kill the Luna, Sam. You know that.” I tried to sound confident, but my words only came out as a squeak. His hand around my neck tightened as he cut off my access to air. “Do you have a fucking death wish? How dare you speak to me like that, you filthy whore? You think I care? She died because of you, and my father had to live without his mate and it’s your entire fault.” Another squeeze and he had me wheezing from it. “I don’t even know why he kept you alive, left to me; you should have died a long time ago. But maybe my father was right to keep you alive. Because then, death is too easy a punishment for you.” By this time, he was practically screaming in my face. His nose flared, and soon my eyes started to water, blurring my vision. He towered over me, and while I tried to get him to release me, I was no match for his strength. “I don’t want you as my mate!” he said once again, turning his face to spit on the side. “I, Sam Knight, Alpha of the Dark Moon Pack, reject you, Violet Windsor, as my mate and future Luna!” The pain that tugged on my heart forced me into an unconscious state. But even that didn’t last long because I woke up to being thrown into a room. I groaned, feeling my body ache as I tried to take in my surroundings. This was a room unlike mine. It was warm, with a scent that smelled manly and minty, almost like Sam. Where the dungeon was covered with dampness, insects and darkness, the floors of this room were covered with fragrant pine planks, with woolen carpet that was white and fluffy, the warmth making my skin tingle. What am I doing here? Aria was nowhere to be found, her mate rejecting her must have forced her back into hiding and I was worried I’d never hear from her again. I was too caught up in my thoughts to have noticed that this was Sam’s room. There were pictures of his mother in different picture frames. On the side table that was by his bed were candles dimly lit. Nothing had changed much about the room from what I remembered; it used to be our hideout spot on game nights. But why was I here when he had rejected me? Did he regret it? My heart raced for a moment as another thought dropped in. Was he going to force me to bond with him only to reject me after? “I don’t think that’s what it is Violet.” Aria said in a voice that broke my heart a little more. Maybe if I spoke with him, I could get him to understand that our bond was important. But I thought too soon, because then I heard sounds that made my blood run cold. Sam’s bed always had a veil tied by its frame, and today it was loose, concealing whatever was going on, on the bed. My breathing became unstable as I made my way to towards the bed, hoping it was not what I was thinking. The sounds got louder, a woman moaning Sam’s name as he made love to her, and when I lifted a part of the veil, I came face to face with Sussy? I staggered backwards, falling to the ground, and my hand flew to my mouth to cover up my scream. How could she? She was my friend, how could she do this to me? “Why, Sam? Why are you doing this to me? Just, why?” I sobbed. Sam lifted the veil, further exposing them before my eyes. He held onto Sussy, not even thinking to stop moving inside her as he sneered at me. “Why? How can you ask me why when you know that traitors deserve the worst?”