Chapter 3 Untitled Chapter

Aeloria's POV

I paced back and forth across my tiny living room so many times that I was sure I was wearing a path into the floor.

This was bad. Really bad. I could feel my stomach twisting into knots.

At this point all I wanted was to crawl into bed and hide beneath my blankets forever. No working, no going out, nothing. Just rot inside this house till the landlord throws me out on the street.

I stopped in front of the window and stared outside. Still no messages, still no calls. Still nothing from Thessara.

I swallowed hard. "She knows."

Of course she knew. Orvian had been beside Alpha Vaelor the entire Moon Rite and I saw the movement of their mouths even if I couldn't make words of what they were saying because they were so far away. And he didn't look happy at the slightest to know I was his mate.

There was no way he hadn't told her. They were siblings for Goddess sake.

I groaned and covered my face. "Why is my life like this?"

I was royally fucked. Out of every man in the entire pack. Out of every single man that I could be mates with. The one man Thessara had been obsessed with for years to be with, had to be my mate.

Not just any man, the Alpha of Mildred pack.

And somehow… The feeling that he belonged to me, that he was my mate was thrilling.

But the way he looked at me. He didn't look at me like he was happy or excited to finally find his mate. Was he in love with Thessara? Was I just deceiving myself into thinking he would be with me? The thought made me sick with guilt.

A soft voice echoed in my mind. "Alpha Vaelor is our mate."

Elarisse. My wolf. 

I still couldn't believe she was real. I was still getting used to voices popping up in my head.

I sat on the couch and sighed. "I know." "Then go see him."

I laughed bitterly. "Go see him?"

"Yes."

"Elarisse, Thessara loves him. She has been in love with him for years."

My wolf was silent for a moment. "Then Thessara is not your friend if she cannot accept fate."

"Don't say that."

"It is true."

"It's not. She's my best friend."

"A true friend would be happy for you. Alpha Vaelor is your fated mate, Thessara isn't his fated mate."

Before I could answer... A loud knock shook the door. I jumped so violently I nearly fell off the couch. I immediately recognized the scent.

Thessara. Oh Goddess, she was here.

I stood frozen and my palms grew sweaty. "What am I going to do?"

Another knock came, more impatient this time.

Avoiding her would only make things worse. This was Thessara, I knew her like the back of my hand.

Taking a deep breath, I walked forward and opened it. The second the door swung open, Thessara pushed past me. I immediately began talking.

"Thess, I'm sorry. So so sorry."

She turned to me and I could see a flint of anger in her eyes. I continued rushing out words.

"I swear I didn't expect it."

"Aeloria—"

"I had no idea he was going to be my mate."

"Aeloria."

"I never wanted to hurt you, it just happened—"

"AELORIA!"

I shut up And Thessara raised her hand. "Alright."

“Sorry?”

She smiled. "It's fine, Loria."

My mouth opened slightly. "It's... fine?"

"Of course."

I just stared at her, waiting for the anger, the tears, the screaming that I didn’t deserve Alpha Vaelor and how I was too poor and too ugly to be mated to him, maybe it was a mistake, it was meant to be her and not me. None came. She simply smiled.

"It's not your fault."

Relief crashed through me. "Oh thank Goddess." I nearly cried. "Thess, I was so worried."

"I know." She replied.

"But you love him."

"I did."

"You aren't angry?" She laughed, tucking her hair behind her ears and sitting gracefully on my couch.

"Angry about what?"

"That I'm mated to Alpha Vaelor."

Thessara shrugged. "My best friend is mated to the future Alpha." She smiled brightly. "That's amazing. Congratulations, Loria."

Something inside me relaxed. Maybe Elarisse had been wrong, maybe Thessara really was my friend, maybe everything would be okay.

Thessara patted the spot beside her and I sat while she wrapped one of her arms around my shoulders. "If you really want Alpha Vaelor's attention..." She looked me up and down. "You need better clothes. You look to plain."

My cheeks heated. "What?"

"Come on, Loria." She gestured at my outfit. "You're the Alpha's mate."

I looked down at my plain cream gown. "What is wrong with my clothes?"

Thessara laughed, tugging at the bottom of my dress.

"Everything."

"Hey!"

She giggled. "You'll be Luna one day."

Luna. The word felt unreal. I was going to be the Luna of Mildred pack. Never in my wildest dreams.

"You have to dress the part. Right now, you look as poor as you are."

"I don't know about that..."

"No arguments."

"Thess—"

"No."

She grabbed my wrist, pulling me towards the door. "We're going shopping and that's final."

Three hours later, I deeply regretting agreeing.

I stood in front of a mirror wearing the most revealing dress I had ever seen in my life. I wanted to die.

The neckline plunged so low I felt naked, with my small breasts showing so much. The slit exposed almost my entire leg.

I tugged desperately at the fabric. "Thess, I can't wear this, I think we should go for something else."

"No."

"Come on, Thess."

"No."

"THESS."

She rolled her eyes. "What?"

I pointed at my chest. "My breasts are practically saying hello pack."

"They look great. Nice little breasts. It's nothing, really. You have no breasts to show."

I nearly choked. "This is not my style."

"It is now."

I groaned. Around us, people kept glancing my way, staring at the dress. My face burned. "This is a mistake."

"They're jealous."

"They're staring."

"Because you're beautiful."

I shook my head. "No, I can't take this."

"Yes you will."

"No."

"Yes, and my yes is final."

I sighed dramatically, still looking at the way my breasts were almost exposed. A little tilt and my tits will be flashing. "You are impossible."

Thessara grinned. "I know."

Thessara paid immediately and waved me off as she entered her car.

"You... You aren't dropping me off?"

I could see the slight frown at the corner of her lips, but it quickly vanished. "I have something urgent to attend to. Just come to the banquet in Gilead pack, I'll be expecting you."

"What banq..." She was already gone.

I sighed, staring at the shopping bag that had the goddess of lust outfit. What banquet?

My phone pinged and it was a message from Thess. “ Ivory grand hall, Gilead pack. Don't be late and wear the dress.”

---

Later that evening, I stood in my bedroom staring at myself in the mirror. Every warning bell in my head was screaming. The gown was blood red, expensive and elegant. And completely inappropriate.

The slit ran dangerously high, the neckline exposed far too much, a matching veil covering part of my hair.

I looked like someone else, someone I didn't recognize. I didn't even have any banquet appropriate cloth to swap into, and I knew Thess would be vexed if I didn't show up in the outfit she picked out for me.

"I don't like this." Elarisse sounded uneasy.

I touched the fabric nervously. "Neither do I."

"Why is Thessara being so nice after this?"

I smiled, remembering how encouraging she was at the shop. "Because she's my best friend."

Elarisse didn't answer. For the first time since meeting her, she sounded unconvinced.

"It's just a banquet, I'm not popular, no one will notice me. I'll just go in, see Alpha Vaelor, talk with him and move out. It's Gilead pack, not Mildred pack, I won't want to be underdressed."

Yes, it was that simple. The way he looked at me during the moon rite, at first surprise, then admiration. But then, Orvian whispered something to him that made the look change into something like... like disgust? And that was what I wanted to find out from Thess.

---

The venue was enormous, far larger than anything in Mildred territory. As the cab drove away, I stared up at the grand building. Lights glowed everywhere, music drifted through the air, pack members moved in and out of the entrance.

I immediately recognized many faces from Mildred pack, yet something felt wrong with the way they stared at me.

Where was Thess anyways? She was supposed to be here as she said she would.

I pulled out my phone. No messages, no calls. Strange.

Trying to ignore the unease, I entered. The smell of food instantly hit me and my almost empty stomach growled. "Oh wow." I practically floated toward the buffet.

There were dishes I'd never seen before. Expensive meat entree, fish, pastries, wine. I hadn't eaten since morning and I was starved.

I loaded my plate shamelessly, wolfing it down like a starved dog.

I was halfway through my third pastry when I realized people were throwing glances my way.

"Whatever." I shoved another bite into my mouth.

No regrets. Isn't that what a banquet was for? To eat and have fun?

A few glasses of wine later, however, I began feeling strange, lightheaded and fuzzy inside. My smile faded.

"Okay." I immediately set down the glass. "That's enough wine for today."

Where was Thessara? I called again. Nothing.

I started to feel very uncomfortable as I didn't quite fit in the settings.

I heard a loud laugh and turned to see a tall woman, dressed in a flowing green gown, standing beside Alpha Vaelor and beside him stood Orvian.

Relief washed through me. Maybe they knew where Thessara was and I could talk to Orvian about what was going on.

I quickly approached. "Orvian. Sorry, beta Orvian."

Both men looked up. "I've been trying to call Thessara—"

The expression on Orvian's face changed instantly. His eyes widened dramatically as he looked around the room, then back at me.

"What are YOU doing here?" His voice boomed across the room.

Conversations immediately stopped and I wanted to shrink away. "Sorry, I…"

"You weren't invited."

People turned, stared and began to whisper. My heart began pounding, the buzz of the wine already fading away. "I—"

"You have some nerve showing up here, when this isn't your pack."

Orvian looked really angry and the woman glared at me. "Orvian, Thessara invited me."

"No she didn't."

"She did."

"Thessara would never invite you."

Now, everyone had stopped what they were doing and watching the drama unfold. His voice grew louder. "Who invited you?"

I wanted to sink into the ground, wishing I didn’t come in the first place. What was I doing here? Where was Thessara?

"I told you—"

"Did you sneak in?"

"What? No!"

"Trying to get close to the Alpha?"

I stared at him, confused and hurt. "What are you talking about?"

His eyes swept over my dress, disgust filled his face, and he laughed. A cruel laugh that made my heart beat even louder.

I started backing away, realising what was unfolding. Orvian clicked his tongue, "Look at how you're dressed."

The words struck harder than they should have.

"You look like a loose woman."

A loose woman? Me?

For a moment, I couldn't breathe. Then anger exploded inside me. For the first time in years, a growl escaped my throat.

"Don't." I took a step forward. "Don't ever call me that."

Orvian scoffed. "What?" His smile widened. "A loose woman? Isn’t that what you are?"

I clenched my fists. "Stop."

"Quit pretending. Everyone knows you're a bond woman. Mildred pack knows how loose you are and you've come to Gilead pack for what? To get more lusting clients?"

I couldn't believe what he was saying. Bond woman? Clients? People around started laughing, whispering among themselves, giving me judgemental looks.

"I am not."

"Oh please." Orvian gestured toward me. "Look at the way you're dressed so sluttly to a proper banquet without invitation."

Thessara had chosen this dress. I didn't choose this. And I wanted to say that, but I couldn’t form the words.

"Did you come here to seduce Alpha Vaelor? Alpha Leon?"

"No!"

"You can barely stand."

"I only had two glasses wine."

"How convenient."

I looked around desperately for Thess, but she was no where to be seen. My throat tightened painfully.

My eyes landed on Alpha Vaelor and I felt a little hope. Surely he would stop this, he would say something, I was his mate who was getting humiliated by his Beta.

Vaelor looked at me. His green eyes were cold, empty and unreadable. He glanced at Orvian who was looking at me with glee in his eyes and then back at me and I felt his eyes go even colder. "I, Alpha Vaelor, Alpha of Mildred Pack..."

The bond stirred and fear rushed through me.

No, no, no. He couldn't do that here.

"...reject Aeloria Lichbane my mate and Luna of Mildred pack."

Pain exploded immediately through my chest and I screamed. Agony unlike anything I had ever imagined tore through my soul. I dropped to my knees, blood splattering across the floor from my mouth.

Gasps erupted around me.

"Elarisse!" I called out to my wolf.

Nothing.

"Elarisse!"

I coughed again. More blood. Tears blurred my vision.

“Well, well, well.” Said a familiar voice.

I looked up.

She stood there like an angel. Elegant, modest, beautiful, perfect. Not dressed like me. Not exposed. Not humiliated.

Understanding hit me like a knife. The dress, the invitation, the kindness, everything. It had been planned. The entire thing was staged by her.

She smiled down at me coldly. "A bond woman who sleeps around for money does not deserve to be Luna, Aeloria."

The words shattered something inside me. "Thess..." My voice broke. "You..." Tears spilled down my face. "You did this?"

She didn't answer. Instead she looked at everyone.

"You are a disgrace to our pack."

The crowd nodded.

"You embarrassed us in another pack's territory. Came here to get more clients, right? Aren't you ashamed? I even tried to help you, my goddess. You're such a lost case, Aeloria. You decided to come here to show yourself, after we covered your shame in the pack, so you could have a life."

I shook my head desperately. "No." I pointed at her. "You know that's not true. You bought this dress for me! You said I needed to impress Alpha Vaelor! You told me to come here."

I began fumbling with my bag, looking for my phone, “See, I have your message. You sent me the address.”

Before I could bring out my phone, guards appeared beside me and grabbed both my arms. I fought them.

"Let me go!"

I struggled against their hold, trying to break free, but I could feel my energy depleting fast. "I didn't do anything! I'M NOT A BOND WOMAN!"

The more I screamed in defense the more judging looks I got. No one believed me. How would they? I was dressed like a bond woman, exactly the narrative Orvian labelled me to be.

And worst of all, Vaelor believed it, he believed all of it.

And rejected me in front of everyone.

As they dragged me away, I looked back one last time. At Vaelor. The man fate had chosen for me. The man who had just destroyed me.

His expression never changed, and somehow that hurt most of all.

I didn’t remember the ride home. I barely stumbled through my front door before collapsing. I coughed out blood again. I couldn't feel my wolf anymore.

"Elarisse?"

No response.

Fear gripped me. "Elarisse!"

A faint feeling, barely there, like she was far away, dying slowly.

I clutched my chest as thee pain intensified. Every breath felt like broken glass to my lungs. I curled into a ball on the floor. Alone. Completely alone.

My best friend had betrayed me, my mate had rejected me, my wolf was disappearing. Nobody was coming to save me.

The last thing I saw before darkness swallowed me was a pair of cold green eyes, looking at me like I was the worst woman, as my entire world fell apart.