Betrayed, Claimed & Mated On Ice

INTRO

The road stretched endlessly under the night sky, and the bright moon was shining as it cast a silver light on the tarred road. The hum of tires on the road was soothing and was broken only by the occasional chirp of crickets hidden in the dark woods beside the highway. The car they were riding in was a sedan, with a comforting calmness inside it.

“You know, once we get home, you can have that extra slice of chocolate cake,” Richard said with a grin, glancing at his daughter through the rearview mirror.

From the back seat, eleven-year-old Melissa was smiling brightly. Her seatbelt sat snugly across her small frame, her legs curled under her as she hugged her stuffed bunny.

“Really, Dad? Even though Mom said no sweets before bed?” she asked with a giggle.

“Mom doesn’t have to know...” he replied with a side wink. “— because it’ll be our little secret.”

They laughed together, and it was the kind of laugh that felt safe, whole and pure — free from worries whatsoever.

“Can I stay up for one more episode of that show too?” she asked with her eyes wide with hope.

“Now you’re pushing it,” Richard said with a soft chuckle.

“Is that a yes, Dad?” The little girl pouted, hoping for a positive response.

“Uh — let me think...” her father said with raised brows, as if he were really in deep thought as he claimed. “Yeah, I guess that’s a yes — as long as Mom doesn’t have to know.”

“Yayyy...!” The little girl squeaked happily with so much excitement. “Thank you, Dad.”

The man laughed heartily at his daughter’s bubbling happiness, and he breathed in deeply with relief — he couldn’t ask for much because this was already enough for him.

“Dad... Dad, slow down...” Her voice was soft with laughter.

“I’m just teasing, sweetheart. Look, my hands are on the wheel, ten and two. See? We’re perfectly safe.” Richard’s voice was really warm and full of life.

But suddenly, headlights exploded in the distance. They were too bright and blinding — almost making it difficult to see what was ahead. A massive eighteen-wheeler zoomed down the narrow road with its speed unnatural and its roar deafening. Richard’s face fell in a split second.

“What the hell—?” he blurted out in dismay, wondering what could have gone wrong with the driver. But before he could gather his thoughts, the truck swerved directly into their lane.

“Hang on!” he shouted, and Melissa, in response, screamed loudly.

Richard yanked the wheel hard to the right, trying to swerve off the truck’s path, but the tires screeched in protest, and Richard knew better than to panic at the moment. In response, his foot slammed the brake, but nothing happened; there was no resistance as the pedal dropped flat to the floor.

“The brake is not working!” he panicked, and his hands tightened around the steering wheel. “No... no... no, this can’t be. This shouldn’t be happening right now.”

The steering wheel jerked under his grip, fighting him like a wild beast. The car was veering too fast and too close to the edge. The road’s steel railing loomed — before Richard could digest what was going to happen... then — CRASH!

The car slammed into the barrier, releasing a deafening sound at the impact. The windshield shattered like ice, and gravity betrayed them as the vehicle flipped... once, twice... and then it spun violently before landing upside down with a sickening crunch.

Heavy silence fell instantly. Even their breath couldn’t be heard at the moment, as smoke hissed from the crumpled hood. The dashboard was split, with splinters of glass embedded in Richard’s face and arms. His head sprawled forward, blood pouring from a jagged wound on his temple. His body hung limp, crushed between twisted metal and the now-cracked steering wheel.

From the back seat, a fragile moan broke the silence.

“Dad... Dad... Dad...”

Melissa’s voice was soft; despite that softness, it was the total opposite of the cheerful voice that had been heard minutes earlier. She hung upside down in an awkward manner, her seatbelt straining to keep her suspended upside down, and her stuffed bunny was nowhere in sight. Blood trailed from a cut on her forehead, mixing with the tears in her eyes. Her breathing was shallow and labored as she tried to speak again.

“Dad... please... wake up...” She breathed the words out, struggling with the pain and fear that overwhelmed her.

The only answer was the slow drip of something thick hitting the floor. Even the truck was nowhere in sight — there were no headlights, no brakes, and no one stopped either. Only the soft ticking of a damaged engine echoed through the night, and the fragile voice of a child, calling out to a father who would never answer again.

“Dad...”

FIRST INSERTION (1)

The wind blew through the roadside trees. Melissa Taylor tugged her coat tighter around herself as she walked the cracked sidewalk home from class, the fading autumn light painting the sky in purples and golds. Just like every other day, every crunch of dead leaves beneath her boots echoed louder than it should have. This part of town was always too quiet and too hollow. Well, she surprisingly liked it that way because quiet doesn’t judge, and it did not remind her she was the daughter of an Omega, the lowest rank in the pack.

Across the street, her gaze met a mated pair; they were both clearly Betas. She watched as they laughed while piling groceries into a sleek black car. Melissa quickly glanced away as if seeing them was forbidden — she really had to look away before envy could settle in too deep. Well, the poor girl had long stopped dreaming of that kind of life. It seemed as if people like her, daughters of nobodies, weren’t born f