Reluctantly, I got up and readied myself. I had to go up to Angelo’s room in order to do so, but I was happy to find that he wasn’t there.
I fixed my hair, letting my long brown hair fall down my back, and I wore a black dress that I found in my new wardrobe.
The dress went down to my mid-thigh and sat tight around my torso but loose from the waist down. It was a long-sleeved dress with a curved neckline. I was surprised at how decent I looked.
Dresses weren’t normally my style, but I couldn’t exactly complain about it right then.
“Are you ready?” Angelo shouted from downstairs, and I grabbed a pair of sandals before running down to meet him.
“Yeah,” I said, reaching the end of the stairs.
If I hadn’t been a werewolf, I would have been out of breath by the time I reached the foyer. The three flights of stairs were a bit much, but I wasn’t going to say anything to Angelo about it.
If I could go without ever talking to him again, it would be too soon. Bell whimpered at the thought, and I huffed at her.
Bell and I never seemed to agree on anything. It was like we were completely different personalities. I didn’t understand her, and she didn’t understand me. And neither of us tried.
Angelo stood there with an angered look on his face. Was he never not angry? My heart started to beat a little fast, but I took a deep breath to calm myself down.
“You will not speak to anyone unless I tell you to. Understand?” he asked as blackness took over his eyes. It was his wolf demanding dominance.
“Let’s go,” he said, opening the front door of the house.
We started walking to the warrior’s training house. Ed and Robin waved when they saw me but stopped when Angelo glared at them. I didn’t look at them. In fact, I didn’t look at anyone.
I didn’t think that I was even allowed.
Fuck him, and fuck this pack.
“Alpha Angelo,” a man said with a smile on his face.
“Estella Grove.” He paused, looking at me. “She is your mate?” He eyed Angelo suspiciously, and I didn’t have the guts to ask.
“Yes.” He nodded in a strong tone as if to say, “Shut the fuck up.”
“It’s nice to see you again. How is your father?” the man asked, looking back at me. I wasn’t exactly sure who this man was…but he knew me.
I looked at Angelo, and he nodded. I was pissed off that I had to have his permission to talk to people. I wasn’t a fucking child.
“I don’t know.” I shrugged. I wasn’t interested in talking about my father or anything, for that matter.
“What do you mean?” the other alpha asked, looking rather confused.
“We aren’t on good terms,” I admitted.
“Oh.” He nodded. “I thought he was preparing to marry you off?” He seemed extremely curious about my life, and it only confused me more.
“Yeah, but then my mom died, and that halted things,” I said, clearing my throat. Why did everyone want to interrogate me?
“What about the beta you were close with?” he asked.
I hated that he knew so much about me, and I knew nothing about him.
“As far as I know, he is still the beta. I’m sure my father will have him mated to a strong she-wolf who won’t question him. Or maybe a weak one, for that matter.
“Weak mates can’t do shit to defend themselves, and men seem to love that,” I said with a sarcastic smile. Not only was that a jab at all men, but it was also a jab at Angelo.
“Ah.” He nodded. I could tell he was amused by this conversation.
“Alpha Roger, I think we should get to the meeting,” Angelo said.
Alpha Roger. So that’s his name…interesting.
I could sense that Angelo was angry with me, but then again, he was always angry with me. I rolled my eyes and hid my face from him. I didn’t need a repeat of the other night.
“Of course.” Alpha Roger nodded and walked away.
We walked inside the warriors’ training center to the second floor, which housed offices and conference rooms, and into a large meeting room with a sizable oval table.
Angelo sat at the end of the table and pulled out a seat for me to sit next to him. The table was full of men; I assumed some were the pack elders and the others were alphas.
I became overwhelmed by the authority in the room.
“As you all know, I have found my mate.” Angelo’s voice erupted in the once-silent room.
All the attention shifted from him to me. There were about five in the room, including Beta Levi. Everyone outside of Angelo and Levi, I didn’t know.
My father had had a few events at the pack house prior to my mother’s death, and I had met quite a few alphas, but two seated at this table I hadn’t met. I suddenly felt small and inadequate.
I looked at Angelo, who held a strong expression. He was radiating dominance and control. Suddenly I didn’t feel like his mate. I was a tool at his disposal.
“Estella Grove,” he said, gesturing toward me.
I looked up at them and nodded. I preferred people call me Estella. I hated my last name because it reminded me of a past I didn’t want to remember.
Some of them smiled, and others raised a skeptical eye. I locked eyes with Beta Levi and felt some relief rush over me. He was the only one with a caring and kind expression on his face.
It was as if he knew what was wrong and was sorry for me.
“She will be luna?” someone asked, and they all looked at Angelo.
“Yes.” He nodded.
Not if I can help it. I instantly felt Angelo’s eyes on me, and my skin was hot at the attention.
“She came from Green Grove Pack, and for those of you who don’t know, her father is the alpha of that pack. Alpha blood will be good, so we can keep the bloodline strong,” Angelo said.
That was probably the only reason he would mate with me. Ugh.
A legacy. He just wants a legacy.
“Estella ranked third in her pack. She has trained with a few of our warriors and me. She will make a great asset to us,” Beta Levi said in my defense.
She was fine at the thought of carrying the alpha’s legacy, but being called an asset didn’t sit well with her.
I didn’t dare look at Angelo. I remained calm and kept my head high. Respect was earned.
“What about strategically?” someone asked.
I rolled my eyes and kept to myself. I didn’t understand why I was even here.
“Well, we know Alpha Philip,” Alpha Roger said.
“Not the greatest alpha if you ask me,” someone said, and I chuckled.
Everyone stopped and looked at me. Oh shit. I knew how to act and defend myself around high-ranking men but not around Angelo.
“Did you say something?” Angelo asked, looking dead at me. It was so silent you could hear a pin drop.
“Nothing,” I mumbled before shaking my head.
I could feel Angelo’s cold gaze on me. Fuck.
“I heard he went crazy after his mate died,” someone mumbled.
I looked up at him and then away.
It slightly scared me that they knew my father. What if they were like him?
“Do you have something to say?” Angelo asked. He obviously knew I did.
“He did go crazy after my mother died, but he has always been…difficult. He kicked me out two years after she died because I looked like her, or maybe it was his pride.
“We were never close. I was supposed to marry Beta Ryan and take over the pack, but my father is greedy, and it became worse when she died. He even revolted against the elder’s requests.” I shrugged.
“He acted irrational for a while, and the elders and some of the pack members put their foot down because they didn’t want to lose the pack.
“His getting rid of me was the best thing for the pack because he would be able to think more strategically. At least that’s what they told me,” I said, looking at the men in the room.
“Why didn’t anyone challenge him?” Alpha Roger asked.
“Beta Ryan and myself were going to, but we knew we wouldn’t have elder support if we won, so we let him grieve.
“I felt bad for him, but I have never been close with my dad, and it got worse between us once she died. He wanted a son, not a fucking daughter.” I rolled my eyes and sighed.
“Did he train you?” Angelo asked.
“I trained myself.” I smirked. “My father looked at me as weak, and I tried to prove him wrong my whole life. It was getting better, but then I reached twenty, and I had no mate.
“I was a disgrace again. Then we were attacked by rogues one night, and I wasn’t there. My mother died, and my father blamed me. And here we are.” I chuckled.
“Wow,” Alpha Roger said. He looked a little surprised and sad.
“We could overthrow him and expand our territory,” Alpha Roger suggested as he looked at Angelo.
“I don’t think that is a good idea.” I shook my head. I knew I should have kept my mouth closed, but I couldn’t help it.
“Why not?” Angelo asked. He looked shocked at my statement.
“He has a lot of rich people on his side. And these rich men are humans,” I said and glanced at Angelo. “Once he finds out I have a mate who is an alpha, he will reach out.”
“What did your father tell you about me?” Alpha Roger asked. Should he have?
“Nothing.” I shrugged. “You look familiar, but I don’t know who you are.”
“Your mother was my sister,” he said with a sad expression.
“What?” I asked, narrowing my eyes at him. I almost stood to my feet as anger filled me. I wasn’t sure who I was angry with. I was just angry.
“We were really close, and then she found her supposed mate. Philip is a greedy son of a bitch. He took my sister right from my family and me.
“He cut us out and constantly threatened us. We wanted to do something, and we could have. We are stronger than him, but your mother said no.
“He was her mate, and she was my sister. We let her go. When we found out she died, things shifted,” Alpha Roger explained.
“I can’t imagine what else he has lied about.” He shrugged.
“Have you ever seen or heard about Alpha Angelo or me prior to meeting up?” Alpha Roger asked.
“No,” I shook my head.
“I guess that answers our suspicions,” Beta Levi said with a shrug.
“What suspicions?” I asked, looking at Alpha Roger and Angelo.
