CHAPTER 2

THE ENTIRE ROOM WAS REELING, like I had hopped unto a very fast merry-go-round without knowing.

And everything just kept spinning and spinning.

His words rang in my head, like a loop. An unwanted loop. “Join us, Raven, or leave."

I know. What the fuck?

I was taken aback, the pain in my chest slicing my heart into a million pieces, and slicing those pieces into many more pieces.

How could Luca do this me?

“Luca, how could you do this to me?" I sniffed.

He vividly rolled his eyes, his expression far from pleasant. “Oh come on, Raven. Please, stop being so dramatic. Join the fun, or you better not ruin it."

Elena—that bitch—held his hand immediately, her facial features a stark complex from Luca's. "Alpha, don't talk to her like that. She's gonna cry.”

‘Is this lady mocking you right now?’ Nia snarled, her anger rising intensively.

While she was angry, I was so fucking hurt!

“Elena…” I trailed off, swallowing the words in my chest.

My best friend!

"Raven, I promise you. I didn't mean to hurt you. I'm sorry.” Elena went on, her voice tiny and shrill, as if it would make the apology any less believable. 

Luca pulled her hand back again. “Elena, stop it. Don't apologize to her.” 

What? Are these two playing good cop, bad cop with me?

I focused my attention on Elena, contemplating whether to let her see the hurt in my eyes or not, and finally deciding that it was not in my hands.

"Elena, you're sleeping with my mate, and you didn't mean to hurt me?” I let out, my voice coming off more strangled than I wanted it to. 

“Arranged mate!" She chipped in, clearing her throat unnecessarily afterwards.

Wow!

I finally looked at Luca. I was scared to, but I finally did. Searching his face, I hoped to see some sort of remorse or regret, something to show me that he didn't mean this, and it was just some sort of mistake.

Well, what did I see?

And what kind of mistake would sleeping with my best friend be? 

“Luca…”

I didn't expect him to snap at me, but he did and I flinched. "I already told you, Raven. Either join us, or get out. What part of that don't you understand?”

No, he didn't explain himself at all. He asked me to get out.

Immediately afterwards, he held Elena by the waist and pulled her ever-so-affectionately to himself, snatching her lips like it belonged to him.

I watched.

I watched my mate kiss my best friend like his life depended on it, and I could do nothing. I was frozen into place.

After what felt like a hundred lifetimes and some decades, he pulled away and turned to me, his blue eyes glowing red.

“Get out, and wait outside." He thundered, the Alpha command echoing in my head like a scary song.

I did as he said, without a second thought, without another word.

As the Alpha commands!

The sound of the door being shut behind me resonated in my head as I slipped to the floor beneath me, the tears finally falling. 

He cheated on me with my best friend, and used the Alpha command to send me out of the room so he could continue? What's my life turning into? 

I cried. I wanted to stop myself, because it was embarrassing and I had to be strong more than anything else right now, but I couldn't. The sound of the two people that made my life worth living screwing the life out of each other echoed in my head, and I cried more.

He couldn't even be sympathetic towards me, he couldn't even show empathy towards my pain, he commanded me to wait at the door. Who does that?

Luca! My mate! Of course!

It felt like forever sitting there, and in that short while, my life played before my eyes like a tragic drama. Mother died, Father stopped caring, I fell into depression and no one even realized it, then came this knight in shining armor, made me fall in love with him, he took the pain away, only to return it ten folds.

What did I do to deserve this?

Eventually, the door pushed open and I scrambled to my feet, wiping my eyes like it would make any difference.

My eyes fell on them, hands intertwined, and a smug smile on each of their faces that I would have done anything to wipe off.

I hate them!

“Well, well, well, did you have a good listen, Raven darling?" Elena drawled, trailing her hands on Luca's chest, like he was hers.

But he was mine! He's supposed to be mine!

I sniffed, tearing my eyes away from them as more tears fell. “Why would you do this to me, Luca? W…why?”

There was a very painful silence for a short moment, and even that was shattered by the guttural laugh that escaped Luca's throat.

He sneered at me. "Why? You're asking me why, Raven. Tch! Do you remember what you told me when I tried to take you to my bed?”

I remembered! Is that what this is about?

Luca's voice echoed again, this time a horrible imitation of mine. " ‘No, Luca. We can't do this now. Let's wait until we're married’.” Elena snickered, hiding her face in his arms. “That was what you said, right?"

I didn't respond.

“Right?" His voice thundered again, and I almost jumped out of my skin. 

In a swift move, he was out from Elena's grip and standing barely two feet away from me. His cold hands grabbed my chin, and yanked my head upward, making me look into those dark cold eyes that I was so in love with.

“Now you listen to me, Raven. I haven't touched you, I have waited as you asked. But I'm a man, and I have needs, and just because you're not ready to have sex with me doesn't mean I won't with others.” Luca ranted. 

Others?

His grip on my chin tightened, a pained squeal escaping my lips. “Just take it as Elena filling up for you, until you're ready to take your actual position as my mate, and do the things a mate is supposed to do." 

Tears streamed down my face, even though I tried to stop it. “But… but we're not even properly mated yet. Luca, you promised to not break my heart. You… you said you were in love with me.” I mumbled stupidly.

Luca rolled his eyes, an expression of disgust settling in his face. “Me? In love with you?" He jeered at me, the butterflies in my stomach replaced by a tight knot. “Maybe I am, Raven. You can keep that little imagination going in your head, if that's what will make you any more sensible."

My eyes flickered to Elena, she was clearly trying to hold back a laugh.

He turned my face back to him, his inching closer. “I do hope I've made myself clear, Raven Covey. Stay away from I and Elena, and you better keep your mouth shut." The threat in his voice was unavoidable.

Elena snickered again. "Not like anyone would believe her. Not even with that pitiful look on your face."

Luca finally released me, and I gasped for breath, my chest heaving in an unsteady rhythm. “I know you can be pretty dumb at times, so do you understand me?" 

I didn't respond, until I felt the Alpha aura oozing out of him yet again. I immediately nodded, taking a step back.

“Good!" His tone of finality echoed in my ears.

Then, he turned to Elena, seizing her lips. “I have some work to handle. Go wait for me in the room, and when I return, we'll finish off what we started." His voice had reduced drastically, to a sweet drawl now.

Elena nodded, smiling like a stricken fool. “Yes, Alpha."

He shot me one more dreadful glance, before walking out on me.

I was finally able to breathe, with the pain of his betrayal coupled with his Alpha aura suffocating the life out of me. I sniffed, wiping the last bit of the tears from my eyes.

Elena was walking away too, towards the room to do as Luca instructed. I have no idea what came over me, but I zeroed the distance between us and grabbed her hand, roughly pulling

her to face me.

“What are you…” she began to say but I cut her short.

"You cheating snake!” I yelled at my hands flew across her face.