Alpha Epiales

XVIII

Forcing her tears back, Amora's gaze turned to her arms, noticing the faint scars scattered on the inside of her wrists, so faded that no one would ever notice them anymore. No one but her.

'I said to lay your arms out!' Lincoln screamed, shaking Amora to her core as she quickly laid her arms out across his wooden desk.

The fourteen-year-old girl did not understand what she had done. A mere few weeks ago she had lost the only person in the world who ever cared for her, and all of a sudden this man replaced him as her Alpha. She did not know who he was, but she foolishly believed he would be as kind and loving as her previous Alpha was.

The wooden object came flying down onto her skin as she screamed and pleaded, tugging at her arms that were now in Lincoln's hold as he violently whipped the insides of her arms, splinters of wood flying off the object and embedding themselves into her skin.

Amora's eyes flew away from her arms in a panic, the old memories resurfacing.

She slowly peeled off her long dress, letting it pool around her ankles. For the first time in a long time, Amora truly looked at herself. She looked at every scar, every wound, every inch of skin. Tear droplets fell down her skin elegantly as her arms wrapped around her body. The memories came back in waves.

'I'm sorry Alpha,' she wailed, unable to understand why everyone was just staring at her. Help me! She wanted to scream, she wanted to plead and fight back.

'Shut up! I have had enough of your disrespect! Just because my father so foolishly took you in means nothing to me. You are nothing.' Lincoln shouted, dragging her down the cold steps.

A fist came flying towards her stomach as she was pushed into the small room.

She screamed out, falling to the ground and hitting her head off of the stone.

'My father always had a soft spot for abandoned children, don't feel so special Amora, it was pure pity, he did not love you.'

'Yes, he did!' Amora protested, tears pouring down her face as she struggled to stand up.

A boot came flying to her stomach, sending her back down once again.

'Do you not listen? You meant nothing to him.'

'That is not true!' She cried, unable to even attempt to sit up before another kick came flying at her, pleading as she watched Lincoln reach for the long silver knife.

And so it continued for hours, and each time she protested, shouted back, desperate to block out the words Lincoln threw at her.

Amora's hands traced over the small white lines covering her back as she twisted around to stare at them in the mirror. She hated the knife most of all. It was the one thing Lincoln used so rarely, but he seemed to use it on Amora more than anyone else. She hated it because it was one of the few things that left a permanent scar. It was the one thing that she couldn't wash away.

She slowly lifted her dress back up before collapsing onto the soft bed, her wolf content, even with just the faint scent of Epiales resting on the pillow.

The silence that engulfed the castle lulled her into a deep sleep.
___________________________________

"Amora!" A worried voice woke her up instantly.

"Huh?" She mumbled, sitting up slowly to notice that the sky that was once a light blue was now a deep midnight colour.

"I've been searching everywhere for you, though I should have guessed this is where you would be," Epiales smiled softly at her.

"Have you been crying?" He asked, worry taking over his features.

"No, I'm just...tired I think, I don't know I can't think clearly," Amora grumbled.

"Sorry, I'll give you a moment to wake up."

Amora stretched, before hissing and grabbing her neck as the pain flared up again.

Epiales' face immediately fell before he slowly grabbed his own neck, almost as if he could feel her pain.

"You marked someone else," she reminded him, staring anywhere but his eyes.

"I had to Amora, I was minutes away from being executed, I could not leave you," he pleaded, grabbing her chin and turning her to face him.

"Where is she?" Amora asked, closing her eyes briefly before staring at him.

"I-I don't know," Epiales admitted, a sigh leaving his lips as he looked down.

"You don't know?"

"She fled the castle as soon as I killed Richard, no one saw where she went and no one can find her, but I have many people tracking her as we speak, we shall find her soon I assure you."

"Then what? I just hang by the side while you and your new mate play king and queen?"

"No! You are my only mate. I will find her and I will make sure that mark is ridded off her skin, please, believe me, Amora, you are the only woman I want to mark, I panicked, I had to do something and I didn't think."

"A woman is still out there wearing your mark, do you not understand how it feels to constantly be aware of that? Every time I move I feel it," Amora whispered softly, "you rejected me."

"No! No I did not! I did what I had to do to get back to you!" Epiales said desperately.

Amora wanted to shake her head in denial, but she knew the situation called for desperate measures. She looked at his hands that gripped hers tightly.

"I don't deserve you, Amora, I don't deserve the comfort and the love you bring me, I don't even deserve to think about you, I will be damned to hell forever for how I have treated you, you're an angel sent from heaven." He got down on his knees, gripping onto the frills of Amora's dress, "I am far too selfish to accept my punishment and let you go, please forgive me, please don't give up on me."

Amora looked down at him as he rested his head on her knees, gripping her tightly. She loved him, she was so deeply in love with him that she didn't even consider her own pain as she nodded, promising him that she would not give up on him, not yet.