Chapter 38: Reaping Benefits
Inside the forest, Mirian pulled what remained of her tattered clothes around her to cover her privates, tears streaming down her red and swollen eyes.
Xavier, fastening his trousers, glanced at her, looking irritated. "What’s this about? It’s not like it’s your first time, so cut the bullshit," he huffed.
Mirian’s eyes flashed with anger and hurt, her retort heavy on the tip of her tongue, but she bit it back at the last minute, afraid of what he’d do if she went against him. She looked away, her gaze falling on the forest floor as she struggled to compose herself.
Xavier rolled his eyes, his expression disdainful. Once he’d finished dressing, he retrieved a small pouch from his clothing and tossed it at Mirian’s feet. "That should cover your runt family’s expenses for the month," he said curtly, his tone dripping with dismissiveness.
Mirian glanced down at the small pouch, her fingers itching to take it, but after the humiliation, she didn’t want to have anything to do with this man anymore. Yet, desperation clawed at her insides. She thought of her mother, frail and sick, and the coming winter, and the responsibility that weighed on her shoulders.
The memory of Xavier’s brutal grip, the way he’d forced her to submit, made her stomach churn. As he said, it wasn’t her first time with him - that had been stolen years ago, when he was drunk. He’d sworn never to do it again, and for years, he’d kept that promise. Until tonight.
A question still lingered in Mirian’s mind, one she’d never dared to ask: why hadn’t Xavier shifted when he was getting drunk? Their kind only got drunk in human form; once they shifted, the alcohol’s effects dissipated. It was as if he’d wanted to get drunk.
The trauma of that incident had left Mirian shattered, her anger and devastation threatening to consume her. She’d tried to break free, to walk away, but Xavier had brutally demonstrated his power, forcing her back into his grasp. Now, she felt trapped, with no escape, no savior. The urge to kill him had once simmered in her mind, but the consequences of such an act were too terrifying to contemplate.
Xavier’s father was a respected elder in the pack, and her family would be the ones to suffer the repercussions of her actions. The weight of that reality had kept her shackled, a prisoner of fear and circumstance.