THE ALPHA KING'S SECOND CHOICE

Athena’s POV

August 17, 1470

You mean for me to remain here and suffer repeatedly like this, mother?

*Whip!*

A searing pain continuously struck my back, intense and agonizing. I gritted my teeth with my eyes shut, having sworn at the start of this constant torture not to make a sound.

Not even a little.

Unless, they would be satisfied with my sound of pain.

‘’You just have to admit your faults, little sister.’’ My stepsister, Isabella, said in her sickening gloating tone. ‘’I can always tell the knights to stop if you rightfully admit your faults for running away.’’

I remained silent, just like the past hour, or even more. I couldn’t tell how much time had passed since the beginning of this torture.

*Whip!*

The knight struck the rod harder, a small crack sounding from my back, and letting me know that I have to heal from a nearly broken bone.

Again.

‘’....!’’

I nearly collapsed from the cruel impact. Blood trickled down from the corner of my lips, even though I had been enduring the pungent taste in my mouth.

‘’It appears you are stubbornly holding to your pitiful pride, little sister.’’  Isabella sighed disappointedly. I could already imagine her putting on that revolting façade of a kind and caring elder sister looking out for her little sister.

Her illegitimate little sister.

‘’Strike harder until your second young lady learns her lesson, my knight.’’

However, behind that façade of hers was a heart as dark and cruel like a cunning serpent.

‘’As you wish, first young lady.’’

*Whip!*

*Whip!*

*Whip!*

The knight struck the rod on my back harder without hesitation as if he was initially holding his strength.

This rod wasn’t an ordinary rod.

It was a wolfsbane rod.

A poison capable of burning the skin of a werewolf through the slightest touch, and even capable of causing death if digested through the slightest drop.

A literal poison and an illegal one in the werewolf kingdom.

Nobles could get their hands on anything they desired, even the illegal ones, just with their wealth. Isabella was a well–bred and full-blooded noble young lady. There’s no way she wouldn’t have gotten her hands on the wolfsbane rod.

In all honesty, this wasn’t my first time of suffering from this torment.

‘’Admit your wrong, Athy.’’ A soft voice called out. ‘’Isabella speaks correctly. Pride does nothing but causes more consequences.’’

I snapped my eyes open and looked up at the owner of that voice, just as revolting as Isabella’s with a sharp glare, burning deep with the endless hatred from my heart.

Helios Arundel.

My fated and secret mate.

One who dared to betray me after we prophesied our deep love to each other, and then, suddenly claimed he and Isabella were fated mates, when the mate bond was clearly drawing us together as fated mates.

‘’Audacious of you to show those eyes to my fated mate, and your new brother-in-law, little sister.’’ I shifted my glare to my stepsister in her brocaded gown of crimson. Her smirk deepened when our eyes met, and she dragged Helios’s cravat down to connect their lips in a long kiss.

While the rod continuously struck my back and my gaze was on them.

Tears pricked my eyes at the sight. I have grown numb to physical pain that my tears wouldn’t fall since I was young. However, the sight of my beloved sharing intimacy with my stepsister was deeply heartbreaking.

Still, I wouldn’t let my tears fall.

They would never fall from my eyes because of her....and him!

Isabella had always loved to witness my sadness, my pain, and I would never give her the satisfaction of seeing me break to pieces.

The torment lasted until Isabella saw that I wasn’t going to react no matter what.

‘’How fortunate that father needs you for the marriage, little sister.’’ She appeared disappointed. ‘’You’re going to become a Marchioness with your lowly blood. Unlike I, who has to remain here with Helios to lead the Earldom as a Countess.’’

Her words depicted my life as a future marchioness much better than hers, but her gloating eyes said otherwise.

‘’I can’t wait to share the good news with everyone that my little sister will become a Marchioness soon.’’ In a lighthearted tone, she departed the dungeon with Helios after displaying her sisterly act.

The knight had also left with the wolfsbane rod, and I was alone with my back bleeding and torn with scars. No maid or other servant was around to tend to my wounds.

As it has always been.

You really mean for me to remain here and endure this torment, mother?

As I struggled to sit up against the murky walls of the dungeon, I snorted at the foolish promise I made with my mother in the far past.

Athena Lancaster.

That’s what separate my existence from others.

However, I have been told all my life that I wasn’t meant to exist because I was an illegitimate pup, born to Earl Lancaster, my father, as well as Isabella’s, from another she-wolf, that was not his fated mate.

My mother.

A runaway slave.

Fated mates only belonged to each other right from our ancestors in the werewolf kingdom, but that all changed when one of the Alpha Kings was lecherous in nature, and couldn’t keep his eyes only on his fated mate, the Luna Queen.

From then on, nobles followed the ways of the Alpha king, and taking another she-wolf after their fated mates became a norm in the werewolf kingdom.

Even commoners practiced the ways of the nobles.

My mother was forced to serve my father against her will according to the gossips from older servants of the Lancaster manor.

She birthed me as a result of the forced union, and suffered from a weak body. Soon after I aged to my fourth year, she passed away.

My father had always been a lecherous man. It wasn’t surprising to see him move on quickly from my mother’s death to another she-wolf.

However, I was the only illegitimate pup in the Lancaster family. Perhaps my father’s Lecherous nature hadn’t completely clouded his mind to sow his seeds in every she-wolf he encountered to his liking.

Still, Countess Lancaster, my father’s fated mate, and their pup, Isabella had always found my existence as a thorn in their eyes.

My father had always neglected my existence, leaving me helpless against the constant mistreatment from the abusive pair.

The entire servants of the Lancaster manor have always joined hands with the Countess Lancaster and Isabella. Some of the maids even find pleasure to send me errands or torture me, someone with a half-blood noble like myself, to elevate their low self-esteem.

My life has always been hard right from the moment I was born. Still I managed to survive all these years and encountered the love of my life.

My fated mate.

Helios Arundel.

An illegitimate young master of the neighboring Arundel Earldom.

Helios was like my knight-and-shining armor to save me from the cruel Lancaster family. He was the only light in my unfortunate life that made me somewhat expectant for the future...our future.

But, all that changed when he betrayed me and revealed our escape plans to my cruel family. As if that was not enough betrayal to tear me apart, he and Isabella claimed that they were fated mates when Helios and I were clearly fated mates.

Even though our relationship was a secret from everyone.

That wasn’t the worst part of Helios’ betrayal. One of his claims was that I had been seducing him when I was well aware that he was Isabella’s fated mate.