Rejected By Mate, Claimed By Triplets

Chapter 2 His Gray Eyes

All her blood turned cold, her face pale with fright, as her gaze landed on the furious eyes of the boy she once adored.

This was none other than, June’s son and the heir of the pack, Landon Hughes. Her ex-best friend and her current tormentor.

Landon, with his strikingly handsome appearance, had the power to take anyone’s breath away. His chiseled features and piercing gray eyes were just as captivating as they had been when they were friends.

But things have changed and Cassandra finds him haunting more than handsome.

She unconsciously moved backwards, her heart sank when he made no move to ignore her. His presence was a heavy, suffocating weight on her shoulders. She could see in his eyes the cruel determination to keep her trapped in her misery. It was as if the walls of despair were closing in, and there was no escape.

“Princess Mamba,” Landon sneered, his voice dripping with mockery, “Still lurking in the shadows, I see.”

Cassandra hated that nickname but Landon reveled in it. He believed that the name suited Cassandra’s nature well as she was as poisonous as Viper. He had called her worse, but this name stuck with her.

Cassandra swallowed heavily, his mere presence sent shivers down her body, sometimes pack members ignore her existence and that works fine with Cassandra, but not with Landon.

Every moment of her miserable life, she was reminded of what she was and Landon made sure that she remained the punching bag of the pack.

Landon, with a cruel smirk on his face, lifted his hand to touch her busted lip, but she flinched, afraid of touch.

Not his but everyone’s.

For the last eight years, people only touched her when they wanted to hurt her and she was afraid of that. But Landon was the one who always rejoiced in her pain.

He gripped her neck and drew her closer, Cassandra’s eyes went wide with fear as he pressed his fingers on her lip, squeezing the bruised part.

“Am I hurting you?” He snarled at her.

He was the embodiment of the cruelty, and Cassandra’s body trembled under his touch.

She shook her head, afraid to answer him. But she also forgot that she didn’t need to utter a single word to raise Landon’s fury.

With a swift motion, Landon grabbed Cassandra by her shoulder and threw her hard against the wall. Pain shot through her arm as she collided with the rough stones, and she cried.

Landon’s cruel laughter echoed in Cassandra’s eyes, to drown that mocking voice she squeezed her eyes, but there was no remedy for her pain.

“You are disgusting, a parasite to this pack,” he said as he gripped her throat tightly, this made her open her eyes, disgust was etched on his face, and a lowly whimper left her mouth.

“You thought you got the better end of the stick when Dad pardoned you, but I will amend his mistake. I will make you beg for death, I will make your life so miserable that you would think that you should have died with my mother,” Lander spat and his spit landed on her cheek.

She wanted to tell him that if this was what he wanted then he had succeeded. But his presence was like a dark storm, rendering her unable to move forward.

Cassandra was a kid, and she had been paying for her father's sins for the last eight years. She has become Landon’s punching bag, she doesn’t deserve this. Yes for the first time, she accepted she didn’t deserve this.

“Lan,” Cassandra gasped.

“Shut up,” Landon hissed at her, his eyes shone with pure hatred.

“I…it’s hurt…” she couldn’t say anything as he increased the pressure on her throat, squeezing.

“It’s hurting, like it should be. The pain should be the only constant in your life, Mamba, I want you to remember this every time you open your eyes.” He gritted his teeth, but there was something else in his eyes that Cassandra couldn’t decipher, in her own pain haze.

And abruptly he left her, and she slumped down the wall with a heavy thud, she gasped for air frantically, her chest heaving. Her eyes wide with horror as he took one more step toward her.

Her heart sank, thinking that he was about to come again and finish what he started, but she took a sigh of relief when he didn’t.

Landon’s lip curled into a cruel smile as he once again hissed, “pathetic,” venom dripping from his words. With these parting words, he left Cassandra to nurse her injured arm.

Cassandra has grown accustomed to the pain and humiliation, but Landon’s touch irks her. She leaned down on the wall, struggling to regain her composure, her breaths were ragged.

“Why did you fu*king save me,” she cried, hoping that somewhere if June was listening to her, she would answer, but her life was a bleak shadow.

“I fu*king hate,” she snarled and slammed her head on the rough surface of the wall. Adding another injury to her body, which she knew she would regret later, but right now all she wanted to vent out her anger, and she only had herself to do so.

“I wish you would just take me with you, I don’t want to stay here, I want to leave this he11, these merciless people, everything behind. I just want you, your warm embrace.” a ragged breath left her body and her whole body shook with heavy sobs.

She lay there for some time, crying, cursing her fate and when she was sure no one was coming she stood up and left. Her body was not in good form, her knees and hands were all bloodied from scrubbing the hard floor, and she wasn’t counting the injuries.

She returned to her cell, the environment was suffocating, but over the years she has learned the way to survive inside the cell. There was hardly any sunlight and in winter the cell was always on the verge of freezing Cassandra.

After the door was firmly closed, Cassandra's fingers reached for a hidden prison spike, a small, sharp object she had managed to conceal. With a practiced hand, she skillfully pierced her skin, a painful hiss left her mouth, as for a moment she squeezed her eyes, drawing forth the venom and pus from one of the many insect bites that covered her body. It was a gruesome and painful but necessary ritual, as the toxins could be even more deadly if left to fester.

After briefly treating the wound, Cassandra lay down on the cold and wet straw mat. She missed her old life, she missed the warm food and more than anything she missed June. A lone tear slipped rolled down her cheek, followed by many.

“You never loved me and even in your death you cursed me, Dad” Cassandra sniffled, as the weight of the day weighed down on her.

When her eyelid started feeling heavy a sweet voice filtered into her mind, taking her back to the days when life was easier.

“You know, Cassie, the world is full of people who would not like you and will despise you, for being who you are.” June smiled at Cassandra.

“Then the world is not a nice place.” Cassandra, a mere child of five years, replied in her innocence.

“Yes, this is the reason Moon Goddess has blessed us with fated mates. Your fated mate will always love you, he will never leave you.” June patted Cassandra’s hair affectionately.

“So where is my fated mate?” Cassandra asked with her wide eyes.

June chucked at her, “You will meet him after you shift. And he would love you with all his heart and would protect you from this evil world.” Her words were encouraging, but her eyes felt a little sad.

Little Cassandra was unaware of the cruelty of this world, so she was happy to hear that she would have her own mate. She cheered loudly.

But the next day when Cassandra woke in her usual cold cell, things didn’t seem bright. She remembered the dream last night and with new-found determination, she decided to channel her first shift.

If she wanted to get out of her pitiful state, she needed her wolf and with her wolf, she would be able to find her mate. A wave of a new hope washed over her, as she made up her mind.

“It’s time Cassie,” she whispered to herself.

Cassandra, away from prying eyes, headed straight deep into the forest. With hopeful expressions and with the memory of June’s love she channeled her energy and closed her eyes, letting the primal power take over her.

Bones cracked and muscles shifted as her human form gave way to that of a magnificent black wolf. Her eyes widened as she looked at her big paw and a sense of freedom washed over her. If she was in her human state, she would have cheered happily, her wolf yelping in the air.

As Cassandra’s wolf celebrated, something in the air changed. Her eyes dilated as she smelled the scent in the forest.

Mate, her wolf chirped in her mind.