CHAPTER 4: Twisted World.

~ Clavem ~

When I heard the scream from the bathroom, I immediately set down my basin. When I noticed Heres in the bathtub, crying because the hot shower was mistakenly switched on, I instantly opened the bathroom door. I quickly inside and turned off the shower. I grabbed a towel and wrapped it around her body. Her crimson clothing were drenched, and she was still sobbing.

She called out, "Clavem..."

I gazed at her without hesitation, and her eyes begged, "Please... let him go. I'm begging you, Clavem... let him go."

Her eyes are puffy, and a warmth drips from her nose, but she doesn't care.

"Clavem.." she said gently.

She grabbed both of my hands. "I'll pay you how much you want, just name your prize, and stay away from him," she uttered, biting her bottom lip.

I reclaimed my hands from her. "I don't need your money."

"If you don't want m-money.... then I can do w-whatever you want... Just p-please... be the one to reject him." She gripped my hand once more and tightened her grip.

I stopped my tears from falling because of the weight of what I was witnessing in front of me. I held back my emotions. I know Heres is in agony and is having a difficult time with the three of us, but she is not the only one who is struggling; I am as well. I also can't reject Sortitus because I'm thinking about him and even the outcome of his pack when I reject what was anticipated, especially because he still has a significant responsibility and task to complete.

"I can't reject him. As long as Sortitus doesn't reject me, I won't leave. I'm sorry," I told her firmly and clearly. Her head raised, and her breathing became more rapid.

SLAP!

"You slut wolf!" she howled at me. "First of all, you don't care about my feelings at all. You only love yourself, so you're fucking enjoying my pain. Let's see next if you can stand here. I swear I'll make your life a living hell in this house! I despise you!"

I will accept all of her slaps and beatings on me if it is the only way to relieve her pain and express her rage and frustrations.

"Holy shit! What happened?!"

When Sortitus arrived, Heres calmed down. Sortitus was shocked when he witnessed Heres' difficulties, and I couldn't make her feel better. Her chest tightened every time I drew close to her, in addition to her fury. Sortitus folded his long-sleeved polo to make it 3/4-length. He quickly took up Heres, laid her on the bed, and unbuttoned his polo shirt.

I swallowed hard and grabbed some water from the refrigerator downstairs. After I returned to their room, I immediately handed Sortitus the water that Heres drank. It slowed down for a minute, but when our gazes connected, her tightness resurfaced.

"Please, S-Sortitus, get that woman out of my sight," she begged. He positioned Heres on the bed. He clutched her and locked her in his arms.

"Shhh... Heres, I'm here. Shhh... go to sleep. I'm not leaving. I'll stay here all night with you," he added gently. He curled Luna's hair, hugged her closer, and kissed her on the lips for a few minutes.

My face was expressionless. My body froze as I stared at the two couples in front of me. My heartbeat was the only thing I could hear. Sortitus and I locked gazes for a moment.

"Leave my wife and me," he pleaded to me when he communicated with his mind.

I understood what he was saying, so I regained my wits and moved my body.

"I love you, my alpha."

"I love you, too, Luna Heres."

My tears fell as I walked out of the room. I crashed against the wall and just sank, looking at the ceiling and gripping my hands sitting on my knees, when I heard Sortitus say the words that I had never heard him say before.

"I love you, Sortitus..."

I didn't expect all of Heres' threats to come true that night. Sortitus stated that he would be gone for several days to lead and assist his Gammas and Zetas in preparing, strengthening, and training the newly recruited soldiers.

When I was left with Heres at the mansion, my everyday life turned into a nightmare, and after her work at their firm, I was the one who was tormented by her.

"What are you doing?" I exclaimed.

"Oh! Clavem. There you are. I'm just burning your trash. You should thank me later," she chuckled heartily.

"Garbage?"

I approached her in the garden. I saw her burning my belongings within the drum, together with Sortitus' gifts to me and the pendant my older brother gave me. My heart was losing its rage as my breathing became more rapid.

"Don't worry about your old and trashy things; I'll just buy you a new, branded one," she replied insultingly.

My fangs yearn to come out as my long yellow claws slide across the drum.

"Hey!"

When Heres placed her hand on my shoulder, I grabbed it and broke it. My nostrils were smoky, and hot air burned my mouth. My half-wolf reawakened as my eyes became purple.

"I put up with everything you enslaved me with, Heres, but burning my things that are completely important and have sentimental value is another matter!"

She smirked and flipped our seat with all her power. I'm the one she's twisting now, if I were the one stuck in her arm. "If you're fed up with the life you've chosen, then run away! I willingly escorted you to exit, bitch!" she growled angrily.

We both have ties in scoring in battle. Three points for me and only two for her.

"Clavem!" My eyes widened when Sortitus came home. I thought he would be back next week.

"I thought you were back next week?" I asked nervously. His eyebrows meet, and his nose snorts at what he witnessed.

"Damn bullshit!" He looked like a fire-breathing dragon when he approached us. He grabbed Heres's wrist and pulled it away from me. He turned to me with a glare of fire.

"I finished there, so I went home early to rest. But you're going to give me another headache, Clavem?"

He couldn't believe that I didn't really mean it. "I can't believe that you can hurt, Clavem. That's not how I knew you. You change a lot!"

"No. No! Let me explain." I cut off my words when Heres suddenly burst into tears.

"No! She planned to kill me! So if I'm gone, you, my husband, will be all hers!" she yelled. She took out her cell phone and showed it to Sortitus. Sortitus was very shocked by the pictures he saw. She also sent the pictures to my messenger. She took a picture of herself with bruises and wounds all over her body.

"She!" She pointed out on me. "She's the one who did all that to me, my love. Now, Sortitus, don't you still believe me that your woman is a wicked mate?!"

Sortitus's eyes were focused only on Heres, and she seemed to be hypnotizing her own husband into believing what she was saying.

"Sortitus! Listen to me!" I shouted with my fist clenched. She placed her right palm on her husband's jaw and did not break their gaze.

"Sortitus!" I howled again.

Sortitus's eyes widened and his jaw tightened as he finally broke his gaze with Heres himself. "Damn you, Clavem!" he grinned through his teeth. He put his hand on his chin and thought deeply for a few seconds. He couldn't stop walking and going back and forth. He came up to me and poked me in the bone. "Who gave you permission, woman, to hurt Heres?"

I shook my head and signaled that everything she was saying was not true. "She's a liar. I didn't even dare to lay a hand on her, but now she's overdoing it, so I hurt her! But believe me, this was just now, and I didn't do the things she accused me of doing, like hurting and beating her. I've been here for a few days. She did that all to herself to get rid of me. In fact, she's the one who's hurting me without you here!"

I see her in your room, hurting herself alone. I tried to stop her, but she threatened me several times to kill herself if I interfered with her. She takes any sharp or breakable objects and stabs herself, injuring her body. She slams herself against the wall and punches her own stomach. She even hired men to help her beat herself, paralyze her, and break her hand.

"Loo ---" I had not finished what I was going to say when Sortitus suddenly interjected.

"No need to explain; you are caught in the act," he uttered deeply and angrily. There was pain in his eyes, and I could read his frustration with me. "I thought you were nice, but I'm fucking stupid to believe."

He held Heres's hand full of caution and, at the same time, put his arms around hers and accompanied her on her walk. I can see how he cares for her. But what about me? Am I hurt too? Injured, but not even a little bit of care or concern for you, Sortitus, is nothing. When you came back, I didn't hear anything from you.

I saw Heres winking and grinning a little before she and her alpha husband finally entered the mansion, and I was mourning alone in the garden.

Under the white moon in the woods, I run in wolf form. The wolf inside me is whining and uttering All the grievances I have in my heart, I shout, even though the whole surrounding area is covered with light because of the white rays coming from the moon.

"I hate everything that happens to me, but I'm not regretting loving him, but he is not destined to love me back. Dearest Luna Goddess, why are you making me suffer like this? Did I do something to trigger your hatred and put me into a curse and be the mistress of my own mate?!"

I thought that all my suffering would be over, but it is not the end because what I will face is not just a nightmare but hell and the brink of death.

"You killed the Queen Mother!

A young child barked behind me, and the fear of what he saw was drawn on his face. I returned to my trance to find myself in front of the bloody queen of the red packs.

The dear queen and the mother of Heres. I swallowed, and my eyes widened, letting go of the silver knife in my hand that was full of blood from her.

I fell backwards and slide on the floor while repeatedly shaking my head and convincing myself that I was not the one who did this.

"I didn't kill her.... I-I didn't kill the Q-Queen!"

I was very surprised to see myself bleeding on the sides of my thighs.