Chapter three

Myra's POV:

His touch for some odd reason burned my skin in ways I never expected. I immediately pulled my hand away from him and made my way out of the huge hall to the restroom, my heart pounding harshly in my chest. 

What was going on?

He was supposed to be my father-in-law yet here I was, feeling hot and bothered because of him. I had seen him just once in the past and from a distance. Even though I found him handsome,  I just never thought of him as someone to be so attracted to.

Everything felt odd. But I shouldn't dwell on this. I needed some air.

I took deep breaths, splashed water on my face and then stepped out.

The moment I shut the door behind me, I jolted in shock to see him standing there, like he was waiting for me.

“Are you still bleeding, Myra?” He asked and I could have sworn my stomach flipped with the way he called out my name. 

Goddess, he was handsome. Even more than his son. 

“N-no…” I found myself stuttering as I looked away from him. “It was just a scratch. Thank you… for helping me out there.” I added and he hummed in response.

“It was my pleasure. It was nice to see you finally stand up for yourself.” He muttered. 

He barely even knows me. 

His hand reaching out to tuck a strand of hair behind my hair and my breath hitched.

The way he stared at me like he owned me made me weak to my knees and I wobbled. 

There was a mystery to how his presence pulled me. I immediately jerked away, my eyes widening in terror.

“I— I'm sorry.. thank you.” I immediately mumbled and with that, I hurried away from him.

My heart was pounding wildly as I made my way to my room when I spotted Ethan and Tiara sneaking out of the hall. I scoffed, shaking my head in disappointment.

I wasn't surprised. They’ve always been like that.

As soon as I had returned to my room, I slammed the door shut. Standing next to the door, my heart was racing very hard.

I couldn't tell why he had such an effect on me. He was Ethan's father. And no doubt he would be as cruel and heartless as people say, yet I couldn't fathom why heart echoed at his presence.

I was supposed to be afraid of him just like everyone else was. The Lycan King, the demon wolf, the man that darkness trailed like a loyal dog. I had heard the whispers from the moment I came downstairs and laid eyes on him and yet not a single part of me had flinched when I stood so close to him.

Instead, I had wanted to stay in that hallway. I had felt his presence like warmth at my back and I had made myself walk away because the alternative scared me more than he did.

I quickly shook my head knowing that the last thing I needed to do was dwell in the thoughts of anything else, not alone a man who smelled like death itself.

I let out a breath and sat at the edge of my bed. 

Maybe I am being too hard on myself. 

I looked back at what happened in the hall and I think I should talk it out with Ethan. I understand that Tiara is not of strong health and needs to be cared for, but maybe I can make him understand things from my point of view. Or maybe it was an accident after all, but she didn’t have the right to hit Sera or blame her for it regardless.

Just Maybe. 

I changed quickly, something simple, and gave myself one long look in the mirror before I left the room.

I left my room and strode through the hallway.

But I suddenly came to an abrupt halt as I stood in front of a door, there was a sound coming from inside. 

“Yes….. yes please…. Harder…. Fuck me harder and don't stop!” A female voice kept on moaning in a very loud tone.

The voice sounded so familiar, I would recognize that voice even in my sleep.

It was Tiara, but what the hell was she doing banging some random guy so loudly? 

I waved my hand dismissively and walked away but just then, a scent had caught my nose this time, I could no longer ignore it,  and my heart echoed in my chest. 

I pushed the door open just enough to see and I made sure I went very slow and gently.

And right before my eyes was Ethan And Tiara both naked as he banged her from behind while she kept moaning.

I froze for a moment,  I wasn’t as surprised as I should be, but there was  a pang of pain in my heart.

My fears had finally caught up with me. 

How long? The question screamed through my mind. They couldn’t even wait to hide in some hotel or secret pack house. Here they were. Right here at his engagement party where anyone could walk by. 

Where I could walk by. 

My entire world crumbled around me. I stood there for three seconds. Long enough to see everything. How they devoured each other.

Flashbacks hit me all at once. They were going to be the end of me. 

I should make my way in and tell them what a piece of shit they are and how their plans have ended before it gets started, but my legs betrayed me, carrying me back on silent feet. 

Every instinct screamed at me to run, to hide and protect myself from the pain.  

But no. 

Not without making sure I never have anything to do with Ethan ever again. My stomach twisted at the sound of their pleasure, I steady my trembling hands and pressed a video record on my phone.

Only then, I walked away. 

I was alone lost in my thoughts after crying my eyes out. I didn’t have much of a choice so I had to seat here and hold up a smile as I attended to the guest alone and while everyone asked about where Ethan was, I couldn't give them a response, I couldn't tell them that my future husband was in a storage room, banging his so called childhood friend. 

I wasn’t so blind I was just a fool. 

I waited until most of the guest had left before I went to find my father, Alpha Edward 

“Father!” I called to him from where he sat and was having a glass of wine. 

“Myra!” His eyes lit up in excitement, no doubt that he was enjoying the attention and alliance he was getting from this marriage. 

“Come sit next to me!” His eyes were beaming with a smile as he motioned to sit next to him while a few other Alphas sat beside him.

“Not now, please I need to have a word with you”

“Myra…..”

“Now please!” I begged and as he stared at me. It was clear that he could see the desperation in my eyes.

He rose to his feet as he excused himself away from the rest of the Alpha's and walked upstairs to his room. 

"I'm not marrying Alpha Ethan!" I announced as soon as I slammed the door shut behind me. 

And the smile on his face immediately vanished. 

“What are you saying, have you lost your mind?” He barked, a deep frown instantly appeared on his face.

"No father, but I can't get married to him, he is not what you think he is.”

“Who cares about whether he is a good man or not, for moon sake Myra, we only care about what we stand to gain from this alliance”

“He is cheating on me with Tiara!” I stressed out the last words like I needed to make him understand how implicating that was but from the look on his face, it didn't seem to be much of a problem.

“So, who cares if he is sleeping with all the women in the pack, what has that got to do with this marriage?”

I blinked twice, not sure I heard him correctly. “Father! I just told you that my fiancé is having an affair behind my back with his best friend. He stood me up in front of everyone today just to attend to her even while I was bleeding and you see nothing wrong with that?”

“And I am telling you Myra that you shouldn't care about any of those things. You are a princess of this pack, this pack is in dire need of this alliance and this is your way of contributing, you don't get to complain”

I opened my mouth and shut it. What was I expecting from him? He’s the same man that never cared how I was doing for once, but I suddenly became important because of  some sick alliance.

"You don't have a choice, Myra." He spoke, tapping my shoulder with certainty in his voice.

"There is always a choice."

"Not this time." He stepped closer and dropped his voice. "Do you know what this pack looks like right now without this alliance? We are bleeding from every side, Resources, territory, numbers, we are running out of all of it”

His expression had turned so serious like everything was on the line and I was the only way to save it.

“Ethan's support is the only thing that stops this pack from being swallowed whole. Every person under this roof, every family in this territory, survives because of what you agreed to by being born my first daughter."

Everything was starting to become clear to me, I didn't have a choice like I thought I did.

"The wedding is after the eclipse." He held my gaze with a very cold expression  "I suggest you spend that time making peace with it. Because it is happening, Myra. With or without your blessing, it is happening."

There was finality in his tone, my fate was in his hands and there was nothing that I could do to change that.

I stood frozen at a place as the door slammed shut behind him, everything felt so blurry to me.

My father would hand me over without losing a night of sleep. I had no allies, no plan. My future had been revealed to me yet I ignored it. Clearly, marrying Ethan was going to send me to my doom.

Ethan would marry me and keep Tiara and call that arrangement perfectly reasonable. Everyone around me would nod and smile and remind me how lucky I was.

Of course they would, never knowing that was how I would die, helpless, unwanted.

I would lose everything because I had spent every year I had loving people who saw me as naive, convenient, and discarded me the moment I became complicated. Because I had begged and cried and bargained and none of it had mattered even slightly.

I have no idea how any of this was supposed to unfold, but I was done with all of that.

I didn't have a plan yet but one thing was certain, I wasn't going to let my fate be determined by anyone.

I was not marrying him.

Whatever it cost, whatever I had to do. Whatever version of myself I had to become.

I was not marrying Ethan.

And it was certain that I would make him pay in the most cruel way possible!