05. Betrayal

Redd Larson just freaking kissed me on the lips, and it seemed he did enjoy it. But not me. It was only a brief kiss. More like a friendly kiss, but because it was Alpha Redd who did it, it was repulsive. 

I felt raw anger toward him. When he pulled away, my palms had a mind of their own and connected with his cheeks. 

Slap!

"Tasha?" he asked, bewildered. He was stunned for a moment and smirked again. "Yeah. I deserved that for kissing you without asking your permission."

I pointed my fingers at him, shaking so badly. "I loathed you!"

"I love you, too, Tasha," he answered sweetly. "You're getting lovelier the more you get angrier. I loved everything about you, my future wife."

I stepped back, sickened at him. "I may be your future wife, but I did not say you can kiss me, asshole! Your kisses are poison to me. Don't you ever dare do that again! Remember, everything is just a contract marriage. Nothing else."

Alpha Redd looked at me and threw his head backward, laughing. When he was done, he looked at me with amusement in his eyes. 

He had the audacity to laugh while I was fuming? What a freaking bastard! Asshole! Jerk! 

"Damn. You're a good match for me, Tasha. You're full of energy. I love that."

Glaring at him and mustering all the hate I could gather, I said, "I have all the energy to fight you."

He clicked his tongue. "I love it. It makes our marriage fun. And speaking of the wedding, I'd like to move our wedding tomorrow."

My eyes went wide, and my anger vanished.  "Tomorrow? Are fucking out of your mind? You said we will do it until next week?"

He shook his head. "My, my, Tasha. I don't want you back out with your words and beg Ali, saying you want to fix your relationship. I want you to only beg at me when I take you in our bed, moaning."

My face flushed at his announcement. "There's no way we will consummate our fake marriage, Alpha Redd. I won't allow it. I won't ever beg for you and moan."

"Tasha. I am never the type to force women against their will. They beg me to take them. You will beg for my touches. I promise you that."

His eyes were hiding all the seduction skills he only knew, and hated it. I hated how my body would react. The pull of our bond was getting stronger despite him not marking me for now. But I was sure I would never be able to break away from him. 

I turned sideways. "I'll never beg at you, Alpha Redd. Never!"

I turned my back, fuming. 

"Don't forget to prepare yourself for tomorrow's event, Tasha. Show how beautiful you are. And, oh. It will be held in my pack. See you!"

-----------------

Inside my room, I was thinking of ways how I could get back at Alpha Redd.

I fucking hate Alpha Redd! I mean it. His arrogance was incomparable. He acted high and mighty as if the world revolved around him!

When I stormed inside, I heard his car start and go away. My adorable (note the sarcasm) siblings were no longer there. As well as Daddy. I don't care where they went.

I went directly to my room and cried my heart out. I was in the middle of crying when my phone beeped.

I was planning to disregard it, but the person wouldn't stop calling, breaking my dramatic moment. Thinking it might be Ali, I opted to answer it. 

I sniffed and was sure my nose looked like a rotten tomato after crying. 

"What?" I barked. 

"Natashaaaaa!" It was the shrill voice of my best friend, Abby. She was a she-wolf from another pack and met when Father had some meeting with their pack. We instantly clicked and became sisters with different mothers. And by the way. She had this habit of making her words longer. It was not cute most of the time, but I learned to tolerate her. 

I had to distance the phone from my ears. My hypersensitive hearing was compromised. It felt like I was temporarily deaf.

"Abby. Can you stop shouting?"

"You wouldn't believe what I just foooound out," Abby said as if she did not hear what I said. 

"What?" I sniffed. "Say it before I end this call. I don't have all the time in the world, Abby." I'm heartbroken, right, and will be married tomorrow to someone I did not even love and hated his guts. If not for our business, I wouldn't allow this union.

"I just saw your boooooyfriend with someone else here in the maaaall!"

I stilled. 

"What?"

"Yes. Alpha Aliii. We are talking about the same man."

She was the only one who knew about Alpha Ali and my relationship with him. "I just saw him kissing a woman—that brute. Wait. Open your wifi, and I will send you the pic. I don't like you think I am lying to youuuu."

I hopped out of bed and opened my internet connection. Abby's name popped out, and I opened my social media account. 

The world seemed to collapse when I saw him with a woman whom I did not even meet, kissing her. In public! Without bothering what others would say. 

"Heeey! You still there?" she asked

"Are you okay?"

Did she think I would be okay after everything felt out of place? To think this woman did not even know I would be getting married tomorrow.

Tears formed in my eyes, and fell. Fucking life. What did I do in the past which led to this? I was trying my best not to do anything terrible. I opened a lot of charitable organizations. I created charity events. But why would I keep on encountering assholes? 

Damn it!

"Natasha?" Abby's voice suddenly turned quiet upon sensing my mood. "Did I make a mistake telling you about it?"

"No. No. You did a great job, Abby."

"You know I don't tolerate assholes, right? Look. He may be your fated mate, but Alpha Ali did not deserve you, Natasha. There is still a second-chance mate. He will come, okay? Just don't lose hope. Save your tears for someone better than that asshole. I regretted not slapping him when I saw him at the mall."

My tears fell one by one, no matter how much I tried to stop them. 

"Natasha. Darling. I am so sorry. I should keep my mouth shuuuut."

I loved it while crying at the same time. Fuck. I was the daughter of an alpha with three male werewolf siblings. They did not raise a weak person.

Pulling myself together, I hastily wiped my tears. That was enough tears for the moment. No more crying now. Alpha Ali did not deserve it. 

"Is she more beautiful than me?"

"Of course, noooot! His woman looked like a toad. You're way more gorgeous than her, okay?"

I laughed, this time, more lighthearted. 

Everything will pass. The pain will pass. I had to pull myself together, or my brothers would know I looked like a fool right now, crying over some asshole.

"That made me better, Abby, after his rejection." If I had this woman with me, I felt like I could handle every challenge life would throw me. 

I thought Abby ended the call when she became silent on the other line.

"Oh. My. Moon Goddess. Did you say Alpha Ali rejected you? That asshole dared to reject my bestieee? Let me find that man first, and I will slap him for you!"

"Abby, wait! It's okay now. Everything is alright. I found my second-chance mate, and we will be getting married tomorrow. No big deal."

"What the fuck, Natasha?"