Autumn had no idea when she had dozed off, crying herself to sleep, slapping her own face repeatedly,despite being in pain.Exhaustion, tears, all smeared and smudged together. When she woke up, the faint white of the rising sun was already lighting up the horizon.
Her entire body ached. It felt like she was run over by a truck. Autumn decided a walk outside might be good for her health. The room and Kieran's lingering scent in there was already driving her insane and mad all over again. And definitely not in a very positive way.
But the moment Autumn stepped out of her chambers, the pack was already waiting even though it was barely dawn.
Whispers slithered through the air like vicious snakes.
"Look who finally crawled out of the Alpha's bed."
"Guess he got bored quick. She looks like a used rag."
"Wonder if she's still warm from him."
Autumn kept her head down, her body aching, her thighs sticky with the evidence of what Kieran had done to her. She didn't look at them. Didn't react.
That would only make them bolder.
A pebble hit the back of her head. Then another.
"Hey, rogue!" a tall lad called out, grinning. "How was the Alpha? Bet he ruined you well.He has a reputation.I doubt you were able to keep up with his pace. "
Laughter applauded his remarks. He smiled and smirked like a victorious warrior. Sick folks!
She ignored him, walking faster.But perhaps attempts of peace was a delusion.
A hand grabbed her arm, yanking her back.
"Where do you think you are going, bitch?" A female warrior, Vera, sneered down at her. "You don't just walk away after fucking the Alpha. You are pack property now.Didn't the Alpha make that clear? He did to us! " She pulled out some sick looking roster or task board but Autumn did not care.
She yanked her arm free. "I don't belong to anyone."
Vera's grin widened. "Oh? Then why do you smell like him? Like used goods?"
More laughter erupted around them.
Autumn's fingers curled into fists.
Then…
SPLASH.
A bucket of ice cold water drenched her from head to toe.
Gasps.
More laughter.
Autumn stood frozen, water dripping from her hair, her borrowed dress clinging to her skin.
The tall guy from before, Garrick, smirked. "Oops. Looks like someone needed a bath.Too high with the Alpha's scent still lingering on her clothes. "
Vera leaned in, her breath hot against Autumn's ear. "You think just because the Alpha fucked you once, you are special? He doesn't keep whores. You are just another warm hole to him."
Autumn's vision went red.
She spun, slamming her fist into Vera's nose.
CRACK.
Blood sprayed.
Vera staggered back, clutching her face, eyes wide with shock.
Silence.
But then…
"YOU LITTLE CUNT!"
Vera lunged.
Autumn barely had time to brace before fists, elbows, knees…all of it crashed into her.
She hit the dirt, Vera on top of her, raining down blows.
"You think you can hit me?You dirty piece of shit!" Vera snarled, grabbing Autumn's hair and smashing her face into the ground. "You are nothing in this pack! You are less than nothing!And I am a Gamma. A fucking warrior bitch! "
Autumn gasped, blood filling her mouth.
The little group cheered, forming a circle around them, chanting…
"FINISH HER, VERA!"
"BREAK HER, YEAH!"
"Glad Mango's not here to interfere! "
Vera straddled her, gripping her throat. "You know what happens to rogues who don't learn their place?"
Autumn choked, clawing at her hands.
Vera leaned down, lips brushing her ear. "They get passed around until they are too broken to fight back."
But then out of the blue…
Crack!!!
A boot slammed into Vera's ribs, sending her flying.
Autumn gasped, rolling onto her side, coughing.
Kieran stood over them both, his golden eyes burning with fury.
The pack fell silent.
Vera scrambled up, wiping blood from her lip. "Alpha, she attacked me.I was just trying to pass on the roster but that whore…"
"I saw." Kieran's voice was deadly quiet. "She hit you once. You beat her half to death."
Vera paled. "She's a rogue, Alpha. I was only following orders when she refused to listen. She needs to learn…"
"You don't decide what she learns." Kieran stepped closer. Eyes pinning her. His aura was suffocating. "You don't touch what is mine."
Vera's breath hitched. "But… you don't keep women. You never…"
"I said," Kieran snarled, "you don't touch what's mine.I said nothing about keeping anything.Did I, Vera? " Her name came out of Kieran's lips like a growl with a deadly hint of a purr.
The pack flinched.
Vera lowered her head, trembling. "Yes, Alpha."
Kieran turned to Autumn, his gaze unreadable.
" Every one of you get your lazy ass up and get back to pack duties. Anybody slacking off..
Anybody not following orders… will have to directly deal with me! Is that understood? "
The bark literally reverberated across the woods. Even the trees and the clouds shook with terror.
But Autumn glared up at him, blood dripping from her split lip.
He said nothing.
Just walked away.
Leaving her broken.
Bleeding. At the mercy of his merciless pack.
And more alone than she ever was as a rogue.
But she pushed herself up on shaky arms nevertheless, the damp soil clinging to her skin.
Her breath came in ragged bursts, chest heaving as she spat out blood and dirt. The crowd had dispersed, like rats scurrying from a flame, but their whispers still echoed in her ears. Her body throbbed with every movement, but the fire in her eyes burned hotter than ever.
She wouldn't cry again, she promised herself.
Her limbs protested as she stood up, but she did it anyway, her spine straightening with sheer defiance. Her dress was ruined, clinging wet to her frame, transparent in the morning light.
She wrapped her arms around herself and started walking…somewhere.She didn't make it far before she collapsed behind the training shed, hidden from sight.
She bit down on her sleeve to keep the sob from escaping her lips. It wasn't a weakness, she told herself. It was the body's way of bleeding pain out. If she didn't cry now, it would rot inside her.
"You are stronger than this," she whispered to herself.
But it sounded hollow.
A soft shuffle of footsteps caught her attention. She stiffened instantly, eyes darting up, her entire body tensing like a hunted animal.
But it was sweet old Mango.
Autumn blinked, her throat tight. She opened her mouth to say something, anything, but no words came.
Mango sighed. "Don't bother lying or putting on a brave face. I saw it all. Didn't just intervene." She pulled out a small tin from her apron. "Hold still."
With a gentle hand, she dabbed ointment onto Autumn's busted lip, then smeared some across the worst of the cuts. It stung like hell, but Autumn didn't flinch.
"You are not the first girl they have tried to break," Mango muttered. "But damn if I have seen anyone look at Kieran like you just did. Not even the warriors."
Autumn's jaw clenched.Mango stopped for a moment, then said quietly, "That boy's been raised with war in his veins. Doesn't know what to do with anything soft. Doesn't mean he doesn't care. But caring and choosing… that's different."
Autumn looked away. "I don't want him to care. I want him to leave me alone."
"You sure about that, little wolf?" Autumn didn't answer. She didn't know the answer herself.
After a long pause, Mango patted her knee. "Come. You can't go around looking like a drowned pup. I've got spare clothes. And some soup."