Everything blurred the next two days. All I could think about was the pain in Tyler's eyes, the disgust that loomed in them. It was ruining me, every time I shut my eyes to blink or sleep, all I saw were those green eyes that had been haunting me for so long.

I woke up the morning I was going to die, happy.

I couldn't explain it, maybe I had just finally accepted death. Maybe it was just the guilt that was eating me alive, either way, I woke up happy. I almost didn't want to die, I almost just wanted to escape and find Tyler and apologize.

But I guess too little too late is a very real saying.

The knocking on my door stirred me out of my thoughts, the door opening shortly after and my father walking through. His gaze was harsh as he looked at me, but then again, it had always been harsh. I narrowed my eyes slightly, swinging my legs from my bed as I stood in front of him.

"You are no longer my daughter, your death will be a blessing." He lurched his fist forward, finding its spot in my stomach.

Well, that felt fan-fucking-tastic.

I don't know what it is, but I just felt more alive. I smirked as I stood up, snarling at him as I spoke. "That's all you got old man? I'm a Protector, a punch to the stomach is a piece of cake."

He smiled, the horrific smile he had given me in my dream weeks ago, and left my room leaving me completely confused. I staggered into the bathroom, turning the shower on till it was near boiling.

I shut my eyes at the hot water hit my skin, thinking of the day when Ashe told me how Xander asked her to marry him. I had went to her sobbing, Tyler had just asked a girl to a dance and had kissed her. She pulled me into an embrace that only a mother could give, stroking my hair while I soaked through her shirt with my tears.

"Do you want to know how Xander asked me to marry him?" I nodded my head feverishly, desperately clinging onto the hope I could have a happy ending. "We had just finished fully mating-"

"Okay, maybe I don't want to know." She laughed at my face, I'm sure was full or horror with red rimmed eyes and an even redder nose.

"I went to take a shower, and he popped into the shower with me."

"I feel like I shouldn't be hearing this." She chuckled as the door to the library opened, Xander walking in. He furrowed his eyebrows at the sight before him, looking to Ashe for answers.

"What happened?" Ashe smiled back at him, a pang of jealousy running through my chest until it assaulted my heart. I ran my hand over the center of my chest, rubbing it in circles.

"I'm just telling her how you asked me to marry you." He grinned at the memory, his eyes shining as he looked back to his mate.

King Xander was a hard man, but around Ashe and Tyler he was so light hearted. Even around his Beta and his Delta, he still was lightly reserved.

"That's a good story, I actually wasn't even planning on asking you." Ashe grinned as he walked forward, settling onto the couch right next to us. She inched closer, and I felt like this was where I belonged, this was an actual family.

"Anyway, we were in the shower, and he looked at me with those beautiful green eyes," the same green eyes Tyler had. "And asked me to marry him. He didn't get on a knee, didn't plan a special dinner, he just asked me to marry him. And I said yes."

I looked back to Xander, his eyes watching Ashe the entire time. You could see the laugh lines on both of their faces, the crinkles by Ashes eyes and the worry lines on Xander's forehead. It drove me insane how much Tyler looked like both of them, it wasn't fair.

They had so much beauty that he came out like a god, like the light in my long tunnel of darkness. That was the day I learned that I did love Tyler, I loved him with all my heart, and I would let my heart shatter if I could prolong his life as long as possible.

I flipped off the shower to wet cheeks, from both the water and my own tears. I stepped out and wrapped a towel around me, goosebumps raising up on my arm. I shuffled my feet as I walked into my bedroom, humming as I opened my closet and searched for something to where.

"What're you humming?" I jumped around wit a yelp, Alec standing in front of me. I clutched my towel even tighter, my eyes trained on his.

"What're you doing in here?" I gulped as he stepped closer, his eyes flashing lilac.

"Can't I see my beloved before she's sentenced to death?"

"No, get out." He hissed at me, stalking forward as he pushed my body against the wall.

"That isn't very nice, but I forgive you." He rubbed his nose down the length of my neck, kissing the spot my mark once was. I gritted my teeth, desperately trying to contain the shudder he gave me.

"Get out of my room." I growled to him, flushing the palm of my hands against his chest and pushed. I only shot him a few feet away, still weak from not having eaten much in the past few days.

"Come on Leona," he stalked forward again, my eyes searching desperately around the room for a weapon. "We wouldn't want you to die a virgin, would we?"

I growled, feeling my claws elongate. "You touch my body and I'll fucking break all of your fingers."

He chuckled, using his hand to wrap his long and bony fingers around my throat. "I like it rough, nice to see you do as well."

He ripped my towel from me, the cold air attacking my body. He ran his fingers along my skin, more and more goosebumps popping up once his finger left me. I pulled my arm back and punched him square in the jaw, sending him stumbling. I took the advantage and ran into my closet, slamming the door shut and locking it behind me.

"Leona, that wasn't very nice. I'll remember to punish you, but ok lake t easy on you if you come out right now." I pulled some clothes on, trying to create as much of a barrier between his skin and my own as possible.

"Fuck you!" Something slammed against the door, my own body pressed against the wall of the closet. I looked up to search for an air vent, finding a small square vent in the corner. I climbed my way up, unscrewing the screws with my claws as he continued to pound on the door.

I heard the door begin to crack as I pulled the last screw from it hole, tearing the vent off and climbing through. A hand grabbed my ankle as I was almost in, Alec's face coming into view with his fangs fully extended. I kicked his face, crushing the bone on his nose. He stumbled back as I shuffled as fast as possible through the vent, taking as many twists and turns as I could. I heard him stumbling through the vents behind me, praying he couldn't figure out the pattern I had.

I sat in a corner behind a fan for close to an hour before I started to search for a way out. I crawled around endless corners until I finally found a light, somehow spinning to where my feet were in front of the grate. I pulled my leg back and kicked it multiple times until it finally fell back, the smell of fresh air filling the small crawl space.

I breathed out when I fell onto gravel, the west wall of the castle looming over me. I scrambled out into the woods, my breathing ragged as I bent over and tried to suck in as much fresh air as I could. Birds sang around me, and I felt Mother Nature sending me energy through my bare feet on the dirt.

It looked like it was in the afternoon, and I knew I didn't have much longer till this tonight. I was sure Damon would find me if I ran, but I had this longing deep within my chest that was just pulls me away from it all. Maybe it was the mate bond, maybe it was jus the fact I missed Tyler so much, I don't really know.

I just knew I wanted to go home and take a bubble bath.

"Leona!" I heard somebody call from far off, more than likely my brother or so called 'beloved.'

I growled as I began my trek back, praying Tyler didn't think of me as a monster and could figure out where the hell I was. I usually saved myself, but it looked like this time, I'd need his help. I felt someone clutch my upper arm, a hiss in my ear causing me to roll my eyes.

"Little Leona, how not very kind of you to break your beloveds nose." I turned around, Damons silver eyes glaring back at me.

"Well considering he tried to rape me, I think he deserved it." Damon hissed even more, turning and transporting us back to the castle gate.

In the very fucked up world we live in, rape is still considered a very, very, bad thing. Especially to ones own beloved or mate, the council and royal families deem it as disgusting and there are certain laws in place to punish those that do it.

Thank the Goddess Damon felt like a brother somehow, because he was pissed.

He pulled me into the castle, his nostril flaring as he set me down at the dining room table. Alec smirked, well if you could call it a smirk with a dark bruised nose and bandage tape over it, from next to my father; who was too busy eating and rereading over the ritual for tonight.

"Father," he finally looked up, his eyes settling on me from across the room. "There's a problem."

"Okay, what's the problem?" He took a sip of his goblet, the smell of alcohol and blood hitting me from all the way over here.

"He fucking tried to rape her." My father paused, setting his goblet down while Alec paled even more than I thought he could have. My father stood and walked over to me, looking down until he sat in the seat next to me.

"Tell me." I took a breath before telling him everything that happened, my brothers eyes glaring and shining brighter as he looked at Alec. By the time I had finished telling my father, some of the guards had their hands clamped on both my brother and Alec, who's was visibly shaking.

"She's lying." Alec tried to sound as calm as possible, but his words shook a bit close to the end.

My father stood, walking to the wall behind me before moving a painting away. He pressed a button before a large screen appeared right in the middle of the wall, a flash of light crossing the screen before it showed my bare room.

"Good thing we have cameras." I shut my eyes halfway through the video, bike riding up in my throats as I watched my own naked body be touched by him. By the time it was over, Damon was being held down by three grown men, his eyes shining violently silver that sacred even me.

"Let me kill him!" I don't know why Damon was suddenly acting like a brother, maybe a change of heart or something just snapped, but he was shaking in rage as my father just stood there calmly.

"Take him to the cells, he will be dealt with." He pushed the button once again, sending the screen back into the wall. "As for you, get ready and go to your room. A dress will be waiting for you, get dressed and don't eat or drink, you'll mess up with the ritual."

He left he room, leaving Damon sitting a few feet away from me. It was silent as I shut my eyes, trying to not let any emotions barrel though the wall I try to keep up. It didn't help the fact that Tyler kept flashing through my head, his damn green eyes that always made me weak.

"David really wasn't my beloved." I looked up to Damons closed off face, his sad gaze surprising me.

"Who was?"

"One of the wolves that surrounded us when we took you. David was a false beloved, it happens a lot. It wasn't until I saw him that I realized it, that's why it didn't really hurt when you killed him." I breathed out, my fingers playing with the hem of my shirt.

"I'm sorry, maybe you should go find him." He was silent at my words, not really meeting my eyes.

"I'm sorry Leona-"

"Lena, call me Lena."

He gave me a small smile before pushing his hair back and standing. "I'll see you tonight, if something happens, I am sorry; truly. Go get dressed, I picked out the dress myself."

I laughed as I stood up, making my way back to my bedroom; back to my doom.