The Lycan's Stolen Bride

Chapter 5

Chapter 5

"I know you probably heard by now," Liam said, voice softer, like he thought this would comfort her. "I'm going to marry Rowena. It's what's best for both families, you understand. The alliance, the arrangement, the mating pact. it makes sense for everyone. Our own arrangement was called off, after well, you murdered someone and was sent to jail, it was only right that I let you go and marry a woman with a much cleaner background to show off to my friends."

"Then why are you here," Callie said flatly.

"Because I still want you," Liam said, like it was obvious to anyone.

"JUst because I can't marry you as my first and main Luna, doesn't mean I do not love you. It is because of this, that I am even willing to compromise with you on this delicate situation. You'll stay in the house, of course. As my mistress. My concubine. You'll want for nothing, I promise you that. You will also have your own maids who will serve you hand and feet. Nice clothes, your own rooms, anything you like. It's not so bad, is it? You'll still get to be close to me. Close to this family. Nothing really changes for you."

Callie stared at him, disgust curling low in her stomach. "You want to marry my sister, and keep me on the side, like some kind of pet."

"Don't say it like that," Liam said, frowning slightly, like she was the one being unreasonable. "I'm offering you something good here. Do you understand what an honor this is? Most men wouldn't even look twice at you after everything that happened to you in that. "

Callie's jaw tightened at that as she snapped at him. "Get out."

Liam ignored her, leaning in closer, one hand coming up to cup the side of her face gently forcing her to look at him. "You should be thanking me, actually. I should be the one disgusted right now. You spent two years locked away with all those men. Do you have any idea what people say happens in places like that? Of course you do, you lived there for years so you are no stranger to what goes on in there. Your innocence is probably long gone by now. Ruined. Used up by whoever wanted a turn with you in there." His mouth curled at the thought, though his grip on her only tightened. "And still, I'm willing to keep you close. Still willing to give you a place in my life. You should feel grateful I even want you at all after that."

Something cold and sharp settled over Callie at his words, but she did not let it show on her face because if it did, he would count it as a victory and she was not going to make it easy for him. She just sat there, still and silent, while his hand moved to her waist, pulling her closer, his mouth leaning in toward hers, already about to kiss her.

She shoved him back hard, breaking free of his grip, and scrambled off the cot to put the small room's distance between them.

"Don't touch me," she said again, voice low and even.

Liam blinked, surprised for a moment at her resistance, then his expression twisted into something colder and harder, all traces of affection gone, as he gritted his teeth, his aura already being released subconsciously, the alpha dominance being spread out, almost sending Callie to her knees, the familiar force of being submissive but she fought against it, already subjected to it over the years inside jail and had developed a resistance for it. If Liam was surprised that callie wasn't falling t o her knees already, he did not say a word about it and continued speaking. "You're really going to act like this? After everything I just offered you?"

Callie said nothing to him, as she squeezed her fist till her knuckles turned white from force.. She stood with her back against the wall, watching him.

"Fine," Liam said, standing up slowly, straightening his jacket like he was the one who had been wronged here. "Play hard to get if you want. It won't matter in the end. You'll come around. You always do." He walked toward the door, then paused, looking back at her one last time. "I'll deal with you later, Callie. Once things are settled with Rowena, once the mating ceremony is done, and Rowena is finally my mate and luna, you'll see reason. You always do."

He left the room without waiting for a response, closing the door behind him with a soft click.

Callie stayed against the wall for a long moment after he was gone, arms wrapped around herself, the cut on her arm forgotten as she was dealing with an even more bigger pain than what was on her arm.

She thought about the two years she had spent in that place, the beatings that she endured, the cold nights that she lived through, the assault done to her, the matron's warnings, all of it.

And now she was home, and this was what waited for her. A sister who smiled while destroying her life because she found it fun and not that she had done anything to even deserve it. A brother who saw her as nothing but a problem and would never believe her words no matter what. Parents who cried on cue and meant none of it because they all saw her as a burden they could not easily get rid of. And a man who once promised to marry her, now offering her a place as his mistress like it was some kind of gift and she should be grateful for the scraps she had been given.

She sat back down on the edge of the cot and pressed the cloth to her arm again, watching the small red stain spread slowly across the fabric.

Nobody in this house saw her as a person anymore. Not her family, not Liam, not even the maids who avoided her eyes in the hallway.

She thought about what the matron had said before she left the camp. Obey your parents. Keep your head down. Don't throw away this second chance at life.

But sitting there in that small dusty room, blood soaking slowly through the cloth on her arm, Callie was starting to understand something. This was not a second chance at life. This was the same life, just a different cage.