Athaliah Kensington's Pov.

"I could not walk for two months after that. I couldn't even my finger without whimpering in pain. And whenever I somewhat felt better, I was beaten up again till I lose consciousness."

"How did you escape?" I looked up to see Zephyrus who asked this question, clenching and unclenching his fingers.

I noticed that Reuben's face has lost all it's color. Royce had to hold him while himself blinking and gulping.

Ezekiel had still his hands wrapped around my hands and Aldric has holding me sideways.

Kaelen was sitting on the floor with his back leaning against the couch. He looked like he would burst out of tears anytime.

"I tried to escape many times. But every time, I was caught. And the punishment was harsher than the before."

Flashback

My body aches with every step, every movement feeling like a punishment. Bruises bloom across my skin, dark and swollen, remnants of the beating I had endured before I even thought of trying to escape. My face is cut, one eye swollen shut, a steady trickle of blood drying on my lip. But none of it matters. I can barely think of anything but the need to run, to get out. The pain is a dull hum, background noise to the terror pushing me forward.

My legs feel like jelly, trembling with exhaustion, yet I force myself to keep moving. Each step is a reminder of the brutal thrashing I had taken—those cruel hands, the laughter, the cold words they'd spat at me. I remember the blows to my ribs, the rough shoves that sent me crashing to the floor, but most of all, the looks in their eyes. The indifference, like I was nothing more than a game to them.

But now, I am running again. I won't stop. The thought is all I have left.

I stumble down the same corridor I have been down a thousand times, but this time, the walls seem closer, the air heavier. My breath comes in short, ragged gasps, the bruises on my ribs screaming with every inhale. I can feel the blood still pooling in my veins, sluggish and thick, weighed down by fear and pain. But I keep going.

My pulse is loud in my ears. The footsteps behind me are louder, creeping closer with every second. I know they're getting closer—those men, those things. They move like predators, but I know now that they've been toying with me from the beginning. The slow, deliberate pace. The way they know exactly how far to let me go, how long to let me hope.

The door is ahead. Just a little farther. I reach for the handle, fingers slick with sweat and blood, and throws it open with a gasp of relief. But it's the same cold, empty room. The same despair. I have fallen into their trap again.

The door slams behind me, and I turn, too late.

They're here. The monsters in human flesh. One of them smiles, the same sickening grin that's haunted me for as long as I can remember. His eyes are hollow, his face gaunt and twisted, but he knows. He knows my weakness. My pain.

"Baby, I am preying on you tonight.

Hunt you down eat you alive

Just like animals,

Maybe you think that you can hide

I can smell your scent for miles"

He again started singing that song. His favourite song. He thinks I am a prey.

I tried to move, tried to get away, but my body won't listen. It's too beaten, too broken. I stumble, my knees buckling beneath me as I fell to the floor with a sickening thud. My vision sways, a haze of blood and exhaustion clouding my mind.

A hand grips my shoulder, icy and unyielding, lifting me effortlessly from the floor. My body is limp, too far gone to fight back. I can feel his breath on my neck, cold and heavy.

"You know, lavender. You can never escape me. Then why do you even try?" He said with his sickening voice. His face so close to mine.

"You killed them." I shouted at him.

"You burned them alive in front of my eyes." I continued. "How could you?" I asked, feeling my tears coming down on my cheeks.

"They were kids. And you..You...you tortured them and gave them the most painful death." I screamed in pain.

"Lavender, they were becoming more liability for me than being an asset. You were too attached with them. I had to show you what will happen if you get close to anyone else rather than me." He said with a voice that contained no remorse. No guilt for what he had done.

"Take her to the room." He said to his men.

"No...leave me. I SAID LEAVE ME.. Leave me." I thrashed in their hold but they paid no heed to my pleadings. They dragged me like I was an animal.

In a kind, I was. An animal. They made me. He made me an animal just like him.

After I was dragged to 'the room', I was thrown rather too harshly on the floor. My previous wounds hurting more than ever. This is a torture room that he made especially for me. To discipline me. To hear my screams and relish them.

The air in this room is thick with the stench of sweat and blood, the oppressive silence only broken by the sound of my ragged breathing. In a swift motion, my hands are bound tightly above my head, the ropes biting into my raw wrists, and my feet barely touch the ground. I am trembling, my body trembling from exhaustion and fear, but there's no escape, no end in sight.

The room around me is cold, cruel, its stone walls unyielding and unforgiving. A single light flickers above me, casting long, warped shadows that dance like monstrous figures on the walls. I can hear their footsteps before I see them—slow, deliberate, like the rhythm of a clock ticking down to the moment of my destruction.

One of the men steps forward, his face a mask of cold indifference. His eyes flicker with something darker, something predatory, as he surveys my battered form. I am already broken. Bruised, bloodied, and raw from earlier beatings. But they're not done yet. They never are.

I know he is watching me. He must be having a sick smirk on his face, watching me whither in pain.

A man steps closer, his hands rough as they tear at my clothes, exposing the fresh, deep cuts crisscrossing my skin. The whip-like scars from past punishments are still visible, a permanent reminder of my torment. My body is trembling, but it's not from the cold. It's from the anticipation of what's to come. I know they'll push me to the edge, and beyond.

The first strike is swift, the lash of something sharp across my back, a jagged pain that rips through my muscles and skin, dragging a scream from my throat. Blood wells up, hot and sticky, trickling down my spine. But it's not enough. Not yet.

Another strike, this time across my chest, and I feel the raw sting of the flesh opening beneath the brutal force. My vision blurs as the pain intensifies, my entire world reduced to the sharp edges of agony. But they're not stopping. They never do.

Hands grip my hair, pulling my head back to expose my throat. I can feel the cold metal against my skin, something sharp and unforgiving. The anticipation in the air is thick—my heart races as the edge of the blade touches my skin, not deep enough to kill, but just enough to make me feel the razor-thin line between life and death. They want to hear me beg. To hear me scream.

But I don't. I won't give them that satisfaction.

The man in front of me smiles, an expression so twisted it sends a chill down my spine. He enjoys this.

The pressure against my throat increases, the metal dragging just enough to make me feel it, to make me fear it. And then, without warning, he pulls the blade away, leaving me gasping for breath. The torment isn't physical, not just yet. It's the mental cruelty—the anticipation, the way they push me to the brink of madness before giving me a moment of false relief, only to snatch it away again.

But now comes the worst part.

They take their time, each strike calculated, each moment a reminder that there's no escape, no end to this torment. My limbs are stiff from the pain, my body fighting against the overwhelming fatigue, but there's no reprieve. There's no mercy.

As the minutes stretch into hours, my mind begins to fragment. I can barely hear my own thoughts over the rising roar of pain. My screams become hoarse, my voice nothing more than a broken rasp. They don't care. They need me to scream. They enjoy it like it is their first meal.

In the end, the torture isn't just in the physical wounds, the blood soaking into my skin, or the bone-deep agony of each lash. It's the psychological destruction—the way they break me down piece by piece, until I am nothing more than a shell, a shadow of who I once was. It's the knowing that they will never stop, that there's no end to the pain. That they will keep me alive, keep me suffering, for as long as they choose.

And when they finally leave me, I fell limp on the ground. Barely breathing. Barely feeling anything. Even my heartbeat.

Flashback ends

"Oh god!" Kaelen exclaimed and I saw his cheeks are covered with tears now. Every new one replacing the old one.

I took a deep breath and continued,

"There were times when I tried to kill myself. I even succeeded, but he saved me. Saying that only he has the right to end my life."

"How could someone do that to a child?" Ezekiel said and held his tears back from streaming down.

"That was not the worst. He did a lot of things to me. He broke me physically, mentally, emotionally and psychologically. He burned my friends alive in front of me. I was just a living dead body by then. He made me a killing machine just like he wanted."

"But then I met dad. He used to send me on a lot of missions to test my capability and loyalty towards him. I met dad on a mission. He gave me a hope to return back to a normal world. And he kept his promise of bringing me back to the life."

"How old were you when you met Cronus Valkryie?" Aldric asked.

"I was twelve when I finally escaped him. I went to dad and there I met mom. The initial years were hard on me. I didn't even want to get out of my room. But dad and mom helped me."

"When you were imprisoned, did he... were you.." I have never seen Aldric hesitating so much. But I knew what he wanted to ask.

I sighed and replied,

"I was sexually assaulted many times, but it never went too far. He just wanted me all to himself once he made me his weapon."

"Do you remember their names or anything? The ones who dared to touch you?" Zephyrus asked, his eyes were dark, like blood red dark. It was like he will kill anyone who comes in his vicinity.

"I have already killed almost all of them. The last one is staying at your warehouse to whom I am soon going to give a visit." I said, internally thinking of ways to torture him.

"No. You will rest first. You need to recover." Aldric said.

I was about to say something when he interrupted, "Or do you want me to bring that doctor here?"

My face turns horrid, and eyes widened.

"No." I shouted. "I will rest. I promise. But don't call him here. He is a real headache."

All the Kensington brothers chuckled a little at this.

Are they enjoying my misery?

"You really killed them?" Royce asked carefully.

"I don't leave the ones who wronged me, free. I killed them in the most brutal way anyone can imagine. They snatched my whole childhood." I said, facing him.

"What about the other kids there?" Aldric asked.

"Before escaping, I freed mostly all of them. I set that place on fire before leaving."

"That's like my sister." Zephyrus smirked, like he knew something.

At his response, my little smile dimmed. They don't know a lot of things. I glanced at Aldric. His eyes showing pain. So, I spared them from another heart-wrenching truth.

I turned my eyes away from them.

"My sweetheart has endured so much." Ezekiel said, dramatically and brought his hands forward.

I don't like where this is going.

"Come, give your big brother a hug." He said and came more closer and actually hugged me.

My hands are laying awkwardly between our chest, forming some sort of barrier. My face has turned into an uglier version of me.

"Aww, It's hug time. Let's have a family hug." Kaelen said.

"What? No wait—" Before I could complete my sentence, I felt Kaelen hugging me.

Soon after, I felt more pair of arms and I am cocooned between them.

Okay, what is going on?

"Okay that's enough. Get off of me." I said.

None of them moved.

I am going to murder them in their sleep.

"I will say this one last time. Leave or I will—"

"Your threats are cute like you. But we are not leaving until the hug kicks in." Kaelen said, cutting me off.

"I swear if the hug doesn't kick you, I will. So hard." I tried to threaten them again.

"Reuben, you are literally putting all your weight on me. Get off." Royce complained.

"Shut up. You can bear a little bit off my weight." Reuben said.

"You two are ruining the moment. You both are out of the family hugs. Gey off of us." Zephyrus said.

I didn't peg Zephyrus for a hug person.

"Uh! How about you all leave me?" I tried one last time.

None of them replied. They didn't even make a single sound.

Okay. Hard way it is then.

"Ouch! you are hurting my wounds." As soon as the words left my mouth, everyone got off And I could finally breathe.

I contently sighed, "Talk about heaven."

They narrowed their eyes.

"You lied." Zephyrus said.

"Well, if it gets the job done." I shrugged my shoulders.

"You hug so soft. I love hugging you. I will do that more now." Kaelen jumped enthusiastically.

No.

Not in a million years.

I guess my face expressions gave away my thoughts because I saw them with an amused and evil look.

"You hug just like mother." Kaelen said, suddenly.

The minute he said this, everyone froze. Not knowing how to reply to that.

Aldric cleared his throat and said,

"Athaliah, princess, we are so sorry that you had to go through something like that. And I promise that from now onwards, you will not be alone ever again. Baby, you are so strong. Your strength is inspiring."

"We will hunt those monsters down together and will end them in worst possible way." Zephyrus said.

"Athaliah." Reuben came forward and said, "I am sorry. I know what you had to go through was my fault as well. But I never intended for you to be harmed in any way. I know I can never bring those years back to you but please give me one chance to make everything right."

I stared at him blankly.

"I cannot forgive you, Reuben. I was a child. How could you assume that I killed my own mother. No amount of apology can fix what has been broken. My whole life is ruined." I said, poring all the emotions, anger, pain, longingness.

"I know. I know. I... Please. Give me one last chance to prove myself. I will do anything."

"If you want, earn that chance. But I will not give you any hope. Besides, it was not only you, but all of you were also equally responsible for it." I said, eying all of them.

"Bambina, we thought it was better for you. That dad was thinking for a way that was beneficial for you. Trust me, we all tried to stop him. But he said, you would be happy and need some time as well." Zephyrus said, kneeling beside me.

I scoffed, "Bullshit. If it were true, you would have contacted me in all these years. You didn't and that says a lot."

Kaelen was about to say something when I interrupted,

"Don't speak. Don't even try. So many mornings I woke up confused as to why no one my in my family believe me. But now, I don't care. Do whatever you want. I don't care anymore." I said with anger lacing my voice.

"I promise that we all will earn the second chance from you. We will do anything and everything for you." Royce said.

"Princess, we will try to be our best version for our sister who deserves the best. I give you my words. And I also believe you will feel comfortable enough with us to tell exactly what happened between you mother and father." There was a promise in Aldric's voice when he said this.

I looked away.

"For a starting, I would love to invite Cronus to our house. He saved my sweetheart. We all want to thank him for that. We would like to invite him and his wife." Ezekiel said.

I looked at him way too long before forming an answer.

"I will ask him. But mom cannot come. She is sick." I said.

"Okay then. It is decided. We will have tomorrow's dinner with him." Ezekiel said with a small smile.

I nodded.

"One last question, princess." Aldric said, "What is his name?"

I forced myself to utter the two words that has become my nightmare.

"Kiril Stanislav."

———🌸———

Here is the next chapter guys.

I hope you enjoy it.

Also, I apologize for missing the update. I promise, once I sort out everything, I will post regular;y.

Please do vote and comment a lot.

Your comments give me strength to write more.