Harper POV
“This is crazy!” I thought to myself, my mind reeling with the implications. “How can I be mated to another Alpha? Did he genuinely accept me, or does he just want to spend the night with me and take advantage of my vulnerability?”
My thoughts were a jumbled mess, and I forgot what I was doing. The wine I was pouring spilled all over the table, the red liquid spreading like blood.
“Harper!” Amelia snorted, her voice laced with venom. She slammed her fist on the table, making me jump back in shock. Her anger was palpable, and I felt like I was trembling under her gaze.
The room fell silent, all eyes fixed on us. The Alpha’s face was dark with disapproval, his eyes blazing with a warning. I felt like I was walking on thin ice, and one wrong move would mean disaster.
But I stood my ground, my heart pounding in my chest. Amelia’s eyes gleamed with malice as she asked, “She’ll spend the night with him; what do you think, Lucas?” Her hand caressed Lucas’s hair, her lips brushing against his cheek in a possessive kiss.
Alpha Lucas’s gaze never left mine, his eyes piercing through me like a cold blade. “No, she’s no match for him,” he rejected, his voice firm and authoritative.
Amelia’s face fell, her lips pouting in disappointment. “Why not? Alpha Ethan isn’t complaining, is he?” she asked, her voice laced with sarcasm.
I felt a surge of anger at her words, my eyes flashing with indignation. But before I could respond, Alpha Ethan spoke up, his voice dripping with condescension. “No, Amelia, I’ll be happy to have a pleasurable night with her. At least her vaginal canal will be clean enough.”
His words disgusted me, and my stomach grumbled with revulsion. I hated when men took advantage of women, and Alpha Ethan was no different from Alpha Lucas – just another useless Alpha who thought they could control and manipulate others for their pleasure. I sneered under my breath, my eyes flashing with defiance.
I stood frozen, my heart racing with anxiety, as Lucas’s eyes turned red with a mix of anger and frustration. His voice was laced with reluctance as he spoke, “You can have her for… a night. Just a night, it should be enough.” He repeated himself as if trying to convince himself of the arrangement.
I felt a surge of disbelief and horror at his words. “Excuse me,” he muttered, abruptly standing up and leaving the dining room.
I remained standing, my fingers trembling with fear and indignation. I couldn’t believe what was happening. I felt like a piece of property being bartered away, not a person with autonomy and agency.
With a sense of numbness, I turned and walked away, dropping the bottle of wine gently on the table as I exited.
Tears pricked at the corners of my eyes as I rushed out of the room, desperate to escape the suffocating atmosphere. I felt trapped, like a prisoner being handed over to a new captor. The thought sent a chill down my spine. I have to keep the prayers of the moon goddess at heart; this night will be the worst night of my life.
I strolled down the hallway, my steps echoing on the floor, a stark reminder of my vulnerability and hopeless nature. The sound of my footsteps seemed to mock me, a constant reminder that I was alone.
“Harper, you’ve got dishes to clear up.” I heard the familiar voice, a sharp contrast to the despair that had been suffocating me.
I swiftly turned my gaze to the corner where the voice was coming from, my eyes locking on the one person who had always shown me kindness. I sighed heavily, my body trembling with exhaustion, and stumbled backward to rest against the wall.
“Ma’am Veronica,” I called out weakly, my voice barely audible.
She walked towards me from the balcony corner, her hands resting on my shoulders, in a gentle gesture that always gave me hope. “Yes, Harper, what’s the problem? You look… deranged?” she asked, her voice laced with concern.
I felt a lump form in my throat as I gazed up at her, her eyes filled with warmth and compassion that I had never seen in anyone else’s. At that moment, I felt a sense of gratitude towards her, the only person who had ever shown me that she cared.
I whispered the words, my voice trembling with fear and vulnerability. “Alpha Lucas is offering me out for a night with Alpha Ethan.”
Tears dropped uncontrollably from my eyes, streaming down my face like a river. I felt a deep sense of despair and hopelessness like I was being sold into slavery.
Ma’am Veronica’s face contorted in a pitiful expression, and her eyes filled with sympathy. “Oh, Harper,” she whispered, shaking her head. “It’s okay, dear. Alpha Ethan isn’t that heartless. He won’t hurt you.”
Her words were meant to be comforting, but they felt like a hollow promise. I forced a smile, trying to appear brave, but it felt like a crack in a fragile vase. I turned and walked into my room, the weight of my fate crushing me.
As I closed the door behind me, I felt like I was walking into a prison cell, with no escape from the horrors that awaited me. The tears continued to fall, a constant reminder of my powerlessness.
My heart sank as the door swung open, and I gazed up to see Amelia standing in the doorway, a smirk on her face. Her hands were filled with a leather bag, which she flung at me with a dismissive flick of her wrist.
“Hey, get dressed,” she called out, her voice dripping with sarcasm. “I purchased dresses for you and deodorant, so you can smell nice for Alpha Ethan. Have fun, Harper Franklin.”
I felt a wave of humiliation wash over me as I gazed at the bag, my mind racing with the implications. She had bought me clothes like I was some kind of plaything, a doll to be dressed up and paraded around.
The deodorant was a cruel touch, a reminder that I was expected to be pleasing, to be attractive, to be nothing more than a mere object for Alpha Ethan’s pleasure. I am spending a night with my second chance mate.