The Alpha's Mystical Mate

Chapter 4 : Humiliation

Ashley had no intention of hiding anymore. She pushed Laurel into the center of the venue until everyone's eyes were on them, and whispers started to float into the air.

"What happened this time?"

"This girl must have done something again."

"She's always been unlucky. Didn't her mother die when she was born?"

"Now she's still trying to make problems for her family."

"It's Alpha's day. She should not."

"People like her don't care."

Laurel stumbled on the marble floor. Her body slammed on the hard ground, and a groan escaped her lips. Under her skin, there were just bones. It hurt a lot upon impact with a hard surface.

Ana and her husband, Harris, weaved through the crowd to take a look at the situation. The crowd had gathered to look at the show, and none of them had the intention to stop the two sisters. Even Harris and Ana stood aside and let Ashley do whatever she wanted.

Ashely stood high and mighty in front of the fallen Laurel.

"Don't you have any shame?!" Ashley exclaimed loud enough for everyone to hear.

"I didn't mean to..." Laurel tried to defend herself, but Ashley didn't let her finish at all.

"Justin has already made it clear that he has absolutely no interest in you!" Ashely shouted.

The whispers grew once again.

Justin stood behind Ashley and did not refute it, so everyone came to their own conclusion with that one sentence. What Ashely said next only elevated the excitement of the crowd.

"You were his mate! But he rejected you the moment he saw you! Aren't you ashamed of clinging to him?!" Ashley smirked as she continued to expose the wounds on her heart. "Let me remind you that Justin rejected you within minutes of knowing that you were his mate. He doesn't want you. So why are you being so shameless?"

Laurel lost all her strength. She didn't want to get up at all. At this moment, with all eyes on her, she could almost feel the contempt in those gazes. If possible, she wanted to tear the earth apart and take refuge in it.

The deepest pain in her heart was laid out in the open for everyone to see and laugh at.

Sure enough, no one had anything good to say about the fact that Laurel was rejected.

"She was rejected?"

"What else were you expecting?"

"Who with their right mind would want her?"

"Justin is popular and good-looking. Even his career is taking flight at a young age. It makes no sense for him to accept someone like her. She's an old cow eating tender grass*!"

(*Someone old taking advantage of a younger person)

Ashley had a triumphant smirk on her face. Laurel hid her face by lowering her head until it almost touched the ground. The mid-length hair helped hide the growing blush of embarrassment on her face.

The small crowd attracted the attention of the new Alpha. The crowd parted to make way for him. Seeing how Laurel was on the ground and everyone was whispering, an unpleasant frown formed on his head.

It was a very special day for Alpha Denis. It was officially his first day as the Alpha, and it was already being proven that he was not good at handling his pack.

"What's going on here?" He sternly eyed the crowd and said, "Don't make a scene."

"Yes Alpha!"

"Yes!"

The crowd dispersed immediately. Ashely had already achieved her goal, so there was nothing else for her to do. She held Justin's hand and went back to her parents side. Laurel slightly lifted her head to see Ashley enthusiastically introducing Justin to Ana and her father.

They seemed to have forgotten her behind. With a sigh, Laurel got off the ground, humiliation still burning her face.

It was the first time Laurel was treated like this in front of outsiders. At least before this, whatever was done with her was within the walls of her home.

Today, Laurel found that the rest of the pack also found pleasure in seeing her misery. No one came forward to speak for her and instead had their own opinions against her. What a ridiculous life it was that Laurel was living.

Laurel was not in the mood to eat anymore. She found the toilet and stayed in a cubicle for a long time. No one was going to look for her anyway. There was no point in showing up in front of people who didn't want to see her.

During the time she spent locked up in the cubicle, Laurel heard a few people come and go.

Some of them were discussing what happened to her and giving their own comments on it. It was safe to say that none of those comments made her feel better.

When Laurel left the cubicle, her family was nowhere to be found. Mustering up a ton of courage, she asked a new person if they had seen her family.

"Harris and Ana have already left."

Laurel's heart dropped.

They left her behind.

Or most probably, they didn't even want to take her along after that embarrassing scene with her.

Laurel thanked the person and left the venue. It was not too far from home, but still far enough that she wouldn't be able to walk back.

However, it was already late, and Laurel did not have any money on her. In the end, she walked almost an hour back home. The lights were off, and the door was locked.

Forehead against the front door, Laurel couldn't stop tears from leaking. Although she knew she shouldn't give up, it was days like these when it was really hard to keep living. She couldn't see the point in keeping up with such a life.

That night, Laurel stayed outside in the cold. She couldn't sleep outside, so the entire night passed with her staring up at the sky, trying to look for stars in the empty sky.

Such a situation wouldn't have been that bad if only Laurel had the ability to shift. She wouldn't have felt so cold or wouldn't have had to walk this far.

Now her feet hurt, and the cold was making her fingers numb. In the biting cold, Laurel was taken over by exhaustion and soon fell asleep.

When morning came, Laurel was woken up by the door opening behind her. She fell backwards without resistance, and her head met with the solid floor.

She woke up in pain—nothing new.

Laurel didn't even have the time to question anything when a pair of legs walked past her. She raised her head, only to see the back of her father. He got into the car and drove off by the time she comprehended what happened.

Looking at the sky, it was just dawn, and he was already gone. He was really back for the Alpha's celebration and nothing else.

However, there was no time to think of these things. Laurel quickly got inside and changed into clean clothes, then got right to work.

Due to staying out for an entire night, Laurel had a stuffy nose and puffy eyes. Her head hurt like it was constantly being hammered.

Not only was she feeling sick, but her body hurt from being in a sitting position all night. Not to mention her legs, which were sore from walking for more than an hour.

Still, there was no point in complaining or stopping. What had to be done was still done on time. In fact, Laurel finished everything faster so that she had the time to take some medicine for her cold and rest a little.

The cold was nothing. Laurel could heal it just like she usually did with her wounds. But she did not want to waste her little strength by putting it into something that could be cured with external factors.

Wounds usually take days to heal. Laurel was confident that one paracetamol was enough to get better from the cold.

Laurel ended up sleeping the entire afternoon, and she was relieved that she finished all the work before resting. When she went back downstairs, the first thing she noticed was another person in the living room. It was none other than their new Alpha.

Alpha Denis was talking to Ana about something, and Ana did not look happy about it. It just so happened that Laurel's arrival distracted them both.

Ana ordered her to make some coffee for Alpha Denis. It was just a disguise to get her to leave without making a scene in front of Alpha Denis. If it were some other time, Ana would have definitely thrown something at her, considering how mad she looked.

Laurel immediately made two cups of coffee and served them with some snacks they had at home. She only heard a little part of their conversation.

"It won't affect her much. Ashley will not have any problem adjusting to the new lifestyle. I have heard that he is very good.

"I am sorry for cutting you off. I don't mean to be disrespectful, Alpha Denis, but this is about my daughter's life. How can you say it won't affect her? I can't let her out of my sight for a day, and you want me to send her to an unknown place to be married off with someone.

Laurel couldn't hear the entire thing because she was already in the kitchen, and their voices were not loud enough to be heard from there. She leaned against the counter and started on dinner.

She was a little distracted while cooking because of what she heard. Alpha Denis probably proposed some sort of marriage for Ashley and was being strongly resisted by the protective mother Ana.

It was not surprising. After all, Laurel was sent as a shepherd with Ashley on a night's outing. It was not odd if Ana refused to have Ashley married off because she had no idea about it.

It has nothing to do with her, Laurel thought, and she concentrated on her job.

After dinner was served, Laurel was washing dishes when she heard a commotion at the dining table. She only stuck her head out of the kitchen to watch secretly as Ashley screamed at the top of her lungs.

Max dodged a salt shaker that was brazenly thrown around. Ana looked helpless at her daughter's tantrum.

Ashley kept screaming, "No! I don't agree! Do what you have to do to reject it! I am not willing! I love Justin, and I will marry him! Not anyone else, and definitely not a man that everyone in the world thinks of as a beast!"

Ana rubbed her temples and calmly said, "Sit down and let's talk about it. I have not said yes.

"There is no yes!" Ashely exclaimed.

"Yes, I understand. I will firmly reject his offer tomorrow.

Ashley was barely satisfied with her mother's compromise.

Laurel was suddenly curious about the person Ashley was asked to marry. A beast? What kind of person do you have to be in order to be called a beast by many people? Did he treat others badly, or did he kill indiscriminately?

It was none of her business.

Laurel slept the night without having to suffer any injuries. Ana had a lot on her mind and went to bed early. Laurel did everything on time and did not give her a chance to vent. Those were rare nights when Laurel did not have to spend the entire night healing herself.

Pain was always on her body, but the times it was less was when Laurel truly cherished the nights. After a long time, Laurel slept properly and woke up refreshed with less pain in her body and her nose unblocked.

The cold was gone, and the body pain was gradually receding. It was still a short-lived relaxation, though. During breakfast, she was subjected to another beating for not putting enough salt in the eggs.

Ana was stressed enough about rejecting Alpha Denis's proposal and did not let go of the chance to vent. Laurel sported a busted lip and a brushing cheek as she did the dishes after breakfast.