All Chapters of The Alpha's Orphaned Mate: Chapter 1 - Chapter 10

*Estelle*I stumbled down the sidewalk and looked repeatedly over my shoulder at the chaos behind us. There were people cluttering the street and shouting at us to come back. Police sirens were blaring, and I could see the blue and red lights approaching quickly. People were crowded into doorways and windows, looking out to see what the commotion was. The blue-eyed man didn't react to any of it. He just kept walking, facing straight ahead. My head was buzzing with confusion and the insistent keening of my instinctual side. It was too much for me to process. I trailed after the man, not sure what else to do. "Who are you?" I asked, trying to keep up. "Who was that man? Why was he attacking me?" "You talk too much," he muttered. "Wha–" I stammered. I'd been criticized plenty of times for being too quiet, but never for talking too much. The man came to a stop so suddenly that I nearly walked right into his back. In my attempt to avoid hitting him, I stumbled and fell f

*Estelle*The idea of being in love with Gabe would have been laughable if it didn't send a cold dread down my spine. I pictured the intensity in Gabe's eyes last night, when he'd been just inches from me. He'd looked at me like he could see right into my mind. It was unsettling. I wrapped my arms around myself and shook my head. Val seemed like a nice guy, but there was no way he was talking about the same man who had brought me here. "Where is Gabe, anyway?" I asked softly. There were a few people out and about now, and it seemed like more of the little shops were starting to open up. I didn't really want to be seen wandering around the village. This seemed like the kind of place where a stranger would stick out, and I didn't want to be the center of attention. "He's taking care of some business. He asked me to get you up to speed on pack basics while he was busy. Do you have any questions so far?" Val motioned for me to turn right when we reached the end of the block. We

*Estelle* Gabe left me waiting around his house all day. I guess Val was serious when he said that the Alpha was busy. Eventually, Val had found me flipping through books in the library and offered to take me back to the inn for the night. "Tell me about the role of the Luna," I said as we walked along. I wanted to understand why Isolde was convinced that I was trying to steal that position from her. "It's quite important," he said. "She doesn't lead the way the Alpha does, but there are many decisions that are entirely her domain.""That does sound important," I said quietly. He nodded and continued, "part of the Luna's job is to help care for the pack's children. This means that if the worst happened and a child is orphaned, it falls to the Luna to find that child a stable home. Now, this is a rare occurrence, but it has become an issue. After we were attacked nearly twenty years ago, many families were fractured."I looked over at him and saw the sadness in his ey

*Estelle*"Estelle? Where are you going?" I paused, despite myself. It was Val's voice. I should have pretended I hadn't heard him, but it was too late now. The smile fell from his face as he approached me. "What?" I asked hoarsely. I wiped uselessly at my eyes and tried to compose myself. "What happened?" he asked. I threw my hands up helplessly and let out a humorless laugh. "Gabe." "What happened now?" Val seemed equal parts concerned and annoyed. "He threatened to keep me locked in my room if I tried to leave," I sniffled and hated myself for how pathetic it sounded. "Why won't he just let me leave?" "Why did he say that?" Val asked. "He wouldn't make that threat unprompted.""According to Charles, the pack doesn't want me as their Luna. He told Gabe to reject me. I said if that was the case, I should just go home. If I'm not wanted here, then there's no reason for me to stay," I explained. "Charles said that? He used the word reject?" The tone of Val

*Estelle* I was either paranoid, or people were still talking about me. It had been two days since Gabe returned from his trip. Since then, every time I stepped outside, I felt like I was being watched. I caught people whispering or pointing at me. Sometimes, they just glared as I walked by. I wracked my brain but couldn't think of anything I'd done that might have offended anyone or upset the pack like this. I wanted to talk to Gabe about it, but I was afraid he'd think I was being dramatic. Things hadn't exactly been sunshine and rainbows between us. Sure, we were getting along better, but that was because we had a tentative agreement about my staying. I had an out, at least in theory. He could always change his mind and refuse to let me leave. If it came to that, I'd find a way out, but it was pointless to dwell on it now. I tried to stay away from the main house during the day because Gabe was always working. He'd get irritated if I was underfoot. But he was also irrita