Damaged

Qualtagh🌙

Chapter 42: Qualtagh
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Qualtagh (n.) the first person you meet on a special day
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Aspen's POV:

Ares glared furiously as he stood at the door. I could see why Hydra and I might have been in a precarious situation.

"Res, I assure you it's not what it seems like." I begin to describe.

"Leave!" He booming.

Quickly rising, Hydra walked away. "It's not what you think it is," he murmured.

"I return after a short while to find you "cuddling" with him." He shouts

I tensed up.

"I should not have left you! You've only been here a few days and already you're driving me crazy "It hissed.

I made an effort to control my labored breathing as he continued with his tirade. Even if he's my mate and I know he's angry, I shouldn't be comparing him to my pa....

I was lost in my own thoughts and failed to notice him drawing nearer. The ideas of what he may do to me raced through my mind.

"Aspen! Are you even paying attention?" He yelled.

Flashback:

A gang of guys approached me as I was cleaning one of the large pack houses. I carefully started to back away in the hopes of escaping, but instead I walked right into a firm chest, and rough hands seized my arms. And I was aware that I had to overcome this.

Beginning with gentle slaps to the face, the blows grew rougher and included kicks, punches, and spit.

On the grass, I was hard at panting. I wheezed, my ribs were fractured for sure. My eyes started to fill with black specks, and I almost passed out before they stopped.

With a sinister grin on his face, Alpha Mason was standing in front of me.

"I only gave you a short window of time to complete this. But you hadn't finished. Why?" He quized

"I-I"

Keep her conscious while you punish her, he commanded.

They followed his instructions. I had a glimpse of something bright. a blade.

One of the youngsters in the group, Greyson, played with a knife as he approached me.

"No-no"

He shoved it roughly into my left thigh while I screamed with all of my might.

¡¡¡

I awoke in a hospital bed by myself, surrounded by sterile white walls. The machines on either side of me were keeping me alive, but they sure were annoying.

I have no idea how I got here; all I can recall is lying with Hydra when Ares walked in on us in that manner. I tried to explain what had happened, but he interrupted me by yelling at me, and the rest is vague.

Ahead of me, I could hear voices and footfalls. Knowing I had already angered one person and didn't need to enrage any more, I feigned still being unconscious while regulating my breathing and pulse rate. The door opened and closed with a quiet click that I could hear.

A recognizable voice remarked, "We know you're awake."

When I opened my eyes, I noticed Ares, Blyke, and Mom watching me anxiously. They were accompanied by another female.