Chapter 36

Terra's POV

It hurt. Everything hurt. Everyday they would beat me, telling me to be good, sit still, stay quiet.

My mind screamed for me to comply. My heart begged for me to never give up.

I was lost. What do you do when your whole survival depends on two things that can never meet.

If I don't give in, they'll kill me. But if I do give in, I would never see Forest again. I couldn't live with that.

The only way to survive is to give up, and also not to give up.

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You should just give in. The voice in my head whispered.

They wouldn't hurt you. They snickered, Much...

I was used to the voice. Everyday, all day, the voice whispered in my mind.

Telling me to give up, You'll never win. They stated it as if was a fact, not a matter of if, just when.

I didn't believe that, I couldn't believe that.

Forest will save me.

Forest, The voice yelled, Doesn't exist. You are denying yourself from your mate. Why? To make a point? Give me one reason why!

The argument went on. Everyday, all the time. It was exhausting.

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The door crashed open, flying into the wall with a loud band, but I didn't flinch.

"Are you going to give up yet?" My dad sneered from the doorway.

I smiled back, laughing maniacally, "Nope!"

The smirk was wiped right off my dad's face and replaced with the biggest frown I had ever seen.

"Come on Terra," He said, frowning down at where I was chained to the wall. I was sick. I was tired. I was weak. But I wouldn't give up. Not that easily.

"My name is Aria," I hissed, staring at him, "It will always be Aria, what ever you try, whatever you do. My name will always be Aria."

He just shrugged, "It doesn't matter what your name is," He hissed, "Until you comply you will stay here," He kicked me, "And you will never escape."

I knew I wasn't going to escape. I had barely enough energy to move.

He kicked me in the ribs, smiling as they clicked, snapped like twigs.

He punched me. Once, twice, again and again. I felt my consciousness slip away from me and didn't fight to stay awake. There was no point. Resistance is futile and complying is the only way to survive.

And also the way to die.

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I drifted in and out of consciousness for a few more hours before I was started awake by a jug of water being flung on me. I looked up to see Tyler grinning down at me, "Hello bitch." He laughed, "I do hope the accommodations are meeting your requirements."

I mustered up all my energy, "Not really," I joined in, laughing, "You really need some better staff," I had to show him he didn't affect me.

The smirk was wiped off his face at my laughter, at my comeback. He bought it. He thought I was strong. I suppose all you need to be strong is to make people think you are.

"Listen here bitch. It should of been me. It should have been me." He was screaming now. Screaming and beating me. Punch, "It," Kick, "Should," Punch, "Have," Kick, "Been," punch, "Me,"

He was screaming, hysterical, angry. "I wanted to be the wolf. All my childhood my mum told me about werewolves. About having my own wolf. My own mate. But then I didn't get the gene. And you did. It should have been me finding my mate. Falling in love."

He turned to me, stopping mid rant, his face red and his eyes wild. "You stole it from me. If I can't have a happy ever after. Neither can you."

He grabbed me by my hair, pulling me up as high as my chains would let me before throwing me into the wall. "It's all your fault. You took her away from me."

I felt my head connect with the wall. I felt the pain explode as my head rebounded off the wall. I didn't feel the blood trickling down my neck. I had slipped away.

Again.

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I woke again. I had been out for days and I was still feeling groggy.

I slowly pulled myself into a sitting position, my muscles shaking, protesting as they attempted to try to take my body weight.

I felt weak.

The world span like a Ferris wheel and colours burst behind my eyes, my own private firework show.

I hadn't had any food or water in days. I was exhausted. Dehydrated. Lost.

I couldn't see properly. I couldn't hear properly. I couldn't think properly.

All I felt was pain. All I heard was fuzzy, distorted. Colours seemed to bright, to pigmented. I couldn't make sense of my thoughts.

Simon walked in, his face neutral. "You are mine Terra. My wolf wants a mate. He wants you."

"I will never be yours." I hissed at him, barely getting the words out before his hand connected with my face, sending my head snapping back.

"Shut up," He glared at me, his eyes glinting with darkness and madness, "You will be mine,"

I took a good look at him. He looked mad. His eyes twitched, his hands shook, his laugh sounded deranged and his smile, his smile was pure evil.

"Shut up, shut up, shut up," He laughed, rocking on his heels. "You are my mate. You are mine."

I shook my head, "I have my own mate. I am not yours. I will never be yours."

He moved quicker than my eyes could track, across the room. One moment he was standing by the door, the next he was holding my by the neck against the wall.

Cutting off my air.

Strangling me.

I couldn't move. I couldn't breath. Black spots appeared in the corners of my vision. Growing. Spreading. Leaking. Until my whole vision was consumed with black.

"Never," Simon whispered, sounding deadly, his voice cutting through me like a knife, "Talk back to me."

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I have been here too long. I have been on my own too long. I have been trapped to long.

My thoughts had started mingling with the voice in my head. I couldn't tell the right from the wrong; the fact from the fiction.

I lay my head on my arm. Silently crying for the times when life was better. Life was simpler. Life was happier.

With tears in my eyes I thought back to Forest.

The way he held me when he cried.

The way he kissed me softly.

The way he cared for me, he loved me.

I missed him. Some crumpled copy of a smile appeared on my face. I missed him so so much.

I was his. He was mine. We belonged to each other. We belonged with each other.

And without him I would die.

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I stayed there. My head in my arms, tears trickling down my face. For what felt like hours.

Crying. Crying for my mate. My family. My life.

I heard someone enter the room, "Hey Terra," Simon said, his voice laced with fake comfort. "Hey Terra, it's ok. It's ok."

In that moment he sounded so much like Forest. He sounded like comfort. Like my old life. I clung to that.

I ignored the repulsion running through me and didn't fight back when he picked me up, placing me on his lap.

He was running his hand through my hair. Whispering empty words in my ear. Empty words I needed to hear.

I didn't like Simon. In fact I hated him.

I knew this was the exact same man who kidnapped me. The exact same man who drugged me. The exact same man who tried to strangle me earlier.

But I didn't pull away, because I was sad, I was tired, I was lonely.

And he was comforting me.

My first mistake.