Blood to Spare

The Scars She Hid From The World

REGINA MCBRIDE

The heavy iron gates of the Wilderness Correction Camp groaned as they released me after three years of state-sponsored hell. I stood on the dirt road, clutching a plastic bag that held my entire life, waiting for the family that claimed they sent me there for "rehab." My brother, Brady, picked me up in a luxury SUV only to throw me out onto a deserted highway in the middle of a brewing storm. He told me I was a "public relations nightmare" and that the rain might finally wash the "stink" of the camp off me. He drove away, leaving me to limp miles through the mud on a snapped ankle. When I finally dragged myself to our family estate, my mother didn't offer a hug; she gasped in horror because my muddy clothes were ruining her Italian marble. They didn't give me my old room back. Instead, they banished me to a moldy gardener’s shack and hired a "babysitter" to make sure I didn't embarrass them further. My sister, Kaleigh, stood there in white cashmere, pretending to cry while clinging to her fiancé, Ambrose—the man who had once been mine. They all treated me like a volatile junkie, refusing to acknowledge that Kaleigh was the one who planted the drugs in my bag three years ago. They wanted to believe I was broken so they wouldn't have to feel guilty about the "wellness retreat" that was actually a torture chamber. I sat in the dark of that shed, feeling the cooling gel on the cigarette burns that covered my arms, and realized they had made a fatal mistake. They thought they had erased me, but I had returned with a roadmap of scars and a hidden satellite phone. At dinner, I didn't beg for their love. I simply rolled up my sleeves and showed them the price of their silence. As the wine spilled and the lies crumbled, I sent a single text to the only person I trusted: "I'm in. Let them simmer." The hunt was finally on.

Modern Revenge Scheming

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Chapter One

Taya's POV

"Moon goddess, help me." I whispered, my voice strained in between gasping for air. My mind was getting foggy from all the pain and my heart thumped and twitched uncontrollably. I bit my lip, holding back a scream that threatened to escape my throat as the throbbing pain in my chest persisted.

I held on to my chest and crawled slowly out of bed. I was drenched in my own sweat from trying to cover the distance between my bed and the window. Every step felt like a marathon.

"Nel...Jacob." I cried out, my voice desperate and pleading. "Please.."

Where was he when I needed him the most? He was out again, with the rest of his friends, partying, or attending to pack business like he claims.

I stumbled, my legs trembling as I made my way to the window. It was a full moon, a bittersweet reminder of the night I bonded with Nel. I leaned against the windowsill and sighed in relief, tears dripping down my eyes in torrents as I absorbed the moonlight. It was the only thing that could temporarily alleviate this curse from me.

Ever since my marriage to my mate and Alpha Jacob, this pain had been a companion. It started on the night after the consummation of my wedding with Jacob. It was abrupt, a sharp stabbing pain that tore through my very being.

Jacob had rushed in minutes after the pain had subsided, tears in his eyes, apologizing profusely. But he never explained what was happening to me, or why. All I knew was that his presence seemed to calm the pain, and the moonlight was my only solace when he was away.

As the minutes passed by, the pain slowly subsided leaving behind a deep sadness.

I had always been addressed a weak, and I had learned to cope with this feeling of inadequacy, but I held to the believe that when I met my partner, everything would be alright.

I would spend hours dreaming about how infatuated we would be and how many puppies we would have. I had always wondered what it would be like to actually meet my partner. However, the truth appeared to be different; my relationship with Jacob only seemed to be getting weaker every day.

I remembered our first night together like it was yesterday. It was filled with love and passion as he marked me, his teeth sinking into my skin. It was the one time he looked at me as though I was his. Now, he barely looked at me or simply treated me like a stranger.

With tears dropping down the corner of my eyes, I cried till I slept, alone in that darkness.

I woke up to the sound of Jacob footsteps, his presence was a contrast to the emptiness I experienced last night. I then arose from the bed, and walk to the dinning room where he was already sitting with a cup full of coffee in his hand.

He spared me a passive glance before returning to piercing a piece of bacon with a fork and bringing it to his lips.

"Good morning." I greeted, my voice hoarse from all the crying last night.

"Morning." He merely responded. I waited, expecting him to ask how I managed through the night or if I had slept well. But he kept on munching on his food, leaving me standing there awkwardly.

I walked off silently, to clean up. I came downstairs excited that he had returned, forgetting to do my morning routine.

When I returned downstairs, a breakfast table was set with a spread of pastries, eggs, and bacon.

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