My Business

Vince’s pov

I woke up to an agitated wolf. I ignored it, assuming my wolf didn’t like spending the night in another pack. It was the first time I did that ever since I was declared as the Silverstone’s alpha. After freshening up, I went downstairs, assuming that breakfast would have been ready. When I went downstairs, the omegas were rushing around, obeying each of their luna’s stern orders. She was mumbling something about someone not waking up on time. Apparently something wasn’t right.

I waited at the base of the staircase, studying the surroundings. Her lips formed a wide smile as soon as she realised I was there. 

“Alpha Vince! You are up already?” she said.

“Yes,” I said, studying the surroundings. “Is everything alright?” 

“Of course. Everything’s fine. It’s just that breakfast is running a little later than we expected,” she said with a nervous laugh. “This is very embarrassing. I assure you that this isn’t a common occurrence in Moonshine.”

“Oh,” I said, glancing at the omegas who were rushing to get things done. Perhaps they overslept after hosting the party the previous night. There was no reason to be concerned about that. 

“That’s okay, maybe they were tired after last night. I can take a walk and look around. I am not in a rush to have breakfast,” I said.

She offered a rather forced smile and nodded her head. “Thank you for understanding, and sorry about the delay.”

I strolled towards the exit. A strange urge to barge into the kitchen made me slow down. Frowning, I glanced at the chaotic omegas once again. It was unreasonable to break into another pack’s kitchen and interrupt the omega’s work, yet my wolf was in unrest. He wanted me to march right into the kitchen. Despite my wolf’s whines and grumbles, I left the pack house. If I were to give in to each of my wolf’s whines, I wouldn’t be successful. Hence I had taught myself to withstand desires and acting on impulse. 

***

The walk was unsettling. My wolf was acting rather strangely. He wouldn’t stop whining until I returned to the pack house. I returned, not expecting the breakfast to be prepared, but when a mouthwatering scent hit my nostrils, I was instantly drawn towards the kitchen area.

With each step I took, the aroma intensified, and so did the mayhem in my chest. It was strange. I never felt like that before. My wolf almost took over my body, but I disciplined my beast. When I looked into the dining room, I saw that the alpha family of the Moonshine pack and two of our neighbouring alphas were already seated at the dining table. The omegas were serving the dishes one by one. I wouldn’t lie, the food looked and smelt good, but I just knew that this particular fragrance that attracted me didn’t come from the food. 

“Alpha Vince! Please come. We are waiting for you.”

I ignored the alpha of Moonshine. I had to. The aroma was driving me crazy. It wasn’t until my wolf said the word I realised what was going on. 

“Mate!” He grumbled. 

I froze. Mate? My mate was in Moonshine? My gaze wandered around the place, desperately searching for her. Yes, I wasn’t in a rush to find a mate, but crossing paths with the one meant the time was perfect for that. 

Tensed, I started to follow the scent more vigorously than before. Mate… my mate was in the vicinity, and I had to find her. If I didn’t, my wolf wouldn’t allow me to rest even for a second. I took a deep breath. This time, I was sure the incredible scent was coming from a closed door to my right. 

The Moonshiners uttered some words that I couldn’t understand. The words they uttered reached my ears like pure nonsense. Right then, I felt that finding my mate was the only thing that mattered. Someone reached out to stop me from opening the door, but I wasn’t in a state to care. After swinging the hand away, I opened it. 

Her fragrance overwhelmed my emotions as soon as I did, but what was that? Why was her scent mixed with that of blood? My eyebrows knitted together as I walked inside. 

“Mate?” I whispered, trying to find her. Why she was hiding in the pantry was a question that lingered in my mind until I saw a pretty brunette, lying motionless on the floor. My lips parted. She wasn’t hiding. She was lying on the floor… but why?

The creases on my forehead deepened. So many questions raced through my mind as I crouched to check on her. Was she asleep or unconscious? Why wasn’t she moving?

Despite the dimly lit environment, I scrutinised her face. It took a short while for the truth to dawn upon me. The bruises on her skin, the dried blood on her face, and her torn shirt narrated tales of horror. 

My wolf roared in anger upon realising that my mate hadn’t had the best life. As my blood boiled, I scrutinised the surroundings. She was lying on a sheet of cloth. There were neatly folded clothes on the side and an old, stained pillow beside her. My heart broke for her. Was this her life?

I gently traced her cheeks. Sparks that exploded between our skin were proof that she wasn’t dead. That was a relief, but I was sure that she was badly hurt. Why else was she lying on the floor while all the omegas worked their asses off? Without thinking twice, I picked her up and walked towards the exit. 

Their alpha sighed heavily as soon as he saw me. “Alpha Vince. Leave her. She isn’t worth your time…”

“Why is she kept in the pantry? Doesn’t she have a room?” 

Curious gazes looked my way, but none of them dared say anything until another alpha voiced his thoughts.

“Vince is right. Regardless of their rank, every pack member deserves their own room if they are living in the pack house.” 

“She sleeps in the pantry. We don’t feel that she deserves the privilege of a regular pack member.”

“Why is that? And why the hell is she bruised and bloodied? She is apparently hurt. Why isn’t she in the hospital? Is this how you treat your omegas when they get hurt?” I said, unhappy about their Luna’s remark.

He stood up from his seat and started to gesture with his hands as if he wanted me to calm down. 

“Alpha Vince, she isn’t a regular omega. If you knew who she was, you also wouldn’t care about her,” he said.

I grimaced, doubting that they could have a good enough justification. “Well, explain.”

He looked around and heaved a sigh. “Her father was one of the masterminds behind the fall of our kingdom. We couldn’t execute his five-year-old daughter, so we took her in as a slave.”

My anger went through the roof. A slave? They were treating my beloved soulmate like they owned her? I bet beating her was a regular thing. That could explain the bruises and the blood.

“You mean you were treating her like shit since she was five? A slave? Are you out of your mind? She was a little pup. How could you think it was acceptable to punish her for something that was out of her control? She couldn’t help to whom she was born.”

To say I was furious would be an understatement. If I wasn’t holding my dear mate in my arms, I would have allowed my wolf to emerge and tear every one of them down. 

“But…”

I snarled at their daughter, silencing her at once. That seemed to piss their Alpha off. His countenance darkened as he glared at me, but his fury didn’t bother me. 

“Alpha Vince. I have great respect for you, but are you seriously going to scorn my daughter for her? A traitor’s spawn? She isn’t your pack member anyway, and hence, it’s none of your business. Leave my pack member where she belongs, Alpha Vince, and please, leave my turf.”

Narrowing my eyes, I gave him a critical glare. “Oh, she is my business, because she is my mate. I will gladly leave your territory, Alpha Charles, but there is no way I am leaving her with her abusers a second longer.”

As I walked away, I heard them whispering behind my back. I couldn’t give two flying fucks about what they thought after the state I found my mate in. I was taking her home. 

“Alpha Vince!”

I halted when their heir, Chad, called my name. I glanced over my shoulder. Perhaps the young Alpha would understand the atrocity of his parent’s actions. I hoped to hear something positive from him, but what he said next left me speechless. 

“How could she be your mate? She was my soulmate last night.”