Bound to the Lycan King's Obsession

The Truth

SCARLETT

"You’re my mate," I repeated. The words came out breathless and awed. Tears were streaming down my face, but I didn't care. This was it, this was my happily ever after.

Everything I'd endured, the bullying, the loneliness, the years of being treated like I was less than nothing, it had all been worth it for this moment.

Derrick’s eyes widened, then he smiled. The sight made warmth bloom in my chest. The crowd murmured in confusion as Derrick reached for me.

"Scarlett," he said, scanning me from head to toe. "What are you doing here? You’re supposed to be at the clinic. Has the pain subsided?"

My pulse raced, and my hands trembled with nervous excitement. I leaned toward him so only he could hear me.

"That does not matter right now; all that matters is that you’re my mate," I laughed.

He let out a soft laugh, glancing briefly at the crowd around us before gesturing for me to step even closer.

"Come here," he said lightly.

I felt dozens of eyes burning into my back as I moved closer until I stood directly in front of him.

"Scarlett," Derrick leaned down slightly, his voice lowering to something soft and almost concerned, "have you lost your mind?"

My smile faltered slightly as he studied my face as though searching for something.

"Are you absolutely sure about what you just said?" he asked quietly. "You are supposed to be on bedrest, Scarlett."

"I’m sure," I said proudly. "I can feel it. My wolf awakened earlier. She told me."

The moment the words left my mouth, Derrick doubled over and burst into laughter.

"Did you hear that?" he called out to the wolves nearby.

A few chuckles spread through the crowd. Then Derrick looked back at me, smiling broadly.

"If that’s true," he said, "why don’t you say it again?"

My heart fluttered nervously.

"Say what?" I asked.

He leaned closer, his voice dropping into a mockingly gentle whisper.

"Tell everyone what you just told me."

Something about the way he said it made a cold knot form in my stomach. But the hopeful excitement inside me was too strong to listen to that instinct.

I turned toward the crowd.

"I said Derrick is my mate," I announced.

Silence swept across the courtyard; it felt like the entire world had stopped breathing. Then Derrick sighed heavily and rubbed his forehead before turning toward the Pack.

"It seems," he said loudly, "that Scarlett Hunt has decided tonight would be the perfect time to take advantage of the kindness I have shown her all these years."

Confused murmurs rippled through the wolves. Furrowing his brows and frowning deeply, Derrick shook his head.

"I never thought she would go this far," he continued sadly. "Especially not on such an important night for the Pack."

A ripple of whispers spread through the crowd.

"She’s lying." "That wolfless girl thinks she’s the Luna?" "How disgusting."

The words began to blur together as dread crept slowly into my chest.

"Derrick…" I said quietly.

He turned back toward me. The warmth in his eyes was gone. What replaced it was colder than anything I had ever seen.

"Did you really think," he said slowly, his voice carrying across the now-silent hall, "that I'd accept a cursed omega like you as my mate?" He asked, and the words hit me like a physical blow. I actually took a step back, my hand falling to my side.

"What?" The word was barely a whisper.

Derrick's lip curled in disgust. Around us, I could hear the pack starting to murmur.

"You heard me, Scarlett." He said my name like it was something dirty. "Look at you. You're twenty-five years old, and your wolf just now decided to show up? That’s if it truly awakened. Just a few moments ago, the pack doctors were certain that you would never awaken your wolf. You're defective and definitely broken. Did you honestly believe I'd trapped myself with you as my Luna? As the mother of my heirs?"

Each word was a knife to my chest. The mate bond was screaming, begging me to make this right, to fix whatever was wrong. But I couldn't move. I couldn't breathe.

"But you... you promised," I managed, hating how small my voice sounded. "You said—"

"I lied." The words were flat. "Everything I ever told you was a lie, Scarlett. Did you really think I cared about you?" He laughed, and the sound made my stomach turn. "You were useful. The poor, pathetic wolfless girl that the kind Alpha's son took pity on. Do you know how much sympathy that got me? How many wolves respected me for my 'compassion'?"

No…. No, this isn't happening.

"Derrick, please—" I reached for him again, and he jerked away as if my touch burned.

"Don't." His voice was sharp. "I, Derrick Darkwater, future Alpha of the Darkwater Pack, reject you, Scarlett Hunt, as my mate."

The rejection hit me hard and strong, and I screamed. It felt like someone had reached into my chest and ripped out my heart with their bare hands. The mate bond, so new and so precious, was shattered. My wolf howled in agony, and I collapsed to my knees on the dais, unable to do anything but shake and scream as pain consumed every cell in my body.

Through the haze of agony, I heard Derrick's voice say, "Meredith, come here."

My vision was blurry with tears, but I could still see her. She glided up the steps with a smug smile on her perfect face, her blonde hair gleaming in the candlelight.

"Yes, my love?" she purred.

My love? Since when and how?

"I choose you as my mate," Derrick announced. "You'll be my Luna."

The pack erupted in cheers. Through my pain, I watched Derrick pull Meredith into his arms and kiss her, claiming, right there in front of everyone, and right there in front of me, still writhing in agony on the floor.

"Pathetic," someone in the crowd laughed. "I knew she'd never be good enough for our future Alpha." "Cursed omega trash." The insults rained down on me, but they were nothing compared to the pain. I tried to stand, but my legs wouldn't hold me. My newly awakened wolf was going insane inside me, howling and clawing, not understanding why our mate had thrown us away.

Derrick finally broke the kiss with Meredith and looked down at me.

"You were always just a means to an end, Scarlett. A tool to make me look good. Did you really think anyone could love something as pathetic as you?" He smiled, and it was the cruelest thing I'd ever seen. "You should thank me. I gave you purpose because without me, you're nothing."

Something wet hit my face. Then again. People were spitting on me. I managed to get to my hands and knees, my whole body shaking. Through the crowd of legs, I could see the exit. I just had to get there. I just had to get away.

"Look at her crawling!" someone jeered. "Like the dog she is!"

Laughter. So much laughter. I dragged myself forward, inch by agonizing inch. Something hit my back; someone had thrown food at me. Then, more things started flying. Bread rolls, fruit, and a glass shattered near my head.

I stumbled down the steps of the Pack House, my vision swimming. This was supposed to be the best night of my life. Instead, it was the night my world ended.