Rising From The Ashes, The Vengeful Luna

Defiance: Hope POV

“Kobe, you can’t do this” my voice was matter of fact, my eyes intently staring at him as he stepped from the shadows, his hands casually placed in his pockets, a look of anger on his face.

“I can do whatever I want. You tried to escape Hope” he breathed, moving closer, his face mere inches from the cell as I refused to cower or allow him to intimidate me. “I caught you trying to run. Did you think I wouldn’t punish you for that transgression?”

“Can you blame me?” I retorted, crossing my arms and folding them across my chest, even as part of me wished I had managed to make it. “You treat me like a slave and refuse to accept me as your mate.”

“Because I have somebody else in mind for my chosen Luna” he retorted, his voice cold, the smile fading from his lips. “Why would you think I would take a lowly mutt like you? You’re nothing” he sneered, “you don’t even have a wolf.”

It was true. On my eighteenth birthday, as the sun had gone down and the moon had risen overhead, I had waited outside, counting down the seconds until midnight, excited to finally have my wolf and be like any other shifter in the pack. The time had passed, and I had stood there, feeling foolish, stupid, and naïve as I realized with dawning horror that my wolf was never going to come. I was useless to the pack. What was worse? Discovering on that same day that my mate was none other than Kobe Richardson, the Alpha of the pack and one of my worst tormentors. It all made a sickening sense now, why he had treated me so badly. He had hated finding out we were mates and had sought to punish me whenever he had the opportunity while I remained oblivious. Now I knew the truth, I had never hated him more than I did right now.

“I might not have a wolf, but you still can’t bring yourself to let me go, can you,” I retorted, eyeing him knowingly.

No matter how much he tried to lie to me, I could tell. It was written all over his face.

“Don’t push me Hope” he warned, “I might keep you around but that’s only because of the benefit you provide me. Even as weak as you are, the mate bond between us only strengthens me by having you near.”

The mate bond. How I hated it and yet I craved that another mate would grant me the love that was being so easily denied me.

“Something a chosen mate can never do for you,” I told him icily. “Tell me something, Kobe” my voice dripped with sarcasm, “who do you intend to take as your chosen Luna? Who has agreed to become your mate and do they know you have a fated one?”

“They don’t need to know just now,” his tone was dismissive. "I will tell them when I feel that is necessary."

I laughed and stared at him incredulously. “You mean you haven’t told her because she might not agree if she knows she has to compete with me. Have you no conscience?” I asked, sneering at him. “That girl, whoever she is deserves far better than the likes of you.”

He slammed his hand against the bars in response, ignoring the silver that burned his flesh, and narrowed his eyes at me.

“How long do you think you can last in here, without food and water?” he said, his lip twisting into a cruel smile as he studied me.

It was not an empty threat. I had been through the same punishments before. I was no longer afraid of starvation or dying of thirst. Not anymore.

“Starve me, it won’t change my mind,” I told him, lifting my chin and eyeing him proudly. “I will try and escape the second you let me out” I warned him “and I won’t stop trying. Why don’t you just reject me like I’ve asked you to?” I breathed, unable to help myself. “Why do you insist on continuing to torture me and play games with me?”

His eyes darkened and he looked at me intently. I swallowed hard. Despite my bravado, I was fearful of his wolf whenever he came to the surface. Hades was possessive, and jealous and refused to hear my pleas, whereas Kobe was obedient to his wolf’s desires and his own.

“Little one” he purred as I flinched, “do you know what I will do to you if you keep disrespecting me like this?” he asked.

I fell silent. He wasn’t finished yet. The door swung open, and he stepped inside. I watched his every movement, my heart beginning to pound wildly in my chest. He smirked and reached out, trailing a finger down my cheek as I fought the urge to step backward.

“So beautiful and yet so stubborn” he whispered, licking his lips as I began to feel a familiar sense of dread inside of me.

Not again. I fought to maintain my composure, knowing my fear would only add to his excitement.

“Hades” I tried to keep my voice even, as he cupped my cheek. “Hades, you don’t want me. You want whoever you’re taking as a chosen mate.”

Gods, why did he continue to do this? Why couldn't he resist the mate bond like I could? Was it a weakness or just a further way to humiliate and degrade me?

“Oh, I want you,” he said, tilting his head and narrowing his eyes. “But I can’t have a mate that’s as weak and useless as you are. You are good for me though, providing me strength and you’ll be good for bearing my pups” he added with satisfaction as I tried to shake my head and move slightly away, only to stop in my tracks as his arm shot out and his hand gripped my arm tightly.

“I’d rather die,” I told him helplessly, wishing I had the nerve to shove or push him away.

I would never agree to have his pups. I had too much self-respect for that. I despised the fact that he even dared to utter those words.

“That can be arranged. As it stands, you won’t be able to leave this place or this packhouse without me knowing” he purred, “And whatever I ask you to do, you’ll do it” he added menacingly.

Before I could protest, he swooped down and claimed my lips, forcibly parting them and sliding his tongue inside as my body stilled and I forced myself to endure it. I knew too well what his temper was like when I tried to prevent it and I had learned that he was quick to finish when I didn’t respond to him. I tried not to gag, feeling the coarseness of his tongue inside my mouth, his hand moving to grip me around the waist and pull me against him. Despite myself, my body responded, making me hate myself even more, growing heated as he continued and my core began to throb. As he pulled away, I felt nothing more than a sense of relief and he smirked at me, his eyes glinting with triumph. I hated myself at that moment, more than I could ever express.

“I told you that you would have to be punished,” he said, almost sounding sorrowful as he let go of me. “What you did was unforgivable” he added, as I stared, my mind beginning to whirl with all the possibilities of what he might do.

His eyes went towards the trolley sitting causally by the cell and I followed his line of sight, feeling sick to my stomach. It was loaded with all sorts of implements, most of them in silver, designed to provide the most pain and suffering they possibly could. I felt bile rising in my throat as he suddenly moved and began to put on the gloves sitting on top of the trolley, his eyes studying the implements thoughtfully. The thought of running crossed my mind, but he was between me and the door and would easily overpower me if I tried.

His eyes shot back to mine and he pinned his gaze on me, his eyes feeling as though they were piercing right through me. “By the time I’m finished with you, you’ll never think about trying to escape again,” he told me, his voice turning dangerously dark “And maybe this time you’ll learn your lesson” he hissed.

My screams soon filled the air.