Mated to the Alpha: Sold to the King novel Chapter 7

Chapter 7: 0007

Jaxen POV

"I thought you were in love with the other twin."

Raven, my older sister and a permanent pain in my ass, said this as we slipped out of the reception celebrating the union.

She was three years older than me, and despite being a woman in a world that often overlooked them, she was smarter and more dangerous than most men I knew.

Raven had graduated at the top of every training class she had ever taken. Combat. Strategy. Pack law. She had earned the respect of people who had once looked down on her.

By the time she turned twenty, she was already eligible to become Alpha, the first female Alpha in Silver Fang history.

But she gave up the title, claiming she was too free-spirited to be trapped in one place.

According to her, she would rather roam territories and learn from other packs than sit behind a desk making decisions for people who would question every order she gave just because of what was between their legs.

I had always admired that about her.

Even when she was being insufferable.

Like right now.

Most of the guests had already left, so slipping away wasn’t a problem. The musicians were packing up their instruments. Servants moved around clearing tables while the last few stragglers nursed their drinks, their laughter fading into the cold night air.

But Raven hadn’t left.

In fact, it seemed like she had purposely waited for the perfect opportunity to dig her claws into my wounds.

"She betrayed me," I said through gritted teeth.

The words burned through my skull, and no matter how hard I tried, I couldn’t get rid of the image of her in bed with another man. The mate bond kept screaming at me to forgive her, but the hurt from her betrayal was louder.

We walked across the dark courtyard, away from the fading music while the moon hung low above us.

"But didn’t the healer say Callista is almost three months pregnant?" Raven asked casually. "Now, I’m not the best at math, but if my calculations are correct... let’s see..." she muttered dramatically, counting on her fingers while tapping her chin.

"Three months ago... that would be..." She paused before turning to me with a smirk. "Ah. Doesn’t that mean you betrayed her first?"

My fist clenched tighter.

I halted in my tracks, then turned to face her. She stood there with her arms crossed and one eyebrow raised, looking entirely too pleased with herself.

"It was a mistake," I said, repeating the same thing I had told everyone. The same thing I had told myself. "I didn’t consciously decide to sleep with her. I was drunk. I was in heat. There had also been a rogue attack that night. Everything was chaotic."

Raven’s smirk didn’t waver.

"But just because I made a mistake doesn’t mean I let Callista take all the blame," I continued. "You know what her father is like. If I hadn’t stepped up, he would have destroyed her. Or worse."

"Destroyed her?" Raven laughed. "Yeah, right."

"You’re only acting this way because you don’t like her," I snapped. "She might act out sometimes, but can you really blame a sheltered girl for that? She’s actually very sweet once you get to know her."

"Pass," Raven replied, stepping closer until her dark eyes locked onto mine. "You claim Lorelei betrayed you, but you betrayed her first. You slept with her sister. You got her sister pregnant. And now you’ve married her sister. You’re a coward, Jaxen."

The word hit me like a slap.

"I’m not—"

"You are." Her voice turned cold. "You always have been. That’s why you have this strange attachment to me. I assumed you would outgrow it..." She tilted her head slightly. "Guess I was wrong."

I opened my mouth to argue, my fist clenching tighter, but forced myself to stop.

"You know what? I’m not going to do this with you."

"What?" she asked, tilting her head to the side.

"Go back and forth with you," I said. "I’ll be Alpha soon. By then, I expect you to give me the respect I deserve."

That made her chuckle.

"Okay, Alpha Jaxen."

I knew she was mocking me. Knew the sarcasm dripping from every word. But I refused to let it get to me.

Arguing with Raven when she was in this kind of mood was like trying to catch smoke with your bare hands. Frustrating, exhausting, and guaranteed to leave you with nothing but burned fingers and a headache.

So I turned and walked away.

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