Chapter 2: Shattered Pride, Burning Vengeance

...Morning Came with Betrayal...

Morning Came with Betrayal

Sunlight streamed through the carved windows, painting the room in soft gold. I stirred, the ache in my body a reminder of the night before. A smile tugged at my lips as I reached out for Virendra—only to grasp empty sheets.

My heart pounded. I sat up, the silk covers pooling around me as a sense of unease settled in my chest. The bed was cold. He was gone.

And then, I saw it.

A single letter, placed carefully beside me.

A scar your family gave to me, and a scar I now return to yours.

The words blurred as my hands trembled, realization sinking in like a blade to my heart. It had all been a lie.

Virendra had taken everything—my trust, my love, my body—only to leave me with the ruins of my own shattered soul.

The doors burst open, and the horrified gasps of my attendants echoed in the chamber. The entire palace would know. My father, my mother, the empire I had sworn to protect—they would all see me as ruined.

I clutched the letter to my chest, tears streaming down my face.

Mine was love—eternal, unwavering.

His was revenge—cold, merciless.

.................

The halls of Mahabalesh had never felt colder. Where once there was reverence in the eyes of my people, now there was pity. Where once my father looked at me with pride, now he could not even bear to meet my gaze.

The whispers followed me like shadows.

"An Omega without honor."

"Who will bond with him now?"

"The prince has shamed the royal family."

My mother, Queen Abhi shree, sat before me, her face pale, her hands clenched in her lap. The anger in her eyes burned more than any words she could have spoken. My father, King Rajvardhan, stood by the window, his silence heavier than steel.

"You let an Alpha touch you before marriage", my mother finally spoke, her voice sharp enough to cut through my skin. "Did you forget what it means to be an Omega of this family?

I swallowed, my throat tight. I had not forgotten. I had simply believed in a love that was never real.

I wanted to scream, to tell them that I had been deceived, that Virendra had used me, broken me. But would that change anything? No. The damage was already done.

And he had won.

I clenched my fists, the ache in my body a bitter reminder of the night before. The warmth I had once felt in Virendra’s arms had turned to poison in my veins.

No, I would not be the one who was ruined.

He would be.

..............

The grand hall was filled with my father’s councilmen, their expressions grim as they spoke of ways to salvage the situation. The only way to restore my honor was marriage. But not just any marriage—one that would shake Virendra to his core.

I rose from my seat, my voice steady, my decision clear.

"Send an invitation to King Shatrughna of Rajgad."

Gasps echoed around the room. My mother’s eyes widened in horror. "You cannot be serious," she whispered.

King Shatrughna. An eighty-year-old Alpha, a ruler feared for his ruthlessness. He had long searched for a young Omega to bear his heirs, and now, I would offer myself.

A cruel smile curled on my lips. Let Virendra feel what it means to lose something he never thought he could.

If he thought he had broken me, he was wrong.

I would ruin him the way he ruined me.

..............

The winds carried whispers across kingdoms, and what was once a secret shame had become the talk of every court.

The Omega Prince of Mahabalesh, betrayed and abandoned, now sought a mate.

Virendra had not expected it. He had imagined Jayant broken, ashamed, a shattered reflection of the proud prince he once was. He had envisioned him hiding within the palace walls, drowning in humiliation. He had not expected defiance.

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