The other slaves were confused when they saw Hope crying. Marina was also confused and panicked. She tried to soothe Hope but nothing happened. After seeing Hope like this, she connected the dots and the air left her lungs as she realized that the alpha king is Hope's mate. She couldn't grasp the fact that the alpha king left his mate in another pack.

"What happened Hope? Why are you crying?" Asked Mira but didn't recieve any answer from Hope. She however got her reply from Marina.

"It's just that Hope misses her parents. Their anniversary is also coming. She is just upset. She'll be alright." Answered Marina.

"We are with you Hope. Talk to us. If you wish then we can spend a little girls time together. It'll be fun." Said Sarah, the head cook and wiped Hope's tears while the other girls gave Hope some water and nodded their head in affirmation.

Hope, after receiving this much affection after a long time couldn't help herself and broke down into more tears , sending the other girls into a frenzy. They started apologizing repeatedly , panicked that they said or did something wrong.

"Don't worry. I am just stupidly emotional now. You did nothing wrong." Hope said using the excuse Marina gave, trying to smile through her tears, reassuring the slaves that she is fine.

"Hope, I think that you should go and rest, we will share your part of work between ourselves." Said Jada, another slave.

The slaves were so focused on Hope, giving her all their attention that they didn't notice another wolf coming in the kitchen.

"I think you all bitches should go and do your work because you know how angry wolves become when they are hungry." spat the pack's slut, Michelle surprising all the slaves.

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Michelle was the pack's future luna. The pack's Alpha Nickolas hadn't found his mate yet but the elders were pressuring him to take one of the she wolves as his luna. He chose Michelle as she was the Beta's daughter and didn't care if he slept with anyone else. Michelle was also one of the biggest bullies who tormented others including Hope. She had made an oath to make Hope's life a living hell because she never got any reaction from Hope. It was now a matter of ego and she did everything she could to break Hope.

Once, Michelle had locked Hope in the basement of the pack house for fun. Marina and the other slaves had to go to the annual meeting with the Alpha which was for pack members who were eighteen or older than eighteen and Hope was seventeen at that time. She had been transferred to the BLACKMOON PACK two years ago when she was sixteen. Michelle didn't knew that Hope had Nyctophobia( intense fear of darkness which could lead to anxiety or depression). When Michelle had returned after an hour, she found Hope having a panic attack and had to be taken . Hope had scratched roughly at her arms drawing out blood and kept screaming weird sentences like 'He will kill me and 'I will not spare you'. She was admitted into a werewolf hospital. It was frightening even for the doctors. After three days of medical attention ,Hope was discharged and sent back home with a serious order to never subject her to dark again. Michelle tried to lock her into basement many times again but never succeeded.

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The other slaves returned to their work while Hope wiped her tears with her wrists and stood up.

"Oh my God! Dear Hope are you crying?" Anyone could hear the sarcasm in her voice." Well you should as you are nothing more than a slut, human. Oh well, you remember my friend Harley? Your mate fell in love with her! Such a shame! Even your mate doesn't want you!" She spat again.

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Hope

I shouldn't pay heed to Michelle's words but I do because they are the truth. And someone said right that truth is bitter.

"Michelle why don't you go and do some pack work. It must be incomplete as you just whore around all day." I say surprising myself. I am not like this. Everything is taking a toll on me. It's not that I like it when someone insults me but what can I do? They are werewolves. They can snap me into half in a second. It's also not like that I don't get angry. I do. Whenever someone insults me or abuses me I do get angry. Not just I–will–make–you–regret way but I–will–make–you–bleed–for–every–insult–you–sent–my–way type. I had seen so much abuse not just emotional but also physical and sexual in my previous pack that I have grown accustomed to it. But I want to hurt each and every person that has hurt me. I am usually this happy-go-lucky person that no one sees the amount of anger I I have in me. All the anger, all the humiliation, all the pain that just rests beneath the surface, trying to break through my happy facade. And it sucks that I can't do anything. I want to live. They will kill me. The Blackmoon pack will kill me. Just like now, Michelle will go and cry some fake tears in front of the alpha and I will suffer from the punishment.

I can see that the other slaves are shocked to hear about my mate and so was I. How did Michelle knew? And in first place I shouldn't have a mate. How could I? I am human. But I felt the sparks the werewolves talk about. It was like my senses had skyrocketed and I smelt his scent. Cinnamon and pine. The thought of my mate's —my ex mate's scent sends a wave of pain in me.

"What did you just say bitch!? " Michelle screams but I stay silent and regard her with a blank look. I don't have the energy to apologize and nor I am going to. She didn't have any right to throw my relationship with my mate in my face.

Not receiving an answer she stalks towards me with a murderous glare on her face. As if I am going to be intimidated! If she had even heard what my previous fellow pack members did to me she would never be able to look into the eye with me. Because I had survived worse. Survived everything a man could do to break an innocent girl. Surviving this pack was a piece of cake.

When she stopped in front of me, her lips curved into a vicious smile.

"Should I tell the whole pack how your mate thought you weren't worthy enough to be his mistress. That you couldn't even give him sexual satisfaction. That he didn't want a human slave as his mate. I think they should know." She gritted through her teeth and I tried to ignore the urge to smash her face in the nearby wall. I also tried to ignore the feeling of something breaking in my chest because I knew she was right.

I stayed silent because I didn't had a comeback for her. The slaves were still shocked as none of them had mates but I had. And they would have connected the dots. As the only people leaving with Harley were The Alpha King, his beta and his gamma. His beta and gamma were already mated. So that left only one guest. The King.

Michelle then raised her hand and a shrill sound rang in the kitchen. She slapped me. Fury filled my chest. It started rolling of me in waves. Every fibre of my being wanted blood. I craved blood. Her blood.

But like everyone there was still a rational part of me that understood logic. It forced me to place back my indifferent and cold mask on my face. The fury, the rage was still there. Just swimming underneath the surface. Ready to break free at any chance it gets. But for now I was back to being rational.

Michelle searched my face for any hint of emotion but she didn't find any. What did she think? That I would cry like a baby because of a slap. And if she thought that then she was wrong. So wrong. My previous pack had perfected my art of hiding emotions with a blank look with an exception of my mate. He could read me like an open book at any hour of the day.

Michelle then grabbed me by my hair and dragged me downstairs to the Alpha's office. Some slaves leaned forward as if to stop Michelle from taking me and some pleaded with her to leave me. I tried to resist but she was more powerful. We- she stopped in front of a beautifully designed door that had 'Alpha's office' engraved in it and knocked twice. The alpha would have been awake by now. He always was. The others slept till seven. They still had an hour to sleep more.

A faint 'come in' was heard from inside. Michelle entered and threw me on the floor in front of Alpha's desk. The room still looked the same. The same grey walls, the cold marble floor, some exquisite abstract paintings, a long desk and a comfortable yet formal chair. I had been brought here many times before for punishment.

Michelle sauntered over to the Alpha who looked at me with irritated eyes. She then kissed him and I averted my eyes as it was a private moment. But the truth was that I was jealous. Such an ugly feeling. Not because I wanted the alpha, but because Michelle had someone who would treat her like his queen. Treat her with respect. Give her everything she desired. But I didn't. The one who was supposed to love me, cherish me and protect me felt like I was unworthy. Unworthy of his affection. His love. I wanted to know what was my fault. Why was I unworthy? It was not like that I decided to be a human. So why couldn't he accept me just for who I am?

Someone slaps me and I snap out of my thoughts. I realized had been staring at the floor while the alpha was calling me.

I looked up and found Michelle and alpha Nickolas glaring at me. I knew what it looked like. That I was disrespecting the alpha. But I was not but they will not listen. They never listened.

"Fucking whore! Now what did you do?" He snarled but I remained quiet because I knew I was not supposed to answer it.

"She called me a whore and disrespected me— her future luna in front of the slaves. Oh, how much embarrassing that moment was!" She screeched and I wanted to close my ears as her voice seemed like a cat was scraping a board with her nails. And If that wasn't enough , her eyes started leaking fake crocodile tears. I wanted to laugh. Seriously laugh. At her. At alpha Nickolas. At my life. At my fate. But I couldn't. Because I knew I will cry if I even open my mouth.

The alpha's eyes darkened. If someone disrespects the luna, the alpha is supposed to punish whoever he or she is. If he doesn't, then it is a sign of the alpha's weakness and no alpha allowed that. Power hungry freaks.

He stood up and walked towards me in his supernatural speed. I was always amazed by how fast he was. He then pulled me up by my arm effortlessly. I stumbled up to my feet trying to steady myself. His grip on my arm tightened.

Suddenly I felt a throbbing pain in my arm and I looked at my arm to see that the alpha had digged his nails in my arm and blood seeped out from the area coating his fingers. The pain intensified as his nails dug more deeper but I didn't dare react. My mind wandered to the time when my uncle had whipped me fifty times because I had messed up his coffee. This was nothing compared to that pain. And it certainly wasn't anything in front of the loss I experienced yesterday when my mate rejected me. For a moment I feared that he will break my arm but he didn't.

The alpha left my hand with a start but I steadied myself before I could kiss the ground. I looked up to meet the eyes of Michelle who smiled smugly standing near the alpha's desk and for once I considered wiping that smile off her disgusting face. I dropped my eyes and bowed my head in front of the alpha.

"Twenty lashes." He ordered.

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Michael

I gazed at the painting of my mate I just painted. But my painting still didn't do her any justice. She was far more gorgeous than anything I have ever seen. I recalled the hurt look in her eyes when I told her that I wanted to reject her and tears sprang my eyes. When I had looked in her teary eyes, I wanted to kneel before her and beg for her forgiveness but I couldn't do that. It wasn't right. I wanted to tell her the truth. I had hundred of years to prepare myself for the rejection but I still wasn't prepared. I was supposed to reject her as soon as I saw her but I couldn't when I saw the hopeful look in her eyes. It wasn't supposed to end like this. Her thinking that she is unworthy when in reality she deserves the world. I would have given her the world if that fucking curse hadn't came in between. How many years I had lived in misery waiting for her? In the one month I lived in her pack I has fallen for her. Fallen in love with her. But I couldn't tell her. She would have left me. And I couldn't allow myself to take her life away from her. She would have hated me. My Hope.

I don't know how will I spend the rest of my existence without her. She needs to realize that being with me will only hurt her. I want to take back all those hurtful things i said to her. She should know that a girl with a heart as marvelous as hers can never be a nobody.

I wanted a future with her but a bastard ruined it all. I wanted a family with her. I would be the king and she will be my queen. And we could have small peinces and princesses. My children. Our children.

My wolf was even more hurt. He would have killed my bastard of a great grandfather without a second thought. He had turned from a big mighty alpha wolf to a lovesick puppy whose owner was Hope. Hope had both of us wrapped around her pinky finger. My wolf had been quiet since we returned. He had never been so sad and my heart broke again for him.

I wanted to tell her how disgusted I was after I slept with Harley. After I cheated on My Hope. I never wanted to cheat but it had to be done. I had to make her hate me so that she could move on even if that thought was bitter. My insides flamed with jealousy when I thought of the man who would recieve her love, her affection, her smiles and her hugs. I wanted that man to be myself but it wasn't possible until I found the girl who could break the curse.

I wanted to scream in agony because of the loss of my mate. I wanted to tear apart the world with my bare hands. Why did it have to be me? All my life I had fantasized about my mate. But everything stopped when my father told me about the curse. I wanted to find my great grandfather and slice him into pieces for ruining my future. For ruining my dream of happy family. From outside I was the lethal alpha king but my heart always craved for a family.

When I was small my mother had died. Dad went into depression and his beta maintained the kingdom. After a few years when I was eighteen, I was crowned as the king. I spend most of my days maintaining the kingdom with the help of my beta, gamma and the most talented pack warriors and solving problems between packs. The number of rouges were very less as the packs mostly dealt with them on their own and whenever they needed help I was their to provide it. The kingdom started flourishing but my dad's health deteriorated. Not even the best doctors knew what was wrong with my father. One day, when I returned from a pack which needed help to free themselves from the clutches of a greedy alpha, I was called upon by my father's doctor. Dr. Alex told me that my father had some time left before he takes his last breath. I had hurried to my father's room in attempt to meet him before he died. And there he was. Once the ruthless alpha king was now covered in tubes and a oxygen mask over his face. And as if he had sensed me even in his situation he took off his mask and signaled me to come close. My mouth became dry and my eyes moistened. I didn't want to lose him. Even if the previous beta had been the constant father figure in my life I didn't want to lose dad. He was trying. He was trying to recover from the incurable disease but now he was tired. I stepped closer to him and sat beside him and took his sickly pale hand in mine. His black teary eyes met mine and I tried to control the tears leaking some my eyes and the sobs that threatened to come out.

"I want to tell you something." He said but his voice was different. It didn't belong to an alpha king. It couldn't belong to an alpha king.

"Da-dad" I croaked. I didn't want to hear anything, I just wanted to sit beside him while he leaves in piece.

"Let me tell you. You would blame me if I didn't." He said and I nodded, nervous about what it is that is so important.

"A long time ago....." he started.