Chapter 12: I Hate You

ALEXANDER

I became worried and anxiously reminded him, “Dad, you were there when he threatened me in the elders’ council hall. He meant it. He came to my room last night and told me he would send me to those envoys’ bed, Dad…”

To my shock, my father’s face remained expressionless. I could not tell whether it was because he was drunk or because he was deliberately pretending that what I was saying was some kind of joke.

The next moment, he burst into laughter.

I stared at him in confusion, my brows knitting in displeasure. He laughed so hard that I began to wonder whether he was mocking me or if the alcohol had clouded his mind.

“You have been overthinking,” my dad said, waving his hand dismissively. “No man would send his wife to another man’s bed—not someone as proud as the Alpha.”

When I realized he would not listen to me, I pleaded, “Dad, take me home with you.”

He looked at me with wide eyes, then scolded me angrily. “Don’t even think about it. You are going to remain here, Alexander. Even as a corpse, you will not be returned to my house.”

Then he narrowed his eyes and added sternly, “I don’t know who has been advising you lately, but don’t even dream of leaving this palace. This is your home now, and you are going nowhere.”

He marched toward the door. I hurried after him, fell to my knees, and begged, “Dad, don’t let him send me to serve—”

“Nonsense!” my father snapped, cutting me off.

He grabbed the doorknob, yanked the door open, and stormed out.

I could only watch helplessly. In that moment, I realized I had no one to rely on but myself—and that if I wanted to survive, I would have to protect myself.

I paced around the room, wondering what to do. As the room grew darker, several maids marched in and grabbed me. Before I could react, they dragged me forcefully to the bathtub.

I struggled, but their grip was too tight. My efforts were useless. They bathed me thoroughly, then tied me up and gagged me so I could not speak.

Soon, my vision went dark. At first, I thought I had been knocked unconscious, but I quickly realized a sack had been pulled over my head.

Apart from heavy footsteps and distant voices, I had no idea what was happening around me. My feet did not touch the ground for what felt like thirty minutes. Then I was suddenly dropped onto something soft—a bed. My whole body tensed, and the fear that gripped me drained every bit of strength I had left.

When the sack was finally removed, the sudden light blinded me for a moment. As soon as I could see clearly, I found a man staring at me intently. The lust in his eyes was unmistakable. I wanted to scream, but my voice came out muffled behind the gag as I struggled helplessly.

He looked me over and chuckled. “Not bad. Even if you are fat, you have healthy skin. I can make do with you.”

Rubbing his palms together, he reached for the ropes around my wrists and began to loosen them. The moment my hands were free, I ripped the gag from my mouth and warned him, “Don’t come any closer.”

He looked surprised for only a second before reaching out again with his large hand, trying to touch me. I quickly backed away and said more firmly, “If you come any closer, I will kill you.”

My resistance seemed to amuse him. He chuckled again, then suddenly pounced on me. His weight crashed down on my body. I fought to push him off, but no matter how hard I tried, I could not move him. Desperate, I shouted, “If you do not get off me, I will bite you.”

The thick stench of alcohol on his breath made me want to throw up. I struggled to hold it back. When he bared his yellowish teeth in a sneer, disgust twisted inside me.

“Why are you acting so high and mighty?” he mocked. “You are just fat, not even beautiful. You should be grateful that I think you are worthy enough to be in my bed.”

His words filled me with such fury that I lunged forward and bit down hard on the flesh of his chest.

“Fuck!”

That was all I heard before his palm slammed across my face. Pain shot through my body. Before I could recover, he struck me again, hard enough to leave me dizzy.

“How dare you, bitch!” he roared in rage before hitting me again.

My vision went dark.

I do not know how long I was unconscious. When I finally began to stir, I heard Christina’s voice.

“Call the pack healer. She is awake.”

I turned my head toward her. There was pity in her eyes. Tears rolled down my cheeks as I felt the pain between my legs. The monster had forced himself on me even after I had fainted.

“I need to talk to my father,” I whispered, gathering the last of my strength.

The shame of what that man had done to me was so overwhelming that I fainted, consumed by rage and humiliation. When I finally opened my eyes again, Alpha Damon was standing over me, his face unreadable and cold.

A heavy weight pressed against my chest, and a familiar emotion—one I had carried since childhood—rose painfully from my heart to my eyes. In that moment, I realized the man I had loved with everything in me had become the man I hated most.

“You’re awake,” Alpha Damon said in an emotionless voice. “Get up and eat. This isn’t your first time having sex, so don’t act like he took your virginity.”

I didn’t know where the courage came from, but I looked at him and said, “I hate you.”