Her Revenge Contract

Katherine POV A horrific burning sensation rippled through my body as the first lash of the whip came in contact with my bare back. Right after that, the second, third and fourth came... The ice-cold whip lashed against my skin until it tore open. I clenched my teeth together and refused to scream or give in to the pain. My ears rang inside my head...and my body trembled helplessly through the unbearable pain.  "Katherine, you do know you will never be able to outrun the pack... because you are a fragile human..." the familiar woman's voice came from my right. My aunt had been pestering me for the last couple of days, after my parent's death, to sign over the pack and businesses to my father's brother, and Beta, John. When I rejected them, they figured out a way to test me. And once I quit halfway, they would take this chance to declare to the pack that I was incompetent to lead them. "... and a human cannot rule over the biggest and strongest pack in the North... no one will respect you..." she sneered. From the day of my seventeenth birthday, it became clear to me that I was different from them. I had never shifted into a beast, and my wolf had never come to find me. But so what? The pain in my back had now become only a numb feeling, and my mind slowly gave into darkness... "Kate, why do you have to be so stubborn?" my aunt's voice echoed in my ears, "I am saddened to see you like this..." "If you sign the share transfer letter, I promise that you will not suffer any more harm, and you will have enough food and clothing for the rest of your life, and continue to be your noble darling daughter of your father..." Dazed and disoriented, I slowly lifted my head, in search of my aunt's gaze, and found her once soft green eyes, hard and cold.  I was even more sure they were responsible for my father's death. If I signed that document, I would lose everything my family left me. I couldn't help but give my aunt a mocking smile. "Over my dead body," I hissed through the unbearable pain, "I would rather die than sign the share transfer document." I watched as my aunt's face darkened. "I thought you would say that!" She whispered with a vile smile on her red lips. Then, she turned her head and nodded her head toward the window, and someone rushed in with a syringe in his hands. The prick of the needle sent an unimaginable burning feeling down my arm, and I hissed out in agony... In the next moment, my eardrums began to buzz, and my sight began to blur, and before I could fight against the pain, everything around me went dark again... I woke with the smell of the forest around me and the roar of deep and dangerous water close by. I dragged my heavy eyelids open and blinked numerous times, adjusting my eyes against the blinding sunlight.  Looking around, I was sitting in something that seemed to be a wheelchair as someone pushed me forward. With every step forward, the terrifying roar of the ocean sounded closer. "Where are you taking me?" I croaked through the dryness of my throat. I tried to force myself up in a sitting position, yet my arms and body didn't comply with my request. Fear rose in me as I struggled, moving my head from side to side. "It's too late to be afraid now," my aunt's cold voice sounded behind me. "Did you think that if you didn't sign I wouldn't find another way to get rid of you?" she asked, sounding excited as she pushed me closer to the edge of the cliff. "As soon as you fall to your death, your father's shares will automatically be transferred to his closest living relative, which is your uncle..." I could hear the rumbling waters below. The fall will be at least 350 feet before I reach the water... She grinned her teeth, and then sighed again, coming to a stop about ten feet from the edge. "Well, this is goodbye Kate. Send my regards to your dead parents." My aunt let go of the wheelchair and it started to move forward. I was rendered powerless to struggle against the effects of the injected drugs. When the sense of weightlessness came, I only then noticed that I was thrown from the wheelchair down the cliff.  I stared intensely at the arrogant face on the cliff, never forgetting this vicious murderer who killed my family. At the last moment, I swore that in my next life, I would take revenge for my family. Saltwater filled my mouth, making it difficult to breathe. Was this how I was going to die? Xavier's POV It was early Saturday morning when my Beta, Greyson, and I went on a hunting expedition to blow off some needed steam after a busy week at work. My wolf, Ray, has been restless the last couple of days and wanted to have a good run. Ray took over my body and shifted into a fierce and strong beast. "Ready?" I mind-linked. "For sure, alpha!" Greyson yapped excitedly. And so, we started running and leaping, like two shadows darting through the dense forest. It wasn't until we reached a river that separated us ahead that we reluctantly came to a stop. This river was the boundary between two major packs, and we had previously made a treaty before and we could not cross it into each other's territory. We simply took a few sips of the sweet river water, relieving the dryness in our throats. Suddenly, a horrific scream echoed through the mountains, sending shivers down my spine and making it hard to breathe for me. Before I could register what I was hearing, Ray ran as fast as he could to search for the source of the scream near the river. "What is going on?" Greyson, mind-linked, bewildered. "I don't know..." I answered. My words died off when I saw a body floating in the water, and Ray jumped into the river, swimming after it. Ray managed to grab hold of a piece of clothing and started dragging the helpless body from the water toward the river bank. "It's a girl," Greyson gasped, surprised as he pulled the body from the water. Greyson immediately started to work on the girl and checked for a pulse. Then he started to do CPR on her. As I gazed upon the girl's face, in that moment, it felt as if my heart had completely stopped beating. "Mate," Ray yapped excitedly in my mind... Her long lashes trembled slightly as teardrops rolled down her cheeks. Her rosy lips were slightly ajar, leaving little doubt as to her captivating beauty.  However, I knew that the feeling I was experiencing was not because of her beauty, but rather - the taste! The sweet and aromatic flavor of cocoa and cookies! Never before had I smelled such an enticing aroma!  I knew this beautiful creature was made for me and was now on the brim of dying. "Greyson, I'm sure this girl is my mate!" Greyson looked back at me in astonishment, but after confirming that I wasn't joking, he nodded and continued with the rescue. My mind filled with the roar of a wolf, my heart racing uncontrollably. "She's breathing," Greyson yelled out proudly.  I hurriedly bent down next to the girl, carefully picked her up in my arms, and started running towards the truck. The drive back home didn't take long, and as soon as Greyson stopped the truck, the doctor waited for us in the foyer. I carefully carried the girl to the guest room on the top floor, allowing the doctor to provide medical treatment. "Alpha," the doctor said after a while, "she's fine for now, but the girl you found appears to be human..." Human? Why would a human end up there? "And, she has suffered severe injuries. These wounds can be fatal if they become infected." My heart pinched hurtfully in my chest and anger flared up inside me. Whoever did this to my mate would be severely punished! Shortly after, Greyson's mate, Kelly, came to my place with a few clothes. "Kelly's here to give the girl a change of clothes," Greyson said, "and make her comfortable." Kelly came out in a few minutes, her expression carrying a hint of seriousness. "Alpha, do you know the girl lying in your guest room is Katherine King?" She asked and waited for a response. "Katherine King?" I repeated, enjoying the name that moved between my lips. "Yes," Kelly continued, "she is the heiress of King Enterprises now that her parents were..." "Killed in a vehicle accident..." I finished Kelly's words. I had read about the vehicle accident on the news, yet I couldn't put my head around it. The chances of wolves dying in car accidents were extremely slim, and I had a bad feeling about the so-called accident... I pulled my phone out of my pocket and typed Katherine's name, and sure enough, it truly was the girl in the guest room. I couldn't help myself moving my thumb over her bright and spotless smile when I found a clear and decent photo of her. Just then, I caught sight of a recently published article about Katherine. It said that a few hours ago, the heir of King Enterprises died in an accidental fall from a cliff.