Hated by My Mate: The Unwanted Luna

Aurora

Alpha Wolfgang stared daggers at me, his blue eyes cold as ice. This was it. He was going to reject me.

He wouldn’t hesitate this time.

I bowed my head and waited with eyes closed tight, trying to keep the tears from falling.

“I’m not going to reject you just yet.”

I raised my head and looked at him in bewilderment. “What?” I asked, shock plastered on my face.

“I have other plans for you, Miss Craton. But you will not tell anyone in the village that we are mates. Like I said before, if you do, I will deny it. And I will mark you and whoever you tell as rogues.”

I could only stare at him dumbly. I was expecting him to finish with a cruel punchline for this sick joke, but it never came.

He stared at me for a moment, and I thought I saw some emotion flash in his eyes.

Confusion?

Regret?

Before I could identify it, he turned once more to leave.

“Get back home. It’s too late for a simple omega wolf like you to be out here alone,” he said. Then he disappeared into the bushes, leaving me shocked and hurt.

What was he planning to do to me?

***

Aurora

I returned home feeling completely defeated. I could also feel the exhaustion taking a toll on my body.

I guessed that’s what happened when a wolf shifted for the first time without having eaten a proper meal in two days.

Now that I thought about it, I’d spent two days straight crying my soul out, all because of my so-called soulmate.

I walked in the door, then stumbled back when someone ran into me, hugging the life out of me. It was my stepmother, Montana.

“Where were you?! I got up and went to check up on you and you were gone!” she exclaimed. “I called Emma’s place to see if you were there and you weren’t!”

“I’m sorry, Montana. I… my wolf needed a run,” I said, trying to calm her down a bit.

“Your wolf? You finally met her? Oh my Goddess, Rory!” she squealed in delight. “What’s her name? What does she look like? When are we gonna take a stroll together?”

She bombarded me with questions, but I felt my strength giving up on me.

“I’ll answer your questions tomorrow, okay? Right now I need to lie down,” I told her.

“Sure sure! First shifts always take a toll on a wolf when you’re just beginning. You must be exhausted. Come, let me help you to bed.”

She hooked one of my arms over her shoulder and helped me up the stairs to my bedroom.

“Thanks, Montana,” I said before I embraced darkness.

***

I sat in the beautiful clearing I’d found this evening.

I was in my human form.

The place was peaceful and serene. It was daytime, and the sun was shining over the lake, making it glisten. The wild grass that grew around it swayed in the summer breeze.

Suddenly, a dark cloud covered the sky, turning the place gloomy.

The lake became murky as unsettling waves disturbed its once-peaceful waters and the sweet summer breeze turned into a strong, whistling wind.

The green grass faded and dried, leaving a horrible patch of dried and cracked soil around me.

Then the sound of dried leaves rustling and fallen branches cracking caught my attention, making me more alert to my surroundings.

I looked around in fear, and tried to call out to my wolf, but got no answer.

From within the few bushes whose dried leaves were still intact emerged a huge black wolf with shining blue eyes. Its fangs were bared as it growled at me.

It came closer and closer, until finally it launched itself at me, digging its sharp fangs deep into my neck.

I woke up to Montana gently nudging me.

I was panting and sweating as I looked at my stepmother in confusion and fear.

It was just a nightmare.

“What is it? I know I promised to go running with you, but isn’t it a bit early?” I grumbled.

I sat up on my bed, looking at my alarm clock on the night table, but when I turned to her, I noticed her grim expression. Immediately, I knew that something was wrong.

“What’s wrong?” I asked.

“You…you have a visitor downstairs, dear,” she said, fear and sadness in her voice.

“Who’s looking…?” I started to ask, but she cut me off.

“Hurry up and get presentable, honey,” Montana said. Then she got up, leaving me in complete confusion.

Could it be the alpha again, here to torment me?

As it turned out, I was somewhat right.

The person waiting for me, sitting in our living room, was the head of the leader’s housemaids.

She and my stepmother were talking in hushed tones, both of them wearing somber expressions.

What did I do now?

“Mrs. Kala?” I called, gaining their attention.

The elderly woman gave me a warm smile as she walked over to embrace me. “It’s great to see you dearie.”

“What’s going on?” I asked.

“You need to come with me to the leader’s house,” Mrs. Kala said. “On the alpha’s orders.”

My heart spluttered in my chest. I remembered his words from last night.

I have plans for you.

I looked at Montanna, and her worried expression made me feel even worse.

“Am I in trouble?” I asked.

“I don’t know, sweetheart,” Mrs. Kala said. “But...he didn’t look very happy.”

That’s nothing new. When did Wolfgang ever look happy?

Montana put a reassuring hand on my shoulder. “It’ll be okay. It’s probably nothing.”

I nodded, but I didn’t feel very confident.

”Maybe he realized he wants to be mated after all,” my wolf mused.

”Yeah, right,” I replied sarcastically.

Mrs. Kala held the front door open for me, and after a quick breath, I followed her out.

The chilly Alaskan breeze caused shivers to run down my spine as we walked up the long winding path to the leader’s house.

“Why is the alpha so mean?” I asked suddenly.

Mrs. Kala looked over at me, surprised. I was a little shocked, myself. I didn’t expect to blurt out a question like that.

“What do you mean, child?” she asked.

“I just—” I stopped. I couldn’t tell Mrs. Kala that he was my mate. We’d both get in trouble. “I just feel like he doesn’t like me at all.”

I expected her to brush off the question, but she looked very thoughtful.

“He has a lot of responsibilities,” she began. “He had to become the alpha when he was still young. And that was a huge burden for him.”

I nodded along, listening intently. After the old alpha died in battle, those powers and responsibilities instantly transferred to Wolfgang.

“Not only does our alpha have to keep our pack running, he has to protect us from rogues and make sure all of our alliances with the other packs are held strong. He can’t show any weakness.” Mrs. Kala sighed and turned to me.

“It breaks my heart, seeing him work so hard,” she continued. “It causes him to come off as cold, or mean...but he’s always trying to make things better.”

The alpha’s packhouse loomed over us now, the giant mansion shining in the early morning light.

A part of me thought that the royals of the pack only lived a life of luxury. But obviously that wasn’t true.

My dad had died in battle against the rogues, and that pain crushed me.

Alpha Wolfgang had to deal with that same grief but also had to take care of the pack.

Mrs. Kala held the door open for me and led me to the foot of a grand staircase that led to the upper floors of the packhouse.

“He’s waiting for you upstairs,” she said.

Heart pounding, I forced one foot in front of the other as I climbed the steps. The only people that were allowed up here were the pack leaders and their families.

”You know what this means, right?” Rhea whispered in my mind.

I couldn’t believe it. Had the alpha changed his mind?

Hope blossomed in my chest.

I was so lost in my thoughts that I didn’t see Alpha Wolfgang until I bumped into his chest.

“S-sorry sir,” I stammered.

He looked down at me, his face unreadable.

“Follow me,” he ordered, and turned to walk down the hallway.

I followed along, my heart in my shoes.

He led me to a large mahogany door and opened it, revealing a pastel white room inside.

“This will be your room,” he said.

My heart kicked into overdrive. This was really happening.

He gestured down the hall to another large wooden door.

“That’s my room down there,” he said. “Remember that. What’s wrong?”

He must have noticed how confused I looked.

“We uh…” my face turned red. “We won’t have the same room, sir?”

The alpha frowned, and then his expression darkened. His eyes flashed a dangerous black.

Rhea whimpered in my mind.

“I think there’s been a misunderstanding, Miss Craton.” He stepped closer, towering over me. “I’m not accepting you as my mate.”

His words were like a slap to the face.

“Th-then...why am I here—”

“I expect you to be settled in today.” He interrupted me. “Your duties begin tomorrow. I drink my morning coffee at six a.m., sharp. My clothes should be ready by seven, and breakfast should be served by eight thirty in my room.”

“Sir?”

“I’m going to be keeping a close eye on you, Miss Craton. You’re going to be my personal maid.”

And just like that, my entire world changed.