Chapter 16 No Redemption For The Cursed

• Elara POV
• The scent of the Alpha’s expensive spices and the repulsive scent of forced obedience still clung to my skin, a violation that no amount of scrubbing could wash away. After serving the Alpha and enduring yet another moment where my body was used, not my soul acknowledged, I retired…or was allowed to crawl into the small, dusty storage room that served as my refuge. It was cold, sparsely furnished, and had only one saving grace: a small, high window.
• ​I sank onto the floor, wrapping my arms around my knees, and stared out. The moon shone brilliantly, a massive silver coin against the black sky, and the surrounding stars were dancing free, beautiful, and unburdened. ​They were free. ​How had my life fractured so completely? One split second—that was all it took. I remembered the warmth of my aunt’s kitchen, the clatter of our mismatched teacups, and the sheer, giddy relief of having just enough to be happy. Even the petty slights of being a half-breed were manageable because I had Aunt Masha and my friends. But now… my life was not my own. It was a chain held by a monster.