Chapter 1
“Willow… Willow…” Killian called the name with so much affection, as he thrusted so deep, he couldn’t care less about the woman under him. The woman that he drew pleasure from.
Willow.
That was not her name.
Althea cried silently, as she accepted this cruel treatment from the man that was supposed to be her mate. Not only was this torture, but he intentionally called someone else’s name and the name belonged to her dead older sister.
The person that Alpha Killian was actually in love with.
This torturous act continued until the sky turned slightly bright and Althea was no longer able to feel herself. She was a wreck, her heart had shattered into a thousand, if not a million pieces.
All this long h**s night, Althea didn’t say anything. She kept her mouth shut and as much as possible she didn’t even make a peep. No matter how painful it was. Because Alpha Killian had warned her that he would slit her throat if she made a sound.
Alpha Killian hated her with passion and Althea thought she deserved it, since she was the cause of her sister’s death. The woman that the alpha loved.
Althea flinched when Killian pulled out of her, she felt beaten and dirty. This mating should be a sacred thing between two shifters, but for Althea, this was nothing but torture.
Killian didn’t treat her right, he was very harsh and every thrust was filled with anger.
“Get out of my bed!” Killian hollered once he was done with Althea, but she couldn’t move her body, she was in so much pain, she couldn’t even grasp onto her consciousness for long.
The last thing she remembered was Alpha Killian yelling at her to get out, but instead she fell into a deep darkness. She lost her consciousness after the harsh mating between them.
“Get out!” Killian snapped again, but then he realized that Althea had fainted, she looked pale and her body was covered in bite marks, which just started to heal.
She kept her word that she wouldn’t make a sound and all she did was bite down on her lip and tongue to prevent herself from making any noise.
Killian clenched his jaw, he got off the bed and only then he could see what he had done to his destined mate. The white sheet had turned red, the undeniable evidence of how rough he was with Althea during their mating.
There was this guilty feeling that he immediately snuffed completely, because he couldn’t pity this woman. This was the same woman who had killed his Willow.
Walking out of the room, the alpha asked Sean, the old woman, who had been with the alpha family for decades, to take care of Althea.
He didn’t give any specific instruction, he only wanted that woman out of his bedroom. He didn’t want to see her anymore, unless he needed to vent again.
Killian didn’t return for a week, but it helped Althea to recover from that brutal night. She also wished that she didn’t need to see him again.
It took Althea two days straight to finally regain her strength, all that time, Sean was the only person that she could talk to, because her parents hated her so much, just like Alpha Killian, since they assumed she killed Willow.
“Here, drink this. You will feel better,” Sean said. She handed her a warm cup of tea and sat next to her. “You don’t deserve this, Althea.”
“I know” Althea held the warm cup and tears streamed down her face. “They thought I killed my sister, but I didn’t. No matter how I tried to tell them that I didn’t know anything about it, they never believed me.”
“I believe you, Althea. You are not someone like that.” Sean hugged Althea and she cried in her arms. “But, unfortunately, my opinion won’t help you.”
Althea shook her head. “Thank you, Sean.”
Only a week later did Killian return, but he reeked of alcohol and he immediately looked for Althea. He entered her room and stared at her with his sharp eyes, which made Althea feel this coldness run down her spine.
“I don’t want you to make any noise. Understood?” This was a warning, it would be a passcode for Killian to get what he wanted and vent out his hatred.
Later that night, they did the deed on Althea’s bed. He finished inside her and then left. Thankfully, he was not too cruel to her tonight.
The same thing happened over and over again for more than three months to the point Althea couldn’t take it anymore.
“Can you please mark me? My wolf is in so much pain…” Althea looked so weak. It was really miserable for her wolf not to be marked by their destined mate, even after months had passed. Althea felt in pain because her wolf wanted their mate.
“I will never mark you.”
She should have expected this answer, but something snapped inside of her and she started to call him out.
“Why don’t you just kill me to make it even? All of you think that I killed my sister, but no matter how much I deny the accusation, nobody believes me!”
Althea covered herself with a blanket, she felt so dirty, as she watched Killian get dressed. Currently, they were in the guest room, because he wanted to do it here.
“Death is a mercy, Althea. I am still alive and I am still suffering from the way you took the woman that I loved away, you will suffer with me.”
“I didn’t kill her!” Althea cried. She snapped at him, but Killian growled dangerously.
“You’re always jealous of her. Do you really think I believe you? Even your parents don’t believe you!”
Althea bit her lips. She knew it was not right and it would hurt the two of them if she did it, but she couldn’t take it any longer.
This was it, she was done.
“I, Althea Rose Brown, reject you…”