Exiled By My Mate

CHAPTER 1 BELLA'S POV My name’s Bella Storm. I’m 22 years old and part of the Claws Pack. My parents died when I was seven. It was so long ago I can barely remember their faces. But their scent was impossible to forget. That was one of the few perks of being a werewolf. The pack was buzzing with preparations for the mid-year festival. Everyone had been split into groups, each assigned a specific task to keep things running smoothly. My group got stuck with kitchen duty. We were the ones preparing all the meals for the festival, and we were already hard at work. “We’ve run out of vegetables,” a slim woman called out suddenly. “Molly and Jaspher, you both go gather more,” the group leader said. Then her eyes landed on me. “Bella, go along with them, and be quick about it.” I sighed, annoyed. I’d been standing by the fireplace, helping fry meat with two other women—but, of course, I had to leave. Great. “Seriously? I’m working here while Tamara just sits on her ass over there. Why don’t you send her instead of me?" I snapped, barely hiding my annoyance. “Excuse me? Bella, why do you even care what I’m doing? Just do what you’re told and quit whining. And don’t drag me into your drama again,” Tamara snapped, letting out a sharp hiss. “Why do I care? Are you kidding me? Everyone else is working their asses off, except you, and yet you…” “Enough, Bella!” the group leader shouted, cutting me off. “I gave you an order, and now you’re questioning me? Who do you think you are? Don’t you dare pull this stunt again. Now get moving and do what I told you to!” “Bella, seriously, where do you even get your nerve? Orphaned, never adopted, raised with the other rejects in the pack orphanage… and for what? Look at you. By now, you should’ve found a mate. Eighteen, nineteen, twenty… still nothing. You’re not pretty. You’re not strong. So why do you think anyone cares about your opinion?” “Tamara, that’s enough,” the group leader snapped. "Go help the two women fry meat. Bella did that before, but now it’s your job." “Of course, ma’am,” Tamara said sweetly as she stood up, her tone dripping with fake obedience. “I’ll handle it without any complaints. Unlike some people who can’t stop whining.” She smirked and strolled off toward the fireplace. The group leader turned to me next. “Bella, stop standing there and go do what I told you. Molly and Jaspher have already left.” But I wasn’t even listening to her. My eyes were locked on Tamara as she sneakily grabbed a piece of fried meat and popped it into her mouth. She turned to face me, chewing slowly, and gave me the dirtiest, most smug smile I’d ever seen. I hated her. That smug little smile, the way her words curled under my skin like a thorn, making my wolf growl low in my chest. My fists clenched, so tightly my nails bit into my palms. She was wrong, but damn it—her words cut deeper than I wanted to admit. My wolf was furious, and I could feel its anger rising inside me. My eyes glowed red, my canines sharpened, and my nails grew longer. All I wanted was to march over to Tamara and grab her by the throat. “What the hell are you doing?” The voice snapped me out of it. I looked around and froze. Everyone was staring at me. Some shot me dirty looks, others just watched like they were waiting for something to happen. I’d been so caught up in Tamara, I didn’t even notice I’d become the center of attention—and not in a good way. “It’s Bella again.” “Think she’s about to start something?” “She knows fighting’s forbidden during festivals, right?” “No wonder she doesn’t have a mate. Who’d want someone that hot-headed?” "Tamara has already moved on with her own work, yet Bella is still trying to stir up more trouble," someone said. Hearing the comments aimed at me, I could feel my anger rising like the tide. What the hell is wrong with these people? Why am I the only one being criticized here? Didn’t they see what happened? Didn’t they hear what Tamara said about me? But I knew there was no point in complaining further because nothing I said would change their opinion of me. So, I just turned around and left. Besides, it wasn't like there was anything else I could do at that moment. Fighting would only get me in trouble with the elder wolves. And even if it didn’t, with the way everyone was against me, it’s safe to say I’d get beaten up if I went against Tamara. So, leaving was the best choice. *** “Damn you, Tamara,” I muttered, pulling vegetables from the ground. Who the hell is she to talk? I had a mate… Kaden Cage, the alpha of this pack. But no matter how much I wanted to tell people, I had to keep it a secret. Things between the alpha and me were... complicated. I’d always been stubborn, even as a kid, with this annoying sense of justice that put me on a lot of people’s bad side, including Glade Exgravo, Kaden’s best friend. It didn’t take long before I ended up on the alpha’s bad side too. I never cared though, because I never liked Kaden to begin with. To me, he was proud, arrogant, and an empty skull who was being controlled by Glade. But then the moon goddess decided to make a cruel joke, by pairing Kaden and me together. I was one of the late-bloomers when it came to mating. While everyone my age was finding their mates at eighteen or nineteen, mine didn’t come until I turned twenty-one, just last year. I was shocked when I found out Kaden was my mate. The only one more shocked than me was Kaden himself. He just stared at me for a long moment, then walked away without saying a word. He avoided me after that, and Glade kept giving me strange looks every time she saw me. I thought that was how it would stay, but three days later, Alpha Kaden invited me to a meeting at the palace. Glade was there, along with most of the pack's elder wolves. At the meeting, Kaden looked at me with disgust and anger, telling me I was undeserving and unworthy of being his mate. Then he and the elder wolves threatened me and warned me to never tell anyone that we were mated. But it was too late. I’d already told my two close friends. Luckily, they hadn’t told anyone yet, so I warned them to keep quiet. Somehow, Kaden found out they knew and threatened them, too, making sure they’d never say a word. “To hell with you, Kaden,” I spat under my breath. “You spoiled brat. You don’t deserve me, and I wouldn’t accept you even if you begged. How about that?” “Well, well. Talking about the alpha behind his back? Bold move, Bella,” a voice drawled from behind me. I froze. That voice could only belong to one person. When I saw who it was, my heart skipped a beat. If there was anyone I hated more than Alpha Kaden, it was the b***h standing right in front of me—his best friend, Glade Exgravo.