Chapter 3 - Our Fate and Freedom

AMERIE

Why were males fucking assholes?

How could they cheat on their females with their friends and even steal kisses when they should have met their girlfriends in the same area?

Okay. Not all males did that, but I just met one, the asshole Jim. How could he dare to cheat on me when we should have fun at our friend’s birthday party?

“You misunderstood us. We don’t have any relationship. We’re just friends.”

I rolled my eyes at his explanation. Seriously, he made such an excuse? He kissed her. Still, he called her just a friend.

Only a dumb female would believe that!

Oh, the friend wasn’t a birthday girl, by the way. It was his friend, not mine.

So I told Jim to fuck off, and by doing that, I freed my boyfriend. He is no longer my boyfriend.

How did I feel? Did it hurt?

It was. Knowing someone I tried to give my trust was being unfaithful... It broke my heart.

But don’t worry. I wasn’t as broken as before when Brandon found his mate. I had learned the lesson not to put all feet inside unless he was my mate whom I doubted to find. I was wolfless.

No wolf.

No mate.

I blinked, sending the thought to the back of my mind the moment Jim opened the door. I was glad he didn’t make a scene and left in peace because I wasn’t in the mood to drag this drama more. It was enough witnessing his unfaithfulness. I didn’t want to deal with him anymore. Moreover, after I spotted someone who might be enjoying our fight.

“Are you enjoying the show, Alpha?” I asked as I made my way toward him. Yes. He is an Alpha. I could sense a powerful aura from him.

“It’s a nice show.” He smirked, showing how cocky he was. And I found myself raising an eyebrow at his reaction. He didn’t even hide or at least make an excuse for his action. “You should slap him. It will be a remarkable show.” He added.

But then I must remind myself that he is an Alpha. He has his own pride—typical Alpha. Even my brother has it, too.

“I'm tired of drama,” I told him, taking the empty seat beside him.

“He should get punishment for cheating on you.”

I chuckled at his words. Somehow, it sounded funny to get such concern from the male species who loved to play around with females. Especially since he is an Alpha, and the shifter world knows how the reputation Alphas have. “I think by not dragging it any longer and just letting it go, it will be the best punishment. He'll be wondering how he stood  in my life and in our relationship and the incident was affecting.”

He didn’t answer right away. But then he gave a nod. “It looks like you're right. He’ll get frustrated.”

“Yes. And I don’t want to be the loser to burst my emotion in front of him.”

This time, he remained silent for a few seconds, and all the while, his eyes kept staring at mine. “Maybe you don’t love him deep enough to trigger your reaction.” He stated right to the point.

“Maybe you're right.” 

Perhaps I should thank the Goddess for showing me now instead of later when I might have grown a deeper feeling for him. It definitely wouldn’t be as easy as this.

“Drink?” He suddenly thrust the bottle in his hand to me.

I glanced and recognized it was the strongest human alcohol. Thus, I shook my head. “I don’t have a wolf.” Another meaning was that I couldn’t take the alcohol if I didn’t want to end up drunk and not knowing where fate brought me.

He took the bottle back before uttering another offer. “Then, the lightest one?”

I chuckled. “Nice try, Alpha. And it’s working.”

“I know. Alcohol is the best friend in this situation.” He commented, then turned his attention to the bartender nearby. “The lightest bottle for the winner.”

My laughter was getting louder. He indeed persisted and wasn’t used to no. Just the typical Alpha.

The bartender brought a new bottle a minute later, and I didn’t waste emptying half of it in one gulp. If it was merely less than three bottles of the lightest alcohol, I could still take it.

“So, which pack are you from, Alpha?” I asked after placing the bottle back on the table. I deliberately didn’t return my gaze to him and instead focused on the bottle I was playing with my hand.

There were reasons for both my question and action. First, I had studied the nearby packs, and none had Alpha with that face. Second, because he is an Alpha. Everyone knows how powerful his aura is and the effects on lower-rank or ordinary wolves like me, especially his charm. Thus I avoided embarrassing myself on our first meeting.

Oh, even an Alpha's sister wasn’t immune to his charm.

“How do you know I’m not from here?” He replied with another question, clearly careful not to give the detail easily.

“You're an Alpha, and as far as I know, you're not the Alpha of Crescent Pack or Blood Moon Pack.” I gave a reason. I had studied the closest packs, not really deep, and just enough to get a glimpse of who was ruling the surrounding territory. In fact, it was basic knowledge for every shifter who lived in the city. “So you must come from elsewhere,” I added with a conclusion.

“Make sense.”

“So... where are you from?” I repeated my question.

“Red River Pack.”

“Red River Pack? It’s pretty far from here.” As I said, basic knowledge was important, especially since I now live in the south. “What are you doing here? Is it for business?”

“Kind of.” He then turned his head and looked at me with his pierce gaze. “And you? What are you doing here instead of celebrating Luna Ceremony?”

Ah, right. The Luna Ceremony. I heard Blood Moon Pack holding it tonight, and he must be their guest.

I raised the bottle, sipping a bit before speaking, “I'm not part of Blood Moon Pack. Or Crescent Pack.” I knew the Luna was the sister of Crescent Pack's Alpha.

Okay. I admitted. I dug a bit deeper.

“You’re not?”

I nodded. “I'm from the east. I'm here to study in university in this city.”

“How long have you been here?”

“Around a year.”

“I see.”

Silence and I used the moment to anticipate our next conversation as well as feel his aura more. He indeed emitted a powerful aura. But there was something odd about it. It felt like a mess.

“Luna Ceremony, is it? It must be a wonderful day.” I began a new topic a minute later. “But why are you here in a bar, drinking and alone? Where’s your friend?”

He didn’t answer right away and made me regret asking that. Was I invading his life?

“What do you think?” He responded in an ambiguous tone when I was about to say sorry. This caused me to curse inward because I somehow wanted this meeting to work.

“Me?” I was actually a bit surprised. Why was it back to me? “It’s about you, not me. But if I need to make a guess, you must be feeling the same as me, so I have company to celebrate.” I forced a chuckle to right my mistake and lighten the mood.

“To celebrate?”

“For my fate and my freedom.”

Peals of laughter erupted from his throat, which caused me to subconsciously sigh in relief. It worked. “You’re right. We must celebrate your fate and your freedom—ours.”