The Alpha's love slave

CHAPTER FOUR: REJECTED!

Blood Rose Pack territory, Current times…

Maera cringed in fear as the eyes continued to watch her without mercy, her heart constricting at the power they had over her right now. She was in the Blood Rose Pack territory for the first time in her life, surrounded by hostile onlookers.

Dastan Acker paced the floor in front of her in an arrogant manner to show his supremacy, and Maera resisted the urge to flee. She was scared out of her wits, and this time there was no Xander to save her. She had faced an Alpha’s wrath before, and it was not pleasant.

But why bring her here now? After two years? Like the humiliation at the UWO party had not been enough? Why would Dastan Acker bring her to his territory to exact his vengeance now?

Then, it dawned. Did it have anything to do with Xander’s disappearance? The question was on the tip of her lips, but she bit them to prevent it from coming out. It was not like they would willingly give her any information. She had a role to play – the world believed her to be the much beloved daughter of Jeremy Henderson.

That was the disconcerting truth she’d learnt at the party two years ago. Eaton hadn’t believed her when she’d blurted out the truth about her father. In fact, she hadn’t gone much further than the fact that she needed his help only to find him fled from the room like the devil himself was after him.

She hadn’t planned to dump everything on him that quickly, but he could have had the courtesy to at least listening to her. Completely taken aback, she was still staring at his retreating back when a familiar voice had made her jump out of her skin.

“What are you doing here, little sister?” Xander had asked grimly and Maera had turned around to catch a furious pair of blue eyes pinning her down with a severe stare. Although Xander was not the Alpha yet, he had the commandeering aura around him which made them all bend to his will.

Like it was happening right now. All Maera wanted to do was rewind the time and undo her stupid action. She’d been so happy to find her mate so handsome and manly. He hadn’t been an Alpha, but he’d given the impression of being powerful. Just what she needed to escape her reality.

“X…Xander,” she’d stuttered like a child. “I…I…I…”

A firm grip on her arm made her wince, but she allowed Xander to walk her to a corner of the room. “Do you know what punishment our dear father will reserve for you if he finds you here. I’m afraid he’ll skin you alive this time and I won’t be able to do anything. You know how violent he gets when he’d had a sip or two.”

With a somersaulting heart, Maera peered in the direction that Xander indicated and was horrified to note that her brother was right. Her father stood smiling which looked more like he was baring his teeth, but with a glass of whisky in his hand. She cringed in alarm at the prospect of being beaten like a sack of potato.

“You know there’s only so much I can do for you. But if you keep getting into trouble like this, I might not be here to help you. Have you told anyone who you were?”

Of course she’d been foolish enough to trust her mate. Clueless to how the mate bond worked, she’d been blind enough to reveal her identity to him in the spur of the moment. But she wasn’t about to confess to Xander about that blunder or he would be the one to skin her alive. With a bit of luck, she would survive the night without a scratch.

“No, of course not,” she denied hastily, and didn’t even flinch when Xander gawked at her in a measuring way. “What kind of stupid do you take me for?” she added for good measure. “I haven’t spoken to anyone since I got here.”

After a long assessing look, Xander gave her a brief nod of acknowledgement and released her from his deadly grasp. “Have you found your mate yet?”

Rubbing her arm which was smarting from her brother’s superior Alpha strength, she shook her head for another lie. “No, not yet.”

“Come,” Xander said hurriedly when their father frowned in his direction. And he placed himself right on time to block his father’s line of vision. “Come, let’s get you out of here before anything bad happens.”

They barely made it to the door when a loud mocking drawl echoed through the room. “Running away again Henderson?” a familiar voice croaked with sadistic pleasure, as his eyes roamed over Maera for a split of a second before turning his full attention to her brother.

It was the same man who’d teased her about her eating habit. She didn’t know who he was, only that he was so handsome that it hurt to even look at him. His jaw looked harsh like it was chiseled from granite. His mouth was lush, with a mole on his chin which made him look more like a movie actor than a werewolf.

Her face flamed with an unidentified emotion as she faced that man again. His voice was so smooth even when it was clear that he hated Xander. His grey eyes glowed with ice as he blatantly ignored her to keep them glued on Xander. Had she imagined the interest he had been displaying earlier? Did he want to stake a claim on her?

That was highly unlikely. Despite her naïve self, Maera could not deny the difference between the searing one he’d given her at their first meeting and the frosty one he was showing now. His gaze then had been warm and mushy, caressing her skin in an intimate way, like he’d unexpectedly found someone he coveted.. Or had she been dreaming?

Now, the glacial depths held nothing of the sort. Only two charcoal grey blocks of ice stared back, devoid of any emotions whatsoever.

“Alpha Acker,” Xander replied with a polite bow of his head, and Maera flinched at the submissiveness, knowing that it was only for her sake. Xander must have felt the fiasco coming their way and he was willing to cut his losses and make a clean escape.

What have you done, you stupid girl? he mind-linked with her, and Maera felt despair engulf her. If Xander was speaking to her like their much-hatred father, it meant that she’d done something unforgiven.

Nothing, I swear. I found my mate though, she confessed to his mind, his heart picking

Please don’t tell me it’s the man in front of us? Xander asked in a scandalized voice, which caused Maera to glace sideways at her brother. For the first time, she realized how rigid he stood, with his fists clenched at his sides like he was preventing himself from pouncing over the man.

Maera glanced back at their opponent her eyes roaming over his with an intensity and sheer curiosity. Who was he? If he could make her brother lose his control like that, he must be a worthy rival.

Who is he? she asked innocently and jumped when Xander shouted back at her.

Answer me first! Is he your mate?

Maera had never seen her brother so flustered before, so she hastened to reassure him. Whoever he was, it was clear that Xander didn’t like him very much. At that precise moment, Eaton appeared from behind the one who Xander had addressed as Alpha Acker.

No, my mate is the one behind him. With green eyes, she informed dutifully.

Miller? Miller is your mate? Are you sure? Xander prompted in emergency.

Yes, I am sure. We talked for a while, and he ran away from me when I told him my name.

Oh, you stupid girl. Do you even know who they are? This one is Dastan Acker, Alpha to the Blood Rose Pack, and behind him is his beta Eaton Miller. Our sworn enemies. They are the ones I was protecting you from, and you walked right into their paths.

Alarm rang through her as she watched the men growled at each other in open animosity, their wolves lurking right behind their human forms ready to attack if necessary. That didn’t smell good. That didn’t smell good at all. How could she be so clueless to who her brother’s enemies were?

“We were getting bored at the party and were on our way out. If you’ll excuse us?” Xander said through gritted teeth, grabbing Maera’s arms once again.

“Not so fast,” Eaton stopped them, and his green eyes flashed with an anger and resentment which made both Maera and Amethyst crawl back in their skin. “I have something for you before you go.”

Her heart sank and the bottomless feeling made her queasy as she could sense what was coming her way. Her mate was looking at her with so much hatred and anger that it left little to imagination what his intentions were.

No! No! No! Amethyst cried in horror, and Maera wished she could console her. But she stood frozen to her bones and with even more distress watched her father approach their group. In horror, she realized that the whole room was watching them with undisguised interest.

“What’s going on here?” her father asked in his harsh voice, and a look from him made Maera’s eyes to sink down in submission. She hated herself for being a coward, but she’d longed resorted to her fate. The only silver lining had been her mate who wasn’t even an option now.

“Alpha Henderson,” Dastan Acker commented in that suave tone of his, obviously enjoying himself for what was about to come. Maera felt the floor move as her head swam with dizziness, but her hand was grabbed firmly, and she was grateful for her brother’s presence at her side. He seemed to sense what was coming to and was offering his support. “My beta has just found out his mate.”

Her father frowned ominously down at her. “Maera, can you explain what’s going on?”

“Let me tell you,” Dastan intervened oh-so-helpfully with an amount of glee in his voice. “My beta, Eaton Miller is the destined mate of your daughter Maera,” he spat her name with so much venom that she flinched like he’d slapped her. “He’s planning to reject her.”

The air was whooshed out of her body at the words, despite her being prepared for such an eventuality. Her grasp over Xander’s hand tightened to an extent of her nails digging crescents into his flesh.

“Like I would give away my daughter to you!” her father shouted angrily. “We’re the ones rejecting you! Maera, let’s go!”

Powerless, she was about to flow like a meek pup when Eaton blocked her exit. No! she pleaded with tears in her eyes as pain rolled through her from everywhere. No, please. Don’t do this to me. Don’t do this to us!

For a moment, Eaton faltered looking at her with his early lovestruck expression, but Alpha Dastan Acker surged forward to grab his Beta’s arms.

“Eaton, remember the promise we made? Remember everything they’d done to us. You cannot become weak for a mere she-wolf, Reject her! Reject her now!”

The green eyes which had held a certain amount of affection immediately darkened and Eaton stepped away from her like he was burnt. “I, Eaton Michael Miller, future Beta of the Blood Rose pack, reject you Alpha Maera Henderson from the Crystal Blood pack as my mate and partner.”

Maera staggered under the pain which wracked through her body as those harsh words penetrated deep inside her. Her wolf Amethyst howled in protest, her bones cracking under the pain, and she could feel the animal breaking down. Hot tears scalded her eyes, and she would have fallen to the ground had it not been for Xander holding her hand.

“Maera, accept the rejection!” her father ordered imperially. “Accept the rejection and let’s get out of here! We don’t have to dirty our hands with murderers like them!”

She was too weak to react. Her whole body was burning with a pain she’d never known could exist, her heart was breaking into millions of pieces, and her bones felt like they were rearranging themselves as they broke under the effect. Her brain wasn’t functioning, but she was so humiliated and miserable that the tears would not stop. In front of almost the entire werewolf community.

“MAERA, ACCEPT THE REJECTION!” her father ordered her with his Alpha command.

With more tears streaming down her face, Maera stated the words in a stoic voice. “I, Alpha Maera Henderson from the Crystal Blood pack accept the rejection.” The pain which followed was nothing compared to what she was experiencing, and Xander lifted her in his arms quickly to carry her listless body away from the prying eyes.