Defiance

Charis

The day I knew I'd had enough was the day I didn't cry.

My father's belt lashed across my body countless times—my ribs, my face, the soft places that wouldn't show when I was presented to Darian Blackmoor like a prize mare at auction.

I'd learned to cry on command, to break just enough to satisfy his rage while keeping the pieces of myself where he couldn't reach them.

But today, when his knuckles split the skin across my cheekbone and the familiar taste of blood filled my mouth, something inside me died.

No tears. No pleas. No promises to be better, to try harder, to somehow atone for the sin of surviving when my twin brother didn't.

Because fourteen years of being blamed for Caden's death had finally taught me the truth: I would never be forgiven for the crime of being born, of surviving the rogue attack when he'd taken his last breath, of carrying the guilt of a choice I'd never made in an event I couldn't remember.

And I was tired of apologising for being alive.

The sound of shattering glass echoed through the dining room as my father's fist connected with the cabinet door beside my head. Splinters rained down on my shoulders, but I didn't flinch. I'd learned long ago that showing fear only made it worse.

"You worthless little bitch," he snarled, his breath reeked of whiskey and rage. "Do you have any idea what you've cost me?"

I kept my eyes fixed on the floor, studying the worn wooden planks that had witnessed too many of these moments. The broken plate at my feet—the one my father had flung at me in his rage because I bit Darian Blackmoor, who was trying to force himself on me.

"Answer me!" his hand cracked across my cheek again, followed by my mother's distressed cries.

"You'll kill her, Silas… please," she tried to hold him, but he shoved her away, closing the distance between us.

"I'm sorry, Father." The words tasted like ash in my mouth. "It was an accident."

"Accident?" he grabbed a fistful of my platinum, blond hair, yanking my head back until I was forced to meet his cold, grey eyes. "Everything about you is an accident, Charis. A mistake that's been nothing but a burden since the day you were born."

The pain in my scalp was nothing compared to the ache in my chest. My wolf stirred restlessly beneath my skin, wanting to fight back, to defend us, but she remained silent. No matter how much I called to her, how desperately I needed her strength, she couldn't answer. Couldn't shift. Couldn't save us.

She was a Shadewolf and was born dormant.

"Three weeks," he continued, his grip tightening. "In three weeks, you'll finally be useful for something. Alpha King Theron has been generous enough to accept my proposal for his son to marry you, despite your…deficiencies. How dare you go there and cause trouble?"

"He was trying to force himself on me," I said quietly.

My father scoffed, looking at me with a mixture of disbelief and dismissal. "That's all?"

I didn't say a word.

"Why didn't you just let him fuck you? It's not like you're still a virgin." His lips curled in disgust. "Besides, you'll both be married soon. What's the big deal?"

I remained quiet.

"You will not embarrass me," he continued, his voice dropping to a dangerous whisper. "You will smile, you will be grateful, you will give him your body, over and over until he's tired, and you will do exactly as you're told. For once in your pathetic life, you'll serve a purpose."

He released my hair abruptly, and I stumbled backwards, falling to the ground.

"Get up," he snarled. "The Alpha King and his family would be here soon to finalise the Joining Ceremony. You will not embarrass me."

I pushed myself up from the floor, tasting blood and feeling my split lip throb with each heartbeat. But instead of the familiar cowering position I'd perfected over the years, I stood tall and met his cold, grey eyes directly.

"No."

The word hung in the air between us like a declaration of war.

My father's face went through a series of expressions—shock, disbelief and then a fury so pure it made his previous violence look like gentle parenting.

"What did you say?"

"I said no." My voice was steady, calm, nothing like the broken whispers he was used to hearing from me. "I won't marry Darian Blackmoor. I won't be sold off like a broodmare to secure your position with the Alpha King. And I'm done pretending that any of this is for my good."

The backhanded slap that followed was harder than anything he'd ever given me before. My head snapped to the side, stars exploding across my vision, but I didn't fall. I refused to crumble. Instead, I turned back to face him with blood dripping from my nose.

"You ungrateful little bitch," he hissed, advancing on me. "After everything I've done for you, everything I've sacrificed to make you useful despite your defects—"

"Defects?" I laughed, and the sound was bitter. "You mean the fact that I have a wolf but cannot communicate with it, or cannot shift? That I'm wolfless in every way that matters to your political ambitions? Or are you talking about the fact that I dared to survive when Caden didn't?"

His face went white with rage. "Don't you dare—"

"What? Say his name?" I stepped closer, my anger breaking free after years of suppressing it. "Caden would be disgusted by what you've become. What you're trying to turn me into. He loved me and protected me, even in the face of danger. He wouldn't want this for me."

"He's dead because of you!" he yelled. "That rogue wolf should have killed you, it should have torn you to pieces and not my precious boy. He died so you could live, and this is how you repay that sacrifice?"

The accusation made my eyes water with tears, but I refused to let it fall.

"I was three years old, Father," I said quietly. "I was only three when you decided I was a murderer. Three years old when you decided I owed you a lifetime of penance for something I had no control over. What could I have done? Fight a Rogue wolf?"

"You owe me everything," he growled, grabbing a fistful of my hair and yanking my head as he shook me. "Your life, your future, your body—all of it belongs to me until I decide otherwise. And I've decided you're going to marry Darian Blackmoor and seal the alliance that will make our pack the most powerful in the Southern territories."

"Then you'll be disappointed," I said, my voice steady despite the pain shooting through my scalp. "Because, I'd rather die than spend my life as that monster's breeding stock."

His grip tightened until I could feel individual hairs being torn from my scalp. "Death can be arranged."

"The threat was spoken softly, casually, like he was discussing the weather. And in that moment, looking into his cold eyes, I realised he meant it. If I couldn't be useful to his ambitions, I was expendable.

"Father, let go of me," I said quietly.

"Or what? You'll fight back?" He laughed dryly. "You can't even shift, you pathetic little Shadewolf. What could you possibly do to me?"

"Mom!" I turned to my mother, who was hovering behind him, looking helpless. "Tell him to let me go."

"You will marry Darian Blackmoor or wait..." he paused, then continued in a mocking tone. "Are you not over that fool yet? Did carrying his pup make you lose your mind?"

Something inside me broke. The mention of him—of the child—ignited a flame smouldering for too long.

Instead of answering, I did something I'd never done before. I stopped trying to pull away from his grip and instead stepped closer, bringing my knee up hard and fast between his legs.

The sound he made was somewhere between a scream and a growl as he doubled over, releasing my hair to clutch at himself. He recovered fast enough and was about to retaliate when I planted both hands on his chest and pushed.

My father flew across the room as if he were shot from a cannon, crashing into the opposite wall with enough force to crack the plaster. He slumped to the floor in a daze.

The room fell silent. I just stood there frozen, shocked by the strength I had just displayed.

I wanted to rush towards him and tell him how much I was sorry, but my feet couldn't move. I watched as he slowly pushed himself up from the ground. For several heartbeats, he stared at me blankly while I braced myself for the worst.

Without another word, he turned and walked out of the room, the door closed with a quiet click that somehow sounded more final than any slam could have.

My mother rushed to me immediately, her eyes were wide with fear and tears.

"Charis!" she cried out. "What have you done? Quick, go after your father and tell him you're sorry."

I shook her off and reached for my heavy evening gown, slipping it back on my body. This time I didn't bother with the zip.

"I'm going to my room," I murmured, trying to walk past her.

"Going to your room?" my mother stammered. "You just pushed…"

"I know what I did, Mom!" I sighed. "Please, I just want to rest. I've heard a long night sucking up to the Blackmoor's."

"But…" My mother tried again.

"Goodnight, mother!" I whispered, hurling my heavy gown as I started for the stairs that led to my room.

Whatever happened next, nothing would ever be the same again.