Starred and Claimed

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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~Xyana~

'Pig, fat,' and ugly' have become names I'm now accustomed to. I used to think I was beautiful until recently. All thanks to our Alpha's rumored mate, Oksana.

Ever since she started deriving pleasure in dehumanizing and abusing me because she thinks I'm too fat for her liking, my life got enveloped in an endless stream of never-ending chores.

She will call me 'Pig' over and over again and I'll always answer her with a 'yes ma'am.'

She makes sure I don't get to enjoy a moment of rest during the day. I work at the farm, the pack daycare, the kitchen, I scrub the floors; I literally do everything. Yet she's never satisfied.

Today, Mrs. Sal, the pack's Matron, assigned my best friend, Jiya, and me to clean the Alpha's living room.

She must have taken pity on me and decided to give me an easy task that I'll spend most of my day doing.

As Jiya and I focus on our assigned task for the day. I suddenly feel the hairs on my neck prickle. A dull pull follows, drawing me towards the large private balcony outside the room where rumor has it that the Alpha plunges in his stick into readily available holes in the pack.

Since the strange pull I'm feeling wouldn't stop, I let it guide me. Jiya frowns when she sees me moving towards the entrance of the balcony. "I'll be right back," I whisper and she nods.

Getting to the entrance, I peek out of the corner of my eyes and see Alpha Kedar's back. The pull still won't stop. So, I step out to get a clearer view.

Excitement shoots through my veins. I feel my wolf's excitement. She's ecstatic. After many years, I feel her again; how is that even possible?

My wolf is demanding. 'Him, him, him. He's ours!'

I raise my eyes to Alpha Kedar and meet his gaze as he turns to see who is behind. I'm supposed to look down, 'You don't meet an Alpha's eyes.' That would be seen as a challenge.

He's going to have them hang me outside the pack house because I just challenged him. But I can't help it.

'Mine, mine, mine.' Juno, my wolf, mewls.

She paws at my ribs, wanting to come out. But I don't even know how to let her anymore, and that is crazy.

'Mate,' Juno whines louder pleading with me to let her out.

How is Alpha Kedar my mate? Isn't he rumored to be mates with Oksana? Kedar turns slowly, offering me his face first, and his body follows. Then I see Oksana, standing up from in-between his legs. She was sucking him off in a barely secluded balcony.

'Such an irresponsible man!'

The balcony might be shielded with large carved balustrades that might prevent one from getting a clear view of whatever they might be doing, yet it doesn't change the fact that they're being irresponsible by making out here.

People from downstairs can still see their upper body. Let's not talk about the steps connecting the balcony down.

'This man cannot be my mate.'

Oksana stands up and glares at me, placing her arm around Kedar; she calls me, "Pig, what do you want?" She kisses Kedar on his mouth.

'No. Ours!' Juno lets out an inhuman wail that fills my ears from inside my skull.

Suddenly, I'm shifting. My spine rips out of my skin. Pain explodes over me at the splintering bone and shredding muscles. I'm getting torn apart. I scream, collapsing to the ground.

And I lay powerless on the floor, staring unblinkingly at them. Oksana's jaw dropped. Kedar is raging; his fists are clenched as if he's straining to control himself.

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