Chapter 2 Dictate You

• Aphrodite's Point of View
• Once my parents finalized the agreement for the Alpha King to take me, I emerged from the room where I had been confined for thirteen long years. The moment I stepped outside, the cold breeze hit me, and it felt alien, almost as if I were experiencing it for the first time. I closed my eyes, spread my arms, and tried to savor the fleeting sensation of freedom.
• My thoughts were cut short when a rough hand seized my arm. I turned to see my mother, her face painted with an unnatural smile that didn’t match the sharpness in her eyes.
• "Alpha Zeus, may I borrow Aphrodite for a moment before you leave?" she asked sweetly, though her tone held none of the warmth she feigned.
• Alpha Zeus glanced at me briefly, his gaze traveling from my tangled hair to my bare, blistered feet. His expression hardened, and he looked away as though I were beneath him. "Do whatever you want. Make it quick," he said dismissively, climbing into his car.
• I barely had time to process his words before my mother dragged me to a corner, her nails digging painfully into my skin. She spun me around and glared into my eyes—eyes she couldn’t even bear to look at for long.
• "Aphrodite," she hissed, her voice venomous, "listen to me carefully. You are leaving to join the Alpha King’s pack. This is your chance to finally do something useful for this family. Do not embarrass us. Do you understand?!"
• "Y-yes, Mother," I stammered, lowering my gaze. "Please, take care of Hera and—"
• "That’s enough!" she snapped, cutting me off. "Your concern is no longer needed. Remember, the Alpha King paid for you, and if you disgrace our family in any way, I will personally ensure you regret it."
• Her words stung, but I swallowed the pain. When she shoved me toward the car, I didn’t look back. I wasn’t sure what hurt more—the insults or the fact that I felt nothing leaving this place.
• As I approached the vehicle, my movements faltered. I didn’t know how to open the door, and I stood there awkwardly until the window rolled down. Alpha Zeus’s piercing eyes met mine, cold and impatient.
• "Are you going to stand there all day? Get in," he barked.
• "I-I don’t know how to open it," I whispered, my cheeks flushing with embarrassment.
• He rolled his eyes in irritation, got out, and opened the door without a word. His actions were quick and devoid of care, as if I were an inconvenience.
• I climbed in hesitantly, curling up in the farthest corner of the seat. My filthy clothes and unwashed body felt like an insult to the luxury of the vehicle. The faint scent of leather mingled with the mustiness of my presence, and I prayed he wouldn’t notice.
• The drive was silent, but my heart pounded as we crossed the boundary into his territory. The pack house came into view, a grand structure that radiated power and authority. My stomach twisted into knots as the car slowed.
• When we arrived, I stepped out hesitantly, immediately feeling the weight of a hundred eyes on me. The pack had gathered to greet their Alpha, but the moment they saw me, their expressions shifted from curiosity to disgust.
• "Who is that?" a woman sneered, covering her nose dramatically.
• "Why is she so dirty? Did she crawl out of the gutters?" another voice whispered loudly.
• I lowered my head, letting my hair fall over my face to hide my eyes.
• "Wait... her eyes," someone gasped. "Don’t look at her eyes! They’re cursed."
• The crowd recoiled slightly, murmurs spreading like wildfire.
• "Why would the Alpha bring someone like her here? She’s a disgrace to our pack!"
• "She’s probably nothing more than a servant."
• "She doesn’t even look like she belongs anywhere near us."
• Each word felt like a lash against my skin. My feet, already raw and bleeding, trembled as I struggled to hold myself together.
• "Move," Alpha Zeus commanded sharply, breaking through the hateful murmurs.
• I followed him, my gaze fixed on the ground as the whispers grew louder behind me.
• "She’s going to curse us all with those eyes of hers."
• "Didn’t her own pack throw her out because of them?"
• "Maybe the Alpha plans to punish her. That’s the only reason someone like her would be allowed here."
• The pack house doors opened, and the grandeur inside only made me feel smaller. The polished floors reflected my battered image, each step a reminder of how out of place I was.
• Alpha Zeus stopped abruptly and turned to face me. His dark eyes bored into mine, making me flinch.
• "You belong to me now," he said coldly, his voice echoing in the spacious hall. "Forget your parents, your pack, and everything you once knew. From this moment on, you will follow my orders. No one else’s. Do you understand?"
• I swallowed hard, forcing myself to nod. "Y-yes, Alpha Zeus," I whispered.
• He stared at me for a moment longer, his expression unreadable, before turning away. "Marco," he called to his Beta, "take her to the servants’ quarters. She can clean up and start earning her keep immediately."
• "Yes, Alpha," Marco replied, his tone indifferent.
• As Marco led me away, I could still feel the eyes of the pack on me, their disgust like a heavy weight pressing down on my chest. My cursed eyes, the very thing that had condemned me in my old pack, had already marked me as an outcast here.
• I didn’t belong. I never had.