Anny anyh

My mate

Amelia's POV

My mate had won the interpack biker racing and instead of naming me as the woman behind his success, he had called the name of his childhood best friend.

The words still echoed in my ears, louder than the roaring engines that had filled the tracks moments ago. Louder than the cheers and my own heartbeat that now felt uneven, like it was struggling to keep up with the reality unfolding before me.

I had pretended not to notice and forced my lips into something close to a smile, just enough to hide the storm in my eyes. I wanted to keep peace on the tracks, not wanting to embarrass him or give the other packs a reason to mock him or us.

But on returning to the pack, I was shocked to discover that he was also crowning her as his Luna as well.

That was something I hadn’t prepared myself for.

"Johnson..." I managed to call slowly, my voice barely rising above the noise as I stood down the podium.

It felt like my throat was closing in on itself, like even my own body was resisting the idea of calling out to a man who had just erased me so effortlessly.

But he didn't seem to hear me.

Or maybe he did.

And chose not to.

"I want to use this opportunity to thank Jenifer Nelson. If not for her support, Moonstone Pack wouldn't have made it out as the winners of today's game. As I crown her as the Luna of the pack, I hope every one of you will give her the respect and honor she deserves," he said.

The crowd began to cheer and clap for them while I stood, silently watching and unsure of what I was to do.

I couldn't believe my eyes. Nor could I bring myself to step further away from where I was hiding in between many people.

Johnson and I have been mates for three years now.

Five years ago when he had first come to Moonstone Pack, I had been a rogue. I was employed to become a servant of the pack since I was an omega.

Two years later when I turned eighteen, I was found to be the alpha son's mate.

That day had felt like a miracle.

Like fate had finally chosen me for something more.

How foolish I had been.

"But Alpha Prince Johnson's mate needs to be pregnant with heirs as the tradition demands before he can be coronated the alpha." Someone said from the crowd, and there was a ripple of support from the other members of the pack.

"Are you dumb? Can't you see that it is because of that reason he is taking the beta's daughter as the Luna?! His fated mate is a barren omega! It's good that he left her for a beta-blooded she-wolf. Imagine a wolfless stray like her being the Luna of the pack," another voice added.

A few gasps followed, but more in agreement than shock.

"You all are behaving as if she isn't a great contributor to this pack! Everyone knows that she was the reason the pack's bikers even became professionals! If not for her tutorship, this day wouldn't have happened and the pack would still have been buried in debts!" An elderly lady said.

"Oh keep it to yourself, old hag! Anyone could have done that! And besides, Alpha Johnson was the one who did it all. Do you think she would have been able to work beside him if not for how wise he is? She's just a dumb, stop according her with more respect than she deserves!" Another voice blared.

The elderly lady wanted to say something else but was stopped by the voices of the other she-wolves.

None of them wanted to hear her words about my contributions to the pack.

Everyone was heavy on believing that the pack would have succeeded without me.

That I was nothing.

That I had always been nothing.

I watched in shock as Johnson lowered his mouth onto Jennifer's shoulder and marked her as Luna.

I didn't want to believe that she was already pregnant or that he had been coronated because of that.

It had to be a rumour. There were two cases for him to be coronated alpha, and one of them involved winning the interpack biker championships.

That had to be the reason the elders had agreed to coronate him. It had to be that.

It had to be, as Jennifer had been away from the pack for the past three years. I had made Johnson send her away when he had begun to cheat on me with her shortly after our union.

She was his childhood best friend and the only woman closest to him. So I had believed that being away from each other was going to help him get used to me and accept me. I had convinced myself that distance would weaken whatever they had, that time would make him mine.

He had even given me conditions. I had had to prove myself worthy of him, even though he was a mischievous alpha prince and a well-known womanizer.

I had put that behind me. I had buried the humiliation and disrespect. Believing that showing him my attributes would be enough to make him fall for me and be for me alone. I worked, endured and bled for this pack, all for him.

So how come?

When had Jennifer returned for him to rekindle things with her that fast?

They acted like two love birds on the stage. As if this wasn’t something new to them. As if they had never been apart. As if I had never existed between them.

I wiped my tears as I turned to leave. My vision blurred, but I refused to let anyone see me break completely. I couldn’t keep on staying here. Not when none of the people seemed to appreciate all my efforts to the pack.

I couldn’t stay here either because I couldn’t control myself, and I wasn’t sure what I might do if I remained any longer.

I didn’t want to be seen as pitiful, weak or broken.

So walking away to collect myself was the only thing I had left.

I hadn’t left the hall when I ran into Johnson’s father, Draven.

“Greetings…” I began to greet, forcing my voice to remain steady despite the storm inside me, but he stopped me before I could continue.

“Amelia, Jennifer just became your co-Luna of the pack. You’ll help her settle in and also teach her how you’ve managed the pack these past three years,” he said hurriedly, as though assigning me a task of no importance.

I swallowed the bile that rose in my throat and managed to force a nod. My nails dug into my palms, grounding me, stopping me from reacting the way my heart desperately wanted me to.

There was nothing like a co-Luna. Everyone knew that.

“Also, it’s almost the cold season and the incessant rains will start soon. I hope you have started making ready the items you’ll need to stop flooding this year?” he added.

Even now, all I was to him was usefulness.

Once again, I forced myself to nod.

“That’s good. When I let you become a member of my pack, I knew it was right of me. You’re still Johnson’s mate. He is only making Jennifer the Luna in name only so she’ll carry his heirs. She’s a beta’s daughter and you’re an omega, I hope you understand the reasons?” he paused.

Each word stripped me bare, tearing through whatever dignity I had left.

“Yes,” I rasped again, though my throat burned and my voice barely sounded like mine.

Because I understood exactly what he meant.

About how weak I was for being an omega and a wolfless one at that.

He didn’t want his grandchildren to become weak, and at the same time, he couldn’t let go of his grasp over me because of how needed I was in his pack. I was useful but never worthy. Needed but never chosen.

How ironic, I thought. That after all the years of my hard work and loyalty,this was how I was being repaid.

As I thought he would end his charade there, he didn’t.

Instead, when I had been about to leave for my own chambers, desperate to escape, he stopped me once more.

“I hope you know what awaits those who do not obey orders?” he added, his voice low and heavy with warning.

I managed to nod my head once more.

Because I did.

And his subtle threat was once again understood by me.