With rage pulsating through my veins, I glared at Paige, her denial ringing hollow in my ears. "You expect me to believe that?" I snapped, my voice laced with venom. "You're lying, Paige. You drugged me last night, didn't you?"
Paige's eyes narrowed, her expression a mixture of defiance and disdain. "You're out of your mind, Audrina," she spat, her words dripping with contempt. "I would never do something like that to my own sister."
Her refusal to admit the truth only fueled my anger further. Without hesitation, I lunged forward, snatching her phone from her grasp before she could react. With a swift motion, I hurled it to the ground, the sound of shattering glass echoing through the room.
Before I could revel in my act of defiance, the door burst open, and our father, George, stormed into the room, his face contorted with fury. "What in the world is going on here?" he bellowed, his voice thunderous.
Paige wasted no time in pointing an accusatory finger at me, her expression twisted with malice. "She attacked me, Dad," she cried, her voice trembling with false indignation. "She's lost her mind."
His gaze fell on me, his eyes burning with righteous anger. Without a word, he stepped forward, his hand rising in a swift, punishing arc. The force of his slap sent a shockwave of pain coursing through my body, the sting of his palm against my cheek leaving a fiery imprint in its wake.
The room spun around me as I staggered backward, my vision blurring with tears of pain and betrayal. "Dad, please," I pleaded, my voice barely a whisper. "You have to believe me. Paige drugged me last night. She's trying to frame me."
But his expression remained cold and unforgiving, his belief in Paige's innocence unwavering. "That's enough, you idiot," he growled, his voice cutting through the chaos like a knife. "I won't tolerate this kind of behavior in my house. You're grounded, and I don't want to hear another word about this."
“Grounded? Father, do you have the slightest idea of what she did?”
Now she was prepared to complicate the situation; this girl was the devil's assistant, and everyone needed to know it. Fear ate away at my insides, turning me to a gibbering mess as phoney visions of being punished for my foolish mistake flooded my thoughts, and they were horrific.
His curiosity piqued, he inquired about it, and she told him the entire scenario, including how her phone cracked and the evidence.
With the weight of his decision pressing down on him, George's eyes flitted between Paige and myself, creating a tense atmosphere in the room.
Paige's lips curled into a malicious grin as she leaned in close to our father, her voice dripping with venomous intent. "She's a disgrace, Dad," she whispered, her words like poison in the air. "She deserves to die for what she's done. It's the only way to cleanse our family's honor."
My heart sank at her words, the reality of my situation crashing heavily on me. To hear my own sister call for my death was a betrayal beyond comprehension, yet here we were, on the precipice of disaster.
With a foul taste in my mouth, a mix of contempt and hopelessness washed over me, and I began to question myself again. If I hadn't been so drunk last night, it wouldn't have happened, but now I'd have to live with regret for the rest of my life, assuming I was lucky enough to live that long, given how many people were already expecting my death.
Bad news had already traveled like wildfire, and desperation gnawed at my breast as I turned to face George, tears welling in my eyes as I begged him.
I was willing to do anything but avoided facing my punishment, one that wasn’t even intentional.
"Please, Dad," I implored, my voice shaking from dread and uncertainty. "I did not intend for any of this to happen. I know I made a terrible mistake, but I beg you to give me another chance to make things right.
His expression hardened, his patience wearing thin as he regarded me with a mixture of annoyance and frustration. "If I am to confess, I’m not surprised considering you’ve brought nothing but shame to this family since the day you were born," he admonished, his voice stern.
“Since you’ve decided to be a constant thorn in the flesh and be the opposite of your sister here, I have equally decided not to overlook them, and a silly plea would not help either.” He declared.
At his words, my heart fell, the weight of his displeasure crushing me. I wouldn't give up hope, though. "Please, Dad," I implored, my voice cracking. "I know I've made a mess of things, but I'm begging you: give me one chance to fix it. I'll do whatever it takes, I swear."
For a long moment, silence hung heavy in the air as he considered my words. His expression softened slightly, a flicker of hesitation crossing his features.
“You have one month," he relented, his voice heavy with reluctance. "One month to convince the man who violated you to marry you. If you cannot, then I’ll personally see to it that you’re executed because I don’t care about losing a worthless daughter.”
A mixture of relief and hurt flooded through me at his words. "Thank you, father," I whispered, tears of gratitude streaming down my cheeks.
“Don’t address me as your father until you fulfill my request; remember, your life is in your hands.”
I felt like I might have been dealt a bad hand, but I wasn't going to let that stop me as George turned to exit the room. No matter the cost, I would find a way to put things right.
Paige had a smug look on her face as she observed me, her eyes shining with pleasure at my situation. However, I resisted allowing her to overcome me. I would do whatever it took to disprove her.
Despite being called a "whore" by my own kind, I didn't let that define who I was. To recover my honor and demonstrate that I deserved to be saved, I would battle to the death.
However, I was about to assess the room's destruction when I noticed something that instantly halted me in my tracks. The check James had offered me last night was lying there, on the bed, in the middle of the mayhem.
As I got closer to the bed and reached out to grab the piece of paper, my hands trembled, and my heart missed a beat.
I was running out of time—I had a month to put things right. I would stop at nothing to prevent myself from suffering an even worse fate than death. Failure was not an option.
~Paige~I crept into Audrina's room last night, the blackness surrounding me as I tiptoed across the floor. There she was, sleeping sweetly on the bed, completely ignorant of the storm developing in my mind.“Just look at her,” I hissed, quietly walking towards her.“All innocent and charming; too bad you won’t know what hit you.” I whispered, fighting the need to let out a bitter laugh.I just couldn’t stand her, and if there was any length I had to go to make sure that she was removed from our lives for good, I would do it.“You don’t deserve to live, but I’m going to keep you alive for a little while till you beg for death.” I muttered, a sly grin tugging on my lips.Bastards weren’t supposed to have a chance at happiness, and I was going to prove that to her.With a steady hand, I retrieved the syringe containing the potion I had taken from the evil witch and said, “This will do the trick for now.”Gripping the syringe securely, I approached her bedside, my pulse racing with expec
~Audrina~I entered the corporate lobby while holding the check in my shaking palm. The smell of old coffee and polished wood wafted into the room as I walked up to the front desk, my heart thumping with anxious expectation.As I walked up, the middle-aged woman working at the reception looked up from her computer screen, her expression hard to read.With a hesitant "Excuse me," I said, extending the check to her. "I'm trying to find someone, and I heard he works here. Could you please assist me?As she accepted the check from my hand, the receptionist's eyes sharpened, and her lips tightened into a tiny line. She ripped it in half and threw the fragments back at me without saying anything. Her move was so abrupt and out of the blue that all I could do was look at her in disbelief."What? What was that for?" My voice trembled with disbelief and confusion as I mumbled.She gazed at me with hardly concealed disdain, her look intensifying as she didn't respond. "You need to leave immedia
~Audrina~I was seething with anger as I warned the receptionist not to talk nonsense. "I told you to watch your mouth, didn’t I? Now, I am going to make you eat your words!" I spat.She recoiled, her hand flying to her cheek as she glared at me with wide eyes. "How dare you lay your filthy hands on me?" she hissed, her voice laced with venom."How dare I? How dare you accuse me of such vile things! I could get you sued, you know!" I shot back, my fists clenched at my sides.Ignoring my protests, she covered her face and pretended to call security. "Security! We have a problem at the front desk. Please come quickly!" She exclaimed, her voice loud and shrill.I shook my head in disbelief, unable to comprehend how someone could be so heartless. "You're despicable and don’t deserve to work here," I muttered under my breath, my voice barely audible.But the receptionist wasn't finished yet. With a smirk on her face, she dropped another bombshell that left me reeling. "You know, Alpha was
~Audrina~The sound of Mabel slapping her cheeks reverberated through the lobby, followed abruptly by a horrified hush.I was startled to see her attack her with another one until the receptionist prevented the next, which made the other employees start talking behind their hands.Mabel appeared to have the advantage when she abruptly withdrew hers and gave her the last one, which rang directly in my ear and made the receptionist recoil in disbelief.“Madame, tell me, what have I done to deserve this?” She challenged Mabel, her eyes red with tears as her hand flew to her face in shock and pain.Mabel scoffed, casting her a dirty look. “You’re seriously asking me that question? After speaking to my clients so rudely like you own the company, Or is it the fact that you blocked my slap?”As if she didn’t care about her first offense, she countered, “That was assault, and I won’t stand for it.”“Good,” Mabel responded, a wide grin spreading across her lips as though she had been dying for
~Audrina~I never once anticipated that I would end up as the victim of a disastrous one-night stand, let alone that I believed the man who had entered was really him.Good Lord, I was going crazy, and my life was about to end if I couldn't think of a way out.Mabel's voice cracked again while I was still trying to figure out how to get out of this situation; there was no way I would endanger my life to abort my baby.She said in a serious tone, "Audrina, my dear, there's something else we need to discuss."I took a quick look at her and could instantly see that the message wasn't good. "What is it now?" With a hint of anxiety in my voice, I questioned.Mabel inhaled deeply and met my eyes with a steady gaze. "I know you don't know me, Audrey, but this could be the answer you've been searching for."It was Audrina; what was so hard to pronounce there?"I'm afraid you might not be able to handle it alone. Motherhood comes with a lot of responsibilities," she said, pausing, and I could
~JAMES-As her words repeated over and over again in my head, I hung up the phone and handled it roughly, swinging it to the coach nearby as I loosened my collar. How could she even suggest such a thing? I wasn't ready for such a lifelong commitment, so I could not just fathom her obsession with it."If only she would stop this madness." I murmured, cracking my knuckles as I thought about it.Perhaps she was fooling around, but I could only find out by calling her again to confirm."No, she sounded too serious." I remarked, sinking back into my executive chair as I exhaled in frustration.Wanting grandchildren was very much understandable since it was needed for the continuation of our bloodline, but she also needed to realize that good things take time.More like, I was avoiding the whole idea of love because it was non-existent."What's the problem, sire?" Dylan inquired the moment that he stepped his foot into my office.I hesitated to give him the details, but he was like family,
~AUDRINA~After my last meeting with Madame Mabel, she informed me that her son would be sending a delegate with some documents for me to sign, and I was curious to know what it was. As long as it was not a life commitment, then there was no problem at all.When the wait was beginning to get too long, I was close to giving up when he showed up at the point of meeting.“Sorry, I’m late.” The man apologized as he took a seat opposite mine, and I only flashed him a smile, having little or nothing to say.“It’s fine,”“Shall we proceed now?” He requested it, and I gave him a nod of approval.Bringing out a document from his bag, he placed it on the table, and my eyes darted towards it. I couldn’t read much of the details, but I was more eager than ever to do so.“Where are my manners? I forgot to give you a proper introduction. I’m Dylan, the Beta of Madame Mabel’s pack and a close friend to the man you would be marrying.” He announced.He seemed nice compared to the egoistic brat who did
~Audrina~As I stood before the mirror with the wedding dress draped over my shoulders, it felt like it was happening so fast. For the past two days, I have had sleepless nights because I kept shifting from nightmares to another with Paige trying to kidnap me on my supposed special day.However, the people assigned to make me the prettiest bride were actually so friendly that I loosened up a bit.As the makeup artist put the finishing touches on my face, her skilled hands worked so well that I almost couldn’t recognize myself.“Wow, you look absolutely stunning!” she exclaimed, stepping back to admire her work.“You’re going to be the talk of the kingdom for months with your pretty pictures everywhere.”A blush crept up my cheeks, but I was still unable to muster much enthusiasm.“All thanks to you,” I returned her kind words. “You are the one who did all the magic here.”She nodded in agreement but still countered my words, “Yes, that’s true, but if you didn’t have this alluring beau