Emerald

Chapter 3 Arrangements

Wesley’s POV

He looks furious. I guess the doctors must have informed him of my betrayal of my mate. He has always impressed on me the importance of mates.

“Is it true?” He growls at me.

I sigh. “Look… she isn’t 18 yet. How was I supposed to know she’d feel the pain of betrayal?”

“Not that!” He roars. “You’re mated to that useless, blind wolf! That b***h is the future Luna of our pack?” He takes some deep breaths. “I know I’ve told you about the importance of mates, but clearly the Moon Goddess has made a mistake. You need to find a second chance.”

My own wolf starts to surface. “You will not insult my mate! She is our Luna!” I felt him shout at our father before I could stop him.

“She cannot be the Luna of this pack!” My father shouts back. He breathes in again. His eyes narrow at me. He recognizes her scent in my room. I shift uncomfortably, guessing at what he smells. I brace myself for his roar again. He chuckles instead, with a glimmer in his eye that is somehow worse than his anger. “Guess the mate bond was too difficult for you to resist, wasn’t it?” He pushes me aside and enters my room. He sees the blood on my bed. “And she was pure for you too? That must have been quite a fuck.”

I shift uneasily again. I almost saw lust in his gaze. I don’t like the way he’s talking about my mate. His mouth turns up in a clever smile. “Alright son. Keep your plaything. She is your mate after all, and your wolf needs her. But make another woman your Luna. This pack can’t show any weakness and a blind wolf is a weakness. Understood?”

I nod eagerly. Anything to keep my mate near me. No! Hyde shouts at me. Don’t you realize how cruel this is to our mate? She’d have to feel betrayal again!

“Of course, she can’t stay here.” My father continues his plans. “I’ll have a cottage set up in the outskirts. You can visit her when you need to. After you’re done with her tonight, send her to my office. I’ll have her housing all taken care of.”

I found myself nodding along with my father’s plan. He knows how to be an Alpha better than I do after all, who am I to argue? My father pushes past me and exits my room to work on the logistics. I feel anger as I don’t like being told what to do. I hate even more that I couldn’t stand up to him on how he was talking about my mate. I push myself into the bathroom to blow off some steam. I see my naked mate curled up under the water. I smirk and pull off my underwear. It’s time to use my mate as the Goddess intended me to.

Avril’s POV

I found myself rocking back and forth in the shower. None of that felt right. I know that my first time was with my mate, but somehow it still didn’t feel right. Emerald almost seems apologetic about how quickly she pushed me. It’s like my whole soul is in pain. I feel myself start to black out again.

I’m on the outskirts of the pack. The cottage is warm and cozy and I’m curled up against my mate.

“I’m sorry, Avril. I haven’t been fair to you.” I hear Wesely’s voice. It sounds sorrowful and remorseful. “I’ve only caused you pain and I need to make that right, right now. I, Wesley Steel, future Alpha of the Jade Pack, reject you, Avril West, as my mate and Luna.” I hear myself accept his rejection with tears in my eyes. Pain is the only thing that surrounds me. I thought I was safe. I thought I was cherished. But in the end, I would always be betrayed.

I blink myself out of my trance. I couldn’t live like this. Emerald. Is this the future? No matter what I do Wesely will reject me?”

Emerald whimpered. That’s all I can see. Before he mated you, he was going to reject you like in the first vision. It seems my appearance and warning only bought you time. I thought coming earlier would save you the pain and make Wesely come around. But I see that I was wrong.

I smile with tears in my eyes. You did your best. But I’m going to have to take this future into my own hands. Can you trust me?

Of course. Emerald replied. The goddess paired me with you for a reason. You’re special.

I hear the bathroom door open. I guess Wesley thinks it’s time for round two. No time like the present. I need to take control of this situation. My colorless eyes turned to the direction we could hear him.

“I, Avril West, reject you, Wesley Steel as my mate and Alpha.” I said, proud of myself for keeping my voice calm and steady. The slap that followed caught me by surprise.

“How dare you reject me!” He roared in my face. He grabbed me by my hair and dragged me out of the shower. I have no choice but to follow as he forces me out of his room and into the hallway. “That’ll teach you, you w***e! Now all the males can use you out here! But I warn you, none of them will make you feel the way I do, and you will come crawling back like the desperate weakling you are!” He snarls at me spitefully as I’m still reeling from the broken bond. I realize I’m soaking wet and naked in the packhouse hallway. I don’t want to shout and call attention to myself. Maybe since my wolf is here, I can try to mindlink.

Tori? I try to call out to her with my mind. I hear a door open nearby and then a gasp. I recognize Tori’s scent. Her hand grips my arm and pulls me into her room. I’m wondering why she’s shaking so badly, then I realize that it’s me who is shaking and sobbing. I feel a fuzzy robe thrown around me. I’m aware that there are soothing sounds coming from her, but I can’t understand what she is saying. I’m worried about how she’ll react to me rejecting her twin brother, but she’s not asking me any questions that I can perceive. I take a few deep breaths and decide to just explain everything to her.

“I just rejected your brother.” I spit out. “I got my wolf early and he was betraying me.” I basically word vomit all the happenings of this afternoon. I even include my visions and everything Emerald tried to explain to me.

Tori pauses, trying to digest everything I told her. “Did he accept your rejection?” She asks thoughtfully and then sighs when I shake my head no. “I know my brother. Wesley isn’t going to accept it out of some sense of pride. We’ve got to get you away from him before he tries to force his mark on you.” She puts her face in her hands. “I hate that I’m related to that jerk.” I jump as there’s pounding on the door. “Speak of the devil.” She growls as she rises to answer the door.

I can tell she’s taken aback as she opens the door. “D-dad?” Tori stutters.

Tori’s POV

I had never known my father to pound on my door like that. As much as I openly disagreed with his treatment of Avril, he’s never even raised his voice at me. He’d just calmly tell me that I’m not an Alpha and I’d never understand. What I never understood is that despite being born before my brother, I never was trained to take up the Alpha title. My brother can’t even keep it in his pants to spare his mate. I had words to say to both him and Elya after this. Though that’s a problem for a different day. It seems like my father’s vein is about to pop through his forehead.

“Is something wrong?” I regain my composure and speak clearly this time.

“Where is that w***e?!” He roars at me.

I’m somehow unphased. “Elya?” I reply dryly. “She’s not here. Though I heard Wesely kick her out earlier this afternoon.”

“Don’t get smart with me, young lady!” He shoves past me. I’m stunned. I’d never seen this side of my father. He was always gentle with me. Condescending? Yes. Violent? Never. “I mean this blind b***h!”

“Father!” I exclaim attempting to get to Avril first. He grabs her roughly by her arm and I see her wince in pain. This can’t be how we treat our pack members can it? Especially the weaker ones. I thought an Alpha’s job was to protect the weaker members. There was something seriously wrong with this scene playing before me.

“You rejected my son and the future Alpha. You are hereby exiled to the outskirts of the pack. You cannot eat, train with, or go to school with the rest of the pack.” He brings her to her feet roughly. “Go home and pack your things. Your parents have been informed and all your studies will be reverted to online.” He states coldly. He eyes her and I see that his eyes have gone dark at the sight of her in my robe. I see her shiver in reaction to his eyes on her. Who is this man that I’ve called dad all these years? “Oh. And I almost forgot.” He turns mouth up in a twisted cruel smile. “If Wesely visits you, you will let him use you as his mate.” He says in his Alpha tone. Avril’s eyes widen and tears spill from them. “As long as you’re in my pack, you will keep my son strong and satisfied.”

My jaw is slack and practically on the floor. This man is a monster.