Chapter1
1569 Words
BIANCA~
The Russian ball was supposed to be my night. My one chance to save everything. I had spent hours perfecting my appearance, slipping into the most seductive dress I owned, and steeling my nerves for what I had to do. Prince Niko was the key. Father’s orders had been crystal clear, seduce him, secure his interest, and pull our crumbling pack out of ruin.
I approached him with every ounce of charm I could muster, my heart hammering as I brushed against him, letting my fingers trail lightly down his arm. Father had insisted on solidifying the bond between the both of us after the last party and get him to be mine. “Your Highness,” I purred, “I’ve been hoping for a moment alone with you.”
Prince Niko turned, his expression cold and unreadable. For a second, something flickered in his eyes, there was recognition, maybe but it vanished instantly. He stepped back sharply, his voice low and laced with pure disgust as the weight of the mate bond rejection slammed into me.
“I, Prince Niko, reject you as my mate. You are disgusting, lowly, and irritating.”
The words hit like a silver bullet straight to the chest. The invisible bond that had faintly pulled me toward him snapped with brutal force, sending sharp pain radiating through my body. My vision blurred as hot tears flooded my eyes. A broken sob tore from my throat, and I couldn’t hold them back no matter how hard I tried.
“Please… I—” I reached for him desperately, my voice cracking.
“Enough.” His tone was final, sharp as a blade, eyes filled with nothing but contempt. “Stay away from me.”
The room spun. I turned and ran, pushing blindly through the crowd, tears streaming down my face as humiliated whispers followed me like shadows. I didn’t stop until I was outside, gasping for air between sobs, my heart shattering under the weight of his rejection.
Even then, the pain wouldn’t let me rest. I had to try with Luca, Niko’s stepbrother. Maybe he would be different. I found him shortly after, forcing a smile through my tear-streaked face. But Luca’s rejection was just as brutal, his eyes narrowing with clear disdain as he dismissed me without a second thought. Another wave of agony crashed over me. I cried harder, running out once more, my heart fracturing completely under the weight of two rejections in one night.
No matter how hard I threw myself at them, both Prince Niko and Luca remained completely uninterested. Father was going to make my life a living hell.
“Fuck.”
“You’re useless!” Father screamed as he flung a vase across the living room. I shivered in fear, pressing myself against the wall.
“Father, I’m so sorry—”
“Bianca Leia Russio!” His voice boomed through the room. “What was the one thing I instructed you to do at the Russian ball?”
I couldn’t answer. I didn’t dare.
“Speak up, you little puta!”
“I—”
His shadow loomed over me as I cowered. “Are you disobeying my orders to speak?”
“N-no, P-papa.”
“Speak clearly! What did I instruct you to do?!”
“I was supposed to seduce Prince Niko,” I said, swallowing the terror rising in my throat. I couldn’t afford to let him hit me. God, please don’t let him hit me.
“And did you?”
“N-no, Father.”
“You let that puta Annika Roskov have him. The one deal that could save this family.” His eyes burned with rage. “What do you deserve? Being a f*****g fag was the only thing you had going for you, and you still lost him to a woman?!”
Punishment. I deserved punishment. I would probably be locked in the basement for days or starved. If I was lucky, he wouldn’t whip me this time.
“I’ll take my punishment, Papa.” I kept my head down, avoiding his gaze. Father hated it when anyone stared at him while he spoke.
“Oh, there will be no punishment.”
A fresh wave of fear washed over me. No punishment? That was never a good sign.
“Father, I’m terribly sorry. I swear I tried—”
“Go up to your room, Bianca . I will discuss it with you tomorrow. There will be no punishment tonight.”
He left the room, ending the conversation. I ran upstairs, his words “you’re useless” ringing in my head over and over like a broken record. I wanted to tear my brain apart to erase the thought, but it wouldn’t go away.
Jayden. I needed to see Jayden and get this s**t out of my head. I picked up my phone and dialed his number immediately.
“Hey babe. I need to see you.”
“Ben, I’m really busy and—”
“Please. I’m begging you.”
There was a sigh on the other end. “Sure, why not? Come to our spot in an hour.”
“Thanks, babe.”
“What’s on my Bi Bi’s mind?” A familiar voice called out as I took in the view from the bridge. I turned and hugged the person I loved most in this world, Jayden Morningstar, my lover. He came into my life during one of those boring events Father forced me to attend. It had been love at first sight, and I had never let go since.
“Nothing, baby. I’ve missed you so much.” I hugged him tighter. He gently pulled me back with a questioning look in his eyes.
“Are you sure everything is okay, babe?”
I said nothing at first. I simply took his hand and led him to the small restaurant not far from our spot on the bridge. We settled down before I finally spoke.
“Father was harsh on me tonight.” I barely held back the urge to cry in his arms.
“Hm. And why was that?”
“I failed to seduce Prince Niko. Father said there will be ‘no punishment,’ which is his way of saying something horrible is coming for me.”
Jay chuckled and shook his head, as if my situation amused him. For a moment, I got distracted by how his blonde hair shone even in the night and how his blue eyes stared right at me. If I wasn’t stuck in this mess, I would climb this tall man and never let go.
“Babe, you’re probably overthinking it. I’m sure he might actually let you off the hook this time.”
The possibility was slim to none. There was no way Don Russo, my father, would accept anything less than perfection. If he didn’t get it, someone always paid the price.
“Stop biting your lips, Bi bi.” Jay tugged my lip free and pulled me into a hot, wet kiss.
I moaned against his mouth. He pulled back with a grin. “There. Feeling better, babe?”
“Yes. Much better than you could know.”
I pushed thoughts of my father aside and enjoyed the night with Jayden. Soon enough, we finished and he dropped me off at my hideout so I could sneak back into the house.
“Thank you for coming to take my mind off everything,” I whispered in his ear before slipping inside. Once in my room, I crashed onto the bed and let darkness take over.
“Wake up, young master.” Someone shook me roughly. It took everything in me not to wish I could put a bullet in their head.
“Get the f**k out.”
“I’m afraid I cannot do that, sir. The master has asked for you. You must be available before breakfast is over.”
The master…
I jolted out of bed and glared at Alfred, our butler. He stared back with what I swore was an amused look on his face.
“You could have just said Father needed me!”
“I did try, young master. You were unresponsive and told me in a less than savory manner to leave you alone.”
I ignored his snarky comment and quickly freshened up. When I reached the dining room, I froze. A familiar and unwelcome face sat there, Thomas Arnold. A wave of disgust hit me like a tidal wave.
Who the hell invited him? Arnold was an old friend of Father’s. A disgusting p*****t who always tried to touch me. To make it worse, the sick bastard was also a loud homophobe. How he managed to be both, I had no idea.
What in the ever-living hell was he doing here?
I barely had time to gather my thoughts when Father’s booming voice rang out. He smiled at me. Actually smiled. A huge grin spread across his face. This couldn’t be good.
“Bianca , come here.”
I walked to the table and sat down near Father. He was speaking in Russian with Thomas. They both turned to me with the same uneasy grin. Fa
ther then said the words that made my blood run cold.
“It took me a while, Bianca, but meet your new husband, Thomas.”
What the f**k?
- Writer
