Betrayed Heiress: My Second Chance Mate is A Lycan King

Aira’s POV

“You can stay in here,” I say, walking into the room next to mine upstairs. Ana walks in right behind and looks around cautiously. I don’t know why I felt the need to move her out of the room she was staying in with Jace.

I can tell by the fear in her eyes that she could still feel him. His presence still lurked in the shadows and could easily make one paranoid. I doubt she could get any sleep when you still hear the man who supposedly tried to kill you.

“Thanks,” she says softly, and I nod, not knowing what more to say. The room is engulfed in silence as I think of what to say next.

“I just can’t believe that Jace has been threatening you all this time. How long has it been going on? And how come I never knew about it?” I inquire, and she blinks up at me like she did not expect me to bring it up.

“Uh, yeah, it has been going on for a while. Ever since that night, you first brought him over. You were asleep, but the both of us were still up; we got drunk, and well, we slept together.”

Ouch.

Quickly, Ana adds, “But trust me, I did want to tell you. But he held a knife to my throat and said he would kill me if I ever did. He already had this plan of taking everything you own; all he had to do was make you fall head over heels for him. And you did; I just never expected you to sign your house in his name. “I never knew how bad things could get.”

My lips purse as I think back to how stupid I was. But it’s in the past now.

“You should have still told me. We could have gotten him arrested, and none of this would have happened.”

Her jaw clenches before she says, “I was scared, okay? Every time I wanted to speak up or say something, he would just appear. He was always there because you kept inviting him and taking him everywhere.”

I stay silent. That is true; when Jace and I found each other, I hardly ever let him out of my sight. I never knew that I was putting my sister in danger. But why does this all not add up? Did he also threaten her to be mean to me? She could have easily texted me and said she wanted to meet up alone.

But I would be lying if I said I wouldn’t have been scared if she ever did that. Ana and I have never really been that close, but there was a point in our lives when we tolerated each other.

And that was when our parents were still alive.

Ever since their deaths, everything has changed between us. I wonder if maybe, just maybe, things could go back to how they were. There is only one way to find out.

Plastering a bright smile on my face, I say, “It’s coming up, you know?” Ana’s eyebrows furrow, and the confused look in her eyes tells me that she doesn’t know. I guess constantly being on guard with a serial killer by your side could do that to a person. “Our birthday,” I say, and her lips form an O shape.

“I can’t remember the last time I checked the calendar,” she says, placing a hand on her head, and a light chuckle leaves my lips. Ever since we were young, Ana has always hated the fact that we shared the same birthday, because that day meant we got to share everything. The cake, the gifts, the attention.

It has been years since our parents died, and ever since then, we have never celebrated it together. But I am hoping that now we can.

“I know mom and dad aren’t here anymore, but I am hoping we can still celebrate it like old times. You know, since we are technically going to be stuck together that day,” I laugh slightly, but she doesn’t appear amused by anything I say.This content belongs to Nô/velDra/ma.Org .

“Yeah,” was her simple response before tearing her gaze away from mine. I see a flash of sadness in them before she does, and I instantly know that things aren’t going to be easy. Ana has hated me for many years. I am sure getting her to like me suddenly and out of the blue would be a bit much to ask.

I close the distance between us and take her hand in mine. Her eyes connect with mine once again.

I have always been in awe during moments like these. It always feels like I am staring straight into a mirror. But it is still these very moments that give me hope that we can be better for one another. How can someone with the same face as mine hate me forever?

Is that even possible?

Plastering a reassuring smile, I say, “Things aren’t going to be easy, I know. We haven’t exactly been the best of friends over the years, but let’s just try. We are sisters, and I know somewhere deep down, both of us care for one another. And in memory of our parents, we are going to celebrate this birthday like they were here. It’ll be like old times. We would perform all of the family traditions and sing those very same annoying songs they would sing to us first thing in the morning. Pour each other buckets of ice-cold water the moment we step outside, and let us not forget the clowns,” I state, and she starts laughing.

There it is.

That genuine joy we shared as kids. It’s still in there, and I know I can bring it back. Her eyes sparkle as the memories come flooding in.

“They were always in clown costumes and chased us around the house. And they did that every damn year,” Ana says in between laughs, and I nod in agreement.

“And let us not forget how they would always play that tape of us as toddlers during our first birthday,” I say, and an evil grin lifts her lips.

“And how I would always laugh at that part I threw up in your face.”

A scowl forms on my face. “That was not funny!” I defend, and she throws her head back while laughing. Well, I am glad one of us is having fun while walking down memory lane.

Slowly, her laughter seizes, and she becomes solemn. “Do you really think we can do it? Do you think our birthday would still be the same without them?”

Squeezing her hand softly, I say, “We can at least try.”

I see something flash in her eyes-an emotion I could not quite identify. “Thank you, Aira. You were always the bright and hopeful sister.”

Her words flatter me, and I have to keep myself from blushing. I can’t believe it; Ana and I are actually getting along. This feels way too good to be true.

“Well, all this hope would be useless if I didn’t plan properly. There are so many things I have to get done if I really want it to feel like old times, but don’t you worry, this is going to be our best birthday ever!” I tell her, and Ana smirks up at me.

“Oh, trust me, I know.”

I leave her in her room to get some rest before going into mine. A surprised yelp leaves my lips when I find Alex sitting idly on my bed.

“Done, sister bonding?” He asks, and I quickly try to regain my composure.

“As a matter of fact, yes,” I tell him, and he shakes his head in disbelief. His eyelids narrow as he hops off the bed and walks up to me.

“Are you really incapable of seeing that she is lying to you? How can you believe that anyone as cowardly as your ex could actually threaten and manipulate her without you knowing?” He asks, and I purse my lips. Well, it does seem a bit odd. Jace was always physically strong, but he never had the brains to actually come up with anything so diabolical.

No! I won’t let Alex get into my head.

“That is my sister, and I have known her and Jace way longer than you have. I think I would be able to tell when she is lying to me and when she is not,” I say as I sidestep him to walk deeper into the room.

“You know what I think?” He asks, and he takes my silence as a means to continue speaking. “I think you know that she is lying, but you don’t want to accept it. You have this stupid crazy fantasy in your head that everything will be cupcakes and rainbows between you two while you just sweep away the fact that she almost murdered you under the rug.”

My fists slam against my drawer a bit harder than I would have liked, and a rage I have not felt in a long time bubbles within my heart. “That is because everything is cupcakes and rainbows between us! I am going to finally have the loving sister I have longed for years to have, and I am not going to let you poison my mind against it.”

Alex’s eyes grow slightly wide, and I see the surprise in his eyes. He has never actually seen me mad before.

Taking in a few breaths, I try to calm myself down. “Look, I know you are trying to protect me, and believe me, I really appreciate it, but I can take care of myself. Our birthday is coming up, and I promised her we would celebrate it like old times.”

For a moment, I see a flash of sadness in his eyes, but he is quick to mask it. He takes a step away from me and nods to himself. “I get it; I won’t get in your way.”

Before I can tell him that is not what I meant, he walks out of the room, leaving me alone with my aching heart.

Calm down, Aira; he is just being a bit emotional right now. He will calm down. Right now, I have to make sure that Ana and I’s birthday is a success.

Grabbing my wallet from my drawer, I leave the house and get into one of Alex’s cars. It wasn’t easy getting security to let me pass through, but I kindly told them that I was not in a good mood.

Emphasis on the kindly.

I drive down to the closest grocery store and begin to shop for some baking ingredients and decorations. I knew I could have easily gotten a maid to get all this stuff for me, but I just had to do it myself.

Everything just has to be perfect.

While I take a look at some of the baking powder products, the hair on my neck suddenly stands, and an uncomfortable shiver goes down my spine. It feels as though there were some boring holes in the back of my skull.

Or someone.

I spin on my heel, expecting to find someone, but there is no one.

How strange…

I better get back home.

Taking my cart to the front counter, I waste no time in paying. As I drove back to the mansion, I would constantly take a peek through my rearview mirror to make sure I was not being followed.

Why do I feel like I am being followed anyway? There is absolutely no car behind me.

It seems Alex has infected me with his paranoia.

When I return to the mansion, the maids help me take my bags into the house. I find Alex in the kitchen, completely shirtless, with a big smile on his face. That is strange; wasn’t he just sulking when I left?

The smile on his face morphs into confusion. What he says next causes my heart to plummet to the pit of my stomach.

“How did you change your clothes so fast?”

No. This cannot be happening.

“I never changed my clothes, Alex.”

And just like that, his confusion morphs into a hellish rage.

What the hell happened while I was gone?