Chapter 4

VIOLET

••• THE PREVIOUS NIGHT •••

I wasn't the type to seek revenge. Even when the maids at home bullied me as a child, I never once considered retaliating because I believed my parents weren't saints either.

But this time, the only thing that came to mind after seeing my best friend in bed with my mate was revenge. I knew I might regret my little scheme later, but cheating on my mate, just as he had been cheating on me, would make me feel better.

The door opened, and the woman from earlier stepped outside.

“Everything is ready. Please go in,” she said with a warm smile.

I slowly raised my brows, wondering if she had any idea what would happen if anyone found out about this.

“What about the man? Is he someone from this pack? Someone who might know who I am?”

“I doubt that,” she said, waving a hand dismissively and rolling her eyes. So much for a brothel owner. “Everyone who lodges here is a stranger. You have nothing to fear.”

I gave a curt nod and muttered a thank-you. I pulled the cloak down over my head and stepped into the hallway. A voice in my mind screamed at me to go back home, forget what I had seen earlier, and act as though nothing had happened. But another voice urged me to do what would make me feel better.

A thick scent of musk and spring flowers hit my nostrils the moment I walked into the room and shut the door behind me. I hastily closed my eyes, trying to calm my racing heart before committing the worst mistake of my life.

“Come here. I don't have all night!” a voice growled from the other end of the room, his tone fierce and uncompromising.

I swallowed nervously as I dropped my cloak to the floor and began dragging my feet toward the source of the voice.

The room was dark, with the only light coming from the dim lamp on the nightstand. I was somewhat grateful for the darkness because I didn't want to know what the stranger I was about to share a bed with looked like.

“I have one condition.” I gulped nervously as I tugged at my dress, my shoulders jerking backward in fear. “We'll be doing it with our clothes on.”

“Get on the bed!” A low grunt came from behind me, startling me. I quickly moved to the bed and shut my eyes as I felt a pair of hands grip my waist, pinning me to the bed.

I shut my mind off, not wanting to know what the stranger was doing to my body. I didn't want to feel any of it. I felt disgusted, and bile rose in the back of my throat as I felt something slide into me, stretching me as it went deeper and leaving me struggling to breathe.

His hands roamed over my clothed body, making my skin crawl. I wanted to disappear, to escape somewhere I wouldn't have to feel the regret flooding my mind or hear the voices in my head judging me.

Hot tears rolled down my cheeks as the stranger continued moving against me, his cock filling me and stretching me beyond what I could bear.

I thought it couldn't get any worse until I felt his hot breath fanning my neck and something sharp, like fangs, piercing the back of it.

The world stopped when I heard a growl rumble from his chest. The realization of what the stranger had just done made my heart stop beating.

He had marked me!

••• PRESENT •••

“Lady Violet, it's time to get to the hall,” a voice called out, jolting me out of my thoughts.

“Already?” I panted heavily, my hand sliding down from my neck as I tried to hide the horrible mistake I'd made before my father could see it.

He would kill me if he found out what I'd done. He would fucking rip my head off if he discovered that I'd done something that could jeopardize his chances of securing more contracts through his relationship with the Alpha.

“Daughter?” my father called, stepping in front of me with a sincere smile lingering on his face.

He stretched out a hand. “Shall we?”

My breath hitched as I nodded, gently placing my hand in his. He gripped it tightly, as though I were something precious to him.

My heart hammered in my chest. It was happening, and there was nothing I could do to stop it. If my father hadn't discovered my mistake, my husband would. He would kill me once he discovered that I was carrying another man's mark. But at least the marriage would be sealed, and my father would still get his share.

Nevertheless, one thing was certain: I would die one way or another.