HIS UNWORTHY MATE

CHAPTER 3~DOWNHILL Pt2

~JADE~

Everything else happened in a blur. It all felt like a nightmare, and I wished someone would wake me up so badly.

Hunter had dragged me out of Arya’s place naked, and I had no will to protest against his iron grip. He believed I had lost all sense of decency, and I was so ashamed that I was unable to even ask for something to cover my nakedness as he threw me out of bed after he pulled his d**k out of me.

I couldn't even look Arya or Darren in the eyes because my friend had f*cked me right there in their presence, without a care in the world, like I was no better than a cheap f*ck. Humiliated and degraded me beyond words, dragged me through the street naked and left me on the front porch of my parent's house with a warning that I would never return to our home.

I had crawled inside my parents' house, shaking and crying. Despite how many times they asked what happened, my mouth wouldn't budge; all I could do was weep as I sank further into the shame enveloping me.

“Is this true, Jade?” Even now, as I sit here in the presence of my parents and in-laws, I still wish this was nothing but a nightmare.

“Jade!” I heard my father snap, and I dragged my eyes away from my lap.

“Is everything your mate just said true? Did you cheat on him with your sister’s boyfriend?” Dad asked, and I shook my head.

“I didn't; I didn’t do it,” I replied as fresh tears streamed down my face.

“Now she’s calling me a liar. Your sister and I saw you in bed with him. You were both naked.” Hunter growled from where he was seated across the room, and I flinched.

“Jade.” My mom’s soft voice filtered through: “Tell me the truth, please.” Mom asked in a shaky voice.

“I… don’t… I don’t remember,” I stuttered,

“I didn’t drink any alcohol; I was sober. All I took was water, and I don’t know what happened; I woke up and..."

“So, you’re saying you cheated because you wanted to? You didn’t even need alcohol to wh*re yourself to your sister’s boyfriend."

“Keep quiet.” Alpha Orion, my father-in-law and Alpha Head of the Pack, growled at Hunter, his voice cutting through all the other voices in the living room.

“You will not call your mate such degrading names while I am seated,” Hunter’s father muttered, glaring hard at his son.

“She is not my mate, not after she..."

“Do you want to be thrown out of here? Keep quiet.” Alpha Orion snaps at Hunter once more. He lets out a series of muffled words before falling silent, listening to his father.

“I do not care what state you found her in or how angry you were. You should’ve reined in your anger and had the issue dealt with by the elder’s council. Do you know how demeaning it is to be told that my son, the next Alpha of this pack, was seen dragging his naked mate back to her parent's house?” Alpha Orion bellowed at Hunter, who lowered his head.

“I taught you better than that, did I not?” He snarls at Hunter, who nods.

“What you do to your mate behind closed doors is no business of mine; what you do to her publicly concerns me if it shames my name and that of this family. Never in generations has such shame been brought on our family. The pack’s future, Luna, was publicly humiliated by her Alpha."

Shaking his head with a sigh, he points to me, then to Hunter. “You are both a disgrace.” He declares with resentment heavy in his voice, and I cast my head down as shame washes over me.

I know how much respect and love Hunter’s parents have accorded me ever since I returned to the pack. Pack members called me their perfect Luna; I was my parents’ golden child, beloved by every member of the pack, and in just one day, all that was replaced with reproach and disappointment.

“This is something that we could’ve swept under the rug.” The current Luna, Hunter’s mother, said this, and she sighed heavily.

“Your Alpha ceremony is in two months; the preparations are all set in place. All notable Alphas from far and beyond have been invited; you shouldn’t have escalated this situation. Now with the stunt you pulled this morning, there’s no way we can keep whatever happened in that room a secret because Pack members have already started talking."

“Mother, I don’t understand what you’re saying. She cheated, she betrayed my trust and her sister’s trust, and you’re saying it could’ve been swept under the rug?” Hunter asks, the tone of his voice rising above the normal octave, and his mother nods.

“Yes, not every union can be perfect; what is important is upholding the standards and name of this family and this pack. There is a reason why we are the most respected among all packs. If you hadn’t pulled the stunt you pulled this morning, your father and I would’ve solved this without having to involve the elders' council."

“My mate cheated on me and defiled our mate bond, and you expect me to keep it a secret?” Hunter half-yells at his mother, which earns him a warning growl from his father.

“Yes, that is what you should've done if you had paid any attention to all the teachings of your father. There is nothing new under the sun, and no union is perfect. Everyone makes mistakes; let’s say she made a drunken mistake. Punish her however you want, behind closed doors. Do whatever you wish to her to show your anger, as long as your action is not displayed for the world to see. As long as your actions don't hinder your Alpha ceremony, as long as it doesn’t tarnish the name of this pack and this family, now we have no choice but to bring this before the council.”

“Which is the right thing to do!” Hunter exclaims, throwing his hands in the air out of frustration.

“AND THAT IS GOING TO COST US A LOT. YOUR ALPHA ASCENDING CEREMONY WILL BE CANCELED, AND EVERY NEIGHBOURING PACK WILL KNOW ABOUT THIS. WE WILL HAVE NO CHOICE BUT TO SAVE FACE AND SHARE IN THIS DISGRACE. ARE YOU A STRANGER TO WHAT HAPPENS TO ANY MATE FOUND GUILTY OF INFIDELITY BEFORE THE COUNCIL? THIS DOES NOT LOOK GOOD ON US; OUR IMAGE WILL BE TARNISHED FOREVER.” His mother yells at him, the veins in her neck and forehead popping with every word she says, and it finally dawns on me.

They weren’t defending me or trying to appease their son for my sake. It was all about them, the intervention they talked about when they first got here; it wasn’t about proving my innocence; it was about their family, the pack, and their image. And here, I thought they might have believed me when I said I didn’t cheat on their son.

No one is ready to believe me; no one wants to give in to the thought that I might be telling the truth. Or even try to investigate the situation. Why aren’t they asking Arya any questions? It was her party; she gave me the water I drank before I blacked out.

“Arya, where is your boyfriend? Why isn’t he here?"

Alpha Orion asks my sister, who has been crying buckets ever since this sham of a meeting started.

“I don't know... I haven’t seen him since the incident this morning.” She replies in between her sobs and hiccups.

“Jade, can you prove your innocence? If you can, this can still be resolved.” My mom asked, and I stared at her blankly, wondering how I could do that when I didn’t even remember sh*t. Perhaps they can get Darren and make him tell the truth, but what if he is telling the truth? What if I cheated on my mate?

"That is no longer necessary. She has to go before the council; it’s the words of her mate and her sister against her. There is nothing she can do to salvage the damage already done. Even if we try, the pack members are already talking; we can only make sure to save the pack’s name henceforth."

“So, you’re implying we make my daughter a scapegoat even if she might be innocent?” Mom grumbled as she glared at Alpha Orion.

“She became a scapegoat the moment she woke up in bed with a man who wasn’t her mate.” Hunter’s mother replied, rolling her eyes at my mom.

“The council…. What… What will happen to me if they find me guilty?” I asked, amidst their banter.

I left the pack at a very young age, and most of the pack’s customs weren’t taught to me when I grew up with my aunt in the Philippines. Ever since it became clear that I'd become Luna someday, I’ve been learning about pack customs, rites, and laws, but I had no reason to look up infidelity or anything about the council of elders.

“If found guilty, you will be stripped of your rights as a pack member, a severance will take place, Hunter will reject you, and your mate bond will be nullified. After which you’ll be branded as unworthy; you’ll be paraded around the pack naked as you dance the dance of shame, and you’ll be banished from the pack afterwards.” Hunter’s mom explained, and my eyes grew bigger with each word.

Rejected? I’ll be made to dance naked around the pack, branded as unworthy, and I am not even given the chance to prove my innocence. Does it even matter if I am innocent? They’ll make me the scapegoat if it saves their faces.

“You can’t do that. You can’t reject me."

“Why do you still believe that you’ve done nothing wrong?” Hunter hissed at me.

"Because I am pregnant with your child, you’ll kill your child if you reject me, and you know that."

This was my last resort. I know how much his parents have been looking forward to having a grandchild, an heir, because, for some reason, they only ever have one child in their bloodline. Hunter is the only child, and he can only give his parents one grandchild.

I don’t know why that is, but it is the first thing I was told after we became mates and why it was important for me to take care of myself and be healthy enough to carry the future Alpha.