The Games of the Heart

Ellie's POV

“Did you hear the Alpha only married that rogue girl for her child? Because the child of a fated mate is supposed to be the strongest?”

"Or why would he marry her, a spineless low-born... What's her name, Ellie? ”

"It doesn't matter." The Alpha, my fated mate, Nolan, spoke too, "We're about to divorce."

"Right. She's useless." People surrounded him, his friends, his subordinates, laughed, like hearing a joke.

Hearing their words, the pregnancy test slipped from my hand to the floor.

I was about tell him that I was finally pregnant. After three long years.

A new life born of matebond. Of us.

I thought this would make Nolan happy; he always wanted an heir.

But when I eagerly rushed here from home, to his usual lounge, I found Nolan with a group of people laughing at me. They were calling me that rogue girl, a low-born, saying I was desperate and clinging to him.

And a woman cuddled up next to him.

His ex-girlfriend.

Felicity.

Through the lounge’s glass, Nolan sat in a private booth, his dark hair perfectly styled, the sharp line of his jaw catching the golden bar light. His suit clung to his broad frame, tailored to his strength, every inch of him composed and unreadable.

One hand rested on the velvet seat behind him, the other around a glass he hadn’t sipped. He looked like a man carved from ice and control, distant, beautiful, and entirely out of my reach—like always.

Felicity's curvy body leaned into his, her breasts nearly spilling out of her red dress as her long, golden hair fell like silk over her shoulder. She laughed, tilting her head back as she traced a finger along his sleeve. He didn’t flinch away. Didn’t correct her. Just sat there, letting it happen, his eyes fixed somewhere beyond her shoulder.

My jaw tightened. Felicity had left the pack years ago when Nolan and I had wed… She was who this party was for?

This is an extravagant Lounge, one I rarely dared go to. Only today, I didn't care all the whispers from polished, powerful people who never quite hid the way they looked down on me.

I opened the door and peeked in, hesitating around the crowd of bodies on how or… if I should approach. Next to me, a few pack members watched with interest, laughing loudly, too loudly, like they wanted to be overheard. “Felicity and Nolan, back together again. Honestly, they look perfect.”

"Felicity is so much better than that rogue girl, she’s the daughter of a Beta, after all."

"Ellie begged Nolan to marry her. How pathetic. She won’t mind if Nolan strays. She should be grateful he even touched her.”

Their laughter was cruel, biting, and not a single person in that room bothered to lower their voice. He didn't stop them.

My breath caught in my throat, and I gripped the edge of the doorframe to steady myself. I waited for Nolan to deny it. To say something.

But all he did was offer a hollow shrug.

“I simply found her forgettable,” he said, tone as indifferent as his expression. “There was no spark worth nurturing.”

The world tilted.

They saw me, eventually. Some glanced my way and looked away again, covering their mouths, amused. Others didn’t bother hiding their smirks. But Nolan’s eyes found mine last. And when they did, there was no flicker of regret. No apology. Just that same blank indifference.

"Go away," Someone yelled at me, as if trying to chase away a homeless. Someone drunk, threw a drink at me, laughing. "Go pick up trash! Isn’t that what you rogues do?"

Hope shattered like fragile glass. I turned and fled. I wasn’t even sure where I was running, but my feet carried me in a clumsy mess.

Someone called after me. A Beta, I think. "It's dangerous outside..."

“Let her go.”

That was Nolan’s voice.

“It’s time she sees her place.”

I hadn’t even realized it had started raining until my consciousness snapped back into place. My head throbbed from crying, my vision was a blur, and I had no idea where I was—

It’s not fair.

I had given everything. Bent over backwards trying to make him see me, love me. I had begged silently for scraps of affection, clinging to the hope that he would soften, that someday he would reach for me like I always reached for him, despite my place in the pack.

I burst out past the brick, my shoes spraying into a puddle.

A car honked.

Headlights flared. I turned too late.

“Bang—”

The impact slam into me, and the intense pain exploded through my body.

The light bloomed like fire, sharp and white-hot, before everything went dark as the faint howl of a wolf merged with the screech of tires.

The smell of antiseptic and linen greeted me first.

I blinked against the harsh white lights.

A hospital room, only those lights can burn your eyes that badly. My limbs felt heavy, my head thick with fog. Beeping machines echoed somewhere nearby.

“Ellie!”

A familiar voice broke through the haze. I turned my head slowly. A woman with red hair leaned over my bed, her face pale, eyes wide and red-rimmed with worry.

“Are you okay? Goddess, Ellie, you scared me. They said you just stepped onto the road without looking. What were you thinking?!”

I tried to answer, but the words tangled on my tongue. What happened... I stepped onto the road?

Why didn't I have any memory?

The door opened, and a nurse entered, followed by a man in a healer’s uniform. The healer murmured something to the nurse, then turned to me.

“How are you feeling?”

I stared at him blankly.

"Ok," The Healer clearly didn't care my answer, he took out a pen, "your name is Ellie Ashwood, right?"

I didn't give any answers. The healer furrowed his brow and brought a tablet forward, flipping through some notes. “We contacted your mate. Alpha Nolan. He mindlinked you earlier, but…”

I blinked again, slowly.

My mate...

What is mate?

Do I have memory loss or...?

Healer said, “Alpha Nolan said he thought you were just making up the accident for attention, causing trouble. Anyways, I’ll inform him you’re awake.”

A sharp silence cut through the room, then an indifferent voice was nearly in my ears, in my head.

“Ellie. Seriously?” A familiar man's voice spoke in my thoughts. “...You just had to go and make a fuss out of nothing？”

Third-person's POV

Nolan was furious.

He got a call from Healer, saying Ellie had a car accident.

He thought this was another excuse she made.

She caused all sorts of trouble these years. Throwing her tantrums, making a scene, all these drama—just to get his attention. He's had enough.

A car accident now, huh?

She’s been gone for only half an hour! What are the odds?

"I’m not doing your childish game." His voice low, "How many times are you going to use excuses to get my attention? You need to stop, Ellie. I've got better things to do - "

"Umm... what?" She sounded hesitated. "What home?"

"Go home." He ordered, "And stop bothering me."

Her voice totally confused, "I DON'T KNOW WHERE IS HOME... who the hell are you?"

"......" He said, "What?!"