Secret Affairs with the Lycan King

The elegant lilac dress lay spread across my bed, the satin and lace glinting in the afternoon sunlight streaming through my open window. Helena had bought it just for today, for the visitor soon to arrive. She wanted me to look presentable, to play my part in entrapping the unwitting man. "Don't forget your pills," my wolf reminded me gently. I paused to grab the asthma medication from my bedside table and tuck it into the bag's side pocket. It wouldn't do to have an attack while on the run. The door creaked open behind me and I hastily shoved the bag under the bed before spinning around. Helena swept into the room, her lips curled into a satisfied smirk. "Getting ready for your fiancé's arrival, I hope?" she purred, gliding closer to run her cold fingers along the dress's bodice. "He'll be here within the hour. I expect you to make a good impression, Rose. It's the least you can do for your poor deceased father." I bit my tongue to hold back the angry retort that threatened to spill out. She just loved to torment me by mentioning my weakness, reminding me of my place. As if I wasn't already drowning in grief and guilt. "Of course, Stepmother," I whispered instead, bowing my head submissively. Inside, my wolf bristled and snarled. We would not be here to meet any suitor today. Helena nodded, satisfied, and swept imperiously from the room, calling over her shoulder, "Make sure you're presentable by the time he arrives." The moment the door closed behind her I rushed to lock it securely, then retrieved my bag from beneath the bed. I couldn't risk anyone catching me trying to escape, especially Nikki. She'd rat me out to Helena in a heartbeat. My hands trembled slightly as I rifled through the bag one last time, confirming I had everything crucial for life on the run. A change of clothes, toiletries, my inhaler, and most importantly, the secret stash of cash I'd been accumulating over the years through small babysitting jobs around town. It was now or never. I glanced anxiously at the clock. Jake should have been here twenty minutes ago. We were supposed to slip away together under cover of darkness, before Klaus's envoy arrived. But there was still no sign of my mate outside the window. Worry gnawed at my gut. It wasn't like Jake to be late, especially for something so monumental. I paced the small confines of my room, debating whether to risk checking his cabin. Jake wouldn't stand me up, not tonight of all nights. Something must have happened to delay him. Mind made up, I tucked my bag securely out of sight and eased open my window. I had some experience sneaking out this way to meet Jake over the years. Jake's cabin wasn't far, just a short hike through the woods. I moved quietly but swiftly, anxiety building with each passing minute. Finally the small homey structure came into view between the pines. But instead of welcoming golden light in the windows, only gloomy darkness emanated from within. My pulse throbbed in my ears as I crept onto the front porch. "Jake?" I called softly. No answer. I tried the doorknob and, finding it unlocked, slipped cautiously inside. The front room was empty, cloaked in shadow. But then a thump sounded from down the hall, followed by a breathy feminine moan. I froze, bile rising in my throat. Nikki made those exact sounds whenever she snuck boys into her bedroom late at night. But what was she doing here, in Jake's private quarters? Rivulets of icy dread trickled down my spine as more moans and thumps echoed from Jake's bedroom. No. It couldn't be. He would never... I drifted silently toward the cracked door, praying desperately that I was wrong, that my mate hadn't betrayed me in the worst imaginable way. But the scene revealed through that narrow gap shredded my heart with all the cruelty of a hunting knife. Because there was Jake, the man I loved with my entire being, locked in heated passion with my own stepsister. "Ahhnnn…harder Jake! f**k me harder." Nikki's moaned, her long limbs were wrapped tightly around my mate, her head thrown back in ecstasy beneath his relentless thrusts. His big hands grasped her hips firmly as he drove into her again and again, groaning her name. "You're incredible, Nikki. So much better than your prudish sister," he panted, nuzzling her throat. "I love you." The soft confession was like a physical blow. A wretched sob clawed up my throat. How could he profess love for her after everything we'd shared? The tender moments, the planning, the promises for a future together...had it all been lies? Some twisted game to amuse himself before claiming the Alpha title? Blinded by tears, I stumbled away, desperate to escape the horrible betrayal playing out in that cabin. We were supposed to be mates, two halves of one soul. But I was nothing to him, just a pawn in Helena's schemes, unworthy of basic decency or respect. I crashed heedlessly through the woods, breath coming in ragged gasps between guttural sobs. So this was my destiny - to be scorned and discarded by anyone I dared care for. My father's greatest shame, abandoned by own mother at birth. Unlovable, unwantable. Perhaps Helena was right after all. I should stop fighting my wretched fate and submit to this arranged marriage with Klaus. At least then I could redeem myself by securing an alliance for my father's struggling pack. What did my happiness matter in the face of cold strategic facts? I was destined to be miserable either way. By the time Jake's cabin disappeared behind the thick trees, my tear ducts ran dry. I was empty inside, a hollowed out husk. Mindlessly, I turned my feet back home, back toward the elegant dress and waiting suitor. Back to my destiny as the pack's sacrificial pawn.