Chapter 2

MALLORY P.O.V

"Let me go!" I screamed as my stepmother dragged me by my left wrist and led me out of my room.

I was naked, and yet she didn't care; she wanted to report me to my father.

"Leave me alone!" I bit her right hand hard, and she flinched and let go. I ran back into my bedroom to dress as fast as I could.

"Mallory! Mallory!" She banged on my door, and I knew I would be reported.

It was already one in the morning. I looked at the door, then went to pull it open after I had put on my clothes. I donned a red dress that fell past my knees.

However, as I unlocked the door, my father, Alpha Bruce Adonis stood there and smacked my face the moment it opened.

"Mallory, what were you doing in your room? Why does this place smell of sex? Who was he?" Dad strode to my bedsheets, snatched them up, and sniffed angrily.

"Tell me, Mallory! Who did you mate with?" My father demanded. He stared at me, disappointment etched on his face.

"Dad, I wasn't mating with anyone," I lied, lowering my gaze. My father marched up to me and grabbed my left arm.

"Answer me, Mallory! I made a promise to your mother that I would protect you, and yet you couldn't wait to find your mate. You foolishly slept with someone. Speak now! If I find out from the camera who you slept with, you both will be banished!" His blue eyes narrowed at me.

I didn't want Ace Lennox to be banished. He was the pack's future Alpha since my father had no son. Ace was highly skilled in combat and fought well; he had defeated packs that wanted to destroy ours. I averted my eyes from my father's face, hesitating to tell him who I had sex with.

"Speak now, or forever remain silent!" my father threatened, clad in a black garment.

My stepsister Sonia came in, dressed in a white night dress that shone—she always ensured she purchased the best-quality dresses.

"Dad, Ace and I did it," I announced. My father's eyes widened in shock before he glared at me.

"You are lying about Ace. Why couldn't I detect his scent here? Has it gotten to the point where you have to lie about Ace Lennox?" he barked, and I lowered my head.

"Dad, Ace is the one who came to meet me, and slept with me," I told him.

"Shut up! I'm going to ask you for the last time: who did you mate with?" Dad didn't want to believe me.

"It was Ace Lennox. He was here. He left through the window," I said. My father went to the window and looked out.

"Ace cannot fly from this window. You don't want to tell me the man you slept with. You may not have a scent, but Ace smells of pinewood. Do you think I don't know my pack members' scents, especially the future Alpha of my pack?" Dad said angrily. Sonia burst into tears.

"Mallory is lying, Father. Let's call Ace and ask him. She wants to force him to become her mate just because she sees us together," Sonia said, crying aloud. I looked at her with disbelief. Even though she was taller than me and believed she would become the next Luna, I was her older sister.

"I am not lying. Ace was here, and he mated with me. Maybe he used a scent suppressant," I said. My stepmother came into the room and smacked me hard across my left cheek.

"Shut up, Mallory! I cannot stand here and watch you slander the pack's future. Alpha Bruce, Mallory needs to be punished, so she can learn her lesson. Perhaps it's because she knows Sonia is bound to become the future Luna and marry Ace. She wants to destroy their future together," my stepmother, Luna Lily, said, looking at my father.

"Alpha, if you cannot punish Mallory, allow me to punish her, as she's worthless and of no value in this pack," Luna Lily continued, my father standing silently.

"Guards! Take Mallory downstairs, and Sonia, call on Ace. He needs to answer to Mallory's accusations before I decide her punishment," my father said, walking out of the room in anger.

"Dad, I am not lying. Ace and I are true mates! You all have to believe me!" I cried as my stepmother ordered the guards to drag me out of my room. I was taken downstairs to the first floor.

They forced me to kneel while my father waited for Ace's arrival.

A few minutes later, Ace came in. He looked as though he had bathed. His brown hair was wet, and he wore a yellow shirt and black shorts. He was very tall. His gaze shifted from me to my parents.

"Greetings, Alpha Bruce. You sent for me." Ace bowed before my father, who stood by the Alpha's chair.

"Yes, Ace Lennox. I need you to tell me the truth before I decide on your punishment with my first daughter, Mallory. You should know that lying to your Alpha warrants banishment. I hope you're aware," my father spoke, glaring at Ace.

"Yes, Alpha. I'm aware," Ace replied with a bow of his head, avoiding my gaze. His parents rushed into the hall to find out what was happening.