Beta: Cade (completed)

1

I clung to the small, black dress I wore nearly every day. I couldn't stay silent anymore. I couldn't let Master do whatever he wanted to whatever girl he chose. It wasn't right. Even with everyone around me telling me this was how life was supposed to be, I knew they were wrong. I wasn't meant to be fed on and used for sex. None of us were. There was no reason for vampires to rule over us. I just knew if I wasn't constantly drained of blood I could be stronger than most of the vampires. I wasn't some weak creature that the vampires made me out to be.

I didn't question the Order for twenty years. I stayed relatively silent to avoid punishment. I saw what they did to girls that disobeyed. I wasn't going to be that girl. The family I stayed with had been with the Order since the beginning; they were the original family and with that came expectations of me. Master and his closest men expected me to be the mate of one of the higher vampires. I wasn't. I knew I wasn't and I thanked whatever force was watching over me that I was not anyone's mate. I saw how mates were treated and I wanted nothing to do with it.

Master gripped my hair down to my scalp. Jet black strands of my knotted hair spilled through his fingers and into my blue eyes.

"Tessa," he warned. I always knew when he was particularly angry. His gruff voice took on an edge that sent a chill down my spine. I was terrified of him and he knew it. "I will not tell you again."

"I won't," I ground out.

"Apologize."

"I didn't do anything wrong!"

"You refused a vampire. You know the consequences."

I gasped in pain as his grip tightened. I knew the other vampires in the room were enjoying my pain. I didn't know what life outside of the Order could be like, but I knew it had to be better than this. There was no way anything could be worse than living this way.

The door to the conference room slammed open, causing Master to whip around and take me with him. I let out a small cry at the way my hair tore with his quick movement.

"Let the girl go."

Master scoffed at the man. I had never seen him before, but I seriously doubted he could help the situation. I was screwed and I knew it.

"You think you can barge onto my territory and demand I release a dog that belongs to me?"

The blonde man stepped forward to allow a group of other men in. One in particular caught my eye. I knew then and there what he was to me and I panicked. The second his hazel eyes landed on me I could see the recognition burn in them.

He knew I was his mate. I could hardly breathe. I was humiliated that he saw me this way. I didn't know why, but something about the way he looked at me had my wolf cowering. I could see the anger in his eyes when he realized what I was.

I couldn't deny how perfect he was; he was the ideal man. Strong, tall, defined features and a defined body to match, but the way his eyes roamed over me and the situation I was in made my heart sink. The way he looked at me solidified my hatred for a mate bond. I didn't know how anyone could stand the fucking thing. It did nothing except cause problems for women. It took away our right to choose who we wanted to be with and forced us to feel things for people we had no prior connection with. Some people thought it was the greatest thing on the planet, but I witnessed it every day. I saw how the vampires treated their mates. They beat them for insubordination. Men shared their mates with Master any time he felt like he wanted a quick fuck. The entire thing was a damn joke. One big, cruel, cosmic joke.

My mate did not wait for another second. He stalked forward much to the blonde man's surprise. Both men were blonde and it was clear the original man was somehow related to my mate. They looked too similar to not be related.