Chapter 2 The Truth

Alpha Andrew's POV

My lips grazed her skin as I teased her with my tongue, but I had had enough of her game. It was time to find out who she was and why they had given me someone else to be my bride instead of Sarah.

"You are not Sarah," I said, my eyes narrowing. "Who are you?"

She swallowed hard, and I could tell she was scared. She had every right to be, because what she was doing had serious consequences.

"Answer me!" I growled.

She was shaking, and I couldn't decide if I should pity her or get angry. She had the nerve to try and fool me. She was either the bravest or the most foolish girl alive.

"I don't." She stuttered.

She looked around the room, as if she were searching for a way to escape.

"Let's start small. Who are you?" I walked over to the straight-back chair and sat down.

"Uhm... I'm Chloe." She said.

The girl had gone pale.

"Chloe, what?" I asked.

"Nighler, Chloe nighler."

I thought for a moment. Her last name was the same as Sarah's, but she didn't look anything like the woman I was supposed to marry.

The girl before me had brown hair like Sarah's, but she was not as tall as Sarah's, and her face was soft with beautiful features. Sarah had sharp facial features and a thin lip.

"How are you related to my proposed bride?" I asked, shifting in the chair.

The girl hesitated until I grumbled, then she said, "She's my sister. Step-sister."

I understood better now. This girl had gone out of her way to take her sister's place as my bride so she could enjoy the benefits that came with being my mate.

It infuriated me to think she had almost gotten away with it. She must not have known that a few days ago I had gotten a look at Sarah from afar. I wanted to be sure the woman I was getting married to was up to my standards, and I was impressed by what I saw that night.

"To go behind your sister's back and take her place as my bride while trying to fool me in the process, all for your selfish desire. You really have a death wish, Chloe."

She shook her head frantically. "No. No. No, that's not it!" Her hands went to her mouth as tears gathered in her eyes. "I'd never do something like that."

"You wouldn't?" I asked in a mocking voice.

"Then what is this?"

Her trembling started again, but this time it was more intense. She looked as if she had fallen through the ice into a frozen pond and survived the ordeal.

"I had to do it to protect them."

"Them?" I scratched my stubble. "Your family?"

She nodded.

Her innocent act was almost believable; almost. She was doing it in a way that left me doubting everything I thought I knew.

"Where is Sarah right now?" I asked her.

She threw her hands in the air. "I have no idea."

The pieces were beginning to fit together now. I had a clearer picture of what was happening, and if I was right about this, then the list of people I planned to punish for this mess had just grown.

"Sarah ran away a few days from our wedding, and you had to step up for her by pretending to be my bride. Is that it?"

Her eyes shifted away, and I could see the panic destabilizing her completely. It was probably her mother's idea to carry out this ridiculous plan.

She probably didn't want to be my bride as much as I didn't want to be hers. She had done it all out of duty to her birth mother.

I got up from the chair and walked to the wardrobe, where I'd left my clothes. I got dressed and walked out of the door.

"Please don't blame my mother. It was all my idea." Her voice came from the room.

I sent Jason and Fred to investigate what had happened to her parents. After a few hours, they returned with the news I needed. The information was so upsetting that I had to take a moment to control my anger. Once I was sure I had calmed down, I asked for my bride to be brought to me.

She arrived wearing a long black dress that made her look younger with her big brown eyes. "I had my men talk to your family," I said, my expression conveying that the news wasn't good.

"They denied everything you told me. They said you went behind Alma's back to take her place as my bride. They said you've always been envious of your sister, and they didn't believe you would go this far."

Tears filled her eyes, but she managed to hold them back. "They asked for Sarah," I continued. "All they got were excuses."

"That makes me wonder," I said, rubbing my stubble. "Plus, I noticed deep regret on your mother's face while they questioned your stepmother." Fred was the best at reading people, so I had purposely made him follow Jason.

This situation was difficult for me, and I wanted to put it behind me as soon as possible. "I need a bride so I can be seen as the respectable Alpha King, which I am. Sarah, Chloe, Lana, and Ruth, I don't give a damn." I sighed.

"I will punish you for trying to deceive me... but you will remain here in the palace as my bride."