Chapter 3 Feigned love is worse than hatred.

Tristan's POV

The moment Zoey stepped into my office I literally died.

Mason and Nico were telling me about me being too picky with women and that I need to make a decision when the door opened and that scent that it makes me damned crazy hit me directly.

I knew it was her before she appeared in front of me.

That precious scent of magnolia and cinnamon along with the smell of cedar wood embodies happiness for me. It evokes lust for life and lack of worry, something that I missed for years.

I hated the feeling of being uncontrollably attracted to it, and it made me wonder if I was what others would call powerful or not.

I almost forbid her to come near me, even keep her away from all the places I'd be because her scent is irresistible.

I can't be in her presence without Viggo, my wolf, starting to kill my brain. I'm much less likely to let anyone see that she's my damn mate.

I don't need Manson's warning, I know those rumors better than anyone, but only someone with a sick mind would say that, like Manson's father, my father's Gamma.

I wouldn't be stupid enough to believe such a stupid rumor. She was just a pup back then

But that doesn't mean I don't hate her! I hated her with a passion!

If she would have been more careful and followed her parents that day she wouldn't have caused their deaths, and my parent's death too.

I knew she was sort of pathetic in a way, so I didn't execute her, I clearly had the right to do so and no one would question me.

I just didn't want to see her, her presence would just be a constant reminder that my parents had left and I was a poor orphan.

Of course, I'm much less likely to accept a heavenly joke from the Moon Goddess. But with my wolf Viggo actually threatening me for her, there's no way I'm going to be an Alpha without a wolf, and the power always attracts some hyena constantly prowling around me.

So it was for the best that we never met.

But now, what is this damn woman doing?

She came inside my office provoking me. She came in without fearing that I would punish her.

She came here to ask me to use her as my surrogate.

Is she crazy or what? Why does she need 500k dollars?

Does she want to run away from me? To leave here?

Viggo will make a huge scandal if she leaves the pack.

"If she leaves, I will leave too!" Viggo threatens me.

Here we go again! I didn't want to lose control in front of Manson and Nico, so I suppressed my inner anger and comforted it, saying, "Wait a little longer, let's see what she has to say."

I even had it all planned out; if this woman could provide me with a reasonable explanation, I might actually consider using her as my mate's surrogate. After all, it seemed like I couldn't accept any other woman.

But what I didn't expect was that she actually wanted to use my mate status for money.

How ironic! What a ruthless woman!

Could she really exploit everything in this world as long as she could get money?

If it wasn't me searching for a surrogate mother today but someone else, would she use "Alpha Tristan's mate" as a selling point to fuck with another man?

After all, which man wouldn't want to try Alpha Tristan's woman?

Thinking about this, I couldn't control my anger anymore.

She truly understood how to provoke me, deserving to be my FATED mate.

Facing my question again, she even dared to say Of course?

It seemed like she had been away from me for too long and almost forgot my true wolf nature!

Viggo must have known what I was about to do, as he kept roaring and even tried to rush out to protect her.

However, this time, I won.

I dislocate her chin, preventing her from uttering such shameless words.

"Tristan! You're hurting your mate! You're betraying the Goddess!" Viggo kept repeating these clichéd phrases, clearly nearing the limits of his patience.

No, I had to leave this room. With that in mind, I opened the door without hesitation and walked straight out.

"Tristan!"

I had just walked a short distance when Manson's voice came from behind me. I heard his hurried footsteps, and after taking a deep breath, I turned around to face his questions.

But as I turned around, I saw Nico rushing out of my office, holding Zoey in his arms.

The funny thing is that I feel as jab in my chest as soon she is in his embrace.

"You hurt her, at least do something to make up for it! She fainted!" Viggo growls at me. "We should be the one who is holding her, not our Gamma!"

"Nico! Don't touch her!" Mason starts again like a broken disc, but this time I step in and take Zoey from Nico, under the horrified eyes of both of my friends.

Even if it's garbage I threw away, it can't just lie in another man's arms.

"Are you kidding me, man?" Mason says and starts to laugh. "Don't tell me that the bitch told us the truth!"

Nico also looked at me with a puzzled look in his eyes.

I turn around, still holding Zoey at my chest and avoiding the gazes of them.

I gaze at Zoey. Viggo is right; it's best to get her checked out quickly. I believe she won't dare to utter such words again.

But she's more adorable when she's quiet and not struggling or roaring.

"Tristan!" Mason growls at me.

"First of all" I say, coming back to my senses.

"Growl at me one more time and I will break your legs, Mason. Friend or not, remember that I am your Alpha." and I see him becoming pale again, while Nico is watching me with his mouth wide open.

"Secondly, never dare to touch another pack member without reason or you will never walk again. This," I tell him "Is not the way we treat our pack members."

And now he snaps.

"Are you kidding me? Are you threatening because of this bitch? She is a criminal! And YOU'RE the one who knocked her out!"

I gave him a cold look, "Are YOU the same as me?"

His frown tightened.

"That, enough, Mason!" Nico steps in. "He is right. Zoey has nothing to do with you. It is Tristan who should punish her if she did something wrong."

"So she told us the truth! She is your fucking mate!" and Manson cursing Zoey he exits the office , leaving me and Nico behind.

"Why didn't you say anything, man?" Nico asks me with a disappointed voice.

"It's been a year for goodness sake! How to ignore your fated mate? Are you crazy?"

Am I? Who knows ? Maybe he is right. Or maybe I was right to do it.

"Nico, honestly, I don't know." and I close my eyes, taking a deep breath to calm myself.

"Then try to accept your fate, Tristan." and he opened the car door for me. "You should take her to the hospital. She doesn't look well."

I place Zoey on the back seat.

"Why are you defending her?" I asked him in the first place. I thought that he would be against her.

Nico just gives me a sad smile.

"Because she is my Luna until you reject her. The Moon Goddess arranges the best of all worlds, and it's all for our pack" he said, shocking me.

Before I could add another word I heard my younger sister, Rose, from behind.

"Who is his Luna?"

Shit, that's what I needed right now! My little sister on my head.

"Nico!" Rosie shouts at him, but Nico's face changes the moment he sees Rosie.

"See you later." he says and runs away as if he just saw Satan.

What the hell is wrong with him?

I close the door and walk to my seat, but Rose blocks my way.

"Who's you Luna, Tristan? Did you find her and didn't tell me?" she asks me, pissed off.

"Damn it, Rosie!" I growl at her and get out of my car and open the back door again.

I point in Zoey's direction and say, "She is, now are you pleased? Now will you let me take her to the hospital?"

I return to the steering wheel but before I could start the car, Rosie jumps on the back seat, right beside Zoey.

"Get out, Rosie!" I almost commanded her.

The thing is that I am not in the mood to explain myself to anyone. But my sister wouldn't be my sister if she wouldn't defy me.

"I will go with you to the hospital!" she says and stares at Zoey.

I said nothing. Rosie is not going to let me escape that easily I know so it is better to keep my mouth closed in her presence.

"She is beautiful," she whispers. "More beautiful than I remember her."

Of course she is beautiful! Otherwise I wouldn't be attracted to her. Her deep brown eyes are so kind that she almost fooled me with her appearance.

But now my mind is clear again.

So to make my sister shut up I change to topic, "Yet she is a criminal. You shouldn't care about her."

"You shouldn't have said that. How could you hurt your own mate. Don't try to weasel your way out of this I know it must be you..."

Rosie kept killing my brain with her nonsense but I couldn't listen to a word just to shut her up.

As soon as I arrived at the hospital I took Zoey into my arms again and entered with her to the ER, where everyone was staring at me like some kind of ghost.

"What are you waiting for?" I growled, making the doctors and the nurses poop in their pants.

"Help her!"

Everyone knows who Zoey Carter is to me, so they must think that I am the one who almost killed her.

"You know what?" I say and place her in a hospital bed. "Just give her some treatment and send her home."

I'm leaving after the explanation. I can't let people know that I am weak because of my bond mate. This is why I don't want a mate. It torments my spirit.

"Are you coming?" I ask Rosie, while she is staring at Zoey, but she shakes her head.

"No" she whispers. "I will keep an eye on her for you." and her saying that shocks me.

What does she want to do?

My sister always manages to pull off some astonishing feats. At other times, I might indulge her, but not this time.

I turn around and with a serious face I make things clear, using our mindlink so that people around won't find that Zoey is my mate.

"I don't care what you want to do, but Rosie, I don't want her."

"BUT YOU NEED HER!" Rosie says pissed off, "You can't ignore the goddess's desire!"

I knew it. She's been plotting this.

But what did she mean when she said I can't? Why is everyone repeating the same thing again and again?

I can do whatever I want!

I start to walk to the hospital exit door, and mocking my own sister I say, "Just watch me, Rosie! I can and I will!"

No one can force me to accept Zoey Carter.

Feigned love is worse than hatred.