Cast Aside by My Mate, Crowned by the Lycan King Chapter 03

Cast Aside by My Mate, Crowned by the Lycan King Chapter 03

“Smack!”

Brody slapped me hard across the face, his eyes filled with disgust.

“Alexis, you’re so vicious. And to think she still speaks up for you in front of me. How could you do that to your own sister? Apologize to Chelsea—now!”

I stared down at my bloodied, burned palm… then suddenly laughed.

Brody felt a sudden pang of unease, clearly unsettled by my reaction.

“What are you laughing at?”

I was laughing at myself. At how foolish I had been—how I’d broken myself into pieces just to earn scraps of shallow, worthless affection from my parents and Brody.

Every time, as long as Chelsea put on that pitiful act, it didn’t matter that I was their real daughter, or that I was Brody’s fated mate and childhood sweetheart. They would always believe her unconditionally.

In her carefully crafted schemes, I was painted as the jealous, cruel sister who bullied her and stole her work.

I clenched my fist until my nails dug deep into my flesh. My eyes burned red as I glared up at Brody.

“I’ve done nothing wrong. I won’t apologize.”

The defiance in my eyes hit him like a blade.

“Brody…” Chelsea suddenly whimpered behind him. “My hand really hurts.”

Without hesitation, Brody turned his back to me and scooped her into his arms.

Worried she’d catch a chill, he ran to his car and returned with a scarf made from white wolf fur. He wrapped it carefully around her neck.

The moment I saw that scarf, a sharp pain stabbed through my chest.

That was made from my own tail.

I had just gone through a rough shift when he had ripped fur from my tail and turned it into that white scarf.

Chelsea had always envied me for being a rare white wolf.

And on the very day Chelsea stole my potion and won that award in Potion Competition, she’d casually mentioned she felt cold.

And just like that, Brody made her a white wolf fur scarf with the fur from my own tail to celebrate her victory.

He’d told me if I didn’t give it to her, his wolf would die of heartbreak.

But he never once considered how much pain my wolf would endure. How much I was hurting.

Chelsea noticed my gaze and smugly stroked the soft fur of the scarf, snuggling deeper into Brody’s arms with a delicate whimper.

The last bit of tenderness in Brody’s eyes turned to loathing as he glared at me.

“If you won’t apologize to Chelsea, then forget about joining my pack. Let’s see how far that pride gets you.”

A mocking smirk tugged at my lips.

He was about to be very disappointed.

In just two days, I’d be forming a mate bond with the Lycan King on Chelsea’s behalf.

Just then, a car came hurtling toward us, out of control.

Werewolves were known for their speed and strength. Brody acted fast, protecting Chelsea as he darted toward safety.

As he sprinted past, he knocked me—who was closest to the car—off my feet. A sharp pain shot through my leg. I must’ve twisted it badly.

Paralyzed by pain, I could only watch as the car sped straight toward me.

I closed my eyes in despair.

But at the very last second, I was swept into a warm, firm embrace.

A masked man, wearing a leather face covering, scooped me up and carried me bridal-style away, faster than even Brody could’ve moved.

When I opened my eyes, I was met with a pair of deep forest-green eyes. For some reason, it reminded me of the emeralds on those cufflinks.

He gently set me down on a bench on the street and vanished before I could say a word.

Startled, I instinctively reached into my pocket, only to find a small tin of burn ointment that hadn’t been there before.

Across the street, I saw Brody fawning over Chelsea, comforting her like nothing had happened.

I let out a cold laugh.

Then, I pulled out the bonding ring I had once meant to return to him and tossed it straight into the sewer without a second thought.

Two days later, I stood in front of a room filled with priceless bridal gifts, wearing the custom-designed couture wedding gown Lycan sent.

For a moment, it all felt unreal.

My parents approached me awkwardly, pleading with me.

They asked if I could spare Chelsea the humiliation of publicly admitting she stole my potion. They suggested calling it a “misunderstanding” to save her dignity.

Whatever tiny shred of hope I still had for them vanished.

I’d even prepared my own dowry.

I’d made excuses for them in my head countless times—told myself they simply forgot.

But to my surprise, they didn’t remember to prepare a dowry for me, and yet they never forgot to speak up for their favored daughter.

“No,” I said, my voice sharp as steel. “Either she confesses, or the bonding’s off. Let’s see how forgiving the Lycan King is when he learns he was offered a fraud.”

“You—”

Before they could finish, loud commotion echoed from the grand hall downstairs.

I descended the staircase and froze.

Brody was seated casually in the middle of the room, legs crossed, holding the same branding iron from before.

“Alexis,” he called mockingly, “you’ve got thirty minutes until the Moon Goddess assigns you to a rogue. If you apologize to Chelsea two thousand times within that window, I’ll consider branding you myself.”

His gaze swept over the wedding gown I was wearing, and he paused for a second—then frowned tightly.

“What are you wearing? Are you trying to steal Chelsea’s spotlight even as a slave?”

I stared at him coldly. “Brody, I’m sealing the mate bond with someone else soon. As for you two—you weren’t invited.”

He sneered. “Keep stalling. The price just went up. Now I want thirty-six hundred apologies if you want the privilege of being my slave. Better not waste this opportunity.”

“If you won’t speak, I’ll get someone to help you.”

With that, he snapped his fingers, and several warriors stepped out, trying to pull at my dress and slap me into submission in front of the crowd.

“No—Brody, I told you, today’s the day I’m having my bonding ceremony—”

As I struggled, a low chuckle suddenly echoed behind me.

A towering figure strode forward and stopped at my side.

“I’d love to see who dares make my Luna apologize.”