LAUREN
I was frustrated, bored out of my mind, and dying slowly. The Alpha wouldn’t let me see anyone, not even my father. I wasn’t allowed to attend Jeremiah’s burial. Did he even have a burial? I wondered.
My chest ached so much from the pain of losing him. I couldn’t even tell anyone that he was my mate. Thankfully, I hadn’t allowed him mark me; if not, the pain would have been unbearable.
Alone in the room, it felt like I was sinking deeper into a suffocating hole with no way out. There was no one to talk to, no one who cared. Every time a guard, a nurse, or anyone else entered my room, they responded to my questions with silence. I was slowly losing my mind. I cried every day, and each day I considered killing myself over and over again. But I was too much of a coward and couldn’t bring myself to do it.
Suddenly, the door swung open, and I turned to see Maximus marching in. I scrambled out of bed and rushed toward him, but quickly halted when a deep growl escaped his throat.
“Stop there!”
I obeyed, shivering from his intimidating demeanour.
“This is your second attempt at killing my mate.” He snarled, his eyes dark with hatred.
It all came down to her. That Omega bitch was the reason this was happening to me. Everything was going well until she showed up here. If given the chance, I’d try again, but I wasn’t stupid enough to admit that to Maximus. I needed his mercy.
“I wasn’t thinking.” I collapsed on my knees, rolling out all the tears I had in me. The tears weren’t fake; they were real, born of desperation. “I was just jealous. Please have mercy on me.”
“Mercy?” He laughed incredulously.
“Please. Remember all the promises you made to me. You promised to always protect me. Please, Maximus, pl-”
“Alpha!” He cut me off with a growl. “I am Alpha to you.”
“Ma-” I bit my lips, quickly correcting myself. “Alpha, please. Give me a chance to redeem myself. Remember all the promises we made to each other, all the promises you made to me.”
“All those promises seized to exist the moment you harmed my mate!” His voice boomed with such force that I flinched.
Tears streamed down my face and I struggled to breathe through my panic.
“The pup,” he said, his voice low and menacing. “Is it mine?”
I hesitated, and he repeated the question, his tone unexpectedly calm. “Lauren, I don’t have all night. I need to get back to my mate.” His eyes flicked to my already protruding belly. “Is that baby mine?”
That bitch again. I hated her with everything in me. Even if I don’t accomplish anything else in this life, I’d make sure to kill her.
“The baby is yours.” I said firmly.
“How can that be?” He raised a brow. “I wasn’t the only one you were messing around with.”
“I never slept with him!” I denied quickly.
“Lies!” He growled.
“Maximus. Please. I swear I’m telling the truth.” I broke down with tears again, hoping he would take pity on me.
But he didn’t.
“Alpha.” He corrected with a growl.
The hate radiating from him was so intense that I could almost feel it burning my skin to ashes. I needed to do something, anything, to regain his favour.
Rising to my feet, I stripped myself naked and started touching myself in ways he used to enjoy watching. This used to turn him on so badly, and he would fuck me like a beast when ever I did this.
He raised a brow, irritation evident on his face. “What are you trying to do?”
“I missed you.” I breathed.
He shook his head. “You are even crazier than I thought.”
Still, I didn’t stop. Desperate, I moved even closer, thinking perhaps he just needed some stimulation. And when he didn’t stop me, a little hope flickered within me.
I wrapped my arms around his neck, and he leaned in, whispering into my ear.
“Till you die, you would never get to experience the pleasure of sex with anyone. Your nudity disgusts me. But my mate, my queen, and my Luna, whom you hate so much, is waiting for me in our bedroom to come make love to her. She’s the only one I want, the only one I’ll ever love.”
All hope shattered, and I jerked back, a sharp pain pulling on my chest.
“Please don’t do this to me.” I cried. “Please!”
“A DNA test will be done when that pup is born. If it’s mine, my mate and I will raise it. If it is not, it will be banished. As for you, I haven’t decided what to do with you yet. I would have killed you, but death would be too easy. You deserve something worse. Something slow, but painful.”
Terror ripped through me as I batted my wet lashes repeatedly. “Please.” I whispered.
He folded his arms across his chest, his expression thoughtful. “What should I do with you? Maybe I’ll make you a sex toy for my warriors, since you’re such a whore. Or make you rot in a cell full of spiders. I know how much you are terrified of them. You deserve worse, honestly.”
“Ma-” I started, then quickly corrected myself. “Alpha, please…” I pleaded, my voice barely above a whisper. I was weakened beyond measure by his words.
“Just pray that child is mine. And maybe, just maybe, I might show mercy by granting you a quick death. Until then, you’ll rot in this room. Start saying your last prayers as your last days approach.”
I collapsed onto the floor, bawling my eyes out as I pleaded desperately. “Alpha. Please. I beg you. Please.”
The eyes that once looked at me with affection now stared at me with a cold, terrifying darkness. The eyes that once filled with worries whenever anything happened to me remained unmoved by my pains. No atom of care remained in those eyes, except hatred. Pure, burning hatred.
“She will ruin you!” I screamed desperately. “She will betray you! You can’t trust her!”
He raised a brow. “And I’m supposed to trust you?”
Without another word, he turned and left the room, slamming the door behind him. That was when reality truly sank in.
It was really over!