Chapter Five—The Unwanted Mate
**ANNA**
His words were concise and clear. I felt every part of it as it sent shudders down my spine.
Rejection.
It was such an uncanny feeling.
Being rejected by your mate was one of the worst things a werewolf could ever experience. It was basically an abomination and cannot be said out loud, which was why Nikolai whispered it to me so the others couldn't hear. He rejected me in front of the other townsfolk.
I glanced over in father's direction, his face expressionless. I could just smell the disappointment he felt, giving off his daughter to her mate in such a disastrous attire.
The yellow dress wasn't exactly horrendous, but it was far from appropriate. I had no other nice dress to wear, my green frock from last night was already so muddled with dirt, and the rest of my clothes consisted of cotton trousers and simple blouses.
I could see the disgust in Nikolai's eyes, for alpha who was capable of hiding his true feelings, his eyes conveyed a lot of emotion. It was probably the bond. I couldn't particularly feel it yet because my connection to the moon wasn't strong, but I could sense what he was feeling from my own intuition—-Pity, shame.
"I reject you too, Alpha Nikolai." I finally responded with also a whisper, unwilling to let him tower over me.
He rolled his eyes, "You're a pathetic, bottom of the barrel Omega. You're not capable of rejecting anybody."
I almost bit my tongue in protect because it was true. I wasn't capable of rejecting my mate. Only an Alpha could reject his mate, but that was in words alone. Rejecting your mate and breaking the bond could literally end up with us both dying, a fate I wouldn't mind.
Dominic Ashford, Nikolai's uncle and the former Alpha of the pack cleared his throat, easing a tad bit of the tension between us as he made to stand in the middle,
"The awakening has come and gone," he stated and everyone listened, "The alpha, my nephew, Nikolai, has bonded and found his mate for life. So as some of the others present here today."
I felt nauseous, petrified or sick to my stomach I wasn't sure. All I knew was that I felt a force trying to take over me again, as another impending bout of pain waited to slam into my already weakened body.
As Dominic gave his speech, I looked over at Nikolai. He remained unfazed, poised and in control but I knew he felt it too. The unwavering force, the throbbing ache that was bound to hit us very soon.
"By the laws of Moonlight grove and the pack, I now clear these two mates to live toghether, eat together, sleep toghether and eventually, produce more offspring to strengthen the lines of our town.
Offspring??!!
My eyes widened, my nostrils flared and my face washed off color at the mention of offspring.
This was a joke, a dream, something sinister of a cruel prank! There was no way my fate was sealed to a man who just rejected me as his mate.
Aria bursted into tears as she buried her head on my father's shoulder, unable to look at the spectacle of her own lover being joined with another woman, her own sister. I felt my throat run as dry as a desert, wishing for it all to be over.
"I think that's enough uncle." Nikolai spoke up. For the first time I was glad he opened his mouth.
Father walked towards me and placed a hand on my shoulder, "You better not disgrace this family girl. Heavens know you've brought enough shame and dishonor upon us, lie low until all of this is settled and don't do anything stupid."
By stupid he clearly meant sparring with Kaleb and the rest of the other military men. It was like a hole was pierced through my heart, not being do the one thing I loved the most, be with the people who accepted me. It was even more devastating than bonding with my sister's mate.
"Let's go." Nikolai murmured and just as I took the first step forward, Aria ran over and screamed.
"Nik no!!"
He turned around, she held onto the hem of his jacket, sobbing. He cupped her cheeks in his hands and leaned close. I felt a dreaded pain in my stomach, piercing and excruciating, like a rebuttal or punishment for my mate being with another. This was just not fair!!
"We'll figure this out Aria." He said, "I promise you that."
Father stared at me glumly, wreaked with embarrassment. The rest of the town weren't so far off, as they giggled at the shame and turmoil of my so called mate professing his love to another.
Rejection.
It dawned on me even more now.
The pain of being rejected by a man you solely hated.
"Come on Aria," father cooed as he pulled her gently away from the grasp of her lover, "We'll figure this out," then he sent me a death glare,
"don't screw this up. You've done more than enough."
~~~~~~~~~~
The Ashford manor was the biggest house in town. It's honey-brown glow, stone faced walls and delicate pillars all gleamed under the sunlight. The Ashford family dates back to generations, a pack of werewolves who garnered enough wealth to feed an entire nation and has been passed down from century to century. They were the one and only true leaders of Moonlightgrove, the magnificent architecture was a symbol of that.
I gulped hard as I stared up at the tall spires and turrets e almost touched the sun, wondering if it would look even more regal once the moon shone itself, when Dominic Ashford came next to me. He placed a hand on my shoulder,
"Come on in child," beckoning as he went up the first flight of stairs towards the main door, "I'll show you around."
I turned to Nikolai. His nonchalance towards me knew no bounds. It was customary for the alpha to show his mate her new quarters, but I was no ordinary mate of his—I was a mistake, just like when I was born.
The inside exuded warmth and power. Rich tapestries and paintings of old mythical creatures adorned the walls. My eyes beamed with intrigue at the roaring fireplace, which crackled and flickered a dashing blue light.
"Come with me," Nikolai finally spoke from behind, "I'll show you your bed chambers."
My body felt tense as I tagged along behind him. It was the first I've never felt so close to the Alpha and seen how really tall he was. We got to a hall which had multiple doors and stopped in front of one.
Nikolai gently opened the door and I gasped loudly—It was minuscule!!!
"Is this…is this my room??"
"Yes," he answered.
It was tiny, merely a closet as the tiny bed unfit for even a growing adolescent took up all the space. There was a little table and a stool next to it, right on top was a worn out lamp, with webs woven along the crevices.
"I can't!! I can't stay here!!" I cried out. I knew he hated me, as I him, but this was just downright cruel.
"You can't??" He said calmly., "Judging from how you roll in the dirt like a pig with the other Omegas, I figured this was the best—
I couldn't let him finish that sentence, taint my honor any more than it was. My fists were already balled and my anger already risen, with its ugly head out I cried as I punched him right hard across the face.