The Lottery Mate

Chapter 9

Lesley’s POV

I actually wanted to laugh.

He looked into my eyes, stared at my boobs – eyes widened! Tried to look me in the eyes again but failed and took another long glare at my boobs! Eyes growing even bigger!

“You do realize that the mate bond is created by looking into your mate’s eyes, not her boobs, right?” I grinned, trying not to laugh out loud. Oh yeah! I had huge boobs! My nickname among the humans I knew in town, was ‘Big D’. Guess what that stands for…

“So-sorry!” he stuttered, blushing like a virgin, while trying to look away. “Wh-why are you naked?”

“Because I’m washing my clothes,” I answered. What? It’s not like I could tell him that I was trying to avoid my cousins, because of my uncle’s stupid alpha-command! “Why else would I be in the laundry room?”

He looked at me again with a half ‘ups’/’make sense’ expression, before his eyes glided back down my body. Damn! He was so cute, trying not to look. I smirked, once I caught his eye again. If possible, he blushed even more, once he realized he was caught red-handed. With a scowl, he took off his jacket and handed it to me. I didn’t question it and just put it on, so at least I was dressed. It covered most of me, but with my size, it barely reached my thighs.

His scent drifted back into my nostrils, sending shivers down my spine. Good grief! I’d never smelled anything this nice before! It was a mixture of his cologne and the smell from before. Like being wrapped in a warm blanket…

“What happened?” he then suddenly asked, gesturing to my burned abdomen. I immediately knew what he meant. And like a self-defense mechanism, I lied.

“Cooking class,” I replied, hoping he didn’t know that it was no longer a subject in high school. Damn, this werewolf aging thing! He didn’t look a day over 20! And for some reason, my first thought is that he is WAY out of my league! As in look up the definition of ‘tall, dark, and handsome’ and there would be a picture of this guy. His eyes were a vibrant icy, blue color, that dominated most of his facial structure. His jawline was perfectly enhanced by the perfect 5 o’clock shadow and his pitch-black hair was cut in such a way it made him look like a model from Photoshop! And oh god! I hadn’t even gotten to his body yet! I know he was shamelessly eye-raping me, but holy virgin Marry, I wanted that on top of me!

His eyes met mine again, and I could feel my wolf jump back from the intense stare and almost disappear at the back of my consciousness. Seriously?! The whole mate thing is entirely because of our wolves and she goes into hiding the second she finds hers?

“Lesley?!”

We both snapped out of our trance and turned to face the intruder. My heart sank, and my skin turned to ice. f**k!

“What are you doing here? You know what? Never mind!” My uncle’s voice thundered and his judgmental, angry eyes let me know that the rest of my day would be hell! “Now you’re here, get upstairs and help your Luna with her routine.”

I nodded and lowered my eyes as I passed them both. But before I reached the stairs, I felt Uncle grabbing my wrist, pulling my face dangerously close to his: “Mess up, and I’ll make you pay!”

“Don’t touch her like that!”

A deep animalistic growl filled the room. I snapped my head around and saw my mate glaring down at my uncle. And to my utter glee, he flinched away for a second. But he quickly regained his posture and pushed me up the stairs. Another warning growl rumbled in my mate’s chest, but this time Uncle Harry was prepared for it.

“I find being brought is the only thing that works on her,” he answered, sending me another death glare. Great. I was now going to pay for this! “She’s completely impossible to control,” my uncle continued while I hid at the top of the stairs. My heart was racing. What was my mate going to say to Uncle? Would he accept me? Would he…?

“She’s my mate!”

My heart jumped and so did my wolf.

YES!

He said it!

I’m his mate!

He acknowledged us!

I’m getting out of here---!

“Excuse me?!”

“That girl,” my mate said again. “She’s my mate!”

From somewhere down the corridor, I heard Fraya make some lame-ass comment, but I didn’t stick around to find out what it was. I turned down the hall and went up to the attic. The key to the door was long gone, but I felt somewhat safe once I closed it behind me. My heart was racing, and my head was spinning. I felt weak in my knees, and before I knew it, I was stumbling down on my floor bed. Everything still rushing in and out of my brain…

I knew that it was customary for a she-wolf to leave her pack if her mate was from a different pack, but--- This time was different. I was going to leave everyone. They’d be left in their own misery just like Amanda! Who was going to help them? Who was going to protect them?

It had always been my responsibility to make sure everybody was OK. That everybody got what they needed. I was the one who went against my uncle’s stupid ranking system and made sure loans were paid and medication got ordered. I was even Uncle Harry's punching bag, so he didn’t hurt anybody else. Who was going to take care of my father’s pack, if I was gone?

Lesley!

My uncle’s voice snapped me out of my trance. I jumped hating having his voice in my mind!

Get downstairs! NOW!

It wasn’t a request.

Yes, Alpha Harry.

I quickly pulled on a pair of leggings, a T-shirt that was closing in on being two sizes too small, hugging my body the way it used to before I grew breasts, and one of Dean’s famous pullovers. I combed my hair with my fingers, so I at least looked somewhat presentable, before I ran downstairs again.

My uncle and mate were in the living room, both holding a glass in their hands. Celebrating something? The second I entered, my mate came up to me. DAMN! He was tall! And I was tall, so that’s saying something. Dean was only 3 or 4 inches taller than me and my uncle wasn’t any different. For the first time in my life, I had to tilt my head back to meet his gaze. His very intense gaze, I might add, and I wondered why.

“Lesley,” Uncle Harry started very formally, forcing me to look away from my mate to his ugly grin. “This is Alpha Cedrick.”

My heart sank, and I was pretty sure my wolf fainted.

My mate was an ALPHA?!

I whipped my head back up at Cedrick. His face revealed nothing. Just keep looking at me with cold intensity.

“He tells me you are his mate?” Uncle Harry continued, just barely covering the disgust in his voice. It honestly made my stomach turn. He hoped it wasn’t true and the unspoken command in his voice was obvious: SAY NO!

Like hell, I was going to give up my mate for that peace of s**t!

“Yes,” I answered stubbornly and I watched his jaw clench. But I remained stubborn and crossed my arms protectively in front of me. What I lacked in confidence I faked with attitude! But this apparently annoyed my mate. Although I couldn't figure out why...

“I want to take you home to my pack,” Cedrick asked, power rolled off his every word. “Where you will become the Luna of the Silver Moon Pack.”

Again, I could barely contain my surprise.

The Silver Moon pack?!

A long time ago, werewolves were in a full-out war with vampires, called The War of Legends. It was a worldwide war in the supernatural world, but around these parts, three packs had basically put an end to the war: The Don Rivers Pack, The Tri-Stade Pack, and The Silver Moon Pack. To this day, they were still the biggest and most powerful packs around, with lesser packs cowering at their feet.

And I was to be the Luna of the Silver Moon Pack?!

“Will you come?” he asked as if I had a choice. Since when did alphas not get what they want? Anyway, I opened my mouth to scream ‘yes', but---

"I haven’t finished high school yet," somehow came flying out my mouth. And for a second I think my mate thought I didn't want to go with him. Crape! We were so getting off on the wrong foot here!

“I can have your transfer papers done by next week,” Cedrick replied, his eyes narrow. “You’ll go to the same high school that most of the kids in my pack attend.”

“I can live with that,” I chipped, not wanting to get into a fight. I also recalled that alphas were possessive assholes and I didn't want to push his buttons. “When do we leave?”

“Now if you'd like,” he offered, and a ghost of a smile tugged on his lips.

”NO!”

Both Cedrick and I turned to my uncle. He with surprise and I with plain horror!

“Excuse me?” Cedrick asked calmly, but I was pretty sure his wolf was about to surface. But my uncle kept calm, his gaze on me. And to be honest: I might just have s**t myself at that moment. f**k!!! Nonononono---NO! It had to be today! If I waited, then--- I knew something bad was going to happen. I could see it in my uncle’s eyes! The hatred, the anger, the spite. It was all there and if I were not out of here by tonight---

“I don’t need time to pack,” I bravely stated. I knew I wasn't going to get out of this, but--- f**k, I had to try! I was terrified and I panicking. It literally took everything inside me, not to jump to Cedrick and beg him to take me away from here right now! But just Cedrick was still observing me with a blank expression, while my uncle looked ready to kill. Finally, Cedrick was about to say something, but my uncle beat him to it.

“It’s customary for the girl who leaves to spend one last week with her friends and family,” he said casually, and turned to my mate, earning his attention. My heart dropped and everything inside me turned cold.

A WEEK?!

“And, although she’s an omega, she still needs to fulfill her duties.”

It was the word ‘duties’ that had a cold shiver running down my spine! I crossed my arms in front of me, so they would see, how badly I was shaking. I was literally terrified but kept a straight face.

“When the paperwork is done by the end of the week, you can come to pick her up,” Uncle Harry logically continued, pulling out every f*****g stupid old werewolf tradition. Where was this passion for tradition when it came to my dad’s pack?!

“B-but it’s a long drive!” I tried again, biting down on my lips so hard I tasted blood. “I-I wouldn’t want to be a burden!”

So why didn’t I just blur out that I didn’t want to stay? Because that would lead to questions and questions would lead to the guest bedroom and that---! That I couldn’t talk about because---! I couldn't! I couldn't talk about anything that my uncle had done to me! Stupid alpha command…!

But deep down I knew that it was more than just the command. If I said anything, it would be real! And I wasn't ready for anybody to know. I just couldn't face that.

Damn it!

“It’s three hours,” Cedrick answered and, for a split second, I believed there might be hope for me. “But I agree with your alpha, Lesley. It would be best if you got to say your goodbyes properly.”

My heart drops and is replaced by a beating rock in my chest. It hurts! It hurts feeling betrayed by someone who’s supposed to help you!

“I’ll be back on Saturday to pick you up!”

I wanted to scream. To knock that expressionless expression off his face and kick his balls! I wanted to cry, yell and f*****g kill something… But what did I do? I shrugged as if I didn’t have a care in the world. Like I said, what I lacked in confidence, I knew how to fake with attitude.

“OK,” I pushed between clenched teeth and faced Cedrick, a huge fake smile on my lips. “I’ll go say my goodbyes then. See you on Saturday!” And before anyone got a word in, I turned to my uncle. “Off to do my duties!”

I turned on my heels and left, forcing back my tears. Logically, I couldn’t be mad at him. He didn’t know me yet. But damn it! He did not know how to take a hint either! And did he seriously NOT feel the pull between us?! Was he honestly fine with being away from his mate for an entire week?! I thought Alphas were supposed to be possessive as f**k! But no! He just nodded and with that, he left. No questions, no---nothing! He just shook Uncle Harry’s hand, like he’d just made a god-damn business deal, and left!

I will honestly admit, that one hurt! Why did he leave like that?! Didn’t he find me attractive? And why in god’s name was that the first thing I worried about?! I looked like a f*****g homeless person with an eating disorder, so I looked like a bag of bones! But I’d also seen the way he’d been ogling my boobs. There was no way in hell that that man wasn’t driving home with an erection that could take the bloody wheel! And even if I looked like a goddess, my bloody value was in me as a human being; not my f*****g appearances!

Bastard, I scoffed as I stomped into the attic. Again, I felt my wolf whimper.

Perhaps he sensed how weak we are and he didn’t like that, my wolf weekly whimpered. It took me a hot second to realize my wolf willingly spoke to me. But I didn’t know what to say. I could already feel how heartbroken she was.

We’re an omega, I shrugged and pulled my suitcases out. Once we have access to our alpha genes again, we’ll show him who’s weak!

She didn’t reply, but I did sense her curiosity over the suitcases. One was already full. It was the stuff I’d managed to grab out of the pack house the day my uncle took over. He told me that d**k – my brother – was gone, and the pack was now his. Then he’d order the old beta to clean out ‘their s**t’. I somehow immediately knew what he meant by that. So, I ran ahead, pulled out this suitcase, and grabbed every single thing that I wanted to keep of my parents. Our old beta had helped me hide the stuff and later, Dean had helped me drag it upstairs, so my uncle didn’t find it. Not that I had a lot of time to go down memory lane, but on occasions I did. Today was one of those times…

I opened it and the life I had before this hell rushed back. I sighed longingly as I picked up my favorite picture. It was one of those ridiculous selfies, where everybody was mushed together, and not one whole face was visible. But joy and happiness were evident in our eyes. Mom, Dad, d**k and me. It was taken on one of Dad’s hunting trips and this was the first time I got to tag along. So, Mom came too. It was in the middle of December and everything was covered in snow.

I found myself sniffling, and I quickly dried the tears that were sneaking down my chin. We were so stupidly happy back then. I was happy back then. I was loved. And I missed it. I missed being loved…

Perhaps I didn’t deserve love! Perhaps that was why awful s**t kept happening to me. Even my mate seemed like he couldn’t get away from me fast enough. My mate! The one person that would love me--- didn’t love me!

Lesley!

Uncle Harry’s voice boomed into my head, pulling me out of my thoughts. I jump at the anger and venom in his tone. My heart sank and everything inside me turned cold.

Shit!

Yes, Alpha? I tried not to let my fear get the better of me, but honestly, I was a wreck!

Come down to the guest bedroom, he commanded. Now!

Yes, Alpha, I replied, my whole body shaking. God! I was so scared! My heart was beating against my ribs, hurting my entire body with each beat. I wanted to die!

I wanted to die so bad!