"Please..." I croaked when I noticed that he was damn serious. He smirked eerily in response, and I pleaded beyond words. Tears leaked from my eyes in rivulets on my cold and swollen cheeks. While l was in agony, he was enjoying it with every delayed beat of my heart. "I can kill you right now."

Soon enough, my gasps and attempts to flee from his chokehold filled the air when he lifted me off my feet. My legs dangled off of the floor like a helpless human. Something I used to watch in movies was happening to me. This was all happening too fast, just like I lost my baby.

My eyes roll at the back of my head from the pain. I thought that resisting death was impossible and it was painful. He chuckled again at the pathetic squeaks and gasps from my tightened throat. It was deafening. I knew that I was going to die. There was no point in denying it, but the sudden thought of taking revenge slipped into my mind.

At the grim thought, I pursed my lips tightly. I kicked the man in the crotch, but he didn't seem affected. I thought I kicked him in the position where I knew that he would feel pain, but it was all useless.

I stopped and tried to concentrate again, but my senses failed me, and all I could hear was the sound of my heart pounding. My hands were clenched tightly around his right arm while my face felt numb. I felt like I would explode if he squeezed my throat tighter. I could no longer feel my body when his grip tightened around my neck. My finger that was initially digging into his skin slowly loosened as my body weakened. Even my eyes, which I tried so hard to stay open, slowly closed.

Bright lights blinded my vision with irregular patterns when I felt my airflow being sufficiently cut off. No matter how hard I tried to breathe, I was convinced I would die at the beast's hands. I would die with nothing but the painful memory of being betrayed by my husband and best friend. The excruciating pain finally eased when I felt darkness fill my vision. This was the end of me.

"Stop it, Mark. Alpha Damien wants her alive!" Just in time, when I was on my last breath, someone shouted in our direction. However, the beast named Mark didn't move an inch. "Let her go right now. You will end in trouble if you keep this up!" he shouted loudly, and that caused him to loosen his hold on my poor throat. His grip slackened, and my entire body crumbled to the grass with a loud thud. My sides felt burning and numb. I was panting for air and felt bile rise up to my throat. I felt dizzy, as if the world was spinning.

"This wouldn't have happened if you had done what I had told you," he murmured, and just like that, the meal he had served me a few minutes ago poured out of my mouth. It was bitter and disgusting as I vomited, and my body trembled as if l was having a seizure from all the food I threw out of my body. My eyes burned against my cold face mixing into the snot and saliva. I bent over and continued to heave until I felt my insides empty.

My hair hung around my face, completely covered in the disgusting substance that came out of my mouth until the scent was everywhere. When I finally raised my head, the so-called Mark stared at me amusedly. " What is it?" I inwardly asked myself before my eyes stared at him clearly. I realized later that he had a big chunk of hair in his hands hanging from his curled-up fist. I was shocked at the sight, knowing it was my own.

"What a pity, you're losing everything." He chuckled and frowned at how messy my state was. "You're puking!" His eyes glowed brightly, tinted with an almost crimson red when he bent down to my level. His dangerous nails scraped my cheeks, and he gripped my face harshly, then yanked me up. When he harshly shoved the hair off my face, my vision blurred from the tears.

"She has the mark!" As he was roughly pulling the torn hoodie from my body, I heard someone say in a surprised voice. "Mark? How is that possible?" They all walked towards me. I was oblivious to what was happening, but they all seemed surprised. "It's glowing. We need to take her to the Alpha!" I felt my blood freeze upon hearing it.

"How the hell did the moon goddess end up giving a mark to someone ugly like her? She just had a miscarriage." Mark growled as he pulled my chin up. Though I didn't know what they were talking about, I wasn't annoyed when Mark looked at me with disgust. Ignoring that I had blood dried up between my legs, my face was also covered up in vomit.

"The Alpha is going to sort this out, but I feel pity for him." I heard someone say. "Of course, he isn't going to accept her." Mark snarled. "Please don't take me..." Tears again pooled under my eyes when I thought about meeting the so-called Alpha. "It would be better if you don't piss me off," Mark growled as he slowly dragged me, and I could only cry in response.

My legs were currently in severe pain. I must have sprained an ankle or two as l was running, but Mark didn't care. 'Should I just kill myself before they do?' I instantly asked myself but trembled at the thought. I wasn't even capable of doing that. I had never harmed myself, even when I was being mistreated by my husband.

They dragged me for a couple of hours until they finally stopped. "You said you saw the mark." The bulky man came and said in a menacing and dark voice. "We all saw the mark." I trembled when I heard the men answer in unison.

"First, take her to the dungeon and wait for Alpha Damien's arrival."

My heartbeat stopped in fear for a second when I heard that.

The room I was dragged into had a bed and a tiny square window with metal bars. I noticed it was a bunk bed, but I was already too weak and exhausted to check the room. I instantly just collapsed on the bed to rest.

The door soon creaked open, and I quickly turned my eyes towards the doorway with my heart pounding. I didn't want to be dragged anywhere else anymore.

A few seconds passed, and a girl entered the room. She quickly closed the door behind her as if she didn't want to get caught. I let my eyes wander and could tell she was hiding something under her apron.

She breathed out when our eyes met. "You're the new slave, right?", She asked while ruffling under her apron. I paid no interest and just ignored her. "Huh? Alright, it's fine if you don't want to talk." She shrugged and showed me a crumbled piece of bread and a slice of cheese.

"We are not allowed to bring food here, but I managed to sneak this in. I figured you would be hungry, " the woman murmured in a hurry before handing me the food. "I am not hungry," I croaked. "Oh..." She looked disappointed for a second, but then she boldly plopped down on the bed I was lying on.

"More for me then." She took a big bite before looking at me. "The name is Rhea," she said with her mouth muffled by the food. "Are you a human?" Without a second to waste, I simply inquired, and she snorted in response, instantly spitting some pieces of food on the bed.

"If I was a she-wolf, I wouldn't be living down here." She kicked an imaginary bucket with her foot in disgust at the room. "Shifters stay on the upper floors in big beautiful rooms." She looked displeased by her current situation, but she smiled nonetheless. "Rumors are everywhere that a slave who had a miscarriage has been brought here. Most of us were kidnapped while still virgins." Her comment made tears brim in my red, swollen eyes.

I had a miscarriage, but I wasn't that old. I was forcefully married to Jack at a very young age. I didn't love him at first, but Amanda kept telling me that a baby was all that he wanted.

"Why am I here then?" I asked in a shaky voice. I wasn't a virgin, so why was I brought here by their boss? "Other slaves are asking themselves the same thing," she murmured before standing up. "It's so strange that you are the only one," she continued.

I felt like crying again. Indeed, I was the odd man out. "That's all for now. We get up early. Nothing is easy here, so if you want food, you must follow everything they instruct you." She sneered, and I didn’t respond to her. "Have a good night." She started climbing upstairs to her bed.

"Wait..." I called out. She stopped and looked over her shoulder. "Where c-can I wash? I stink..." I stuttered, tears brimming again in my eyes. "Hah! That can't happen right now." She shrugged and then climbed the tiny ladder leading to her bed. "Okay, I am Zoey, by the way..." I said, understanding the situation. "Okay, good night, Zoey. I want to sleep early."

I heard her jump into her mattress, and the bed shook from the wall. I stayed still as a rock before I felt my vision blur as the tears dribbled down. I just didn't know how my fate changed so quickly. Living in a situation like this was something I had never imagined. I now had no one in my life. I am a slave now.

I glanced towards the door and wanted to bolt out, but l knew it was a waste of time to even think about it. I had nowhere to run to. Helpless and puzzled, I turned towards the pillow and laid back on the hard mattress. Throughout the following minutes, I cried while recalling every moment l had with Amanda.

In the end, she really decided to betray me.

***

The bed sheet was snatched from my body, making me shudder. "Wake up, wake up, Zoey!" she screamed way too loud for my liking. My eyes took so long to open, and I noticed it was already morning. I didn't even remember falling asleep. Without a response, I sat up on the bed. I was feeling dizzy, and my stomach pain was lingering.

"I am warning you, Zoey." She started when I failed to sit up. "If you don't get up before everyone else, nothing will go well for you. You're the one who said that you wanted a shower. We can only use the bathroom when other slaves are asleep," she said, and at that, I forced myself up.

"Unfortunately, I currently have no clothes to spare, " she said. "It's fine," I said in a low voice as I stood up. My stomach is not the only thing in pain but my whole body. The bones in my back cracked, and a faint pang hammered inside me. I could now feel my stomach grumbling.

"Why did you end up here?" I asked out of curiosity. "Ask fewer questions if you want to bathe," she responded before opening the door. I walked behind her quickly, trying to keep up. "Let me explain quickly so that you don't get into trouble," she said as we walked in the stone hallway. "I am listening," I commented in a soft voice.

"We do work that maids can't do. It's a bit complicated but just know that if you want peace, do whatever anyone instructs you," she mumbled. "What is the work that maids can't do?" I asked. "We sweep, scrub, clean trenches, and mop in every room..." she suddenly paused.

Before I could say anything, fear was evident on her face. "Beta Henry is coming. He is here for you," she said in a frightened voice.

"Zoey Martinez." I heard a deep voice behind me. "I haven't washed up yet..." I said, almost on the verge of tears. "Sorry," she said before she walked away from me.

"So, the moon goddess gave the mark to her." I was walking with guards on either side of me, and l heard other slaves whisper to themselves. "Is she trying to make it harder for us? She can't be the one. I heard that she had a miscarriage," another one answered.

"First, stand here as we wait for the elders," The so-called beta ordered when we stopped in one of the rooms. "I want to vomit." I instantly turned when I heard one of the guards murmuring. I felt like crying when our gazes met. Most of them had their noses wrinkled in disgust. I was filthy, and I was aware of it.

"I don't even think I can get hard by looking at her, nor fuck her." My left eye twitched in annoyance when I heard them continue. I couldn't do anything to them even if I tried. "Goddess, I feel bad for Alpha Damien." I heard one of them remark. "He might reject her," another one commented. They went on chatting as I silently fumed.

But before I could think of how to go through it, the large oak doors soon opened. I felt all the hot air and anger deflate in nothing, but terror and fear started to build in the pit of my stomach. It was definitely my time. I wasn't killed in the forest, but I would definitely be killed now. I just had a bad feeling about it.

Suddenly the guards stopped whispering when the old man walked in. I didn't know who he was, but he looked harsh. He was followed by five old men, which the guards greeted with their heads bowed down. I felt like I was out of breath at the sight of them.

"Bring her in," the first old man, who seemed harsh, spoke with authority. His voice held the same power and dominance as leaders, evidently showing that he was once a leader. The guards dragged me to my feet, and my body ached with each step I took.

I could tell the two guards couldn't wait to take their hands from me because they kept rubbing their palms on their pants. I was filthy, so they decided to drag me as if I didn't have legs.

When we stopped, I raised my head and realized that the old men had sat in the chairs. It was a courtroom, and everything looked neat and clean. In the back of the room, there was a giant expensive-looking cherry wood desk in the center with a fair bookcase at the left. And right next to the bookcase was a small door.

My eyes trailed from the window to the small gate, and my head whirled with escape routes that didn't seem possible. They were too small, and I couldn't possibly escape. 'How am I going to get out of this mess?' I wondered as I lowered my head. The men gazed at me, and I was already feeling sicker than I was.

Based on what I was currently feeling, I felt as if I would puke my guts out again, but I didn't eat a thing, so there was nothing left to throw up. However, the immense pain and exhaustion were driving me off the edge.

"Does she have the mark?" I felt goosebumps all over my body when I heard one of them ask. "Yes sir," one of the guards said with respect. "Undress her." I instantly froze in my tracks after hearing it. "We saw it glow last night." My eyes brimmed with hot tears as the guards walked towards me.

My body trembled in fear as I slowly moved a few steps back. "That girl is a human. How is that possible?" One of the old men murmured as he stared at me with disbelief. "We saw it," one confirmed. I closed my eyes and felt their rough hands slowly pull the torn hoodie off my body.

"Don't undress her."

Just as the guards were undressing me, a stern voice suddenly echoed throughout the room. Everyone turned to the man who spoke with dominance. I was also shocked. The moment my eyes fell on the person, I instantly froze. Falling for men at first sight, wasn't for me, but this man was undeniably handsome.

He had dirty blonde spiky hair, a nice chiselled jawline, pink lips, and eyes that had a mixture of dark blue and light grey. 'Is he the Alpha?' I asked myself. "Damien, you don't..." one of the elders protested, but he cut them off.

"She has the mark, and I know it. Undressing her is useless," he reiterated before turning to me. As soon as our gazes met, I couldn't help but tremble like prey in front of the predator. My heart skipped a beat from the sheer terror. I used to think Jack was feared, but this one was worse. There was a dark aura screaming all over him, and he had all the characteristics of a feared and influential leader.

Despite that, disgust was also plastered on his face. I wasn't shocked since everyone in the room looked at me with disgust. It evidently showed that they didn't like me. "That woman is a human who just had a miscarriage," the old man, who seemed harsh this time, voiced out.

"I am aware." The sheer power and dominance of his aura had me kneeling down. His body was tense as a wounded spring, ready to snap. "She isn't going to be my mate but just my breeder," he continued.

"Breeder?" My eyes were now the size of saucers, and I gasped in shock. Carrying a baby in my womb was utterly impossible.