The Coronation Cruelty

Sylvie's POV

A sudden, brutal splash of freezing water shocked my system. I gasped, my eyes flying open just as a stinging slap cracked across my cheek. The force of the blow snapped my head to the side, my wet hair whipping across my face.

I blinked through the icy water dripping from my eyelashes. Hadrian towered over me. Varek's imposing best friend held an empty metal bucket in one hand. A nasty sneer twisted his rugged features.

My mind raced to catch up. I was still naked from stripping off my torn clothes the night before. The freezing stone beneath me offered no protection against the biting morning chill. Panic surged through my veins. I frantically scrambled backward against the cold wall, crossing my arms tightly over my bare breasts and squeezing my thighs together to cover my exposed sex.

My sudden defensive movement only angered him. Hadrian lunged forward and struck me again. The heavy backhand caught my jaw with a sickening crack. I flew backward. My skull crashed against the unforgiving stone bed. Warm, thick blood immediately began to trickle down my forehead, blinding my left eye. I let out a low hiss of pain, tasting iron on my tongue.

"Get up, bitch!" Hadrian barked.

He stepped closer and drove his heavy boot into my ribs. I curled into a ball, coughing violently as the tough leather met my bruised flesh.

"You think because you are Varek's mate, you get special treatment?" He kicked my stomach, knocking the wind out of my lungs. "You are nothing. Zaryth is our true Luna. You are just a wretched bitch destined to die lonely."

I bit my lip to hold back my cries. If I made a sound, he would only kick me harder.

Hadrian bent down, his massive hand shooting out to grip my jaw. He yanked my face up to meet his cold gaze. His other hand moved down my naked body. He did not use gentle touches. His rough fingers aggressively squeezed my bare breasts, pinching the nipples hard enough to draw a sharp gasp from my lips. Then his hand shoved crudely between my legs, his dirty fingers pressing painfully against my pussy.

"You should be grateful I came to get you and not Varek," Hadrian mocked, his fingers digging into my sensitive flesh. "Trying to seduce whoever walked through that door? Your body is trash. But you would be a decent fuck to relieve some stress. A pathetic little whore."

Disgust coiled in my stomach. I wanted to peel off my own skin to escape his invasive touch. Hot tears streamed down my face, mixing with the blood and freezing water. I kept my mouth shut. Speaking back meant a broken bone or worse.

He yanked his hand away, wiping it on his dark pants as if my skin infected him. "Get your ass up. You have a lot to do today. We are crowning our new Alpha and Luna tonight. Everything must be prepared for the ceremony. You have five minutes to get out there, bitch, or there will be consequences."

Hadrian delivered one final, ringing slap to my face and stormed out of the basement.

I lay there trembling on the stone floor. The physical agony was unbearable. My pack members used to be my friends. We grew up together. Then they suddenly turned on me. I had done nothing wrong, yet I was their favorite punching bag.

I forced my battered body off the floor, knowing the punishment would worsen if I delayed. I dragged my heavy feet to the small basin in the corner of my miserable room. I splashed water on my face, watching the basin turn pink with my own blood. I grabbed my filthy, oversized gown and threw it over my shivering frame. I tied back my once platinum blonde hair, now matted into a dirty brown mess from the filth. I had no soap, no clean clothes, no basic human dignity. I lived on scraps when they bothered to feed me at all. As an Omega, my existence was a sick joke.

My stomach cramped in fierce protest as I limped out of the basement. I had not eaten a single crumb since yesterday afternoon. Hunger gnawed at my insides, adding to the dull throbbing in my skull.

I needed to reach the pack kitchen to start my duties. I kept my head down, doing my best to avoid running into any pack members to spare myself additional insults this morning.

Luck was never on my side. As I pushed open the swinging wooden doors to the kitchen, I froze.

Luna Solara, Varek's mother, stood by the massive marble island. Zaryth leaned against the counter beside her. They were discussing dresses and fashion, sipping freshly squeezed juice. The moment my dirty boots scraped the tile floor, their conversation died.

Solara’s eyes narrowed into angry slits. She marched toward me like a predator spotting wounded prey.

"You are late," Solara barked. Her voice echoed off the stainless-steel appliances. She immediately rattled off an endless, exhausting list of chores. Scrub the floors, polish the silver, clean the grand ballroom, prepare the guest chambers. The coronation was tonight, and she demanded absolute perfection from her slave.

Zaryth stood a few feet away, a wicked smirk playing on her lips. She clearly enjoyed watching my pain and humiliation.

I nodded meekly, keeping my eyes glued to my dirty toes. "Yes, Luna."

Solara scoffed. She turned on her heel to leave the kitchen, Zaryth following closely behind her. As Solara walked past the marble island, her hand shot out. She intentionally swiped her half-full glass of juice off the counter. The glass shattered into a hundred jagged pieces across the tile floor, the sticky liquid splattering everywhere.

"Oops," Solara said, faking a gasp. "Clean that up before you start the rest. Do not leave a single speck."

They swept out of the kitchen, leaving me alone with the mess. I sighed in relief that they left without beating me. I dropped to my knees and picked up the broken shards with my bare hands, ignoring the small cuts. Once the glass was gone, I rushed to wash the towering piles of dirty plates used by the pack members that morning. The smell of leftover bacon made my stomach grumble aggressively, but I knew I would not get food until evening.

The hours blurred into a grueling marathon of physical labor. By noon, I had scrubbed the massive ballroom until the floors shined. I cleaned the entire pack house, dragging my aching, bruised body up and down the grand staircases. My muscles screamed in protest, and I could barely stand by the time I finished. I hated my life.

In my mind, Kallia remained entirely silent. My wolf was profoundly crushed. The physical and emotional agony of Varek’s infidelity last night had broken her spirit. A wolf feels the ultimate betrayal when their fated mate has sex with another woman. She could not speak. She could only hide. Her silence deepened the gaping hole in my chest, fueling my determination to break free from this cruel pack.

Lunchtime approached. I stood in the corner of the grand dining hall, wiping down the edge of a long oak table. I snapped out of my thoughts as the room began to fill with pack members. I tried to make myself as small as possible on instinct.

Suddenly, the casual chatter died down. The atmosphere in the room abruptly shifted into something heavy and suffocating.

I froze. I felt his dark aura before I saw him. Varek.

I heard the heavy thud of his boots approaching me. He moved deliberately, his steps slow and menacing. I stared hard at the floorboards, my heart hammering against my ribs. I dared not look up if I wanted to survive the afternoon.

Without a single warning, a massive hand shot out and clamped around my chin.

Varek forced my head up to look into his eyes. He smirked evilly at me. Before my brain could process his expression, his other hand swung back and struck my face. The slap was incredibly hard. My ears rang with a high-pitched whine. The taste of copper flooded my mouth as my teeth cut into my cheek.

A mocking laugh erupted from Varek's throat. His laughter blended seamlessly with the cruel jeers of the surrounding pack members, who pointed and laughed at my pain.

Varek did not let go. He aggressively tightened his painful grip on my jaw, his fingers digging into the bone until it felt like it would snap. The pain brought fresh tears to my eyes.

"You dare to be in the same room as me and look me in the eye, slut?" Varek snarled. His hot breath washed over my face. "What have I told you about disrespect and the consequences that come with it?"

Deep inside my mind, Kallia let out a pathetic, low whimper. The man hurting us was our fated mate. The bond demanded she reach out to his wolf, but the rejection was too dangerous. Kallia retreated into the darkest, furthest corner of my mind to protect herself. She severed our connection, leaving me to face this monster entirely alone.

Varek leaned closer, his voice dropping into a dark, terrifying register that made my blood run cold.

"I am going to teach you a lesson tonight," Varek promised, his eyes burning with pure malice. "A lesson I should have taught you sooner. You will be ready for me. I will take you however I want. I am going to shove my cock deep inside you, and you will take it like the whore that you are."

My breath hitched. The explicit threat paralyzed my vocal cords.

"Make sure you clean yourself up nicely after my coronation tonight," Varek continued, raising his voice so the whole dining hall could hear. "I will deal with you first. Once I am done fucking you, the others can have their turn."

The dining hall instantly erupted in loud, disgusting cheers. The men howled and slammed their hands on the tables at the prospect of my gang rape.

Bile vigorously rose in my throat. I swallowed hard to keep from vomiting my own stomach acid. He planned to rape me and pass me around like a cheap toy. I shifted my gaze slightly and saw Zaryth standing just a few feet away. She heard every graphic, horrifying word. She just stood there, smiling, without raising a single objection.

Varek shoved my face away in disgust. He turned and walked away, leading his cruel followers out of the hall.

The moment the tormentors finally left, my weak legs gave out. I collapsed onto the hard floor. My entire body trembled in pure, unadulterated shock.

He was going to rape me. He was going to give me to his friends to humiliate and destroy.

I stared at the floor tiles, my vision blurring with unfallen tears. I had lost absolutely everything. My family, my home, my status. But I fiercely refused to lose my last remaining shred of dignity to this vile, irredeemable pack. My innocence was the only thing I still owned. I refused to let them take it.

Finding an inner well of strength I did not know I possessed, I pushed myself off the floor. I wiped the blood from my chin with the back of my hand. I mentally reached out to the silent void where my wolf hid.

*I will protect you, Kallia,* I promised. *I will protect us. I will not let anybody taint you. I would rather die running than submit.*

I dragged my battered body out of the hall and headed back toward the basement. I would rather go rogue than live in a pack that had zero mercy. My mind was entirely consumed by one singular, unbreakable thought.

Tonight. I have to leave tonight!