Chapter 4:

A few hours later, I and Ryan sat in his black Toyota Prius quietly before he interrupted my thoughts.

"Are you sure you are going to be okay?" Ryan raised a question with a pale face.

I glanced at him with my puffy eyes and nodded my head in response to his query. I felt a wave of intense incoherent emotions. I was furious, embarrassed, and sad all at once but my bestie was never the judgy kind of a person hence he ignored the issue at hand and concentrated on comforting me.

"Bella, don't cry over that buffoon. He is just a stupid egotist, muscular, handsome Alpha of the pack." He spoke rapidly.

"And your point is?"

"My point is you deserve better than him." He grazed my hand softly while glancing at me with lost puppy love eyes.

"Ryan, We both know that we can't work out. Besides, you will soon meet your mate and forget about me. So please spare me the trouble." I tilted my head against the car window and sighed.

Ryan had once professed his undying love for me when we were sixteen but I always told him that we are not fated mates, hence we could just be best friends and that's how our friendship flourished until now.

"I think it's time I went home. My curfew is fast approaching." He peeked at his expensive wrist watch then gazed at me. He hated the fact that I rejected his love proposal but I knew that apart from his parents not accepting an omega for a daughter-in-law, he would soon imprint on his fated mate.

I peeked outside the car window and all the lights in the house were off apart from the one on the porch. We had parked outside the house and just quietly sat there without saying a lot of words to one another as I was in utter shock to even move out of his car.

"Do you want me to help you inside?" He asked again after noticing my hesitant movements.

"No, I'm fine." My vision was blurry because of the little bit of wine I gulped down, but that was the list of my concerns as I gazed at the house with my head spinning in fear.

How will I get in the house and what will I tell Pa and Diane? These thoughts lingered in my mind momentarily, then I unfurled the car door and jerked up from the car seat.

"Fuck it. What will Diana do with her evil ungrateful daughter that they have not yet done to me?" I stumbled dangerously and then stopped.

"Wow, is it just me or is everything moving?" I chuckled then took a step further.

Upon noticing my sudden gain of bravery and hazardous walking, Ryan got out of his car and jogged toward me. He clasped my hand to support me retain a good stance.

"Bella, will you be ok?" He looked at me with sweaty palms.

"Ewe, Ryan. Your hands are so sweaty. Let me go." I yanked my hand out of his grip and ambled to the door.

"I'm just trying to help you." he answered back.

"Bye!" I bid him farewell without glancing at him then quietly opened the door and sauntered straight to my bedroom and passed out until the early hours of the morning when Diana rang her bell like a crazy lunatic on drugs.

"I'm up Beta Diana." I sighed heavily, then quickly rolled out of bed and wore my favorite baggy green sweatpants and purple vest then ran upstairs with my head throbbing painfully from the little bit of wine I drank last night, I gently scuffed my hair and then noticed something different with my leg.

"Wait a minute." I stopped before meeting my crazy stepmom in the kitchen. I glanced at my ankle and it miraculously healed itself. I raised it off the floor and wiggled my toes and spun it around and there was no pain whatsoever.

"Wow, nobody told me about instant healing." A slight smile emitted on my face.

"Bella!" Beta Diana yelled out loud.

My body shuddered at her high-pitched voice while I flickered my eyes.

"I'm here, Beta Diana." I quickly strolled into the kitchen where I found a less furious person. Diana's eyes had a delightful sparkle to them.

"Good morning Bella, prepare breakfast for me and your father immediately. I have a lot of things to do today." She let out a grin across her face.

"Yes, Beta." I glanced at her with a frown as I was confused by her sudden change of mood towards me. Never has she ever said good morning to me and I quickly guessed that she did not know that I came home late last night.

Thank you, moon goddess, I sighed softly then I immediately began making breakfast for both of them. I arranged the food on the table and informed Diana that I was done.

"Good, you can join us today for breakfast. Grab a plate, dear." She let out a wicked smirk on her face and then sat down on her chair.

"Ok.!" I answered back with a grimace on my face. What is going on today? Did I die last night and now I'm in heaven? I swallowed hard then went over to the kitchen and grabbed myself a plate and sauntered back to the dining room to dine with them.

"Good morning Bella, I didn't hear you and your sister come back last night. How was the ball.?" Pa inquired with steady eye contact with me.

Upon paying attention to Pa talking about the ball last night, I shut my eyes and sighed softly as I held back tears from trickling down my pink cheeks.

"It was fine." I let out a tight-lipped smile while my stomach flipped with embarrassment. I just wanted to disappear from the face of the earth as I could not stand to hear anything that reminded me of Zach and Crystal.

How can my fated mate do such a thing to me? I bit my bottom lips then exhaled slowly. At least They don't know about my mate's bond with the Alpha. I peeled my banana and bit off a big piece of it.

"But why is Crystal not having breakfast with us?" Pa glanced at the table with a scowl.

"Oh, dear I forgot to tell you that she is with alpha Zach at his mansion," Diana answered back with her chin held high.

My jaws dropped as I was caught off guard by her statement. So she knew all along that her daughter is with the Alpha?...wow, some bitches never change.

I rolled my eyes at her sentiment as I continued nibbling on my banana with frustration and anger. All I wanted to do was scream at the top of my voice and tell everyone in the room to shut up.

Suddenly, Crystal walked in with her pointy breasts sticking out in what clearly seemed like Alpha Zach's white vest and shorts. Her hair was pulled up in a high ponytail which allowed us to see her mated mark by him. He had marked her on her neck so visibly well that we all could see it from our seats.

"Hey mom, hey pa " she sauntered to them and kissed them both on their cheeks.

I looked at her and I could feel my blood boil while I huffed and puffed with my clenched jaws.

"Hey sister, why did you leave the ball early with Ryan? You missed out on all the fun." Crystal's eyes twinkled with a splitting grin on her face.

My eyes narrowed in on her while my face reddened with anger.

"I felt sick, that's why I had to leave." My teeth gritted.

"Is that so?" She chuckled softly then let out a smirk on her face.

"So baby, how was it?" Diana intervened in our heated stare-down.

"Well, as you can see for yourself, I'm the new Luna of the pack." She showed off the mark on her neck.

"Congratulations to you," Pa said.

"Congratulations my baby. Now we need to plan for a grand wedding." Diana clasped her hands together with excitement then got up from the table, she tugged her daughter by the hand and sauntered upstairs to plan their stupid incoming wedding I didn't give a hoot about.

"Oh, Bella, don't worry about yourself. You too will be mated to a good mate." Pa gently squeezed my shoulder and left the table as well.

"But Alpha Zach is my mate," I murmured in a low voice.

How I wish I could tell Pa the truth, but then what was I going to say? That Alpha Zach is my mate and Crystal stole him away from me? A tear trickled down my cheek.

"Hey Bella, come over to my room and help me pack a suitcase, Alpha Zach is coming to pick me up soon," Crystal yelled from upstairs in her room.

"Yes, crystal." I got up from the chair and ambled upstairs with clenched fists. How I wished I was strong enough to fight back, and fight for my Alpha. I scowled.

I got to her room, and crystal being crystal was posed seductively on her bed with her legs crossed with an evil smirk on her face.

"Come in and close the door. What I'm about to tell you is for your ears only...I know that you are Alpha Zach are fated mates, he told me everything last night." Her eyes twinkled mischievously.

My entire body instantly halted at her announcement as my mouth opened wide while I gasped for air. My eyes narrowed in at her sight while my heart plummeted into my guts.

How dare he tell her about our mated bond, he clearly did not reject me. My teeth gritted as I huffed and puffed. My eyes then widened in fear and wondered how many people knew about my failed mate bond with Alpha Zach.

"What else did your charming mate tell you about me?" I asked in a low voice without expecting an answer from her.

"Nothing else dearly, we were too busy mating. Now be a darling and grab my pink suitcase and pack all the clothes in it, and be quick about it" She winked with a smirk on her face.

"Yes, Crystal," I answered back in a muffled voice then went straight for her wardrobe and pulled out her Case.

"And hurry up. I don't want Pa shouting at me for making you miss your classes today." She got up from her bed and walked out of the room to her mother's room.