Betrayed and Broken: The Lycan King's Slave Mate

I couldn’t believe my ears as Owen’s words echoed in my mind like a terrible nightmare that refused to end no matter how desperately I wanted to wake up from this horror.

The man I loved more than my own life, the person who had promised to cherish and protect me forever, was asking me to destroy my future and possibly my life just to save his reputation and position in the pack.

“That’s too much to ask, Owen! Yes, I love you more than my own life, but asking me to confess to murder is asking me to throw away any chance I have of ever being free from this pack’s hatred!” I said with my voice breaking as tears started flowing down my cheeks.

“Please, Ariana, you know how much becoming Alpha means to me and to this pack, and you also know that I’m the only one who can lead our people to prosperity and peace!” Owen pleaded as he dropped the bloody knife and moved closer to me with desperation written all over his handsome face.

“But what about me, Owen? What about our future together and the life you promised we would build as mates?” I whispered as I backed away from him until my shoulders hit the cold wall behind me.

“Once I become Alpha in two days, I promise I’ll find a way to get you out of prison and we can be together forever as we always planned!” He said as he reached out to cup my face in his hands that still had traces of Mara’s blood on them.

The way he was looking at me with love and promise shining in his dark eyes made my heart skip several beats as I imagined a future where we could be together openly and proudly.

“You really promise that you’ll save me once you have the power to do so?” I asked quietly while searching his face for any sign that he might be lying to me about his intentions.

“I swear on my life and my future title as Alpha that I will move heaven and earth to bring you back to me, my beautiful mate.” Owen whispered as he leaned down and pressed his forehead against mine in the intimate gesture that always made me feel like the most precious thing in the world.

I felt my resistance melting away completely as I realized that I would do anything for this man who had shown me love when everyone else had shown me only hatred and cruelty.

“Okay, I’ll do it for you because I trust you with my heart and my life.”

Owen’s face lit up with relief and gratitude as he pulled me into his strong arms and held me tight against his chest where I could hear his heart beating rapidly.

When we finally broke apart, I knew what I had to do as I walked over to where the bloody knife lay on the carpet and picked it up with hands that were surprisingly steady.

I deliberately smeared Mara’s blood on my clothes and hands until it looked like I had been the one fighting with her in a deadly struggle that ended with her death.

Just as I finished covering myself with evidence of the crime, the sound of heavy footsteps echoed in the hallway followed by urgent voices calling Owen’s name.

“What’s taking so long up there? The ceremony is almost over and people are looking for you!” Beta James’s voice boomed from outside the door as several warriors pushed their way into the room.

The warriors froze in shock when they saw me standing over Mara’s body with blood covering my hands and clothes while Owen stood several feet away looking horrified by the scene.

People from the retirement ceremony began crowding into the room behind the warriors, all gasping and pointing at me as they tried to understand what had happened in their future Alpha’s private chambers.

I looked directly at Owen one last time and saw him nod slightly giving me permission.

“I killed her because she was always cruel to me and tonight she pushed me too far!” I said loudly enough for everyone in the room to hear while my heart shattered into a million pieces.

“Seize her immediately! This murderer has brought shame and violence to our sacred ceremony!” Alpha Marcus roared as his warriors rushed forward to grab my arms and drag me away from the scene of my supposed crime.

I was thrown to the floor so hard that my knees cracked against the stone while the pack members who had gathered began cursing my name and spitting at my face.

As they dragged me through the hallway toward the dungeons, more people came running from the ceremony to see what all the commotion was about, and soon I was surrounded by dozens of angry faces calling me every horrible name they could think of.

“Ariana! Ariana, please tell me this isn’t true!” Cynthia’s desperate voice cut through all the other noise as my best friend came running toward me with tears streaming down her face.

“Don’t worry about me, Cynthia, everything will be fine in the end!” I managed to say before the guards yanked me further away from the only person besides Owen who had ever shown me genuine kindness and friendship.

People continued cursing me and shouting things like “murderer,” “traitor’s daughter,” and “worthless scum” as I was dragged through the packhouse and down the stone steps that led to the underground dungeons.

The shame and humiliation I felt in that moment was nothing compared to what I had experienced throughout my life, and I knew that I would endure much worse than this for the man I loved and the future we would share together.

They threw me into a cold, damp cell while slamming the heavy iron door shut with a sound that echoed through my bones.

That night, the guards came to my cell with whips and clubs.

“You think you can just kill whoever you want because you’re already the lowest of the low, don’t you, murderer?” Guard Captain Rex sneered as he brought his whip down across my back with enough force to tear through my thin dress and into my skin.

I bit my lip until it bled to keep from screaming as they beat me over and over again while calling me every cruel name they could think of and reminding me that I was nothing but the worthless daughter of traitors.

“Your parents were murderers and now you’ve proven that evil blood runs in your family!” Another guard spat in my face before kicking me in the ribs so hard that I heard something crack inside my chest.

They beat me until my entire body was covered in bruises and cuts while I curled up on the filthy floor trying to protect my head and vital organs from their relentless assault.

“Maybe this will teach you that people like you don’t belong in civilized society!” Guard Rex laughed as he stomped on my hand with his heavy boot, crushing my fingers until I couldn’t hold back my scream of agony any longer.

They continued beating me until I could barely move or think clearly, and then they left me alone in the darkness to suffer through the long night with only my pain and regret.

In the morning, I woke up to the sound of heavy chains being dragged across the stone floor as several guards entered my cell with grim expressions on their faces.

“Where are you taking me?” I asked weakly as they roughly pulled me to my feet and began fastening the chains around my wrists and ankles with locks that felt like they would never come off.

“Today is your judgment day, murderer, and you’re going to face the consequences of your evil actions in front of the entire pack.” The head guard said with a cruel smile as he tightened the shackles until they cut into my already wounded skin and made me cry out in fresh pain.