Chapter 3

LEAH

I got a free ride from Darren’s pack to the lycan king’s pack, which took about two hours. A couple had taken pity on me when they saw that I couldn’t even walk well, and they offered to take me to my destination.

“Thank you so much.” I thanked them as I alighted from the car and got into the palace.

Before my parents died, they had told me so many stories about the lycan king’s palace. They had promised me that we were going to go some time, but unfortunately, we did not get to before they died. Or brutally murdered, rather. I swallowed hard as I remembered them, but put it at the back of my head.

I needed to get what I came here for first. I went over to the gate where I assumed that I had to submit my name. There was quite a line there which made me feel a little bit less alone. Thank Goodness I was not the only one going through the pain of divorce.

Most people were here in twos, but my husband literally kicked me out. Fuck him, fuck the palace, and most of all fuck his mother. I was going to enjoy watching them all burn to the ground soon enough.

“Hello?” The lady at the register interrupted my thoughts. I realized that I had been standing there without a word.

“Sorry. I want to get to see the lycan king for divorce papers.” I told her.

“Under what name should I register it?” She asked.

“Leah Waters.” I replied. She typed out something in the system and moments later, she printed out a little ticket and handed it over to me. I collected it and thanked her before I went over to the chairs to sit down.

I wondered where I was going to sleep tonight. I didn't even know how I was going to start narrowing down the people who knew my parents. Most of them were old now, but maybe they would help me. There had to be at least one of them that would just give me shelter before I figured something out.

“Leah Waters! You are up next.” I heard someone say from one of the gates, pulling me out of my trance.

My heart dropped. I did not know that it was going to be this soon. I stood up and I limped to the door towards where a guard had instructed me to follow. We went down a long hallway before we reached a large brown door with two guards in front of it. When I reached, they opened the door for me.

I walked inside slowly, shocked by how massive the place was. The building was several stories high, and there were so many books. It felt like heaven to me as a bookworm. Someone cleared their throat, interrupting my thoughts. When I turned my head, my eyes fell on the figure that I could only assume was the lycan king.

Damn, he was handsome. He had deep blue intense eyes, and dark brown long hair. His face looked like it was sculpted by a god, and his voice…. Holy shit. It instantly made my stomach flutter, which felt weird because I had never had a sensation like this before.

“People are always impressed with these when they come in.” He had said, his voice sounding like music to my ears.

Alpha Dante Riverwood was not the scary looking man that everyone described him to be. There had been rumors that he killed a lot of people that wronged him whenever he shifted into a lycan once a month. But we were not sure because we barely knew anything about lycans as werewolves.

“Forgive my manners, alpha,” I fell to my knees and bowed to him, my body shaking. “I am sorry that I did not greet you first. I was distracted.”

“Do not be silly, get up please.” He smiled at me, revealing his set of perfect pearly teeth. I swooned internally.

I got up with some difficulty before I limped, approaching the seat opposite of his. I could feel his eyes burning into my skin with every step I took which made me feel so nervous. Why was he staring at me? I remembered how Darren and his mother were laughing at my body earlier, and I immediately became conscious.

I hoped he didn’t decide to kick me out too because of that.

“Your scent,” Alpha Dante spoke as he sniffed the air. “It is unrecognizable. What are you?”

“I do not have a wolf. I was not born with one.” I told him.

I thought he was going to look disgusted, shocked or even angry by my statement but instead, he nodded like it was nothing, which was strange. Everyone I had ever told that I did not have a wolf looked at me like I was the strangest creature on this earth. But he did not. He was the first.

“Interesting,” he nodded. “It says that you came here for divorce papers?” He asked with a raised brow.

“Yes.” I fought back tears as I remembered everything once again.

“May I know the reason?” He asked me.

I sniffed, not wanting to replay the scenario again in my head but I knew I had to even if it hurt. I needed to put it all behind me and this was the first step. Divorce.

“He cheated on me. He brought back a new girlfriend who he claims is his mate. Then he threw me out.” I wiped the lone tear that managed to escape from my eye.

I hated that I was crying because of Darren, and I hated that I was crying even more in front of the lycan king.

“Is that all?” He asked as he scribbled something down on his table.

“No. I found out that his mother had been poisoning me for the past five years which had completely destroyed my womb. They have finished all of my inheritance that was left for me by my dead parents, and they did not allow me to leave with even a penny.”

Alpha Dante looked like he flinched for a second. He stared at me again for a moment before he spoke, “Is by any chance that the new alpha I crowned, Darren, is your husband?”

“He is.” I nodded.

“Shit,” Alpha Dante shook his head. “I am sorry. If I had known that he had been married, then I wouldn’t have offered him a luna. He told me that he was single and he needed a woman to marry. He was one of the new alphas I had crowned and he had been hardworking, so I granted his wish” He explained to me, sounding apologetic.

“That’s fine,” I swallowed. “You couldn’t have known. I guess he is really good at convincing people with lies. He had done that to me for five years.”

It was crazy how he had hid the way he felt about me all of this while, and led me on for five years just so he could use my inheritance.

“I will make sure to take action against what he did to you, and him lying to me.” Alpha Dante assured me.

“Thank you so much.” I smiled, but it was short.

“It is his loss. You are a very beautiful woman and he is crazy to let you go like that.” I thought that my hearing had started to become impaired when I heard that.

I had to raise my head twice to look at him, making sure I didn’t mis-hear what he had just said.

“Th…thank you.” I thanked him. My body started to shake as I adjusted to my seat.

If the lycan king out of all people really saw the beauty in me, did Darren and his mother keep calling me ugly because they wanted to hurt my feelings? Or were they actually right?

Alpha Dante continued to scribble down on the paper in front of him and after a while, he stopped.

“You said your name is Leah Waters, right? Your last name sounds familiar. Who are your parents?” He asked.

I was taught never to let people know who my father really was. If he had made enemies, then the enemies were going to be coming after me now. I needed to be sure that my father trusted the person before I revealed who I am to him.

“Some me..merchant. No one of importance.” I shook my head.

Alpha Dante sighed as he finished writing, and then he raised his sharp eyes to look at me. My heart skipped.

“I am done signing the divorce papers. You can now legally use it. But here is another alternative I am willing to give you,” he cleared his throat as he passed the papers to me. I collected them with a heavy heart, curious to hear what he had to say.

“What alternative?”

“Divorce him. He is a piece of shit and does not deserve you. Then you marry me. Give me an heir and in return, I will make you more powerful and richer than any alpha that has ever wronged you.”

My jaw dropped as my brain processed what he had just said, “Marry me?”

“Yes.”

“But why?” I asked. I was not special, not the daughter of anyone of importance to him. Why would he want to marry me? I was a nobody.

“Because I want to, and I always get what I want.” He simply replied as he leaned back on his seat, arms crossed.

My heart was beating so fast I was afraid he could hear it beating. I have never been more shocked in my life than today.

“I cannot give you an heir. I told you, my mother in law had poisoned me and destroyed my womb.” I reminded him.

Alpha Dante smirked, “Bullshit. The only poison I smell running through your veins right now is The Blood of Wolfsbane, and it is not meant for destroying wombs.”

“The Blood of Wolfsbane?” I raised a brow, confused. I could swear I have heard that name before but I couldn’t quite place where.

“Yes. If she fed you that for years, then she didn’t want to make you impotent. She wanted to kill you.”