Luna's Pov

I was trapped... and screwed, the sound of laughter and the footsteps of those who were coming after me had me running aimlessly through the forest, my feet and hands were burning, my lungs were tightening forcefully in my chest, the pain in my ribs and my throat was unbearable, maybe I should have stopped, they wouldn't stop chasing me, but I... I would collapse at any moment and I knew it, but that didn't matter to me, my feet kept sliding through the forest floor, one wrong step and I fell down what seemed to be a steep mountain, I felt my back hit the ground, I was falling downhill hitting against everything in my path, the mocking laughter behind me put my whole body in a desperate alert, my head hit the ground and the sounds suddenly sounded distant, I could feel the blood running between the bandage on my head, I brought my hands to my stomach stunned, it was an unbearable pain, but I was enduring it, I was alive and aware of what was happening around me, the footsteps of those hunters came up to me. _How silly, you thought you could escape from us_. Their laughter echoed in the solitude of the forest, I remained silent and did not move, although it's not like I could do it either, at this point I just had to accept my fate.

If only I could do something, if I had a wolf... If only I wasn't just another disaster, a flaw in a perfectly structured world... I was just a mistake.

._Now we will have fun with you and you will not be able to do anything... When we finish we will take you to the boss... He is anxious to see you._

._I wondered how a useless bitch like you could get so far._

._We will have fun with you, nobody will care anyway._

._Let's see what you have under that piece of cloth, freak._ His hand began to rise up my legs, my heart began to beat hard in my chest and a flash of a memory that I thought I had forgotten broke through in my mind, and again I was there, in that disgusting cell, watching my mother being mistreated and abused, in the name of love... Was love really as perfect as they painted it?

His hands going up her legs, her body being massacred on the ground, bleeding in every part of her body, offering her body only... To protect me.

Was it even worth it?

That image of her smiling had been replaced by her body covered in blood on the ground, her clothes torn to shreds, her skin completely destroyed from all the burns she had received throughout our long and endless torture, maybe it had been a blessing, a gift from the goddess who for once had taken pity on me, and had freed me from the misfortune of being able to observe what was happening around me, A blessing and a curse, because my last moments with her only consisted of a sound, the sound of her bones crunching, her head sliding across the floor and the sound of the shackles pressing hard on my neck.

When had this started?... I couldn't remember, I couldn't remember anything, maybe it was another blessing? Or maybe my memories were torturous enough for my mind to have forgotten them, which didn't make sense to me, because the few memories that still accompanied me, were not happy at all.

The sound of their growls and the touch of their hands almost reaching my crotch awakened an alert in me, I moved my hands trying to remove theirs, my hands were taken forcefully and pushed back, a hard blow to my face left me writhing in pain, I felt every part of my body bleeding, my brain was throbbing inside my head... Should I give up, my arms fell limp backwards, I heard the sound of my underwear being torn from my skin, they would ruin me... Even more than I was...

It hurt, the pain in my heart was far surpassing the pain that afflicted my body, I was starting to get dizzy and I knew that at any moment I would faint, maybe it was the best thing, not to be conscious, not to be here... It would be better... Just to die.

A loud squeal was heard in the silence of the forest, it took me only a few seconds to realize that that squeal had come from my lips, my throat was burning while I squealed like I had never done before, I don't know how long that squeal lasted, when from one moment to another, many smells mixed around me, sounds of paws, scratches and blood everywhere, that only meant something... Pure Alphas.

I didn't know if it was worse or better, falling into the hands of pure Alphas seemed almost the same to me as being in the hands of the others. The sounds began to sound further and further away... I was losing consciousness... I was about to fall into a deep sleep when a different smell wafted through my nostrils, Vanilla and Lemon, my favorite dessert, the last one I ate who knows how many years ago, I was dreaming maybe, because that smell seemed to be getting closer and closer to me, suddenly it enveloped me and I felt myself floating in a cloud of lemon cake... Now I could die in peace.

Pov Izan Noah

The hands of the clock seemed to move slower and slower as I listened to my, not at all pleasant, new in-laws talk non-stop about our recent union. Was it really necessary to talk so many times about the dress Melisandre would wear or what color the tablecloths would be for the guest tables at our long-awaited celebration? I was starting to get fed up. The shrill voice of Melisandre's little sister was starting to bring out the worst in me. My gaze flew to Astor beside me, who was my best friend and right-hand man. His expression of boredom was evident; he didn't even bother to hide the look of disgust he gave those little women who hadn't shut up for a second all night. His eyes moved to me, and he raised his hand, passing it over his neck in a gesture that only meant he'd rather be dead than still standing in this room listening to those unbearable voices talking non-stop. The clock finally struck nine, and my body straightened up forcefully, rising from that chair where I had been forced to spend more than two hours sitting. All the voices finally fell silent, all eyes landing on me. "I'm afraid it's time for us to leave, thank you for the invitation." Melisandre came to my side quickly, hanging on my arm as if she could somehow escape from her. Her father, the leader of the Sorian clan, Dorian Sorian, one of the purest alphas with the most prestige and an enviable position in that pyramid that we all so longed for, although not enough to be above me. He stretched out his hand to me with a smile on his face; he knew it, I wasn't the only one who would benefit from this union.

"We will be in touch, Izan, and once again, welcome to the family." I took his hand, giving it a squeeze. "I hope you continue to take care of my sweet treasure, Melisandre."

"I will take good care of her." Melisandre squeezed my arm and looked at me with an exaggerated smile; her eyes seemed to shine. In her eyes, I was a prize, the trophy that her father had given her just for existing. Melisandre was beautiful, there was no denying it. Her eyes were a soft green, her lips full, she had a voluptuous body and marked hips, exuberant breasts that seemed to want to escape from that red dress she was wearing today; it was a clear invitation for me to take her, she knew it, she had spent the whole night giving small insinuations towards me, she wanted it, there was no reason to wait.

Melisandre opened her red lips. "Izan always takes care of my father, you shouldn't worry." Her breasts rubbed against my arm shamelessly, her scent of cinnamon and cherry seeped through my nostrils. It wasn't an unbearable scent, but neither was it one that made me drool. That was the problem with alpha females; their scents seemed so common and unprovocative to alphas like me. However, there was no need to dwell on it so much; Melisandre was just a piece, a means to an end. I could have fun with her in the process; there was nothing to stop me.

I showed her a flirty smile, my arm passed around her waist, pulling her closer to me; her face lit up. That was what she wanted, what she expected and longed for, the same as most of the women around me wanted.

Attention and approval.

...----------------...

The way home was long and tedious. Melisandre wouldn't stop talking nonsense, squeezing my arm and smiling at me. Her scent had flooded the car, and it was suffocating me. "Astor, open the windows." The words left my lips with a harsher intonation than I wanted. Melisandre jumped beside me and moved back, feeling the evident rejection that her scent provoked in me. The rest of the trip was in silence, thank goodness, I couldn't stand listening to Melisandre's shrill voice for another second. Her beauty was overshadowed by her unbearable voice, her such spoiled way of being, her pathetic attempt to act tender and defenseless... I hated it.

We were only minutes away from arriving in the city when suddenly a squeal broke the silence. The surprise made Astor lose momentary control of the car. "What the hell was that?" Astor braked the car, and consequently, those behind us also braked. Astor brought his hands to his ears and turned to me with a frown.

That squeal had awakened something in me, an urgency, a need; I had to go there. I pushed the car door open and got out. "Move, follow that sound." Everyone got out of the cars, shifting, complying with my order.

"Izan." I turned back, looking at Melisandre with her hands in her ears and a worried face.

"Take Melisandre to the Mansion."

"As you command, Alpha." My wolf moved forward and ran through the forest enraged, controlling me. What was happening?... The smell of blood coming from the forest mixed with a smell that had made my wolf drool... Chocolate... This couldn't be happening to me now.

Mate!

Fucking shit!!!

At last, we could make out the place from where that smell was coming. My warriors had already neutralized the situation. On the forest floor lay the owner of that smell, a small and bruised body rested on the ground, her white hair full of blood, her face was completely covered by a bandage that dripped with blood. She was injured. My wolf moved back. I walked towards her and knelt beside her. The smell of chocolate merged with the smell of her blood. I took her in my arms furiously, wanting to tear the bastards who had done this to her to pieces.

"Take them home and lock them in the cells."

I ran through the forest with her in my arms. The way to the city was the longest way I had traveled in my life. I entered the mansion, and the doctors were already waiting for me. I placed her body on the bed, everyone moved around her, trying to help her. I was nervous, restless, blinded by the scent that emanated from that faceless woman. "Save her... You have to save her, understand?" Doctor Tom looked at me with wide eyes in terror. I hadn't even realized when my hands had anchored to his gown. What was happening to me?

"We will, Alpha... Let go of the doctor so we can help her." Katia came to my side, looking at me seriously. My hands were trembling. I forced myself to release the doctor's gown and take a step back. The doctor approached her, they began to clean her, and what my eyes saw burned inside me... Her legs and arms were full of cuts, open wounds, and old scars... There wasn't a part of her skin that wasn't full of scars. A growl escaped my lips; I was going crazy...

"Why isn't she healing?" The silent question in Katia's voice triggered an alert inside me. Even though she wasn't purebred, she should be able to heal, even if slowly.

"Her wolf must be hurt, disinfect and bandage her wounds."

"Her head won't stop bleeding." The doctor approached with the scissors and cut the bandages that covered her face. A collective gasp of surprise overwhelmed everyone. Her face... It was evident... She had been tortured. The mark that passed between her eyes and cheeks made that clear. Her lips marked with small scars from holes that someone once opened in her small lips, the outbreak of her skin on her right cheek... It was the mark of a hot bar... Her skin was completely burned.

A primitive and maddening instinct overwhelmed me, my vision became blurred... I was going to kill them all.

Uh... I think I finally died, it felt so warm, I was floating in the air, this was definitely heaven, so warm and soft, there was no pain, no problems, for the first time in who knows how many years the feeling of alertness with which I had lived my whole life had finally disappeared, I was at peace, calm. In heaven it also smelled like lemon cake, this was definitely paradise, maybe I would finally see my mother again, maybe I would recover my sight, if I could open my eyes... Okay, I already opened them... I still can't see anything... Even in heaven I'll be blind... Great!!

The sound of footsteps broke the silence that accompanied me.

._ Miss, you're awake._ a smell of chamomile and spices flooded the place._ I'm glad to see you're feeling better_. And then that's when it hit me, the softness of the fabric that covered my body, my hands tightened on the sheets of the bed where I seemed to be lying down, I could feel it... The softness between my fingers and then everything started... The alarm went off inside me, I brought my hands to my face and felt it again, that which my mother had hidden from me... Marks, scars, holes... Everything came back to me... I was never going to be at peace.

Freak!!

You're disgusting!!

You're useless!!

Worthless!!

You're a freak!!

Those voices came back into my head, taking over everything around me, I was there again, in that cell being tortured by the devil himself, hearing his laughter, feeling my skin burn._ Stop, please._ the words came out as a whisper from my lips, they were never going to stop, it was useless, I could never give them what they wanted, because I didn't even know how to do it, I was defective, a mistake, a freak, there was nothing left to hide, I was naked, showing my wounds to the world, completely defenseless, as I had been my whole life, trapped between those bars being shown to the world like a circus animal, being tortured again and again by my captor, there was no way out.

._ Miss..._ that sweet voice filtered through my dark thoughts, a gentle touch on my arm._ It's okay, everything is okay, no one will hurt you, you're safe here._ I was trembling uncontrollably._ ssh it's okay, everything is okay, no one is going to hurt you, you're safe here._ her hands went to mine pulling them away from my face, no one... No one should see me like this.

._ where are they?._ I brought my hands to my face covering it, I could feel the scars under my fingers, the same ones that accompanied the palms of my hands.

._ What?._ her voice came out soft, with a trace of doubt in it.

._ My bandages... Please, my bandages._

._ Oh... We had to take them off, you were very injured, they were soaked in blood, we had to take them off to be able to heal you._

Her words took me back to that moment, now I could know where I was, I could remember it, the fight, the smells, Pure Alphas... They saved me and brought me here... To some city ruled by purebred alphas.

._ Where... Where are we?._ I asked nervously, we were not alone in the room, that lemon cake smell had not gone away, it had not been a hallucination, the man who had brought me here, smelled like lemon cake.

.- We are in the mansion of Alfa Izan Noah, in the golden city, our alpha saved you and brought you here... Here you are safe.- I felt her hand caress my hair, my body shrunk fearfully, the muscle memory, I hated any kind of touch on my body, I stayed still fearing to reject her caress, what the pure alphas could do to me if I didn't do what they wanted... Well... I was trapped again... In the city of the most feared Alpha on earth... Goddess... How did I end up here?.

._ My name is Katya... What's yours?._ her caresses in my hair never stopped, her sweet voice entered my ears, she seemed like a good person, but I couldn't help but doubt her true intentions, everyone wanted something from me... Maybe they expected it too._ You don't want to tell me?._

._ Luna... That's my name._

._ Oh... Like the moon, that's nice._ I stayed silent, completely alert to all the sounds that were around me, I felt their gazes burning on my body, observing the disaster that I was, every part of my skin burned as if it wanted to be torn off so that no one could ever see the disaster that I was.

._ Please... My bandages._ the silence that followed my words was long enough for my mind to fill with questions, How many? How many had seen my body? The disaster into which I had become, I didn't even remember how it felt before being this.

._ I... Well, I could give you some new ones if that makes you feel better._

._ please._ my voice came out pleading from my lips, I felt unprotected, those bandages were the only thing I had left of my mother and now I had lost them, just pieces of cloth that helped me hide from the world, the truth of what I am... A Freak.

._ Ok, I'll bring them_. Her hand moved away from my hair, I heard her footsteps moving away, her smell disappearing from the room, I was alone with the owner of that sweet smell, how could a pure alpha smell like lemon cake?... All those I had the misfortune of knowing had the strongest and most demanding smells that existed... But there was one I would never forget, the smell of the man who had destroyed my life... Ammonia and Sulfur... I could never forget his smell, the smell that had marked my skin.

._ I'm back, I have it here, do you want me to help you or..._ I stretched out my trembling hand into the air, I would rather do it myself a thousand times._ ok... Here.- I felt the bandages fall into my hand, I squeezed them feeling the texture between my fingers, I took it to my face quickly starting to pass them quickly between my ears, my nape, squeezing them tightly, remembering my mother's words.

If I couldn't see them then they weren't there... A sweet and poisonous lie, I could never see them... But they would still be there.