A DEATH SENTENCE

CHAPTER TWO.

WILLOW’S POV.

“No! This isn’t right. You cannot betroth my mate to Harriet. It’s wrong!” The words come tearing out of my throat the moment the door closes behind my father. Both Harriet and our mother roll their eyes like I just said the most unreasonable thing ever.

The coronation party is over and the guests have departed. Right now, all five of us are in my father’s office for a meeting he called.

“Don’t be ridiculous, Willow.” Harriet barks at me. “Miles is the son of the Chief Commander of the army and one day, he’s going to assume that position. He cannot possibly stay mated to a low-life like you. He deserves to be with someone who matches his status. Someone like myself. Tell her that, daddy.” She slums on a nearby couch, sighing as though I completely exasperate her.

“Your sister is right, Willow.”

The words, ‘your sister” jar in my ears like an annoying cacophony of church bells. Harriet and I might be related by blood and share the same parents but she is not my sister. She’s at the top of the list of people who have made it life’s purpose to make my life miserable because of my wolf-less status. From constantly throwing dirty slangs at me every time she sees me, to publicly humiliating me anytime there’s an audience to watch. She never fails to remind me of how worthless I am because of my situation and how she’s better than me in every way.  Now, she has stolen my mate. That’s not what a sister does.

“But dad, you know this is wrong. Miles and I are fated for each other. It was a match made by the Moon goddess herself.”

“Well, that was a huge mistake on her part then, because you certainly do not deserve Miles.” Harriet fires back.

“No. You can’t…”

“Willow, that’s enough!” Miles speaks for the first time since we got in here. I avert my gaze from Harriet and watch him through blurry eyes. He looks angry. He’s angry with me. His eyes hold no iota of warmth like they used to whenever he confessed his love for me and assured me that I was the only one for him.

Had it all been a lie?

“But Miles…”

“Harriet and I decided to keep this from you so you wouldn’t get anymore hurt, but since you’re adamant to accept this arrangement, I might as well just tell you so that you’ll understand that this is really happening.”  My gaze flickers between him and Harriet as I try to figure out what could be worse than what I already know. “Willow…” Miles calls in a low, gruff voice, taking a step closer to me. “Your sister Harriet is the one I love and want to spend the rest of my life with, not you. It has never been you.”

“But… you…” My voice breaks in half.  “You told me I was the only one for you.”

“I lied.”

Tears pool in my eyes and I feel my heart constricting. This whole situation is draining all the energy from my bones, it’s a miracle that I’m still able to stay on my feet right now.

“She’s pregnant with my child.” He adds in a low voice and something snaps in my chest. My eyes go over to Harriet who nods at me with a wicked smile perched on her lips. Her hand is on her belly, gently caressing it. “That’s why I have to reject you right now, to officially break our mate-bond, so that I can mark Harriet as mine.”

I should say something, but I’m too stunned to speak. Everything has suddenly become very clear. Miles and I have never gone past kissing and he never agreed to mark me, claiming he was waiting for the right time before he could do any of that to me. I believed him and it made me love him even more because I thought he found me too precious to defile, but now, it’s clear to me why he was never interested in marking or making love to me. Why would he do that with me when he had Harriet? He has been sleeping with her all this time.

Gods! I’ve been so blind and stupid.

“Willow Alyssa Campbell, I reject you as my mate. From now on, you cease to be my fated life partner. You are free to find a chosen mate for yourself. I declare you eligible for a second chance mate as well. This is where our path as a fated couple ends.”

My hand clutches my chest and I let out a guttural cry as excruciating pain sears through my chest as a result of our broken mate-bond. It feels as though someone inserted a hand into my chest and ripped my heart right out of its cage. More tears spill from my eyes, making wet trails down my face and I’m almost breathless from the pain. I watch in horror as Miles leaves my side and goes over to meet Harriet who’s now waiting for him on her feet and marks her. The entire scene unfolds before my eyes like a nightmare.

“What… what’s going to happen to me now?” I ask, broken.

“Your fate has already been decided.” The ridge between my brows deepens as I give my father a confused look. “Earlier this morning, news came in that Alpha Killian Hayes of the Crescent Bloodmoon Pack has requested that his next bride come from this household.” His words sink into my brain like a metallic object sinking into the deepest part of an ocean, its meaning, slowly unraveling until it finally dawns on me in the clearest manner. My pupils dilate as I shoot him a mortified look.

Is he suggesting that …?

He couldn’t possibly want to …

No.

No!

As if reading my thoughts, he says: “Yes. I am sending you over to the Crescent Bloodmoon Pack to be Alpha Killian’s bride.”

I collapse to the ground from sheer exhaustion.

What he just said…

Being Alpha Killian’s bride…

It is tantamount to a death sentence.