THE ALPHA'S DEFIANT MATE

Impression

I walked into the alpha’s study, finding him seated behind his desk. His eyes were fixed on some paper in front of him. Seeing how he ate the food without complaint, I decided to rush my plans of making him believe me totally. I took a deep breath, reminding myself to play the part I have chosen for the day.

“Hey,” I called out, trying to sound casual as I approached him with my hands clasped together at my back. “How was your trip?”

He looked up, his eyes narrowing slightly as he took in my interest. “It was great,” he replied with a neutral voice.

I pulled up a chair, sitting down beside him. “What did you accomplish while you were away? I’m curious about your trip,” I asked, trying to sound genuinely interested

Of course, his brows rose in suspicion. He clearly was not used to me showing interest in his affairs. However, he gave me the pass.

“I met with some of the pack leaders,” he said, his voice a little softer this time around. “We discussed some trade agreement and…”

I listened attentively, asking follow-up questions and making supportive noises. I didn’t really care about the details of his trip but since I had to pretend, I followed all the way through. As we talked, I could sense his guard dropping, just a little.

He seemed relaxed in my presence, his eyes crinkling at the corner as he filled me in. A sense of triumph washed over me.

It was working! I was getting to him!

“Can I help you with something?” I suggested it, and his brows rose another time.

I flashed a smile, trying to look helpful. “I was just wondering if there was anything I could do to assist you,” I shrugged, my eyes scanning the room. “You look like you are busy.”

“It’s not something you can help with. If you are looking for something to do, you can pick up books over there and read them,” his cold voice rang through the tension

That was the limit for my pushing for that day. He had taken up his guard once again and would probably flare up if I pushed too much.

Reluctantly, I went to his bookshelf and started looking for books to pick. Something struck me as I browsed through the shelf: every single book we had in my bookstore back in the human world was on the shelf.

How come? What manner of coincidence was that?

It was as if someone had transferred the entire bookstore to his room. I ignored it and continued browsing until I saw an unfamiliar book. My hand reached for it and dragged it out from the back of the shelf.

“The prophecy of a Luna Reborn?”

I read aloud as I stared at the cover. It was nothing extravagant in design or aesthetics. It looked like a diary that was written by someone to another person. The fonts were neatly written along the lines of the book.

It piqued my interest and I decided to read through whatever it was. Since he was working at the other end, I pulled out the chair beside the shelf and started reading so I wouldn’t distract him.

The book was more interesting than I had thought. It spoke about a Luna that was reborn and blessed by the Moon Goddess. She’s also destined to awaken the alpha’s true power. Every page kept pulling me in.

I was so intrigued by the book that I hid it in my dress in order to calmly read and understand what it was about. Giving the details and the aura of the book, he might not want me to leave the room with it so I just took other books to cover up for the one I already stole and left his room.

****

As I stepped into my room, the alpha mother’s presence startled me. She had been waiting for me for about ten minutes, according to my maids.

“And where are you coming from?” her full red lips questioned as she turned to look at me

“From the alpha’s chamber”

I didn’t waste any time answering. It wasn’t like she forbade me from visiting in the first place and the deadline she gave me was still a bit far so there was no reason to panic too much.

“I hope you haven’t forgotten my words?”

“Not at all, mother,” my answer was quick and sharp

A loud silence followed my answer as she scanned my room before moving closer to me. My head was slightly bowed since it was rude to look her in the eyes.

“You have no place here. Not in this mansion or this pack in general. You should go back to where you came from and disappear without a trace. If you insist on staying, I will make your life hellish.”

Her words were cold, sharp, and piercing. My heart wrenched at the way she talked down on my existence. It was so humiliating that I wished I could disappear or get swallowed by the ground.

“You are nothing but a dirty rogue and omega. One that should be discarded,” her finger raised my chin to look at her eyes that were carrying heavy eyeliners.

Immediately she threw my face to the side; Naomi placed a folded white cloth in her palm and she wiped her hands on it before throwing it at my feet.

“This is your reality. Nothing more than this handkerchief.”

With those lines, she exited the room and tears rolled down my cheeks. The fact that I was experiencing all the disgrace against my wish got me bawling all the more. It was a life I was forced to live by the alpha and he was not here to defend me against all the things I was facing.

With heavy feet, I moved to my bed and unleashed the tears that had welled up in my eyes.

“You don’t have time for this, Aria. The alpha already knew you are lying and he’s just playing along. Instead of planning to run away, you need to make this place yours and rise above all this embarrassment. It’s high time you stopped running.”

Lyra started out of the blues, making me shudder.