Page 47 of A Chance at Love for the Twin Alphas

For a moment, it feels like I lost any sense of time and orientation.

Arman!Khaldun calls towards me, sounding unusually desperate.

I close my eyes, feeling how my knees buckle and my legs give in. My head feels dizzy; a throbbing headache starting to form. I’m remotely aware of my surroundings changing, the beeping of the hospital room reaching me again. A pair of hands prevents me from falling off the chair before the world goes black around me.

17

The Price of Power

*ARMAN*

Ipressmylipstightly together, not to scream in pain, while Alpha Colton’s whip cuts through the air and bites into the flesh of my back.

“I take you and your sister in as if you were my own children, and this is how you thank me?” he hisses.

I’ve voiced my concern about how he treats the slaves, and he didn’t like it. Not one bit. My wolf has only recently awakened when I turned seventeen a few months ago, not enough to heal me in time before the next lash comes down.

He has hit me before. I’m used to him using his leather strap on my back, but this is the first time he actually whips me. He has dragged me to the dungeons where he punishes the warriors, having my arms chained and tugged up towards the ceiling to keep me in an upright position. At least he doesn’t whip us publicly like he does with the slaves and omegas. I should probably be thankful for not being humiliated.

Goddess, how I hate this man.

Only my contempt and hatred make me cling to my pride now while he keeps stripping my back of its skin. I want to beg for him to stop; I want to cry and scream, but I don’t, keeping my lips shut tightly. He seems to grow angry at my defiance, each of his lashes stronger than before, until I don’t even feel the pain anymore.

He tosses the whip aside, approaching me in long strides, grabbing me by my hair, and pulling my head back. “Next time you question me or my decisions, I will do this with your sister instead. Do you hear me?”

I hiss in pain as his fingers dig into my scalp. I can’t endanger Leila. My pride isn’t worth it. “Yes, Alpha,” I breathe out.

“Good.” He lets go of me and undoes the chains, making me drop to the ground. He doesn’t care, though, and doesn’t help me either. Instead, he stares at me through his dark, hateful eyes. I notice a glint in them. “At least you’re strong,” he says, and I feel sick at his words of approval. “My son keeps screaming like a baby whenever I beat him. But I will make sure to beat the weakness out of him and make him a real man.”

With that, he turns around and leaves, my heart aching slightly for his child. He is younger than I am, and Colton is merciless in his wrath. I gasp for air while I try to get up again, feeling blood running over my back and down my thighs.

Fuck, I have no strength left.

I don’t know how long I’ve been lying there, but eventually, light footsteps come closer. My sister’s scent fills my nostrils.

“Go away,” I huff. “It’s dangerous here.”

“Shut up,” she hisses. “Oh Goddess, Arman, what did he do to you?”

She tugs at something, ripping a piece off her dress, and tries to dry my wounds. She turns her head, whispering slightly with a second woman. It’s the head of the slaves and omegas, Colton’s secret mate, whom he denounced and enslaved but couldn’t get rid of. She is always trying to watch out for the slaves.

A kind woman.

The voices of Leila and her get more distanced, though, and instead of their touch, I can feel something else.

Tingles shoot through my body as I wake up with a gasp.

It’s just been a dream. A nightmare. The fucking price I pay whenever I use my gift. It brings forward my bad memories and makes me live through them again. Colton whipping me is a favorite, I think bitterly.

“It’s alright,” a gentle voice reaches me.

I don’t even hesitate a second and bury my head in her arms. Harmony brushes through my hair while holding me in her embrace. “You’re safe,” she says softly. “I’m here.”

Her presence makes me slowly regain my memory. “Where are we?” I mutter. “I remember I was in hospital with the others, and then I took a dive into this lady’s mind.”

I feel drained when I sit up, looking right into Harmony’s light brown eyes. She looks both worried and slightly angry. I reach out my hand to touch her cheek. “What did I do that angered you, my beautiful rose?”

“Seriously, Arman?” She furrows her brows. “You went far too deep into this woman’s mind. You collapsed and wouldn’t wake up again. Anthony, Henry, and the others called Alpha Elden in a panic, who sent his warriors to get you and the others and bring them to Silverlake. While they were on it, they also covered for you in the hospital so they wouldn’t call the police. Cassiopeia is here in Silverlake pack too now.”

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