Chapter 1: Love comes at a cost

Chapter 1

~KYRA~

"Love comes at a cost."

It was my daily mantra that I've lived by for so long. A phrase that has become a part of me. A part of my life.

When I was fifteen, I witnessed it firsthand. My brother's mate, who had been his sole happiness, had cheated on him, broke his heart— crushed him, and turned him into a mess until eventually he took his own life.

I never wanted to feel that way. To give someone the chance to break me, to reduce me into nothing.

But all that changed when I met him.

James.

He came in like a force-

persistent and determined. He made me realize that love had no cost with the right person. Although, I pushed back, but he wore down my defenses. Then, he showed me that there was more to life if I'd just let myself feel, love, and I did.

For the first time in my life, I let myself be loved, and I let myself love. I have never felt something so surreal, so pure and eccentric. Happiness.

He had shown me what true love and happiness meant that I had said yes last night under the full moon and in the presence of the pack members, my father, and the moon priestess. I had married him.

I was married. I gave him my heart, my soul, and body last night, and I've never felt even more satisfied.

I smiled as the soft breeze of the early mornings touched my chin like a soft whisper, making my lashes flutter.

I felt contented and happy. The events of the night before trickled in, making my cheeks heat up at the memories, and a soft sigh escaped my mouth.

It had been a night filled with passion. His soft kisses, his soft words filled with adoration that he carried both in his eyes, his hands as they worshiped my body and brought me pleasure... pleasures that I didn't even know until last night.

He took me so hard like he couldn't wait to be inside of me. I guess being together these six months with no more than a few stolen kisses had made him that much sex-starved. He took me in ways I never imagined, in ways that made me a whimpering mess, begging for more.

I clutched my thighs and finally prepped my eyes open only to find out that I was on the bed alone. The faint scent of James lingered on the sheets as a sign that he had been up earlier.

Hmm. I wonder where he was. A frown settled on my face when I looked around the room but he wasn't there. 

I pushed the door open and I was welcomed with a faint scent of freshly baked bagels.

I smiled, my stomach dancing with butterflies. My father had given us the west wing for the night and then in the evening James and I would set off for our honeymoon at Paradise Cove in Cancun. I've heard stories of how beautiful and romantic the atmosphere was there.

Since the west wing was empty and consisted of only me and James, I couldn't help but be thankful that he was thoughtful and caring enough to make us breakfast.

As I walked down the hallway leading to the living area, I started hearing voices.

I frowned. 

To my knowledge, no one was supposed to be here except for James and me. "James?" I called, but I got no answer.

I continued walking forward until I arrived at the living room, but the sight that welcomed me turned my blood cold.

My heart was racing at 100 beats per minute, almost as though it wanted to rip out of my chest. I stood frozen, unable to move or breathe as I watched the scene in front of me.

"And here comes the star of the show." Someone said and then burst into a belly deep laughter full of mockery.

I knew him. He was James's friend. He had cheered the loudest last night after I said yes when the moon priestess had asked if I accepted James as my mate. He had even danced with me and told James that he was one lucky bastard that had won my heart.

Oh, the irony!

The others whistled, joining in laughing at my misery. I looked around the living room, and my eyes fell on him. 

James. 

He held a glass in hand, leaned against the wall with one leg placed in a lazy manner at the side table while he stared at me with bleak eyes, the usual look of adoration now gone.

I felt a lodge in my throat, but I managed to push it down. I lifted my chin, even though I was burning inside, a broken mess, but I needed an explanation to what was happening.

"What's this, James?" Even to my ears, I could hear my voice tremble.

"Isn't it obvious?" He smirked, his voice dripping with sarcasm and mockery. He pushed himself off the wall and stride lazily towards me. "Just showing my pals here how easy it was to bag you." Then he winked, making the others jeered. "What a nasty slut you are!"

The video on the screen was still playing. Now it was showing our intimacy last night. How I'd begged him to take me like a good girl. 

"Yes, fuck me, daddy. I'm going to be a good girl." The audio sounded.

My chest clenched tight. I wanted to die, to dissolve. I wanted the ground to open and swallow me. To save me from this humiliation. This nightmare.

"What have I ever done to you?" I cried. A smile. This time, it was huge, nothing short of sarcasm. Nah, he was actually happy, happy to see me cry, something that I never did. The last time I cried was when I held my brother, Ethan, in my hand as he took his last breath. As he told me that love comes at a cost.

It was also the day I vowed never to fall in love. And I should have stayed that way.

James placed his arm around me, his eyes sparkling with joy. "You and I... and everyone here knows that you're in no position to ask such a question."

"Yes." Someone urged. I wasn't able to turn to see who it was.

"Daddy's little princess. Always gets what she wants. So untouchable, out of reach. But someone of wisdom once said, 'when someone thinks they're above your status, break them and let them know that they're nobody.'"

I was pretty sure that no reasonable person would say that.

"So you feel intimidated by me, then?" I spat out, and then he chuckled.

"Intimidated? Maybe. That was before I got to know you. But all of this," he pointed around toward the screen that still hasn't stopped playing, "all of this was for revenge."

He pointed towards a red head. Samuel? Sean? "Remember Seth? Poor Seth had the worst crush on you, and you know what you did to his poor heart?" He shook his head like it was something funny. Maybe it was. He was enjoying torturing me after all.

"Man summoned courage, bared his heart to you and you wrote him a letter informing him you would go on a date with him but what did you do? You stood him up and made a mockery of him." I bit back a chuckle. For a fleeting moment, the memories of that night came to me before it disappeared, bringing me back to reality.

Everything I did, I did it for a reason. A good reason. "Because he couldn't take no." I muttered under my breath, but he ignored me.

"Ben there," he pointed to a male with sandy hair and a crooked nose. He was part of the football team in school, "remember how you made him break up with Thalia?"

He sighed then looked at me. "You know, the lists kept growing. It goes on and on. And trust me, we did have a lot of ideas to carry out our revenge."

"Yeah, we considered a gangbang but hey, the Alpha would skin us alive. We thought of a group beating but then they all ended up with us being caught." And he thinks he would go scot free now? What a joker!

"The best option was to get someone who could bring down those walls, make you fall and then break your heart. I would have done it for free but throw in fifty thousand dollars and that was more than the motivation that I needed."

"It was a good fuck, but hey, I've got my girl back home waiting for me." He gave a sardonic smile. It was like whatever veil was wrapped around my eyes was off. I could see him for who he was. That smile always plastered on his face wasn't adoration for me but one that hid hatred. 

"Since you're now damaged goods and James has his girl back home. Will you let us also have a taste of you?" Ben spoke, "and maybe we can keep this video between us."

They were all smirking. I could see some moving their hands on their semi hardened dicks. James, on the other hand, was still smirking, proud of a job well done.

"Never knew the cold-hearted Kyra was capable of such emotions."

"Right?" They laughed.

James dropped the glass on the center table. "Guys, I think it's time we leave before someone finds us here, and Ben, do whatever you wish with the video." 

They all began to move to the door, leaving like they hadn't just broken my heart. Like they hadn't just laughed in my face. As my tears fell, I didn't even hold them. I let them drop because I knew it, deep within me that as those tears dropped, so would theirs.

My heart was beating hard and heavy. I could feel the anger rooted so deep in my bones, my body trembling. Something deep and dark filled with anger grew inside me.

"You fools!" I heard the words that came out of my mouth. It sounded like me, but at the same time, it didn't. I wanted to see them cry. I wanted them to hurt. I wanted them to feel this pain, humiliation a thousand times more than I did.

"Uh, guys, what's happening?" Seth was the first to see me. I could feel a change in me. Dark, dangerous, hungry. 

I wanted vengeance.

"Is anybody seeing this?" Ben yelled in a frightened tone. The terror in their eyes, the fear in their voice only made me more powerful and fueled the hunger in me.

"She's a witch!" Someone screamed in horror.

"Run!" But they wouldn't go far because I let the darkness consume me, and the powers slithered through my body, flowing out in synchrony with my mind.

It pushed them back, throwing one to the ceiling, another to the railing. I've never felt like this. So powerful. So untouchable.

I tore them, taking them limb by limb until no one was left except James. I walked or rather floated because it felt like that. I floated towards him and I could hear words coming out of my mouth without my lips opening.

"You pathetic excuse of a human!"

"Kyra, I'm sorry." James shivered, and laughter burst out of my mouth, making him cower.

"You know you love me, Kyra. Please don't do this. I promise..." I laughed, cutting him off.

"Whoever has the last laugh, has the best laugh."

"I'm willing to do anything..." I didn't even let him complete his statement before I tore his head from his neck.

The rest of his body fell in a heap. I felt the powers withdrawing, and my legs gave out underneath me.

I was surrounded by blood and gore and dead bodies. My heart was beating fast as the horror closed in on me at full speed.

"Dad, I need your help." I midlinked at the same time the door broke open with a loud bang.