Betrayed Heiress: My Second Chance Mate is A Lycan King

Aira’s POV

The sun’s late afternoon gaze kisses my porcelain skin, filling me with a warmth I didn’t even know I terribly needed.

With all the coldness and darkness that have been evolving around my life, who would have thought that something as simple as the sun’s kiss could make me feel a whole lot lighter?

Carla and I are seated in the courtyard beneath a small oak tree, having our little picnic. We sit together on top of a dark purple blanket and have nothing but fruits sitting on a silver bowl. It is not anything grand, probably because we do not have the permission or the money to afford anything more than this.

But I still loved it.

The mere thought of it alone and the effort Carla put into making all of this possible warmed my heart far more than she will ever know. My gaze shifts to her lying on her stomach; she has a book in one hand and an apple in another.

I am just realizing how breathtaking she is. She did not even have to put in effort to look so… beautiful. I suppose that is why it made me ask, “How did you end up here?”

She stops chewing her apple midway and lifts her eyes to meet mine. swallowing the bit of apple in her mouth, she asks, “What do you mean?”

“I mean exactly what I mean. I can not help but wonder how a beautiful young woman like you could end up working in such a hell hole.”

I turn my entire body and lay all my focus towards her.

“I just realized that I barely even know the person who has stuck by me since I came here. I don’t know how you got here, where your family is, what your childhood was like, or your hobbies and dislikes.”

Picking up her hand, I squeeze it softly. “Let me know you, Carla.”

The smile that lifts the corners of her lips is a sad one. I notice she does everything in her power to avoid eye contact with me, and it makes me wonder why. What is so terrible about her past that she can’t even look me in the eye?

Clearing her throat, she gestures around the blanket we are currently on and says, “Well, this is one of my hobbies, if you must know. Nature walks, a good book, and good fruit. As for my dislikes, well,” she pauses to sit up. “Let’s just say they are quite a bunch. Things, actions, and certain people all fall under that category. It’s a long story.”

I place my elbow on my thigh and rest my chin on my hand. I watch her with so much keen interest that I ask, “I have time. Tell me about all of it.”

Her honey brown eyes shift to the sun setting behind me, and if I thought that she looked beautiful before, she resembles a goddess now. I watch the sun set slowly through her eyes as she tells her tale.

“For things, I would say foods like coffee, alcohol, and smoke. I have always hated them since I was a child. And for actions, well, I guess you could say I hate to watch someone get treated unjustly. Treating others like they are a piece of trash. I hate it. Maybe it is because I have once been there; I have once been treated like I was nothing, which brings me down to the people aspect.” She pauses, and our eyes lock. What she says next has my heart plummeting to the pit of my stomach. “My father.”

“What do you mean?” I pry, even though I could not exactly help it. I wanted to know everything about her. I wanted to know what made her so different from the rest. I wanted to know every bit of her story.

Her tongue slips out of her mouth to wet her lips. I can see the pain in her eyes as she reminisces about her past. “I don’t really remember my mother. From the age of five, I remember being told that she died during an attack by rogues. She was just in the wrong place at the wrong time. And that left me alone with my father. I can’t remember how he was before my mom died. All I know is that ever since then he has done nothing but drink and smoke and hit me.”

My eyes widen a bit, and my mouth forms an O shape. Everything she hates now all stems from her father. Go figure.

I squeeze her hand once again to let her know that I am here. “I am so sorry.”

She waves her free hand dismissively and says, “It’s fine. I have come to accept everything. Things just changed after my mother’s death. I stopped going to school and spent most of my time at home, cleaning up my dad’s messes. It got to a point where he could not even stand or speak properly because he was always, and I mean always, on something. He would hit me because he would see pieces of my mother in me.”

“And you lived with him that way for how long?”

She pursed her lips before answering me. “Till I was seventeen. I mean, don’t get me wrong, the thought of running away did occur to me, but I just could not bring myself to do it. He was my dad and the only family I had left.” She stops and sniffles a bit. I watched her sadness turn into rage, and I instantly knew that she had lied to me earlier.

She has not accepted anything about her past.

“But I guess I should have known the feelings were not mutual. When I was seventeen, my father sold me so he could buy a couple more beers and cigarettes.”

My jaw is practically on the floor at this point. What a bastard!

“I am so sorry that happened to you, Carla. You really did not deserve to go through any of that,” I say, my heart breaking as I watch a tear slide down her cheek.

She wipes it away furiously and shrugs. “Well, I suppose everything happens for a reason. I never got to see who I got sold to; I was being taken there, but I managed to escape. I was in the middle of nowhere when I bumped into Alpha Alexander. And till this day, I really do not know if I made the right decision by running away.”

My eyebrows crease, and I look at her with disbelief. “What do you mean? Of course you did the right thing by running away.”

“Well, I can’t exactly say that where I am currently is paradise now, can I?” She shoots back, and my lips seal shut. My gaze travels down to the bruise around her neck, and I feel my eyes sting with upcoming tears.Ccontent © exclusive by Nô/vel(D)ra/ma.Org.

Scooting closer to her, I look Carla right in the eyes as I make this promise to her.

“I am going to get you out of here; you are way too kind to continue to live the life you are living now. You deserve far better; you deserve a life filled with happiness without people tossing you around, cleaning up their messes, and having them hurt you in the end. And I am going to make sure you get just that.”

Despite the sadness in her eyes, her smile is still warm. We engulf each other in a soothing hug, and she nuzzles her head into my hair. “Thank you, Aira.”

“Well, I suppose this is a bad time.”

Carla and I pull away to find a maid standing before us. She has her hands clasped in front of her as she looks between the two of us a bit sheepishly.

When neither Carla nor I say anything, she continues, “I have been watching you guys for some time now, and I have to say this looks like a hell lot of fun. Mind if I join?”

My eyes widen a bit from surprise. Carla and I share a glance, and she smiles. “Of course you can.”

The girl grins before taking a seat between Carla and me on the blanket. She looks at me and says, “I know this is weird coming to you like this, but after what you did today, I just had to.”

Tilting my head to the side, I ask, “What did I do today?”

“You stood up for yourself. Even when they all mocked you and called you a terrible mother, you stood your ground.” She pauses, and there is a bit of sadness in her gaze. “Something I wish I had done when I lost my own kid too.” Her face brightens up a bit when she looks at me and says, “You inspire me.”

Her words hit me harder than I would have liked to admit.

“I am Maria, by the way.” She introduces me, and I nod.

“Nice to meet you, Maria. My name is Aira,” I say, and she grins, picking up an apple from the bowl between us.

“Oh, I know.”

The next few hours are spent with us talking about books and gossiping about certain maids in the palace. The interaction was mostly between Carla and Maria since they have been here longer and know almost everyone.

I find my hand occasionally going to my stomach, and I feel my heart shatter every time. I try to move past the hollowness, but I can’t. It’s so hard. But I do act like everything is fine; even when Carla would occasionally catch me zoning out, she would ask me if I was okay, and I would fake a smile and say yes.

It was tiring, but I had to do it.

She put all her effort into arranging this picnic to cheer me up. Night falls, and the three of us finally decide to call it a day. Maria helped Carla return some of the stuff we used while I excused myself.

My feet start to move on their own accord, and I just let them. I did not know where I was going, but I was not bothered about it; I just needed to be somewhere I could find peace.

So when I walk up to the balcony on the second floor to find Alexander sitting there with a bottle of whiskey in his hands, you can imagine my surprise.

His dark eyes connect with mine, and I take a step back. “Sorry, I had no idea you would be here. I just… I should go.” I stammer before turning on my heel to leave.

But a single word from him stops me.

“Wait.”

Slowly, I return my attention to him.

His eyes are so dark and filled with so many mysteries I want to uncover. It is weird; I know he is drunk, even though he does not quite look it. I suppose that is how much self-control he has over himself.

He lifts the bottle in the air, facing me.

“Join me.”

His words leave me both shocked and confused.

The infamous Alpha King wants me to sit on a balcony and get drunk with him. Who would have thought that such a day would come?

Biting my bottom lip, I think about it. I am sure he would snap my neck if I even dared refuse him in this state. Perhaps a little alcohol would help eradicate this hollowness.

And besides, what is the worst that could happen?