Chapter 3 Esmeralda's POV

In the stillness, I could hear the beat of my own pulse. Feel it everywhere around my body. Pain courses through my entire being, sharp and unrelenting. My entire body aches, every part of me screaming in agony from how many times Alpha Sheldon had taken what he wanted.

I groan softly as I lie there, staring at the ceiling, my eyes stinging with unshed tears. His humiliating words echo in my mind, replaying over and over like a spoiled radio. "You will bear my heirs, and that is all."

I grit my teeth in pain and anger. Anger at how this cursed thing that binds us could make me want him even after all he's done. Anger at the goddess for how cruel she was for pairing me with such a man.

The bed beneath me feels too soft, too comfortable for the torment I feel inside. My fingers curl into the sheets, trembling as I fight back the sobs building in my chest. But the tears slip through, hot and silent, sliding down my cheeks as I close my eyes.

I hate him. I hate myself for feeling anything at all.

The silence is suddenly interrupted by a soft knock at the door. My body tenses, fear instantly grips me. I try to force myself upright, but I barely manage to lift my head. Before I can answer, the door swings open and a flurry of maids dressed in black and white enter the room, their footsteps quick and small.

They don't bother to look at me as they move around, gathering fresh bed clothes and setting down trays of food I can barely stomach the thought of. I force myself to move and look down at the bed, noticing a puddle of blood I hadn't seen before.

I swallow down the itch in my throat and looked up to find one of them, an older woman with kind eyes, glancing in my direction, her face softening with pity.

But I don't want their pity. I don't want any of this.

"Miss," she says gently, but I turn away, wiping the stray tears from my face.

"Please..." My voice is barely a whisper, thick with the pain of the night before. "Just... leave me."

The older maid hesitates, but the others carry on, ignoring the weight of my words. To them, I am nothing but another duty to fulfil and I understood because I was here too to fulfil a duty. Birthing my mate's heirs and standing by the side as nothing but his breeder.

The older maid steps closer, her voice still gentle but firm. "Miss, you need to be cleaned up. The Luna has requested to see you."

My heart skips a beat at the mention of the Luna. The last thing I want is to be dragged in front of her. Why did she want to see me? After everything that happened last night, I can barely face myself, let alone the woman who holds power in this house, his official mate.

"No," I mumble, trying to turn away from the maid's touch. My body is still sore, every movement is difficult. "I...I can't... I won't."

"It's not a request, miss," she says softly. "The Luna insists."

I feel a cold dread settle in the pit of my stomach. Luna Karel, as ruthless as Sheldon in her own way, has rumours about her flying about. Some seem exaggerated but no matter what, I want to avoid her for as long as I can.

My breath catches in my throat as the maids begin to approach me, their hands gentle but firm as they start the process of cleaning me up. I flinch as one of them touches a particularly sore spot on my wrist. It was a reminder of how Sheldon had pinned me down and ravaged me mercilessly.

Soon, I am led through the grand halls of the packhouse. The stone floor is cold underneath my bare feet, and the halls are empty. But I can feel eyes on me even when they are hidden from my view.

I feel like a prisoner with the way I am being paraded and I keep my head down trying to make myself smaller.

I catch glimpses of gold-framed portraits of the past Alphas and couldn't help but feel more intimidated. Why did I think someone of such a level would accept someone like me? A nobody.

We soon reach the doors of another room. The majestic doors were proof enough that it was not just an ordinary place. The guards push them open with a heavy creak. My heart pounds in my chest as they guide me forward.The room is vast, the ceilings impossibly high with a chandelier dropping from the centre and with columns lining the walls. Sunlight streams through large windows, casting long shadows across the polished floor.

And there she is, sitting on a throne like chair, regal and cold.

Luna Karel.

Her icy blue gown flows elegantly around her. Her dark hair is pinned back, revealing high cheekbones and a mouth set in a thin line. Her eyes, a piercing grey, lock onto me the moment I'm brought into the room. She watches me like a predator, her gaze full of disdain and barely concealed hatred.

"Leave us," Luna Karel commands, her voice cutting through the air like a knife.

The guards bow their heads and step back, leaving me alone in the middle of the vast room.

I swallow hard, feeling a headache coming on from how pressured I feel. My legs threaten to give in, but I force myself to stand tall and meet her gaze.

She rises from the throne with a fluid grace, her heels clicking softly against the floor as she approaches me. Her gaze sweeps over me, lingering on the faint bruises Sheldon left on my skin and then her lips curl into a mocking smile.

"So," she drawls, her voice dripping with venom. "This is what he brought into my home. A little breeder, pathetic and weak."

I flinch at her words but stay silent.

"You must be so proud," she continues, her voice low and mocking. "To have caught the attention of an Alpha. Tell me, how does it feel to be his toy?" Her words cut deeper than I'd expected.

"Answer me, you slut!" She suddenly bellows, catching me by surprise. The room becomes deathly quiet, the tension crackling in the air. I can feel her gaze burning into my back.

Slowly, I turn to face her, heart pounding in my chest. Luna Karel's eyes are red with rage, her regal composure shattered.

I open my mouth to speak, but before I can even utter a word, her hand slices through the air and lands across my face with a deafening crack. The slap sends me stumbling back and I feel something wet running down my nose. I was so weak, a slap could kill me. I have to get out of here.

But deep inside, something snaps.

Before I can process it, the doors slam open. A new presence enters the room, and I don't have to turn around to know who it is.

Alpha Sheldon.