Chapter 3 Leave the Room, Ella

Ella’s POV

“Ha!”

Stella burst out laughing.

I turned to her, wondering what could possibly be funny about any of this. 

She doubled over, clutching her stomach and her shoulders shaking so hard I was half-afraid the short towel wrapped around her body would slip. 

Her long blonde hair hung in damp waves down her back, and the fresh red marks scattered across her neck and the upper curve of her chest were impossible to ignore.

My embarrassment twisted into something sharper and uglier as she straightened while  wiping imaginary tears from her eyes and still not bothering to look at me properly. 

Then she walked straight to Alpha Kane and wrapped both hands around his bicep, pressing her chest against him like she owned the space. Her green eyes finally cut to mine, sharp as broken glass.

“Baby.., is this one of those tricks you talked about?” she asked, her voice light and mocking. 

“And who exactly are you? One of those whores here to try and seduce the Alpha? Awww, didn’t your predecessors tell you how they failed?”

My face flushed, but not from shame. With my hands clenching into fists as I snapped, 'Whore? Who are you calling a whore? 

“Oh?” She looked me up and down with open disgust.

Then, realization dawned on her, and a mocking smile spread across her face. “Ah, so you’re the famous wolfless Ella, aren’t you? I know you. What exactly makes you think you’re worthy of standing in the same room as him?”

I gritted my teeth. “Being wolfless doesn’t make me worthless.”

Alpha Kane’s face remained hidden from me, but the tight set of his shoulders told me he was listening or maybe thinking and choosing not to interfere.

Stella turned fully to Alpha Kane, sliding her arm through his like she owned him.

“Look how disrespectful you are. Can’t you see what our relationship means? I’m going to be the future Luna, and I’ll rule this pack alongside Alpha Kane.” she said, sweet poison dripping from every word.

“Some are born to stand above others, while some pathetic girls…” She turned her head and smiled at me, “…are born to be nothing.”

I stepped closer. Alpha Kane’s shoulders stiffened further.

“You know,” I said, keeping my voice clear and even, “you’re absolutely right. I’m plain. I’m nothing. I have no wolf, yes.  All of that is true.” I held her gaze without flinching.

“But you know what else is true? You’re so desperate for his validation that you’re willing to demean someone else just to make yourself feel bigger. That’s not strength and it is definitely  not Luna material. That’s just sad.”

The silence that followed was thick.

“That’s enough,” Alpha Kane said sharply. His voice cut through the room like a blade. “Leave the room, Ella.”

He still didn’t look at me.

Stella laughed again, delighted. “Wow. Rejected already?! How pitiful!” She pressed closer to Alpha Kane’s side and took his arm possessively.

I stared at the back of his head.

“Are you letting me leave because you agree with her?” My voice came out quieter than I intended.

His silence was answer enough. Being wolfless meant being worthless. He needed a worthy mate.

Fine. Just fine.

I turned and walked out without another word.

It hurt. Even if he weren't my stepbrother, he'd reject me because I was wolfless. How could an Alpha ever be mated to a wolfless girl?

I bit down hard on my lip until the tears burned back into the darkest corners of my mind.

It’s fine, I told myself as I wiped off my tears. He doesn’t know. He has no idea that the girl he kissed in the garden, the one whose scent he called captivating, is the same wolfless stepsister he just ordered out of his room.

I will never tell him.

Never.

****

Alpha Kane’s POV

I stared at the ceiling, mind miles away from Stella and the bed we were still tangled in and I could still taste Ella’s strawberry lip gloss. So how could she taste like my mate?

I could still hear the soft, startled sound she had made when my mouth first claimed hers. Sweet, intriguing and wrong in a way that made my wolf sit up and pay attention. I'd never felt this way about Stella before. I even refused to waste even a second wondering if she was the female I usually fucked to take the edge off.

I held her, kissed her neck and started undressing her and she froze immediately.

Then the bathroom door opened and Stella walked out, marked and half-naked, and everything had gone to hell.

Damn it. Ella was my stepsister. If Dad found out, he'd kill me.

I hadn’t heard half of what Stella said. All I could focus on was the way Ella’s lips felt on my, the way her pulse had jumped under my mouth.

How could I have mistaken Ella for Stella? Why did Ella make me feel exactly the same way my mate did? It made no fucking sense. Guilt and confusion had been roaring too loudly in my head. 

I only wanted her out of my sight so I could make sense of everything. She had no idea how much she had been haunting my thoughts. But when I finally ordered her out of the room, she looked at me as if I had just confirmed every low opinion she already held of me.

Fuck. I screwed it up.

I let out a heavy sigh and slung an arm over my eyes.

“Baby?” Stella lifted her head, staring down at me. Her hair was a messy halo around her face, cheeks still flushed from earlier. “Wanna go again?”

I forced myself to look at her. My gaze landed on the marks I had left on her neck.

Ella had seen every single one of them.

The way she had looked at me—it was like she was looking at some asshole who'd spent the night kissing twenty different girls.

Oh, no. Wait. What would my mate think if she saw this?

“Baby, I’m talking to you.”

Stella leaned in so close that her breasts were almost against my face. I could feel the quiet hope in the way she pressed against me, the way her fingers traced lazy patterns over my skin. 

We had agreed from the beginning this was casual. 

Stress and relief, nothing more. 

But she wanted more than this. Sometimes when we were finished like she was waiting for me to say the words that would make this permanent.

A serious realization hit me. I'd been with Stella for so long that I'd grown used to our relationship, barely giving it a second thought anymore. But now I've met my mate. That changed everything. I couldn't betray my mate. Whatever I had with Stella had to end cleanly.

I pushed her away, “Stella, this ends here. Don’t come here anymore.”

She froze, the smile on her face fading. “What? Why? I thought you and I were going to—”

“I met my mate.” I cut her off, bending down to pick up the T-shirt from the floor and pulling it over my head. “We agreed on this from the beginning, didn’t we?”

Her eyes widened. “Kane, I’m willing to keep sleeping with you. I don’t care if I have to be your secret. Even if you’ve found your mate—”

“Stop.” My Alpha voice dropped before she opened her mouth again, “that’s an order. I’ll cancel your access to this place.”

For a moment, she just stared at me, as if she couldn't believe it.

“Get dressed, then leave.” With that, I turned and walked out of the room.

I had found my mate, and there was no room for anyone else anymore.