I decided to have a hot bath since I wanted to sleep. Mom said she’ll be with his Mate on a business trip. She insisted that someone should look after me. I told her I didn’t need one, but Mom was worried, so I accepted it.
I spent a good half hour soaking in a bathtub before getting out. I grabbed the towel and wiped myself up before wearing a bathrobe. This kind of routine has been present since I started to live with Mom’s pack. It was kind of relaxing, and it gave me peace of mind for a bit. As I exited the bathroom, I was greeted by a man sitting on the couch. He was probably playing on his phone since he was focused on his little device. The worst part was, I didn’t even know him! “Who are you? What the hell are you doing here!?” The man looked at me and smiled. He has this Alpha vibe, and I thought he must be Frank’s son. Mom told me Frank retired from Alpha duties last year and that his son, Diesel, has taken over. I only saw him once; I was twelve years old. He was in Alpha school, and he rarely went home. “My name is Diesel, and I am currently the Alpha here,” he said. “Mama told me to look after you since you’re broken, and all that’s why I’m here.” He said, not even looking at me. “What? I don’t need a babysitter, okay? I’m capable of my being. Please leave,” I said, unsure if this Alpha would listen to me. “It’s Alpha to you, Carrie,” he said before looking at me and putting his phone down. “I don’t want to disappoint Mama since she entrusted you to me. I get it; you were rejected and need someone to look at you.” If I’m not wrong, Diesel is seven years older than me. I’m currently twenty, and he’s probably around twenty-seven. I heard he had already given up looking for his mate. That’s why he was focused not only on the pack but also on their other business. Diesel is a handsome man, no doubt about that. He has long black hair, bluish eyes, and dimples when he smiles. “Okay, I got you too, Alpha. Please leave. I want to be alone,” I said, not really wanting to have someone looking out for me. Yes, I know I’m still in pain, but I’m not suicidal or anything. I just want some time to be alone. Did he not feel this? “I already put your bags that arrived this morning in your room,” he said, like he hadn’t heard what I said. “And also, I bought you a car. Use it when you start attending Clinton’s. I heard you passed the entrance exam of that prestigious business school. Congratulations,” he added. “How did you-” “Mama Isa has been talking a lot about you. She was so proud that her only daughter passed the school’s extremely difficult entrance exam.” There was amusement in his voice. “Oh, mom did that?” I said. “Yeah,” he said. “And also one more thing,” he added, fishing something inside his jeans pocket. “Here.” I looked at his hand and saw a brand new phone. I stared at the phone and back at him. “Your family’s contact numbers are already saved. I need you to give me your phone.” I was speechless. Is he for real? He cleared his throat. I couldn’t believe it! I couldn’t even say anything. “Mama explained to me your situation. I get it you were rejected. If you still remember your old pack, you will not move on. It will be harder for you and your wolf, especially if you are still attached to those memories.” I got him, but did he think I would be able to forget Jace with this kind of setup? “You’re going to have it back once I’m sure you’re fine and moved on,” Diesel spoke soothingly. “I can’t just do that,” I said. “Jace is my mate! He’ll take me back once he has time to think. My wolf and I were still hoping. Why are you trying to make things difficult for me?” “Do you even hear what you were saying, Carrie? You were rejected, and there’s no way a bond would be restored after it was severed, Carrie. Give up. Jace won’t take you back because he already chose a mate over you.” My tears fell from my eyes. My wolf and I don’t need a face-slapping reality. We just need something to ease our pain. Was it too much to ask for? With a heavy heart, I gave him my phone. If this meant helping me to move on, then so be it. “That’s good,” he said. “And also go out. The pack wanted to meet Luna, Melissa’s daughter. They were all excited to meet you.” “I’ll go out when I want to,” I replied before slamming the door of my room on his face. The bastard acted all Alpha to me when like I’m part of his pack. He can have my phone, but he will never understand the feeling of rejection. Sure, he gave up on his mate, and I don’t know how it feels, but shouldn’t he mind his own business instead? The truth was, I wanted to go home and begged Jace to take me back instead of Megan. My wolf was crying desperately, telling me to return and claim what belonged to us. She was clawing within me, trying to come out. But she knew home was too far away from us, and I doubt if Jace would accept us after he rejected us. Jace and Megan were my friends; we grew up together, but I didn’t expect the two of them to cause me this pain. I closed my eyes and tried to breathe to soothe the pain in my heart. I’m not sure if I’ll be able to move on, but I truly wish that this pain would end someday and that I could return to my old self and continue dreaming of becoming a successful businesswoman one day.I took a couple of deep breaths to steel myself when someone rang the doorbell. Of course, I knew who it was. It’s Alpha Diesel who doesn’t know how to leave me alone. I couldn’t wallow in pain or pity myself because he would always come and try to talk to me. He was a goofy kind of a man. He always acted silly, and sometimes he would tell some jokes. For three months, I had endured the pain of rejection, begging him to let me go home to my mate and ask him to take me again instead of Megan. I opened the door slowly. “Hi,” he greeted I held the door open for him. I was still a wreck. My eyes are probably red and swollen, with dark circles underneath. “We need to talk,” he said. He walked past me and into the living room. Empty tissue boxes and a trash can were overflowing with used Kleenex. I forgot to clean it! “Sit down!” Diesel’s voice was hard. I blinked. This was not the man I had come to know. Where was his carefree and annoying voice? I sat on the sofa, watch
Diesel had been by my side since then. He had blown me away when he had first turned his attention to me. I mean when I first arrived here. I'd been twenty and rejected back then when I had finally been given a chance to find me and my wolf a mate. A second chance, mate, in fact. Moving on hadn't been that bad when a bulky guy was always by your side, trying to make you smile. "Everyone else who was single gradually found their other half and paired up, but as I got older, the wait had become harder and harder to take," Diesel said as we were having dinner at my place. Everyone knew in his pack that if he didn't find a mate by the time he hit your mid-twenties, it was unlikely that he ever would, and it got even more unlikely with each passing year. He said he wanted to give us a chance and that he wanted to be my mate. I'm not going to lie; he had been flattering me, and when he proposed a relationship since he was unlucky to find his mate, I'd been tempted. I held out for a m
A little inhuman and unwolflike sound of surprise left my mouth at his words. Diesel waited expectantly, his steady gaze on me. He was not kneeling, but only a fool would ever expect that sort of behavior from an alpha, and I just didn't care. Finally, I found my voice. "Yes. Yes, I will." He was up and caught me in his arms, his mouth on mine and the steel of his body against the softness of my own. I might have been crying for joy. My head was so wildly spinning with euphoria that I barely noticed when we left the restaurant and pulled up to a hotel. "I thought we could have a night completely to ourselves, away from pack and responsibilities. Just you and me," he said wickedly, revealing a small suitcase in the trunk that he must have packed before I could protest that I didn't have anything along with me. I gave up and did what he wanted, which was easy because I wanted to. He led me into the hotel and up to our room, and the moment the door closed behind us, the bags dro
Our arrangement was an open book in the pack. Even if Diesel hasn't marked me yet, everyone knows he will be soon, and they expect an heir from us. We've been together for years, and I was his chosen mate, and he was to me. But why now? Why was he cheating on me? Unless…Sweat started to form on my forehead. Oh no, I don't want to think about it. I'm too dependent on Diesel, and he's someone I would never let go. He was the one who helped me get through my first rejection, and I had already promised myself that if I ever picked someone as my second chance mate, it'd be him. But I knew that arrangement wasn't entirely sure, knowing Diesel had yet to find his mate, even if he had already passed the age of finding one. "Babe, are you okay now?" Diesel asked."Better, I guess."I realized he was already back. I watched him as he opened the bottle of wine. Then, I focused on the cell phone he had placed on the bedside table. Even without me going near it, I could tell it was in sile
I woke up feeling drained for two weeks now. I couldn't eat and relax since I discovered my mate's cheating. Diesel might have been doing what he really wanted to do wherever the damn country he was in right now. I immediately went to the bathroom and took a shower. I need to clear my mind and focus on the pack's work rather than thinking about Diesel's cheating issue. When everything was done, I left our house and went to my office. "Good morning, Luna. I'm sorry for barging in early in the morning," Thea, the pack Doctor, came in after knocking on my door. "Yes, what is it, Doc?" I ask her cheerfully, hiding the stress in me. "I would like to ask for more clinic beds. The number of she-wolves delivering pups has increased lately, and the beds won't accommodate them all. If you please, Luna." "Okay, I'll let the supplier deliver the beds you wanted, Thea," I replied as I tapped on the keys of my laptop. "Thank you, Luna," Thea replied, and she was about to stand up, but
"Who is she!?" I asked Mom after I arrived from Erix's pack. I thought I could stop thinking about Diesel's game, but it worsened. Flashes of unknown women flooded my mind, and even if Rain comforted me, I couldn't stop myself from thinking. So I made a drastic decision: I returned to the pack and confronted my mother. I wanted to end all this misery and let her speak, tell me the truth before I go insane."Mom!" I yelled inside their house. I don't care if the former Alpha was there. "Carrie? You're back so soon? I-""Tell me everything you know, Mom, before I lose my respect for you," I said, cutting her up. My mother bowed her head and couldn't meet me in the eyes. "Carrie sweet-""Do not sweet talk me, Mom! Tell me when did it start and if the whole pack knew about it!" I yelled, clenching my fist. My wolf has been fighting her way within me, wanting to shred our mother into pieces to keep us from what was actually happening. "I-It started after you got engaged with Diesel y
I cried on top of my desk until there were no more left for me to shed. I felt so broken and so incredibly foolish. My instinct had warned me about this, and I had ignored it. It hadn't mattered when Diesel and I were up against the naysayers; it had brought us closer together, but now it was only me. I was alone, and it was so cold. I didn't want to leave the room, but his words had clearly been an order from my alpha, not a suggestion from my chosen mate. My ex-chosen mate, I corrected bitterly. The worst was I still loved him under all my misery. If he suddenly changed his mind, I would absolutely abandon my pride and forgive it all. My wolf was upset. I imagined being rejected by my true mate was not as bad as it would be, but she was hurting. She had grown attached to Diesel and his wolf, and this dismissal hurt her, too. I would go for a run after I moved my things. I didn't make eye contact with anyone in the halls as I moved forward and wound my familiar way to my—to
I woke up the next morning with a blanket thrown over me on Desiree's couch. I had a light headache, which was a testament to just how much I had drank since werewolves rarely get hangovers.The living room was a mess, and what I could see of the kitchen was no better. Forcing myself to get up, I started collecting bottles and glasses and carrying them to the kitchen. I couldn't leave this mess for Desiree to clean up before her mate and kids would be back in the afternoon.Betty appeared in the hall. "Oh, you're up. Don't worry about the mess."I shook my head. "I've got nothing else to do."She looked uncertain.I frowned. "I can't be acting Luna when he's got his real Luna now." Maybe it was irresponsible of me to abruptly quit doing everything I did for the pack, but I was pretty sure I would simply spend the entire time there crying and not getting anything done either way. Those duties were a part of our relationship, and pretending they were still, mine would be little more tha