Alpha's abandoned mate

Thane’s POV

“You want me to marry this…girl?!”

 Disbelief filled me as I looked at them. The stares of the surrounding pack members pricked my senses but I ignored it.

  When my father called me for what was claimed to be an impromptu pack meeting,I'd considered not going if not for his warning to not miss it this time. Begrudgingly, I'd dragged myself here when there were better things I could be doing in the city. Like partying with my friends. Anything to be out of this stale, boring place.

  The urgency should have ticked me off first. When I arrived to find the Alpha Addams and the members of the Red Crescent pack present, I felt uneasy, but ignored it. As my father's speech continued, I knew that he was making a big announcement.

  I'd anticipated everything but not…this.

  “What the hell?!” were my first words the moment I'd processed the announcement. The cheers from the pack members fell silent quickly after while tension thick in the air.

   Full of disbelief , I stared at the people in front of me. My mother looked stricken, eyes wide and trite. His father was the complete opposite, face stone as he looked at me. The Alpha and Luna of Red Crescent didn't give anything away.

  And standing beside them was her. Felicity Addams, Alpha and Luna Addams' sole daughter and heir to the Red Crescent pack.

  And according to them, my so-called future bride.

 She looked mousy and awkward and thin, her gangly limbs sitting awkwardly with her head looking bigger than the rest of her body.

  How old was she? 10?

  ‘Thirteen,’ my mind supplied. For some reason knowing her age by heart only made my rage grow.

  Despite our families being friends, I'd barely seen her before this. Hell, why did I need to do so? I was 22 freaking years old and had no time or patience for babysitting. I could care less about a little girl anyways.

  And suddenly they decided to get me hitched with this… child.

  “Disgusting.” I didn't realize I'd said it out loud until it was too late. Her eyes widened and for a moment I felt a sharp twinge of remorse before it faded away.

  She was innocent in this, but it didn't stop my anger.

  I tore my eyes away from her just in time to find my mother facing me holding my hands.

  “Please understand Thane,” she said, making me grimace, “you aren't marrying her now. This is a long-term betrothal-”

  I pulled away before she could finish ignoring her face falling.

  “Does it make it any better mom?” I shouted watching her move back.

  “Why the hell would you and Dad do this? Why would you agree?” I snapped even though I knew the answer. My father already explained it earlier.

  A marriage alliance, to merge the packs as if they weren't joined at the hip already.

  It was a simple fact known to all. The Red Crescent Pack and The Red Moon Pack were neighboring packs, closely intertwined. They had been partners for years, way before I was born. My father and Alpha Addams were like brothers. Of course they both wanted a united pack.

  I spun to glare at the Addams family who stood by as if they were innocent. We're they the ones who made this happen

  “Did they make you agree to this? This disgusting arrangement -”

 “Thane!” my mother screamed to cut me off but I shook her hand off.

  “No!” I snapped , “I demand to know who on earth decided this! Why you'll suddenly want to-”

  “I did.”

  My heart stopped at the sound of my father's voice. I looked up to meet his face, unmoving like a statue as he looked at me.

  “Alpha Addams and I had spoken over it and we decided that this was the best outcome for both our packs.” he said stonily,

  “Why?” I shouted, “I'm your son! Your heir! I'm the future Alpha! Not some tool to use for the sake of the pack! What about my freedom!”

  “And what have you used your freedom for?!”

   I reared back as my father barked at me. I had rarely seen him lose his composure to this extent. Not even when he was scolding me in the past.

  Fear crept up as he moved forward as if ready to slap me. My mother took action immediately, blocking his path.

  “Wait-” she said,

  “No Talya, enough is enough!” my father snapped at her before facing me,

  “For the past three years, what noteworthy things have you done? What have you done to help the pack in any way as my heir? You don't come for pack meetings. Your mother and I have to beg you to do any work or fulfill your duties. All you prefer to do is go frolicking in parties in the cities with humans, getting drunk and philandering with women, in both packs and out!”

  “You have no iota of responsibility in your bones, and no matter how hard we've tried you've never listened!” he screamed, “I've been gentle and harsh, but you never change! Sometimes I wonder where I went wrong to have a son like you!”

  A punch would have been far gentler compared to hearing everything he'd said. Suddenly the room became still. My father was still breathing heavily, the red evident in his face as his heavy breaths filled the air, slowing down until it became faint.

  “Enough.” my father said, shaking his head, “You are grown now. This is a responsibility that you will fulfill no matter what. The betrothal is fixed and there's nothing you can do about it. If you want to avoid it, it's best you avoid this pack altogether.”

  A bitter laugh erupted from me. He was threatening me with exile?

  He was always harsh with me, but never did I think it would come to this? His only son?

  When I looked up, switching between my mother's pleading gaze at the Addams family and back to my father's stone-like face. I smirked bitterly.

  “You want me to bend to your whims, be the obedient son you want and shackle myself to this arrangement. Too bad then.” I said,

  Without hesitation I pointed in the direction of the little girl they expected to chain me down.

  “All the pack members, Red Moon and Red Crescent will bear me witness as I say this. Even if it takes Five- no…ten years, I'll never marry someone like her!”

  The room fell completely silent. He gazed at everyone, barely sparing a glance before looking up to his father.

  “Alpha Massen,” I spat his title, “since this is your condition, then it's time I leave. I'll do as you said.”

    Without hesitation, I turned away, walking out of the hall. I'd reached the entrance when my father's voice rang.

  “Once you step out of that door, never come back again!” he shouted.

  ‘Good.’ I thought but remained silent.

  I took the final step forward, leaving the hall and my pack, my family, behind me. Wherever I went, it would be better than being in this place, in a pack home that suffocated me and my family that gave nothing but expectations and scolded him.

  I was going to live by my own rules.….

 FIVE YEARS LATER

   A loud knocking sound woke me up early in the morning. I groaned, burying myself in warm skin before a clawed hand pushed me away.

  “Go see who it is,” Renee muttered. I had no choice but to begrudgingly do so. As I opened the door to my apartment the only thing I saw was a letter. I grew alert instantly.

  Picking it up, I admired my mother's handwriting.

   From the moment I left the pack I'd lost all contact with my friends, humans and pack. It was only my mother who reached out to me.

   Even though I didn't know how she'd gotten my address, I was comforted by it. She was the only one who bothered trying to communicate with me, sometimes sending a letter or two every month. I never replied and always felt like a piece of shit for not doing so, but she never stopped. She shared her feelings in the letters, giving only tidbits of stories in the pack and always saying how much she missed me.

  Most of all, she spoke about my father, who had never reached out. A part of me was still bitter about it, however most of the anger faded.

  My father was right five years ago. I was irresponsible. I'd lived a life of luxury for so long that I had no concept of work. I'd naively thought that things would come easy for me. Only when reality hit me did u realize my stupidity.

   From being homeless to working odd jobs, I'd scraped throughout the years before finding myself in a city where I could bury my roots. Thankfully, it all worked out in the end.

   A year and a half ago, me, along with friends I made, decided to take the risk and invest, creating a small business. I was happy, no matter how lonely it still seemed at times.

   I reentered my bedroom with the letter in hand, rifling for the letter opener. Renee, my girlfriend sighed on the bed.

   I met her while working two years ago. She had been a rogue for most of her life, casted out of her pack when she was young. We'd found kinship in each other and began dating.

  It wasn't a serious relationship, but more like a no-strings friendship with sex added. Either way, it worked for us.

  “What's that?” She asked,

    "It's from my mother,” I said as I undid the seal, opening the letter. I froze at the first lines on the page.

  After processing everything in silence I spoke,

  “Renee?”

  “Yes baby?” she murmured. Moving towards her with the note I sat beside her to gain her attention.

  “Would you follow me to my pack?”I asked,

  At first came silence making uncertainty run through me, but it quickly eased when she sat up and kissed my cheek.

  “Okay.” she said and I smiled, but there wasn't any joy, only the heavy weight of anxiety. I gripped the letter tightly.

   Within the letter was a message that my father had suddenly collapsed from illness and was bedridden, sealed with a simple plea;

   ‘Come home.’

  I squeezed the letter tightly. For the first time in five years, I was going home.