Chapter Five

Chloe's POV

Was he here to rain more insults on me and let me know how he felt about me?

"Hey." He whispered, his voice coming out surprisingly sweet and caring, and I wondered if my ears were deceiving me. Was he here to be nice?

"Hello," I answered hesitantly, trying my best to be polite even as I was still hurt from what came out of his mouth immediately after he found out that we were mated.

"I know that it seemed like I was a bit harsh the other day, but I guess the whole thing just took me by surprise. You took me by surprise." He continued, taking steps forward towards me.

"Really?" I whispered in fear, and he nodded as he closed the distance between us.

"Ye. I think you are beautiful, Chloe. Very beautiful." He whispered as he leaned closer.

What was he trying to do?

"Relax. We are reconciling right now, are we not?" He said this, tracing my bottom lip with his fingers.

When I was about to respond and tell him how uncomfortable I was, he shushed me, and I saw his eyes move to my cleavage, with lust written all over his face.

I moved backward till the back of my thighs hit the large table, and he took it as a sign to move forward still, licking his bottom lip. Without warning, he reached into my cloth and pinched my nipple, and I gasped, recoiling with shock.

"Please don't," I whispered, very uncomfortable with how this was playing out, but the smile on his face suddenly disappeared.

"You don't want this?"

I nodded, and he laughed, pinning me to the table as he raised my dress and gripped my ass with both his hands, and I yelled as he leaned down to whisper in my ears.

"I don't care, brat, because I will take what I want from you, and you either be a good little girl or you will pay the consequences." He growled, licking my neck.

Tears trickled down my cheeks, and I knew that if I did not do something right now, he was going to force himself on me.

"Please stop." I breathed, and he slapped me hard, but at that moment, I saw an opening, and I kicked him hard, ignoring how he screamed and cursed at me, and I ran out of the room.

I ran to my room and locked the door tightly.

What was wrong with Mason? Was he really okay?

I can’t lock myself inside all through, as I knew I had a whole lot of tasks to do at the mating ceremony.

I quickly changed into something better, as I did not want Mrs. Parker to say that I was wearing rags in front of our guests.

I then gently opened my door and peered outside to make sure he wasn’t anywhere nearby. Seeing that the coast was clear, I quickly left my room and rushed to the hall, where all the guests were.

"Surely he can't hurt me while I’m there," I said.

*********

I hurried towards the hall; my heart was racing like a horse at full gallop. I couldn't help but fidget with my dress, hoping it was up to snuff for Mrs. Parker. She was always so particular about appearances.

Just as I reached the entrance, I almost ran smack into Mrs. Parker, standing there like a statue carved out of ice. Her expression already told a lot about how angry she was.

"Where have you been, Chloe?" Her voice was so sharp and annoyed.

I gulped, feeling a knot twist in my stomach. "I'm sorry, ma'am," I managed to squeak out, my eyes flickering away before reluctantly meeting her gaze again. "I was... cleaning."

"Cleaning?" Mrs. Parker's eyebrows shot up so high.

"You think I'm daft enough to believe that? You've not been available ever since. We've got guests to tend to, and you're nowhere in sight. What's your problem?"

"I lost track of time," I muttered, trying to defend myself.

“Would you stop with all these excuses and go and join the rest inside, Nonsense?"  Mrs. Parker shot back.

Feeling like I was in trouble, I hurried into the hall. Other omegas were already giving wine to the guests. I grabbed a tray of glasses and tried to act calm. But I was still worried about Mason showing up.

I went from table to table, serving the guests, trying to keep it together.

Then, Amber, my inner wolf, said something, making me feel uneasy.

I asked silently in my mind what was wrong, but got no answer from Amber.

Despite feeling nervous, I focused on my job. The guests were happy, talking and laughing, not knowing I was worried. I kept smiling, trying to seem confident.

But as the night went on, I got more scared. I couldn't shake the feeling that Mason might be nearby, ready to cause trouble. I kept looking around nervously, unable to relax.

"What's wrong with me now?" I whispered to myself, barely able to hear my own voice over the noise in the hall. My hands trembled as I got closer to the table.

I felt like something was just off.

I tried to smile when I reached the guests at table seven, but my voice shook when I spoke. There were just three individuals on the table, and the way it looked, the handsome man in the middle was really a respected dignitary, as the other two men looked like his bodyguards.

"Good evening," I said quietly. "Would you like some wine?"

The man nodded politely, even as he stared at me, not even blinking. I struggled to keep the wine from spilling as I poured it into their glasses, as I felt so uncomfortable with the stare.

“MATE!” the man suddenly said, even as he held my hand really tight.

“Mate?? What is this man saying?”

“Is it just me, or everyone wants to just disgrace me today??”

“Who is this man calling my mate?”