Chapter 2

Tessa's POV

I raised a hand to my burning cheek, blinking rapidly at the tears filling my eyes as Eric glared down at me, chest heaving. He had been the one to kiss me, and all I did was return it.

Why was I being slapped?

Paige got down from the stage and hurried over to us, vengeance alight in her gaze. She wrapped herself all over her husband, who happened to be my mate, causing my wolf inner pain.

I did my best not to react to her overflowing display of affection toward him. She hugged and kissed his face while glaring at me. I reminded myself that I couldn't allow my wolf to attack her, knowing that I would be defeated.

“How could you throw yourself on my husband like that, especially on our anniversary and in our home?” Paige started but was interrupted by my father, who hurriedly approached us and immediately grabbed my arm. He pulled me back and faced the angry couple himself instead.

“Alpha and Luna, I’m sure Tessa is as surprised about the mate bond as you are. Why don’t we go somewhere more private where we can discuss this?”

For the first time, Eric seemed aware of the stares and furious whispers that had enveloped the entire party. He glanced around, glowering at me after taking it all in as if I was the cause of that as well. I try not to let the disdain in his eyes affect me too much.

“Fine.” Eric gritted out.

“Please continue to enjoy yourselves while we go and sort out some… issues. We’ll be right back.” He addressed the crowd loudly before stalking away with Paige in tow.

I followed behind my father with my head hung low, wishing with all my might that the floor could just open up and swallow me whole. My father shared none of my reservations or embarrassment as it seemed though. There was a spring in his step that hadn’t been there an hour before we arrived, and I knew it had everything to do with this sudden occurrence.

As Alpha Eric’s true mate, I was now a useful bargaining chip to further him and his political ambitions. Nothing could bring him more pleasure. Not even me suddenly gaining an Alpha wolf.

When we were safely hidden within what looked like a private conference room, Paige whirled on us, glaring at me the entire time.

“I hate this,” she hissed.

Eric went up to her, reaching out his hands in a placating gesture. “Babe, of course, it won’t. I love you. I’d never go anywhere.”

She gripped his hands possessively and my wolf thrashed. I did my best to hold her steady.

“Well, if the Luna finds a marriage between you and your mate so disagreeable…” My father started, but Luna Paige snarled at his mention of the term mate, and I flinched, wishing he would stop being so inflammatory. “…perhaps Tessa can stay as your mistress instead.”

My jaw dropped at his words, and I gaped at my father, wondering how he could be so cruel.

Did he ever care about me at all? Couldn’t he even pretend a little bit? At least for our dignity's sake?

“Dad, I don’t wa─”

“Quiet!” My dad snapped at me with a furious glare before turning his attention back to the couple, who glared at him with a look akin to disgust.

Even though it was my father whom they were talking to, I couldn’t help but feel some of the shame rub off on me, and I cringed.

“I’m afraid that just wouldn’t work for me, Abel. Paige is the only woman I love. Fate mate or not, with a bond or nothing, Tessa places nothing in my life.”

“And I reject having you as a mate.” I burst out saying, unwilling to let any of them believe, even for a second longer, that I wanted to destroy their marriage.

They both glared at me, my father turning fully to hiss at me. “Don’t you dare reject the Alpha, you good-for-nothing girl!”

“But I─”

“Shut your mouth before I shut it for you! Don’t you know what happens when you reject a mate bond?” he growled.

I felt hurt, but I fell silent because I remembered that if one of the two fated mates rejected the other, then both would be weakened. If they combined, both their powers would be reinforced.

I was already a weak omega; I didn’t care about being even weaker, but as the Alpha of multiple packs by proxy, Eric could not afford to weaken.

In fact, he needed all the reinforcement he could get so he couldn’t outrightly reject me. I guess that would explain why my outburst had earned glares from both him and his wife, despite the fact that he clearly didn’t want me either.

“So if you won’t marry her or keep her as a mistress, how do you plan to take advantage of the power of the mate bond?”

“I don’t know. All I know is I don’t want her anywhere around me.” Eric growled but didn’t deny wanting the advantages of the mate bond. My dad snorted, our position making him bolder than he usually was with the Alpha.

“The mate bond will affect you even worse when you’re separated. You’d want each other constantly. The only way to satisfy your wolves is by consenting to it or rejecting each other outrightly.”

Despite his proclamations of love and loyalty to Paige, I could see the calculation in Eric’s eyes. He considered my presence as if trying to work out how he could eat his cake and have it.

Paige’s eyes were also narrowed on me, but only to assess how much of a threat I would be to them. Well, I would finally give him a worthwhile connection to an Alpha he needed. Greedy, selfish bastards, all three of them.

“Eric?” Paige prompted at his continued silence.

“You won’t intentionally weaken yourself like this, will you, Alpha? You owe it to your pack to maximize the full extent of your power.”

Paige glared at my father, as did I. Why was he doing this? Could he for once care about me past what use I could be to him?

“Dad, I really don’t want to─”

I tried again but to no avail. Dad cut me off with a sharp glare, signaling me to face punishment if I were to interrupt again. Hence, I kept my mouth shut.

“Eric─” Paige started.

“Alpha─” My dad said at the same time.

Eric made a frustrated sound, gripping his smoothly laid hair. “Both of you, stop it! I─I need some space to think!”

With that, he whirled around and left the room.

“Eric!” Paige called out and hurried after him, giving me one last malicious look before she left.

Immediately, the door closed behind them; my dad whirled on me.

“You good for nothing, omega! You couldn’t even shut up your stupid little yap for all of five minutes while I negotiated a proper deal, could you? Do you know what your useless wolf managed to do for you? She got the Alpha’s wolf to pick her as her mate! And you have the gall to reject him?”

He towered over me, his face thunderous, and for a moment, I feared he would hit me. Instead, after one last glare, he turned on his heels and stormed off.

Tears filled my eyes at his departure. I didn’t think I could stay at the banquet for even a second longer. I sorely needed to go home so I could bury my face in the pillow and cry my heart out.

I went down the stairs, intending to find the door. However, sharp pain lanced through my chest, and I gasped, freezing in my tracks at its intensity. For some reason, my wolf felt incredibly hurt, and the emotion seeped into me before I could figure out why.

My mate…he was kissing someone else…I felt the realization in her, and the tears started to rush down my cheek. I cleaned them furiously, continuing to climb down the stairs. I needed to reject Eric.

No matter what anyone said, I refused to resign to being treated like trash for the rest of my life, and that was exactly what would happen if I allowed Eric and my father to use me as they liked.

I got to the ground floor and turned towards the hall that led to the door. My heart squeezed in my chest when I was Eric and Paige locked in a passionate embrace. His back was to me, his arms were wrapped about hers, and his head tilted to the side.

There was so much pain in my chest that I had to look down to make sure I didn’t have a wound there. I couldn’t look away from the scene, my wolf crying out desperately to go to her mate and me doing everything I could to hold her off.

Paige’s arms were already wrapped around his neck, but they tightened. A satisfied glint entered her eyes once she saw me. She growled low in her throat and clutched tighter at Eric, kissing him more deeply.

His hands were around her waist. He had her pressed so closely against him that they might as well have been glued together.

Inside me, my wolf howled.

Eric’s eyes met mine, and a tear slipped down my cheek as he held Paige tighter while his hands groped her ass; all the while, his eyes were locked with mine…