I stood frozen behind my father as the video played on his phone, the sounds of my own moans filling the heavy silence of the living room.
Layla and Marcus stood right behind him, both grinning like they had just won some twisted prize.
My lips trembled as I tried to speak, but nothing came out. I wanted to ask how he got the video, how it had spread so fast, but I dared not.
The helps around the house disappeared instantly, melting into the shadows because they knew better than to be seen at a time like this.
Layla casually rolled a piece of chewing gum from her mouth to her hand, popping it back in with a smirk.
"The video is all over college, Father," she said sweetly. "A friend sent it to me… and I knew I had to show you what Ivy is up to." That was all it took.
Father's hand shot out fast and he appeared in front within something less than a second.
He grabbed me by the throat, so tight that my feet left the ground, and pain exploded across my neck as he yanked me forward onto the ceiling as though I weighed nothing.
I cried out with tears already streaming down my face as my body hit the ground, but he didn't stop.
He dragged me outside through the back doors into the garden, my knees and elbows scraping painfully against the rough stones and dirt as I begged him to stop, my voice weak and broken.
He roughly tied me against the thick trunk of the old oak tree, the ropes biting deep into my wrists and ankles while Layla followed behind still chewing her gum.
Marcus simply scoffed from the doorway and muttered "crazy bitch" before walking back inside without a second glance.
Father sat across from me on a stone bench, his eyes dark and unreadable as he left me there in the cold night air, shivering and waiting. I already knew what was coming.
The moon was rising slowly, and he was waiting for it to reach its full power so he could transform completely. I prayed for death, but it never came.
My body trembled violently as the minutes stretched on, every bruise already blooming under my skin.
When the moonlight finally covered the garden in silver, the change began. I heard the sickening crack of bones shifting as dark fur grew across his arms and neck.
His face stretched into a snarling muzzle, claws extending like curved blades until he rose fully as a vampire, towering over me.
"You're a whore," he growled, "just like your mother."
The first blow came without warning. A savage backhand split my lip and sent blood across the grass as I screamed. "A disgrace to this family!" he roared, striking again and raking his claws across my ribs until something inside me cracked.
"How do I explain this to the clan?" he shouted, circling me. "You've embarrassed me in front of everyone. That video of my daughter, spreading her legs like a common slut for the whole school to see!"
His claws slashed down my back in long, deliberate cuts.
I thrashed against the ropes, begging him to stop, but my voice only made it worse.
"Please… Father… please stop… I'm sorry…"
He grabbed my throat, lifted me slightly, then slammed me back against the tree again and again until my body weakened.
His fists hit my stomach repeatedly until I vomited blood, while he leaned in and hissed, "You're just like Marcella, exactly like your mother he yelled.
His claws tore across my thighs and chest, and my screams broke into sobs. Layla watched for a while at the edge of the garden, but as it became too much, she stepped back and ran inside without a word.
Eventually, Father stopped. He left me tied to the tree, bleeding and shivering under the cold moonlight, his final warning hanging in the air that the clan must never know the full extent of my "filth."
When the ropes finally loosened, I collapsed. I lay there gasping, every breath painful, the humiliation burning deeper than the wounds. I couldn't stay.
I dragged myself toward the cliff nearby where I had hidden a sharp knife at the edge, its blade pointing upward. One step, one fall, if it pierced my heart, then it would be over.
The wind hit my face as I stood there shaking. I closed my eyes and stepped forward.
But soft arms suddenly wrapped around my waist from behind and pulled me back just before I fell.
I screamed, struggling, as I was dragged away from the edge.
"No! Let me go! Let me die! Please!"