Rejected Mate's Wrath

The stone floor beneath my knees was cold and unforgiving as I scrubbed at a stubborn stain. My swollen belly made the simple task nearly impossible, forcing me to lean awkwardly to one side. The damp Omega quarters beneath the keep had become my prison—a far cry from the luxurious Luna suite I once shared with Marcus.

My raw, bleeding hands trembled as I dipped the brush back into the bucket of grimy water. The harsh cleaning solution stung my open wounds, but I bit back a whimper. I wouldn't give them the satisfaction of hearing me cry.

'Just a little longer,' I whispered to my unborn pup, who kicked restlessly against my ribs. 'We'll find a way out of this.'

My wolf, Luna, paced anxiously within me. *We can't keep doing this, Victoria. The pup needs nourishment. We need rest.*

'I know,' I murmured, wincing as I shifted my weight. 'But what choice do we have?'

The sound of footsteps echoed down the corridor. I quickly sat up, wiping my hands on the tattered Omega garment that barely covered my pregnant form. Sophia had insisted I wear clothes two sizes too small—another calculated humiliation.

'Still not finished?' The Delta guard sneered from the doorway. 'Sophia wants this entire wing spotless before nightfall.'

'I'm working as fast as I can,' I replied, keeping my eyes downcast. Any show of defiance would only bring more punishment.

'Work faster,' he spat. 'Or you'll be scrubbing all night.'

After he left, I leaned against the wall, closing my eyes against a wave of exhaustion. My body ached from hours of labor, my knees bruised from the stone floor. The pup inside me shifted again, a painful reminder of what I was fighting for.

In a moment of desperate clarity, I reached for the one connection that should never have been broken. The mate bond—the sacred link that had once joined my soul to Marcus's.

*Marcus,* I called through the mind-link, focusing all my remaining strength on reaching him. *Please. If any part of you remembers me, remembers us...*

For a heartbeat, there was nothing but silence. Then, like a distant echo, I felt something—the faintest ripple across our severed bond. My heart leapt with desperate hope.

*Marcus?*

But the response that came wasn't words—it was a sensation. A cloying, artificial sweetness that seemed to cloud the connection, smothering any spark of recognition. Sophia's scent, amplified through the link, deliberately drowning out my call.

I recoiled, physically jerking away from the wall as if struck. My wolf howled in anguish, the sound echoing only in my mind. The rejection was worse than silence—it was proof that she had penetrated even this most sacred connection between mates.

Hours later, exhausted beyond measure, I dragged myself toward the infirmary. My mother had been moved there after her last episode, and visiting her was the only small mercy I'd been granted.

As I approached, I heard voices from within. I slowed my steps, pressing against the wall to listen.

'There, there, Eleanor,' Sophia's falsely sweet voice cooed. 'Drink this tea. It will help calm your nerves.'

'Victoria?' My mother's confused voice broke my heart. 'Where's my Victoria?'

'She'll visit soon,' Sophia lied smoothly. 'This will help you rest until then.'

I peered through the crack in the door. Sophia was holding a steaming cup to my mother's lips, her face a mask of concern that didn't reach her cold eyes. I recognized the faint herbal scent wafting from the cup—not a calming tea, but a powerful sedative laced with something else. Something that would trigger, not soothe.

I burst through the door. 'Mother, don't—'

Too late. Eleanor had already swallowed several mouthfuls. Sophia turned to me with a triumphant smile.

'How kind of you to visit,' she said loudly. 'I was just helping your poor, confused mother.'

She brushed past me, whispering as she went: 'Watch what happens to those who defy me.'

Within minutes, my mother's eyes dilated. She began to tremble, then shake violently. Suddenly, she leapt from the bed with unnatural strength, knocking over trays of medical instruments.

'Demons!' she screamed, clawing at invisible tormentors. 'They're everywhere!'

The commotion brought guards running. My mother, lost in her drug-induced hallucination, lashed out at them, her nails drawing blood from one Delta's face.

'Restrain her!' someone shouted.

I tried to reach her through the chaos. 'Mother, please! It's me, Victoria!'

But she was beyond hearing, beyond recognition. By the time Marcus arrived, the medical wing was in shambles. Broken glass littered the floor, and two nurses were being treated for scratches.

Marcus surveyed the destruction, his silver eyes cold and unfeeling. Then his gaze fell on my mother, now sedated and restrained on a bed.

'This is unacceptable,' he declared, his Alpha tone reverberating through the room. 'She's a liability to the pack.'

'Alpha,' I pleaded, 'she was drugged. This isn't her fault—'

'Silence!' His command hit me like a physical blow. 'Eleanor will be imprisoned until further notice. And you,' his eyes swept over me without a flicker of recognition, 'will return to your duties.'

As they carried my sedated mother away, Sophia appeared at Marcus's side, her hand possessively on his arm.

'Such a tragedy,' she murmured, her eyes gleaming with satisfaction. 'Some minds are simply too fragile for our world.'

I watched them leave, my heart turning to stone in my chest. They had taken everything from me—my position, my dignity, my mate. And now, they had taken my mother.

My wolf, silent for so long in her despair, suddenly growled. Not a sound of submission, but of rage.

*We need to escape,* she said. *Before they destroy us completely.*

For the first time in months, I felt something other than despair. A tiny spark, flickering in the darkness.

Revenge.