Chapter 5: Unwanted

Ash and I had breakfast. He looked at me intensely after we were done. His eyes felt like they were staring into my soul. I looked back at him and felt myself reddening.

Ash suddenly asked, "When do you want to get married?" He added, "I'm hoping for sooner than later."

I frowned and said, "I don't think we can until my training is done. I'm sorry." I looked into his green eyes and added, "I really do want to get married, Ash."

Ash suddenly got a mischievous grin on his face and asked, "Why don't we just elope? We could go today." He ran a hand through my hair and added, "It isn't crazy. Other people do it."

I shook my head no and told him, "We can't. That wouldn't be right. I…" I paused and took a deep breath and continued, "I met my destined mate. But I rejected him. I only want to be with you."

Ash's face looked as if I had struck him. His mouth was set into one of disgust, and no sign of his previous happiness held. I reached up to touch his shoulder, but he pushed my hand away . My mouth dropped open as I stared at him with widened eyes.

Ash scoffed and said, "I don't believe that. You're going to get pulled to your mate." He crossed his arms over his chest and added, "I feel like you'll cheat on me or something."

I moved in front of him and poked him hard in the chest. "I can't believe you think I'd leave you for someone I hardly know. Why do you have so little trust in me?" I narrowed my eyes and continued, "I'm shocked you even think I'd cheat on you. How many times have I said I loved you?"

Ash moved a few feet away from me. He had a clenched jaw and started yelling at me. "A mate is a powerful thing and you know it. You can't deny this other guy will draw you to him." He added, "I'm going to leave."

"Fine leave. You can't always leave when things get tough Ash," I said his name with a hint of coldness.

He walked out of the mansion with loud and heavy footsteps. The door slammed causing lamps and vases to shake a little. A few seconds later, I heard the distinct sound of his car driving off my pack's property.

The next day I was in the training room taking my mind off of the fight I had with Ash. I grabbed a wooden staff and started hitting it against the dummy. One smack created a noise that echoed against the cool hard surfaces of the planks. My parents came in unexpectedly.

Mom stopped a foot away from me and said in a serious tone, "We need to talk about something important."

"If this is about my engagement, then don't bother. I'm not changing my mind," I hated how my voice sounded raw.

Mom gave a disapproving look at me and put her hands on her hips. "Cleo, this isn't about your engagement. It's about your future of being an Alpha." She took a deep breath and said, "Your father and I have wanted to mention this for a few days."

Dad looked at me sternly and said, "Your mother is right. We need to talk to you about this before it's too late."

This caught my attention. I wondered what was so important to talk to me about. They had explained many things early in my childhood about our lifestyle. I thought they had gone over everything by that point in my life.

Mom jumped in again and spoke, "We don't want you to make a huge mistake. Being a strong Alpha means having the best possible mate. You won't be as strong without your destined love."

Dad explained, "Your mom and I fell in love and knew we were mates instantly. Her love strengthened me more than you can imagine." He paused for seconds. "We want you to be able to be strong and find love but not miss out on becoming a great leader."

I waited before I tried to talk again. My parents lecturing me never made me a very happy person. I wanted to make them wait, because I needed to calm my rising anger at this sudden ambush.

Finally, I said, "How do you know I can't become strong with someone like Ash?"

My parents looked at each other and gave pitying glances at me. They stayed quiet for seconds before whispering to each other. I could've listened in to the conversation but knew I shouldn't.

Their whispering went on for a couple of minutes before I cleared my throat. I hoped they had done enough talking amongst themselves.

Dad looked at mom and asked, "Do you know why our pack is so successful?" I shook my head and he explained, "This is because of the strong relationships of those between pack members. All of these relationships have been built by only destined mates." He looked me in the eyes and asked, "Do you understand?"

I nodded my head yes and didn't say anything back. I knew he was kind of right about our pack. A few other packs had members who were not with their rightful mate, which made them typically weaker than others.

Mom stepped closer to me and rested a hand on my shoulder. "We just want you to be able to have your full strength and potential as our future leader."

I looked at her and said, "I get it. Don't worry."

Dad snapped and said, "Don't talk to your mother like that. We aren't done yet." He kept a stern gaze on me and added, "Not having a mate by your side will be your downfall."

No. That couldn't be right. How would not having my mate weaken me that much? I tried not to look horrified with what he had told me. I needed a moment to collect my thoughts before I spoke again.

I cleared my suddenly dry throat and asked, "You aren't just making this up?"

Mom nodded her head no and said, "I'm sorry honey. It's true. We know of one leader who went against usual tradition, and he became weaker and weaker over time."

"We'll leave you to think about everything we told you. Maybe this will change your mind about your mate," dad told me with warning in his voice.

Staying with Ash wouldn't be great for the future, but I still wanted him. Would I be able to risk it all and keep Ash or be forced to be with Zander?