Aria's Second Chance

1_Sorry, Bruce

Aria

“Please Bruce,” I beg softly as his hands grope feverishly at my breasts. I bite my bottom lip and close my eyes to keep my fear and hopelessness to myself. It will fuel him only more. “Evan is right there. Not now.”

“He’s not looking,” Bruce huffs in my neck as he pushes his groin against me and starts grinding. “And if he is, it’s never too early for a son to learn how to take what is rightfully his.”

“Please stop,” I try again, and I am terribly close to tears. My arms are lifeless limps hanging by my side while I keep an eye on Evan.

Please, goddess, I pray silently, let Bruce stop and please, please do not let Evan see this.

I am too sore and stiff from last night’s session with Bruce, I do not have any energy to fight him. And even if I did, it will only make things worse. I might have tried if Evan were not in the kitchen with us. He is only three and is not supposed to witness things like this. If I do not resist Bruce, Evan will only see his father kissing his mother. Granted, in an inappropriate manner, but it is better than witnessing his father’s fists.

“I had a long day at work,” he grunts as his fingers clamp around my throat. “And you want to deny me your wifely duties? I work my ass off to provide you with everything so that you don’t have to work. All I ask is a cooked meal and a willing wife when I get home.”

“I didn’t say no,” I croak. “I am merely asking you to allow me to finish dinner and get Evan to bed. Once we are alone …”

“I don’t want to wait,” he bellows, and I watch with terror as Evan looks our way with big, fear-filled eyes. “That is all I have been doing my entire life. Waiting for Bradley to f**k up or die. Waiting for my turn. All because I was born two minutes after him. The great alpha Bradley doesn’t even have a wife. But I,” Bruce smirks as his eyes turn dark and evil. “I have the wife and the heir. I should be alpha, but I must wait because of two minutes.”

“You heard the council,” I try to soothe him. “Bradley has only four years left to produce an heir, otherwise you will take over.”

“I want to be alpha now,” he shouts and throws me over the table like a ragdoll. I groan in pain when I connect with the cupboards on the other side.

“Mommy,” Evan starts crying and makes his way over to me.

“Mommy is fine, sweetie,” I smile and do my best to sound reassuring to stop him from coming to me. When Bruce is like this, he will spare no one and nothing that gets in his way.

“Go to your room, boy!” Bruce yells at his son and Evan takes a hesitant step backwards.

“Evan, look at mommy,” I whisper urgently as I push myself up. I wait until I am sure he is focusing on me before I continue. “Remember what we talked about?”

He nods once and I smile lovingly at him. Please help him and keep him safe, goddess, I pray silently. In the back of my mind, I always knew a day like this might come and I have spent the last year preparing Evan on what to do and where to go.

“Go, son,” I smile gently. “Run along quickly.”

“I must admit, you taught him well,” Bruce grunts as he gets hold of my hair and pull me up on my feet. “Now I shall install the same manners into you.”

His fist is merciless and painful in my gut, and I bend over coughing when he lets go of my hair and I drop to the floor. Faintly I register the front door opening and I am relieved that Bruce is so fixated on me that he does not realize his son is running away.

But my relief is short-lived as I am pulled up once more and pinned against the cabinets.

“Say,” he punches me in my stomach.

“No,” punch to the face.

“To,” punch.

“Me,” punch.

“One,” punch.

“More,” punch.

“Time,” punch.

Finally, he releases his grip on me and I drop to his feet. Everything hurts everywhere.

“We need to get out of this,” my wolf, Maya, urges me. “He will kill us tonight.”

“I cannot move,” I protest. “I can hardly breath.”

“Then shift,” Maya yells desperately.

“We can’t,” I lay wheezing on the floor. “He forced me wolfsbane last night, remember? If we shift, you might die.”

“If we don’t shift, we’re dead anyway,” she argues.

My scream is nothing more than muffled sounds as Bruce grabs me by the hair and drags me behind him. I master all my strength to my arms as I claw at his hands to break free.

“I might not be the pack’s alpha, but I’m your alpha,” he shouts as he drags me to the bedroom. “And you will obey me.”

His boot connects hard with my ribs, and I gasp for air as I curl myself into a ball.

Goddess, please, make him stop, I cry inward as I fight to stay conscious.

“When I say I want ass, you better give it up, woman,” he rants as he tosses me on the bed and starts ripping my clothes off. “Do not make the mistake ever again that I need you. I already have my son. Your only worth is to please me.”

I stare blankly at the wall as he continues his ranting and ripping my clothes to shreds.

“Aria, please, fight this,” Maya begs me.

“What for?” I ask defeated. “He is too strong, and his retaliation will be so much worse.”

“Do not give up, I beg you,” Maya pleas.

I ignore her and turn my head away from my husband that is undressing. This is my life. I do not know what I have done wrong to be mated to such a beast. I do not know why I deserve this. I stare at the Japanese swords against the wall and try to distract myself from what is about to happen.

It is Bruce’s collection and his pride and joy. Every single one of them is authentic. Bruce is obsessed with everything Japanese. From old Karate movies to The Last Samurai and even Kill Bill. Because of the swords. He is so obsessed with it, that it was even our wedding theme.

“And you hate Japanese food,” Maya chimes into my thoughts. “Snap out of it, dammit and do something.”

It is true, I realize. I did not like my wedding one bit. But I was so smitten with my mate and the fact that he is the alpha’s twin, that I did not care. When did I stop to care about myself? Was it before or after Bruce started hitting me? I cannot remember. He was not always this monster. Sure, he always had a short temper, but he never hit me until Evan turned one. I will never forget that day. It was …

“Aria!” Maya shouts and interrupts my train of thought. “Wake up and see what’s in front of you. Use his own swords against him.”

It takes me a while to register what Maya is telling me. Only when Bruce readies himself in front of me, do I come back to reality.

Using my last strength, I kick him as hard as I can in the groin and Bruce bellows like a wounded animal when he drops to his knees. I force my broken body to move as fast as I can.

“B*tch!” He screams at me with blazing eyes. “I have warned you, now I will kill you.”

Tears are streaming down my face, and I cry shamelessly as I struggle over the pillows to get to the swords on the wall. There is a loud growl behind me, and I'm just in time to turn around to see Bruce shift.

A fresh spout of adrenaline rushes through me as he lunges at me. With fumbling fingers, I grab the first sword I can find and swing around with the blade facing forward.

There is an ear-piercing howl as he jumps right into the sword, and it is a sickening feeling as the blade glides into his chest. My eyes grow wider as I stare at his bare teeth inches away from my face. His eyes glaze over, and his body goes limp.

I cry out as he collapses on me and pins me to the bed with his lifeless body.

“No!” I yell out in agony as I try to get from under him.

“Bruce, I said get off,” I cry as I finally manage to get from under him.

“What have I done,” I whimper out loud.

“You survived,” Maya comforts me. “This was self-defence.”

I look at the naked man laying on his stomach with a sword sticking through his chest and out of his back. There is blood everywhere and it is drenching my pristine white linen.

“I didn’t mean to kill him, Maya.”

“I know, but there was really no alternative.”

There is loud breathing, and it takes me a while to realize it is me. I turn in the room and stare at the mess until I catch my reflection in the mirror.

Looking back at me is a naked woman covered in blood. Nausea takes over and I rush for the bathroom. I make it to the toilet just in time as my body convulses.

I'm a crying, trembling, bloody, stinking mess by the time I am finished. I lay down on the cold tiles as I pull my knees to my chest.

“I’m sorry, Bruce,” I cry and close my eyes.