Chapter Two: Turning Into A Monster

Alec’s Point of View

It’s been three days since my ex-mate was taken to the dungeons. Right now, I have Stephanie on my lap in my office as we wait for my father to arrive. Stephanie has tried to get in my pants for the last few days, but I can’t enjoy her anymore. What the hell is wrong with me? My ex-mate has never bothered me before. Why does it bother me now that she is in the dungeon? I have seen her getting beaten up several times and never batted an eye. I didn’t directly participate in her beatings, but I had seen my father carry out several of them.

“You are weird,” Stephanie said, and I know she was right, but what can I say to her when I don’t understand my own feelings? “Ever since that bitch came…”

I didn’t let her finish, as a growl came from me that I couldn’t control. Fuck I need to calm myself, and especially my wolf. I haven’t heard from him since I rejected my mate. Once in a while, he makes himself present but doesn’t say anything to me.

“See? You are growling at me. What is going on with you?” I composed myself and tried to talk to Mars again, but I was completely ignored.

“Nothing is going on. I need your sister to agree to become the king’s breeder. But she refuses to, even though she has been tortured since she was dragged to the dungeon.” Part of it is true; I need that alliance to make this pack stronger. But at the same time, it bothers me that she has to be with another man. I didn’t even get a taste. She didn’t let me. I still remember the day she found out we were mates.

***

I have known since I turned sixteen that she was my mate, but that must be wrong; she doesn’t even have a wolf. How can someone so weak become a Luna? It was not possible. So, I waited until she turned sixteen, since I am three years older than she is. It was a long wait. Every year, it was harder for me to control myself. Iris is beautiful, with her caramel skin and those gorgeous green eyes contrasting with her dark curly hair. She has amazing curves that everyone would die for. Her body had grown beautifully, even if she was food deprived.

She may not realize it, but many of the males in the pack wanted her, not as their mate, but to have some fun. It infuriated me. When we turn twelve, we can hear our wolves and start to mind link. In fact, the higher the rank, the sooner you hear your wolf. Iris had never heard her wolf, and since her mom died during her birth, it was said that she was cursed.

No one wanted a cursed mate.

That didn’t stop me from wanting her, so I decided to be with her older sister, Stephanie. She is not as pretty as Iris, and although both of them have the same complexion, Stephanie doesn’t have the spark Iris does. When Iris turned sixteen, it was clear that she didn’t have a wolf, which only proved that she wasn’t worthy of being a Luna.

I waited until the full moon rose that night and went to find her. It wasn’t hard. Her strawberry scent was stronger than ever, and I let it take me to her. I reached the lake in our territory and found her. She looked up at the sky as a few tears trailed down her beautiful face. My heart ached, but I quickly recovered when she turned her head toward me and looked me directly in the eyes. The look she gave me clearly indicated that she knew what we were.

I was surprised she could recognize me as her mate since she didn’t have a wolf. Or did she? Well, it didn’t matter. I came here for a reason and would not back down now.

“Please don’t do it, Alec; she is our gift from the Moon Goddess,” Mars said, but I couldn’t care less.

Before I started talking, she said something that startled me.

“You came here to reject me, right?” She said flatly.

I was astonished for a moment. Why doesn’t she look sad? It was almost as if she expected this.

“Why do you care, asshole? You want her to suffer?” Mars snarled.

My wolf was mad at me, and I couldn’t blame him; all your wolf wants is your mate, but I couldn’t give him what he wanted.

“I don’t care; she can’t be Luna; she is weak.” I replied.

“Mark my words, Alec. If you reject her, I won’t forgive you,” he threatened.

“It is too bad that I don’t care what anyone thinks,” I countered.

“I know your wolf Mars doesn’t want to reject me, but I refuse to be with someone who has known I’m his mate and decided to be with my sister,” she said, making me look at her in confusion. Only a few people know my wolf’s name, and I doubt someone told her.

“How do you know his name?” I asked, genuinely curious.

“It doesn’t matter. I, Iris Sommers, daughter of Maxwell and Aurora Sommers, Beta of the Blue Lake Pack, reject you, Alec Diamond, future Alpha, as my mate and the future Luna.” She said confidently.

As soon as she finished speaking, I felt our bond break. It was so painful that I almost fell; my chest was on fire, and a few tears escaped my eyes. Why isn’t she in pain?

“I, Alec Diamond, accept your rejection, Iris Sommers, as my m- m- mate and L- L- Luna,” I managed to say, stuttering at the end. As soon as I finished, the most tremendous pain I have ever felt came to me. I didn’t understand how she was still standing.

“Mars, why doesn’t she feel the rejection?” I asked my wolf. He must have a clue why she seemed unbothered by all of this.

“I don’t know; she must be powerful,” he said, whimpering as he retreated to the back of my mind.

What he said at the end had my mind running a thousand miles per hour. Iris powerful? But she doesn’t have a wolf. I would ask her why she was so unfazed by the rejection, but then she spoke.

“I am not going to answer any questions that you may have. I have known that you are my mate for two years now. I knew you would reject me, so I saved you the drama. Leave me alone from now on.” Her face is emotionless.

My goodness, she is so beautiful, even more with those angry eyes.

***

After she rejected me, she left. I stayed there for a few hours until the pain subsided, then went back home. I didn’t understand what happened that night, but I've decided to be close to her ever since. I couldn’t be noticeable, so I did what everybody did: I bullied her.

I was taken out of my thoughts when my father entered my office. He looked angry; for what reason, I don’t know. He is always angry. He cares only about power, not about anything else. Always treated my mom like shit.

“Like you are any different from him,” Mars growled.

Wait Mars? I was going to try to talk with my wolf when my father spoke.

“We need Iris to agree to be the king’s breeder. From what I have gathered, he won’t accept any breeder who is being forced to be with him. Apparently, he doesn’t like to force himself on others. What a pussy.” He exclaimed.

“I wouldn’t talk about the king like that; you know how cruel he can be as well as I do,” I said.

My father scoffed at my remark.

“Yeah, yeah. Back to the point. How are we going to make that girl agree?” He mumbled.

I was asking myself the same thing. I knew that we couldn’t force Iris to become his breeder. Even if we did, she would be one hell of a firecracker, and everyone would know that we forced her.

“We threaten her,” Stephanie said. That got my father’s attention.

“And with what may we threaten her, dear? From what I know, everyone hates her and treats her poorly,” he said. And it was true. I don’t think she has a single friend.

“Her only friend here. That she-wolf Silvana. She would do anything to protect her.” Stephanie explained.

It wasn’t a bad plan, but we couldn’t hurt other pack members without a reason.

“We can’t hurt her, Stephanie, you know that,” I reminded her.

“We will not hurt her; just make her think we would.” She corrected me.

“And if she realizes that you are bluffing?” I insisted.

Iris wasn’t stupid and wouldn’t fall for such a trick.

“She won’t trust me.” She said confidently.

I saw her smile, but something about it didn’t sit well with me.

“Well, dear, if you think you can convince her, go to the dungeons and do your magic.” My father said.

After that, Stephanie stood up and left the office after she kissed me on the cheek.

“You do realize, Father, that if her plan backfires, Iris won’t budge anymore,” I told my father. Sometimes, he gets too power-hungry to realize his plans are too stupid.

“We will see what happens.” He doesn’t sound the least preoccupied. Does that mean he would actually hurt a pack member to get what he wants?

“Would that surprise you?” Mars said, and I had to agree with him. My father was someone cruel. Am I becoming like him?