I woke to the bitter taste of medicine on my tongue, Valentin sitting at my bedside, holding a cup to my lips.
"Drink this," he said, his voice low, almost soothing. "It’ll ease the pain."
He waited until I’d swallowed before leaning closer, his breath warm against my ear. "Now, tell me where your pack hid the cure. Where is it?"
His tone was coaxing, as it always was after he’d pushed me to the brink. It was the same voice that had once made me believe he still cared.
But the medicine was too potent, too harsh. My body rejected it, and I coughed violently, the bitter liquid spilling from my lips.
"I told you," I rasped, my voice barely audible. "The Duncan Pack didn’t poison your people."
His expression hardened, and he slammed the cup onto the bedside table.
"Kairi," he growled, his alpha tone sharp and commanding. "Do you really want to push me to kill you?"
I wiped the blood from my lips with the back of my hand, my gaze steady. "You won’t. I’m still useful for keeping Amelia happy."
For a moment, his eyes flickered with something unreadable. Then, without warning, he grabbed the cup, took a swig of the medicine, and crushed his lips against mine.
It wasn’t a kiss—it was punishment. Harsh, bruising, and meant to hurt.
He didn’t bother undressing me completely, just shoved me onto the bed, pinning me beneath him.
"You think I care about you?" he snarled, his voice dripping with venom. "You’re nothing to me but a way to vent my anger. I only keep you around so Amelia doesn’t have to see this side of me."
Every word felt like a knife to my chest, twisting deeper with each syllable.
Before he could continue, the door burst open, and Amelia swept in, her scent carrying a faint, sweet fragrance that made my wolf stir uneasily.
"Valentin," she said, her voice trembling. "I have a terrible headache. It must be her—her presence is poisoning me."
He was on his feet in an instant, his demeanor shifting from cruel to tender as he crossed the room to her side.
"Didn’t the healer’s treatment help?" he asked, his voice soft with concern. "Should I call them again?"
She shook her head, her eyes flickering to me. "No, it’s her. Her scent is too strong. We need to cleanse her again."
He hesitated, his brow furrowing. "We’ve already done it twice this month. Any more, and she might not survive."
Amelia’s lips quivered, and she buried her face in his chest. "If you don’t, I’ll have to leave. I can’t stay here if she’s going to make me suffer like this."
His arms tightened around her, and he glanced at me, his expression cold.
"Take her outside," he ordered the guards. "Do the cleansing ritual."
I didn’t resist as they dragged me into the courtyard. My body was too battered, my wolf too broken.
The ritual master was already waiting, a whip in his hand. It wasn’t just any whip—it was lined with sharpened nails, designed to tear into flesh with every strike.
This was the third time this month Amelia had used this excuse to punish me.
The first blow landed with a sickening crack, and I bit down on my lip to stifle a scream.
"She’s the reason you haven’t conceived," the master shouted, his voice echoing through the courtyard. "Her scent is too strong, too toxic. It’s poisoning your mate bond!"
Amelia clung to Valentin, her eyes wide with feigned distress. "Valentin, he’s right. She’s the reason we can’t have a child. Please, send her away. You want a family, don’t you?"
His jaw tightened, and his gaze locked on me, filled with loathing.
"No," he said, his voice firm. "She’ll die here, in this pack, where she belongs."
Then, turning back to Amelia, he softened his tone. "Don’t worry, my love. We’ll have a child. I’ll make sure of it."
He led her back inside, leaving me in the courtyard, my body bleeding and broken.
The guards didn’t hesitate. They chained my wrists and ankles, dragging me to the cold storage room and throwing me inside.
I curled into a ball on the floor, shivering as the cold seeped into my wounds.
Valentin didn’t look back. Not once.
