CHAPTER 4

UNEDITED

"I'm not sure what you're talking about." I stuttered. I shifted my gaze to the ground to avoid making eye contact. My heart rate increased, and sweat began to form on my forehead.

Part of me hoped he wouldn't hurt me, but another part feared the worst. I could feel his eyes drilling holes into the side of my head. He drew his face in closer and growled. The growl reverberated throughout the room, causing it to shake.

It was a warning growl.

"Don't lie to me," he said as he gripped my chin and forced me to look at him. I winced in pain and stared fearfully into his cold eyes. There was something else swirling in his eyes but before I could identify it, it was gone.

The pain in my chin increased and I whimpered. Tears filled my eyes, threatening to fall at any moment. I took a deep breath and began to explain myself. The only way I could get away from him is to tell him the truth.

"I'm sorry. I-I didn't mean to go there. I didn't know the way back" I pleaded with him. An emotion crossed his eyes and he let go of my chin. He snarled and moved away from me, finally giving me space to breathe.

I stood close to the door, my back still pressed against it even though he had moved away. He ran his hand through his hair and closed his eyes. He growled lowly a few more times almost giving me a heart attack.

"Fuck" He cursed then his gaze shifted to me. My breath hitched when I saw that his eyes were no longer grey but black. I pressed more into the door, hoping that I would pass through it and escape this man.

A small voice in my head told me to calm down and that he wasn't going to hurt but it was hard to believe it. He suddenly grabbed something and threw it at the wall, destroying the thing and making a mark on the wall.

I screamed and flung open the door. I dashed out of the room, my legs moving quickly to get away from that monster. I ran down the stairs, taking turns here and there.

"We are you going, love." An arm encircled me and pulled me into a chest. My eyes widened in surprise, adrenaline coursing through my veins. My eyes were drawn up to a man with a scar on his cheek and blonde hair.

He smirked at me, his yellow teeth showing. His menacing brown eyes glowed with desire and lust. The blood drained from my face, and my fear level skyrocketed. I had managed to flee from that monster only to be caught by another.

He let go of my hand and pushed me back against the wall. I whimpered as pain spread through my back. He laughed, pleased that I was in pain. Hope drained from my face as I looked to my left and right. I couldn't recognize the hallway I was in, and no one, not even a beast, was present.

I returned my attention to the man, who was smiling devilishly and scanning my body.

"You're just how I like 'em," he said, resting his hand against the wall beside my head. "Not too skinny but with an a$$," he said, exploring my body with his other hand.

His words, touch, and now my body disgusted me. I've never been bothered by my appearance because I didn't care. Trent didn't care, which is what drew me to him. I wasn't too big or too thin; I was just an average girl with a little extra fat here and there.

My appearance and body changed dramatically after only two weeks in the house. We're not being fed. We only eat the leftovers on the days we cook or when the second gives Khalid food and he brings it back.

My stomach hurt like hell for the first few days, always growling for food, but I'm used to it now. It's shocking, but it's true. When I felt a hand go somewhere it shouldn't have gone, I was brought back to reality.

"Don't zone out on me," he said, placing his hand directly on my a$$. "You make this dreadful uniform look good."

When we first arrived, they gave us two pairs of these hideous black and white uniforms. One was pants, while the other was a dress. It was uncomfortable at first, but I grew accustomed to it. The material wasn't the best, but it was better than nothing at all.

When I felt his hand squeeze my a$$ cheek, I gasped.

"What the hell did I just say cunt?" He grumbled. I whimpered and nodded in agreement. He let go and patted my a$$ to try to soothe it. I stood in front of him, terrified that he would rape me without remorse and abandon me here.

"How come you were running?" He furrowed his brow. "Someone else wants a piece of your a$$?" he inquired. He wrapped his hand around my neck, cutting off my airflow when I didn't say anything.

My hands moved quickly to his big one, attempting to remove it. He tightened his hold on me and lifted me off the ground. I choked painfully as I struggled against his grip. His other hand gripped my right hand, breaking my fingers.

I wheezed in agony, unable to scream due to his grip on my throat. My body was in pain, and tears streamed down my cheeks.

Why me?

Why is this happening?

He abruptly let go, and I fell to the ground. He kicked me before I could even take a breath. I tried but failed to protect my body. My stomach, legs, hand, and back were all in excruciating pain.

Memories began to flood my mind. Both good and bad thoughts raced through my mind. I felt bad leaving Alexa here, but at least she had Sam and Khalid, and Khalid had the second, and the second had.....

The last thing I saw before darkness descended was his face.

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Beep

Beep

Beep

My eyes opened and I jumped up from where I was resting. I inhaled deeply, allowing the air to flow through my lungs and out. Pain shot through me almost instantly. I screamed and fell back.

I heard a door open and footsteps approaching.

"What the hell is the matter with her?" A deep voice yelled. I screamed again as pain shot through me again. Someone touched me and I heard shuffling. I moaned in agony as darkness engulfed me once more.

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I slowly opened my eyes, adjusting to the unnecessarily bright light. I looked around the room and realized it was a hospital room. The annoying beeping sound remained, but it was not as loud as before. There was a trolly beside the bed, with bottled water and glass.

My entire body was numb and heavy. I looked down to see that I was dressed in a hospital gown, with bandages strewn about.

I sighed and moved my gaze to the window on my right. The sun was already setting, and I could see it fade away from here. I sighed and enjoyed the brief performance. As soon as the sun was gone, the door opened, and the female doctor I'd met before entered, followed by the king.

The King approached and stood beside me. I could see his eyes darken as they ran over my body and I felt compelled to get up and run. His gaze landed on my face, and my breath caught in my throat.

He took the bottle from the trolly and handed it to me. I hesitated at first, but the sensation in my throat was unpleasant, so I let him pour it into my mouth. I sighed as I finished the entire bottle of water.

"Your highness......" I couldn't understand what the woman said. The king growled, causing the room to shake and objects to fall. I began to panic as images of what had happened earlier flashed through my mind.

Something pierced my skin after I heard the doctor speak. I winced and tried to pull away, but she had a firm grip on my hand. The worst part was that she was squeezing my right arm.

My bone felt like it was being crushed. She finally let go of my arm after I let out a small scream. I sobbed with my hand on my chest. I was both sad and angry.

What is causing this? I was thinking to myself. My pain began to fade, but my rage did not.

"What on earth did I do to you people?" I asked. "Why are you causing me pain?" My yelling caught both of them off guard. Obviously, no human dared to yell at them, but I didn't care if they could kill me right now. Screw them.

"Get out," I said. I grabbed the first thing I saw, a glass cup on the trolly, and threw it at them when they didn't move.

"Get out!" I yelled. They listened to me and left me alone for the first time since I'd been here. When I heard the door close, I burst into tears. I wanted the ground to open up and swallow me whole, or for someone to shoot me in the fucking head.

Alexa ran in after the door opened after a while of crying. Alexa carefully wrapped her arms around me, and I found myself crying again. She ran her hand up and down my back, attempting to console me.

She drew back, and a gasp escaped her lips.

"Oh, my goodness. "What happened?" she asked worriedly.

I told her everything that happened between the time that monster summoned me to his room and the time that another monster wanted to kill me. She listened to me and tried not to give me that pitiful look she knows I despise.

I despised that look. It made me feel sorry for myself, which I didn't want. I'd worked my entire life to be a better version of myself and avoid that look, but unfortunately, when you're in pain or sad, that's the first thing you get.

I sighed, feeling much better than I had before. I needed to speak with someone, and who better to talk to than my best friend?

"Are you hun-" A knock on the door interrupted her. We exchanged glances before looking at the door. Alexa approached the door and pulled it open. He smiled and gave a small wave.

"May I enter?" He asked politely. Alexa gave me a nod after looking at me. He was standing near the door, which made me feel less bothered.

"How do you feel?" He inquired. When I looked at him, he sighed and nodded. "His highness said I should bring you down for dinner," I said, shaking my head no as soon as he said his highness. I don't want to be in the presence of him or any other beast.

"I don't want to," I explained. The second looked at Alexa as if asking for assistance.

"I understand you don't want to be around us, but something happened while you were out," he explained. My brow furrowed in confusion. What happened?

"You must come to dinner," he said. I sighed as I ran my hand through my hair. Why am I being forced to do this? "I'll meet you outside. Come with me."

He exited the room, Alexa close behind. I sighed again and ran my hand over my face. Alexa returned with a bag in her hand. She gave me a strange look before handing me the bag.

"Go get changed in the bathroom," she said. She assisted me in getting out of bed and to the bathroom. I took the bag and went inside to change. It was a long-sleeved blue dress. Because of my thighs, I would never have worn this type of dress before. When I put on the dress and looked in the mirror, I looked like shit.

My hair was a mess, my eyes were puffy, my cheeks had dried tears on them, and my lips were chapped, there were bruises and bandages here and there. I sighed and exited the bathroom. Alexa smiled and took my hand in hers.

"The dress suits you," she said. I tried to smile, but it was difficult because I despised this so much.

"Come on, I'm taking you to the dining room," she said, and I just followed her. I considered going to Claire's room, but I decided against it.

The prospect of seeing that man, the king, or anyone else was unappealing. As we descended the stairs, Alexa squeezed my hand reassuringly. I returned her squeeze. Going down the stairs was difficult because my legs wouldn't stop shaking.

I was relieved when we arrived on the ground floor. We walked into the dining room, and everyone's attention was drawn to us. The room was deafeningly quiet.

Deep breaths. Out and in.

The second approached us and nodded to Alexa, who released my hand and walked away. I wanted to reach out to her and force her to stay with me, but I knew she was uncomfortable as well.

There were more beasts than usual today, some with judgemental eyes and others with confusion. I took a deep breath and followed the second who led me to the king's table.

What am I doing here? In confusion, I asked myself. The second took the chair next to the king, who was also staring at me, and pulled it out for me. I sat carefully, not wanting to hurt myself. When I looked around, no one moved; they were all still like statues, waiting for something.

The aroma of the food made my stomach growl loudly. When I noticed some of them still staring at me, I turned my gaze to my lap, where my hands were lifeless. This is so unpleasant.

Someone finally moved, and the next thing I knew, a fork with spaghetti on it was thrust into my face. My eyes widened as I looked at the king, who was emotionless.

His gaze was fixed on mine, and he moved his hand slightly, motioning for me to open my mouth. I was taken aback by the unexpected kindness, but I opened my mouth and let him feed me. When the food was in my mouth and I began chewing, the other beasts slowly followed.

They began to eat and converse with one another. The king continued to hydrate and feed me until all of the food on my plate had been consumed. I sighed; my stomach hasn't felt this full in a long time.

"Bring him here," the king said abruptly, silencing everyone once more. Ten seconds later, two men left the dining room and returned with someone in their hands. Fear coursed through my veins when I realized it was the same man who had nearly killed me.

He appeared battered. His eye was swollen, his lip was busted, and I'm sure his hands were broken from the way they were swaying as they carried him. He was thrown down in front of the table by the two men.

I felt strangely satisfied seeing him like this; all of my fear had evaporated like water. The man raised his head and begged.

"Please forgive me, your highness," he begged, "I had no idea she was your mate. please have mercy."

Mate?

What is a mate?

The king rose from his seat and approached the man. The other two men picked him up again, and the king stood in front of him.

"This is a warning," he said loudly, "if anyone touches what's mine again, I promise to make your life hell." He gripped his head tightly and pressed his shoulder down with his other hand before beginning to pull his head back.

The room was filled with the man's agonizing screams. His skin began to separate gradually. I covered my mouth with my left hand and observed what was going on. I needed to say something, to put a stop to this.

"S-" I began, but it was too late; his head had already separated from his body. His blood splattered all over the floor and table. The king threw his head to the ground, then stepped on it, crushing it.

Oh, my goodness.

There was blood all over.

I was stuck in place. My gaze was drawn to the man I despised, who was now no longer alive. All of the beasts looked at me with disgust and hatred in their eyes.

It's not my fault. This was not something I requested.

I was sweating profusely. Dots began to appear in my vision, obstructing my ability to see clearly. I could feel myself collapsing.

"Milady," I heard someone say, and then darkness swallowed me.

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