THE ALPHA KING'S SECOND CHOICE

Failed Escape (2)

Helios’s betrayal ran deep within my bones.

He was the least I had expected to abandon me ruthlessly like that, when he knew how much I suffered within the Lancaster family.

My father, Earl Lancaster had suddenly revealed that I was to wed a marquess against my will. The marquess wasn’t just any Marquess.

Marquess Powell.

A well-known marquess known for his extreme wealth in the Southern capital of the werewolf kingdom and also his lecherous nature.

He, among many nobles, married more than ten concubines after his fated mate. My father wanted to marry me to the marquess for his wealth. That wasn’t even the worst part of this forced marriage

The marquess’ age was 74 years old.

He was an old marquess, and I, a 19 years old she-wolf, had to join his backyard of she-wolves against my will, because my greedy father targeted his extreme wealth.

The unsurprising part?

My stepmother and stepsister were much aware of his plans and readily supported him. They all claimed that I was doing good for the family and climbing up the social ladder, unlike other lowly bloods to be a Marchioness.

Of course, my father and stepmother couldn’t have Isabella marry the old marquess. They have always planned to marry Isabella to the unmarried bachelors of the Northern capital and Central capital of the werewolf kingdom.

The two most powerful capitals of the werewolf kingdom.

Even Isabella has always held head high, claiming that she was meant to marry of a higher standing than a marquess.

That’s what I thought until Isabella and Helios suddenly claimed they were fated mates out of nowhere.

Knowing that I couldn’t argue my way of the forced marriage with the old marquess, I decided to hasten my long-term escape plans.

Helios had always known that I would have left the Lancaster family, if not the promise with my mother. His own family wasn’t better than mine, and together, we had planned to start our new lives as fated mates.

Our plan was to arrange a commercial carriage that would take us out of the Eastern capital. Helios had requested that I should wait for him first in the commercial carriage.

Only for him and Isabella to suddenly appear with the knights of the Lancaster manor, claiming that I was running away with the family’s wealth first.

My reputation had always been terrible in the Eastern capital.

Isabella had always been known as a kind and caring elder sister to her illegitimate little sister. I, however, was known to be an ungrateful little sister who had always bullied her elder sister for her legitimate status.

Isabella had always used my existence to shine in the presence of others.

As the poorest capital of the werewolf kingdom, would the commoners and residents of the Eastern capital take lightly to the one who had stolen the wealth of the Lancaster family?

Of course not.

The knights dragged me back in the streets of the market square like a criminal, and commoners hurled rotten eggs, tomatoes and all sorts in my face. They called me names and demanded that I should return the wealth of their Lancaster Earldom.

Now, here I was, in the dungeon of the Lancaster family with a bleeding back. The pungent scent of blood fused with the rotten smell of things the commoners had thrown at my face, and my sweat. The dungeon had never had a pleasant air, as this wasn’t my first time in here.

Can you heal me?

I called out to my werewolf, requesting that she should heal the bleeding scars on my back, and the bone that had cracked somewhere.

Growl.

My head echoed with a weak growl, and the tingles on my back alerted me that she was already on it.

With my back, I released a sigh of relief and stared up at the stony ceiling of the dungeon.

‘’Do I have no choice but to get married?’’ I murmured under my breath. The future I was looking forward to with Helios already seemed bleak.

The family we planned to build with our future pups, the business ideas Helios planned to have success in, had been very close to my fingertips, but now, it was gone, far, far, away from my reach.

Helios was already gone to build the I dreamed of with Isabella.

The faces of Isabella’s intimacy with him flashed across my eyes, and I growled lowly at the disgusting image.

‘’No.’’ I was displeased with my own thoughts of surrendering my life just like that to the Lancaster family, and the old marquess. ‘’I won’t give up.’’

I would surely find a way to escape this wretched family no matter what.

****

‘’The Earl will be displeased if he finds out, Young master Arundel.’’

‘’It’s only for a moment.’’

My eyes snapped open at the familiar voice of Helios nearby. My ears twitched at the sound footsteps heading my way, and I found him walking over to my cell.

‘’Athy.’’ He called me with the name my mother had given me in the past.

‘’Don’t call me that.’’ I snarled furiously at him. ‘’You don’t deserve to call me with that name!’’ If only I wasn’t so weak to move, I would have scarred that disgusting face of his.

Time had long passed in the dungeon, perhaps two days or even more. The knight had only fed me with stale bread and water. Although, my werewolf had managed to heal my back, I still needed food and water to have some strength in my body.

I could eat the stale bread as it was a usual and filling meal for me, not the water. I had a trauma with drinking water from the knights.

Sometime in the past, I was about to sip water from the bowl, all for me to sniff a peculiar scent. When I realized what was mixed in the water, I had thrown up in a corner of the cell.

Since then, I have never drunk water from the knights in the dungeon. Some of the might just mix their urine inside the drinking bowl.

‘’Why are you like this, Athy?’’ Helios sighed at my words with disappointed eyes. ‘’Don’t you understand that I am doing for you....for us?’’

‘’For us?’’ I scoffed, repulsed by his words. ‘’You sicken me, Helios. If you were doing this for us, I wouldn’t have been imprisoned here because of you!’’

‘’You will understand my actions in the near future.’’ Helios said and unlocked the cell to step inside. ‘’Marry Marquess Powell for his wealth, and when I become the new Earl of the Lancaster Earldom, I will divorce you from the Powell family if you don’t get pregnant with the marquess’ seed.’’

What?

‘’D-Do you hear yourself, Helios?’’ I stared at my fated mate as if I was knowing him for the first time. I should get married to the marquess for his wealth, and when he becomes the new Earl Lancaster, he will divorce me from the Powell family if I don’t get pregnant?

‘’I know what I said, Athy.’’ He confirmed, narrowing the distance between us and lowered himself to my level. ‘’You have always been a smart and intelligent she-wolf. You’ll know what to do to avoid consummating your marriage with the marquess. As long as you remained untouched, we’ll use that to spread rumors about your infertility and I can divorce you with my identity as the new Earl of the Lancaster Earldom.’’

Helios’s fingers suddenly reached out to touch my face, and I couldn’t avoid his revolting touch that had Isabella’s scent because of my weak reaction.

‘’We can be together after the divorce. I promise I won’t touch Isabella as well. Our pup can be the heir of the Lancaster Earldom. Don’t you like the sound of that, Athy?’’ He smiled sweetly. The same upturn of his lips that would have melted my heart with butterflies.

But, not anymore.

I glared at him in silence.

‘’You have to understand, Athy.’’ Helios explained with a small sigh, as if understanding my unspoken response. ‘’The Eastern capital is at the bottom of all five capitals in the werewolf kingdom. We desperately need the Marquess Powell’s wealth. As long as you get married, eastern commoners can also live well?’’

‘’......’’

‘’Do this for all of us, right Athy?’’