The Awakening of Pain

Thalia POV

"Thalia!"

The voice echoes through the corridor, making my bones rattle. I freeze in my seat, the pen slipping from my fingers. Heavy footsteps storm into the room, and before I can even push my chair back, my father, Alpha Darius Corvin, towers over me. His eyes carry a familiar, blinding rage.

He doesn't give me a second to speak. His large hand swings, striking my cheek with enough force to send me crashing out of my chair. My shoulder slams into the hard wooden floor. A sharp ringing fills my ears, and the metallic taste of blood floods my mouth.

"Where the fuck were you?" he roars, his voice vibrating against the walls.

I keep my eyes shut for a brief second, waiting for the burning sting on my face to dull. It never does. My whole life has been like this—a cycle of harsh words and heavier fists. I belong to the Obsidian Moon Pack, but I am no member. I am their servant. Their punching bag. Everyone blames me for the death of my mother, the beloved Luna Sylvia, and because I am seventeen and haven't shifted yet, I have no wolf to help me fight back. My father and my brother, Ronan, abandoned their roles as my protectors long ago.

"I was doing my assignment," I manage to say, my voice shaking as I point a trembling finger toward the open notebook on the desk.

Darius doesn't care. He snatches the notebook from the surface. The sound of tearing paper fills the room. He rips the pages down the middle, destroying hours of my hard work without a second thought, dropping the shredded pieces over my fallen body. My eyes widen, staring at the ruined assignment.

"Why are you not in the kitchen making food?!" he demands.

Food? Burl, the pack cook, never gave me the menu for tonight. He didn't call for me. But I know better than to argue. Explaining the truth to my father is a useless effort. He grabs my shoulder, pulling me up just to backhand me again. More blood splatters from my split lip, dripping down my chin.

"Go to the kitchen!" he commands, releasing me.

I scramble to my feet and scurry out of the room, keeping my head down to avoid his wrath. My chest heaves as I escape into the dim corridor. My trembling fingers reach up, finding the cool, smooth surface of the purple cameo necklace resting against my throat. It is the only thing my mother left me. Touching it always brings back the memories of the night my entire world shattered.

It was the night after my seventh birthday. I was deep in sleep when my mother shook me awake in the middle of the night. Her hands moved fast, stripping off my pajamas and shoving me into a pair of jeans and a long-sleeve shirt. I thought we were finally going on the vacation I had been begging for.

But when she pulled me into the living room, the house was dark. My father and brother were nowhere in sight.

"Are brother and Dad coming?" I asked, rubbing the sleep from my eyes.

"It's just us for now, baby," she told me, her voice a strained whisper. "You are in danger, and I need to take you away from the pack."

"Why am I in danger, Mommy?" Tears pooled in my eyes, sensing her frantic energy.

"You wouldn't understand, but I will explain once we arrive in the Cobalt Royal pack. We need to speak to the King and Queen. They will keep you safe, baby." Her words made no sense to my young mind. My mother was always protective, often paranoid, but this was different. The raw panic in her silver eyes was real.

We rushed out the back door and climbed into her car. She drove fast. The pack borders were empty, devoid of the usual patrol guards, making my small heart pound against my ribs. I wished Dad were sitting in the passenger seat, but Mom insisted this was safer.

"They might come. I think he betrayed me, and that's why he was eager to have me take you from the pack on his own time," she murmured, gripping the steering wheel until her knuckles turned white.

I didn't understand her cryptic words. We barely made it a few miles down the dark, winding road before the car engine sputtered. The vehicle jerked and came to a dead stop in the middle of the tarmac. The engine refused to turn over. My mother twisted around in her seat, staring at me. Tears streamed down her pale cheeks.

She threw her door open, rushed to the back, and yanked my door wide. She grabbed a small pink bag from the floorboard and strapped it onto my shoulders.

"We have to run now, Thalia." She grabbed my small hand, pulling me into the cold night air.

We sprinted away from the road, plunging into the thick, unforgiving forest. The wind howled through the branches. The darkness swallowed us whole. When my short legs gave out, she scooped me into her arms, carrying me as she pushed deeper into the woods.

Then, the atmosphere changed. The air grew heavy, suffocating. A dark shadow swept through the trees behind us, accompanied by sinister, taunting whispers that seemed to echo from every direction. I buried my face in her neck and cried out. She ran faster, her breath ragged, her arms clutching me so tight it bruised.

"I can't let them have you," she whispered, skidding to a sudden halt. Her eyes darted around the moonlit woods. "There! You can hide in that opening of that tree."

She pointed to a massive, ancient oak with a hollowed-out trunk. She dragged me to the opening and pushed me inside. I curled into a tight ball, bringing my knees to my chest. The damp wood smelled like rotting earth.

"Listen to Mommy, baby." She crouched down, framing my face with her warm hands. Her big, bright silver eyes were overflowing with tears. "I need you to stay quiet, Thalia, please. No matter what you see or hear, stay hidden and quiet." She pressed a trembling finger to her lips.

I was sobbing, the fear settling deep into my bones. "Don't leave me, Mommy. I'm scared."

She took a deep, shuddering breath and wiped the wetness from my cheeks. "I love you so much. Never forget it. Everything I did was to protect you, and I will do it again a hundred times if I have to. You are my everything."

She leaned in, kissing my forehead, holding me in a fierce embrace.

"I love you, Mommy."

"Don't be too sad, baby; always trust yourself," she whispered, forcing an encouraging smile. Then she stood up, turned her back on me, and sprinted in the opposite direction, drawing the sinister shadows away from my hiding spot.

I closed my eyes and prayed to the Moon Goddess that she would come back. She never did. The forest grew heavy with a suffocating silence.

The next day, my father and the pack warriors found me. I was covered in blood, sitting in the dirt just a few feet from my mother's lifeless, mutilated body. When she died, a magical light vanished from my world. I lost a piece of my soul that night. Worse, I had no memory of what happened after she left me in that hollow tree. The gap in my mind remained a dark void.

The pack needed a scapegoat. They assumed I had tried to run away from home, a stupid childish stunt, and that she had followed me into the woods where feral rogues attacked us. Rogues—wolves without a pack, either by circumstance or exile—were ruthless killers. The pack declared it my fault. No one wanted to hear my side of the story. They blamed me, rejected me, and turned me into the miserable outcast I am today.

Wiping the fresh blood from my chin, I let go of the cameo necklace. I need to get to the kitchen before Burl finds another reason to make my life hell.

***

Torin POV

The steaming water beats down on my back, washing away the grime, sweat, and dried blood of feral rogues. For the past three months, my Alpha and I have been away from the Obsidian Moon Pack, stationed here at the Moonfall Pack to help our allies eradicate a massive rogue infestation. We finally slaughtered the last of them this evening. Tomorrow, we return home.

My wolf, Jax, paces back and forth in my mind, letting out happy, eager howls. I know exactly why he is restless. He wants to see his mate.

Last year, the scent hit me. I discovered that Thalia, the Alpha's unloved, unshifted daughter, was my fated mate. I planned to reject her the moment I found out, but the words never left my throat. The timing was never right.

'No, you can't reject her. The moon goddess gave her to us. She's our gift to treasure!' Jax growls, his voice rumbling in my head. He is obsessed with her.

'But she's the reason Luna Sylvia is dead,' I shoot back, gripping the tile wall of the shower. 'Everyone hates her. My parents will never accept her.'

My parents were Luna Sylvia's closest friends. My mother despises Thalia, spitting venom at the mere mention of her name. Bringing the pack's punching bag home as my chosen mate would be political suicide.

'No, she's not the reason. Everyone is a fool for blaming a child,' Jax snarls, defensive as always.

I block him out. I am tired of this endless argument. It doesn't matter what Jax feels. I cannot risk my position as the Beta of the Obsidian Moon Pack for a weak, broken girl. Thalia Corvin is a liability. Yet, despite my rational thoughts, a primal part of me remains drawn to her, like a moth spiraling into an open flame.

I shut off the water, grab a towel, and wrap it around my waist. The bathroom door clicks open, and I step out into the guest bedroom of the Moonfall packhouse.

I stop in my tracks. Lorna, the Moonfall Beta's daughter, is sprawled across my bed. She wears nothing but a piece of sheer red lingerie. Her lust-filled eyes drag up and down my damp, muscular torso.

She has been sneaking into my room since the week we arrived, offering her body for my release. I never turned her down. Lorna is gorgeous, her curves generous and inviting. My dick hardens instantly at the sight of her spread on the mattress.

"Are you going to stand there daydreaming, or will you fuck me, Beta Torin?" she purrs, trailing a manicured finger down her own thigh.

I shake my head, pushing the lingering thoughts of pack politics and my fated mate away. I drop the towel to the floor and crawl onto the bed. I grab Lorna by the hips, pulling her warm body against mine. My hands grip the fragile material of her red lingerie, tearing it down the middle and tossing it aside.

I slide my fingers down, slipping between her legs and rubbing her pussy.

"So wet. I like it," I mutter.

"Of course, Beta. I'm always ready for you," she smiles, a salacious gleam in her eyes.

I lean over, yank open the drawer of the bedside table, and grab a condom. I rip the foil wrapper open with my teeth and roll the latex down my stiff dick. Lorna scowls at the barrier, her lips twisting in annoyance, but she keeps her mouth shut. There is no way in hell I am fucking her raw.

I position myself between her thighs, grip her waist, and push forward, burying my cock deep inside her with one brutal thrust.

"Torin!" she screams, her back arching off the mattress.

I pound into her, establishing a fast, unforgiving rhythm. I just want to chase the physical release, to empty my mind of the stress of the past three months. The Beta's daughter becomes a whimpering mess beneath me, her nails digging into my shoulders.

"Fuck, it's so good," she gasps.

I continue to fuck her hard, my hips snapping forward. But as I look down at her flushed face, my mind plays a cruel trick. Lorna's features blur, replaced by the striking image of my fated mate. Thalia. Her beauty is unlike anything else in this world. I picture her sleek white hair fanning across the pillows, those clear, glass-like almond eyes staring up at me in submission, and her natural rosebud lips parting as she takes my thrusts.

The image of Thalia pushes me over the edge. I feel Lorna's pussy tighten around my cock. She lets out a long, high-pitched whimper as her orgasm rips through her. I chase my own release, thrusting wildly, burying myself as deep as I can go. A low growl tears from my throat as I hit my peak, my body shuddering as I spill my seed inside the condom.

I don't linger. The moment my breathing slows, I pull out of her and get to my feet. I drop the used condom in the trash bin. The physical tension is gone, replaced by a cold, calculating detachment. I need to take another shower and get some sleep. Tomorrow's journey back to my territory will be long.

Lorna rolls across the bed, a satisfied grin on her face. She reaches out, her fingers lightly caressing the sweat on my chest, pressing a soft kiss to my stomach.

"That was fun, wasn't it?" she sighs.

I take a deliberate step back, out of her reach. "Hmm."

"It doesn't have to end, you know. I can come with you to your pack and be your mate, Beta Torin," she offers, propping herself up on her elbows.

"I have a long journey ahead. I need my rest. Please leave," I state, my voice stripped of any warmth.

Lorna gasps, her grin vanishing. She glares at me, pulling the bedsheet over her bare chest. "But, but—" she stutters, clearly offended.

"We fucked, that doesn't mean anything more. Shut the door behind you when you leave," I say, turning my back on her and walking toward the bathroom.

"Fucking prick!" she screams.

I shut the bathroom door, blocking out the sound of her throwing her clothes on. Women are a headache. This clinging desperation is exactly why I avoid dating and focus purely on physical needs.

When I exit the bathroom a second time, the room is empty. The bedsheets are rumpled, but Lorna is gone. Good. Now, I can finally rest. I walk over to the bed, pulling the thick blanket over my body.

'I can't wait to see my lovely mate tomorrow,' Jax purrs in my head, a smug tone returning to his voice.

I close my eyes, firmly ignoring the wolf, and force myself to sleep.