I finally got home that night and I crawled into my shower trying to scrub clean every inch of my body. I felt so disgusting everywhere they touched and that was every part of my body. There were no bruises but that was only because of how fast I healed. I scrubbed every inch of skin until it was raw and I still felt so dirty and I could even still feel their touch. The tears wouldn't quit streaming from my eyes and mixing with the shower water before leaving through the drain. By the time the water started to run cold, I still didn't feel clean. I forced myself out of the shower and walked to my room in a daze. Putting on a pair of sweat pants and a long sleeve sweater, I climbed into my bed and pulled the blankets as tight around me as I could.
Looking at the clock, I saw it was after 3 am. I had no idea how long I had laid on top of that table just crying or the walk home even. All I knew was I was in pain and I wanted it to end. I continued to cry while lying in my bed and it seemed like I would never stop crying. I didn't even feel safe in my home, I felt like they were still watching me. I curled up under the blankets and even pulled them over my head so that I was hidden even from my window. Even after the heat from the water in the shower, I couldn't feel clean and my muscles would not relax. Sleep evaded me and soon, even through the thick comforter, I saw light starting to filter into my room.
"Amelia, you are going to be late for school." my mother said after she finally came into the room.
"I don't feel good. Can I please stay home today?" I asked without even moving the blanket.
"You felt so good yesterday though." she seemed pretty skeptical.
"Mom, please, I really don't feel good." I pleaded, I really didn't want to leave the safety of my blanket.
"Okay, you can stay home today. Do you want something to eat?" she relented.
"No, I just want to be alone today." I mumbled from under the blanket.
I heard her sigh as she closed the door and then her footsteps as she retreated back down the stairs. I couldn't go to school today and face everyone there after what happened. I didn't even want to face my own mother after what had happened. I hated everything about myself at that moment. I felt stupid and weak on top of feeling damaged and broken. They took from me one of the most important things I had to give. I had been saving myself for my mate and now I wouldn't be able to give Cade that part of myself. I reached for the nightstand to grab my phone and quickly pulled it back under the blankets with me. I typed out a long text to Cade and explained that I needed him only to realize that I had forgotten to get his number the previous day. I erased the text and decided to check my other text messages. I had two unread messages and both were from Amber.
Hey Amelia. I'm so sorry I didn't show up last night. I didn't think I would fall asleep, but I passed out early. See you soon, we can talk on the walk to school. xoxo Amber
Amelia, I was just at your house to walk to school with you but your mom said you aren't feeling well today. How long did you wait for me last night? I'm still sorry I never showed up. I'll call you later. Feel better soon. xoxo Amber
I wasn't sure how to respond to her or what to even tell her. I stared blankly at the phone for a while before I decided to just lay it on the bed next to me. I didn't want her to feel guilty about falling asleep and not showing up. I wasn't even ready to talk about what had happened, so I had to figure out what I wanted to say before sending her a text back. I wanted the whole experience to disappear and be forgotten, I wanted to be able to quit feeling the way they touched me and the things they said to me. I felt like I could never be clean again. I decided it was time for another shower while the sun was still up. After running to the bathroom, I quickly locked the door behind me and turned on the water.
Tears started streaming down my face again and my heart felt like it was going to explode. As much as I hated to admit it, I knew I was forever damaged. For the first time in my life I was scared to get undressed. I jumped in the shower as quickly as I could while holding my hands over myself and constantly looking around the room. It was impossible, but I was terrified those two men would magically appear and do what they wanted to all over again. I had never been so powerless in my life. I scrubbed my skin raw again and I was even bleeding in some places. When I got out of the shower, I got back into the sweat pants and sweater before I even opened the door to my room.
"Amelia, can you come down here please?" my mother called.
"I don't feel good mom." I called back hoping I wouldn't have to leave my room.
"You need to come downstairs." there was an edge to her tone and after just a brief moment she added "The pack guard is here."
My heart continued to pound in my chest. Did someone hear me last night and turn in what had happened? Why didn't they help? I was left defenseless while they ran away and it angered me as well as upset me. At least Cade knew what had happened and he sent his guards to help and protect me. My mate was reaching out to help me even though he couldn't save me from the nightmare that had already happened. I raced downstairs as fast as my feet could carry me without even putting on shoes. I knew all I needed was to be in Cade's arms and I would be safe, I would be okay. As soon as I reached the bottom step, one of the guards grabbed my arm and pulled me forward just enough for another of the guards to grab my other arm.
"We suggest you don't say a word yet." the one on the left whispered in my ear.
All I could do was nod as confusion swept over me. I looked around but Cade wasn't there, it was just the guards. They walked me out of the house and no one would look directly at me. The guards quickly ushered me into their black SUV and we took off towards the packhouse. The trees blurred by and the silence lingered on. The SUV pulled into the driveway of the packhouse and we all got out. I was certain now that they were bringing me here to Cade so that he could see for himself that I was okay. I didn't know why he wasn't at my house, but I was sure he had a good reason.
The SUV pulled into the driveway and all the guards got out before pulling me out. They started walking me towards the packhouse and I knew that the moment I saw Cade I would be okay. I knew that he would make sure that the two culprits who had attacked me would pay, they would be brought to justice and I could finally rest. He had sent his guards to make sure that they didn't grab me on my way to him. He would help me through the trauma and eventually everything would be better. Hopefully, as soon as I was in Cade's arms, I would be able to forget the way their hands felt on my body.
They took me into the house and into a room at the far back that I had never seen before. The room itself was set up with a long table that had the Alpha and his council sitting behind it and standing in front of it was Cade. He turned around as soon as he smelt my presence and I ran to him with the tears streaming down my face. I was sure they were trying to come up with a plan to catch my abusers and make them pay for touching the future Alphas' mate. I would be Luna one day and those men had defiled me in the worst way possible. I wanted them to pay for having ever touched any part of my body and Cade was finally there to help me through it. I wrapped my arms around him and held him tight.
Instead of wrapping his arms around me in return, he pushed me away from him and it was then that I realized that the whole room shared the same look of disdain. I looked up at Cade's face and he even had a look of scorn while looking at me. My heart fell into my stomach. I didn't understand why they had summoned me if they weren't going to help me. Had I been summoned to begin training for my position as Luna? Had I just made the first mistake in my training? Was I not supposed to show affection to my mate in front of others? I was confused and I was scared to speak up to ask what I had done so wrong. It was then that Cade produced his phone and showed me the pictures he had.
The pictures were of the event that had happened the night before.The first picture showed the men inspecting my neck for the mating mark. There was me lying on the table completely naked, but you couldn't see the ropes in the picture. The men had been standing on opposite sides. There was another one where they had both gotten naked but they hadn't entered me yet. There were even a lot of pictures of them after they had started to brutally fuck me. The pictures brought my worst nightmare to life again and they continued. The men had switched sides in the picture and were brutally fucking me again, but my position in the pictures had never changed. My face wasn't even clear in any of the pictures.
My face fell and I looked at the floor. The nightmare was brought before me again and I had been forced to relive it with the pictures, but that meant someone had been there and had heard my screams for help after all. They didn't help me but they did gather proof of me being horribly raped and turned in the evidence. I wouldn't have to describe them and now I only had to wait for them to be found. Cade, the Alpha, and the whole council were pissed that these two men thought they could get away with this. They would make sure justice was served, I was sure of it. It just hurt that Cade had shown me those pictures and made me relive the whole event. I just wanted to forget it never happened.
"How could you?" Cades' harsh voice cut through my thoughts.
"What?" I asked, looking up to find him looking directly at me.
"We just found each other and you went whoring around?" his words cut deep.
"What?" I asked in confusion.
I was taken aback as everything finally sank in. My face hadn't been clear and you couldn't see the ropes in the pictures, it could have very easily looked like I had been a willing participant in the events that took place. My heart fell to my stomach as I realized he was accusing me of having betrayed the mate bond we had. I looked around and finally pieced the whole picture together. They weren't there to protect me at all, the guards hadn't been sent to protect me and bring me to safety either. I had been arrested and this was my trial. I stood accused of the worst crime there was, betraying your mate. In their eyes, they even had evidence of what they assumed to be true.
"Why would you do this to me?" his voice was growing even angrier.
"I didn't, let me explain." I pleaded with him.
"There is nothing to explain. We have the witness and the pictures. We know what happened and there is nothing left for you to say." his face had turned red with rage.
"It's not how it looks. I didn't do it." I tried to plead my case.
"Then who was the woman in the pictures? She looked a hell of a lot like you." he yelled in my face.
"It was me but I didn't do it." I muttered before he cut me off.
"It was you, so yes, you did do it. End of discussion. Your punishment has been decided." he looked away.
"Let me explain please." I reached for him again but he pulled away.
"I, Cade Walker, future Alpha of the Blue Moon Pack, reject you, Amelia Bailey, as my mate and Luna." his words ripped through me.
I hit the floor screaming in pain as the feeling of fire spread through my whole body. It felt like my heart had been ripped from my chest. The pain and burning sensation was consuming me from the inside and constantly getting stronger. I honestly felt like I was going to die from the severance of the mate bond. I closed my eyes and gritted my teeth together, begging for the pain to cease as his rejection set in. I didn't have a chance to fully recover before the guards stepped forward and picked me up off the floor, forcing me a standing position. The Alphas eyes were cold and heartless when he looked at me and stood up from his seat.
"Amelia Bailey, you are hereby stripped of your Gamma title, you will forever be an Omega in this pack. You must move to the Omega district and begin your new life. This decree is effective immediately. Be happy we didn't just ban you from the pack." his cold words sliced through the air.
My world had been completely ripped apart and I got punished for it. I was forced into losing my virtue and then, less than 24 hours later, I lost my mate and title because of it. Someone had told them I had been willing even though they had seen the truth, someone had lied and now I paid the price. I knew what it meant to be an Omega, I saw the way Amber treated them. I was less than nothing in this pack and there was one person that held the truth. Who would want to cause me so much harm? Why were they doing this to me? I had never hurt anyone in my life and I had never done anything to cause such malice, so why me? Did they set this whole thing up just to hurt me?
The guards drug me from the room with all these questions running through my head and the pain still pulsing through my whole body. They threw me to the ground in front of the packhouse and turned their backs on me. No one cared anymore because I was no longer a Gamma. I had to pick myself up and I was going to have to walk all the way to the Gamma district. I refused to let anyone still see me in pain, so I used my arms to push myself up and held back a grimace in the process. They didn't believe me and I wouldn't give them the satisfaction of seeing me still hurting. With the last bit of determination I could muster, I started walking away from the pack house and refused to look back.