The Alpha King-s Third Wife

“Wahhhh!”

Lily Carter was jolted awake by the deafening sound, her body burning with heat.

Beside her, two girls were whispering to each other.

“Is Lily really not waking up? What if she dies from the heat?” one girl said, her voice tinged with fear.

“Who knows? It’s not our problem,” the other girl, Sarah, replied with indifference, a hint of glee in her tone. “If she dies, we can just say she was weak.”

“What are we going to say when we get to the ranch?”

“What else? We’ll say she didn’t bring enough water and just collapsed. No one will blame us.”

Lily strained to listen to their conversation, realizing she had been reborn.

She and the two girls from her village had traveled across the country, armed with a government-issued marriage certificate, to marry ranch workers in Montana.

With the last well in their hometown nearly dry, the local government had issued marriage certificates to a group of young women to settle in the North.

The local girls had set out in groups, and Lily and her sisters had been assigned to Sheep Hill Ranch.

Traveling from the East to the North was a long journey, and Lily had lost her water bottle along the way.

After crossing the desert and enduring a bumpy ride, she had nearly frozen to death on the train, afraid to speak up.

With no money for a ticket, she had snuck onto a truck carrying sheep, sitting there for hours.

Lily had brought little with her, and losing her water bottle had left her increasingly weak, her lips chapped and dry, leading to her eventual collapse.

Now that she had a second chance, she wouldn’t let anyone bully her again!

Lily glared at the two girls.

“Wahhhh!”

To her surprise, the dehydrated Lily suddenly sprang to life, startling the two girls.

“Thought you were dead,” Sarah muttered, her tone laced with disappointment.

Lily had trusted these two too much; they had likely been the ones to sabotage her water supply.

With the last well in their hometown nearly dry, water had become more precious than life itself. A single bottle could mean survival, and watching the two girls drink their fill while she stood by helplessly had been infuriating.

In her past life, she had cried out, “Did you two deliberately lose my water?”

Sarah had laughed at her. “If you’re that foolish to lose your water, it’s your fault!”

But Lily remembered overhearing them on the train, where they had barely touched their own water supply while she had been left with nothing.

With a sudden surge of anger, Lily glared at Sarah, who was taken aback by her fierce gaze. “You two are stealing my water!”

“Hey! That’s mine!” Sarah protested.

Lily, fueled by her frustration, lunged at Sarah, slapping her hard across the face, sending her sprawling into the sheep pen, nearly getting kicked by one of the animals.

Her sister, Mia, was too scared to speak up, trembling as she helped Sarah up, pleading, “Lily, don’t be angry! We’ll be at the ranch soon, and there will be plenty of water to drink.”

Lily was still weak but didn’t want to fight two against one. She decided to hold back for now and deal with them later.

“Give me the water,” Lily demanded, glaring at Mia.

Mia, intimidated by Lily’s fierce expression, quickly handed over her water bottle.

Lily poured half of the water into Sarah’s bottle before returning it to Mia.

“You two can share this half. I’ll take the rest as compensation for what you stole from me!”

Though they were reluctant, they didn’t dare protest against Lily’s fierce demeanor.

Taking a big gulp of water felt incredible. Three hours later, Sarah’s lips were dry and cracking, and she finally understood what it felt like to be on the brink of dehydration.

As the sun began to set, a cold wind blew, and the temperature dropped significantly. The North had a large temperature difference between day and night, and the three girls huddled together, even leaning against a group of sheep for warmth.

After what felt like an eternity, the truck finally arrived.

Before them stood a hill, with a large sign reading “Sheep Hill.”

Seeing the designated location on the marriage certificate, Lily hurriedly got off the truck, eager to avoid being discovered.

Sarah and Mia followed closely behind, rushing to get off the truck.

A thin, long-haired driver stepped out and saw the three slender girls jump down. He was momentarily taken aback, then leered with a sleazy grin, shouting, “Hey, girls! Where are you headed? Why not come home with me for some fun?”

Lily, having spent all day on the truck, felt her legs go numb. She didn’t want to be caught by the lecherous driver, so she sprinted toward the entrance of Sheep Hill.

Sarah and Mia followed suit, and the three of them struggled up the slope.

Several times, Mia nearly tumbled down the hill. The driver waved at her, nearly scaring her to death as she scrambled up.

Finally, once they were far from the lecherous driver, the three girls collapsed at the foot of the hill.

As the sun set, Lily felt the sweat on her body dissipate, no longer feeling so stiff.

“Lily, I’m dying of thirst! We’ve both finished our water. Can I have some of yours?” Sarah pleaded.

Lily coldly replied, “Once we get to your aunt’s house, there will be plenty of water to drink.” With that, she turned to walk away.

Fortunately, a shepherd saw the three girls, mistaking them for refugees. He was dirty and disheveled but kindly offered them a large bowl of sheep milk.

Sarah and Mia eagerly drank most of it, licking their lips and exclaiming how delicious it was. Lily, however, only wanted water.

Lily couldn’t help but recall the animosity between their families.

Tracing back to their grandmothers’ generation, due to being half-sisters, Lily’s father had taken on his stepfather’s surname, leading to a longstanding feud between their families.

This time, they were breaking the mold by traveling together to seek refuge with Lily’s aunt, a rare occurrence.

Thinking of the scarcity of resources in the Northwest, she realized that even if she didn’t marry and settle down, where else could she go?