Chapter 2 Marry The King

“How did this happen?” Mum cried, closing her face. “I can’t look— I can’t. Richard, tell me this is just a nightmare.”

Dad pulled mum into his embrace, pulling her away from the body laid on a stretcher. “Janelle, get a hold of yourself, please.”

Shaken, I gathered myself from the floor. My entire back stinging from the wrath of Dad’s leather belt. The pain was nerve-wrecking until the cops arrived a few minutes ago with two bodies and I couldn’t tell what I felt anymore. 

On getting up, I could get a clearer look. Sage’s blonde hair was matted with red from the blood pouring from her shattered skull. Their faces are unrecognizable from the burns.

Dad had tears in his eyes. I had never seen him cry. My eyes flashed to the body next to Sage’s. A man. Obviously the man she was in love with— the one I just got whipped for lying about. He was there in the flesh, only that he and Sage were both dead. 

“I am sorry for the loss of your daughter,” The cop said, facing Dad. “We couldn’t recognize them at first due to the degree of the burns they developed during the accident, but we managed to get some documents from the car that pointed us to you.”

He sighed. “She said she was going for a ride, how did she get in an accident on the main bridge? So far away?” 

The cop nodded. “Yes. I think they were both about to leave town. Plus we retrieved a couple of personal belongings from the car as well.” 

Mum gasped, looking from the cop to Dad. “Leaving town? But her wedding with the Alpha King is just four days from now.” 

Dad bit his bottom lip, mute. He turned to look at me and I lowered my head. I had nothing to say. It was obvious, his all righteous daughter was about to elope with a man, just when he was punishing me for lying against her. 

The cop clicked his tongue, looking at Sage in pity. “Your daughter was a rising star. She was phenomenon for her—”

“You—” Mum cut in, kicking the body of the man next to Sage. “You deceived my daughter to elope with you and then you killed her?” She lunged for the body, but Dad held her arms stopping her. 

“Officer, please take them away,” Dad stated, struggling with Mum who just wanted to kick at the dead man. The officers took them from the living room. Mum threw her hand into her hair. 

“Four days, Richard. That is all we have to save this family’s reputation and get a chance to increase our status forever.”

The entire sitting room fell silent. Staff hanging from around the corner, looking at us. All I could hear was Mum’s fast breaths and my feet tapping against the floor anxiously. 

My heart felt cold on seeing what had happened to Sage. I didn’t know if I should feel sorry for her. She brought it on herself. But what I couldn’t fathom, was the fact that Mum was talking about the family's reputation and status when she’d just lost her most precious daughter. 

“What do we do? The wedding is in a few days, I don’t want our family to face this disgrace” Mum cried out again. 

Dad growled, “If we don’t give the Steelclaw Alpha a mate, then we would lose out on this opportunity of being related to the Alpha King.”

“Richard, we have to make a plan." We have to—” Mum paused and faced me. My eyes darted around as I wondered why she was looking at me. “You.”

I blinked, looking behind me to make sure it was me she was talking to. “Me?” I asked. 

She nodded, her eyes lighting up as she stepped towards me. “Ofcourse. You could save this family from this shame.”

Dad dropped his arms, ceremonially and they exchanged glances. “Yes, Janelle, she can fix this.”

I still didn’t understand where I came in— or how I would save the family, but I stood there, mute. 

Mum pinched her chin, nodding like some mastermind. “If you get married to the Alpha, our family will still be connected to the royal bloodline. We would be the inlaws of the wolf king.”

“Wa— wait.” I pushed my arms out, shaking my head as my eyes grew large. “I am not re—ready for marriage,” I stuttered. I've never been in a relationship before. Nobody ever looked at me like that, it was always Sage. Why me now?

Not to the Alpha King. I’d heard terrible things about him. I couldn’t even imagine myself under politics and its drama. I would crumble under the weight of expectations. No. It’s not for me.

“Don’t give me that look, Penelope,” Mum cut in through my raging thoughts. “This is not the time to be ungrateful. We just lost your sister, and can’t lose this opportunity as well.”

“We took you in when you were just a frail abandoned baby, and we gave you everything. Don’t you remember?” Dad jumped in. “You can afford to be in that expensive library reading limited editions of books because of our money. This is the time for you to pay us back, Penelope.”

I almost rolled my eyes, but I closed them instead, shaking my head. “No—t,” My voice broke. “Not with marriage. I can’t marry him. He’s scary.” My hands were curled into fists, grabbing the sides of my dress.

Mum sighed. “We don’t care. All you need to do is marry him. I didn’t say you have to love him, or he should hold you like an egg. After all, this is an arranged marriage.”

“Once you marry him, exchange your mate's mark, it’s done.” Dad continued. “You can disappear into oblivion for all we care. He might even take another wife, but all you have to do is— marry the man, Penelope.”

I shook my head again. “Mother, Father—”

“Penelope!!” Dad thundered. I flinched, jumping back as his words shook me to my spine. “Not another word from you. You will marry him and that is final.” He stepped forward with his finger pointing at me. His nostril flared. I stepped back, breathing heavily with my shoulders hunched.

“If you do not want to do that, you get out of our house and leave everything that belongs to you here, because I bought it with my money,” he stated. “You will forsake this family’s name and I will do the unthinkable to to you

Mum added. “It’s either you serve this family, or you get out.”