Snake Mate Chapter 2

Crack.

The whip lashed down.

"That is for disrespecting your mate."

My vision went black. A sickening cocktail of numbness and burning agony ripped a loud, ugly sob from my throat.

Gideon did not stop her. Instead, he grabbed the thick hide ropes from the wall and tied my wrists and ankles to the stone bed.

He stood above me, staring down at my tear-stained face with zero emotion.

"Keep going."

Before I could even process the pain or beg for mercy, a blinding sting slapped across my mouth.

Sienna had whipped my face. She smiled down at me, her eyes dancing with vicious glee.

"Hold still, Aria."

"Gideon is your mate. He specifically asked me for a favor, and I am not going to let him down."

"That one is to teach you not to hurl insults."

The vine rose and fell again.

This time, it struck my breasts.

I screamed. The flesh went completely numb before exploding into radiating fire.

"That one is for being weak and forcing your mate to waste his time hunting down soft pelts just to clothe you."

Then came the second strike. And the third.

Across my waist. Down my thighs.

Every strike came with a self-righteous lecture.

My body convulsed violently. I looked up at Gideon through a veil of tears, my voice breaking.

"It hurts. Gideon, please, it hurts so much. Let me go..."

His eyes were dead. He did not flinch.

My heart turned to ash. It felt like a massive boulder had been dropped onto my chest, dragging me down into a dark, suffocating abyss.

Sienna raised her arm again.

The rough vine hovered over my pale, bruised thigh.

"This one is to teach you..."

A low, thunderous voice suddenly echoed through the room.

"Enough."

I lay there, soaked in cold sweat, barely able to keep my eyes open.

Gideon had finally decided to intervene.

He stared intensely at me, untying the thick ropes. His voice was a dangerous rumble.

"Do you understand your mistakes now, Aria?"

I did not answer. Swallowing the bile and the pain, I forced myself to stand. My legs shook violently as I walked silently toward the door.

As I brushed past him, his suppressed anger flared again.

"Not speaking? Do you want another round?"

I stopped. I raised my hand and slapped him directly across the face with every ounce of strength I had left.

My throat was raw and shredded from screaming.

"If you love Sienna so much, go be her mate."

"I hate you."

The slap did not even leave a mark on his jaw. But my own palm burned like it had been pierced by a thousand needles.

Still, Gideon froze. I had never raised a hand to him in my entire life.

He was so shocked he forgot to grab me. He just darkened his expression and threw one last threat at my back.

"You are making a huge mistake, Aria!"

My chest felt hollow. I shoved past the doorframe and stumbled out into the cold air, dragging my broken body back to my own little hut.

I had not slept there since Gideon brought Sienna in to break me.

Thank the gods, my things were still there.

I dug through a dusty pile in the corner and pulled out a small wooden carving of a coiled snake.

It was given to me by a boy from the Viper Scale Clan during my first few weeks in this world.

He had shadowed me for days. No matter where I went, he was there, completely ignoring Gideon’s lethal glares.

But I was terrified of snakes. The moment I looked into his vertical, golden irises, I would start hyperventilating. I could not even bear to stand near him.

When he realized my fear was genuine, his eyes lost their light. He stopped following me after that.

But before he vanished, he pressed this wooden carving into my hand.

He told me that if I ever needed a way out, all I had to do was snap the wood in half. He would find me within three days.

I took it in a daze back then and hid it from Gideon.

I never thought the day would actually come where I would need it.

Compared to the slithering monsters I used to fear, looking at Gideon’s face was infinitely worse.

I traced the grooves of the wooden snake with my thumb. Then, without a second thought, I snapped it in two.

Staring at the broken pieces, a wave of profound relief washed over me. I started gathering whatever I could carry.

It was not much.

A few worn-out tunics. Some cheap bone trinkets.

Ever since Sienna showed up, Gideon had stopped bringing me gifts. Even the fresh kills and the sweet berries he used to gather just for me were now handed directly to her.

He was acting more like her mate than mine.

But it did not matter now. Three days. I just had to survive three more days.

Goodbye, Gideon.

Actually, no. See you never.

I was just letting out a shaky breath when Sienna strolled through my door.

She looked at my bruised, pathetic state, a nasty smirk playing on her lips.

And then, she said something that made my blood run cold.

"For a girl from Earth, you are incredibly useless."