Melissa.
The window was finally pulled open with a sharp, splintering crack, the sound slicing through the thick silence of the room. I heard it clearly, felt it, even, but I kept my eyes shut, lashes pressed tightly together as if that alone could make whatever was happening disappear.
Instinct screamed at me to shout. To call for the guards. To fight, to struggle, to cling to life no matter what. Survival has always been my only rule. But another feeling crept in, heavier, duller, weighing down my chest until breathing itself felt exhausting. I was so tired. Tired of fear. Tired of pain. Tired of begging for mercy that never came.
If death stood at the window, then so be it. I would rather die by a stranger’s hand than wake tomorrow as the forced bride of the Alpha triplets.
A soft
