Chapter 13

Valen’s POV

I paused, after my fist landed instinctively on his face for the last time

"What did you say?"

"I said she's not Veyra!" he repeated desperately. "Everyone knows that Veyra is with you and no one will mess with her, man. This is my mate, Vera! Her name is Vera! Not Veyra!"

I blinked rapidly- so fast that if my eyelashes were wings, I would have taken off flying. This situation was so awkward. I felt confusion and shame all at once. It was difficult, but I managed to turn to look at the girl who had already fallen to the ground after I pushed her when she tried to stop me because I was beating her mage. Her clothes were already torn, she was in so much pain- because her mate bond was still very young and she felt every blow I landed on her mate because of the mates this year. She was crying profusely, holding her face in pain

For the first time, I really looked at her and I saw that she wasn't Veyra.

She looked nothing like Veyra- just the bright red hair

This girl, she was darker, taller. She had a more round face and her wolfen eye colour was jade. How had I not noticed this immediately?

“Because your paranoia is making you act like a mad dog,” Dada tells me rudely, but I ignore him

I stared at the girl for a long time. I still feel stupid for what just happened. I just rudely interrupted two random teenagers who had been having their own private moment after being mated, and I had just attacked them like some kind of mad man.

"But... but I heard him say Veyra," I stammered, when her eyes locked with mine. I explained to her out of me defending myself than out of me caring about what I had just done.

The boy, who was now standing but not getting near to me, shook his head. "I said Vera. Her name is Vera. We got mated this night."

"Vera, Veyra,” I repeated slowly. The names indeed sounds alike. There is a slight difference between Veyra and Vera. I am not too tired to be blamed, it was the boy that should have pronounced the name very well. What was he expecting when I was expecting to hear one specific name? The whole thing was not my fault.

The girl - Vera - was still crying, and she looked shaken, in pain and terrified. I was sure that I had given her a painful experience that she she would not forget in a hurryThe boy had a torn shirt, he had what looked a bruise on his arm where I'd grabbed him and his face was swollen- one eye shut already

I felt embarrassed. This was bad. This was really, really bad.

They look at me as if they are waiting for me to say something - something me and them knew I should say

But instead of doing what I should have done - apologizing to them to see if they would forgive me - I did something else entirely. Gina had always told me that she liked the way I had that alpha behavior in me and that is why she and My had me so much. I needed to put up my alpha act and stop, acting embarrassed

I reached into my pocket and pulled out a thick wad of cash. Without counting it, I threw it at the boy's feet while making sure my face had no expression in it. I wanted to look nonchalant.

"Take this and go treat yourself," I said, simply "Get yourself checked out or whatever."

The boy stared at the money, then back at me. "Are you serious right now? You attack me for no reason, and you are just throwing money at me? Look at how scared my mate is!”

"I could give you more money if you want," I replied

"Just say sorry" he demanded, his voice getting stronger as if he was growing angry "You just beat me up because you can't tell the difference between your girlfriend and my girlfriend. Was it my fault? The least you should do is to apologize to us

I looked at him, letting my eyes roam around him for a moment. Who does he think he is to ask the future alpha to apologize to him? If not that I had other things to do, I would have punished him. But now I had to look for Veyra and I didn’t have time for petty things like this. When I had my fill gawking in his weakness and poverty, I immediately shook my head with finality. "I'm not apologizing."

"Excuse me, what?" Both he and his mate, Vera, looked at me like I was crazy. I could already see sparkles of anger in his eyes.

“What do you mean?” he asked through gritted teeth

"I said I'm not apologizing," I repeated even more nonchalantly. "I'm the future alpha of this pack. Alphas don't apologize. That money is the best you're going to get from me, so I suggest you take it and go treat yourself."

I can’t see the boy is full of rage, because of the position in the pack he had to hold back his anger just talk-sensibly at that. “How were you not able to tell that my girl is not your girl? Now you are making me look weak in her eyes”

"Take the money and consider yourself lucky that I'm being this generous. Most people don't get anything “ I shot at him

"Why are you even insecure about your girlfriend? Everybody in this pack knows that Veyra loves you so much and she wouldn’t cheat on you”

I didn't respond to that. Instead, I threw two more wads of cash at his feet, turned and walked away,

As soon as I was out of their sight, I heard Dada's voice in my head

"You're a fool, Valen," he said bluntly. "An absolute fool."

"It was just a simple mistake ," I replied, still walking away and looking for any sign of Veyra. "It happens."

Dada's voice was incredulous. "You just attacked two innocent people because you heard someone say a name that sounded like Veyra's. You're losing your mind. You are just paranoid ."

"I just want to know the truth”

"That is your own sweetened way of saying that you are being paranoid," Dada corrected. "You're going up and down, embarrassing yourself, embarrassing your father, embarrassing me and embarrassing our pack. You just proved that you can't think straight when it comes to Veyra. Why don’t you trust her? I have a feeling that her friend, Gina is lying.. What if those kids tell their parents? What if word gets back to your father about how his future alpha is running around attacking random teenagers?"

“Nothing will happen,” I roll my eyes. “Just relax”

"You need to give up this search," Dada snorted. "You need to go back to the celebration ground, or better to go home, sleep on this. You need to do more. I’m just believing Gina hook line and sinker. You need to do your own research"

“What do you think I am doing? This is research !” I snap. “ I am trying to find Veyra, so that I can know if she is cheating on me. This is fucking research !”

"And what if you find out Gina is telling the truth?" Dada asked. "What if you find Veyra with someone else? What then? Are you going to attack them too? Are you going to throw money at them and walk away like a fool that you have proven to be time and time again?"

I didn’t reply. I just kept walking . This time around I was going to another axis.