3

Alessio

“Mate.” I found myself whispering.

My whole body had gone still in shock. All emotions faded in a few moments as I stared at the girl standing in front of me with a transfixed gaze.

My wolf jumped in happiness in my chest. I felt like I had never even experienced a moment of this feeling before. It was different, the world suddenly felt like a brighter, more beautiful place.

My whole world changed within those few seconds.

My coldness and frivolousness had faded, and warmth had taken over my face. My hand suddenly lifted up in the air to touch the side of her face. She closed her eyes, leaning close to his touch without even realizing it. As soon as my fingers touched her skin, I felt like my skin was on fire.  

Her scent had surrounded my whole body like I was in a valley of flowers. Her scent surrounded me, making me feel protective and loving of her and all the thousands of emotions that I had never experienced before in my whole life.

“You are mates? Mia is your mate?!” someone shouted from behind, breaking us out of the trance and bringing us back to reality, reminding us that we were not the only ones standing here.

I lowered my hand but my gaze did not move away from her face, “Yes. She is my mate.” 

“Who are you?” I asked the girl in a soft voice.

I could see the heat on her face, her cheeks were burning up. She bit her lip, my wolf was going crazy with joy.

“She can not be your mate,” the man standing right next to her, beta Liam, murmured, his voice shaking in shock, trying to hold her hand.

It was then that I looked at Liam and noticed their adjoining hands. My jaw tightened at the mere sight, my lips twisting in anger. My wolf shuddered in rage inside me.

“Leave her hand,” I growled, baring my fangs at Liam threateningly, “you’re not allowed to touch my mate.” 

Liam’s hold tightened around her fingers instead of loosening. Mia turned her eyes to see Liam whose face had turned white as chalk.

“Liam,” she whispered, “Let go of me.”

“We are not going to accept Mia as our Luna!” a girl shouted from behind in her high-pitched voice. She had obviously gotten over the shock by now and was screaming at the top of her lungs with an irritated, angry growl, “a filthy little Omega who first killed our alpha. Seduced our beta. And now you, Alpha Alessio?”

“Olivia! Don’t interrupt their communi-” a warrior tried to stop her, but she continued to screech with her whole face red and her eyes burning.

“What kind of black magic is this slut using? Our whole pack has been destroyed because of her!” Olivia screamed, pointing at me with her trembling, red finger, 

“She is nothing but a power-hungry whore! She seduced Beta Liam and made him kill our alpha. Now when she saw the Luna title slipping out of her hands, she instantly switched her attention to you, Alpha Alessio. Are you seriously going to mate with such a girl?”

“Murderer! Alpha Killer!” shouted a man. Mia shivered and stumbled back.

“She killed him. She killed our alpha!”

“Sinner!” a woman spat with disgust.

Mia looked at me with a nervous, scared gaze.

“Don’t listen to them,” she begged. 

There was something going on. Something not good. She has killed her alpha?

“Believe in her!” my wolf hissed in anxiousness. 

I want to listen to her. Staring at my mate, she’s the only thing I want to look at forever.

But I’m an Alpha, not any werewolves. And I have the duty to watch out for dangerous elements all the time..

My face turned stern, my wolf came at the very edge of my chest and started to claw to get out. 

Liam grabbed her hand again.

“Liam.” she whispered.

My anger increased even more. I want to tear him apart. Who the fuck is this man? And why is he clinging on to her like she is his mate?!

Suddenly Olivia was grabbed by my beta, Daniel. He dragged her away to somewhere in the crowd with his hand covering her screeching mouth.

The silence around us was sickening.

She seemed to be gathering her senses, and then with pride-filled eyes, she stared at me again. 

“Is all of what she just said true?” I asked in a calm voice that hid the thunder burning behind my words.

She looked scared. Absolutely terrified. 

“There is more to everything than what you have been informed of.” she tried to explain, sweat covering my forehead, “I can expla-”

I took her hand and caressed it most gently, “Are these hands tainted with blood? Are you a muderer?” 

My words were like daggers to her heart.

She jumped back in fear, her body shaking in shock.

“Yes. I killed the alpha.” She spoke up in a shaking voice, trembling visibly, “do what you want. At least I’m not a hypocrite.” 

A thousand questions were running through my mind. I can not break the trust of this pack by making a wrong decision.

I looked at her, devoid of all emotions. My hands swiped back the hair that was falling on my forehead with a stressful sigh.

“A girl like you can not be my mate.” I said to her coldly.

Her heart broke into millions of pieces within that one second that it took for me to say those words aloud, like I had brought her worse nightmare to life.

“I, Alpha Alessio Silverine, Reject you and this mate bond.” I announced mercilessly.

My wolf Ace is howling in agony. 

‘I have to test her.’ I said to him, in my chest who was trying to claw its way out to go to her, ‘Let’s not hurry. she is dangerous. We have to be careful.’

I saw her falling to the floor in pain and sadness as our mate bond severed immediately, like a knife slicing through our hearts.

She turned around and ran away blindly. Her wolf was trying to take over her form.

My chest got filled with extreme agony the moment I rejected her. My wolf howled in excruciating pain. Rejecting her felt like the worst thing I could have ever done to myself, the physical and emotional pain was almost unbearable but I held my ground, not letting it show on my face. 

When I looked into her eyes, her expressions when I rejected her… I had never felt even an ounce of empathy and agony for anyone in years, not to this extent. This was different. I wanted to take away all of her pain and make her happy once more, even if it was just for a little while. Seeing her in pain tore me apart from the inside when she ran away from me. There was a strong urge inside me, telling me to stop Mia and tell her that I want her more than anything I had ever wanted in my life- but I could not do that.

Everyone was silent, no one dared to make a sound. I knew my eyes were burning with fierceness and agitation, my mood had just become even better, didn’t it?

My eyes slid to Liam, the beta who had supported and helped her with the murder of the alpha. Their relationship with each other was not simple, it was clear as day with one glance. And I hated him for it even more. 

Liam was just as displeased as me by the look on his face. His jaw clenched tight while his body shook with fury. When I got closer to him, he broke the silence and growled out,

“What are you trying to do, Alpha Alessio?”

I coldly twisted my lips, laughing, “What do you think? Joining the werewolf Olympics?”

I was in no mood to entertain him any longer. Within a few moments, I had already accepted him as my enemy. He had snatched my mate from me. Made her a murderer. He didn’t deserve any respect from me.

I turned to face the crowd of Bloodmoon pack, announcing in loud and clear words, “I will be your alpha from now on.”

Liam was shaking from head to toe in fury, “This was not the deal! I had already informed you about the treaty I was offering.”

“And now I am refusing to accept it.” I tilted my head to the side and smirked mockingly.

“You betrayed me,” he said in a deathly calm tone.

My expression sobered as I glared at Liam. 

“When did I pledge loyalty to you?” I mocked. “You betrayed the trust of your pack, killed your alpha and you want me to trust you?!” I seethed, “you are welcome to fight me and my warriors if you insist on keeping the alpha position.”

The crowd had gotten filled with exclaims of fear and panic, the voices growing louder with each passing second until I walked in front of them to catch their attention and continued,

“The border between the Silver Lining pack and Bloodmoon pack was drawn by force twenty years ago. Brothers and sisters, husband and wife, parents and children were forced apart for too long.”

My words had startled the crowd. I knew that several of these families were still haunted by the loss from the separation that had accrued many years ago.

“This is the day when our pack will be joined together and everyone can be united with their loved ones. From this day, all of you will be protected under my name. If anybody has an objection to this, you are free to leave this pack unharmed.”

The uproar of people had died down and nobody moved- just as I had expected.

I turned back to face Liam, the mere sight of his face filled me with deep rage and disgust that I had to try extremely hard to not let show on my face. I hated him with every fibre in my body.

“You have two choices.” I got closer to him, just a few steps away from him, “one, you leave this pack and get banished by me. Become a rogue. And two, you will take the position of the second beta. Serve under my current Beta Daniel.”

I could see the way the trouble went through his gaze, the anger and disappointment, and the humiliation he was going through. He did not have a choice, and I was glad to let him know that.

“Second.” he muttered through clenched teeth without looking at me, “I will be the Beta.”

I smiled in satisfaction. This pack doesn't need more drastic changes.

“Kneel.”

His eyes snapped back to me in shock, “What?”

My eyes hardened, there was no sympathy, no care left in them anymore, “Kneel before your new alpha, beta Liam!” I barked.

It was amusing to see the way he gulped hard, swallowing all of his pride and dropping down on one knee in front of me, “Alpha.” he muttered.

I didn’t even try to hide the look of satisfaction and smile from my face at the sight of his submission. This is what I had been craving to see. This submission from all courageous, proud Beta.

I turned away, dismissing him. A moment later, there was slight shuffling, and then the sound of footsteps striding away from me. 

Liam had left after getting embarrassed in front of his new alpha.

I couldn’t help but grin. Turning to my beta, Daniel, I ordered, “Take care of everything,” and then left. I have some other tasks to do, concerning Mia.