Chapter 3

“G-Guh…Agh…!”

All her strength left her body as she heard every single heartbeat echoing in her ears. She sweated profusely and her entire heated up from the drug Ophelia forced her to take. Her deranged fiancé of hers watched the poor helpless alpha fighting back her feral instincts. What was worse for Stella was that she could never tell what was going on inside her insane mind since she was gifted with the ability to conceal her emotions perfectly.

“You’re developing resistance quite quickly, I’m impressed.”

Ophelia had been feeding her alpha with an aphrodisiac to see how much it would take for her to succumb to her feral instinct. It was known that alphas tend to have less resistance against aphrodisiacs because it could trigger their rut, but she seemed to have underestimated Stella’s mental strength. The black-haired noble bit her lips and buried her nails into her flesh until she bled to resist the influence of the drug. Even though she was physically in this pathetic state, she never let this abuse taint her dignity as a human. Her time with the Chevaliers only made the flames of anger in her blue eyes blaze even brighter.  

“You’re so hard to break…very good. That’s what I like about you.”

This wasn’t the first time she had been drugged by Ophelia. The first time she was drugged was the most painful experience, Stella fought back its effects until she fainted on the floor. She would rather die than succumb to her instinct and satisfy that woman in bed. It was utter torture and humiliation for an alpha to display themselves in this state, but then the radiance in Stella’s eyes never dimmed down no matter what Ophelia tried to do to her.

She would even injure herself and faint every single time she was drugged.

Stella had no idea how long she’d need to keep doing this and when would be the day her alpha instincts took control over her body. This disgusting abuse began the moment Stella was permitted to attend the Northland Academy in the next commencement year.

“Since you’ll be enrolled in the academy soon, I just need to make sure you won’t be drugged and sleep around with other omegas. That would taint the name of Chevalier immensely, do you understand that?”

“You know…I don’t care…anything about…you filthy Chevaliers…!”

“I know, but you have no choice anyway…because what I hate the most is seeing others touching what’s mine.”

Ophelia approached her to touch the mark on her neck. This bite mark on her skin was a sole reminder that the alpha belonged to the Chevalier villainess. This woman had a sick and twisted idea of ‘training’ starting from academics and sword training from Professor Oliver and Sir Jayson. Then now, she wanted to train her to become resistant to aphrodisiacs while watching her squirm at her feet.

Stella considered it a high-risk high reward. She was willing to gamble with her dignity on the line by complying with Ophelia’s selfishness in return for attending the Northland Academy. This was the golden opportunity for her to reach out to her father’s trustworthy allies to create the opportunity to be free from this hell.    

 

-

 

Due to her excellent performances in academics and swordsmanship, the pink-haired omega took all the credit for successfully ‘training’ Stella to become the perfect alpha worthy of her fiancé. As the Marquis was satisfied with the result and he permitted Stella to attend the Northland Academy in the next commencement year.

“You should thank me for getting you enrolled in the academy. Make sure to behave yourself…or else I cannot guarantee when will be the next time you’ll be able to walk out from the Chevalier manor. My father is not as lenient as me.”

“I’m not that irrational to not understand my current situation.”

“Good girl.”

Stella wouldn’t escape even if she wanted to, she knew it was pointless. She must find the right allies and reach out to her father’s trustworthy allies like Viscount Henry Lemaire. He had been Duke Cedric’s best friend since their youthful years at the Northland Academy. She considered him like her uncle, and he treated her like another daughter to him. If there were someone aside from her mother that would help her, it would be him. She had done her research and was aware that Viscount Lemaire was one of the board members that managed the Northland Academy.

Thus, attending the academy was the only step to reaching out to him.  

For the entrance examination, Stella passed the academic test with flying colors and set a record for getting a perfect score on the academic exam. As a result, she skipped a year and enrolled as a second-year student instead. The news about the youngest Albrecht noble setting a new record scoring 100% on every academic exam spread like wildfire and made her the hot topic among the nobles.

“I heard that she is Duke Anthony’s younger sister, right? I didn’t expect her to be a genius…”

“Did you hear? I heard she even aced the practical examination as well. She was the only person ever in history to even beat Sir Chester in a duel!”

“Are you serious?!”

People were talking about Stella at every corner of the academy. Stella didn’t only ace the academic examination, but also the practical examination as well. All examinees enrolled in combat specialization are required to go through both fitness and combat tests to evaluate their skill level. However, the fitness test was nothing compared to Sir Jayson’s monstrous warm-up and she managed to disarm and won against the examiner as well.

 

-

 

All the eyes were set on her, the youngest sister of Duke Anthony who was also Ophelia’s fiancé. The pink-haired omega was more than satisfied that Stella performed outstandingly in the examination as she was the one behind the alpha’s achievement. However, little did she know that this fame would only allow Stella to let others know that she was here.

“W-Wait!!”

While Stella was walking in the hallway, a feminine voice called out for her followed by the powerful peach scent striking her nose. Even though it had been years since they last met, never would Stella forget that sweet irresistible scent that could make her mind and body go crazy. It was as if the gods finally rewarded Stella for her hard work and patience.

“L-Linda?”

“It’s really you! Please tell me I’m not dreaming—”

 The orange-haired omega ran straight into her arms and embraced Stella tightly like they were long-lost lovers. Linda Lemaire was a year younger than her, and she was the eldest daughter of Viscount Henry Lemaire. They were childhood friends since their fathers were best friends, but coincidently it turned out they were each other’s soulmates.

Soulmate was also known as a fated bond blessed by the gods between alpha and omega. They were known to have an inexplicable spiritual connection and physical compatibility which made them a perfect couple in every kind of way. It was widely acknowledged and acceptable for soulmates to be together regardless of their social statuses because it was a belief that if soulmates found each other it was due to the divine guidance of the gods.

Stella and Linda were one of those cases that found each other because their fathers were best friends as if it was predetermined to begin with. Even though it was quite common for soulmates to be engaged the moment they found each other, both fathers wanted their children to get to know one another over time first before they made their decision. If by the time Linda turned 15 and if they still chose to be together, then they would make their engagement official.

It was like a fairy tale that they grew up together as best friends and soulmates for years.

Everyone that saw them growing up together could tell that they cared for each other immensely. Even at a young age, they already knew that they wanted to marry each other when they reached adulthood. To Stella, Linda was the only person that understood her best and she felt at peace by her side. They were supposed to get engaged officially once Linda reached 15 before the incident of Duke Cedric’s death that changed everything.

“We’ve been trying so hard to reach out to you, but no matter how many times we requested the Chevaliers wouldn’t allow us to meet you…! I’m so glad to see you’re okay!”

“Yeah, I’m so glad to see you again.”

Stella couldn’t resist and embraced Linda back tightly. Her sweet peach pheromones were extremely soothing and irresistible as she remembered. She was isolated from her loved ones for so long that she almost forgot the warmth of an embrace. Even though Stella was enrolled as a second-year student, Stella had to do several first-year classes as a requirement, which meant she would meet each other quite often. At that moment, the alpha felt that god had not abandoned her and allowed her to reunite with her soulmate.

However, that happiness gave birth to a new form of fear.

There was no way that Ophelia wouldn’t find out about this, and she was right. The pink-haired omega had all eyes throughout the academy and knew how Stella had been spending quite a lot of time with Linda. The older students that were Ophelia’s followers and friends began targeting the brunette lady by openly mocking her in private and in public. As others knew that she was being targeted by Ophelia Chevalier, people didn’t want to associate closely with Linda out of fear of getting involved too.

There was just a handful of people that stayed by Linda’s side, including Stella.

The black-haired alpha could tolerate any abuse if it was directed at her, but not on others that she cherished. Just the sheer thought of seeing her soulmate going through the same abuse as her was unbearable. For the first time, she begged Ophelia to stop harassing Linda and would do anything that she wanted.

“Please, I’ll do anything you want. Just leave Linda alone.”

“You’ve suddenly become a docile puppy for another omega. She must be special to you, hm?”

“She’s just a good old friend of mine. I hate seeing those I care about hurt by awful people like you filthy Chevaliers.”

“Heh, you’re begging me to help yet your tongue is still as sharp as always. You should be grateful I like that side of yours.”

She pulled Stella in by the collar of her shirt and their lips were a few inches apart. She wore that coldhearted smile on her beautiful face as she whispered seductively against her lips.

“How about you satisfy me with a kiss, then I’ll consider.”

Stella froze and hesitated for a short moment. Even though they had kissed on multiple occasions, it was usually Ophelia that forced it upon her. However, this time she demanded she take the initiation instead. Just the sheer thought of making a move on her made her sick down to her stomach, however…since when did she ever have a choice to begin with?

“Do you promise to leave her alone?”

“You have my word that I, Ophelia Chevalier, will not lay a finger or harass Linda Lemaire. Furthermore, I wouldn’t say a single word that could encourage others to bully her.”

“…You promised.”

The alpha grabbed her by the wrist and held onto her waist before she used all her willpower, she desperately needed to press her lips against Ophelia. Their lips parted and Stella gave her an assertive intimate kiss like how she wanted. The older omega used that opportunity to press her body against hers and cupped her cheeks. Stella pulled back slightly with disgust and Ophelia was quick to notice that. She pulled her face back in as she whispered against their kiss.

“Satisfy me, Stella. You have only one chance before I changed my mind.”

“…”

She swallowed her pride and resumed their bitter passionate kiss. This time, the alpha pressed her against the nearby wall as their tongues intertwined and danced to each other’s rhythm. Small moans and gasps escaped between their kisses as Ophelia’s face began to burn. Her body was responding to Stella’s strong burning pinewood scent and strength slowly escaped her body.

“M-Mmmgh…Ah…”

The pink-haired omega whimpered as her lavender pheromones oozed out. As Stella thought this was enough and pulled back slightly, Ophelia was quick to bite her bottom lip and quickly pulled her back in to kiss out of desperation. She craved her alpha’s touch, body heat, and scent, even though it had a strong pungent smell because of Stella’s foul mood. It was inevitable that Stella would be affected by her lavender pheromones, she constantly told herself that this would be the first and last time she would do this as it was for Linda’s safety. The kiss could only end after Ophelia was satisfied, and all Stella remembered was how swollen and sore her lips were.

“I didn’t expect you to be such a good kisser…I’m quite satisfied.”

“…It’s your turn to keep your promise.”

“You know I always keep my word.”

 

-

 

Ophelia kept her promise as she said, she never did harass or ridiculed Linda at the academy. However, they never promised that her followers or acquaintances would not stop harassing Linda though. Even when Stella confronted her about this, Ophelia told her she couldn’t control what they would or wouldn’t do because it was their choice to harass Linda. Thus, if Stella wanted to stop it then she’d need to confront the bullies themselves.

Stella felt stupid for not realizing the gaps in their deal earlier, but she had no choice but to protect Linda in her own way. Linda was often called the homewrecker and many other vulgar names because they believed she was seducing Stella when she was already engaged to Ophelia. None of that bothered Linda in the slightest because she knew that wasn’t true. Stella was her soulmate before Ophelia took her away. During their time in the academy, the couple would find a quiet corner in the library to have some alone time together.

“I’m so sorry I had to put you through this mess with me.”

“I don’t care what others call me, Stella. I just…I just want to be with you. None of this is your fault at all. It hurts me as well to see the Chevaliers treated so poorly like this.”

“It’s okay, I can handle it. We just need to be patient and wait for the right time for us.”

“Dad and I will do everything we could to get you out of there, I promise.”

The brunette girl stared at the bite mark on Stella’s neck and felt the fire of jealousy burning in her chest. It felt as if someone was taking what initially belonged to her and her omega instincts couldn’t tolerate that. When she asked if Stella ever kissed Ophelia, the alpha hesitated to answer her. The pink-haired villainess would’ve taken her lover’s first kiss already, but luckily Linda saved hers for Stella. They lost count of how many times they shared an intimate kiss while drowning in each other’s pheromones in the hidden corners of the library without getting caught. The attraction of the soulmate wasn’t just a mere exaggeration, it was an irresistible connection that left them yearning for more.

 

-

 

Even when Linda asked how Ophelia and the Chevaliers had been treating her, she didn’t tell her everything because she didn’t want to worry her. This included one of the most traumatizing moments that ever happened in her life. It was one of the nights that the Chevalier hosted a special banquet in one of their grandiose architecture located next to the manor. Only the prominent members of the Chevaliers, including Ophelia, attend their special guests. Stella was instructed to stay in her room for the rest of the night, and she didn’t expect to have a visitor come by to see her.

“Stella, are you inside? Marquis asked me to pass something on to you. He specifically told me to hand it directly to you.”

She recognized that voice belonged to Mabel, one of Ophelia’s cousins. Stella was reluctant to open the door but since it was related to the Marquis himself, she had no choice but to have a quick exchange with her. However, she didn’t expect that to be one of the biggest mistakes of her life.

“W-What the—??”

Mabel swiftly sprayed something right in her face and made Stella tumble backward slightly. It took a couple of seconds before her body heated up and her head began spinning like crazy. She recognized this scent very well because of Ophelia’s sickness and twisted abuse. The spray earlier contained a potent aphrodisiac and it was so strong that it was giving her a headache instead.

“U-Ugh…T-This is…! H-How dare you…!”

Admittedly, Stella dropped her guard because she didn’t expect that Mabel would be this bold. As all her strength had left her body, Stella grabbed onto the nearby chair as she was so close to losing her balance. It was much stronger than what Ophelia used on her regularly, and her nose became even more sensitive to omega scents. She coughed vigorously at how strong Mabel’s vanilla scent was, and it was making her extremely uncomfortable.

“Ugh…guh…!”

“I managed to get my hands on this powerful drug. They told me that no alpha could resist its effects and would lose their minds within a minute…”

She pushed the alpha onto the bed before she slowly unbuttoned her shirt to reveal her cleavage. There could only be one reason she came here and drugged Stella in the middle of the night. She planned to sleep with her tonight as Ophelia was busy at the banquet at this moment. Thus, she wouldn’t return to the manor until late evening so Mabel would have time enough time to get impregnated by Stella.

“You see, I just need a little help from you to get me pregnant, particularly…to bear a child with a mix of Albrecht and Chevalier’s bloodline.”

“—!!”

“I hope you’ll be good in bed and satisfy me as well. Let’s have a good time, Stella…”

Mabel was genuinely convinced that she would succeed with Stella tonight and tried to unbuckle her trousers… but little did she know that Ophelia’s sick hobby made Stella develop moderate resistance against aphrodisiac already.

“Get OFF of me you bitch!!!”

Fear and shock triggered an adrenaline rush, and Stella used every ounce of her strength to kick Mabel away from her. Usually, she wouldn’t hurt or call a lady with foul language, but this would be a special occasion she wouldn’t mind being vulgar and violent to protect herself. Mabel flew back and knocked on the chairs and table before collapsing onto the floor. The vase dropped and shattered in which the flying shards had left a cut on her skin. For a fragile omega like herself, the injury she sustained would be enough to make her lose her mind. She screamed and panicked the moment she saw blood trickling down her arm.

“O-Ouch…It hurts! Oh my god…b-blood! I’m bleeding!!”

“Serves you right, you sick bitch…”

“How is the drug not working!? You should’ve been in a rut already by now??”

Mabel was in disbelief that the drug didn’t work with Stella and that was when the pink-haired omega in a long deep blue dress showed up to witness the mess. Those green eyes glanced at Stella, the aphrodisiac bottle, and at the trembling Mabel.

“My my…I didn’t expect to find a rat in my fiancé’s room.”

A cold harsh voice came and sent chills down Mabel’s spine before she slowly glanced over to her in great fear. She realized that her plan failed, and she even got caught red-handed attempting to sleep with Ophelia’s alpha even though she mentioned numerous times how she hated anyone touching hers. The smell of bitter lavender reached her nose and this was probably the first time Stella witnessed Ophelia being angry.  

“I didn’t expect you to be this shameful to drug your own cousin’s fiancé to satisfy your lust. You’re such a disgrace to the Chevalier’s name!”

“E-Eek…!”

“Do not show your face in front of my Stella again, or else I will expose everything that you’ve done today, and let’s see if you will even have a place to stand in the Chevalier after that.”

Mabel scurried out of the room while she still had this chance to leave. Stella sighed with great relief, but her body was still trembling from earlier. It was thanks to Ophelia’s twisted abuse that gave her the resistance she needed to survive this predicament and she didn’t want to imagine what could’ve happened to her if Ophelia did not come and check up on her in time.  

The older omega examined the spray bottle and noticed that this was an illegal aphrodisiac that one could only find on the black market. It was banned a couple of years ago due to its severe side effects disrupting the victim’s rut and heat cycle. Luckily, it was only used once on Stella so it would only disrupt her cycle temporarily. Ophelia knew how vile her cousin was, but she didn’t expect her to go this far and use products from the black market.

“No wonder she’s terrified, this ought to be interesting to expose her in the future if she misbehaves again.”

“…”

“Take this.”

Ophelia handed her an antidote to negate the severe side effects of the drug Stella was exposed to earlier. She was reluctant to take it until Ophelia suggested another method to alleviate the effects of the drug, which was to sleep with her instead of Mabel. The young alpha took the medicine without hesitation and hoped it would take effect soon because this was so painful for her body.

“Good girl, it makes you drowsy once you take it. So, don’t be surprised that you’ll get sleepy.”

The drug was so strong that she could already feel that she hardened up. Even though she can mentally withstand the drug’s influence, her body couldn’t. As she thought that Ophelia would tease and humiliate her further, the omega pushed her down onto the bed to go to sleep.

“Be a good girl and sleep. I’ll order the guards to watch your room 24/7 until the effects of the aphrodisiac wear off.”

“Uhh…w-why…”

“Hm?”

“Why…are you…being nice to me…?”

“Don’t take it the wrong way. As your owner, I should take care of my little alpha, right? If you break now, then who am I going to keep by my side?”

She knew what to say to infuriate Stella, but then the helpless alpha admitted that she owed it to her Ophelia today. If she hadn’t arrived in time, she had no idea what could’ve happened to her and whether would she have the strength to resist Mabel again or not. The pill that Ophelia gave her did make her drowsy and much more relaxed than before even though her body was still burning.

When she closed her eyes, she could still smell the sweet lavender in the air.

Ophelia was still on the edge of the bed next to her as she was speaking to someone in the room. The noises were inaudible to her and she slowly fell into a deep sleep before woke up the next morning by the light ray coming through the windows.   

But then she woke up with a whole new level of trauma and confusion instead.

She remembered vividly she slept on her bed after she took the pill but why did she wake up in Ophelia’s bed instead? The young alpha had too many questions running through her head and her clothes were rich with her lavender scent as well. Her heart dropped the moment she saw a patch of blood on the bed and that made her face go pale.

“W-What…happen?”

A patch of blood on a lady’s bed could mean one thing, and Stella felt the chills run down her back. Did she sleep with Ophelia last night? Even though her body felt completely normal, how would she explain this patch of blood? As she tried to recall what happened last night, she was distracted by the older omega that came out from the bathroom in her bathrobe. 

“Oh? You’re finally awake.”

Stella noticed something was different and that was the bite mark on her neck. At that moment, she recalled the back view of Ophelia’s nape from last night and the sweet taste of her pheromones when she sank her teeth into her scent gland before everything blacked out. Even though it was subtle, she could still taste the sweet lavender between her lips. Stella was still in shock and couldn’t believe all of that happened last night when she was unconscious.

“Aww, don’t tell me you forgot what you have done to me last night?”  

“W-What happened? I don’t remember anything…U-Uh, are you saying that we…”

“Is my patch of blood not enough to prove what happened? You even marked me.”

The bite mark was done by the young alpha and Stella couldn’t deny it now that she remembered it vaguely. Initially, Stella questioned the pill she took but Ophelia was quick to clarify that she gave her an authentic antidote. That was the main reason why Stella woke up feeling perfectly fine and suffered no side effects. The omega also didn’t expect it to be this potent that even the antidote she prepared didn’t manage to neutralize it completely.

“You’re the one that bit me and yet you’re blaming me for seducing you?”

“…”

The poor alpha was too speechless to even think of a word. In this situation, what was she supposed to say at this point? She wasn’t even sure what kind of expression she was wearing as she felt extremely guilty for betraying Linda despite it wasn’t even within her control. No matter how one looked at it, Stella was in bed with another omega that wasn’t her soulmate.  

“No matter how much you want to deny, the truth remains that you’ve marked me, Stella. I hope you’ll take responsible for it.”

The pink-haired noble smirked with great satisfaction and had to thank the drug that Mabel used on her last night that gave her this wonderful opportunity of a lifetime to sleep with her alpha. Ophelia didn’t tell her parents about what Mabel had done and only informed them about sharing a passionate night with Stella. Just to be safe, she took the birth control medication earlier because she didn’t want to be known as an impatient omega that couldn’t wait for her fiancé to reach her adulthood.

As the news spread like wildfire, all the Chevaliers and servants knew what happened between Stella and Ophelia. The young alpha took notice of the sudden change in people’s attitude towards her. Many omega girls distanced themselves away from her as if it was out of fear, especially Mabel. As for Marquis and Marchioness, they treated Stella much nicer than before just because she slept with their eldest daughter. Many things happened in a short time, but one thing about Mabel’s words caught her attention. She mentioned bearing a child mix of Chevalier and Albrecht’s bloodline and something about that left an unsettling feeling in her chest. Stella had too many questions in her mind regarding her brother’s connection with the Chevalier, and it was a matter of time before she found out the truth.

 

-

 

On that same day, the entire family went on a picnic in the nearby land and invited Stella to come along as well. The young alpha waited for an opportunity for her to be alone with Ophelia before she reached out to speak with her. They managed to find a quiet area to talk in private without others eavesdropping.

“So, you said you have something to talk to me?”

“Yeah. Well…you see, I want to apologize to you about yesterday.”

“…Huh?”

No matter how much she hated Ophelia, but still felt that it wasn’t right to treat her poorly last night. Because Stella couldn’t recall anything, she had no idea if she was being inconsiderate and aggressive with her under the influence of the aphrodisiac or not. Furthermore, she even marked her without asking for her permission too. Nevertheless, as an Albrecht noble, Stella found her actions unacceptable.

“If I had hurt you or made you feel very uncomfortable. Also, I even bit you without permission too. So, uh… what I want to say is that I’m sorry.”

“…”

Ophelia was stunned for a moment before she let out a soft chuckle. Stella got confused with her reaction and felt embarrassed being laughed at when she was being genuine and serious with her apology.

“Hey, I’m serious! I would appreciate you don’t laugh at me like this.”

“Hahaha, I know, silly. I just didn’t expect you to apologize to me at all…”

Before she could get annoyed by her sarcastic attitude, Stella was caught off guard by the expression Ophelia was wearing. It was completely different from the hollow smiles she usually put on because this smile was very natural and…it suited her.

“You’re so righteous as always no matter what situation it may be. You don’t have to apologize for what you don’t remember. I know that it is not your fault.”

“I still need to apologize. Even though I hate you, it doesn’t mean it’s okay for me to treat you poorly in…uh…”

Stella stuttered and was embarrassed when it came to these sexual discussions. Even though she was an alpha and was aware this was natural, she was still a young 16-year-old kindhearted girl. Ophelia found her embarrassed reaction extremely cute, but she knew she shouldn’t tease her too much.

“Okay, I know what you’re trying to say. I appreciate your concern for me, really.”

“Don’t take it the wrong way, I’m just doing—”

“I know, you’re just doing what you believe is the right thing to do, even though you didn’t do anything to make me feel uncomfortable at all. Even when you bit me, you’re still very gentle and made sure I wasn’t hurt.”

“U-Uh, okay. Well, good to hear that…I-I suppose?”

Stella cleared her throat and felt her cheeks burning from the heat of embarrassment. For the first time, it was as if she was talking to a completely different Ophelia. The young alpha didn’t dislike their interaction and nothing about it felt forced at all. Perhaps for the first time, they were actually having a healthy human interaction.

“You’re too kind for your own good, Stella. I like it more when you’re resisting me.”

“What a sadistic twisted hobby of yours. I can never understand what’s going on inside your sick and deranged mind…”

“Fufu, you wouldn’t want to know. You might die out of embarrassment.”

“Ugh, you’re just so—!”

Even when Stella wasn’t putting any filters on her words, Ophelia responded at ease without being offended because she had no filter on too. Perhaps because the foundation of their relationship was never built on being on good terms with each other. However, if they were to remove that toxicity and hatred from the equation, it would look like they were just two close friends bickering with each other.

“Enough with the quarrel…Let’s go back, Stella. We should head back now before others would think that we got lost.”

At that moment, Stella was too focused on making an apology and didn’t notice the strangeness of her words. She was quite convinced it was just another random event that Ophelia was ‘acting nice’ again so she shouldn’t take it seriously.

…But who would’ve thought that it was the first and last time she spoke to the real Ophelia.