Enough

AVA

My family has been in town for a couple of days now. I’ve been doing my best to avoid them as much as I can.

Dominic has been busy negotiating a new deal with my brother. My sister, on the other hand, has been stirring up trouble, picking fights with me and disrespecting the coven members. I always find myself defending them and apologizing for her actions.

Everyone knows I’m eager for their departure.

Alpha Black has been preoccupied, to put it mildly. When he’s not tailing me or my brother, he’s holed up in his room with the blonde girl who challenged me when I first arrived.

It’s not exactly a shock. As Abel pointed out when we first met, most wolves and vampires engage in hate sex. That’s exactly what those two are up to. Their routine of fighting, moaning, and her storming out is quite amusing.

We haven’t yet revealed to my family that Dominic is my mate. We’re waiting until the new treaty is finalized before dropping that bombshell.

They’re under the impression that I’m just hanging around here while my mate is off somewhere ignoring me. Little do they know, Dominic and I seize every opportunity to make love. Thank God Dominic had the foresight to soundproof our room about a month after we mated.

I woke up early today and decided to go for a run. I headed for the forest, stashed my clothes in a tree, and shifted.

I sprinted through the trees, the wind rustling my white and red fur. I made my way to the creek and watched the water, relishing my solitude. I was lying there, at peace, when I caught the scent of someone approaching.

I looked up to see Alpha Black sauntering over, naked from shifting. I quickly averted my gaze, not wanting to give him any wrong ideas.

“Hello, my beautiful girl, why are you out here all alone?”

He stood there, unabashedly flaunting his nakedness. He’s well aware of his good looks, but I don’t see him in that light. To me, he’s just an arrogant jerk who likes to assert his dominance and views women as sex objects.

I rose and walked away, ignoring him.

“Oh, come on!” he called after me. “You can’t seriously resist ~this~. You slept with a vampire the moment you met him. I was your true mate, and yet you rejected me without giving me a chance.”

He feigned disappointment, but I wasn’t fooled. I moved behind a tree and shifted back, pulling on a shirt that belonged to Dominic and hung on me like a dress.

“Remember when you said I should feel lucky that you wanted me as your mate? You really want Crystal, not me. You couldn’t even pretend to like me for a day, but now you’re watching my every move with desire,” I retorted.

I returned to my spot by the creek and sat on a rock, knowing that if I left, he would just follow me and concoct some ridiculous story about why he returned naked and I was only wearing a shirt.

“I love my mate,” I continued. “I love this coven. This is where I belong. I don’t belong with a pack—all they’ve ever done is show me nothing but hate. Here they don’t care who or what I am.

“You may have been my mate, but the moment you stood by and watched my family abuse me, you should have intervened.

“The man you were so jealous of was my rapist, but you didn’t let me explain, you just jumped to conclusions.”

I kept my gaze on the birds flying over the water, not looking at him. I heard him sigh and then felt his arms encircle my waist as he tried to lift me.

The moment I felt him, I spun around and pushed him away, but he stood there with his package in my face. I tried to turn away, but he grabbed my face forcefully and made me look at it.

“This is what you were meant to have. And it’s what you ~will~ have.”

His eyes were filled with lust. “I don’t care that our bond broke—you were made for me to enjoy. Seeing you now made me realize I made a mistake. But that doesn’t change that I ~will~ have you.”

I jerked my head out of his grip and stood up to leave, but he grabbed me and pinned me against a tree. He ran his hand over my naked core, causing me to panic.

He kissed down my neck and bit into my mark, drawing blood. I cried out in pain, but I knew that no one could hear me. I felt him force his fingers into me and I started to cry.

He let out a groan. “Fuck, baby, you’re tight.” His voice was breathy and filled with excitement.

His legs trap mine, one hand gripping both of mine, his lips buried in the crook of my neck. He’s relishing this—his assault on me.

~“Help me, please!”~ I cry out through my mental link to the coven. Suddenly, he flips me so my backside is against him and yanks up my shirt. He bites my neck again, delivering a harsh smack to my rear. Fear consumes me.

His hands snake around to my front and I hear the sound of him spitting on himself, preparing to invade me.

~“Where are you?”~ A voice echoes in my mind.

~“We can’t pick up your scent! What’s happening?”~ another voice chimes in.

Then I feel it. He’s hoisting my hips onto his arm, spreading me open as he slowly forces himself into me. I scream at the top of my lungs, but he quickly muffles me.

~“Ava, please! I can feel your pain! We’re on our way. Just give me a clue where you are,”~ Dominic pleads through the link.

But I can’t concentrate. All I can do is sob and claw at his arm, desperate for him to let me go.

“Oh God, Ava, you’re so tight. Let me finish for you,” he murmurs, his thrusts growing more forceful.

I feel blood trickling down my thigh, a result of him being the first to enter me and his relentless pounding. It stings and it bleeds… I pray someone will pick up my scent.

His thrusts become more and more violent until I feel him climax, still thrusting, growling into my neck, “You belong to me. Do you understand?”

He withdraws from me and quickly cleans himself in the water before shifting forms and disappearing. I curl up on the ground, sobbing.

I can’t even use my mental link. My wolf has shut it down to spare Dominic from the pain I’m enduring.

I don’t move when I hear footsteps approaching. I don’t even look, keeping my eyes shut. Someone reaches out to touch me, and without thinking, I growl and swipe my claws at them defensively.

They retreat, but then I feel another hand on me, so I growl again, then shift forms and flee. I’m terrified. I don’t want anyone to touch me. I quickly scale a tree and hide. My body can’t take any more.

I glance over and see Dominic sending people to the house to ensure no one leaves. He sniffs the air, searching for me, before realizing I’m in a tree. He looks around and finally spots me.

I watch him climb the tree, his face etched with fear. He doesn’t touch me, just hangs in front of me, waiting for me to calm down.

He takes in my battered body. Blood is everywhere, all of it mine. Both sides of my neck, my mouth, my thighs. And my arms are covered in bruises.

When he realizes what must have happened to me, sadness engulfs him. I want to comfort him but I can’t. My body is still in shock.

Keeping his gaze on me, he sends a mental message to the coven, informing them that he’s found me and to detain Alpha Black and his beta. He also requests Abel to come to his location.

A few minutes later Abel arrives, and Dominic descends the tree to relay what just transpired.

I feel nothing but fury.

My sorrow is gone, my shame is gone—all I feel is rage. Rage that that monster touched me, violated me, and plans to do it again. My blood is boiling, and I want to tear off some heads.

I feel the wind picking up, and the sky darkens as rain begins to fall. Unmoving from my perch, I watch my mate blame himself for something he couldn’t prevent, and it fuels my anger even more.

Dominic looks up at me, and his eyes widen. Abel’s do the same.

“Ava,” Dominic says in a calming voice. “You’re safe now. He won’t touch you again. I’ll kill him and his pack for this. Can I please come up?” He slowly ascends the tree, his hands reaching to help me down.

I leap down on my own. Abel removes his jacket, preparing to wrap me in it, but first removes my shirt and tosses it into the bushes. He freezes when he sees the full extent of the damage done to me.

Blood stains both sides of my neck and shoulders, trailing down to my breasts. My mouth is bleeding, my jaw bruised. My wrists are marked with bruises and my fingertips are cut from clawing at the tree.

My backside bears a large handprint, and my thighs are bruised and smeared with blood. Abel’s eyes darken, filled with rage. Dominic looks at me in anguish, more pained for me than angry.

I pivot, collapsing to the wet earth before him, my heart shattering. Rain mixes with the tears streaming down my face as he kneels before me, drawing me into his embrace.

I recoil in fear, pushing him away. My gaze shifts to Abel, who approaches and settles beside me. I recline, resting my head in his lap, while Dominic tends to my injuries with a gentleness that surprises me.

As I watch Dominic, a realization hits me. I hold my breath, my hand instinctively moving to my stomach. I can hear it.

The rain ceases, and both Abel and Dominic become statues. My hand remains on my stomach, listening. Their eyes are on me, confusion etched on their faces. I look up at Dominic, tears welling up once more.

He strokes my hair, attempting to comfort me, but I seize his hand and guide it to my stomach. “Listen,” I murmur.

His eyes spark to life, a whirlwind of emotions swirling within them. I keep his hand there, straining to hear it again—the faint rhythm of tiny heartbeats. More than one. I can hear them.

I inhale deeply. “Is that what I think it is?” Dominic’s eyes meet mine, a silent promise that everything will be okay.

“What?” Abel queries from behind us.

“They’re heartbeats,” I manage to say, fighting back fresh tears. “I didn’t realize they were there until now.”

Abel rises, pacing as he tries to process the enormity of what just transpired. First, I was attacked, and now the revelation that I’m pregnant.

A fury ignites within me, unlike anything I’ve ever experienced.

Alpha Black attacked me ~knowing~ I was carrying. He did this to ensure I would lose them. ~That’s~ why he’s been so fixated on me. He heard my babies before I did because he’s an alpha.

Which means my family is aware too.

“I’m going to kill them all,” I declare. Abel stares at me, aghast, but Dominic nods, encouraging me to continue.

“They orchestrated this. They would have known about the babies the moment they arrived. Because they’re alpha wolves. I couldn’t hear them because I’m no longer pure.

“They’re so desperate for me to be with Alpha Black, they allowed him to assault me to cause a miscarriage. I’m going to kill them! I’ve endured this shit for far too long. They’ve tormented me my entire life. They will ~not~ harm my children!”

Abel departs to secure the house and inform the guards about the premeditated attack.

Red Claw and Treetop intended to weaken me, but their plan has backfired. I won’t harm myself or retreat. I will defend my family.

I glance at Dominic, who understands my intentions. He fastens Abel’s jacket around me and guides me back to the house.

“I want to shower when we get home. We’ll deal with them afterward,” I say, leaning my head on his shoulder.