Chapter 6

ALPHA BEN

Her howl rips through my heart as it echoes into the night sky. Never in my life have I felt so defeated. She hadn't listened to me. She had interrupted and put words in my mouth. But her words were valid.

I don't know what I want. For years I searched for my mate, but I guess I truly did give up on her being alive. I gave up, and I moved on. I moved on and chose a person to spend my life with—a great person at that.

Ace- But you didn't mark her

Ace's grumble rattles me even more, and I sigh. Chelsea has asked me several times about marking in the past, and I always told her that we should both wait. I mainly wanted to give Chelsea's mate a chance at finding her. But I had also told myself it would be disrespectful to the Goddess to place a mark on a she-wolf who wasn't my mate

Ben- Ace, this is a mess

Ace- you have wanted our mate, but now you are hesitating! Why? Why hesitate? Tell Chelsea the truth.

Ben- it isn't that simple, Ace. Chelsea is a good person. She has worked so hard, and she has been a great Luna.

Ace- a stand-in Luna.

I cut the link, and Ace falls back. He doesn't understand the pain we will be inflicting on an innocent she-wolf. To him, it is black and white, no grey area. But as a human, I see the grey area. I see the emotions and the attachments. As a wolf, he sees his mate and a female who isn't his mate. He doesn't care about the tears or the heartbreak that will come with breaking up with Chelsea.

Border patrol- Alpha, a large grey wolf, is running through our lands. Is it one of our visitors?

Ben- Yes, Sam. That is Princess Sasha. Learn her scent.

Sam- Yes Alpha

After thirty more minutes of self-pity, I drag myself to Chelsea, and I's room. To my relief, Chelsea is asleep and lightly snoring. I strip off my clothes and get in bed. I keep my boxers on, which isn't normal, but sleeping naked next to her feels wrong.

SASHA POV

I get up early and take extra care getting ready. Last night Natalia had run until she collapsed. I had drug us back to our clothes while naked and dirty. I hadn't cared if anyone saw us. I believe I got about three hours of sleep, so concealer is a must today.

I french braid my blonde hair and pull on one of my casual but cute outfits. Today I plan on touring White Crest and getting a feel for the atmosphere in the pack. Part of me hopes to learn that all the pack members hate Chelsea, but I know that isn't going to happen. A girl can dream, right?

I head downstairs with a determined mindset. I need to get my head in the game and keep my heart out of the equation. I have a job to do, and if I stumble, Luis will catch on to my predicament. If he hasn't already. I should probably tell him; he will notice me acting differently long before Roland will.

When I enter the kitchen, my determination immediately takes a punch to the gut. Chelsea is laughing and talking to Roland as if they have known each other for years. But that isn't what kills me. It is her appearance!

Her chocolate hair is in a high ponytail, and it looks beautiful. Her make-up is natural and brings out her flawless features effortlessly. She is in hip-hugging jeans and a light blue blouse that shows off the details of her perfect body. All in all, she makes me feel like a socially awkward school girl.

"Good morning Princess Sasha. I have coffee made, and there are cinnamon rolls in the warmer," Chelsea says as she notices me in the doorway.

Roland clears his throat and sends me one of his usual smiles. I twist my hands together hard enough to distract my brain from the pain of her beauty before answering.

"Coffee sounds wonderful. Thank you, Chelsea," I answer.

She quickly turns and grabs a mug off of a small lazy Susan next to the coffee maker. She pours me some of the coffee and opens the fridge. She pulls out creamer and milk.

"Creamer or milk and sugar," Chelsea asks me with a beaming smile.

My stomach turns, and I place a small smile on my face.

"Creamer, please," I say, and she nods while maintaining her happy expression.

She hands me my coffee, and my hand brushes against the woman my mate loves. Natalia growls, but I try not to react. I take a seat next to Roland and sip absently at my hot beverage.

"So Roland, you were saying you have been Sasha's guard since she was five," Chelsea says, and Roland clears his throat again.

"Uh yeah. Luis and I both. Luis made a life pledge when we became her guards, in fact. He was one of the warriors who helped Jason with their murdered pups, so when Sasha was discovered alive......he was over the moon. We both were," Roland explains while locking eyes with me. I smile at him.

"I am so sorry about your siblings Sasha," Chelsea sighs quietly before grabbing and squeezing my hand in hers.

Natalia freezes, and my stomach turns. I push my jealousy down as hard as I can.

"I appreciate that, Chelsea. While I didn't know my brothers or male cousins, my sisters and female cousins were very close. One of my cousins saved me that night. Without her, I wouldn't even be sitting here," I say, trying to push myself to treat Chelsea like any other she-wolf.

"Well, may the moon goddess bless her wolf in the next life," Chelsea says as she releases my hand.

I nod just as Alpha Ben's scent begins to fill the air. I quickly turn my attention to the mug in my hand. He enters the room, and I look up after placing my best mask on. He looks perfect, and it makes my heart weep.

"Good morning, Love," Ben whispers quietly while placing a quick kiss on Chelsea's temple.

Chelsea looks down with flaming cheeks, and Roland grunts out an uncomfortable sound at their brief display of PDA. I want to poke fun at him, but I don't have the energy to fake happiness. My mate just called someone love in front of me. Natalia and I both want to curl up and hide.

"So Sasha, I would love to give you a tour of the pack. Ben is usually busy throughout regular business hours, so I typically handle all of our guests. I thought we could start more towards the west. That is where most of the businesses are, and our schools are. The east side of the pack is where most of our members live. So that area isn't so exciting. It looks like any typical suburb," Chelsea explains in a tone that screams fake.

I tilt my head a bit, trying to figure out why she is now faking her pleasant tone. Ben stiffens slightly as he moves around the kitchen behind her, and my brain wheels spin a little bit.

They must have had a disagreement, and she is still upset but trying to maintain her perfect hostess persona. That is my guess anyways, and I am good at reading people if I do say so myself.

"That sounds wonderful, Chelsea. Luis and Roland will be accompanying us for the tour today, but tomorrow they will want to meet with your border patrol. I am aware that my fathers trust that your pack is run properly, but it is protocol. And I want us to follow the book even if this is our test run. Better to iron out our system now," I say while pulling out my professional but polite attitude.

"We understand," Chelsea states immediately and then gives Ben a side glance.

She appears nervous? Again she confuses me with her behavior. Maybe I wasn't correct with my quick guess. An argument with Ben wouldn't make her nervous with me. Ben throws an arm over her shoulders, and she visibly relaxes. My heart clenches, but I don't let the pain show on my face. I wish I could tear my eyes out so I didn't have to see him touch her. Being blind, in my opinion, would be easier than dealing with the jealous fire eating my soul.

"I think practicing what you plan to do at every pack is a wonderful idea, especially since this is your first go-around. Chelsea is still nervous, thinking we won't pass inspection, but I know we run things very similar to Riverstone," Ben explains while avoiding looking directly at me.

"From what I see, that assessment is very accurate," Luis says as he enters the eat-in kitchen.

Chelsea moves away from Ben and grabs another mug from the lazy susan.

"Would you like some coffee Luis," she asks with a once again happy tone.

"Yes, please with creamer is fine," Luis answers, sitting down on the last available stool.

"What time would you like to get started Sasha," Chelsea asks as she hands Luis his coffee.

"As soon as we are all done here is fine with me," I answer as I watch my mate leave the room with not so much as a glance in my direction.

*********

"Well, that was interesting," Luis says, and I look over at him from my reclined position.

Ever since we returned to the packhouse, I have been hiding in my guest room. The entire tour was filled with Chelsea and Roland's happy chatter while Luis and I followed behind them. Everyone we came in contact with was pleased to meet us, and they had acted like they genuinely love Chelsea, which pushed Natalia and me further down in our misery.

"What was interesting," I mumble as he lays down on my half-made bed.

"Roland's behavior," he clarifies, and I scowl at his words as I try to remember if Roland did anything weird.

"What are you talking about," I ask, and Luis props himself up on his elbows.

"You didn't notice? You normally catch things faster than I do," Luis says, and impatience works through me.

"Just tell me," I growl, and he chuckles at my frustration.

"Roland was flirting with the Luna," Luis says in a duh tone, and my mouth falls open.

"No way. He was just being his usual chatty self," I say, and Luis shrugs.

"I've been around Roland for over two decades Sasha....that man was flirting," Luis says, and I jump to my feet.

I pace my room as I go over their interaction in the kitchen and on the tour, but I don't recall anything more than happy, easy conversation.

"Relax, Sasha. Roland won't overstep. He knows Chelsea is taken by Alpha Ben. He is just flirting with a beautiful she-wolf. He wouldn't do anything to disrespect Riverstone. I was just gossiping. I have nothing to do," Luis says, and I nod before returning to the recliner against the wall.

I don't know why Luis's observation bothers me, but it does. While I hate that my mate is choosing someone else over me, I don't want him hurt. I do not want his partner to cheat on him. I want him to live happily, no matter how much it hurts me. But Luis is right. Chelsea is beautiful, and Roland is kind of a flirt, but he is also honorable. He would never shame our pack by having an affair with a Luna.

"Do you want to train," I ask, and he shakes his head.

"Thank goodness. I don't have that kind of energy right now," I sigh at his answer.

"I've noticed. What's going on with you? Your personality has been all over the place. Especially at dinner yesterday," Luis asks while moving into a sitting position.

I sigh and meet his eyes.

"I command you to keep this information between us," I order, and Luis's body stiffens with the force of my order.

He gives me a stiff nod

"Alpha Ben is my mate," I whisper, and Luis jumps to his feet with a roar.

"I am going to murder him," Luis growls loudly.

He heads to my bedroom door, but I move faster than I have in a long time. I flip him off of his feet and pin him to the ground in seconds.

"I order you to treat Alpha Ben with the same respect you have been giving him since before I informed you of our relationship," I strain to say as I wrestle with one of Riverstone's strongest soldiers.

He growls loudly but goes still after I issue my command. We lay there panting for a few moments before we both climb to our feet. Luis stares at me for a second before yanking me into his chest. He holds me as I let the tears that have been kept at bay all-day fall down my face.

"You deserve better," Luis growls, and my heart feels lighter than it has since I arrived in White Crest.