The Alpha Who Hates Me

CHAPTER 2

“Good morning, Narcia.” I tried to sound as cheery as I normally am when I emerged into the dining room and saw Narcia preparing our breakfast.

She beamed at me, her gummy smile showing.. “Good morning to you too, sunshine.”

Narcia’s a little shorter than I am but her slender figure was something I’ve always admired. It’s really fascinating how shifters’ physical appearance as humans never changed a bit.

Narcia’s the one I could always turn to whenever there’s something bothering me or even when I was feeling down because of Kaleb. She knew all about my feelings for Kaleb.

I stopped by her side and wrapped my arms around her.

“What's wrong, Ellie?”

She must’ve already sensed that something was not right. She knew me that much.

“Nothing. I’m just giving you a good morning hug.” I reasoned before I let her go and proceeded to the dining table.

The blueberry pancakes she served looked appetizing, but I didn’t really feel like eating anything today.

“Why are your eyes all puffy? Were you crying all night?” The worry in her voice was evident.

“No, no.” I laughed awkwardly. “Well yes, I was. But that’s because I was watching a movie on the television and I got too carried away by the scene when the lead died. It was an awful ending.”

Narcia's eyes narrowed into small slits. “Oh, I see. What’s the title of that movie then?”

“Huh? What movie?” I asked, surprised by her question.

She gave me a look as if I had said something ridiculous. “The movie you told me you were watching last night that made you cry.”

I tried to avoid her eyes and thought of the title of a movie that I'd watched before but my stupid brain was not cooperating with me. “I think it was something like Love and Disease.”

Really, Ellie? What kind of awful movie title was that?

She continued to eye me suspiciously. She’s obviously not buying my bluff. “That’s some movie title. I bet it’s really a good movie because your eyes won’t be that puffy from crying too much, am I right?”

I released a defeated sigh. There’s no use lying to her because she just knew me very well. On top of that, I also suck when it comes to lying. I wasn't born a convincing liar. Narcia never even taught me to lie.

Narcia walked to me and reached for my hands, then squeezed them affectionately. “I understand if you don't want to talk about it. I just hate seeing you like this. Love is very complicated, my dear. And you’re loving a very complicated man.”

I didn’t even say it was about Kaleb, but she’s certain that it’s about him.

I offered her a small smile. I can’t say I am a professional when it comes to love, since I have only loved one man, or a shifter, in my entire life.

She placed a kiss on top of my head and gave me a pat on the back to somehow comfort me. “Come, let's have breakfast so we can start our lesson for today.”

She’s been home-schooling me as well ever since I was a kid. Everything that I have learned came from Narcia. I wouldn’t know what I would do without her. Knowing that I have her here with me, somehow eases the pain of my unrequited love with Kaleb.

I was pouring some milk into the tall glass in my hands when Kaleb walked in and took the seat across from mine. I avoid meeting his gaze. He cleared his throat but didn’t say anything. I could feel his eyes on me but I tried my best not to look at him.

“You're going somewhere today, Kaleb?” Narcia asked him as she handed him his cup of coffee.

“I’m going to run some errands this morning.” He answered shortly before taking a sip from his coffee. “Ellie, I need you in my office tonight. There’s something we need to talk about.”

My heart suddenly fell to my stomach. It must’ve been about what happened last night.

“I can’t.” I quickly replied. “Lia invited me to come over for dinner at their house tonight. I might be coming home late.”

He didn’t say anything right away.

I looked at Narcia and she just smiled at me. I picked a piece of pancake with my fork and placed it on my plate.

“I hope you're not forgetting about your curfew, Ellie.” Kaleb’s voice was full of authority. “I know Lia is your friend but I don’t want you going home late because–“

“No.” I quickly said, cutting him mid-sentence. I finally looked at him and he looked a bit surprised by my tone of voice. I kept a straight face and tried my hardest not to falter. “I am not forgetting about my curfew. I’ll be here before you know it.”

“Good,” was his only reply.

I turned my attention back to the pancake on my plate and didn’t dare look back at him.

“I have to go now.” I heard him say.

“But you haven’t touched your food, Kaleb.” Narcia pointed out, but he was already up and leaving.

“I’ll just grab something to eat later. Take care of Ellie.” He said before he left us at the dining table.

Narcia didn’t say anything after he left and I remained silent as we finished our breakfast together.

I suddenly had this thought in my head that maybe if I continued avoiding him or acting civil around him I would forget whatever feelings I have for him.

I don’t know if that was possible, but that’s the last thing I could do right now.

--

After my lessons with Narcia ended before four in the afternoon, I took a quick bath before going to Lia’s house.

Lia is also a shifter. I can’t remember being around any normal human being ever since I started living with Kaleb’s pack. I didn’t know anyone of my kind. I grew up being surrounded by shifters. Although I’ve never seen any of them in their werewolf form, no one has hurt me or done anything to harm me. In fact, I felt safe around them.

Maybe because I was saved by their leader.

Lia seemed to be in a good mood when I arrived at their house as she welcomed me with a huge smile plastered on her face as soon as she opened the door for me.

“Quick, I have something to tell you!” She grabbed my hand and pulled me inside their house.

We passed by her parents on her way to her room. I greeted them with a smile and I thought I heard Lia’s mother saying hi, but I was unable to greet them properly because Lia was already dragging me upstairs.

Once we were in her room, she closed the door and squealed so loudly I had to put my hands on my ears to protect them.

“Oh my god, Ellie! You wouldn’t guess what news I got this morning.” The excitement was evident in her voice. She grabbed my hands and squeezed them together. “I am going to meet my mate next week! Can you believe that?”

My eyebrows furrowed. “Mate? So that’s true?”

She shot me an incredulous look. “Of course, it is! My parents are mates, that’s why they’re together and that’s why I was born.”

I had already heard about what a mate was for shifters in one of my lessons with Narcia. It’s a bond between two shifters wherein they are basically fated to become each other’s companions for the rest of their lives. Some mates arise by destiny while others are arranged by older shifters.

“Aren’t you too young to meet your mate, Lia?” I asked another ridiculous question. Lia may be a nineteen-year-old girl just like me, but at a shifter’s age, she’s already about a hundred years old. “Alright, forget that I even said that. Do you already know what he’s like or at least his name?”

She shrugged. “All I know is that he is from an elderly clan. But I don’t really mind what he’s like. Can you imagine? I’m going to finally meet my mate just like the other female shifters. I will finally get to experience what they have experienced on their first blood moon.”

The first blood moon is when a female shifter surrenders herself to her mate. A female shifter is usually a virgin and only her mate is allowed to touch her.

“I know you’re excited and all, but isn’t that a bit odd, Lia?” I threw myself on her bed and stared at the canvas of the night sky she had painted on her ceiling.

She laid down beside me. “What do you mean?”

“I mean, you’re going to give yourself to someone you hardly know.”

She giggled softly. “Well, that’s true. But if it’s your mate, Ellie, you will have a connection that you won’t find in anyone else. And that’s what will make it special. You already love your mate even before meeting them.”

The gears in my brain started turning and I began to think of my bond with Kaleb. Is it the same as what normal shifters have?

“Do you think my bond with Kaleb is the same as you have with your mate?” I know I have to ask that question.

“Honestly, I don’t have any idea,” She said softly. “As you know, the mythical bond between a human and a shifter only happens once in a thousand years. It’s normal for a shifter to find his mate who’s a shifter as well. But what you have with Kaleb is different.”

I pursed my lips. “You know what, Lia? I’m beginning to wonder what my life would be if Kaleb didn’t find me. I mean he only knew about the mythical bond he had with me when he found me. If he didn’t, I could be with my kind right now. I might’ve already been dating someone that’s a human like me.”

Lia turned to her side then propped her head up on her elbow so she could look at me. “I don’t think that will happen.”

My forehead creased as I looked at her. “What do you mean it’s not going to happen?”

“I don’t know much about the mythical bond between humans and shifters, but all I know is that no matter what the circumstances are, they will still meet each other.” She explained. “They are bound to meet each other one way or another. So in your case, if Kaleb didn’t find you and saved your life back then, you will still meet him one day in your life because you are fated to him.”

That silenced me. I remember Narcia saying the same thing to me. She told me that the mythical bond was inevitable and that, unlike shifters, no one has the right to choose who you will be mated with.

But there’s still a lot of questions in my head about this bond that I have with Kaleb. If we’re fated to be with each other, then why is he pushing me away and not accepting my feelings for him? Why is he deliberately trying to hurt me by being with other girls and not me?

Is it because I’m a human and not a shifter like them?

It’s not like I chose to have this bond with him.

Maybe the only reason why I am so in love with him is because of this bond we have. It’s an automatic feeling that I have because we are bonded. If that’s the case, then why didn’t he feel the same way?

My brain starts to hurt because of all these questions with no answer.

But the pain in my heart is still more unbearable.