THE 22ND WIFE

He did not give her a single second to argue. Zachery grabbed the rough canvas collar of her Gamma uniform, then pulled his massive hands apart violently. The cheap fabric ripped right down the middle with a loud, tearing sound.

Bettoni gasped in shock. The torn fabric exposed her bare collarbone and the top of her breasts to the freezing hallway air.

"Commander, stop," Bettoni breathed out. She pushed her small hands against his chest but it felt like pushing against a brick wall.

He completely ignored her protests and buried his rugged face directly into the crook of her neck. His dark stubble scraped deliciously against her soft skin. He inhaled her scent like a starving man finding his first real meal and rubbed his jaw heavily along her pulse point. He coated her entirely in his thick intoxicating scent of dark musk.

Bettoni felt her knees actually bend. The raw dominant energy oozing off his massive body completely overwhelmed her senses.

Zachery opened his mouth and dragged his hot wet tongue up her throat. Then he bit down hard right where her neck met her shoulder.

Bettoni cried out and arched her back off the cold stone wall. He did not break the skin but the possessive bite left a dark red bruise blooming instantly. He claimed her. He marked her so deeply that every single person in the palace would smell him on her for days.

Zachery slowly pulled his face back. His burgundy eyes glowed in the dim light as he  looked down at the dark bite mark with feral satisfaction.

"There," Zachery growled darkly, his thumb stroking over her racing pulse. "Now every coward in this palace knows exactly who owns you. Especially my pathetic nephew."

Bettoni could not formulate a coherent word. Her chest beat rapidly and her body betrayed her completely by burning with unwanted heat.

Zachery stepped back and smirked. He looked at her torn dress and red cheeks. "Get some sleep inside the room, sweetheart. You'll need your energy for tomorrow. I'm a very demanding husband. Just ask the twenty-one wives who came before you."

Bettoni froze instantly. Her brain finally snapped back to reality. "Wait. Did you just say twenty-one?"

Zachery turned around and walked down the hallway. He did not look back. "Sweet dreams, future Commandress."

He vanished into the darkness. Bettoni stood alone in the dark alcove. She pulled the torn pieces of her dress together with shaking hands. Twenty-one wives. Angelika was right. He collected women and threw them away. She was just another disposable muppet in his sick game against the Alpha.

Bettoni hurried into the grand bedroom and locked the heavy door. Immediately, she collapsed onto the massive silk bed, but couldn't sleep a single wink.

The morning sun eventually broke through the curtains. It was officially her wedding day.

A quiet knock echoed through the room before the door opened slowly. Sela stepped inside holding a simple white cotton dress. It was not a royal wedding gown. It was basically a clean servant uniform. Alpha Jaceon clearly wanted to humiliate Bettoni in front of the entire kingdom.

Sela looked at Bettoni with tears in her eyes. "Oh,  Bettoni. What have you done? The whole kitchen is talking about it. They say the Alpha is going to execute you right after the ceremony."

"Let them talk, Sela," Bettoni said quietly. She sat up and touched the dark bruise on her neck. It throbbed slightly.

Before Sela could help her change, the bedroom door flew open with a violent crash.

Madam Williams marched into the room. The older woman wore another brand new expensive gown and her face was that of unashamed hatred.

Sela squeaked in terror and backed away against the wall.

Madam Williams walked right up to the bed. She did not hesitate. She raised her hand and slapped Bettoni directly across the face. The sharp crack echoed loudly in the quiet bedroom.

Bettoni slowly turned her face back forward. Her cheek burned intensely but she did not give the woman the liberty of a single tear. She looked at her mother with dead, empty eyes.

"You arrogant little whore," Madam Williams spat viciously. "Did you really think you won? You think jumping into the Commander's bed makes you royalty?"

"I'm marrying him," Bettoni stated coldly.

Madam Williams laughed. It was cruel and lacked empathy. "He had twenty-one wives before you, Bettoni. Twenty-one highborn elegant ladies he discarded like trash. You're a dirty Gamma with a scarred back. Can't you realize he's using you to insult the Alpha? Once he gets bored, you'll be dead or tossed to the rogue wolves."

Madam Williams grabbed Bettoni by the chin. Her perfect nails dug into Bettoni's skin. "You should have stayed in the dirt where Ardon put you. You'll ruin this family again. Don't come crying to your brothers when he throws you out. You are no daughter of mine."

Madam Williams released her aggressively. She turned on her heel and stormed out of the room, then slammed the door behind her.

Bettoni sat completely still on the edge of the bed whilst Sela sobbed quietly in the corner.

Bettoni looked at her reflection in the large vanity mirror. She saw the bright red handprint on her cheek. She saw the dark, possessive bruise on her neck. She remembered the ninety-nine agonizing lashes tearing her back open while her mother watched and did nothing.

That was the moment she realized the sad  truth. Her mother never loved her. Ardon never loved her. Being a good submissive girl got her nothing but a whip and a demotion.

Something deep inside Bettoni's chest permanently cut short. The last remaining pieces of her gentle heart turned into solid ice.

She would never cry over these people again. She would never cower in the corners again. Madam Williams wanted her to be a nightmare? Fine. Bettoni would become the worst nightmare this pack ever witnessed. She would use Zachery and his brutal reputation to climb the ladder right over all of their dead bodies.

The heavy bedroom door opened for the third time.

Zachery stepped inside. He wore a nicely fitted black military dress uniform decorated with gold medals. He looked like a dignified god of war. His eyes instantly locked onto the red handprint glowing on Bettoni's cheek.

The casual humor disappeared from his face.

"Who hit you?" Zachery demanded darkly, crossing the room in two strides.

Bettoni stood up. She did not back away from his intimidating frame. She stepped right into his personal space and looked up into his fierce eyes. Her heart felt completely encased in ice. She would not cry anymore.

"Does it matter?" Bettoni asked softly. She reached out and actually flattened her small hand against the cold gold medals on his broad chest. "It's the last time anyone in this palace will ever lay a hand on me. Tell me, Commander. What time is our wedding?”