CHAPTER 5

Alonso POV

I am brooding over a document my beta gave to me the previous day when I hear a timid knock on the door. The knock jolts me from my thoughts and I am not even aware when I let out an angry growl and knock over the glass cup of water on my table, and I watch as the glass hits the ground and shatters everywhere as if to equate my anger.

The documents I was studying before the knock came are the documents of territory land ownership from the Young Moon pack. We have been having a lot of back on forth because of the ownership topic, so when the impromptu knock comes, my beast goes mad

“Who dares to knock on my door!?” I spit, my voice filling with venom as I fumes

“Good … good day …Alpha Alonso,” comes a stammering, scared, feminine voice from behind the door

“What do you want!” I walk furiously to the door and fling it open. Standing behind the door is a timid servant girl dressed in the usual palace servant uniform. I instantly remember that she is the new maid I employed a few days ago

Flinching at the intensity of the door flinging open, the girl is shaking visibly and staring at the ground as she speaks, “Alpha Alonso, the alpha of the Midnight pack sent this invitation to you…” she  stretches her shaky hand to me, handing over to me an intricately decorated white envelope. “He is hosting a party. I think it is a ball. The messenger said it is a chance to find your mate,” I can tell she is trying to steady her voice

I sweep one look at the extended paper. I wonder what details it would hold this time even though the servant girl has already hinted to me about its content. Then after a brief pause, I snatch the sealed envelope from her and I open it carelessly as I let my eyes scan  through the letter with a stink face. Everything in it is rubbish. A party! A ball! To find my mate! I am definitely a laughing stock.

After reading the letter, I scoff as I squeeze the expensive paper in my hands. Has my situation become so pitiful that every bastard wants to send help to me? I curse under my breath in anger because I know that even though I am angry and irritated about the invitation, I still have to go. Who knows if I'll find my mate there? The search for the white wolf has been taking a toll on me and I hated it!

I think the servant girl is threatened by me, because I notice she steps a few paces backwards in a hurry. I unconsciously let my orbs drive to my hands and I notice that I am still squeezing the life out of the paper- to the extent that my arm veins are popping. The girl must have probably noticed my agitation, so I decide to spare her the view. “You can go,” I let out a low growl that seems to frighten her the more. “But call Beta Leonardo, tell him that I need him here immediately!”

“Yes… yes Alpha,” comes her shaky reply as she whimpers her way in a hurry

“Wait!” I call out to her as she is half way gone and she seems to freeze in dread. Then she turns around and walks towards me, her fear palpable. “Call one of the cleaning maids on your way too,” I can see her chest heave as she let out a sigh of relief before leaving the second time

When she leaves, I toss the letter aside with a long sigh. A ball? A mate? Different invitations from a lot of lowly packs who would not even dare speak to me on normal occasions. Now I get all this mockery all because of this damning curse- a bitter reminder to how far I have fallen. Every letter, ever ball, every invitation feels like a wild goose chase for a damning existence. But do I have a choice? No. I hate everything happening, yet I cling to it like a black stain on white paper. Of course, what choice do I have?

Soon another knock jolts me from my thoughts again. I half expect it, so I didn't growl this time around nor did I break a cup. Instead, since I knew who is at the door, I  mutter a, “The door is open,”  and in came Beta Leonardo

“You sent for me,” he walks towards me with a serious face. In the whole pack, he is the only one who can speak to me comfortably. We grew up together, so he knows me like the back of his palms. They were time where I used to be very happy and full of delight- but after the curse, everything changed, and Leo as I like to call him has always been there fore both through the good times and the bad times

Pointing at the crumpled envelope on the ground, I growl, “They mock me yet again…!”

Beta Leo breaks a small smile as understanding dawns on him immediately he sees the paper. “You shouldn't complain. You are the hunter here. They are just giving you leads…”

“Yet it feels like constant Ridicule!” I interject almost immediately, snapping and cutting him off

He hold my gaze unflinching, “You need to calm down, Alonso. If you don't put in the effort, you won't find what…”

I clench my jaw in frustration. I hate that there is truth in what he is saying “Fine!” I growl again, “Just get me a black suit. I will go!”

“No, I think a blue suit will fit you better. It will bring out your eyes since it matches the colour,” Beta Leo says and his words manage to make me break a smile- a small genuine smile even though I know it would last for a very short time

“You are such a pain in the ass,” I chuckle in genuine mockery of him

“Yet you let me sit comfortably in you ass,” he chuckles back

***

Two days! It has been two days of me brooding about the ridiculous invitation. The crumpled paper still remains seated on my table- I had purposefully asked the servants to leave it on my table when they came to clean up my room. Now I am staring at my full body in the mirror as I am wearing the blue suit that better Leonardo is forcing me to put on

“You know, if you keep frowning like that your suit might just catch fire,” Beta Leo is trying to make a joke and he is successful. I laugh inwardly but I do not show it on my face. I told myself that I am too angry to smile, so instead I shoot him a death stare

“This is not a joke, Beta Leo. I am just going to that place so that I will be ridiculed!”

He smirks as he folds his arms. “Complain all you want, but if you go to the Midnight pack with that your permanent scowl, trust me you wouldn't even find any girl not to talk of a mate…”

“It is not funny!” I snap, but better Beta Leo is hellbent on speaking

“I am not laughing either… if eventually you find the white wolf, and you twist your face in that ugly manner of yours, she wouldn't even spare you a glance…”

Seeing that he wouldn't stop talking, decide to change the subject instead. “I can't believe you are making me wear this…” I said as I stayed at myself in the mirror. I secretly like the suit, but I was not showing it to Beta Leo. If I admit to liking the suit, he would keep taunting me about how stubborn I am and how genius he is. I am not ready for that

“I hate this suit,” I mutter as I adjust the collar

“You just hate everything, Alpha  Alonso,” Beta Leo sighed. “Just stop sulking and bring back the old playboy Alonso I used to know. Come on!”

I do not reply to him- I do not have the strength to do that. Instead, in my eyes is written worry. What if this is another failed attempt? What if this doesn't work out too

“You lack confidence?”  Beta Leo says

“I don't have a problem with my confidence!” I snap

“Okay, you are stalling?” he decides to push and that angers me

“No! I am thinking!” I snap again

“You are panicking?” his calm voice only seems to irritate me more

“An Alpha does not panic!”

Leo laughs as he picks up my car keys and leads the way to the door. “ So what then are you doing?”

“It's none of your business,” I reply. Gosh, he is so annoying!

“Fine! Fine!” Leo's voice trails as he steps outside the door