Sold to my real mate

Chapter 4

ELENA'S POV

"Shut up, you w***e! You don't have to act like a saint when everyone knows you’ve been sleeping around with strange men behind your Alpha's back," one of the maids ordered, and the rest of the staff burst into cruel laughter at her words.

My heart sank deep into my chest as I stood there, watching them make an absolute ridicule of me.

Of all the horrific things in the world, I couldn't believe this was happening to me. Marcus was standing right in front of me, and he was actually laughing at their jokes. Not only that, his newly wedded wife, Chloe, kept mocking me relentlessly, and the only thing I could do was watch helplessly.

I used to be their revered Luna. Now, all of a sudden, they were hurling insults and treating me like trash, and my own husband just stood by and watched.

*“They want you to strip. The visiting Alphas are waiting. You wouldn't dare make a mockery of my pack now, will you?”* Marcus’s voice exploded through our mindlink, sharp and commanding.

My heart hammered frantically against my ribs. When I locked eyes with him, I could see pure rage radiating from every part of his posture.

"Alpha, you didn't mention your wife was this stubborn," one of the neighboring Alphas remarked from the center of the crowd.

"If she doesn't strip, how am I supposed to do business with you? You promised there would be entertainment," another one chimed in, laughing.

I watched in utter dismay as they tossed me around like a worthless piece of trash. Clearly, to them, that was exactly what I was. I was consumed by a burning anger, but deep down, I knew it was nothing compared to what they would do to me if I refused.

Marcus slowly walked into the center of the gathering, bowing his head in apology to the visiting Alphas before storming toward me in a blind rage.

"You slut, do exactly as you're told! Stop being so damn stubborn," he half-yelled, grabbing my wrist with a crushing, forceful grip.

"I will not do such a thing! Strip? Marcus, I am still your mate!" I argued, trying to pull away.

"Ex-mate, you freak! How could a lowlife Omega ever be my true mate?"

"I was your Luna—"

"And I never acknowledged you from the very beginning! Get over it and strip!" he commanded, tightening his painful grip on my arm.

I still couldn't believe that the man I had spent the last five years loving and cleaning up after was the one hurting me this deeply. I had genuinely believed he loved me.

"Strip, you asshole, or I will personally force that child out of your womb and feed your head to the wolves!" His brutal threat made my legs shake with terror.

But no matter what he said, how he said it, or what he planned to do, I remained absolutely adamant about not stripping. I was ready to endure the physical pain—until he uttered the one secret I dreaded the most.

"You wouldn't want me to release the video of your father murdering that pack warrior, would you?" he whispered, letting out a sadistic laugh.

Shocked, I gazed at him in absolute horror as my heart shattered into a million pieces.

Desperately trying to swallow the tears streaming down my face, I forced myself to step forward and arrange my dress properly. With trembling hands, I walked toward the center of the room. Their mocking laughter and devouring eyes locked onto me, tracking my every move.

"Come on, do it already! It's not like you're innocent. We all heard how you sleep around and make babies that don't even belong to the Alpha. He must have put up with your trash for way too long, knowing what his wife truly is," a sarcastic voice called out from the crowd, prompting another wave of laughter from the Alphas.

I froze in the middle of the room, my legs shaking so violently I could barely stand. As I slowly reached down to grab the hem of my dress, the tears I had been holding back rushed down my cheeks. My husband didn't give a damn about me. I had been married to him for five years—how could he do this to me so effortlessly?

The exact moment I was about to let go of the fabric, a strong hand suddenly grabbed me from behind.

An electric, powerful spark erupted across my skin. It felt as though a million butterflies were wildly fluttering inside my stomach. Instantly, the entire room fell dead silent, and a wave of pure terror washed over the atmosphere.

“Mate,” my inner wolf whimpered amidst the torment and torture I was enduring. “He’s our true mate!”

My wolf's sudden declaration threw me into complete confusion. My bewilderment only grew when I turned my eyes to look at the man who had stopped me.

"Alpha Raymond Richford," I whispered under my breath.

"You don't have to obey the commands of a man who only views you as a commodity," Raymond said smoothly, his voice vibrating with immense power. He turned his cold gaze toward Marcus.

"I want her. Since you're treating her like a business transaction, I would love to renegotiate. I’ll pay you 300 million dollars right now, and you will hand her over to me. How about that, nephew?" Raymond asked, causing the crowd to gasp out loud.

I was completely shocked, broken, and deeply hurt. "I am not a commodity," I muttered hatefully, looking up at him. Why was everyone treating me like an object to be bought and sold? Even if he was my second-chance mate, this felt wrong.

"I never said you were one," Raymond responded quietly, looking down at me. "Or would you rather stay here and be humiliated by these bastards? Just agree to this for now, and we will talk about everything else later."

He turned back to Marcus, shrugging his broad shoulders. "Nephew, what do you think?"

"Deal. She’s all yours," Marcus said instantly, and my heart sank at how quickly he discarded me for money.

"A deal, then. I guess she belongs to me now. Now, if you wouldn't mind, can the rest of you get the f**k out?" Raymond demanded loudly. His icy demeanor and dark, suffocating aura were more than enough to send a chill through the room. "I want everyone out of this hall immediately. Leave me alone with her."

Without a second thought, the guests and maids scrambled out of the room, leaving a heavy silence behind. Raymond remained completely calm, his presence alone having cleared the entire hall.

"You don't have to thank me just yet," Raymond said, pulling a set of documents from his jacket. "Here, sign this and become my Luna. I know you want revenge, and I promise I will get it for you. A man who brings you to absolute zero, humiliates you, and then sells you off so easily—do you really think he deserves you?"

“Mate...” That was the only word ringing in a continuous loop inside my head.

"Sign it," Raymond urged, stepping closer.

Suddenly, Raymond froze, his eyes widening as his grip tightened on the papers. The fierce mate bond, the overwhelming physical attraction, and the undeniable magnetic pull finally crashed into his awareness.

"What the hell..." Raymond muttered, staring at me in complete shock. "The mate bonds... this attraction and pull. Who the f**k are you?"