2. Chelsea

Chelsea

Emerging from the bedroom I made my way into the living room and stood across Lucian who was still shaking in terror. Alpha Alastair sat in a chair, his posture relaxed as he perused the file in his hands. The moment his gaze shifted from the mundane paperwork to the presence of our arrival, an anomalous amusement settled on his face.

"Impressive. You took only two minutes thirty seconds." He said, without so much as a sidelong glance at his watch. He didn't require it in any way. Everyone knew his thoughts had never been able to keep up with the passage of time.

"Your Highness."

A low, pitiful mutter escaped Lucian's lips.

My gaze was drawn to him. He had prostrated himself before the Prince. The sight made me feel nauseous.

"I apologize. I had no idea that she was your significant other." With his head bowed and chin tucked into his chest, he uttered those words through tears of terror. Sweat poured down his forehead, adding to the intensity of the moment.

Significant other? No fuck. I never wished to be this Prince's significant other but Lucian's.

The Alpha Prince sighed. "You talk way too much, Alpha Lucian." Remarking, he cast an accusatory glance in the direction of one of his guards.

I had no idea what was going on until I saw a guard approach Lucian pointing a dagger behind his back. My vision became blurred with panic. At this point, I was able to grasp the gist of what was happening.

“Go away.” With a swift motion, I leapt forward to intercept the guard, determined to wrest the blade from his grasp. But another guard acted swiftly, seizing my wrist and preventing my movement. My endeavors proved fruitless, now I could not help but let out a cry. "Leave him alone!" The sound of my voice reverberated across the expanse of the room.

My words fell on deaf ears. The dragger loomed menacingly behind Lucian, a constant threat to his safety. Meanwhile, the guard who had taken hold of my wrist acted with lightning speed, swiftly binding my hands behind my back. With a swift motion, he delivered a forceful blow to the back of my knees. Agony coursed through my body, causing me to fall down. I stumbled and landed before the Prince. I found myself on my knees, overcome with emotion. My hands were held captive by the guard's unyielding grip, rendering me immobile. Weak! I was indeed a weak shit.

It just proved that everyone who had picked on me throughout all of these years saying I was the most vulnerable creature was right. Yeah. All were correct in their assertions. My parents, my relatives, and the villagers except for Lucian that I guessed I doubt now.

"Love.” He called me. Fuck him!

“Your Alpha apparently didn't teach you to keep your sweet little mouth shut when it's required, but I hope you do your best." He paused and for a moment, I felt his gaze trailed down to my neck. In a fleeting moment, his gaze darkened and my consciousness was abruptly drawn to the lasting marks that Lucian had left upon my neck. With haste, I draped my locks over them, and only then did he avert his gaze. "Also... you still smell like him–a putrid skunk. You must take a shower as soon as possible."

The tone of Alastair's voice, cold and caustic, made me feel genuinely repulsed this time. Did he really assume that I was going to give up my morals just to be his luna?

I clenched my jaw before I finally spoke. "I don't want to be with you. I don't want you. I want Lucian."

Of course, I won't. My life was indeed pathetic but he wasn't worthy of ruining it more. I shall not permit him to do so.

While I was shaking with fear and rage, his expression was so blank, unaffected. I felt a lump form in my throat as he deftly retrieved a pen from his steward and proceeded to affix his signature to the stack of documents he held in his grasp. His demeanor was as unruffled as icy water.

"Of course, I saw how much you were enjoying his company."

A derisive snort escaped my lips. "Then, why did you ruin it?" Shit! Of all things I forgot how dangerous this man is. Trying to be sarcastic would never work. Not in front of this man.

With a persistent amusement etched on his face, Alastair handed over the files to his steward, his narrow brows drawn up in a line. "And who told you I don't like ruining things? Your alpha?" he asked. Bastard!

I was about to offer a counterargument when the guard seized my hands and forced my back to arch, compelling me to stoop even lower. A wince replaced my words.

"I was just having a little bit of fun." Lucian who had been mute up until this point, suddenly decided to speak making everyone focus on him. "There is absolutely nothing between the two of us. I have absolutely no idea who she is!" he added and let forth a wretched scream.

Fun?! Nothing?! A sharp pang coursed through my body. The warmth of my tears blurred my vision. It was fine when he ignored me, and it was fine when he only thought about himself. There was no problem with either scenario. But how could he just deny all that had happened between us? The fleeting moments we shared, those tender kisses, warm embraces, and intimate cuddles that followed our training sessions. How could he possibly deny all of these?

"You disgust me." A deep groan escaped from the Prince's lips.

Right then, I heard a metallic sound followed by a wail. Instantly, my attention was diverted and turned towards the direction. God... my heart stopped for a while.

The Prince had grabbed a fork from the meal served for him and tossed it at Lucian, making its sharp point stab Lucian in the neck.

A loud whimper escaped Lucian's lips. To prevent him from screaming or moving any further, the guards taped his mouth shut and tied his hands. The Prince grabbed the butter knife and again targeted his neck as his skin turned a bright red and fresh blood began to drip down his shirt.

“Lucian!” I was screaming, crying and struggling to get my hands released from the giant guard behind me. Failure. I was such a failure. My face was already drenched with tears as I turned to the Prince, who was once again reaching for something new. "No. Don't hurt him!" A sudden cry escaped my lips.

Aware that my actions were exacerbating the situation, I made another attempt. “Don't hurt him, please.” This time, my voice was softer, so soft I hated it.

The Prince's rummaging for weapons halted. If I wasn't wrong, he smirked. Raw hatred coursed through my veins, at the same time, my heart seemed to crash against my soul as his expressionless eyes fixated on me. The next moment, he abandoned his seat and sauntered closer to me. The tension in my body surged.

"Yeah, love, that's how you talk to me." After making his assertion with a sneer, he stopped just in front of me and knelt on a knee until his eyes were at the same height as mine.

Everyone in the room gasped.

Fuck! The Prince wasn't allowed to kneel.

He was kneeling in front of me and he was too close... and he was so much more... handsome from close. It was disgusting. Of course, it was. But I couldn't help. I smelt him, I smelt the connection and his presence permeated my entire existence. Mate.... he was undoubtedly my fated mate.

“Your highness.” The guard who detained me cleared his throat, likely intending to prompt the Prince regarding the rules of the royal family.

But at his low hiss, the guard vanished, releasing my hands. Suppressing any hint of appreciation, I compelled myself to avert my eyes and turned to observe Lucian writhing in agony on the floor, now stained with blood.

"Lucian... according to what you say, you don't even know her, right?" asked Alastair.

The guard removed the tape from Lucian's lips, and despite his resistance, he uttered words.

"I—I solemnly swear that I don't. I let her know that Teresa is my mate. Yet, she seduced me."

"So, what do you believe the person who will be punished for deserves?" Again, Alastair enquired.

"Your Majesty, she is nothing more than a whore. I had no choice but to..."

That's it. The whole conversation was too much for me. The world had ceased to revolve around me entirely. Everything stopped, everything I dreamt of shattered. He found his mate. Yet, he pulled me down on that bed, tore my clothes and almost fucked me. It was not even the first time. And, what again? Now, he made it sound like I was raping him. A whore... he said.

“You sure you love this boy?” The sound of Alastair's voice, calm yet tinged with disappointment, jolted me awake as though an outburst of electricity had coursed through my veins.

I blinked to clear my vision and by the time, Lucian's lips were sealed shut again. The next moment, the fork and knife were removed from his neck by the guard. Lucian wailed in excruciating pain, and blood trickled onto the ground below him.

I was supposed to feel so many things, but weird, I felt nothing at all. Everything that I had previously felt for him has been replaced with humiliation.

Throughout all of this time, he had been using me for his own satisfaction. My body– that's what he wanted. A sudden comprehension dawned upon me.

Why though? Was it truly necessary?

As my queries lingered in my thoughts, a frigid finger grazing my chin elicited a tremor that coursed through my entire being. Alastair gently lifted my chin, his intense gaze piercing into my own. That stare.. it held something strange that engulfed my pain, but at the same time caused the tears that I had been trying to hold back to stream uncontrollably down my cheeks. Shit. Shit. Shit. I shouldn't cry. Not in front of him... not in front of everyone.

"I promise, I am more fun than that bastard." Barely audible, the words slipped from Alastair's mouth.

My fists clenched tightly. He was definitely mocking me. I was acutely aware. Individuals such as him find pleasure in witnessing the suffering of their fellow beings. He must have gotten some sick pleasure out of hurting me.

I entertained a bitter notion that traversed my thoughts and suppressed the lump in my throat. "P–please," I begged, my voice barely above a whisper. "What do you want?"

He gazed at me for a moment, a sly grin gradually spreading across his mouth. Slowly, he concealed the content and leaned to whisper in my ear. “Perhaps, you could try being my whore instead of being his.”