Chapter 2

Violet’s POV

This man standing in front of me was my mate. I never for once imagined I would be mated to a middle-aged man, but if that is all it takes to save me from the misery of life, I wouldn’t care.

His hands on my skin made my heart race even more, but then I noticed the look on his face; he never said a word to me. Was he not feeling the mate bond?

Why hasn’t he said anything to me? I asked myself, lost in my own thoughts. I had waited all these years to finally meet my mate. I just turned 19 and was scared that I wouldn’t find him.

But now he was in front of me, completely mute. Was he ashamed of me? “What’s going on here? What did you do to Alpha Ares?” I heard Jackie’s voice as she shoved me to the side, attending to him.

“You incompetent fool! Why did you spill the wine on him? Can’t you do something properly for once in your life?” She yelled.

“I didn’t mean to. Someone tried to touch me.” I didn’t even complete my statement when I felt a heavy slap on my face. Jackie slapped me, and before I knew what was going on, I saw two men behind.

They held me and dragged me out of the hall with force. “Let go of me, please; you're hurting me!” I screamed. “I’m so sorry, Alpha Ares; she’d be punished severely for spilling wine on you.”

Those were the last words I heard Jackie, my stepsister, say to my mate, who didn’t recognise me. As I was dragged away, I couldn’t shake off the feeling of Alpha Ares eyes on me.

My heart felt like it was tearing apart. I had finally found him, only to be ripped away without even a chance to talk to him. The mate bond was screaming at me, urging me to get back to him, but I was powerless.

The guards threw me into Alpha Damian’s room, which was dark and the floor beneath my feet cold.

I collapsed onto the cold floor, my body shaking uncontrollably. Tears streamed down my face, hot and relentless. I wrapped my arms around myself, feeling empty and lost.

"Alpha Ares..." I whispered, my voice cracking.

“Why didn't you recognise me? Why didn't you say anything?" I buried my face in my hands, sobbing. The image of his expressionless face haunted me.

Did he truly not feel the mate bond? Or was he just indifferent? Just then, Alpha Damien walked in with Madam Jess by his side. “You were supposed to serve without any mistake, Violet,” he said in his usually menacing voice.

“I’m so sorry, father, but one of the Alpha’s touched me inappropriately,” I muttered, but received a heavy slap in return, which sent me back to the ground.

“And what if he touched you? What are you worth anyway?” His words pierced my heart like I was being stabbed. My body was shaking with tears I couldn’t hold back.

"Please, Father, forgive me.”

"You've already failed the number one task by pouring wine on our important guest, and you’d be punished for that; lock her up without food and water,” he commanded.

I tumbled, my legs weak and trembling, but I barely had the strength to protest. "Father, please," I begged, my voice hoarse and desperate. I reached out, hoping for a flicker of compassion in his eyes, but he turned away, dismissing me with a wave of his hand.

The guard seized my arms again, dragging me into the darkness, his grips like iron shackles. As he threw me into the cell, the door slammed shut with a resounding thud, sealing my fate.

I sank to the cold floor, my heart racing as panic surged within me. The darkness enveloped me, and as the hours dragged on, my body cried out for food and water.

It was the next day already, and I could feel the day wearing off, but then the heavy door creaked open, and a sliver of light pierced the darkness. I squinted, my heart racing as I recognised the silhouette of Madam Jess.

“Come with me, Violet,” she said, her tone firm yet strangely gentle. I pushed myself to my feet, each step a struggle against my weakened state. I followed Madame Jess through the dimly lit corridors, my heart pounding.

Madam Jess opened a door, revealing a room bathed in warm light, where Alpha Damian sat behind a grand desk, a smile tugging at the corners of his mouth.

“I bet you’ve learnt your lesson,” he said, his gaze piercing through her like a blade. I nodded, my gaze fixed on the floor. “Now we need to prepare for the other task,” he said.

“Clean her up for the Alpha later,” he signalled to Madam Jess, who nodded and walked towards me. I had totally forgotten about the second condition he gave me. How could I let another man take away my innocence after finding my mate?

Just maybe if he had recognised me, I wouldn’t be in this situation. I cried my eyes out, knowing fully well that my misery was far from over. Madam Jess got me all cleaned up in one hour, which was tiring.

For the first time in years, I was bathed like a princess with the most expensive soap and perfume that was used to adorn my skin.

“You’d not be covering your hair today,” Alpha Damian said to me the moment I stepped out of the bathroom naked.

He always made me cover my hair with a scarf because I was a natural blonde and was scared other pack members would recognise me as the only heir. “I’m here to pick your outfit if that’s what you’re wondering about,” he said.

I gently covered my boobs with my hands, leaving the rest of my body exposed as he looked at me with lust. He kept saying no to all the outfits until he saw me wearing a white, transparent robe.

The robe revealed all parts of my body except my bum, which was covered with my pants. “This is perfect,” he said as he stood up from his seat and handed the file to me.

“Don’t fuck this up” were his last words before leaving the room. Madam Jess and I followed suit. We came to a stop in front of a golden door. These kinds of rooms were reserved for important visitors.

“Go in now,” Madam Jess whispered, and with that, I knocked gently before entering the room, which was dark with dim lights.

The room exuded a dark aura as I quietly walked in, but suddenly the scent of cinnamon and mint filled the air, which made me stop in my tracks. The same scent was intoxicating me, and there was no doubt that it was my mate.

“Come closer,” his deep, menacing voice said to me. My mate was the Alpha my stepfather wanted me to please. I didn’t know if I should be happy or sad, because I was here to deceive him into signing a contract I knew nothing about.

As I got closer to him, I saw him sitting at the edge of the bed with a cigar in his hand. He stood up, placing his hands on my waist, pushing me closer to him as he inhaled my scent.

“Hmm, you smell so heavenly,” he whispered in my ears, which sent jolts of electricity down my spine. I felt his hands trail down from my waist up to my neck as he planted a soft kiss on my neck.

And then he stared into my violet eyes, down to my lips, and before I knew what was happening, he took my lips in his. His lips were soft and sweet; he kept kissing me wildly like he couldn't get enough of it and slowly lifted me up, placing me on the bed.

This is the first time I was feeling this aroused and intense. "Fuck, you're so wet." He said as he slipped his hands in my thong, which only made me quiver more in gratifying pleasure.

But then I noticed he stopped. “Why did you stop?” I whispered, my voice trembling as he gently moved away from me. “It’s nothing,” he replied just immediately with a look of disgust.

“You can leave now,” he said before standing up from the bed. How could I possibly leave when I hadn’t even made him sign the documents?

“I can’t leave."

“And why is that?” He turned to look at me, who was on the bed half naked. “Because Alpha Damian would kill me if you don’t sign that document.”