Chapter 5

Sarah‘s POV

My face fell with shock as I continued to crawl away from him. There was no way I was Andrew’s mate. The mate of the person who had hurt me for years. A man who took my blood and gave it to a brat that didn’t deserve it. A man who locked me in the dungeon and starved me of food and blood. A man who had me flogged for simply breathing air at times—a man who didn’t believe anything that I said. I wouldn’t accept this truth. I was a vampire; how was I his mate?

Andrew hovered over me with disgust.

Just then, Madison came running over and tossed clothes at Andrew. He quickly dressed.

“I will punish Sarah.” Madison screamed, “Reject her, Andrew! You must.” Madison stomped her foot, fists clenching the many layers of her dress.

I also hoped Andrew would reject me. I hated him and didn’t want to be his mate.

I waited expectantly to hear the rejection words. Andrew hesitated taking me in on the ground bathed in moonlight. I pushed onto shaking legs. There in his dark eyes was a shift, and horror took hold of me.

“I need time to consider how to handle the situation,” Andrew said, a battle clearly being waged within himself.

“Sarah was the one who got your mother killed and should be rejected immediately. I will not forgive Sarah for that, ever.” Madison lifted her chin determinedly.

I swallowed hard and waited for Andrew’s reaction to Madison’s words. Whenever Margaret, the old Luna, was mentioned, Andrew would punish me.

I prayed he would reject me, but instead, he ordered the nearby guards to lock me up.

I peered at him in the moonlight and laughed out loud—so hard that my stomach ached. Madison glanced at Andrew and him at her.

The whole situation was a joke. I had almost escaped, but because I was Andrew’s stupid mate, my escape failed. Was this the will of the Moon Goddess? I bent over with my hands on my knees, trying to catch my breath. Was I losing my mind?

I was roughly dragged back to the manor. All the strength I had gained from Andrew's blood was used up. I dangled in the guard's arms, causing them to grunt with the effort to handle a limp body.

Feet thudding against the stone floor on the descent to the dungeon was a familiar sound. With the door open and waiting, the guards tossed me in like a rag doll and locked the door.

Within ten or fifteen minutes, Madison appeared in front of the door, keys in hand, ice blue eyes cutting across my face.

“You should have died a long time ago. Even if you are Andrew’s mate,” Madison shrieked. She opened the door and stepped inside the cell. I narrowed my gaze. Madison was no match for me, even in my weakened state. She was up to something because I knew she would never let me become Luna of the pack.

I stood gathering my strength. Madison began to circle me like a snake about to squeeze the life out of its prey.

She ran a hand over my wavy hair, lifting a strand. “I must confess I have always been jealous of you.” She let the hair fall and circled again. “Since childhood, Andrew has always paid more attention to you.” This time, she ran a hand over my cheek. I pulled back. My lips peeled up to show her my fangs.

“I mean, look at you. I’m sure that day in the forest, those vampires had been drawn to you.” She pointed to herself and spun around. “And look at me, a wilting flower without light and love because of you. That was why the vampires wanted to kill me, because I was weak. Instead, it led to the death of one of the kindest people we will ever know.” Madison’s pale blue eyes filled with tears, which surprised me. I felt the backs of my eyes burn as well. I loved Margaret as I loved Madison once.

“I knew even then, as a young girl, I had to get rid of you if I were ever to have a chance of being anything more to Andrew.”

I wrinkled my nose, not fully understanding where she was going with this conversation.

“Let me guess. You knew that since I was a vampire, you could push the blame onto me. That the werewolves would believe you about what happened and not me.”

Madison bounced on her toes as if she had a better answer than mine. She stopped in front of me and leaned in close to whisper. “I saw the vampires that day before I asked you to come play with me. I knew they were out there. I took you to the right spot and prayed they would drink your blood and leave you for dead.”

I gasped. “You tried to kill me.”

Madison shrugged indifferently and continued to circle me. “I hadn’t counted on mother sensing and smelling them. I didn’t mean for her to die or for me to get injured. Just you and look. You’re the one who didn’t get touched. I don’t think anyone suspected you were a vampire before that day, since you eat normal food and hadn’t drunk blood yet.” She leaned in and scented me. “You do smell like a wolf, but not. It has always confused me.”

Thoughts rammed into other thoughts and caused a pile up in my mind.

Madison set me up to be killed. I was a child. For what to gain Andrew’s attention? It was then that I realized Madison set all the blame of that day on me to cover up her true crime—a murder of convenience.

Hurt, confusion, and complete understanding exploded as one force. All my pain had come because of her. Every kick, every sneer, every time I was tied to the whipping post, it was because of her. I growled low. I wanted to kill her, to rip out her heart and stomp on it. However, I probably wouldn’t find it there. It was clear Madison had no heart.

I knew I couldn’t kill her. It would be ordering my own death. So, I went with the next best thing.

“To think you did all that work to make my life unbearable, and now here I’m Andrew’s mate.”

Suddenly, Madison lunged, pulling out a silver knife. She drove it into my heart.

“Die, you stupid bitch. You will not ruin my plans again.”

My mouth fell open in shock. I tried to yell at her, but nothing came out. My heart was filled with hatred and pain as I felt my life slipping away. I hadn’t truly lived; how could I as a slave? I clutched at the knife, dropping to my knees. This wasn’t the life I wanted to live. I was meant for something more than this. I knew it.

I swayed for a moment, looking up at Madison, before falling to my side. Her thin lips lifted with a pleased grin. Satisfaction oozed off her.

With each heartbeat, darkness drew in around me. I felt my heart sputter in my chest with the knife buried within it. My lungs burned, and my skin grew cold.

Heavy footsteps echoed off the stone walls. I heard Madison gasp. “Andrew, help her.”

Andrew rushed toward me and dropped to his knees. His hair was a mess. Regret bloomed over his complex features, making him appear sad. I saw that look from time to time, but it was never directed at me. “What happened?” he asked Madison, touching my cheek softly. I wanted to bite him again.

“There was a man in the cell. He stabbed her and ran.” She pointed toward the door with trembling fingers and bottom lip. Oh, she was good at her little acts.

“Did you see him run out?” Madison said, looking forlorn. If I could have reached her, I would have bitten her.

It was ironic that Madison would be the one to kill me. Andrew’s pure white rose of a werewolf. He had no idea who she really was. One day, he would be sorry for always believing Madison’s lies.

After death, I didn’t want anything to do with Andrew or Madison. I wanted to be free of them both. I uttered my last words, "I reject you."

As I took my last breath, I hoped my rejection would cut Andrew deeply as he had done to me. If I got a second chance to come back, I would make those who hurt me pay dearly for my pain. I would be reborn from the ashes of this scorched life and be whole once again.