Fated To My Ex-Boyfriend’s Father

6; Surprising Outcome

ARIANA

The sting of Rue’s slap still burned on my cheek when I felt heavy hands grab my arms from both sides. The guards she brought along had stepped forward and before I could fully catch my breath, they were already yanking me roughly by the arms.

“What—? Let me go!” I shouted, struggling in their grip as they began dragging me backward. My belongings was left lying in the dirt behind me, forgotten.

“You’re getting awfully bolder by the second. You now even have the guts to fight back?” Rue said eyeing me with disgust.

What the hell does she want with me? I just wished every would just leave me the hell alone for one damn second. I didn’t think my day could get any worse but trust my pack to make it happen.

“It’s time you get punished you little b***h, I’ve been too nice to you.” She said and I struggled in my head to figure out what the word “nice” meant to her.

“You need to learn your place after mouthing off at the party last night.” She said and I rolled my eyes. Of course that’s what she was mad about. Like she had anything to be mad about. My whole life was about to bend over backwards because of that party.

“I didn’t say anything wrong!” I protested, a little panic creeping into my chest as they continued to drag me away.

The familiar road to the Beta’s estate came into view. “I only spoke the truth. Vlad had been with someone else. I—”

“She doesn’t care,” one of the guards cut me off sharply.

My heart pounded harder as the house came into full view, tall and shining like it had swallowed all the wealth that should have been my family’s. That house used to belong to us—until my father was framed, until everything fell apart.

Now it was hers. And I was being dragged to it like a criminal.

“Please,” I tried again, breathless as I stumbled over my own feet. “You don’t understand—I’m not a servant anymore. I was summoned to the palace today… I’ve been accepted by the king.”

The guards exchanged a quick glance but said nothing.

“I’m moving into the palace tonight,” I added, trying to steady my voice even though my heart was hammering in fear. “I can’t work for you anymore. I’m his mate—”

“Liar,” she sneered. Her dark red lips were curled in pure mockery.

“Did I hear you right?” she laughed. “The king? Our king accepted you?”

I didn’t respond. My silence made her laugh harder.

“That’s rich,” she said, waving a hand. “You’ll say anything to escape punishment, won’t you? You seriously want anyone to believe the Alpha King—the Alpha King—would choose an omega slave for a mate?”

I took a shaky breath. “It’s the truth. I didn’t choose it. I didn’t want it. But we’re fated, and because he—”

Rue yanked on my hair. “Shut up! A man like him would never accept you. No one would. Not even a drunk rogue alpha. That’s why Vlad dropped you like the garbage you are.”

The guards yanked me forward as Rue moved aside and let them drag me into the house. The moment we stepped into the grand hallway, the memories hit me hard.

The polished floor. The velvet curtains. The chandeliers that used to belong to my mother.

The last time I was here, I was scrubbing floors while Rue sipped juice and threw insults at me.

Now I was back—but not as a servant. At least, I thought I wasn’t.

“I’m not working for you anymore,” I said, louder this time as the guards pulled me toward the open sitting room. “I belong to the palace now—”

Rue cut me off with a sharp, cruel laugh. “You don’t belong anywhere. You think wearing a palace collar makes you royalty? You’re still an omega. Still a nobody. Still a slave, no matter where you’re sleeping tonight.”

She walked over to the table, picked up a thin whip, and turned back to me with her eyes gleaming.

“But don’t worry. I’ll teach you a lesson you’ll never forget.”

“No,” I whispered, panic rushing through me as I tried to pull away. “Please. You can’t do this—”

“Hold her still,” she barked.

The guards shoved me forward and pushed me to my knees. Before I could scream, they were tying my wrists together tightly with thick rope.

My heart was pounding so fast I thought I might faint before they even started.

“Rue, please,” I begged, twisting my hands. “I didn’t lie. The king—he said I was his mate. I didn’t want any of this. Please don’t do this to me.”

Rue crouched in front of me and patted my cheek mockingly.

“You’ll never be Luna. No sane person would accept you, Ariana. You’ll die alone, just like your father, rotting in disgrace. You’re not a mate—you’re a mistake.”

She stood and nodded to the guards. “Tie her to the post.”

I screamed and kicked as they dragged me to one of the wooden beams in the centre of the room. My arms were pulled above my head and secured tightly until I was straining on my toes, chest heaving with fear.

“Don’t do this,” I cried, tears streaming down my cheeks. “Please, Rue—please!”

She ignored me.

She stepped forward slowly, dragging the whip against the floor.

“I told you at the party—you’d regret ever speaking to me that way.”

Then the first lash came.

I screamed.

The pain exploded across my back like fire, and my knees buckled.

Another.

And another.

I don’t know how many.

Everything blurred. My skin felt like it was being peeled away.

Rue’s voice echoed in my ears, filled with laughter and hate.

“Still think you’re a Luna now, slave?”

I tried to speak. To breathe. But everything was slipping.

Everything hurt.

My vision darkened at the edges.

And then—

Darkness took me completely.

Warmth. That was the first thing I felt. Not the harsh, stinging cold of the Beta’s house floor, not the bite of ropes on my wrists or the fire that had licked across my back. No, this was different.

Gentle. Steady.

Warm hands held me, firm and strong, wrapped around me like a shield. A deep, soothing voice whispered close to my ear—

“Shhh… you’re safe now. I’ve got you.”

Soft kisses landed on my cheeks, brushing away the tears I hadn’t even realized were still falling.

A sweet, earthy scent surrounded me, filling my lungs with something heady and calming—like pine trees after rain, laced with something uniquely masculine. It made my heart thump louder.

I let myself melt into the arms holding me, and for a moment, I didn’t feel pain. I only felt warmth.

But then I saw his face.

Troye.

The Alpha King.

His silver-grey eyes stared into mine, full of something I couldn’t place.

And just like that, I jolted awake.

I gasped and blinked hard. My breath caught in my throat as the pain came rushing back, scaring and heavy, lighting up every inch of my body.

But that wasn’t what shocked me the most.

It was the fact that I was still in his arms.

Troye—the Alpha King—was holding me like I was something precious. My face was pressed against his broad chest, his scent still wrapped around me like a warm blanket.

I tried to move, but it felt like fire crawled up my spine. I winced, sucking in a sharp breath.

Troye looked down at me. “Are you okay?” he asked, his voice low but steady.

I could only stare at him. Had I heard right?

He was asking me if I was okay? Was I still dreaming?

I quickly nodded, cheeks flushing from the embarrassment of being held like this—in front of people, no less. That’s when I realized we weren’t alone.

Rue was kneeling on the floor a few steps away, her head bowed. Her parents—the Beta and his wife—stood behind her, their expressions twisted in worry.

And standing beside the door… was Vlad.

His jaw was tight. His fists clenched at his sides. His eyes were locked on me and the Alpha King like he was watching his worst nightmare come true.

I didn’t understand what was going on.

What happened?

Why was Troye here?

Why was Rue kneeling?

And most of all… why was I in his arms in front of everyone?

“I asked you a question,” Troye repeated gently. “What happened here, Ariana?”

I swallowed, then slowly shifted my gaze to Rue. My entire body throbbed, but I forced the words out.

“She ordered the guards to drag me here,” I whispered hoarsely. “Said she was going to punish me for talking back to her at the ball. She… she had me tied up. She flogged me until I passed out.”

Gasps echoed across the room.

Rue’s head snapped up. “Lies!” she shouted, eyes wide and glistening with fake tears. “That’s not what happened! I found her like that—already tied and beaten! I was the one who saved her! I swear it, my king!”

I stared at her in disbelief.

Even now, she was lying.

Even now.

Troye’s jaw ticked slightly. He glanced at Rue for a long, tense moment, his eyes unreadable.

Then he looked back down at me, adjusted his grip slightly, and stood up in one smooth motion—with me still in his arms.

“I don’t care to drag this matter out,” he said loudly, addressing everyone in the room. “From this moment forward, Ariana is no longer to work for the Beta’s family. She belongs in the palace now, under my protection.”

There was stunned silence.

“I don’t know what happened here,” Troye continued, “and frankly, I don’t want to waste time sorting lies from truth. But what I do know is this—if the pack’s future Luna is ever harmed again…”

He paused, his voice sharp now, the authority in it making the walls seem to tremble.

“…the consequences won’t be so easy to overlook.”

Gasps erupted across the room.

Someone whispered, “Future Luna?”

The Beta’s wife clutched her pearls. Rue’s mouth dropped open.

Vlad took a step back, his face drained of color.

Even the guards looked stunned.

Troye didn’t say another word.

He turned with me still in his arms, and began walking out of the house like he hadn’t just dropped a bomb on the entire room.