The Alpha King's Heart

Adira's POV

Pain rippled through me as I watched my chosen mate and future Alpha, Grayson Mars utter vows of love to another woman, Stacy Stevens. She was the beta's first daughter and my former best friend.

Like everyone else, Grayson turned his back on me when my parents were accused of being traitors to the pack.

Alpha Mars didn't hear them out and he ordered them to be killed. According to them, they traded pack secrets with our enemies and were part of a coup to overthrow our current Alpha but it was all false, my parents were loyal members of the pack. The only reason I was left alive is that they didn't find evidence against me, however, they didn't treat me well... They locked me up in a cell and tortured me for months in the hopes that I'd admit to being part of the 'coup'. All that didn't hurt as much as Grayson's betrayal. I begged him for months not to leave me but he did he did the complete opposite when he embarrassed me and ordered me not to go anywhere close to him because we were done in front of the whole pack . He couldn't be with the daughter of traitors or his father would take away his title as the future Alpha of the Topaz moon pack.

I clenched my fist and jaw when the couple on stage said I do. For a split second, his eyes found me in the crowd, and there was regret in them but I looked away in anger and disgust for him. Stacy cupped his face and kissed him deeply, she then turned to me and smirked.

"Bitch," I murmured to her.

"I win," she whispered. Her eyes beamed with satisfaction.

Stacy Stevens was a friend of mine for years and was always by my side, but when things went downhill for my family, she was one of the first people in line to insult me. The woman even went as far as to seducing my fiance and fucking him. She later announced to everyone that she was going to be his future Luna, not me. I remember being too stunned to speak for days when the news broke.

'He's not the one,' my wolf said softly, she was not angry or hurt by their union anymore. The two would kiss and hug in front of me, but I still felt pain.

'I loved him,' I sighed, tears welling in my eyes.

'I know, but someone better is coming for us. He will love us,' she was sure of her words.

"Ladies and gentlemen, I present you, the future Alpha and Luna of Topaz moon pack, Mr. and Mrs. Mars!" The Alpha cheered and the crowd burst out in merriments too. I snarled and left, only to meet my two other nemeses, the beta twins, Debbie and Cara. These two have made my life unbearable since middle school. I crossed my arms against my chest and glared at them.

"Get out of my way," I snarled, but they only smirked and approached me. Debbie flipped her brown hair over her shoulder and shoved me.

"You're in my way," she gritted. Cara made an attempt to push me to the ground, but I grabbed her by the hair and pushed her away from me. They still behaved like typical high school bullies despite being in their twenties, always picking fights for no reason at all. Cara attempted to punch me in the face, but I ducked and hit her with force, causing blood to splatter out of her mouth. She saw red, and both twins lunged at me. I fought them with everything in me, my inner wolf resurfacing. Even though I had not yet shifted, I was stronger than them because they didn't have any form of training, too scared they would mess up their hair or manicured fingers.

The two girls were heaving and blood poured from their lips and nose. We were separated by the guards and soon, the beta came in a hurry, inspecting his daughters for injuries before his hateful gaze fell on me.

"You little bitch, what have you done to my girls," the beta female spat as she slapped me across the face. The impact would have made me fall to the ground if the huge guard wasn't holding me.

"What is going on here," the Alpha roared. He must have heard the ruckus all the way from the backyard. Everyone bowed to the intimidating man except me. I hated this man so much and showing him any kind of respect would mean agreeing that killing my parents was right.

"I found this daughter of the traitor assaulting my poor kids, Alpha, this woman is dangerous and needs to be banished from this pack!" Yelled the beta female. I only glared at her.

"She will be punished but-"

"They started it, they always do, yet I'm the only one who gets punished," I spat. The Alpha was angry at me and grabbed my cheeks; I whimpered as he applied more force.

"Just who do you think you're talking to like that, child? I can kill you right now and I won't be punished."

"We should just banish her, Alpha; she will cause trouble for us just like her parents," the beta spoke. I always knew that he hated my father, and whatever supposed evidence they found, it was he who found it and was their replacement.

"We shall deal with this impertinent child later; for now, we have a meeting to attend... The Alpha king is coming," he told his beta, who gave him a look of uncertainty.

"Why?"

"He is angry at us because of the death of those ambassadors and is probably coming to deliver his sentence."

"But - but why now, it has been months, and it was an accident," Beta Steven said.

"The Alpha of the blue rays claims otherwise," Alpha answered. He indeed seemed worried, but who wouldn't? The Alpha of Alphas was visiting this pack personally; it couldn't be good. The Alpha King was the most powerful Alpha among all wolves and was feared by many for his fierce reputation.

I was in the Alpha suite, cleaning as I did almost every day when I felt hands around me. I jumped and clutched my chest, then glared at the man who dared to put his hands on me.

"Hey, you," he said. I gave him a dirty look, showing him how much I abhorred him.

"Excuse me," I spat, grabbing my supplies and leaving the room but held me again, wrapping his filthy hands around me.

"Let me fucking go, Gray!"

He was indeed shameless, he didn't care that Stacy could walk in any minute now.

"I'm sorry they hurt you," he said, his gaze roaming around my body. I pulled my shirt lower, I didn't have a wolf so my healing was very slow.

I scoffed and turned around.

"You are married. Don't touch or speak to me again," I sneered. Upon opening the door, I encountered Stacy. She gave me a disgusted look and her gaze extended beyond my shoulder to find her husband, Grayson, who simply turned and walked into his office. She then sniffed me.

"You are such a whore!" she screamed and slapped my face. I couldn't even tell if it hurt anymore at this point because I had grown so accustomed to it. I made an effort not to fight back, but she pushed me against the wall.

"How dare you come here to seduce my mate!" she shrieked. For someone who thought herself beautiful, she was very insecure, particularly when it came to me. I swiftly raised my knee to kick her, and she released her grip on me. She then crouched down, clutching her stomach.

"You fucking bitch! I'm your Luna!"

"No you're not," I said in a defiant voice. She was well aware that her partner had hit on me but was too proud to acknowledge it. I bent down and grabbed her hair. " Tell your fucking husband to stay away from me,"

Stacy launched another attack, but I managed to block her punches. Just then, the door swung open, and Grayson stepped out. He pulled me closer to him and approached Stacy, gently cupping her face.

"Stop it, you're embarrassing yourself," he stated, glancing at the onlookers. His gaze then shifted to me.

"Get out," he ordered.

"I was already on my way, asshat," I murmured as I went on to clean the yard.

I was cleaning when my wolf, Kira, alerted me that we were being watched. I lifted my gaze to the top floor, and indeed, Grayson was looking at me intently. I only glared at him with hate, and my skin crawled when his new mate stood behind him, caressing his bare chest. I looked away and continued my work.

After spending the day working on my knees and hands, I was more than happy to go home and see my baby brother, but the new Mrs. Mars wouldn't allow it! She fucking gave me more work in the kitchen.

Everyone was running around in the kitchen, cooking and preparing meals for tonight's banquet since the king was coming. The chef, a short, bitter, middle-aged woman, glared at me.

"It's this unruly girl again, what is she doing in my kitchen?!" she shouted. Yep, she wasn't too fond of me, in fact, no one at the packhouse was.

No one answered her. The staff gasped when a loud bang resounded.

"Again! Why is she in my kitchen?!" she squealed, making me cover my ears. She wasn't only rude, but awfully loud too. I pursed my lips, waiting for someone to answer her since she didn't ask me directly.

"The future Luna said she is to help out," someone answered her. She snarled, and gave me a once-over.

"Start peeling potatoes and don't cause any trouble because I will burn you with hot oil," she threatened. I only narrowed my eyes at her and took one long stride towards her. I towered over her and growled, making her jump. It pleased me to see the look of fear on her face, and I smirked.

My hand reached past her to get a kitchen knife and put it in her face. Mrs. Li was shaking in fear.

"Someone get me the potatoes," I smiled creepily without taking my gaze off the short chef.

I turned around and got a stool, peeling the potatoes without complaining.

"I heard that he can't keep a woman; they all die, and that's why even at the age of twenty-eight, he has no queen," one of the kitchen helpers said to her friend, referring to the Alpha king.

"Why?"

"I don't know... He has a short temper and easily kills them when he's bored," the girl frowned.

"Debbie once said they danced together at a party. She wouldn't stop praising his good looks."

"I know, we heard that story the whole year," the other young lady giggled.

"What else do you know about him?"

"Other than what you know, nothing. The king keeps his life private despite being on the throne for seven years."

I listened to the girls converse about the Alpha King, and what they said shocked me. They made him sound like a monster, and a shiver went down my spine.

By the time it was evening, everyone was frantic, running around. When someone announced that the king's entourage was here, everything fell silent.

"The hall, now, now," the organizer commanded, breaking the stillness in the room. Someone put a tray of drinks in my hands and pushed me out.

The hall was decorated beautifully, and the king's entourage was already on the high table, along with our Alpha, his family, and the beta's family. However, the king's seat and two others were empty. Was he running late, or was everyone just early? And why did I even care? My heart was drumming in my chest. I was snapped out of my thoughts when a slap landed on my cheek.

"Ouch!" I groaned. Mrs. Li was fuming at me. I glared at her in anger.

"Why the fuck did you slap me, you wench!" I shouted. My eyes blazed with anger and she gasped epically, her heart pounding as she slowly backed away from me.

"Y- you- you were spilling all the drinks, so lost in your thoughts, and I did the first thing I thought," she screamed. I groaned at the back of my throat. I was tired of people laying their hands on me. I had a strong urge to react and slap her back, but I contained myself.

"Breathe, breathe, Adira."

I walked past the woman, making sure to brush against her slightly with my body. I refilled my tray with new drinks and went back to the banquet, serving. I glanced at the king's empty seat again. Where was he?

My lazy gaze roamed to Debbie and Cara. They had asked men from the king's palace to dance with them, but they were rejected. That immediately brightened my mood. I was working with a gentle smile on my lips when I was suddenly pushed into a dark corner of the room. I gasped, seeing Grayson smiling at me.

"Let go of me," I hissed, trying to push him away but his hands were tightly holding my waist. I could smell the alcohol on him.

"I know you hate me," he whispered in my ear. My gaze wandered around the room to see if someone could have seen, but they were too busy drinking and dancing.

"No, I don't, Grayson. I despise you," I said. I managed to detach myself from him, but as I turned to walk away, he grabbed my wrist and turned me toward him, my chest slamming into him, and he wrapped his arms around me.

"Forgive me, please."

I didn't care to hear him out. I was still struggling with Grayson when it hit me, the most remarkable scent in the world, fresh cut grass. The whole banquet went silent as two extremely tall handsome men entered the room.

"TOUCH MY MATE AGAIN, AND I'LL RIP YOUR FUCKING ARMS OFF!" A growl resounded.