Chapter 02

ARIELLA

Slap!!

I received a resounding slap on my face the moment I entered the queen mother's room.

“How dare you?!" she yelled, obviously too angry.

Tears brimmed in my eyes. Of course, I was confused. I did nothing wrong. What was the slap for?

“I asked you to call him, not watch him have sex, you low-life slave!” she added.

“Sorry, Queen Mother. You wanted him immediately,” I said.

“Say that to yourself, freak!” she stated, obviously more irritated than ever.

“Mum, I'm here," Dante announced, stepping into the room, and he got even more irritated when he saw me standing.

“What is she doing here, Mum? She's a low-life! Why did you let her into your room?" he complained bitterly as he glared at me with spite while making steady steps toward his mother.

A part of me was hurt, considering he was my mate, but at the same time, I knew better. This was never his first time discriminating against me.

“She needed to be punished. She's of no importance right now. The king is coming. We are hosting him for your engagement, and I needed to inform you on time," Queen Mother Naya broke the news, and I was dumbfounded.

Dante was having an engagement party? Why?

I was his mate.

My heart winced in pain. I had expected he would want us to talk about our relationship. If not for anything, I had been thinking he would one day acknowledge it.

But now, he was getting engaged to Lora.

“You may excuse us, but before then, inform everyone to look their best, including you. I wouldn't want a wretched, low-life omega to ruin us. Make sure you have everything set. He will be here tonight," she informed me, and I nodded.

I didn’t hesitate to leave.

Tears brimmed in my eyes as I stared at the man who was supposed to be my mate. He was getting engaged, and not for once did he think I should be aware.

I returned to the kitchen few hours later, still drenched in pain and hurt. I resumed cooking, just like the other slaves.

As usual, they stayed very far away from me, and I was meant to work alone.

Being a rejected omega, someone no one had ever wanted from the start, made my life more difficult than I had already imagined it to be.

I mean, I was always alone. After working 24 hours a day, I tended to be stagnant, and all I could do was go to the forest to shift and let out my angry wolf.

Oftentimes, I prayed and cried my heart out to the moon goddess. I was emotionally drained, mentally down, and right now, I wished things didn’t have to go this wrong. I wished I could find liberation.

I wished I could escape the harsh reality of life, and I wished—just maybe—the moon goddess could change my fate, if not for anything, at least for me.

“Asshole, focus!" one of the maids yelled loudly as her hand resonated harshly with my face.

“Fuck! You spilled it all over! That’s the Luna-to-be’s food!" she half-yelled again, frightened and angry at the same time.

“I… I… am sorry… I d—”

"Shut it, you low-life omega! Always causing trouble,” she berated angrily.

I remained silent. I wouldn’t want to utter any words since I knew what that would amount to.

I bent to help her pick it up, but she beat me to it, and just then, Lora walked in on us.

“How long will it take you to bring this to the room? You do know what today stands for, don’t you?” she berated angrily the moment she walked in, and the girl only became frightened.

Everyone knew Lora to be a bully, and she always looked down on everyone, especially after the Alpha made his intentions known to her.

“I… she spilled it all over, Luna,” the girl said, pointing at me.

It was a mistake. Why did she have to make things more difficult for me?

“I, Luna, it was—”

Slap!

That’s what I received even before I could complete my sentence.

“You spiteful bastard! Because the Alpha rejected you, you planned to kill me and his heir?!" she yelled, and everyone’s eyes turned in my direction.

At this point, I wished the whole world would come to an end because, right now, I knew she had just added to my suffering.

I was hurt, agitated, and bitter.

She slapped me first, and now she had let this out in the open.

“Spiteful, low-life asshole," she muttered spitefully.

“I am so fucking glad that he rejected you! Because why are you so spiteful to the extent that you actually wanted to kill me and my heir?" she said, touching her stomach.

“He didn’t reject me. He never did," for the first time in my life, I found my voice among these heartless jerks as I said these words boldly.

Everyone was shocked. They paused to glare at me, and even she wasn’t left out.

All my life, I had let them mock me and call me names.

I let her use me as a punching bag. I let her slap me. I even let her take my mate.

But what I would never tolerate was her coming out to say it in public.

“What did you just say?" she questioned.

“He didn’t reject me. He never did. A monster wouldn’t be brave enough to do that," I repeated boldly.

Realizing I had drawn the attention of others to myself, she glared at me disdainfully.

Her eyes were red, and I could see a flash of silver. It showed she was hurt and also insecure around me.

Yes!

This was what I wanted—to instill fear in her. After all, he was my mate, and he never rejected me.

“What’s going on here?" Alpha Dante asked. His presence was enough to command the crowd to silence as they glared at him and then back at me.

“My Alpha,” they all called and bowed as my eyes met his.

He hissed and looked away immediately, more like he was trying to avoid my gaze.

“I asked, what the fuck is going on here?” he asked once again.

“She tried to poison our baby," Lora said.

“That’s not it, Alpha," I said, and he only smirked.

“Everyone else, ensure you get ready to host the Lycan King. He will be here in an hour, and the engagement party is starting soon," he said, then turned to me.

“As for you, Ariella, meet me in my room,” he announced.

Lora’s face changed when she heard that.

“When you’re done," he added. "For now, make some arrangements for the King. And ensure you handle it with care," he said. His voice was cold as usual, with no regard.

“Lora, come with me. It's our engagement party, not that of that low-life slave!" he mumbled as he turned towards Lora. He had a smile on his face.

My heart winced at his words. I was always hurt by the way he regarded me.

I watched him hold her waist, peck her, and then walk her out of the kitchen.

Tears brimmed in my eyes because I was hurt to see my mate with another woman. But then again, I had decided to outgrow this and focus on myself.

At least, planning an escape would help, wouldn’t it?

I turned to see everyone glaring strangely at me. Their eyes were evidence enough to know I was rejected, even when I claimed not to be.

Just when I had thought it was all over, I heard them scream loudly with happiness.

“He’s here! Lycan King Arthur Jaden is here!”