Chapter 1

Molly POV

“Fk me to death if you have to, you ahole,” I sobbed.

I lay beneath the Alpha King’s rigid body, feeling utterly defeated. His weight bore down on me, pressing me deep into his bed. Tears streaked my face as he studied me intently, his gaze roaming over my features with unsettling curiosity. He hovered there, breathless and trembling, as if hesitating for a brief moment.

Not long ago, he had torn my custom-made wedding gown from my frail body, ripping it apart as if it were nothing. I watched in horror as the delicate fabric fell to the floor in shreds. He held me tightly in his grasp, pulling me close before crushing his lips against mine. His teeth grazed my lips, devouring me with an insatiable hunger.

I couldn’t breathe.

My entire body trembled uncontrollably as he forced me onto his bed, marking every inch of my skin with his kisses. He bit me relentlessly, sinking his sharp teeth into my flesh until I bled. Warm blood trickled down my shoulder blade, and I wanted to scream, to beg him to stop—but the words never made it past my lips. Fear choked them back.

His dark blue eyes burned with an unhinged madness, and in that moment, I truly believed my life was at its end. I feared that my wedding night would become the night of my death.

The events of the day flashed through my mind, the question haunting me: How did I end up here?

Three days ago:

"He is going to kill me, father, just as he killed his first luna. You wouldn't wish that fate upon me, would you?" Kylie cried, her voice trembling with fear.

She was sitting in a hospital bed, gauges encircling her wrists. She had repeatedly stated she preferred dying by her own hand over being killed by the Alpha King.

I couldn't blame her for fearing him. He was renowned as the fiercest creature in our lands, known for killing for amusement and bearing battle scars across his face, which he concealed under a mask.

"Kylie, stop this hysteria," her mother—my stepmother, Alyssa—chided, gripping Kylie’s hands tightly. It was her attempt at comfort, but Kylie withdrew her hands and turned pleadingly towards our father.

"Please," she begged once more. "I cannot marry him. If you have any care for me, you won’t force me into this..."

"Enough!" my father snapped. "The Alpha King has requested to marry my daughter, and I will not defy his wishes. You shall not bring disgrace to this family."

"But father," she wept. "I’m not your only daughter."

There was a pause as they all absorbed her words. Slowly, my father and Alyssa turned their gaze towards me.

As their stares bore into me, a sob caught in my throat.

"I'm sorry," I whispered softly. "But I can't..."

Alyssa scoffed, standing up from the bed and crossing her arms over her chest.

"You are the elder sister," she hissed angrily. "Kylie is suffering, and you refuse to do this one thing for her? You heartless ba-s-tar-d!" My stepmother glared at me, her anger palpable.

I remained silent. It turned out that Kylie had orchestrated this entire scenario. Her "suici*de" threat was merely a ruse.

Kylie looked at me provocatively and sobbed louder, “Father, I’m already in love with someone I wish to marry. Please don’t force me to marry that creature.”

“Who is it?” Father asked.

“It’s Wyatt,” she declared. “We are in love and want to get married.”

My heart sank as she mentioned the name of my fiancé. He had never told me about falling in love with my sister.

“He doesn’t want to marry Molly,” Kylie continued. “He never did. He has my heart, and I have his…”

I almost staggered backward, pressing against the wall. She was only two years younger than me but behaved like a spoiled child, believing she deserved everything I had, including my fiancé.

“Then it’s settled,” Alyssa interjected, turning back to me with a forced smile. “Kylie will marry Wyatt, and Molly will marry Alpha King Theo.”

“What?” I exclaimed, still reeling from the betrayal. “I can’t…” I tried to protest again.

“Enough!” my father barked. “I promised the Alpha King a Luna, and I will deliver one. Molly, you will marry him. If not, your brother will bear the consequences.”

“I’m sorry?” I asked, feeling the blood drain from my face.

“Exactly as I said,” my father sneered. “Your brother will pay the price. I’m covering his medical expenses, and I’ll continue to do so, ensuring he gets the help he desperately needs, only if you marry the Alpha King.”

I was speechless, realizing he was threatening my brother’s life to coerce me into marrying Alpha King Theo.

“Okay,” I finally said after a long pause. “I’ll marry the Alpha King.”

Could there have been a better choice? Apparently not.