Chapter 1
The day my father injected me with suppressants, Derek helped me escape.
From that day on, I became his mate.
He lavished me with the utmost care; if I asked for the moon, he'd never offer me just the stars.
Everyone envied my good fortune, and even I believed it myself.
Until three years later, on the eve of our bonding ceremony, he, who was supposed to become my mate, instead delivered me right back into my father's hands.
"I've watched her for three years and ensured she didn't escape. Our agreement is fulfilled. Now, you should betroth Olivia to me, shouldn't you?"
Olivia, my younger sister.
My father nodded in satisfaction, yet he still seemed somewhat puzzled.
"You've lived with her for three years, and you haven't developed any feelings for her at all?"
Derek let out a cold laugh.
"Feelings? Every second I spent with her made me sick. If it weren't for Olivia, I would never have feigned any affection for her."
Since Derek treated me like trash, why should I bother treating him like a human being?
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1
Because of my defiance, Father had locked me in the punishment room for three days and nights.
I refused to eat, attempting to protest with a hunger strike.
But my father, utterly unconcerned, pried open my mouth and forced scalding nutrient solution down my throat.
The liquid slid down my throat into my stomach, feeling as if it burned a hole through me.
"Did you think this would get you out of the arranged marriage? Dream on!" Father's expression was grim.
"Honestly, if Derek had truly loved you enough to marry you, I wouldn't be marrying you off to that Marcus, the one rumored to be so brutal."
"It's just that you're too useless, inferior to Olivia in every way. You couldn't even hold onto a Beta's heart. "
"He deceived you for three years, and just because you were supposed to marry Marcus in the third year, he wasn't willing to waste another second on you."
The moment he finished speaking, I snatched the metal cup from his hand and hurled it to the floor, the nutrient solution splashing all over him.
"I must have been the one you found on the doorstep! Olivia is your only real daughter, isn't she!"
Olivia always got the best of everything. Even with this dynastic marriage, Father never once asked for my opinion. He just injected me with suppressants and sent me to another man's bed.
Olivia was the one originally intended for the marriage alliance, but Father cherished her too much to let her go. So, he planned for me to establish a mate bond with someone else, to take Olivia's place.
He brushed the liquid from his clothes, his gaze growing increasingly cold and ruthless.
He didn't answer my question; instead, he seized the stun baton beside him.
Just as the stun baton was about to descend upon me, Derek's voice suddenly cut through from outside the door.
"After I've finished my business, I'll make sure to teach you a proper lesson!"
He grudgingly lowered the stun baton. But as he departed, he pressed the button activating the confinement array.