I awoke to an abrupt knocking on the door before it flew open, revealing Olivia standing there with a smile on her face. She looked so happy.
I stayed under the covers because I was still humiliated from last night. I knew my ass was still covered in bruises, werewolf healing or not.
“I can’t believe you are his mate!” She beamed with delight. “That practically makes us sisters since I’m the beta’s mate,” she shouted before jumping on my bed.
“Get off,” I growled, and she stopped.
“Sorry,” she said before getting off the bed. I didn’t feel bad for yelling at her. I had no reason to feel bad.
“These are your new clothes. Alpha is having your closet filled with a new wardrobe. I told him your sizes.” She smiled, handing me some clothes and leaving the room.
I rolled my eyes and took them with me so I could get a shower. I didn’t even try to force back the tears that fell from my eyes. I didn’t care anymore.
Ryan and my dad hated it when I cried, so I didn’t, but I didn’t care anymore.
I got out of the shower, got dressed into panties and a bra, and put on the light-pink sundress Olivia gave me before brushing through my hair.
I put my hair into a bun on my head because I didn’t want to deal with it.
I ignored my thoughts as best I could and walked out of the bedroom and downstairs. The door was unlocked, surprisingly.
The smell of food filled my nose, and I stepped into the kitchen to see Tess and Olivia cooking food. Robin and Beta Levi were helping.
“Good evening, Luna,” Robin said, smiling at me.
“Don’t call me that,” I growled. I rolled my eyes and ignored the stares they were giving me.
“Here,” Tess said, handing me a plate of fried chicken, corn on the cob, and mashed potatoes. I sat down at the table and stared at my food.
“What time is it?” I asked, looking up at them. They stared at me with blank expressions on their faces before Beta Levi answered.
“Six o’clock.” He smiled sympathetically.
I sighed before looking at the food in front of me. I wasn’t hungry, and I slept all day. I put my face in my hands as tears began to fall again.
I silently sobbed, hoping he wouldn’t dare say anything to me.
He sat down in the seat across from me and began eating his food.
How could he eat like nothing was wrong? What the fuck was wrong with this guy?
“Eat your food,” he said in a rough voice.
“I’m not hungry.” I sniffled.
“You haven’t eaten all day,” he said in the same tone. It was like nothing fazed him.
“I’m afraid that if I force myself, I’ll throw up.” I sighed, hoping he wouldn’t get mad at me.
He was silent, and I found some relief in that.
“Who is Ryan?” he asked as he ate.
Fuck. Thanks a lot, Bell! I scolded myself. He heard Bell and my conversation, and I’m sure she knew that would happen.
“I’m trying my best not to lose my temper,” he said impatiently.
“He is the beta from my old pack,” I said. I couldn’t look at him.
“And?” he asked. “I would appreciate it if you looked at me while we are talking,” he said before clearing his throat.
I removed my hands from my face and leaned back in my chair.
I glanced up at him and then away. His gray eyes looked softer this time, and my wolf purred. I rubbed my face, hoping that she would just stop.
“He was rejected by his mate, and I didn’t have one, so we were a thing. My father never found out, and neither did anyone else.
“Though, some of the pack elders had suggested he and I become mates to continue a strong bloodline. Father said no.” I shrugged.
“Is he the only man you have been with?” he asked me.
I could feel his eyes piercing through my skin, but I didn’t look. I glanced at the food on my plate that I didn’t plan on eating.
“No, I have been with a few humans. Maybe three,” I said softly.
I honestly didn’t have a choice but to tell him the truth, and I really didn’t want to upset him. Though, I did lie.
I was only with one human, and it was a stupid one-night stand after a bad fight with Ryan.
“And Kenton?” he asked. His tone was getting angrier.
“He kissed me,” I snapped, glaring at him.
Our eyes locked, and everything in me became lighter and brighter. I didn’t understand the emotions I was feeling.
I tried to move my eyes away, and I could tell he tried, but we both failed.
We stayed like that for a while, and I weirdly didn’t want it to end.
I heard two people walk into the house. He stood up, and I missed his eyes immediately. They were the perfect color gray with hints of silver.
I was already so infatuated with the sight of him, it was pathetic.
Beta Levi dragged Kenton into the kitchen, and I stood up, only to be blocked by my mate.
“You told me that Estella kissed you,” my mate said.
“What?” I asked, shocked. He put his hand up to shut me up, and I looked at Kenton, who was avoiding everyone’s eyes.
“Did you lie to me?” he roared.
“I-I,” Kenton said, struggling.
“Stand up,” he growled in an alpha tone.
I noticed how tense his body was, and I felt the pull to want to calm him down.
“Tell me, Kenton,” he mocked, walking closer toward Kenton, “are you lying, or is your luna lying to me?”
I bit down on my lip, scared that Kenton might lie again. I wasn’t in the mood to deal with this fool.
“I’m sorry, Alpha,” he said in a hushed tone. He looked at me before my mate knocked him to the ground.
“You lied to me,” he shouted, standing over Kenton’s body. “You told me that she threw herself at you.”
Kenton couldn’t even look at him.
“Then you dare to look at her!” he yelled before picking him up by his shirt and throwing him out of the kitchen. He yelped in pain, and I looked away.
“He won’t hurt you,” Beta Levi said, walking over to me and giving me a sympathetic smile. Does he even know his own alpha?
A few minutes later, Robin and Ed came in and carried Kenton out of the house.
“Need anything, Alpha?” Beta Levi asked when my mate returned to his seat at the table as if nothing had happened.
“Not right now,” he shook his head.
“Have a good night,” Beta Levi said before leaving.
“Are you going to try to eat?” he asked.
“I can try,” I said, sitting down. I ate some of my chicken, but by that point, it was cold.
“What’s wrong with the food?” he asked. I could sense he was worried.
“It’s cold now,” I shrugged.
“You can microwave it,” he pointed to the microwave above the oven.
“Yeah, but—”
“I got it.”
He took both of our plates and heated them up in the microwave. Then, he returned our food to the table and grabbed us some water to drink.
“Thanks,” I mumbled.
I ate my food. In fact, I shoveled it all into my mouth fast. I was hungry. I finished my meal and saw that he was staring at me.
I looked down at my empty plate and leaned back in my seat, avoiding his eyes.
I sat there awkwardly as he also finished. I wanted to go to bed, but I didn’t know if I even could.
“Do you want more?” he asked, grabbing our plates.
“No,” I mumbled.
He cleaned up the kitchen and put the rest of the food away while I stared at my hands. I felt so uncomfortable around him.
I thought that mates always felt relaxed when they were around each other, but I guess that was a lie.
“Come on,” he said as he walked away.
I followed him out of the kitchen and up the stairs, unsure of what he was up to.
We walked up to the second floor, and then he strolled down the hall to another staircase leading up to the third floor.
I hadn’t seen anything except his office, the room I was in last night, and the kitchen. So, I didn’t know anything about this house.
Once we reached the third floor, I saw a beautiful library, and my mouth dropped with how many books he had.
In front of us stood two clear doors that led to a deck, and I wanted so badly to see what it looked like outside. He went the opposite way and opened the door to what I assumed was his bedroom.
His scent filled the whole room. I had to be the first person ever to enter this room. He walked over to his bed. It was massive and covered with red sheets, blankets, and pillows.
“I just wanted to show you where my room was in case you needed anything. The rest of the house you can explore freely. My bedroom and office are off limits unless I request you be there.”
He cleared his throat. “The rest of the house doesn’t matter to me, but I don’t want you to come wandering in here without my permission.
“I hope I have made myself clear,” he said, briefly looking me in the eye before I glanced away.
“Yes, I understand.” I nodded. It was silent in the room, and I suddenly felt awkward.
“Goodnight,” I mumbled before walking toward the door.
“No,” he said, wrapping his arm around my waist and pulling me into his chest. Sparks flew at the sudden contact. He was shirtless, and my back was pressed against him.
I stayed quiet, not knowing what to do.
He pulled off my dress, and I tried to cover myself. My bra was off of me before I could react.
His shirt hit my skin and sent shivers through my body as he put it on me before picking me up and crawling into bed with me.
I was tense. I didn’t know what to do.
“Relax,” he whispered softly.
I wanted to, but I couldn’t calm down—It was too much.
He sighed and moved away from me.
The space helped. I shuffled to the other side of the bed and curled up. I wasn’t comfortable, and I wasn’t sure if there was anything I could do to change that.
“I was mad, and my wolf took over. I thought you were rejecting me,” he mumbled.
It wasn’t an apology.
“Seeing another man on you was hard, and I didn’t react in the right manner.” He sighed. “I believed him, and I shouldn’t have.”
I didn’t know what he had expected me to say, and I didn’t know what I could say. He had heard the conversation I’d had with my wolf last night, and it was obvious that he felt bad.
“You could have asked me. I would have told you the truth. Instead, you acted like an asshole and threatened me. And punished me, humiliated me,” I said, almost breathlessly.
He fell silent, and I was happy that he didn’t respond. It proved that I was right after all.
