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CHAPTER FOURTEEN

WYNTER

I ’m not sure how long I stay curled up on the stone floor, but it was long enough for the cold to soak through to my bones, causing me to shiver uncontrollably.

My plan to act fearless soon left me the second Wrath took my arm. I wasn’t scared of him—I was scared my father would see how I feel about him, certain he’d have him killed just to spite me.

But nothing could have prepared me for the feral way in which Wrath took me.

I’ve never experienced pain and humiliation like it, knowing they were all sitting behind their darkened glass, excited by my downfall.

Knowing that no matter how Wrath feels about me, he’s unable to control what they’ve bred into him.

A desire to take. A desire to breed. A desire to fuck.

And yet, I still feel grateful it was him and not the others.

I sensed the jealousy radiating from him, and it drove him to protect me from them.

Having that pain four times over may have finished me off.

The door opens, and a guard stands over me. I don’t move until he swoops down and grips my arm tightly, hauling me to my feet. The stiffness in my bones causes a burning ache, and I cry out in surprise. His soulless eyes don’t flinch as he drags me through to my father’s office.

I notice the chair I sat in opposite the desk is now gone, forcing me to stand before him. I lay an arm over my chest while my other dangles in front of my private area. He sneers, giving the guard a nod to leave.

“Not so gleeful?” he asks, pouring himself another drink.

When I don’t respond, he laughs. “Finally, a way to wipe that smug grin off your face.” His words stir up the anger I’ve pushed down, and I snatch his drink from the desk and knock it back in one.

He stares open-mouthed as I gag in response to the liquid burning my throat.

“Fuck you,” I manage to squeeze out before coughing.

He stands, rounding the desk quickly. I stumble back as he crowds me, his large frame shadowing mine. “I should hang you,” he hisses close to my ear.

“Then do it,” I snarl.

“You’d enjoy it,” he snaps.

“I will never give you the satisfaction you crave,” I warn. “I will not beg ever again. I will not sob for your mercy. That,” I warn, pointing to the door, “was the last time I will ever cry in front of you.”

I gasp when his hand wraps around my throat, squeezing tight enough to cut off air.

“I have watched you for many years whispering poison into your mother’s ear, trying desperately to turn Summer against me.

All because you’re an ungrateful little bitch.

” He spits in my face, releasing my neck and taking a step back.

I drag air into my lungs, anger pulsating through me as I wipe his spittle from my cheek.

“I gave you a home. I fed you, clothed you. Let you live amongst us even though you are not my blood.”

“You made the rules,” I cry. “I didn’t ask to be born into this fucked-up world that you created for your own selfish needs. Which god do you believe in?” I scream. “Which god chose you to make the rules?”

“I am the god,” he roars.

“And you made the rules,” I hiss. “Rules to gratify you and men alike. Men who like to watch women cry as other men double their size pin them down and have sex. Men who get excited by watching monsters force themselves upon young girls. Men who sleep well at night in the castles they built on other people’s misery.

I don’t know anything about the outside world, but I know that what you have created here is purely a man’s world.

And you have forced me to live here along with all the other women,” I take a shuddering breath, “and we are tired of it.”

My father grins then claps his hands loud and slow. “What a speech,” he murmurs. “Beautiful.” He takes a few more steps back and settles on the edge of the desk. “If I didn’t know better, I’d say you were a born leader.”

“You must have taught me well,” I sneer.

He takes a deep breath, releasing it slowly. “Silas Morales was most impressed by your performance out there,” he says, checking his watch. “He will be here any minute to unburden me.”

I swallow the lump in my throat. “I will not marry a man like Silas. He’s older than you,” I say through clenched teeth.

“His sons are just as excited about your arrival.”

I pinch the bridge of my nose and close my eyes briefly, trying desperately to find something to make him see how mad this all is.

“Don’t you think the villagers will start to realise what’s going on?

” I ask calmly. “The fact they work hard to provide for the forefathers, and what are they getting in return?” I ask.

“The threat of hanging if they step out of line? They’ll begin to see how happy you are with your wives in tow and your hundreds of children, and they’ll question what they’re getting from all this. ”

“We are securing the future,” he says. “Our responsibilities as the creators are to ensure this village grows and continues on for centuries.”

“What about when new villagers begin to talk?” I ask. “When they tell tales about the real world and how it’s nothing like this.”

“Exactly,” he says. “Out there, where their women are exposed to ridiculous ideas. Here, men are looked after, and their wives won’t leave them for another man or get drunk in bars with friends. Here, they will become devoted, caring wives.”

“No,” I snap. “Here, they become trapped. You’ve made sure they can never escape. Is that what you promise men?”

“I merely tell them how it is here. How they choose to conduct their marriage is their business. No one gets involved. But women do not frolic in the streets or tease men in bars. They raise children and do their duty.”

Understanding dawns on me. “You offer controlling, violent men a dream. They get to keep their wife all to themselves, no questions asked.”

“I created a place where marriage vows are taken seriously. In sickness and in health, for better or for worse. If you commit to marriage, you shouldn’t just get to leave when things are tough. Out there, divorce is easy. It’s become the norm.”

There’s a knock on the door, and my father rounds the desk. “Come in,” he calls.

Silas enters, and they shake hands. He brings his greedy eyes my way, and I shudder with repulsion as he zones in on the blood smeared across my inner thighs.

“Wynter, I’m sure you will fit into my family perfectly,” he says, holding out his hand.

I don’t take it, and he retracts it, smirking.

“Shall we get on with it?” he asks my father, who nods.

I watch in horror as he proceeds to take out a book from his drawer. He opens it out and signs it before turning it towards Silas. He also signs it then turns to me, holding out the pen. “Are you going to sign or shall I forge it?”

“What is it?” I ask, knowing full well it’s the register for marriages.

Silas grabs my hand, pushing the pen into it as he pulls me over to the desk. He keeps his hand over mine as he scribbles in the box next to where he’s signed. “Well done,” he praises, releasing me.

“Congratulations, Mr. and Mrs. Morales,” Father announces with a smile.

“That’s it?” I demand angrily, dropping the pen onto the desk. “Not even a ceremony?” I don’t want any such thing, but the fact they can just force a woman to sign her life away is ridiculous.

“We thought it would be better to keep it behind closed doors. We all know you like a show.” Father smirks, slamming the book closed and placing it back in his drawer.

“We should go home. My wife and children are waiting to meet you,” says Silas, grabbing my hand again. I try to pull free, but it’s no good as he just squeezes tighter.

“Good luck,” Father offers, shaking Silas’s free hand.

“I don’t need luck,” he replies. “I’ll have her whipped into shape in no time.”

My father gives a jovial laugh, following us to the door and opening it. “That’s why I knew you’d be the perfect candidate.”

The walk back to Silas’s home feels like the longest of my life. He doesn’t bother to speak to me as he marches at a pace faster than my legs want to carry me, causing me to stumble a few times along the way.

A woman is waiting at the door, and she smiles warmly, nodding. “Welcome back, sir,” she says to Silas. “Would you like me to show Wynter to her room so she can freshen up?”

“No,” he says coldly. “Where is everyone?”

“Very well,” she mutters. “In the lounge.”

He throws open the double doors and shoves me in front of him. Five adults all turn to me, and I lower my head as embarrassment burns my cheeks. “This is Wynter,” he says. “We’re married, and she will reside in my room.”

A woman around my age steps forward, assessing me through cruel, narrowed eyes. “She forgot her clothes.”

“Perhaps you can get her an outfit, Pearl,” Silas suggests firmly, in a tone that makes it clear it’s an order. She rolls her eyes, shoving past me as she leaves.

“That was my daughter, Pearl,” he tells me with a tight smile. He nods at the others, who are still watching me with confused expressions. “This is Katherine, my other daughter, and then my sons, Adam and Reginald.” I offer a small smile, but it isn’t returned.

The woman by the window joins us, running her eyes over me. “My replacement,” she utters.

“Ava,” he says fondly, “Wynter is an addition, not a replacement.”

“And when the bed is full?” she asks, arching a brow. “Will I sleep on the floor?”

Silas slaps her. It’s so sudden, I gasp out loud before rushing to her side with concern. “Are you okay?”

She glares at me while gripping her cheek and then shoves me away. “I’m fine,” she says through gritted teeth.

Adam steps forward, slipping an arm around my shoulders. “I’ll show you to the bathroom,” he says.

Silas smiles. “Good idea.”

He leads me away and up the stairs. The feel of the fluffy cream carpet is a welcome sensation, but it doesn’t offer me much comfort when I know I’m as unsafe here as I was when I lived in the Sanchez home.

The bedroom he shows me to is huge. There’s an oversized raised bed in the centre of the room that’s so high, there’s a step all the way around. The four posts have sheer curtains hanging down, neatly pinned back. “The en-suite is through there,” he tells me, pointing to a door.

I head that way then realise he’s following me.

I open the door and gasp at the beauty. The marble units are luxurious, nothing like the ones my mother picked for her bathroom.

There’s a walk-in shower with enough room for a small gathering, and in the centre is a free-standing bathtub filled with hot, bubbly water.

The woman who greeted us at the door dries her hands on a towel and smiles.

“I thought you might want a bath.” I nod, grateful she’s being nice.

“Aurelia, get out,” Adam barks, and she rushes off. He turns to me, and his eyes run up and down my body in a way that makes me shift uncomfortably.

Before I can respond, Pearl saunters in. She takes in the scene before her then laughs. “If you think Daddy will let you go there before him, you’re stupid.”

“He seemed happy for me to show her to the bathroom.”

“I’m sure he didn’t mean you could sample his new wife,” she says firmly, placing the clothes down on the side. “Should I get him and check?”

Adam smirks. “He’ll rush up here to watch.”

I fight my tears, determined to be strong this time, but the thought of doing what Wrath and I just did makes me sick to my stomach.

“Actually,” I almost whisper, “I should wash first. The warrior that—” Before I can finish the sentence, Pearl grabs my face, squeezing hard and forcing me to look at her.

“You will not mention the warriors or what just happened in the caves,” she hisses. “Now, get into the bath. You smell terrible.” She shoves me away and leaves. Adam smirks but turns and follows her.

I sigh in relief and turn to the bath. No amount of fear or worry can stop me sinking into the warmth of it right now, so I strip off quickly and slide in, closing my eyes in delight as I lie back.

Aurelia appears ten minutes later, and I sit up quickly. She glances back like she’s worried someone will come. “Sorry, I just wanted to see if you need anything.” I shake my head. “I’m the first daughter,” she informs me, and I instantly relax. “So, I’ll take care of anything you need.”

“I was a first daughter too,” I whisper.

She smiles. “I know.”

“Is he cruel?” I ask.

She thinks over my words. “Yes, and my brothers are worse. There’s no point me lying to you, you’ll find out for yourself.” She steps closer. “Pray you are pregnant,” she whispers.

“Pregnant?” I falter, letting her words sink in.

“By the warriors. He won’t touch you if you are.”

“Daughters of warriors are not supposed to get pregnant,” I mutter.

She glances back, checking the coast is still clear. “He will tell everyone he is the father.”

“Why?”

“To make him look like a better man,” she whispers. “The same thing has happened to my mother. Sometimes a warrior, other times one of the other three forefathers. My father has no blood-related children.”

“He can’t have them?” I frown as she shakes her head.

“They tried for many years. Even before they came here. She almost left him, apparently, so he convinced her to come here.”

“Where she couldn’t leave him,” I mutter.

“I should go. Convince him you’re pregnant as soon as you can.”

“What if I’m not?”

She looks away. “Pray you are, Wynter.” And then she leaves.

Wrath

The guards all stare at me in disbelief. I hunch over, placing my hands on my knees as I take deep breaths. “This isn’t helping,” says one. “You can’t keep smashing things.”

I pick up my stool and throw it his way. He ducks and it hits the wall next to his head. “We’ll have to use this,” he warns, holding the yellow gun.

“I already tried that,” says the other. “He’s too far gone for it to affect him.”

They back out, closing the door, and I shout out angrily. Until I see her, no one is coming in here.

I slump down on my bed frame. The mattress was the first thing I destroyed. Burying my head in my hands, I picture the way Wynter looked at me . . . making me feel every bit the monster I know I am. Everything I feared happened in that room today. I’ll never forgive myself.