Chapter 2 Lila

Lila

This morning felt... different. There was a smile tugging at my lips, one I couldn't suppress. My body ached in the best way, a soreness that reminded me of last night-a night unlike any I'd ever known.

Something had shifted in me. There was power coursing through my veins, raw and untamed, as if I were no longer bound to the labels they'd placed on me. Submissive omega? My father's obedient little girl? Not anymore. Last night, I'd taken charge. I wasn't the one bowing down; I was the one worshipped.

The way he touched me, revered me... Oh, Goddess. Heat pooled in my core just at the memory. If only I'd had more cash on me-he deserved far more than the hundred dollars I'd left him.

"Lila, come here!"

My father's furious voice ripped through my pleasant reverie, snapping me back to reality. The smile on my face faltered, fading as I realized I was already in the hall, my feet carrying me toward the stairs.

I froze, my breath catching as his gaze locked onto mine, brimming with anger. Instinctively, my head dipped in submission, all the confidence I'd felt moments ago evaporating. My legs moved of their own accord, carrying me toward him.

"I won't ask where you were last night," he began, his voice sharp and laced with authority. "Since I don't care about your little rebellious adventure. But what I do care about is the shame you've brought upon this family."

Shame?

He continued, his tone biting. "Alpha Sheldon was furious when you didn't show up at the party. He ended the engagement in front of everyone. Do you have any idea how humiliating that was for me? You will go to him, apologize, and beg him to marry you."

The words hit me like a slap. Apologize? Beg? To that lying, cheating asshole?

Fury boiled under my skin, hotter and more intense than I'd ever felt before.

"You've got to be kidding me, Dad," I snapped, venom dripping from my words. "I'm not apologizing to that bastard, let alone begging him to marry me. He cheated on me, and you're more concerned about your reputation than my dignity. Did it ever occur to you to ask how I'm feeling?"

The words tumbled out before I could stop them. They weren't the words of the meek daughter he'd raised-they were defiant, bold, and unapologetic.

My father pinched the bridge of his nose, exhaling slowly. His anger, oddly, didn't flare. Instead, he seemed tired, almost resigned, as he rose from his chair.

"Lila, I know how you're feeling but this is for your own good," he said softly, as if his calm tone could somehow justify the unbearable demand he was making.

I crossed my arms, my nails digging into my skin. "For my own good? Or yours? What's the real reason you're so desperate to marry me off to Alpha Sheldon?"

For a moment, his stoic mask cracked. A flicker of guilt flashed across his face, but it was gone before I could grasp it.

"It's the business," he admitted finally, his tone hollow. "It's failing. Without Alpha Sheldon's financial backing, I'll lose my company."

I stared at him, disgust and disbelief warring in my chest. "And that's supposed to make this okay?" I snapped. "You're selling me off to save your sinking company?"

"Lila-" His palm exploded against my cheek and my heart stopped for a second.

"Sweetheart," a saccharine voice interrupted.

I turned, spotting Bella, my stepmother, gliding into the room with her trademark syrupy smile. She placed a manicured hand on my father's arm as if to soothe him, though her gaze was fixed on me with condescension.

"Your father has done everything for you," she purred. "He's given you the best of everything. Treated you like a princess your whole life. And now, when he needs you most, this is how you repay him?"

The room plunged into silence, her words hanging in the air like a cruel joke. Treated like a princess? The corners of my lips twisted into a smile-sharp, humorless, and laced with venom.

I took a deliberate step forward, my heels clicking against the hardwood floor, each sound echoing like a challenge. "Treated like a princess?" I gestured to myself, letting out a bitter laugh. "Are you sure you're talking about the right daughter, Bella?"

Her carefully painted mask of superiority faltered, her brown eyes widening in shock. For the first time, I had dared to speak back, and it was gratifying to watch her composure crumble. She wasn't prepared for this version of me, but she'd better learn quickly-the Lila who begged for scraps of her father's love was long gone.

"You ungrateful brat," Bella hissed, snapping her gaze to my father. Her tone dripped with mock pain. "I'm sorry, I didn't raise her well."

"No, you raised me enough well to be your pawn," I shot back, my voice cold and unforgiving. "A tool to seal your precious deal. That's why you kept me here all these years, isn't it? So you could use me when the time came? Let's not pretend this marriage was about me-it's always been about the company."

"Lila, that's enough," my father growled, his Alpha aura flaring.

But for the first time, his power didn't cow me. I stood my ground, defiance blazing in my eyes.

I dipped into a mocking bow. "My apologies, Alpha. Here's a suggestion-if saving the company is so important, why not sell me to another Alpha who is at least loyal to me?"

His face had gone pale, his fists trembling with barely restrained rage.

"Guards!" he thundered. "Restrain her. If she escapes, I'll skin you alive!"

The door burst open, and two towering guards strode in, their heavy boots thudding against the floor.

"No! You can't do this to me!" I screamed, thrashing as their hands gripped my arms like iron shackles.

My father's gaze bore into mine, cold and unrelenting. "I gave you everything. I arranged the best union for you despite you being a weakling, an omega." His voice was filled with venom, his expression a mask of disgust. "You should be grateful Alpha Sheldon even considered you. Have you ever heard of an Alpha taking an omega as his mate?"

Pain sliced through me, but I forced my voice to remain steady. "Mom was an omega, too, and you loved her." My throat tightened, and tears threatened to spill.

He turned his face away, his reply devoid of emotion. "It was different. You wouldn't understand. All you need to know is this-you're going to apologize to Alpha Sheldon and beg him to marry you. Be prepared to see him with his fated mate, because an Alpha needs powerful heirs bound by the mate bond."

My heart shattered all over again. Sheldon had betrayed me, but it was my father's defense of him that gutted me most. All for money. All because I was an omega.

"Why?" My voice broke, trembling with desperation. "I'm your first daughter. Why do you treat me like this?"

But he didn't answer. He never did.

Tears spilled down my cheeks, hot and relentless, as the fight drained from me. Bella stepped forward, her hand brushing against my arm as if in sympathy, but her whisper was poison.

"Don't forget your place, Lila," she murmured, her voice sickly sweet. "An omega's purpose is to bring the benefits to the family. Defying your father will only hurt you in the end."

Her words coiled around me like a serpent, and I knew better than to trust the facade of compassion.

The guards dragged me toward my room, their grip bruising, but I didn't resist. What was the point? They were stronger, and I had no fight left in me.

The door slammed shut behind me, and I stumbled forward, barely catching myself before I fell.

A slow, mocking drawl broke the tense silence.

"Hello, future wife."

I looked up, my stomach sinking as I took in Sheldon lounging on my bed like he owned it. His lips curled into a lazy smile, arrogance radiating off him in waves.