CHAPTER 4
RYDER
Luna Mooncrest must be so pathetic and audacious to think that I was ever going to settle with her as my mate.
I mean, what was I possibly supposed to do with someone who had no wolf in her? What makes her any different from the common human out there?
What was I supposed to do with someone who was an object of public ridicule and shame?
I was the beta of the pack for crying out loud, and if not for any other thing, but for the sake of the pack and the people, I needed to make the best choice.
This was not really about me, but what the pack expects of me. They don't expect me to be seen walking around with a wolfless mate. It was going to do more harm than good to my honorable reputation.
I let out a huge smile as I took in the picture of the beautiful choice I had just made earlier.
Delia was a beautiful sight to behold, unlike her cousin, Mooncrest who was already a shadow of her own self.
She took to her heels immediately I had made the announcement, running through the crowd until she was completely out of the meeting arena.
She had better go away after all, other than sit back and have herself being bashed and insulted in that manner by everyone.
***
Despite rejecting Mooncrest publicly before everyone, I still couldn't let her be. There was this sense of attraction I had whenever I noticed that she was anywhere close by to where I was.
She was my mate after all, and I knew the attraction was really going to be a strong and unbreakable one.
No one else understood this except me. I had obviously decided to choose her cousin over her just to make her feel worthless and betrayed.
But I was merely acting on my ignorance. No matter how hard I tried to refuse it, the fact still remained that Luna Mooncrest was my mate.
***
LUNA MOONCREST
I had heard enough already. Standing back there at that hall and listening to the dirty conversations and side talks spewing out of the mouths of everyone in the hall, I felt really suicidal.
I deciphered that the only best way I could avoid hearing those side talks was by leaving the hall.
I walked away without a single hesitation. Even while I was a far distance away from them, I could still hear Delia's mocking voice taunting me endlessly.
I couldn't think straight anymore. I tried to fight the voices speaking in my mind, but they kept coming. I just couldn't help it.
I staggered helplessly down a hill which led towards the outskirts of the pack. At this point, I could hear a lot of voices speaking to me, including that urging me to engage in some dirty act.
I made my way quickly to the close by bar which was merely a distance away from the meeting arena.
There, I drank to my satisfaction until I was stark drunk.
I staggered to the counter's desk and hit it to get his attention.
“Show me to one of the rooms. I want to have a nap.” I muttered, waiting patiently for him to do the needful.
Just as I had ordered, a room was immediately assigned to me and I was handed a key by the receptionist.
“You are to go into room 350.” He ordered and went back to his duty post.
I nodded abruptly, as though his words had really sunk into my ears.
I took the route of the staircase which ended up bringing me to the various departments and rooms.
In my drunken state, I pushed one of the doors open and walked into the room without bothering to check the tag at the entrance.
I lay down recklessly on the bed. My hands traveled to every corner of the bed, and just then, I felt a hard surface right beside me.
At first, I paid little attention to it as I paused a little. But after a while, I sprang up and began to loosen up my dress buttons, throwing it to every corner of the room.
I took a closer look at the person sleeping beside me, and nothing else mattered to me other than making him sleep with me.
I started by wrapping myself around him. Since he was fast asleep, he was unaware of whatever was going on around him.
This continued for a while, not until the man's eyes suddenly flung open.
To my surprise, instead of acting surprised and questioning me, he pulled me even closer to himself and pinned me down to the bed.
***
I woke up the following morning, feeling so weak and unavoidably tired.
My eyes were clear enough right now, compared to last night when I was drunk to stupor.
I peered into the duvet which I had slept in, and I was just so surprised when I found out that I was naked.
“What?! This is unbelievable!” I sat up quickly and began to look around for a clue of how I got to this point.
That was when it dawned on me what had happened last night and how I had given myself to a total stranger.
I looked over to the other side of the bed, but not even his shadow could be found.
My mind raced with different thoughts as I sank in panic from last night's experience.
I suddenly remembered the receptionist. “Yes! He would certainly have some information about the stranger from last night.” I said to myself and sprang up to my feet.
I picked up my dress which was scattered at different corners of the room. I hurriedly put it on and sped out of the room as fast as my legs could take me.
“Please did you see any man leave the premises this morning?”
The receptionist shook his head in negation. “No one has stepped out since the beginning of the day.” He replied curtly. “Is anything the matter?”