Chapter 6 Burn This House To The Ground
Katherine’s POV
And just like that, my mother’s palm hitting my cheek echoed through the room.
My head snapped to the side, the familiar heat of a slap blooming across my skin.
Catalina stood over me, her chest heaving, her eyes wild with a sick kind of satisfaction. "There," she hissed. "That’s to remind you that you are still under my roof. You are still the wolf-less, useless girl we have to feed. You don't get to have a voice, Katherine. You only have a duty."
For a second, the old Katherine wanted to cry. She wanted to drop to her knees and apologize just to make the hitting stop.
But I didn't.
I slowly turned my head back. I didn't touch my stinging cheek. I didn't shed a single tear.
I just looked at my mother with a smile that was so cold, her hand—still raised to hit me again—actually began to tremble.
"Is that it?" I asked, my voice terrifyingly calm. "Is that all you have, Catalina?"
"How dare you call me by my name!" she screamed.
"I’ll call you whatever I want," I said, stepping closer until our noses were almost touching. I let her see the deadness in my eyes. "So hit me again. Break my ribs. Lock me in the dark. Do whatever makes you feel powerful tonight."
I leaned in to a whisper that made Sofia flinch in the corner.
"Because tomorrow, Alexander Grey is coming. And when he sees this mark on my face... when he asks me who dared to touch his future Luna... I’m going to point right at you. I wonder if your Beta husband can protect you from an Alpha who skins people alive for less?"
The color drained from my mother’s face. She stepped back as if I had burned her.
"Twenty lashes," my father’s voice boomed behind me.
I didn't even have time to breathe before the guards grabbed my arms. They dragged me toward the stone pillar in the center of the damp, dark hallway.
My silk red dress—the one I had worn to defy Nikolai—was ripped down the back, exposing my bare skin to the freezing air.
The first lash hit like a streak of liquid fire. I gasped, my lungs seizing.
By the tenth lash, the savage queen I had tried to be was gone. I was just a girl again. A girl with no wolf to heal her, no thick skin to protect her, and no one to pull the guards away.
"You’re nothing!" Sofia stood just a few feet away, her eyes wide and glowing with sick pleasure. "Who gave you the right to talk to our parents like that? You think because Alexander looked at you, you’re suddenly a queen? You’re just a wolfless, stupid, Katherine. A mistake that should have died at birth."
"Stop..." I groaned, my forehead pressed against the cold stone. Tears finally broke through, hot and stinging, mixing with the blood on my back. "Sofia... please..."
"Oh, now she begs!" Sofia laughed, stepping closer until she could whisper in my ear. "Where is that brave girl from the banquet? Where is the woman who wanted to marry a beast? Look at you. Crying in the dirt like the pathetic human you are. I’m going to make sure Nikolai forgets you ever existed."
Every lash felt like my soul was being shredded. My strength was failing. I realized then that I couldn't fight them with physical power—not yet. I was wolfless.
If I kept fighting them head-on, they would kill me.
I have to survive the night. I have to play the victim one last time so I can be the executioner tomorrow.
"I'm sorry..." I sobbed, letting my voice crack, making it sound like I was truly broken. I let my body go limp in the guards' grip. "Tell Father... I'll do it. I'll choose Nikolai. Just make it stop... please..."
Sofia smirked, signaling the guard to pause. She grabbed my chin, forcing me to look at her through my tears. "That’s better. I knew you were a coward at heart. I’ll go tell Papa you’ve finally learned your place."
She turned and walked away, her heels clicking happily.
As soon as the door slammed shut, leaving me in the darkness with only the guards, my sobbing stopped.
I wiped the blood and tears from my lips, my eyes turning into shards of ice.
Go ahead, Sofia, I thought, the pain on my back fueling a rage deeper than any wolf's howl. Tell them I broke. Tell them I’m submissive. Because the more you believe I’m a victim tonight, the less you'll expect the nightmare I’m bringing to your door soon.
Francisca’s fingers were trembling as she applied the ointment. Every time she touched a raw lash mark, a jolt of agony shot through my spine.
I bit my lower lip until it bled, refusing to give my parents the satisfaction of hearing me scream again.
"Why can’t you just leave this cruel family of yours and marry any of the brothers?" Francisca whispered, her voice thick with unshed tears. "So you can finally be free? You’ve been so strong to endure all this pain for so many years... but this? This is too much, Miss Katherine."
I stared at the flickering candle on my bedside table. My back was a map of fire, but my heart was cold as stone.
"It's okay, Francisca," I answered calmly. My voice didn't shake. "I’m going to be alright. I’ve survived worse than a whip."
Francisca paused, the vial of medicine clutched in her hand. She looked at me with eyes full of terror. "Then why choose Alexander? You know the stories. He is much worse than Nikolai. Nikolai has no problem in bed... he’s normal. Unlike Alexander, who they say will break your bones or worse... take your breath away."
She leaned in closer, her voice a frightened breath. "He is a beast that cannot be tamed, Miss."
I turned my head slightly, looking at my reflection in the dark window.
"You think Nikolai is 'normal' because he smiles, Francisca?" I asked, "A wolf that smiles before it bites is more dangerous than a beast that growls."
I reached out and squeezed her hand, giving her a look that made her gasp.
"Alexander might break my bones," I whispered. "I’m not looking for a 'normal' man anymore, Francisca. I’m looking for the beast who will help me burn this house to the ground."
Francisca pulled back, her mouth hanging open. She didn't recognize the girl standing before her.
