002 Wella POV - Lost To Her

Wella's POV

I walk down the stairs in a long, elegant red dress. Alexander stands beside the stair railing, like a prince awaiting his love, as perfect as on our wedding day. His hand extended for me to hold.

Red is my color. He likes it when I wear red.

I thought about wearing something plain, but Ava wouldn’t like me even if I came down in fishwebs. At least this way, one of them would be happy.

Ava's face turns white when Alexander takes the tips of my finger.

The next second, Alexander pulls me into his chest so roughly that I feels like my wrist broke. Still with a smile, he tilts his head as if landing a kiss when he whispers by my ear--

“I thought I told you to stop throwing a tantrum.”

I’m not. I look up at him with confused eyes, but he is already dragging me forward. Ava is already by the door, seemingly to leave but her purse is still on the table. I almost forgot all her tricks. She used to do that when she had fights with Alexander and wanted him to chase after her.

I really don’t want to be a part of their game.

“You wanted to meet your Luna? Here she is,” Alexander puts his arm around my waist, not realizing he is so nervous that his grip is almost breaking me into halves, “You remember Wella, don’t you?”

Ava glares at him with red eyes, and he returns the exact same stubborn look.

I have seen such fights too many times. Sometimes I felt like Ava also had Alpha blood in her, because she could be just competitive and stubborn just like Alexander. The difference is, I was just an audience before. I never knew having the pressure coming from two gamecocks all on me was so hard to breath.

I thought Ava would shout “why are you so cruel to me”. The old Ava would. She was the proud princess spoiled by everyone, including the Alpha in front of her.

But she is not.

She just lets the tears fall, and instantly Alexander lets go of my waist.

“You have my deepest sorry and respect...Luna,” Ava says with trembling lips. Her tear leaving a glimmering trail down her cheek as she bents her knees to kneel.

Alexander pulls her up roughly into his arms, “What the hell are you doing?!”

I take a step back sneakily. Just one sentence, and I know I already lost to her. After so long, she still knows how to push his buttons. After so much happened, he still couldn’t endure even a tear from her.

What a clown have I been, thinking I could ever take her place?

Alexander was wrong. I didn’t know my place. I was stupid enough to let myself drown in an illusion everyone had warned me about.

“She was your fated, I understand,” Ava bites her lips to stop her tears from falling, “You needed her power to heal your legs, the kind of power I could never give you--”

“I didn’t fucking touch her for that! What kind of a man do you take me?! I waited for--” Alexander bursts out only to stop himself halfway, but he already lost when he showed his heart.

Ava shoots a surprised glance at me with more tears falling out, but I see a shade of triumphant light in her eyes. Just for a second.

Maybe it was never there, but call that a wife’s hunch. It was the kind of flaunt when a woman claims the ownership of a man’s heart.

Alexander hurt his spine in a fight three years ago. Even the pack witch saw no hope of him to ever be able to walk again. His father forced his hand in marrying me, partly because Ava was no longer in the picture, and partly because, bonding with fated is extra power to Alexander. But he didn’t want to borrow the fate’s power to heal himself, and he didn’t lie. He never touched me until there were signs of his legs getting back senses.

In fact, he hated me for two whole years. He would throw things at me whenever I enter his room to change him, fed him and deliver his medicine. When there was nothing to throw, he began throwing nasty words. It was his darkest time as much as it was mine. I turned myself into a numb puppet, taking in all the abuse until it changed for silent resist, and then confusion why I stayed by him, all the way to the day when he called me his luna for the first time.

I wish he DID mark me for his legs, at least that way, I would know that I was only a tool to him. That way, I wouldn’t have mistaken the tenderness he gave me as love.

I would have protected my heart, and reserved myself for my mate. Unlike now, too broken with nothing left to heal.

Alexander looks over at me, and I lower my eyes before I could think it through. But I don’t want to see his eyes. If there was guilt, it only confirmed that he still loved her. If there wasn’t, then...

It would make me even more pathetic.

He takes a step towards me. It takes all my will power to not turn and run. But then Ava grabs my hands first before he could--

“I’m really grateful that you would allow me to come home, my Luna!” Ava spouts these words in tears before she picks up her dress and runs out.

Alexander stares at me for a long second, but then he chases after her.