Torn Between Mates

#3 The Unexpected Visitors

"Lo- Loui- I- I-" Ella strutted, fidgeting her fingers, unsure what to say as an excuse. She had pretended to ignore her. But wasn't it the other way always? So why did Loui stop her? What kind of game was Loui playing now? She had a bad omen from the beginning of the day.

"What is going on?" a hoarse, manly voice interrupted. The pack girls swooned, crushing over him. But Ella's head hung low in fear. He had the hottest temper when it came to her. Otherwise, he was very amicable and popular among the girls for his generosity. He ignored her for half of her life. And the day she mistakenly bumped into him, he lost the football match to the Blackmoon pack. Ever since he hated her like she was some bad omen. But it was a long time ago. She could not fathom why her mere presence bothered him so much, even now.

“Good morning, Cinderella!” Betty cockered in a faint voice. Only Ella and the wolves standing close to them could hear. Loui suppressed her laughter to keep up her good-girl act in front of her brother. She rolled her hands around Betty, taunting Ella in her own petty way. They were ready for the show between Ella and Levi.

Ella took a deep breath, wondering why she was popular when it came to hate. She sighed, praying to the moon goddess, hoping to not receive any torturous punishment. Last time, she had to make fifty laps of their forest borders.

"Did you make any mistakes?" Levi charged.

Ella let out a deep, frustrated breath. In the morning, when she had bumped into Levi, she had assumed it was her lucky day when he did nothing to torment her. How wrong was she? They always blamed her for everything. So, what did he intend when he asked that question? She swallowed hard, looking down to ignore his watchful eyes, not out of respect but fear.

"What happened?" Levi grumbled, making Ella flinch. Her eyes popped out in horror. Loui and Betty let out a soft chuckle.

"I... I..." Ella fumbled.

"Are you a goat? Why are you bleating like one?" Levi seethed. He glared at her as if he would slice her throat with his gaze. She shook her head to get rid of that annoying picture in her head.

"I was on my way-" Ella was about to explain to Levi when Loui scoffed, garnering everyone's attention. She rolled her eyes, twitching her lips a little.

"She was escaping to college without making your breakfast. Didn't you want to eat a rolled omelet and oats?" Loui blinked her eyes so many times that Ella felt flustered. Her jaws hung open in retaliation. How could anyone be so cruel?

"I- I didn't know! I swear I will make tomo-" Ella bleated. But when she saw his angry expression, she sighed. "I am sorry! I am sorry!" Ella repeated meekly, looking down.

Levi grunted, letting out a deep breath. He was about to say something when his phone beeped. He rolled his eyes. It must be an urgent call. He has to take it. Was it her lucky day? She breathed heavily, her heart still racing, awaiting his command. "Let her go to college. I will have whatever she made! I have to take this urgent call." He growled, leaving for his room.

Ella sighed with relief, much to Loui and Betty's disappointment. She felt like she had survived a near-death experience. She wondered if he would be back to torment her if she didn't leave soon. She looked around the room with helpless eyes. Before anyone would ask her to do anything else, she rushed out of the packhouse to go to her college.

The surrounding wolves had no sympathy for her. They were name-calling or laughing at her as if her entire life were some joke. Ella wondered if not becoming a rogue was worth all of this. She felt more determined to complete college and move out of the packhouse.

Unlike most Mondays, the college was flitting with wolves. It only happened on special occasions. Was there one today? She sat in the college canteen, completing her homework that she had not finished. The place was not for studying, but she had to finish the sandwich she had packed for herself and the pending homework. Also, the canteen was the only place to get some juicy gossip.

In a girl's hand sitting nearby, she saw a magazine with Riven's photo. She couldn't help but admire his physique, lost in the moment. She had always crushed over him, wondering what kind of alpha wolf Riven was. Riven was popular- the fantasy of every woman. She speculated if he was a jerk like Levi or a righteous alpha.

"Do you even know your limit, Cinderella?" someone mocked. She turned to see, it was Loui. "Do you even think Riven would want to breathe the same air as you?" Loui scoffed, demeaning Ella.

Ella looked at the ground, feeling disgusted. She felt troubled intuitively, guessing if she had done something unacceptable. In a split second, she realized she had made no mistake. She raised her head to meet Loui's cold, piercing gaze.

"I have a class," Ella excused.

"Riven belongs to Loui. Everyone knows it." Amie, Loui's other sidekick, intimidated Ella. Loui smirked at Ella.

"Just because Levi was easy on you this morning, it doesn't mean you are really Cinderella," Betty scoffed. Loui continued smirking at Ella, sending an icy glare.

Ella wondered what on earth she had done to deserve such hatred? "I wouldn't dream of it," Ella acknowledged, despite her crush on Riven. But she wasn't dumb to assume someone like Riven would be interested in her. Nobody liked her while he was the fantasy of every woman.

"Good!" Loui sneered. "You got lucky this morning. Levi is busy with something urgent. But what happens when-" Loui threatened, sending a shiver down Ella's spine.

They goofed, deriding Ella before leaving her humiliated. Loui gave her a final glare, leaving her terrified and heartbroken. Dejected, Ella puffed. Did they sleep after planning to harass her? She groaned, pulling her hair in agitation.

The entire day someone or the other troubled Ella as if she announced that she liked Riven. She couldn't fathom where it all started. But it would not end anytime soon. They knew they did it purposely to piss her off. But Ella had no other option but to control her anger. The siblings terrified her the most. She had to bear this if she didn't want to get banished before finishing college. She chanted it in her head like a spell to keep herself calm.

In the evening, when she was ready to leave, she saw a crowd in front of the main hall. She wondered if it was some celebrity or famous wolf. She went to check. But the hall was swarming when she reached there. Alpha Riven was giving a guest lecture. She sighed. No wonder the college was fleeting with wolves on a Monday. Why she didn't know about it? She, too, wanted to see Riven in person. But it wasn't her day. She didn't feel too bad. Not even in her dreams could she imagine meeting Riven. He was out of her league.

Unlike other wolves, she couldn't rest when she returned to the pack house. She had to make snacks and dinner. It was finally night when Ella could return to her room after a long day of work and college. She looked at the night sky from the small window in her room, looking at the shining moon. She felt weary and overworked, both physically and mentally. She slept as soon as she hit her tattered and secondhand used mattress.

Not long after, loud noises from the hall woke her up. Ella groaned. She can't rest. She laughed like a maniac, a teardrop rolling from the corner of her eyes. She was a complete misfit. A lowly omega. On top of all that, she was an outcast. Unlike other wolves, she didn't share any loyalty or harbor warmth for the alpha or her pack. She wondered if one day she could be powerful enough to break free of this forced life.

Ella stared at the moon helplessly and then towards the forest. The wilderness outside was inviting. She shut her eyes, taking a deep breath. Then she sneaked out of the packhouse, shifting into her wolf form behind the treeline. No one had actually seen her shift or her wolf. She was a late bloomer. By the time she could shift, they had already pushed her down the ranks to a lowly omega. No one ever cared to find out, nor did she have anyone with whom she could share it. Also, she was worried if they ever found out about it, they might get pissed at her. Her wolf was different.

Ella ran like crazy to the enormous willow tree near the meadow, her secret hideout. They had found Ella under the willow tree, unconscious, bleeding profusely from the deep cut on her palm. She was only five or six years old then. The then alpha was kind enough to accept her into the pack, empathizing with her age and condition. But when the current alpha replaced him in a few months, her life changed forever. She was reduced to an unwanted burden overnight.

Probably that was the main reason why no one liked Ella. She was an orphan with no background. A section even considered her as the illegitimate child of the previous alpha. A few even assumed he went mad and hung himself because of her. The weird purple eyes with golden tints made her an outcast before she knew it. Honestly, even Ella had trouble accepting her piercing, deep eyes.

While running through the forest, pondering about her life, Ella suddenly felt a presence hovering around her. A faint unpleasant smell unsettled her even more. It had never happened before. So, it rattled her, giving her goosebumps in fear. She looked around, but there was nothing except the forest stretching for miles. Still suspicious and cautious, she made a detour to the pack house, worried for her life.

When Ella reached the treeline near the pack house, she was shocked to see it in a lively state at that hour. The Porsche parked in front of the main door hinted at the presence of alpha Riven. She had seen the same vehicle in her college earlier that day. She wondered why he would make such an unexpected visit to the pack house rather than the alpha's house at that time. Was he really dating Loui, as she claimed? Was she his mate? Her heart ached strangely. The eerie feeling made her forget about the odd presence she had picked up in the forest. Ella wondered, gawking at the car, walking sloppily towards the pack house. When she saw Loui, she hid behind the bushes to avoid her.

"Again pretending not to see me?" Loui intimidated Ella with her angry glares.

Loui was baffled, wondering how someone could look so pleasant even in nightwear after working for an entire day. Ella was much more beautiful than her. Her unique eyes, long hair, pale skin, and height made her stand out in a crowd. Loui knew that. She felt jealous. She knew her pack disregarded Ella to show their loyalty to her father. It might not be the case with Riven, especially when he liked to date a little too much.

"I am going to the pack house." Ella sighed, heading towards it, making them scoff at her.

"Using the main door?" Amie jumped, frowning, glancing at Ella like she had said something ludicrous. It made Ella even more perplexed. Did Levi prohibit her from using the main door as punishment because of what she did earlier that day? He was insane.

"You heard us! Use the backdoor. Don't you dare to come out of the kitchen until you are called? Make some late-night snacks." Loui ordered before heading towards the pack house with Amie and Betty without waiting for Ella's response.

Ella grunted in resentment. What was that all about now? She wanted to sleep. But now she can't even do that? And who eats at that hour? Does she really have to make some snacks? She was already tired. But she wouldn't dare to defy Loui. She wasn't mad. She snuck inside the pack house using the backdoor and did as asked. She felt the urge to find out what was happening outside, but she couldn't risk getting noticed by anyone.

"Ella?" a loud voice implored from the living room. She shivered automatically in response. Levi was looking for her. For the first time, Ella was thrilled to hear him since it gave her hope to see Riven.

Ella breathed in, getting bewitched as soon as she entered the living room. She couldn't help but sniff a captivating, intriguing scent. She looked around to see the guests. Her eyes stopped at Mateo, the most famous beta. She felt an instant attraction to him, wishing he was his mate. She felt her heartbeat accelerate and a flutter in her stomach. She felt butterflies.

Ella stared at Mateo with puppy eyes, even when he did not look in her direction. She felt smitten by his charms. She could feel the heat rushing through her veins, making her blush. She gulped her saliva, yearning for him. But her lover-girl moment lasted only a few seconds. As if to add to her miseries, the beautiful woman standing next to him curled her arms around him lovingly. He turned to look at her affectionately, exchanging some words. That broke Ella's heart. She gulped hard, checking his marking spot. And he was! Tears were welling up in her eyes, threatening to escape. But she gulped down the lump of saliva in her throat, banning it from falling from her eyes. Such was her fate!

"Pack the snacks I prepared for you. I am sure you will appreciate it." Loui smiled at Riven fondly. It baffled Ella to see that broad smile on Loui's face. Was she taking acting classes?

"Yes? Yes..." Ella was startled by the situation. Everything was happening too fast for her to process. She was about to leave when her eyes met the most handsome man. As he walked past her, her heart jumped. As if he could hear it, a graceful smile slipped on his face. That could be her death. Everyone gawked at him in awe, but Ella felt an out-of-body experience or as if the ground slipped away under her feet.

"Riven!" Loui welcomed him with a broad, greeting smile.

"Alpha Riven!" Mateo corrected, stressing on Alpha. It made Loui scowl, but she didn't falter. First impressions last long.

"I am not here for the food. Now that I am here, I wanted to meet you, Levi." Riven scoffed, eyeing a trembling Ella.

Ella amused him. But he kept it to himself. Unexpectedly, when their eyes met for the first time, he felt like a dam burst open, resulting in a flood of uncontrollable emotions. Ella felt butterflies. Something uncharted burst inside her. She felt like she could now die without regrets after having seen Riven.

Riven quickly overcame it, shifting his gaze too fast. He didn't want to get involved with anyone. It upset Ella. She assumed it was a mistake. It broke her heart. Just a second ago, she had to face heartbreak because of Mateo. But this felt more intensely.

"But to propose an arrangement, Levi." Riven didn't even spare a glance at Loui, making her feel humiliated.