Candace
My legs dragged painfully against the marble floors as I limped out of the packhouse toward the pig sty that had become my safe haven over the past three years.
Before all of this, the triplets had been my safe place, my protectors, my best friends.Mine.
Back then, they used to call me their sweet girl whenever I curled up between them during movie nights.
Ryker would complain that I always stole his blanket while Reign teased that I secretly liked clinging to him most.
Ragnor would only sit there quietly, his large hand rubbing slow circles against my back while he watched us all with soft grey eyes and River would lay his head on my laps while I threaded my hands through his hair.
A violent sob wracked my body as I trudged down the narrow hallway leading toward the sty. A massive lump sat heavily in my chest, making every breath painful. I wiped furiously at my tears, but they refused to stop falling.
I pushed the fragile wooden door shut behind me.
The scent of dried hay, mud, and pig faeces filled the cramped space immediately. Hay crunched beneath my feet as I limped toward the small stack of clean straw shoved into the farthest corner. Beside it sat the tiny worn bag that held everything I owned now.
That was all that I was given after I was sent to live here. I collapsed onto the hay with a broken sob, pain instantly shooting through my body as the rough straw dug into the fresh wounds Aunt Elena had given me earlier.
This had become my life. My father was dead.
Mom and Stephen… Goddess, I did not even know if they were still alive.
The evil forest was filled with feral wolves, monstrous predators, and creatures that prowled through darkness hunting anything weak enough to kill.
It had been three years since they were banished there, and sometimes the thought of my little brother dying terrified and alone hurt so badly that I could barely breathe through it.
A sob clawed violently out of my throat as I curled tighter into myself. Every single person had turned against me. No one cared whether I lived or died anymore except Cookie and maybe one other person.
My gaze drifted toward the small pouch tucked carefully beneath my blanket. Every few weeks, someone left food, medicine, or bandages beside my haystack when nobody else was around.
I never knew who it was, and I never caught them in the act, but the supplies always appeared whenever my condition became especially terrible. Whoever they were, they could not help me openly.
Anyone caught aiding me would be excommunicated from the pack immediately and I was not worth that risk.
Suddenly, loud banging rattled the weak wooden door of the sty, startling the pigs into frantic squeals. My entire body stiffened.
Slowly, I pushed myself upright and limped toward the entrance before pulling the door open.
"Well, if it isn't my favorite little slave."
An ugly smirk spread across Dylan's face as he leaned carelessly against the doorway. The sharp stench of alcohol rolled off him so strongly it nearly made me gag.
Dread twisted violently inside my stomach.
A sober Dylan was already difficult to survive, a drunk Dylan was far worse.
He lifted a bottle of wine toward his lips and took another long swig while staring openly at my body. Fear crept coldly beneath my skin.
The first time Dylan cornered me and tried ripping my clothes off had been a year ago. A violent shudder tore through me at the memory of his hands grabbing at my thighs while I screamed for help inside an empty hallway.
It happened three more times after that and every single escape had been luck. The second time it happened, I made the stupid mistake of telling Aunt Elena because some foolish part of me still believed a mother would not tolerate her son forcing himself on someone.
Instead, she beat me until I could barely walk and accused me of trying to seduce him.
"Those cunts finally proposed to my sister," Dylan slurred while stepping closer. "Maybe now you'll stop crying over them and finally let me have a taste."
Disgust rolled through me violently. I turned immediately, intending to slam the door in his face, but before I could close it, his hand smacked roughly against my ass.
My entire body froze. Revulsion crawled sickeningly beneath my skin, followed almost instantly by terror.
Every previous encounter with Dylan flashed through my head at once: his drunken laughter, his wandering hands, the way nobody ever believed me afterward. I spun around and shoved him backward with every ounce of strength my battered body could gather.
"Do not touch me!"
Dylan staggered a few steps before laughing mockingly.
"You little bitch," he sneered. "You know you won't find anyone better than me. The Alphas in there hate you with every fiber of their being." His grin widened cruelly.
"Hell, your first mate did not even want you. He rejected you and ended up dead the next morning."
Pain sliced sharply through my chest at the memory. The Moon Goddess had mated me to Kyle before the triplets. Twenty-four hours later, he rejected me publicly.
The next morning, he was found dead beneath the cliffs outside the pack borders.
Everyone believed I killed him.
"Yeah," Dylan continued with a disgusting smirk, reaching toward my chest, "I wouldn't want to mate with a murderer either."
I slapped his hand away immediately, but he growled and surged forward before I could retreat.
His arm wrapped around my waist painfully tight as he pinned me against his chest. The sour smell of wine and sweat flooded my lungs while his hot breath brushed against my ear.
"I'm doing you a favor," he muttered. "Nobody else is ever going to touch you willingly anyway, so just be a good girl—"
"Let go of me!"
I spat directly into his face but his grip tightened.
"Who are you waiting for, huh?" Dylan snarled. "Come on, cuz. Deidre's going to become Luna while you can be my little side piece." His fingers dug painfully into my hips.
"You should feel honored the Beta's son even wants to stick his dick inside something like you."
Rage exploded hotly through my fear. I slammed my heel down hard onto his foot.
Dylan yelled and shoved me violently away from him.
Before I could catch my balance, his fist smashed into my face. Pain exploded through my swollen left eye.
I screamed as fresh blood flooded down my cheek, blinding half my vision instantly. My hands scrambled desperately against the dirt floor as I tried scooting away from him.
"Dylan, please," I cried weakly. "Please don't do this-"
The words died inside my throat when he grabbed my neck. My lungs constricted painfully as his fingers tightened around my throat.
I clawed weakly at his grip while kicking helplessly beneath him, but my body was exhausted from weeks of starvation and endless beatings. I had no strength left to fight him properly.
"You should've just played along," he spat before slapping my face again. "God, look at the mess all over you."
No, no this could not be happening.
"Somebody help me!" I screamed desperately.
Only Cookie's distant barking answered me.
Dylan shoved the hem of my torn dress up my thighs roughly.
Panic detonated violently through my chest.
I screamed and fought harder, scratching wildly at his face, his arms, anything I could reach while body-wracking sobs tore from my throat.
His knee shoved between my thighs while his disgusting hands tugged violently at my panties. My body shook uncontrollably with fear. All of it crashed through me at once. This had been going on for too long, I wasn't sure I could survive a fifth time.
Then my eyes landed on the wine bottle lying beside us. The moment Dylan yanked my panties down my thighs, my hand shot toward the bottle before fear could stop me.
I smashed it against his head, the bottle shattering loudly. Dylan cried out before collapsing heavily beside me.
At the same moment, Cookie burst through the doorway growling viciously. Her once-white fur had long since turned muddy brown from surviving on the streets, but she launched herself fearlessly at Dylan anyway, sinking her teeth deeply into his calf.
He screamed. I stumbled upright immediately and kicked him hard across the face.
"You bastard!" I sobbed, striking him again.
"How dare you touch me? How dare you?"
Years of terror and helplessness exploded out of me all at once.
Every kick carried the fear I swallowed whenever he cornered me. Every blow carried the humiliation of nobody believing me.
Blood streamed heavily from Dylan's broken nose while he flailed weakly on the ground trying to protect himself from Cookie.
Then suddenly I heard a loud gasp behind me.
I froze mid-kick, whirling around. One of the maids stood staring at us in horror, her eyes darting wildly between Dylan's bloodied body and the shattered bottle.
"What have you done?" she whispered.
"No, wait!" I cried desperately. "He attacked me! Please don't-"
But she was already running. Her screams echoed toward the mansion. Cold dread settled instantly inside my stomach.
Dylan groaned weakly on the floor beside me, blood pouring down his face, and I knew nobody would believe my side of the story.
I quickly scooped Cookie into my arms.
"You have to go," I whispered urgently. "If Aunt Elena finds you here, she'll kill you."
Cookie whined softly while licking my trembling fingers. Tears blurred my vision.
I glanced toward the distant packhouse where shouting already echoed loudly through the night air.
They were coming. I pressed a shaky kiss against Cookie's forehead.
"Go," I begged. "Please go."
Finally, she darted out into the darkness moments before Aunt Elena, Uncle Nathan, Deidre, and the triplets stormed toward the sty.
My pulse pounded violently as I stumbled backward into the cramped shelter. Dylan still lay bleeding on the floor.
Would they believe me?
Deep down, I already knew the answer.
"Oh my God!" Aunt Elena shrieked the moment she entered. "She killed him!"
"My brother!" Deidre sobbed dramatically.
"What did you do to my brother?"
"Not again," Ryker bellowed furiously.
"I-It's not what it looks like," I stammered desperately. "He attacked me first. He tried to force himself on me!"
"He attacked you?" Ragnor repeated slowly.
Disgust curled visibly across his face as his grey eyes swept methodically over the scene.
The disbelief in his expression hurt worse than Dylan's fists.
Ragnor used to protect me. When we were younger, he once beat another boy bloody for making me cry during a festival. Back then, I used to laugh and call him my jealous Adonis while he rolled his eyes and carried me home on his back.
Now he looked at me like I disgusted him.
"Come up with a more believable lie, Candace," he said coldly. "We are literally standing inside your room. Why would someone force themselves on you here? Your door should have been locked." His tone sounded almost accusatory, like it was my fault Dylan couldn't keep it in his pants.
"Door's not even broken." Reign's quiet voice sliced through the chaos. His hazel eyes raking carefully across the sty, taking in the scene.
Something flickered briefly across his expression but it vanished. His jaw hardened as he pulled Deidre closer against him.
"Funny how that works," he muttered coldly.
"Try harder, slave."
"She's a liar and a killer!" Aunt Elena screamed before lunging at me.
"No!" I cried, stumbling backward. "He forced me! He came here drunk and tried to rape me. I swear I'm telling the truth!"
"How dare you accuse my son?" Aunt Elena shrieked before striking me across the face.
I collapsed onto the ground in a crumpled heap.
Pain exploded through my ribs.
"I told him to come get you," she snapped viciously. It was a lie.
Her left eye twitched violently whenever she lied, and even through my blurred vision, I could see it happening now.
I wanted to scream at them. I wanted to grab the triplets and force them to look beyond the murderer label stamped across my forehead.
I wanted to scream at Aunt Elena for protecting her disgusting son even while knowing exactly what he was capable of.
But one look at Ryker's furious face, Reign's hardened expression, and Ragnor's cold disgust crushed the words before they could leave my throat.
Nobody believed me.
"This is how you repay us for taking you in?" Uncle Nathan roared. "You tried to kill my heir! Was one death not enough for you?"
"You spread your legs everywhere," Aunt Elena screeched while driving her heel painfully into my side. "You seduce my son and then accuse him afterward? I should kill you myself, you filthy cow!"
I writhed helplessly beneath her kicks trying desperately to protect my ribs.
"Oh God, I can't bear this," Deidre whimpered while burying herself deeper against Reign's chest.
Then she turned her head slightly toward me.
A smug smirk curled briefly across her lips before disappearing again beneath fake tears.
Fresh agony ripped through my chest.
Of course, I was the one who almost got raped, I was the one bleeding on the floor.
Yet somehow Deidre still managed to become the victim.
And the worst part? The hatred burning inside my mates' eyes hurt more than all the bruises covering my body.
Was this truly how they saw me now?
Ryker suddenly stepped toward me.
His heavy boots crushed hay beneath him as he bent down and picked something up from the floor.
My stomach dropped as my panties dangled from his fingers. He held them carefully like something filthy.
"You keep saying he forced you," Ryker said slowly while towering over me. "So explain this."
He lifted the panties higher for everyone to see.
"If he attacked you, then why are these on the floor?" His eyes burned furiously into mine.
"And why aren't they ripped?"
My throat tightened painfully. Blood and tears streamed down my face together while agony throbbed through every inch of my body.
Ryker's expression darkened further.
"Start talking!" he bellowed furiously. "You almost killed another innocent person, murderer!"