The Pain Of A Mate

At My Uncle’s Cafe

Chapter One - At My Uncle’s Cafe

Selene’s POV

“Move!” Kaelen barked, shoving me hard against the counter. Pain shot through my back, but I refused to flinch. His eyes were wild with anger, lips twisted in a vicious sneer.

“You’re a disaster! If you weren’t here, none of this would have happened. We could have handled it ourselves!”

I pressed my teeth together and stayed silent. I’d been through this before. Months of insults, of blame, of being told I didn’t belong. But today… today it felt heavier, sharper.

“Say something!” Kaelen growled, his grip on my arm tightening painfully. “Or are you just going to stand there like a coward?”

I opened my mouth to answer, but a sudden crash outside froze me in place.

The door slammed, dust rising, and my uncle, Jarek, stood trembling, staring at a toppled stack of crates. A delivery truck had skidded past too fast, leaving chaos in its wake.

Then a man stepped out of a sleek black car.

Tall. Broad. Dangerous.

Kael, the eldest son of the Alpha, barreled toward Jarek, gripping him by the collar and shaking him roughly.

“Do you even understand how much damage you caused?!” Kael roared.

“I… I’m sorry,” Jarek, my uncle, stammered, bowing low. “It was an accident—”

“Accident?” Kael barked, releasing him just enough to glare. “Do I look like I care about your excuses?”

I stepped closer, but Jarek froze me with a look. Not now… his eyes warned.

I clenched my fists. After the last Alpha fell, my father had gone with the new leadership to rebuild the pack. Jarek had stayed behind—once a respected Beta, now running a small café just to survive. And three months ago, I had arrived, carrying my own heavy burden. Trouble was the last thing we could afford.

Another car door opened.

And suddenly, the world shrank.

Alden stepped out. He’s alpha’s favorite child.

My chest tightened; my breath caught in my throat. Dark hair tousled just enough to look effortless, sharp eyes piercing, body moving with the controlled power of a predator. My wolf stirred violently, recognizing him instantly, but I pushed him down, forcing calm. Not yet.

Alden’s gaze found mine. Fire, weight, and some unspoken pull burned through the air between us. Did he feel it too? Did he know me… Alec, the human form he had never seen?

Kaelen muttered behind me, voice weak and uncertain, “This… isn’t even our fault.”

Jarek let out a deep sigh. “Kaelen. That’s enough. Apologize.”

Kaelen gave a grudging, half-hearted apology. Kael snorted but didn’t back down, irritation still simmering in his eyes.

“The Alpha does not like waiting,” Kael said sharply. “Even for his sons.”

Alden didn’t speak, but his stare held me like I couldn’t look away. Fire, dominance, and something raw I couldn’t name pressed against my chest. Finally, he nodded to one of his men.

“Cover it,” he said. “We move.”

The car left, leaving dust swirling in the sunlight. Life returned to its rhythm—everyone busy with their own tasks—except Kaelen.

The moment we were alone, he spun around on me, his face twisted in anger. "This is all your fault!" he shouted, shoving me so that my back slammed into the counter again. "If you hadn't been here, none of this would have happened!"

I didn’t flinch. I’d survived worse.

One day." he growled under his teeth, gritting them, "I'll make you pay for this.

He slammed his fist into my shoulder and stalked off.

My wolf, Ashen, let out a low, menacing growl. "I'll rip him to pieces!"

"Silent, Ashen," I breathed, laying my hand on my chest. "Not yet. We cannot expose ourselves just yet. The bruise will fade."

I collapsed into a chair, hands shaking a little. My brain replayed Alden's eyes over and over. My mate. Enemy. Deadly. And yet… impossible to disregard.

Ashen nudged my leg, his fur warm and comforting. "What if he already knows? What if he can tell?"

I shut my eyes. "Even if he does… he will not accept me. He would never accept me. I have been preparing for that rejection for months."

I could feel tears rising, but I swallowed them down. I had to be strong. For Ashen. For my uncle. For myself.

Outside, the sun cast light over Nightfall Pack, bright and ordinary, yet inwardly, I was burning with the world.