My Mate Is An Outcast

Curious Attraction

Allison

Fay’s words echoed in my head as I stood on the premises of the Household of Alphas. I was hurt, ashamed and annoyed all at once. Lorraine had played me for a fool, sending me on a deliberately long errand to keep me away. Nobody wanted me around and so, I was supposed to be used to it by then.

After Fay had broken her eye-opening news, I was determined to show up at the party. After all, it was an open invitation for all and sundry. I had combed my stringy hair until it shone almost as beautifully as Emmaline’s. I could not borrow any of her dresses because I was way taller and bulkier so anything I borrowed would either be too short or too tight.

With no other option, I wore my favourite jeans and a white shirt I was sure was clean. It was nothing much but it would have to do. The guards did not look twice at me, not intimidated by me in the least and it was refreshing to seem invisible for once. The party hall was warm and full of people, males and females alike. Some orgies were underway, influenced by the s****l frenzy that all wolves possessed, well, all werewolves except me. There was nothing sexy about me.

Keeping to the walls like it was a second skin, I scanned the room for the royal werewolf family. Alpha Hale, whom I would recognize anywhere was sharing in a joke with a younger werewolf who looked a lot like him. A beautiful she-wolf dressed suitably for a princess sat nearby, picking at her food and indulging in a conversation as well. She looked like she was ready to drop but unwilling to dishonour her listener by yawning, she kept the discussion going.

Food was in excess and the sight reminded me how hungry I was. I opted for a meat and gravy meal, something heavy to tide me over till the next day and wandered off away from the noise. It was giving me a migraine and I had only spent a few minutes in there. The halls were alike– long, narrow and seeming never-ending and soon, I was lost in one of them. Considering that soon someone would find me and lead me back to the party, I continued moving in a straight path. The walls were a sandy brown hue, and the marble statues of past Alphas looked like they would come alive anytime soon.

Leaning into a wall to eat my prize, my back pushed open a door that had blended in with the wall. The slab of meat splattered on the floor and I choked back my tears of dismay as I bent down to peel it off the floor. Sitting back on my haunches, it was then I realized where I had fallen into.

It was a room, a rather wide one and fringing the four corners were shelves and shelves of books neatly arranged. In my awe, I forgot my meal and ambled towards the tower of books. I could not read any of them and they had no pictures to keep my attention. Some had but they were so vulgar and the words were of the oddest quality.

“Maybe they look so odd because you are holding the book upsidedown,” a dry voice commented from the far end of the room. I was startled by the deep bass and the book dropped from my grasp. It seemed everyone was determined to scare me that day. His eyes followed the book lazily and he was seated on a high chair. Whomever he was, he was not pleased that I had invaded his space.

“I. . . I knew but. . . I’m sorry for. . .barging into your room—”

My voice faded when he moved with such a fluid grace that made his footsteps quiet. He towered over me and his long dark hair was neatly tied in a queue behind him. His golden eyes were ablaze with curiosity and I could have melted into oil there and then. I gulped noiselessly, never being so close to a male before except Chad but it was not even as close as the stranger was. He dipped his index finger into the cleft in my chin, mesmerized and added a thumb, massaging the soft flesh there. The hairs on my skin were on edge and my scalp itched with tension.

“I’ll go,” I said to break the ice and sped off before he could say another word. He came after me and I hastened my exit, searching for a secret passage or a short cut and I ended up in a similar hall. Was this a palace or a maze? Panic bubbled in my throat as I sought a way out of the endless walls and halls. Turning off a sharp curve, I ran into another male but it was one I recognized by sight. It was the young man the Alpha had been sharing a joke with. His hair fell onto his face in a wild manner and he leaned again the wall, blocking my way. I glanced behind me and saw no one following.

“Why. .are. .you. .in. .such. .a. .hurry?” he stumbled over a simple sentence, a shitty grin stretching his lips. He was obviously drunk and I tiptoed around him but his arm wrapped around my waist, holding me in place. His grip was strong despite his intoxication, both a warning and a surprise.

“Please, let me go,” I pleaded, still peeping behind me. “Coming here was a mistake. I have to go.”

My pursuer appeared like an apparition as I concluded my last sentence and his eyes watched the arm around me in cold distaste. He must have thought I was a flirty tease, two words that I knew but wasn’t. Using the element of surprise, I rescued myself from both males, slipping away at once. Luckily, I found a balcony and I prepared to jump off when I heard them talking:

“Is. .she. .yours?” No response and the drunk laughed. “Pity. .I. .never. .thought. .I. .would. .see. .the. .day. .you. .chased. .after. .a. .female, Lucian.”

Berating myself for staying behind to eavesdrop, I leaped off the sill and landed on my feet, my wolf steadying my fall. Coming there had been a waste of time. I was still hungry from abandoning my meal for a book I could not read and my only nice jeans was caked with damp dirt. I touched my face to check for dirt and brushing my hand against my chin, a strange sensation travelled through my body. I looked up then at the balcony and there he stood, watching me through those mysterious beautiful eyes. Jogging into the night, I went home, troubled by my experience.