The Alpha Substitute Bride

SCARLET'S POV"

I felt a tight slap across my face where I stood, and my lips broke and gave way to fresh blood. I could taste it in my mouth.

My cheeks ached as tears pricked at my eyes and my fist clenched into a ball of rage, but I dared not move away from the spot I was unless I wanted to make it worse.

Ever since I lost my parents, my life has been worse compared to hell. My mother was a human who just had to fall in love with a werewolf, and they had me. After she died, my dad remarried his mate, who later had a daughter for him.

I always found my mother's disappearance strange, as she was fine one night and the next morning, she was found dead in her bed. Nobody cared enough about her though to have the death investigated.

Only a few days later, my dad brought home his mate who was already pregnant. Soon after, he left to join my mother in the same strange way she had been.

My suspicions were that my stepmother had killed both my mom and my dad, but I didn't have any proof and even if I did, no one would spare me a listening ear or the time to take action.

Just like my mother, I was a human. In other words, I was useless.

I'd had to live with my stepmother, Hannah, and my step-sister, Deborah, who treated me as no more than a doormat.

"Why do you have to be so stupid?!" My stepmother spat at me with eyes widened in anger and frustration. "Everywhere I go, I am reminded of this baggage that I have with me, and you always have to let it show that you are so useless! Why were you even born?!"

I always ask myself that question as well. Why was I even born in the first place? To live like a slave and be treated like a non-living thing?

She scoffed as my eyes fell to my feet. I hid my hands behind my back and stood in an apologetic manner. She hadn't given me the chance to speak, therefore, I couldn't apologize.

"Who gave you the permission to touch my things?" "Answer me when I am talking to you, you filthy pig!" She spat out at me.

"I didn't mean to–"

Another slap landed on my face, shutting me up. I winced from the pain and cupped my cheeks in my hand. I stared up at her as tears trailed down my cheeks.

"Of course." She stood with her hands on her hips. "You didn't mean to, it was a mistake. Every time you ruin something, it is always an accident! You yourself are an accident! Only the moon goddess knows what made that fool. Thomas marries a puny human."

Thomas was my father. I gritted my teeth in anger. The way she spoke of my late parents always got on my nerves, but there was nothing I could do about it.

My dad was an alpha and could do things the way he wished. That was how he decided to marry my mother after falling in love with her and no one could question him.

"Stop wasting your strength on this useless thing mother." My stepmother, Deborah, spoke up.

She rose from her seat and walked towards us. "I have a few chores for her to carry out. That's the only thing she is good for: running errands and washing the toilet." She threw a small sheet at me and, along with it, were a few hundred dollars. "Hurry! Make sure you get everything on that list."

Deborah was four years younger than me, yet she treated me like she was the older one. Like a queen treated her least favorite maid.

I bent down and picked up all the dollar notes and the list and turned to walk away. My stepmother called me back.

"Before I forget, my friend is waiting at JK hotel. She has a package for me. "Go and pick it up for me and don't you dare break it or else I will break you!" She glared. "That's the room number." She scribbled down on a piece of paper and threw it my way.

I nodded my head and picked up the paper before leaving. I could hear her scoff in irritation as I walked away.

The list was quite a long one, and it took some time to get everything. Finally, I was done, and I made my way to JK hotel to receive the package.

Taking out the ruffled paper from my pocket, I stared confusedly at it. "Is it a six or a nine?" I didn't know which way to turn it, but I finally decided on six since that was my birthday.

Arriving in the room, I knocked twice but got no response. Knocking once more, I twisted the knob, and it opened right away.

"Hello?," I said as I walked into the room and closed the door gently behind myself. It was a giant living room with no one in sight.

I went towards the bedroom and knocked as well. "I'm from Hannah Marigold," I said softly before pushing the door open.

A man stood in front of the mirror in the room with his back turned to me. As I stepped into the room, he twisted his head to look at me, but his face was concealed by a black mask.

'It must be nine.' I thought to myself. "I'm sorry, I got in the wrong room." I bowed my head apologetically before turning to leave.

A hand suddenly gripped my wrist and pulled me. A gasp escaped my mouth as I collided with his firm body.

"I'm sorry, but I'm going to need your help." His voice was stern yet gentle.

All I could see from his face were his pale gray eyes. I tried to push away from him, but he grabbed my waist and suddenly pressed his lips against mine.

His hands ripped my shirt open, revealing my bra, and then he cupped my ass. "Stop it!" I tried to fight it, but he was inhumanly strong.

All the groceries in my hand fell to the ground as he lifted me in his arms and pressed me to bed. His soft lips pressed against mine even harder than before, then began to trail down my neck.

I moaned softly as I felt his tongue against my nipple. He placed tenacious kisses all over my body, and I was so lost in the unwanted pleasure that I didn't even realize it when he slipped my jeans down my legs.

He was on top of me again, pinning me to the bed with his fingers intertwined with mine. A short gasp escaped my mouth as his member slipped inside me. He began to thrust inside me, hastily and quickly.

A mix of pain and pleasure escalated throughout my body as he made love to me. His soft moans against my ears brought moans from my mouth as well. His lips didn't cease from placing taunting kisses on my skin and sucking my breast whenever he could.

At the moment, I didn't want to stop him. It was like nothing I had ever experienced before. It felt good.

EVERETT'S POV"

A feeling of relief spread through my entire body as I buttoned up my shirt. My eyes traveled to the lady that sat at one side of the bed, gripping the blankets tightly over her naked body. Her lovely scent had been masked by fear and surprise.

I couldn't blame her though. Who wouldn't be surprised when they suddenly found themselves in a situation they had never imagined?

The relief was immediately vanquished and was replaced by guilt. The way she looked so afraid caused my heart to ache. I would never have ever dragged a stranger to my bed in the first place if it wasn't for my evil stepmother and her plot to poison me.

I did what I had to do to get myself detoxified. I wasn't even in control of my own body to begin with!

But no matter how much I tried to tell myself what I did was not wrong, guilt still bore at my heart and caused it to ache.

Anger filled me up mixed with the guilt I was feeling. That vile woman had turned me into a beast I was not!

With a sigh, I rose to my feet and opened up the drawer next to the bed. Taking out a black card, I walked towards her and picked up her shirt from the floor where I tossed it.

Slipping the card from a pocket, I made my way towards her and she flinched. Another sigh left my mouth. "I'm sorry for what I did to you, but you did me a great favor."

Pp was still silent and seemed more afraid. She refused to meet my eyes.

I handed her her shirt. "There's a card in your pocket, you can use it. I owe you and I wish to repay you. You can use the card to get whatever you want and no one will question you. It's like a favor card. Just show it to them and what you want will be done."

Without looking up at me, she snatched her shirt from me and threw it around herself. Getting to her feet, she hurried for her jean trousers and threw them on as well.

"I sincerely apologize for what happened but know that you saved my life today. I can't tell you more than that. "Whenever you need my help in the future, I'll be there for you, I promise." I tried to show her how sincere my apology was through my voice by being gentle with my tone, but I doubted she even heard a single word I said.

Picking up all her bags--I didn't even notice them when she walked in-- she held them closely to herself and rushed out of the door.

A figure bumped into her, and she muttered an apology before hurrying out of the hotel room.

Declan walked in looking confused. "Who was that lady, Alpha Everett?" he asked, pointing at the lady that had run away from the room.

Declan was the beta of the Dark claw pack, the pack I led, and also my only trusted friend and follower. He also worked at my company as my personal assistant.

"I don't know how you will do it, but I need to know everything about that lady that just left. "Where is she from, what family she hails from, what pack, everything!" I explained to him and he nodded his head.

"No problem, sir." Walking into the room, he closed the door behind himself. "I hate to disappoint you, Alpha Everett, but I was not able to find any women for you to–"

"It's alright," I said, cutting him off in a gentle tone so as not to seem rude or arrogant. "I have already detoxified."

A question was glimpsed in his deep brown eyes as they darted towards the door, probably remembering the woman that had dashed out of the room earlier, but he asked nothing and only nodded his head. "We had better be on our way then, since you have been saved."

I nodded in agreement. "You're right. Is the car ready? I'll only need a minute to get my things."

"The car is ready, Alpha Everett and I made sure that no one would ever know you visited this hotel," he assured.

I didn't ask anything because his competence could not be questioned. It had never been, and I doubted it would ever be.

Reaching for the knot at the back of my head, I undid it and took off the black mask I had used to cover my face. My identity was something I was always careful to reveal before I would end up in the news or in a scandal.

Beta Decline looked hastily at his wristwatch and looked up at me. "From what I have found out, your new wife will be on her way to your house already, so you shouldn't be late."

I threw my jacket over myself and picked up my phone. "I'm ready to leave, Declan. Remember to have the room cleaned secretly in case I forget something."

He nodded and opened the door for me as I put on my shoes.

"And my mother?" I asked him. "Where is she?"

"She is on her way back home as well after meeting with the pack's elders. Probably to fill their heads with more lies and evil words–my apologies, Alpha Everett." He bowed his head.

My lips spread into a soft smile. "She is a vile woman, but she is still the alpha's mother, right?"

He bowed and said nothing in return, probably wishing he had never said those words about her in the first place, even though they were true.

But she wasn't my mother, she was my evil stepmother who would stop at nothing to end my life.

The smile on my face immediately vanished as the thought filled up my mind. She was anything but nice. She was a selfish, greedy-driver woman, but no one had the right to speak any bad words about her because she was still the late alpha's wife and the new alpha's stepmother.

SCARLET'S POV"

I hurried out of the hotel room and rushed into an elevator. Immediately, the door dinged open on the first floor. I rushed outside and didn't stop running until I got to a park and then sat down on a bench.

The air seemed to flow inside my skin in a comforting way, in such a manner that I had never felt before. The breeze was soft and gentle against my body.

For some reason, I felt so light. My mind wandered back to the steamy moment I had just shared with a stranger whose face I couldn't even see.

Judging from his style of dressing, his athletic body and strong grip, I could tell he was a man of wealth and probably too high status to be in a room like that.

My cheeks flushed red as I remembered how strong his grip around my waist had been and how it felt to be in his arms.

In such a scary situation, he found a way to make me give into his desires and want more of him. My fingers trailed subconsciously across my lips, remembering how he had sucked on them.

I had never had sex before, I had never even kissed before! He took my first everything! The world of sensual pleasure felt so strange yet very delightful and gratifying.

The way his dark gray eyes bore into mine when he touched me, the way they looked at me every time I moaned. If only I had seen his handsome face. I could only make out his smoothly stumbling beard and soft pink lips before I was pinned to the bed and forced to drown in a world of pain and pleasure.

I had never had a man wrap his arms around me before– I shook my head. "What are you thinking about?" Slapping myself to wake me from my thoughts.

I rose to my feet and took my time to adjust my clothes properly. His cologne lingered on me, but I was sure it wouldn't be noticeable in front of my stepmother and sister.

'Or perhaps I'm the one who has it stuck in my head.' I thought to myself. That sweet masculine scent filled my nose and roused my entire body the moment we touched.

When he kissed me, he tasted like alcohol, a strong brand of whiskey, perhaps. Maybe he was drunk? But he didn't seem to like it. He behaved strangely, like he wasn't in his right senses, but not under the intoxication of alcohol, but something else.

He said I saved his life, but from what though? He couldn't tell me more than that! After forcing me to his bed! He couldn't give me a goddamn reason for it.

It made me feel like a fool that I had run away instead of questioning his unethical behavior and demanding a proper apology--and compensation for that!--from him.

I thought the thought would make me angry, but it didn't. Instead, I was grateful to have been helpful to someone, anyone, even a stranger! However, it was that I had been helpful to him.

So I picked up the grocery bags and started down the road back to the house. Deborah had strictly stated that I mustn't be late. She hated tardiness, it was a thing she could never put up with.

And as much as I would like to place her on my lap and spank her till she had some respect, all I could do was obey her commands and wait patiently as I would be free of her soon.

*

I gently closed the door to the entrance of our apartment as I walked in, not to alarm anyone of my return. Retiring to the kitchen, I dropped all the heavy bags that slumped my shoulders down and began to arrange them where they ought to be.

Several times, the masked man from the hotel crept back into my mind no matter how hard I tried to shove it away. Why had I even gone to that hotel in the first place?!

I questioned myself angrily. My eyes widened as the answer tickled the back of my mind. "Shit! I forgot to pick the package!"

"I never doubted your incompetence."

I flinched as I turned around at the sound of my stepmother's voice. "Stepmother, I–"

"Save it!" She cut me off angrily. "Why are you always so useless to this family?"

Deborah splashed her drink at me and orange juice soaked my clothes and hair. "Deborah–"

A slap landed on my face, cutting me off. "Did I hear you call my name just now? "How dare you!" She glared furiously. "A filthy muggle like you shouldn't even know my name!"

My fist clenched in anger and I responded through gritted teeth. "I had simply forgotten to go to the hotel because of the long list you gave me." I lied.

I had to. How would I bring myself to tell them I had forgotten because I was raped? I didn't even like to think of such an experience as rape, but that was what it was.

"Oh, so this is my fault now?" She arched her brow at me as she crossed her arms beneath her breast.

It fascinates me sometimes how an eighteen-year-old can be so damn rude!

"No, I was only just stating–"

"Silence fool!" My stepmother growled and I flinched.

The woman scared me to death. Who knew when she would get tired of me and feed me to her wolf?

My stepmother sighed and touched her forehead tiredly. "Everything you do is wrong and terrible, you seem to be growing some wings there, speaking back at Deborah the way you did just now, and I would nip them off if I had the time to.

"As much as I would like to beat you up like a baker beats his dough, we need you to look as pretty as you can get and that means without bruises."

Confusion took over me as I squinted. "Need me? I do not understand, stepmother."

"You see," she continued. "My beautiful daughter was supposed to be mated to the alpha of a dark claw pack, but you know how she is, everyone does. I cannot have my daughter--young as she is--live the rest of her life suffering under a cruel alpha.

"So, my dear, I have decided to make a little switch. You will substitute my daughter and marry Alpha Everett of the dark claw pack."

I shivered down to my bones as fear overwhelmed my entire body at once...