The Lycan King’s Abused Mate

4.

***

Bella woke up feeling fuzzy. She blinked several times before her mind woke up as well, and she looked around slowly. She was lying on the floor, her head tilted in an unnatural angle. She was exhausted, even though she had only just woken up.

She sat up slowly, and placed her hand on her head as she tried to remember what happened last night. She could remember screaming, and Luke’s rage as he pinned her to the wall.

“You will give me what I want,” he had growled. “Otherwise, I will make sure that you regret the day you were born.”

At some point, he must have slammed her against the wall, and she passed out instantly. The pain was gone now. Instead, there was a slight throbbing in her head which absolutely wouldn’t go away.

Sunlight streamed in through the window, and the twittering of songbirds outside her window was a calming sound. She remembered that it was Sunday, which meant that Luke was away at on the weekly meetings he held with his men and council. He wouldn’t be back until sometime in the evening, and then he would go straight to his study and pass out at the table, extremely drunk and muttering in his sleep.

Sundays were her favourite days. It was the only day of the week when she could roam around the house and do whatever she wanted without the fear of her abuser finding her.

Fuelled by the joy of the day, she strolled down to the kitchen and began to make herself a sandwich. She had been craving it for almost three days now, and she finally had the chance to eat just that.

Soon, the kitchen was filled with the sweet scent of the chicken breasts being grilled. Bella worked quickly, constantly looking over her shoulder to make sure that no one would stumble in and find her cooking when she wasn’t supposed to. If Luke came in and saw her like this, then it would be the end for her. The last time he found her in the kitchen, she ended up with a black eye for several weeks.

There were a few sodas in fridge. She knew she wasn’t supposed to, but her stomach grumbled loudly and she bit her lip as she tried to convince herself that it was a bad idea.

“Maybe he won’t notice just one is missing,” she muttered to herself, knowing that was a lie. Luke would notice, and he would know it was her doing.

But if she left the can on the table the way Brandon always did, Luke would think it was him who left it there. Surely if she was the one, she would go to great lengths to hide the can from him.

Sometimes, there was no need to overcomplicate things.

Her plan formulated, she popped one open and threw the contents to the back of her throat. The rush of the cold and the sugar woke her up instantly, and she moaned in ecstasy. She didn’t stop until she drank everything, then she dropped the can on the table and burped loudly.

“I’m guessing you enjoyed that one,” Ava’s voice came behind her, and Bella jumped at the sound. She spun around and hit her elbow against the counter, and she cried out as she lost her footing and fell to the ground.

“Jesus, Bella,” Ava exclaimed as she rushed towards her. “I’m sorry. I didn’t know I would scare you like that.”

“I-It’s okay,” she said, her heart still racing. In that split second when she had thought it was Luke, her entire soul had left her body, and she knew that hell was about to rain down on her. She could almost hear his voice, and feel his tight grip around her neck which was threatening to choke her.

“Hey,” Ava said as she placed her hand on Bella’s shoulder and tilted her face towards her. “It’s just me. You’re okay.”

Bella continued to shake nervously, until Ava led her to a stool and sat her down. Her eyes were slightly unfocused as she looked up at her, and tried to smile unsuccessfully.

“Remind me to never scare you again,” Ava said, rubbing her hand around Bella’s back in a soothing manner. “I didn’t know you were going to react that way.”

“I’m s-sorry,” she said. “I-I was just…”

“Don’t be sorry. I was the asshole who frightened you. I will completely understand if you want to shove my face in the pan.”

That caused her to laugh. Ava visibly relaxed as she saw that Bella had calmed down. She was also so jumpy and scared with Luke in the house, and she only looked happy whenever he was gone.

“How long have you been awake for?”

“A few minutes,” she replied. “I was hungry, and I know today is Sunday, so I thought I would come down here and have something to eat.”

Of course. Every Sunday, her brother would be at his meetings, before he made his way to the whorehouse down at Congdon. He wouldn’t return until late in the evening, and it would usually be to Bella’s room where she could only imagined all the horrible things he did to her. Ava’s blood boiled just to think about it. Her heart broke every time she looked at Bella and thought about all the pain she had to endure. Luke did not deserve her.

“Well, I always love your sandwiches,” Ava said as she turned to the frying pan to check on the chicken. “Do you think you could make some for me as well?”

Bella’s eyes lit up as she hurried towards the counter and began to slice the onions carefully. Ava watched her work, and she felt her chest tightening at the sight. Through everything that Bella had faced, she remained kindhearted and strong. She was able to keep the memories of the horrors she had to face with Luke each day at the back of her mind, almost as if there was a switch that she could just flick on and it would all go away.

“How was Malibu?” Bella asked. She turned over her shoulder to look at Ava, who felt embarrassed when she was caught staring.

“It was fine,” she said. “I spent most of my days at the beach with a few friends, and then we would go into town for lunch or shopping, sometimes both. I had a good time.”

“Sounds like fun.”

“It was,” she said fondly, remember the feel of the sand between her toes, and the gentle swaying of the breeze as the waves lapped against the shore. She remembered the salty scent of the sea, and eating ice cream as they walked along the shore. Mostly, however, she remembered Axel. She remembered lying in his arms and watching the sunset, or cuddling up beside him under the moonlight and staring at the flames of their campfire. Summer had been wonderful, but now she was back at this shitshow and having to live under the same roof with that monster.

“Have you read any new books while I was away?” Ava asked.

Bella stopped cutting and stared at the counter for a long time, a heavy silence settling over them. The knife hovered over the chopping board, and she looked like a statue for a very long time. Ava grew tense as well, but then Bella shook her head and turned around to face her.

“I didn’t,” she said in a weak voice. “He wouldn’t let me.”

Ava moved to hug her, and Bella allowed her to do so as a single tear streaked down her cheek.

“I-I try to be good,” she said, choking on the words. “I try to do exactly what he wants and make sure that I don’t upset him. But I don’t understand why he’s always so angry with me. I don’t understand why he always wants t-to hurt me.”

“He’s an i***t,” Ava said. “And one day, he’ll burn in hell for what he has done to you. I promise you that.”

“I just want it to end,” Bella sobbed, burying her face in Ava’s shoulder. They stood there for a very long time, until she finally calmed herself down and she quickly finished making them the sandwiches. They ate in Bella’s room, while she convinced Ava to tell her more about Malibu. She listened to her earnestly, imagining what it would all look like. She hadn’t been to a beach since the first time she met Luke, some five years ago during a rainy day. She had forgotten most of the outside world, and a part of her wondered if she would ever see the world again. This house had been her prison for so long, and there wasn’t any sign that it was going to change.

When they finished, they lay down on her bed and stared at the ceiling, listening to the songbirds outside and the gentle sway of the breeze.

“I’m going to help you escape,” Ava said suddenly, and Bella jumped up at her statement.

“Listen,” she continued as she rolled over and met her terrified gaze. “I know it didn’t work last time, but that’s because you were alone and you didn’t have any help. I’m going to help you, and we’ll get far away from this place before he even realises what’s going on. It has to be on a Sunday, since there will be only three men watching the house when he’s not here. I have a plan, and I need you to trust me on this.”

Bella bit her lip hesitantly. The ghost of her wounds still lingered, and she was terrified of what Luke would do if he found out. She didn’t want to have to go through another ordeal like that again.

“He imprisoned you here, Bella,” Ava pressed on. “He starves you, beats you and has his way with you whenever he wants. He’s a bastard who doesn’t deserve any ounce of happiness in his life. I hate him, and I want to see him dead. But I need you to be safe. I need to know that you will be fine.”

Bella was silent for a long time, and Ava took her hand before giving it a gentle squeeze. The plea in her voice was audible, and the fear in Bella’s eyes was evident.

“Then come with me,” she said suddenly.

“What?”

“Let’s both leave,” she said. “He will be furious if he finds me gone. His anger will turn to you. I can’t have that on my conscience.”

Ava hadn’t even considered that before. Of course she hated her brother, but she had never even thought about leaving. But now that Bella mentioned it, she felt like someone had just told her the answer to a very painful question.

“Alright,” she said. “We’ll escape together.”

And then she told Bella her plan.

***