EPISODE SIX — SACRIFICIAL LAMB

The next morning 

Mara's POV 

Slowly, my eyes fluttered open to an unfamiliar environment. Sterile ceiling above. Huge chandeliers. Oil painted walls.

This can never be my room. My room was like a storage room, while Mia's room was well furnished like that of a Queen.

Groaning, I pushed myself up and pressed my palms to my face. For a moment, I was disoriented but just as quickly the memories came rushing back; meeting the Alpha that doesn't celebrate Christmas, Mia's arrival and outburst, signing of the contract marriage in the suite, how I had finished the bourbon wine and was dead drunk.

Fuck!

Hope I did not make any mistakes?

The last thing I remembered was singing for him while using the empty wine bottle as a microphone.

I used to love drinking because it makes me free spirited and reckless but I think I should really quit now, especially since I will soon become the Luna of some pack.

Then my eyes widened. Did he fuck me? 

I flung the duvet off me and I was still fully dressed. 

Right… a man like him would have seen far attractive women and I bet he wasn't attracted to me at all.

I walked out of the bed, towards the living room and on the longest couch, he was sleeping there. I walked up to him, crouched lower, eyes soft with admiration as his chest rose and fell.

gods…. he is so beautiful.

All of a sudden, he snapped his eyes open and I jumped to my feet, my cheeks burning. 

I let out a dry cough. “Good morning, Alpha Aldrich,”  I muttered.

“Morning.” His voice was a deep rumble.  He sat up, staring up at me but I quickly averted his gaze.

Awkward silence fell over us. 

“I will leave now because I need to officially break things off with Leon.”

“Good!” He stood and handed me a card. “Call me later. We need to leave to the palace tonight.”

“Okay. Thank you.” I stared at the card name which read Aldrich Valtor. Great Alpha of the BlueMoon Pack.

My eyes widened in disbelief. 

Of course, I have heard about the Alpha of the BlueMoon Pack.

Ruthlessness. Powerful. A billionaire who commands the BlueMoon Reapers MC.

He never forgives nor forgets his enemies. You offend him—he comes for you. He offends you—he still comes for you. 

gods among monsters.

That explained everything; his dressing, his cold gaze, Evander’s frightening personality and it is a miracle that I'm still breathing. 

“The same BlueMoon Pack? The biggest and most influential pack in all of the Eastern coastal regions?”

He nodded. “Is there a problem with that?”

“No.” I never expected that the Alpha would be so young. “I will leave now.”

I grabbed my phone and ran out of the room like I was being chased by some unforeseen forces. 

Outside, I pressed my back against the cold metal door and let out a long exasperated sigh. Why is it so hard to stare at him straight in the eyes?

After I had regained myself, I walked out of the hotel.

——————

The taxi dropped me in front of the mansion that has been my prison for years. I took a shaky breath in and made my way.

Inside the living room was thick with tension. Elena was seated on the couch, her arms wrapped around Mia who was sobbing on her chest.

“You bitch!” Elena spat the moment she set eyes on me. She pushed Mia off her gently, sprang up to her feet and stormed towards me. “Where the hell are you coming from?”

“Why did you care, Elena?” I spat.

Elena's eyes widened; this was the first time I was speaking to her rudely. “What did you just call me?” She gritted her teeth.

“Elena!” I repeated. “Or isn't that your name?” 

“I told you that she has gone crazy, Mom,”  Mia chipped in, walking towards us. “She has been acting differently since we left the spa. She even slapped Leon twice and went to seduce my mate. Now, he has chosen her over me.”

Elena chuckled dryly. “You whore! Is this how I raised you? You seduced your sister's mate while your wedding was in preparation.”

“Wedding?” I repeated, the word that made my stomach churn. “Which part of the wedding is off, don't you understand, Elena?! I'm not interested in becoming Leon's mate anymore, so you better return the mating gifts back to him.”

Elena ran her fingers through her hair, then she took a deep breath in and out. She grabbed my hands and squeezed it softly for the first time ever. 

“I understand that the wedding preparations must be taking a toil on you, Mara and it's absolutely okay for you to feel overwhelmed,” she said with fake sweetness. “But in just a few days, all of these will be over and you will be able to take as much rest as you want.”

I parted my lips to speak but before I could, two maids walked in, carrying a standing hanger at both sides. It was holding my wedding dress.

“The bridal shop has this delivered to Miss Mara,” Amelia said. “Where should we keep it?”

“Put it in my room,” Elena ordered.

The ladies nodded and walked away.

I rolled my eyes in irritation and snatched my hand free from her. “Don't you get it? The wedding is off. I just want to get my things and get the hell out of this place.”

She shook her head. “The wedding can't be off, Mara. What about everything we've prepared?”

“I don't care,” I snapped. “You can let Mia use them. Let her get married to Leon instead.” 

Elena didn't say anything; she just looked like she couldn't wrap her head around it all.

“But I guess you won't be able to do that, since you don't want your real daughter to end up as a sacrificial lamb.”

“What?” Shock flashed in her eyes. “What did you mean by that?”

I was tempted to spill everything, but I won't because that will only complicate things.

“Nothing, just leave me alone.” I turned away, but I felt Mia's hand pulling at my hair tightly. I groaned out as pain coursed through me and I hit her hands weakly. “Leave me alone!”

“Yes, you are a sacrificial lamb,” Mia whispered against my ears. “But you should be grateful that Leon found a nameless, pathetic Omega like you worthy of being his Luna. You have no right to stare at what I want, let alone desire it. Alpha Aldrich Valtor is mine and you, the bitch we housed, would never have him.”. She finally revealed her true colours.

She pushed my head away and I stumbled forward, my forehead hit the wall. 

“Ouch.” A trail of blood slid down my forehead into my eyes, blurring my vision. “You. Fucking. Bitch!” I growled, and snapped my head towards Mia who was grinning devilishly. I raised my hand to hit her and stormed forward but before I could, the guards grabbed either side of my arms.

“Leave me alone!” I struggled against them but all to no avail.

“Lock her up in her room,”  Elena ordered. “She doesn't get to go out until she is ready to walk down the aisle.”

“No! You can't do this to me, Elena.”

The men led me away roughly.

“In fact,” she roared, stopping us. “The maid will get her ready to go to Alpha Leon's chambers tonight. Let him claim her, maybe she will learn what exactly she has been groomed for.”

My chest cracked open.