Hated by her Alpha mate

The first dinner

Rachel followed Mrs. Heather into the guest room. It was not as big as Alfred's bedroom, but definitely grand in its own way.

"Please let me know if you need anything", said Mrs. Heather with sympathy. Rachel nodded and closed the door. She went and sat on the bed. There was a big lump in her throat and her breathing felt heavy. And without a warning, tears started streaming down her cheeks.

(Grace) Our mate hates us, Rachel. He doesn't want us.

Grace was whimpering. Rachel had never seen Grace so depressed and low. Even at Carter's home, Grace stood strong and fierce and always supported her to fight back.

Maybe we encroached on his space too soon. Or maybe he isn't ready for a mate yet. Maybe he's possessive of his things. Maybe... maybe...

She fell on the bed and started sobbing on the pillow.

Rachel almost dozed off when she heard a knock on the door. She got up and wiped her face, adjusted her t-shirt. She opened the door and a beautiful young woman wearing a bodycon dress was standing in front of her. Her face resembled Alfred's, with the same green eyes and sharp chin, except for the golden brown hair.

"Hi Rachel, nice to see you. I am Avery", she said with an adorable smile.

Would Alfred look the same if he smiled?

"Hi."

"I know you are upset. I heard all of it from Mrs. Heather. Alf can be a d**k sometimes. He was already stressed from work."

Alf..

Rachel didn't know what to reply. It didn't make her feel any better. She simply nodded.

"Let us all have dinner together. Uncle Albus will be home in some time. "

"I... I am not sure if Alfred would want that", hesitated Rachel.

"No way! This is your first day at Ramirez's house. Also, it's our tradition to have dinner together as a family. Don't worry about Alfred, I'll handle him."

"Okay...if you say so."

"See you then." Avery left with a smile.

Avery let out a giggle as she entered her own room.

What a gullible girl! She is definitely going to piss off Alf. Haha... what entertainment! It was indeed a good idea to suggest my uncle give her Alf's room.

I wonder why I was so scared that Alf might fall for someone again. I don't see it happening as long as he doesn't let go of his past.

Rachel was too nervous to meet the Alpha and her future father-in-law for the first time. She didn't want to look too weird, hence she picked a cream pullover and a pair of blue jeans.

As soon as she reached the stairs, she saw Alfred taking a seat at the dining table. He looked at her with the same cold eyes. Rachel felt a chill. She knew he didn't want her there. Hesitantly she walked down the stairs and pulled a seat far from Alfred.

"Hey Rachel, why are you seated at the edge?" asked Avery, sitting exactly opposite to Alfred. She pulled a chair beside her for Rachel.

While Rachel was changing seats, Albus arrived. "It's a full house today, isn't it?"

"Of course! And, we have Rachel with us" said Avery all gleaming. Albus looked at Rachel and gave a welcoming smile.

"Good to see you, Rachel. Hope you are settled by now."

"Yes, Alpha Albus."

Albus had a very distinct aura about him. It was friendly but also threatening. Rachel felt both comforted and intimidated by him. The dinner was served for them. As expected, it was nothing less than lavish. Rachel didn't really have an appetite, but not to be rude to the hosts, she took a few sips of the soup and served herself some salad.

Isn't she pretty, Alf? Avery asked mind linking Alfred.

(Alfred) Shut up and eat.

(Avery) Why are you so pissed? Come on now, I know she isn't as gorgeous as her. But she's not that bad after all.

Alfred took a glance at Rachel. She was just okay, he thought.

(Avery) Not sure if she's smart though. (giggling)

"Hey Rachel, so tell us about you and your family." Avery sounded excited.

Rachel almost choked on her chicken. She took a quick look at the table. Alfred was busy with his food and Albus was hardly interested.

"Ummm... I was adopted by Carters when I was five. I have been living with them since. I don't have memories of my life before that, so the Carters are my only family."

"I am sorry to hear that. Lucky you were found by them. They are really sweet." Rachel gave a fake smile.

I wish people could see the Carters' true selves.

Meanwhile, Avery was again mind-linking with Alfred.

(Avery) Adopted?! Did you know that? Did uncle know already? We don't even know what blood she is! And what about her powers? Alfred ignored her.

"What about your studies? Did you go to college?"

"I went to an engineering school for a year to study software development. But I couldn't complete it, due to... due to some family reasons." Rachel kept her head down. She used to rank first in her year. Elliot and Lily felt jealous and threatened, so they convinced John to stop her college.

(Avery) Great! Not even a decent education. (scoffing)

"Oh, that's alright. Alfred graduated from Carnegie Mellon and I went to Brown University", boasted Avery. Rachel nodded, feeling embarrassed.

"Did you have a boyfriend before?" Three heads turned instantly towards Avery. Avery shrugged and continued,

"She is 20 and for two years she didn't have a mate. I was just curious."

Rachel looked at Alfred anxiously, he was still looking at Avery with a surprised expression.

"No, I didn't."

(Avery) I doubt that.

(Alfred) I don't care. Can you stop it now? I am not interested in knowing any damn thing about her.

Okay, fine, relax. (giggling)

The rest of the dinner was spent silently with only the sounds of cutlery and servants. As soon as it was over Rachel rushed to her room and closed the door. Her heart was still pounding nervously.