Her Mates

Chapter Three

Ella's POV

I groaned in pain at the relentless pounding in my head. The sunlight stabbed my eyes with its brightness, and I raised a hand to shield my face from the glare, as I sat up groggily.

"So tired." I yawned, my eyes darting to the wall clock. It was 9:37 a.m.

"s**t!" My heart skipped a beat. It was only a matter of minutes before my Mother barged in, yelling and calling me a lazy ass.

With that thought, I shot up from the bed, wincing as memories from last night crashed over me like a wave. Derek's public humiliation, Maria’s betrayal, and Mother's cruel words.

I realised I hadn't dreamt any of it. It actually happened.

For a moment, I wished I had never woken up. A tear rolled down my cheeks, and I gripped the bed frame hard to keep doubling over.

What was the point of living when I was unwanted? By my mate… by my family?

For a split second, I wallowed in self-pity, until my phone buzzed.

Reluctantly, I picked it up, only to see that I had several missed calls, and a message from Mother.

"Ella, where the hell are you? Your packmates are busting their butts getting ready for tomorrow, and you're nowhere to be found! Get to the pack house now! I won't have you shaming the family more than you already have. Shameless little...” I didn't bother reading the rest.

Although we werewolves pride ourselves on being civilised, we rarely use our phones to call or message pack members since we can mind-link. No werewolf really had a use for it, except for me, because I'm… well, wolf-less.”

"What's so damned important?" I muttered bitterly, checking my phone's calendar.

May 26th.

The day before the Alpha Summit, when all Alphas from different packs would gather to discuss pack business, security, development, creating more alliances between packs, and celebrations.

And the cherry on top? Luna Amelia and I were supposed to be in charge of the celebration, since I was meant to be the next Luna, but I wasn't recognized as one. But I go as a normal pack member.

‘Who am I kidding? Am no loser, I'll fight for my rights, even if it means dragging my ass out of this damned house and shamelessly facing everyone!’ I thought.

"No, seriously. f**k them all!" I snapped, jumping into the shower before storming out of the house, hair barely combed, looking like a wild boar.

As I neared the packhouse, I noticed a small group gathered at the entrance. Their laughter and chatter died instantly, and their judgmental eyes trained on me, talking about last night's scandal.

"Isn’t that Ella? The wolfless Beta's daughter from last night? who…Oh goddess. Yes, that’s her. Can’t believe she’s still showing her face in public."

I took a deep breath, straightened my shoulders and brushed past them, ignoring their whining protest.

"Move along people, I don't have the time or patience to conduct a workshop on how to tie a f*****g ribbon."

Inside, I heard Luna Amelia barking orders at the maids, who scurried to obey. My heart pounded at the sight of her, a natural reaction after last night, but I lifted my chin in defiance.

I will not be intimidated.

Not now. Not ever.

“Ella, how nice of you to join us,” she said, her voice dripping with disdain.

“Luna Amelia,” I muttered, bowing slightly. “I apologize for coming late. I lost track of time.”

“No worries. I didn’t expect to see you here.” She looked me up and down. “As you can see, I have everything under control. No need to rush out of bed looking so distraught.”

“I’m sorry,” I said again.

“As you should be,” she snapped. “I can’t thank the goddess enough that Derek was wise enough to see through you early. The pack already has enough burdens of its own, it certainly doesn’t need more.”

My breath caught and heat rushed to my face as the hall erupted with laughter, and whispers.

"What did she expect, showing up looking like a lunatic? So disgusting.”

"Even my dog can dress better." Another snickered.

My stomach churned in shame. That was it. I had nothing more to lose.

I spun around to the mocking crowd, spotting Maria in their midst. Of course, she was their leader, smirking like she orchestrated everything, not that I was surprised.

“Does anyone have something to say?” I shouted, my voice echoing through the hall. I crossed the room to stand directly in front of them. "Whatever you want to say to me, you can say it to my f*****g face!"

Silence.

They averted their eyes and cleared their throat. I guess they never expected me to be bold enough to challenge them.

"Yeah. That's what I thought. Cowards!" I snapped.

I was still shaking in fury, when Father walked in. "Ella." He said tightly, looking me over with disapproval.

"Yeah, I look like I'm crazy. You don't have to make it obvious." I muttered under my breath.

“Father," I greeted, strolling up to him. "By the time I woke up, the house was empty. I... I wanted to talk to you about last night, about what Mother said …"

"Yes," he said, smacking his lips as if the taste of that topic disgusted him. "About that..."

He paused, and I waited, hoping my words, my fears, had gotten to him last night, that he'd be the father I needed at this moment.

“Let's put yesterday behind us, Ella." He blurted plainly, with no emotion. "Your mother, you, Maria…we were all hurt. We said and did things that should never be said. So, I think it's best if we forget about it and move on from it.” He paused briefly. “Besides, this isn't the time or place to discuss our family problems.”

Move on?

How could I simply move on from my sister's betrayal and my Mother's cruel, hurtful words?

What did I expect? A word of comfort? Warmth from him? I expected his indifference and lack of care. But why does it still hurt?

I guess it only confirmed, I'm still not their beloved daughter, Aria.

I nodded slowly. "I see. So, we're done talking about this?" His lack of response confirmed my assumption. "Alright then, what can I do for you, Father?"

"The Alpha wants to see you in his office..." he responded, then as an afterthought, he muttered. “And Ella, I hope I don't need to remind you to be mindful of your words. What happened yesterday... stays in the family."

"Of course," I whispered, and he walked away without another word. Suddenly, I felt the need to direct my anger at someone.

"Maria!" I called out, a smirk playing on my lips, ignoring her glare.

"Tell Mother I'll be home late. The Alpha wants to see me, so I'm not sure when I'll be back home. There's no need for you and Mother to wait for me."

Almost instantly, she flinched, her face twisting as if she had just swallowed a bitter pill.

I savoured the taste of revenge; it was sweet and satisfying. I knew she was probably mind-linking Mother about it, worried I'd blabber again to the Alpha. Not that I ever did.

I entered the packhouse and headed straight to Alpha Alaric's office. Unlike others, I wasn't scared of his summons. He had always treated me like a daughter. Maybe that's why Luna Amelia, Derek, my parents, and the pack despised me.

As I neared the office, I felt a sudden chill, but I dismissed it as ‘Just an ordinary breeze from the open windows.’

I opened the door without knocking. "Old man? You asked for me?" I called out, expecting his warm, fatherly voice, but an eerie silence greeted me.

I went further into the dimmed office, not minding the silence, I chalked it up to him being busy.

"You know after last night, the whole pack hates me more.” I said with a playful whine. “They think I manipulated you into giving Derek an ultimatum, since you were the only person who couldn't see how worthless they thought I was."

The silence persisted, and I wondered if he had stepped out for a bit. Weird.

"Why else would he call me here when he isn't around?" I muttered, glancing around the room.

The office was in disarray, piles of papers scattered on his table, which was unlike Alpha Alaric, who was insanely organized, even the window was slightly ajar.

I sank into the plush couch, savouring its soft embrace and comfort as I momentarily escaped the chaos of the world around me.

From the corner of my eye, I caught a glimpse of a framed photo of Alpha Alaric and young Derek, their shared features showing a strong resemblance.

"If only Derek had inherited a small fraction of Alpha Alaric's wisdom and intellect." I thought bitterly as I approached the wall. "My life would've been so much easier."

My fingertips reached out to trace the outline of Derek's image, longing for the connection that had always been out of my reach between us.

Just as I touched the frame, I felt a cold grip on my ankle.

“f**k!” I yelped instinctively in fright, holding a hand to steady my wildly beating chest. I realised Alpha Alaric was up to one of his tricks again.

"Old man, you almost scared the life out of me." I scolded. "You need to stop pranking me. What will the pack members think when I tell them their Alpha still plays hide-and-seek?" I teased playfully. "Not that they'll believe me, though."

I looked down, expecting to see him smirking underneat

h the table. Instead, I was met with a horrifying sight.

Alpha Alaric lay gasping in a pool of his own blood, clutching his neck. "Alpha!!!”