Chapter 4

Leila's pov:

As I stepped into the living room, each step I took was light as I held my breath tight. If I were lucky, everyone would still be asleep, and I wouldn't have to face them.

But luck has never been on my side.

But as I took the first step towards the stairs, I heard a deep male voice crack in my throat, which startled me to the point where I was almost on the floor.

I swirled around and realized that they were all in the living room. My stomach dropped. They were all there. Father, mother, and my sister Iris.

Iris lounged on the couch like a queen, her lips curled into a satisfied smirk. Mother's eyes were dark with venom and father's stare was so heavy that the room became too hot against my skin.

“Look who decided to finally show up!” Mother's voice came through sarcastically, but I could see the darkness in her eyes, and they were consumed with rage.

“Leila, where did you spend the night?” Father's voice came through softly.

“I went to a friend's place.” I lowered my head while fiddling with my fingers, all the while I was trying not to look at Iris, knowing that even just a glance at her, I might not be able to control myself and decide to attack her.

“What happened with you and your sister at the festival last night?”

“Why bother asking her that, isn't it obvious that she was trying to humiliate her sister in front of everyone, all because the Alpha chose her!” Mother snapped.

“Mother! How can you say that? Alpha Ryder and I have been together for a while now, you all are aware that he is my mate, yet Iris was okay sleeping with him, and you blame me for that!”

“It's not her fault that he chose her. Was she supposed to feel guilty about it? Besides, did you ever expect that a lowlife like you would ever become the Luna? You should be grateful he pulled you out of your delusion”

“That is enough!” Father snapped, like he knew her words had pierced hard.

“Come on mother, I am also your daughter. Don't I deserve even a shred of what Iris has? All I ever wanted was Ryder, I didn't ask for much”

I swallowed the spit, hoping it would take the pain along with it.

“Leila that is enough. Both of you were never destined to be together, which is why the moon goddess sent you someone better as your husband!”

“A husband? What are you talking about?”

“I found you someone to help get rid of the pain you feel, you will be getting married tomorrow”

“Getting married?” Even as I repeated the words, it felt to me like the entire world came to a pause, I stopped breathing as my heart was aching and my thoughts began to reminisce about all the effort I put in trying to make my mother proud, hoping that one day she would learn to love me even half as she does with Iris.

But as I stood there, I was reminded again that I was a nobody, just an orphan picked up from the street, and was about to be sold off to a stranger, all because they wanted to get rid of me so I wouldn't interrupt whatever was going on with Iris and the Alpha.

“Who is this man?”

“You are getting married to the Lycan king. Congrats Leila, you will become a Luna just like you have always wanted”

Mother's lips widened into a smirk as she spoke but as my gaze drifted to father, the fear evaded his face.

“The masked Lycan king?” I asked again, hoping that this was a misunderstanding but they nodded their head, agreeing to my words.

“You want to give me up to be killed by the monster who has murdered almost everyone around him?”

My face immediately became pale as my eyes rimmed red and swollen. This was the same man that no one had ever seen, and his face was a nightmare no one ever prayed to encounter. The cursed king who slaughtered an entire village and not to mention, he was a monster no woman has ever survived.

But the people I called my parents for eighteen years were ready to give me to him without a blink.

My legs gave way, and I dropped to my knees. A stream of tears rolled down my cheek while I clung to my father's sleeve, desperation shredding everything left inside of me.

“Please, Father, ask me to do anything else or marry anyone else, but not him. No one would wish the Lycan king even on his enemy, please I am your daughter, don't throw me out to the monster, he will kill me”

My voice broke down as I cried, pleading in desperation with my chest clutched hard.

“I wish there was something that we could do here. But my hands are tied. This is an order directly from Alpha Ryder and we have to obey”

My father spoke as he rose to his feet, and for a moment, there was a flicker of what looked like sympathy in his eyes as he stormed out of there.

Mother's lips curved in triumph as she also rose to her feet.

“Congratulations Leila! You badly wanted to become a Luna, now you will become a queen, if you live long enough”

Both Mother and Iris burst into loud giggles, their voices filling the air as it sliced through me.

****

My gaze was fixed on the mirror, staring at the reflection of myself once I was done getting ready for my wedding.

I had spent the night before the wedding pleading with my father, but there was nothing he could do. The Lycan king chose me but I had no idea who he was or why he would even choose me.

While I was still engrossed in my thoughts, the door swung open, and Iris stormed in, dressed in a lace gown, which made her look like a princess, and one would think that she was the one getting married.

“Oh, sister! You look so pretty, never did I imagine that you would end up with a king that has to conceal his face filled with maggots, after all these years that you paraded yourself as the soon-to-be Alpha wife”

She let out a loud giggle, no doubt that she was enjoying every bit of the mockery.

“How I wish you were going to be here and see how the Alpha marks me as his and his Luna, but you might be dead by then or infected with whatever curse the Lycan jong has”

She continued to taunt me with her words and even though I was hurting so badly to the point where it felt like I would collapse, I chose to ignore her.

“You must have thought all this year that Alpha Ryder loved you!” She giggled again and this time, the sound of her voice was interrupted as someone walked in.

He was one of our family guards. He stood at the door, and his gaze was fixed on me.

“Miss Leila, the Lycan is here and you are requested to come down”

“Sure,” I forced a smile on my face. Iris clapped her hands in excitement. This was the first time I had ever seen her so excited.

“I guess I should head downstairs first and see the King in person, good bye sis, not sure you are going to last a day in his home”

She slammed the door shut as she walked out. Once it was just me inside the room, I fell and broke down into tears, my heart was filled with pain.

Everything that I did was just to see that I was loved someday by these people I call family, but all of my efforts were in vain; they would never love me or see me as a family member.

I have no idea what awaits me in the hands of this brutal King, but it was my fate now and I was ready to face it.

As soon as I strode down the stairs, my legs trembled as I came to a halt, giving in to this familiar scent. I recognize the minty scent, just like the night I had surrendered myself to a stranger.

I lifted my gaze to meet that of the Lycan king standing before me, and every drop of blood drained away from my face.

Standing before me with so much power and a dark shadow was the Lycan king, the stranger who gave himself to whom I thought I would never see again, but maybe fate had other plans for me.