Her Regret: Alpha, Take Me Home

Chapter 2: Hope Is a Fickle Thing

Alex POV

I make my way to the Academy so I can check on Bella, my fated mate. I instantly scented her as my fated mate when the elders brought her to me. Otherwise, I wouldn't have accepted their request for me to marry her. Unfortunately, that's also why our relationship started out a bit rocky.

The elders just arranged for her to be my wife, like she was nothing more than the property of the pack. I am sure she wasn't happy about that. When the elders announced our engagement, she was reluctant to accept me, but then she agreed to it, to appease them. Soon after, she flipped her mood again, and claimed Drake was her mate and kept sneaking off to see him.

Now, I watch her as she talks to that asshole, Drake, while I am listening to the Headmaster. No matter what I do, I can’t get through to her. She has been defying me every chance she gets. Sometimes she is downright disrespectful. If she was anyone else, I would never allow it. She would be rotting away in the cells for her actions.

I just don’t get it. She went from a perfect student, to a rebellious b***h when she started hanging out with that Omega. She goes along with whatever he tells her to do, with no worry about the consequences. All her aptitude tests point to genius level and the Academy is lucky to have her, and so am I.

What I don’t understand is how she can be so smart, and so stupid at the same time. Can’t she see that Drake is ruining her life? I know she will only be able to scent me tomorrow, when she turns 18. So then, why does she believe Drake to be her mate and not me? Something is very off with that.

I can’t stop looking at her. She is the most beautiful girl I have ever laid my eyes on. She has the clearest green eyes, lush red lips and rosy cheeks, with freckles splattered all over them. And her skin is the most beautiful shade of caramel I have ever seen. All I have wanted to do since I first saw her, was reach out and touch her soft skin.

Her long, shiny brown hair is in curls again, and I see she likes to leave a few strands hanging in her face. How I have longed to tuck them behind her ear so I can see her eyes better. Much like that fucker, Drake, is doing now. Damn, I am sure that if I told her that she is my mate, she would think I am lying and trying to come between her and Drake again.

I know it’s wrong, but I use my werewolf hearing to listen in to their conversation, and I can’t believe what I am hearing. Drake is trying to convince her to elope with him. But I was shocked and confused when she declined, and told him to leave her alone. I couldn’t help but smile when she told him she was betrothed to me. Maybe there is hope for me to get through to her.

I will never give her up anyway. She belongs with me, not Drake. I have had my suspicions about him, and after what I have just heard, I need to act. She easily removes his arm from her as he tries to stop her from leaving. She may have been demoted, but she is still an Alpha by nature. I don’t think that will ever change. I love that she is strong and feisty. The perfect person to run the pack with me.

When he grabs both her arms, I have to use all my willpower to not interfere. She glances my way, frees herself again, and runs over. I maintain my position and pretend to be in deep conversation with Headmaster Higgins. I came up with a little plan to keep an eye on Bella and the Headmaster seemed thrilled with it.

You see, all wolves get their ranking at the Academy fairly. Everyone gets ranked according to their scoring, before they graduate. Then they are assigned jobs and put in their rightful positions within the pack. That is how the pack is run. I can’t just go against the Academy’s rules, even though I am the Alpha. If it weren't for this, I would have definitely kicked Drake out a long time ago. So I do hope they won’t be too surprised to see me at their fighting courses.

I stiffen when she puts her arm around me and smiles up at me. I was surprised, but the slight tingles I felt at her touch threw me off a bit. She has never touched me before, or even said a kind word to me. Now she is batting her eyelids at me, looking all innocent. God, she is so beautiful. I know this is an act. I know what she is trying to do, but it still feels good to have her so close to me.

Even her voice is like music to my ears. Headmaster Higgins nearly gave away my plan, but luckily that asshole Drake showed up, giving me the perfect excuse to stop the Headmaster’s rant. I love f*****g with Drake, and reminding him that he will never be worthy of my Bella. I was pleasantly surprised that she allowed me to belittle him.

Usually she would stand up for him, and I would be the one left feeling like s**t. But all she did was smile at me and act as though Drake was invisible. I feel so confused. I hope this means that she is really through with him. She could be playing us against each other. But to what end? I already hate him, and he clearly has no respect for me either.

But I played along nonetheless. When Drake finally leaves, Headmaster Higgins goes back to nearly spilling the beans again. I am not ready for Bella to know my plans just yet. Luckily, she makes some lame excuse to leave, and we let her. I wanted her to stay so I could hold her longer, but I needed to iron out the finer details of my plan with the Headmaster.

I don’t know what is up with Bella, but I hope that this means she will give us a try… give me a try. I watch her as she walks off and leaves the building. She got into her Ford Mustang that I bought for her when she moved into my house, and drove away. I am happy to see that she is using it and I can tell that she loves the car.

The elders agreed for her to live with me now that we are engaged. I acted nonchalant at the time, because I didn't want anyone to see how happy that made me. Knowing she was right there, safely under my roof, gave me peace of mind. I have never touched her, or said anything inappropriate to her. She was not of legal mating age, but tomorrow all that changes. If this display is truly real, then she is done with Drake, and we can finally be together. But that won’t stop my investigation into him. Something about him pisses me off.

“Are you sure it’s not the fact that he is trying to steal our mate?” Aries, my wolf, pipes up in my head. “That too, but there is something off about him. He is definitely up to something and I need to get to the bottom of it before Bella’s party tomorrow. I might put up with his s**t in the Academy, but leaving the pack with my mate is a line he shouldn't cross."

“I know, man, I just like messing with you. We will kill that fucker the minute he slips up, and he will.” “Damn right buddy. Then we can claim what’s ours.” I answer, and he growls his agreement and retreats to the back of my mind. He hates Drake even more than I do. Our wolves feel the bond stronger than we do, and all they want is to claim their mate. They don’t care about human logistics or politics.

When I see Bella’s car driving off, I quickly finish my conversation with the Headmaster. When he is fully on board, I leave and get into my car. I called the best man to help me get dirt on Drake. I should’ve done this a long time ago, but I can’t interfere with what happens inside the Academy.

But now that Drake wants Bella to elope with him, I have to intervene. Something must've happened between them, and I will get to the bottom of it. I am sure that she will discover Drake’s little lie tomorrow after she shifts for the first time. She will discover that I am her true mate, and break all ties with Drake. But I will leave nothing to chance.

“Hey man, I need your help.” I say when Chuck answers the phone. We attended the Academy together and he is my Beta. But he is also a brilliant tracker and investigator. So much so, that he has made billions off his talent in the human world. “Hey, what do you need?” “I need you to follow that Omega, Drake. I need to know what he is up to and who he meets with. He is planning something and I need proof.” “You talking about that asshole Bella is seeing?” he asks, and I can’t help but growl.

“Yes, the same. He just asked her to elope with him tomorrow.” “f**k man. So let's stop them. You have to step in, f**k the rules. You can just make new ones.” “We may not need to. She declined his offer and told him to leave her alone.” I answered with a smirk. “Hmm, that’s strange. I thought she was convinced he was her mate. I can tell that makes you happy. You are smirking, aren't you?” he asks and I laugh.

“You know me too well. But this is just the motivation I need. Tomorrow she will know that I am her true mate. Then we can take it from there. I need answers before her party tomorrow in case that fucker tries anything. I have a feeling he will, and you know I love being prepared,” I say. He agrees to dig up what he can, and comes to see me before Bella’s party.

Now, I have to make a stop at my office, before I go home. I still have a few things to sort out before tomorrow. I arranged a big birthday party for Bella and I hope she likes it. Her parents aren't around to see her shift for the first time, so I want to make it special for her. She acts tough, but I know it was hard for her growing up without her parents.

If she just gave me some of her time, she would see that I am not the grumpy Alpha she thinks me to be. Sometimes it’s hard for me not to get angry at her when she is disrespectful. And watching your fated mate run off to be with another man is the worst kind of betrayal. She doesn’t know how much it hurts me to see her with him.

I just hope all that changes tomorrow. I don’t know how much more I can handle. I may just snap and kill him, and I don’t want to hurt her like that. She is my mate, and I never want to see her unhappy. With renewed hope, I started my car and drove to my office.

Luckily, Sylvia, my PA, has already handled most of the arrangements for the party. So, I made a quick stop at the jewelry store to pick up the gift I had made for Bella. When I get home, I was happy to see her car there. But when I go to her room to check on her, I find her packing a bag, and my mood immediately changes.