The Dark Side Of Fate
88 A Memory-Turned Nightmare

~Avery~

I was having the nightmare again. The very dream that plagued my sleep and reminded me of my pain. It was the first night Max beat Mia. I felt the chain and the silver, the command and the pain. Max had stayed out all night, and I felt pain all through the night.

I did not need anyone to tell me what was happening. I knew he had gotten intimate with someone behind my back. I did not know why and was determined to find out when he returned.

I sat in bed and wept. I was mad at him and waited for him to return home.

He did not come home until noon the next day. By then, I had body pains and a terrible headache caused by his actions.

He walked into our home and did not say a word to me.

Our eyes met, and he looked away immediately.

I could see the guilt in his eyes, and he knew that I knew.

He did not speak. Instead, he walked away immediately.

I was mad. So I followed him. My head hurt, and my body ached, but I refused to be disrespected. "Where were you?" I asked, and he was taking off his shirt.

He did not say anything. He took off his shirt and placed the shirt in a laundry bin.

"Max... Maxwell!" I asked, feeling insulted, and he sighed. He turned to look at me and sat at the foot of the bed.

"I am sorry, Ave. I am so sorry," he said, and I got pissed.

"Is that what you have to say for yourself?" I asked him, and he bowed his head.

"What do you want me to say, Ave? You know I fucked up last night," he said, close to tears.

"I had no control over it," he said and looked at me.

His tears fell freely, and it broke my heart because the pain was registered in his eyes.

"Control over what?" I asked him, and he shook his head and pinched the bridge of his nose between his eyes.

"I have screwed up, Ave; I am finished," he said, and I did not know what to tell him. I began to suspect it was an act to take me away from the fact that he was with someone all through the night. "What happened last night? Why didn't you come home?" I asked him, and he looked at me and bowed his head again.

"I found my fated, Ave; I found her," he said, and his words were like a moving truck.

It hit me, and I moved back until my back was against the wall.

I was instantly overcome with fear, anger and confusion. My eyes welled up with tears, and my hands began to shake.

"No, no, no, no," I said, more to myself than to him.

This was not supposed to happen to me.

This was an impossible situation. No one had a fated in our pack. We knew it was impossible. That was why no one bothered and just named a chosen and claimed them during the blue moon. Why was I an exception?

"No!" I cried, knowing what would happen.

Max had fucked her all through the night; I believed we were past debating what he would do now. I believed he had accepted her.

"Why?" I asked him, and he did not answer.

"If you love me, you will reject her,” I said, trying my luck, but my voice held no conviction.

I was hopeful, but I wasn't sure.

He was my alpha; I was connected to him. If he accepts her, I know he won't reject me. Where will I go to? How will I survive?

"You are my husband, my mate, Maxwell. After all that we have been through together, you have to reject her. Prove to me that I matter to you, and let her go. I will support and carry you. I have been by your side for a long time, Max," I said, not knowing what to say again.

I was out of words.

"But I have touched her. I didn't want to, but Echo didn't give me a chance,” he said, and Mia growled in my head, feeling betrayed by Echo.

I wept, and soon he came to sit with me on the floor.

He touched my hand and asked me to look into his eyes.

"I accepted her, Ave," he said, and my heart broke.

"She is moving in today," he said, and my hand began to shake seriously, my heart racing and beating against my chest. I was sweating, and my stomach churned. I wanted to throw up.

"I have claimed her, and she is coming. I had no choice. Echo sank his teeth in before I could stop..." he said, and I slapped him. I hit him with all my might. He did not do anything, and I hit him repeatedly until I began to cry.

He held me without saying a word, but I felt alone in those moments. I knew my life was over.

"Set me free," I said, looking at him, and he shook his head.

"Set me freell!" I yelled and moved away from him. I was enraged.

"Let me go, Max! I did not care for the weakness; I want to go and find another mate!" I yelled at him.

"Snap out of it!" he yelled, and I looked at him. He had fear in his eyes. That was the first time he would yell at me.

"You were hysterical. I needed you to calm down," he said, pulling me into his arms.

"I am sorry, my love. I am so sorry, but I can't set you free. I can't bear losing you. Fate has fucked our union up but let us try to make it work. Please,” he said, but he also knew I had no choice.

If he did not set me free, I couldn't leave. No one would take me in. The ball was actually in his court, and he had stylishly told me he wouldn't let me go.

Max held me, and I wept in his arms.

"You are my Luna, Ave; you will always be Luna, and Michelle has no choice but to respect and serve you. I have told her, and she is okay with it. I know this will work," he said, and I could not believe how delusional he was. What made him think a woman he was fucking would be subservient to me? Michelle moved into our home. She was nice at first, and Max could not leave her bed.

I listened to them most of the time.

Max gradually stopped caring and showed a lot of affection to her in public.

It got to me, and I showed it. I would get angry and throw things. I broke a lot of things in the house. I wanted out, but I was his prisoner.

Everything got to me, especially the disrespectful pack members who gossiped behind my back or tried to be disrespectful towards me.

What added to my misfortune was that I did not grow up in Hill valley, so they already had issues with me because I wasn't from there.

Michelle's grandfather happened to be from Hill valley, so they were nicer to her.

One day I got home, and Michelle had made a mess of the kitchen. The Omega had gone home, and I needed to cook because they had dinner and did not include me.

I went to the living room, where she was watching the television.

"Michelle, come clean your mess; I need to cook," I said to her nicely, and she looked at me.

She was always disrespectful when Max wasn't around

"If you can't wait till morning when the omegas would do it, then clean it yourself,” she said, and I got angry.

She wasn't only a bitch; she was lazy too. I had a bad day that day and could not take her shit anymore.

"You better come and clean your kitchen mess, Michelle,” I said with a low growl, and she looked at me.

I knew she could see my intent, and she knew she would not last on a one-on-one with me.

Max wasn't around. I would have beaten the shit out of her before he returned. I did not plan to touch her, but I knew that was what she was thinking

She was reluctant at first, then she smiled and got up to clean the mess, but she was so slow that I decided I would eat at the pack house. There may be some leftovers in the fridge there.

I went to the pack house and ate, then hung around a bit so I would just sleep when I got home.

I returned home only to find Max on the couch, fuming angrily.

I wanted to walk past him and go to my room, but he didn't let me.

"What did you do to Michelle?" he asked, and I frowned.

I did not understand.

"I came home and found my men helping her. She had bruises on her, and they found this on her wrist," he said, showing a thin silver bracelet used for torture. It was one of the ones I kept in the house for protection. Usually, it was best to clamp it around your attacker's wolf's hind leg, forcing them to shift back to their human form and allowing me to beat the shit out of them. How did Michelle get her hands on it?

"When did you become so wicked, Avery? I get your tantrums, but this? You clamped silver on her wrist and beat the shit out of her simply because you were hungry and the dinner was finished. I know you are jealous and do not want to share, but this is extreme, Avery. Did you think I wouldn't find out? Unfortunately for you, she passed out on the floor, so she could not free herself like you ordered her to. I am glad my men helped her because if she had freed herself, her wounds would heal, and it would be your word against hers," he said, and I was in shock. I was so shocked I could not speak.

"All 1 asked her to do was clean her mess in the kitchen because I wanted to cook. She was rude about it, and I insisted. She went to clean it eventually without me touching her. She was too slow about it, so I went to the pack house to eat the leftovers; where is all this coming from?" I asked him, and he shook his head, livid.

"Liar!" he yelled at me with command, and I shook and stepped back out of fear.

"Fucking Liar. She told me she was cleaning the kitchen and you got angry that there was no meal for you. I know you, Ave. I know you are quick-tempered and impatient,” he said, and I was shocked. "I might be quick-tempered, but that is too silly for me to beat her like this," I said, and he shook his head.

"She said you got angry and told her you wished she could disappear and that she is not wanted in this house. She tried to reason with you, and you got mad and slapped her. She threatened to tell me. You went to the room while she continued the cleaning, only for you to return and clamp the silver around her wrist and beat her with the kitchen utensils. Then you threw the bracelet key at her to release the cuffs by herself; you also told her to make sure the mess is clean before you return, and if she tells me, you will do worse to her..." he said.

I looked in the direction of the kitchen, trying to figure out how she would make up such a story. "The kitchen is a mess. It has your scent, and her blood is everywhere, Avery,” he said, and I went to the kitchen and lo and behold, he wasn't lying. There was a terrible mess of broken things, dented pots and pans with blood on them.

"I did not do this, Max. You have to believe me," I said, and he shook his head.

"How can I? You never wanted her here. You asked me to reject her. You have been cold towards her. I also learned you do this often. You bully and sometimes beat her when I am not home. My men confirmed it,” and I realised there was a ganging up against me. The sinister look in Max's eyes made me know that I would not win.

He dragged me out of the house to the back.

He was fuming with rage, and I wondered where he was taking me to.

"She is pregnant, Ave, she is fucking pregnant!" he said, dragging me with him, and I tried to defend myself, but he used his authority on me, forcing me to comply.

Tears streamed down my eyes.

"Please, Max, please. I did not do it. She is lying,” I said in tears.

"She has no reason to lie. I treat her well. You, on the other hand, feel you have been wronged. I wouldn't have believed her if my men did not corroborate her story.” He said; he pushed me into the garage and locked the door, then I watched him wear thick rubber gloves and wound a silver chain around his hand. I wanted to run, but he commanded me to remain. He was livid.

"You beat a defenceless woman and used silver to make sure she feels the pain and does not heal quickly. I also learned this isn't the first time. If she had not passed out, I wouldn't have known. Michelle had told me you hated her. I did not realise it was this bad," he said, and tears began to stream down my cheeks.

"Better pray she does not lose the baby, Ave, or it will worsen. Now shift!" he commanded me.

He beat Mia with the chain until we passed out...

The garage became my discipline room, and soon it became a norm

He would lock me up there for a day or two without food.

Sometimes he would be sweet and loving towards me, and then Michelle would lie against me with the help of his men guarding our house, and then he would relapse and take me to the garage. That became my life until he gave me to the northern soldiers...

I woke up panting, relieved that the beating was a dream. I had a nightmare of that garage and silver chain, which still had the same effect on me. Marcel woke up and held me while I cried.

"It's okay, darling, it was just a bad dream," he said, gently rubbing my back and kissing my neck. "He can never hurt you gain. I promise,” he said, and I cried and held him.

It had been a while since I dreamt about Max; why did I dream about him this night?

Marcel held me, and I kissed him.

He returned the kiss with passion and started taking off my nightgown to make love to me. I wanted it.

"Let me bring you back to the present,” he whispered, burying himself into me, and the pleasure shock went straight to my head.

The dream was a distant memory as Marcel took me to great heights, reassuring me of his love. We went to the sports arena early the next day, and our men went to handle state matters leaving Tamia, Katya, Stephanie, Linda and me in the booth.

Stephanie, Katya and Tamia went to watch the croquet game, leaving Linda and me in the booth. Linda excused me to get a sandwich, and I sat alone, only for Max to approach the booth, looking at me with pleading eyes.

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