Hated by her Alpha mate

The first mate

Both Ryan and Avery were mute for a few seconds until Rachel snapped her fingers in front of them.

"Hello???"

"Where did you hear that?" asked Ryan tensely.

"Got a hint from some Lucas guy."

"Oh!" They looked at each other. Rachel was pretty sure they were talking in their heads.

"Did Alfred tell you anything yet?" asked Avery.

"If he had, then I wouldn't be asking you. What is it? Is it true?" Rachel's heart was beating hard.

"I didn't want to be the one telling you this...but I will have to."

"Are you sure Avery?" asked Ryan, signaling her that was not the right time to do it.

"Yes, darling. It's better for Rachel to hear it from us than somebody else." Rachel was on the brim of her patience, and it was obvious in her face.

"Rachel, you have to listen to this with an open mind."

"I am trying", nodded Rachel.

"You are Alfred's second mate, actually." Rachel's face became pale already. She nodded, hinting at Avery to continue.

"His first mate was Lucas Fern's sister, Abigail."

"Okay..." It took a few moments for Rachel to soak it in. She followed up with another question that pricked her.

"So why did they break up?"

"She passed away due to cancer."

"Cancer?! Can werewolves get cancer?"

"It was a rare case. Occurs hardly twice in a century."

"When did she... pass away?"

"Two and a half years ago."

All of them were silent for a minute. Rachel was still digesting the fact that she was his second mate. It meant that he had been in love with someone else before. Rachel knew that it was petty of her to feel jealous of someone who was dead. But she couldn't help it.

"I didn't know that we could have multiple mates."

Ryan corrected her by saying, "Not at the same time, of course. In a very few cases, though, the Moon Goddess gives us a second chance, like when we lose our mates under certain circumstances."

"Yes, but that is rare too. I still believe that Alfred is very lucky" added Avery. Avery was the most shocked when she heard about Alfred's second mate. She cursed the Moon Goddess for playing with her.

"How long were they together?"

"More than a year. To be honest, they were hopelessly in love. It even hurts us so much to see them apart. You can only imagine what Alfred must have gone through."

"He really struggled to get over the tragedy. The Alfred that you see now is the best version that I have seen of him after Abigail's demise", added Ryan. Ryan was there to help him through those tough times as his beta as well as his friend.

It crushed Rachel to think that Alfred had gone through so much suffering while she was oblivious to it. Obviously, how could she have known about his past? Losing one's mate induces trauma that some wolves never recover from. She wonders how much courage it took him to survive those memories. It dawned upon her only then that this tragedy must be why he was always distant towards her and didn't show any affection.

Is he not over Abigail yet? Or is he scared of love again?

In either case, Rachel was the one at the receiving end. She felt miserable for him and hopeless for herself at the same time.

It is unfair to expect Alfred to forget everything and move on with me. But how long should I wait? And what about the contract? Will it ever change?

Rachel felt like her head would explode and the alcohol she was consuming was making it even worse. Her heart was in a mess. She felt relieved because it was possible that Alfred didn't hate her in reality. It must be his past loss causing him to behave so harshly towards her. He might be scared of losing Abigail's memories and would feel like he was cheating on her by moving on with me. She also felt angry at the fact that he was punishing her for his misfortune. She absolutely felt devastated about his loss but equally hopeless thinking of the possibility that Alfred might never love her ever.

Before she realized, multiple whiskey shots had already made their way into her stomach.

"Take it slow Rachel", said Ryan, looking at her worried.

"Rachel, you have to deal with it one day. This is what is fated for you." Avery's comment annoyed Rachel, but she decided not to respond. A few other guests joined them, and they were distracted from their ongoing conversation. Rachel excused herself from the group and wandered away from the bar.

Only Alfred occupied her mind right now. She was ready to forgive him for all the pain he had caused her. She hoped that he would overcome the previous loss someday, and they could have a fresh start together.

I need to see him right now! I need to talk to him. Alfred.

After aimlessly searching for more than fifteen minutes, she finally found him. She literally hopped towards him. He never looked more handsome to Rachel. He was chatting with someone and was his usual confident and charming self.

He is even more handsome when he smiles, thought Rachel affectionately. Her eyes wandered to the person he was talking to, and she pulled her breaks instantly.

Are you f*****g kidding me! Alfred was talking to a woman and Rachel instantly recognized her from her high ponytail and curvy figure.

What is she doing here?! She is not even an employee of Ramirez.

Rachel took a deep breath and tried to subdue her anger. She dragged her frozen legs and walked towards Alfred.

"Hey, Stacy!" Rachel walked past her and settled beside Alfred.

"Rachel. What a surprise."

"Isn't your presence more surprising than mine?" Rachel asked with a smile, but her tone was sarcastic.

"Stacy is one of the ambassadors for our hotel chain" said Alfred. He felt the tension between them and remembered the incident at his birthday party. He didn't want round two of it happening again.

"I see", replied Rachel, and slipped her arms around Alfred's arms. Alfred was startled but acted cool to not offend Rachel publicly. Stacy's face showed hints of jealousy, which made Rachel feel triumphant.

"Alfred, would you mind a dance with me?" asked Stacy, putting on her sultry accent.

"No! I mean... there is an urgent matter that we need to discuss. Next time, maybe", chipped in Rachel in response to Stacy's request.

Alfred was damn sure that Rachel was making up an excuse to not let them dance together. He chuckled inside his head thinking about her silliness and jealousy. Stacy gave a fake smile and tromped away. After Stacy was out of her sight, Rachel turned to Alfred.

"I know."

"You know what?" asked Alfred, puzzled.

"About Abigail."