4. Runaway Mate

Bella's POV

Leaving the pack was not a problem. I took one of the cars designated for pack errands. No one would dare to question their Luna. Well, except Luca, Dr. Jenna’s mate and also Jasper's Beta. Luca was very protective of me. He would have asked questions that I wasn't ready to answer. I felt bad for leaving my people, but I can’t no longer be here. Jasper’s love was a lie. Soon, they will have Sadie as their Luna. A dreadful feeling in my gut had been present since I left. I can’t believe how stupid I was, I never saw this coming. All this time, they were laughing at my expense. They will all pay one day. I pressed my forehead on the steering wheel as tears clouded my vision once again.

I caressed my still flat stomach to find the strength I so badly needed to continue. I was feeling weak. I had no idea how my legs were still carrying me. Today, I lost the four most important people in my life, Jasper being one of them. I had nowhere else to go, but to my birth pack.

Could Uncle Conner be trusted? He was my father's beta, but he was also Sadie’s father. I still decided to go. The bodies of my family should be delivered to the pack at any moment. I wanted to be there when it happened. My chest tightened thinking of them. The gut-wrenching pain of Jasper’s betrayal would’ve been more bearable with them by my side. Nevertheless, I will always be grateful to my father. He taught me well, thanks to his teachings and arduous training I will have the strentgh to move on. I still remember one of his most important warnings.

‘Never reveal everything of what you’re capable of Bella. Not even to your mate. Power corrupts people. You will never know a person’s true colors until you’re no longer of use to them. You were blessed like your mother. Be cautious with that.'

How wise he was. Don't worry, dad, Jasper's betrayal won't go unpunished. I felt a pang in my heart when I arrived at my pack, knowing that they wouldn’t be there. I had parked the car far away and entered the pack, disguising my scent. The few pack members who recognized me kept quiet at my order. After all, I was the pack's heiress. I sneaked inside Uncle Conner’s house, and I heard him talking to a group of men. He was tall and intimidating, but he had always been good to me.

“Terrible news, for everyone. Our three Alphas massacred in the battlefield field. Goddess, Bella must be devastated.” Said Uncle Conner. He seemed to sympathize with me for my loss. I decided to present myself to him when everyone else left. He seemed harmless.

Cautiously and with my heart raising, I came out from the shadows. “Uncle Conner.” I said, my voice breaking at the end, the tears threatening to fall again. He turned around, startled, and walked towards me with open arms. He was tall and burly. His arms enveloped me in a fatherly way, but he lacked the warmness I felt whenever my father hugged me.

“Goddess, Luna Bella. When did you get here?” He said as he pulled apart from me. His eyes were full of worry. He seemed a little out of breath. He gently pushed me back to look me over. He probably was appalled to see the state in which I left my pack. My hair was probably a wild mass of curls, and my mascara was running down my cheeks.

“Just now. I came to wait for my family's bodies.” I harrumphed, trying to disguise the sob that built inside my throat. Uncle Conner gave me a pitiful look. He rubbed the palm of his head down his face.

“You didn't know?" Uncle Conner looked at me with pity in his eyes. "Bella, there are no bodies. They couldn’t be found. They were swiped away by an avalanche. The snow up North was out of the ordinary.” A glimmer of hope surged through me, between the dark clouds that surrounded my existence. I knew that not everything was lost. If they couldn't be found, how sure were they of their death?

“But if there are no bodies, there’s still hope, Uncle. They need to keep searching. They need to hurry… They need to....” He shook his head, sadness marring his features. The tears I was so bravely trying to contain ran down of their own free will as my last hope was torn to shreds.

“No, child. We all felt our Alpha’s aura and control snap. We can’t feel him anymore. You know what that means. Searching for their bodies is another impossible task. More people’s lives would be lost if they venture to the inclement conditions in the North. Alpha Jasper said that the only reason the war stopped was because the conditions were hazardous. If they didn't die fighting, they would've died of hypothermia. None of those options were good." My heart sank. This can’t be happening to me. It was all too much! I couldn't picture my father and brothers bodies buried under piles of snow. What a terrible way to go. I digged my nails in my palms to stop the panic attack that was threatening to overcome my body.

Seen my distress Uncle Jasper seemed to remember something or rather someone. “Where’s Alpha Jasper? I thought he had come with you. He shouldn't leave his Luna by herself in a moment like this. The support of one's mate sometimes is all you need." Said Uncle Conner, but my treacherous mate was the last person I needed right now.

"Jasper and I are no longer mates. I discovered him cheating on me.” I managed to say it in a way that sounded like an everyday explanation without importance. Uncle Conner was mortified and offended on my behalf. I didn’t want to tell him Jasper cheated on me with his daughter Sadie.

“What don’t you stay here tonight, Luna? I don’t want you to be alone in your father’s house. Let’s wait until tomorrow and I’ll go with you. Come, I’ll take you to the guest room. You need to rest.” He was all gentle and insistent. Having nowhere else to go, I decided to stay.

Uncle Conner left me in the guest room before asking me if I needed anything, but I declined. I laid on the bed for a long time. Caressing my stomach. I was pondering on my past and in the future. Every time I was about to fall asleep, images of Jasper’s betrayal would flash in my mind. There was a hole growing in my chest filling up with painful thoughts of my Jasper laying with my best friend. I was drifting off to sleep when I felt him. My wolf started to become restless inside my head. ‘Mate is here, mate.’ Did Uncle Conner call him?!

I could hear him yelling like crazy from here. His wolf must be giving him a hard time. Cars screeching to a halt were heard, but in all that commotion, I could only hear Jasper’s guttural calls. He sounded pissed. The irony. He betrays me, and he is the one offended. How wrong I have been about him. All of these years, I had thought him to be someone honorable. Nothing could've been so far away from the truth.

“Bella! Where are you! I came for you, Bella! You’re not allowed to leave me!” He snarled. The audacity of that cheater. What was his plan? To keep both Sadie and I forever? He must be deranged. Oh, how I wish I had found out about his cheating ways when father was alive. He would have been gutted by now. Jasper knocked on my door, making me jump. "Bella!, open this door, or I'll break it!" He kept knocking, but I didn't move. "Open the door, my love."

“Please baby, you must not pay mind to lies.” I could hear his labored breathing as he caressed the door on the other side. “You know how much I love you. I wouldn’t do that to you.” My tears started flowing again. Did I? Did he ever really show he loved me, or did I make myself believe he did? How easily he lied. “Open and let me show you how much I missed you. We could stay the night here. I've been meaning to make up for these 3 months that we were apart." His voice trembled. His desire was palpable. "I desire you, Bella, don’t deny me. We’re mates. We may even make a pup now.” He shook the door’s knob making me cowered in the corner. There was no way I was going to let Jasper touch me.

"Bella, you're my mate. You belong to me." He sounded so possesive. I wanted to open the door and jump to his arms. I wanted to feel safe again. I wanted to wake up from this nightmare. But it was no nightmare. It was the crude reality. Images of Sadie writhing on his lap clouded my vision, making me feel enraged.

“I…I saw you with her at your office. It’s all true. You’re a lousy cheater, Jasper. I don’t want to see you ever again! We're no longer mates. Go back to your whore, Sadie!” I hiccuped, trying to be brave, but my voice sounded broken. The knocks on the door became louder and more desperate. "Open this fucking door Bella. The hell you're braking up with me. You're mine! I don't care what you saw! You either come with me willingly or by force!" No, I won't go with him!

He started slamming his body against the door. I was trembling with fear. I couldn't go back to him. I needed to protect my baby from them. My heart was thudding wildly. I decided to be reckless and expose my secret. I hurriedly grabbed my bag with my personal belongings. I bit my right hand’s finger, drawing blood. I Smeared the blood on my mother’s ring, thinking of my father. A halo enveloped me, making me disappear from that room instantly.

I was still shaking when I landed in a deserted forest. It was almost dawn. I stumbled over a body when I tried to move forward. Who can it be? He was wounded!