Chasing the rejected Luna

14: Shame

Alexander's POV

“My father?” I whispered, already knowing what was coming. I felt dread just by looking at the blood dripping from Ryven’s wound. Content (C) Nôv/elDra/ma.Org.

I knew what it was all about but I kept lying to myself over the years and now, the truth was staring at me in the face.

I watched as Ryven’s wound healed up and the smirk came up his face at my expression. I knew he was up to no good but this news surpassed everything I had always imagined.

“I will be leaving your pack today. Send my regards to Sophia,” he said and stood up from the chair and I followed his movement with my heart in my mouth.

I clenched my fist tight while I glared daggers at him and he smiled which made me madder. Having the upper hand in this made shame course through my veins. It wasn’t as I had planned. And I was the type of person who has things always planned out. This was a huge blow to my gut.

“Fuck you,” I snarled and Ryven walked over to the door and turned around time with his hands behind his back.

“It was nice meeting you too,” he said and walked away while I released the breath I didn’t know I had been holding for so long. This was happening again. What I feared. And it came back within a short time.

No, I wouldn’t let this slide. But what could I do? Sophia was out of my grasp already. As much as I told myself I could get her back from the fuc*ker, I knew I was only kidding myself.

I felt my wolf stir from the back of my mind. His anger was making me lose my breath as I doubled over from the pain from trying to keep him in. It was more than physical strength to keep Tylen in. And while Ryven was here, I tried so hard not to say anything that would give me away. It would have started a bloody war, one which I wasn’t ready for.

“You caused this! I will never forgive you if we lose our mate!” Tylen roared, trying to get out and take control. I grabbed the edge of the wooden mahogany table as it snapped under my fingers from the pressure I put on it.

I gritted my teeth and a scream tore through my lips, “I didn’t cause anything. You were cruel with your suggestions,” I retorted, the edge of the table digging into my hand but I didn’t feel a thing

because of Tylen.

“Cruel? Now who’s being cruel?! You would have let me kill him when I had the chance and now our mate gets to be taken from us because of him!”

“I won’t kill my father even if I get the opportunity to do so again. He’s the only family member I have left for goodness sake!” I snarked at him and he pushed harder, his emotions mixing with mine, making me confused about whose emotion I was feeling. But I felt intense rage that could burn down a house directed at my father and Ryven.

“You’re weak! Pathetic and weak.” Tylen, my wolf said and retreated to the back of my mind and I quickly put up the wall. I breathed hard from the encounter I had with him. But I felt fear. Fear at what he did at the last minute- retreating. Tylen never retreats and gives up until he gets what he wants and I knew he was up to no good.

I made a mental note never to let him out until everything cooled off. He could hear my thoughts but I cared less. What I cared about was an explanation from my father.

I stood up slowly from the floor, my blood pooled at my knees but my injuries were healed with a wood splinter lodged in my hand. I pulled it out with force, grumbling incoherently.

While I walked to my father’s house, I tried not to think about Sophia. Think about how she would belong to someone else now. The mate bond was pulling me to her, never to let her go but I fought it. My heart felt like it was being ripped apart from different directions.

It didn’t help that I wanted her back. If it were the time I cared less about her, I believed it wouldn’t hurt this much. But I loved Sophia. I’ve loved her since I first laid eyes on her when we were kids and then, she never looked my way. It made me mad that she was all over Rudolph.

And then his death came. It broke me into so many parts. I was at war with myself for so long. And when I finally decided to let the past go and give her a chance, everything came tumbling down. Maybe I was never meant to be with her. Maybe I was never meant for her even if the moon goddess paired us together.

It ought to be a mistake. Yes, that was it. That was the only explanation I could come up with. Her laugh, her smiles, her tears, I would miss all of it. My throat closed up from different emotions that racked through me. I wanted to go to my room and let it all out.

But how? I couldn’t cry. I was an Alpha; someone who everyone looks up to. If I cried and succumbed to my pains, what do I expect of my pack members? So I did the only thing I could thing of - I bottled them in and pushed it to the deepest and darkest part of my heart.

I reached my father’s house and heard different heartbeats which meant he had company. But one of them stood out the most - Dianne’s. I would recognize her heartbeat anywhere because of how long I had been with her.

I pushed the door without knocking, wanting to catch them off guard and that was exactly what I achieved. All faces turned to me. They were all members of the council.

The room was enveloped into a dead silence and the smell of alcohol assaulted my nose. I stood by the door, taking pleasure in the look on everyone’s faces except my father.

I crossed my arms across my chest and walked to the available chair at the end of the table and sat down nonchalantly. Picking up a bottle of scotch, I poured myself a drink and lifted the glass to my lips while everyone avoided my gaze.

“A party without your Alpha? That’s not how you treat your Alpha. You would have at least invited him. Hmm?” I looked at the bottle on the table before pouring myself another. “Isn’t that right, dad?” I pinned my father with a look that he mirrored with his.

I looked away from him to Dianne who was seated at his right. She was looking at her fake manicured nails like it was more interesting than what I had to say. How come I never really saw her for who she was until I realized Sophia was my mate?

“We were planning to invite you but you seemed rather busy with your new title as an Alpha. You know, managing the pack and all that,” my father said and I looked from Dianne to him to find a smile on his face.

“So bad I didn’t come to the party. I came to have a word with you.”

He looked taken aback by what I said and I watched how realization slowly reached his eyes and he smiled brightly. The bastard.

“Ahh, but that will have to wait. Aren’t you curious what this party is all about?” He asked me and I dropped the cup on the table.

Some members of the council pretended like they weren’t listening to the conversation with my father. There was a lot of bad blood between father and son and that was solely my father’s fault. No one else’s. His stupid lifestyle made me despise him as I grew older. And now, I couldn’t bear to stay in the same room with me.

I watched as Dianne’s eyes met mine and she smiled at me. A beautiful smile that made me go all jittery in the past. But not anymore. From the look on her face, I could guess what it was all about but I didn’t trust my gut feeling this time because I would never allow it if it was what I thought about.

“Tell me Dianne, what’s this party without me?” I asked her, ignoring my father and she looked at my father.

That simple act went to show how much my father still had the members of the pack wrapped around his index finger. I heard the whispers and saw the looks. I was only an Alpha by name. My father still called all the shots.

He only made me Alpha because of the rules that every firstborn son be made Alpha at the age of twenty-one. My father didn’t want to disrespect the higher-ups - the ones who were in charge of making sure each pack followed the set of rules. And were the ones who prevented war from breaking out.

Sometimes, I think my father wished I wasn’t born so he would have to rule for a very long time. But so bad, I was too determined to win the race of other sperm and be born his son. One who wanted to drive him crazy each day.

My father nodded at Dianne and she sat up straighter, “This party is to celebrate me becoming the Beta of …”

“Hold on. You were made the Beta without my knowledge?” I asked her and she smiled as if she didn’t know how that sounds. I was angry and clutched the bottle in my hand. Why are they trying to make me kill somebody?

“No need to be angry, son. You were busy and we didn’t want to bother you with such a trivial matter,” My father said and looked at everyone in the room. “Right?” They all nodded their head slowly, picking at their nails or looking at the drink on the table except Dianne who had a smug look on her face.

“I am against Dianne becoming my Beta. She’s incapable,” I said, not considering how Dianne must have felt by my statement. A look of shock and anger crossed her face but I didn’t give a damn. They selected a Beta without me.

“Don’t talk crap. She’s capable. We won’t know how capable she is until we try,” my father said and took the cup from the table.

But before his hand could get to it, I threw my glass cup and it collided with it, knocking both cups and some bottles off the table.

Dianne screamed and stood up at once with some other people. It was one thing to take my duties from me and treat me like trash. And it was another thing to disrespect me in front of my pack members.

“I will not tolerate any disrespect from you even if you’re my father! I am your Alpha whether you like it or not.” I snarled and stood up.

“I’m your father. And I deserve some respect!” My father yelled and kicked the leg of the table which made the cups and bottles fall on the floor.

“Let me out so I’ll kill this bastard,” Tylen snarled in my head. I didn’t know when I had let the wall down. It happened so fast that I felt Tylen take over and lunged for my father.