The Forbidden Alpha

Chapter 3

Layla

By the time that I entered the dinning hall there were so many wolves that it was difficult to move. I guess more people chose to attend the dinner than was anticipated. I searched the entire room for Chandler, but he was not there and i noticed neither was Alpha Riggins. Only the current Luna was at the dinner and she did her very best to dodge me every time she saw me making my way over to her when she was free.

She would walk away like she hadn’t seen me or would start a new conversation with someone else. It was seriously starting to piss me off.

“It’s time to move to the ballroom everyone.” She called out to the room and I had had enough of her evading me.

I reached out and grasped her wrist to stop her from walking away from me this time. “Luna, where is Chandler? I have been looking for him since I arrived, but I can't seem to find him anywhere.” I asked and she refused to look at me, keeping her eyes averted.

“Oh, I am sure he is around here somewhere. Probably helping his father.” She said softly. Luna Laura was a very sweet woman and I have never heard a bad word spoken about her from anyone. The entire pack loved her. She volunteered at all the charity events and not just because it was expected of her as Luna to be seen at them, but because she was always looking for a way to help those that needed it all throughout Moon Valley.

When she finally looked up, after realizing that I was not going away so easily, I noticed the split lip she had been trying to cover with her lipstick. Had the others seen it as well, they had to. There was no way any of them would have missed that. They had better eyesight than I did, so they must have seen the cut and had said and done absolutely nothing about it.

She gave me a tight-lipped smile while patting my hand. “Don’t seek him out tonight dear.” She said ominously. “Just don’t. Drink and enjoy yourself tonight with your friends and family.” She added and walked away, leaving me feeling completely confused.

Don’t seek him out, but that was the whole reason for tonight. He was supposed to announce he had taken a mate. Me. That was the plan he had promised. Had he chickened out once again and was simply avoiding me for as long as possible? Probably.

Everyone was making their way out of the dining hall now. I sighed a little as I put on my mask, tied the little black ribbons behind my head and followed the rest of the crowd into the ballroom. I made sure to keep to the outskirts of the room, watching as more wolves joined in the fun of the ball, many finding their mates immediately. It was bittersweet to watch them react to one another in such a passionate way, causing a pain to settle in my chest.

I knew I would never get that type of connection with Chandler, regardless of the fact of whether he chose me to be his mate. The bond wouldn’t be nearly as strong between us as it would a fated pair. And since I was a human, it would likely make our bond even weaker, but neither one of us cared. We loved one another, or so I thought.

I was standing at the back of the ballroom waiting for my brother and best friend to arrive or to finally spot my boyfriend when a small group walked in and the entire feel of the room shifted. The loud chatter quieted down as their group crossed the floor and all eyes followed them. Mine included. I might not have a wolf like them, but even I was able to pick up on the strong aura that was radiating off of them. Power oozed from their presence and demanded the rooms' complete attention.

They were all equally good-looking, but the tallest of the three men grabbed my attention the most and had a very hard time tearing my gaze from him. He had his arm wrapped around that of a beautiful she wolf's waist and had her tucked in close to his side. As if he was shielding her from the rest of the males in the room. The message was loud and clear. Mates. They were mates.

“There you are. I have been looking everywhere for you.” Carolina said as she and my brother came up behind me. Her voice snapped me out of whatever haze I had fallen into when the powerful wolf had entered the room.

“Well that didn’t take long,” I joked, and she turned a light shade of pink, but she had a smile that I swear was brighter than the sun on her face and a fresh mate mark at the base of her throat.

“There was not anyway I was walking into this ball without having claimed her,” Dustin said as he kissed her cheek, causing her to blush even more.

“I am so happy that now you are legitimately my sister.” I added as I gave her a quick hug. I meant that too. I had always thought of her as family. Caroline was the first person I made friends with when I started kindergarten. She didn’t look at me as less than just because I was a human like the rest of the kids had. She didn't pick on me and call me names. And even though she was not as thrilled at the prospect of finding her mate tonight due to her fears that she would have to give up everything that she had been striving towards, I knew, and she knew that Dustin was not one to make her give up on her dreams.

“Hey, did you see Chandler by chance? I have been looking for him all evening and haven’t seen him once tonight.” I asked my brother. Being the next Beta and Chandler's best friend meant maybe he had seen him or at least knew where he was.

“He and Alpha Riggins were in the office a few minutes ago arguing about something.” He said as he grabbed a couple of champagne glasses from a passing waiter and handed them to us. “Oh look there they are now.” He added suddenly, pointing to the front of the ballroom suddenly.

He was right. Chandler was walking next to his father, though he looked like he would rather be anywhere else but there at the moment. He was dressed in a dark black suit with his blonde hair combed back and his face clean-shaven, showing off his sharp jaw line. The two of them made their way to the center of the stage, while Luna Laura joined them along with someone else that I did not recognize standing just a couple steps behind them.

“I want to thank all of you for coming out to this year’s Mating Ball.” The Alpha said loudly, his voice echoing off the walls of the ballroom. “It appears that this year’s Ball has been a success for several of you tonight in finding your mates.” He added with a smile that did not look quite as genuine as it should have. “And it has been a success for my family as well.” He added looking back over his shoulder at a now scowling Chandler. “My son has also finally found his mate.” He added looking over at the timed looking young women standing beside Luna Laura.

Cold was all I felt, like someone had just dumped a bucket of ice-cold water over me as the Alpha's word registered in my mind. His Mate? Had Chandler found his mate? No, that couldn’t be.

My gaze found his and he gave me a remorseful look, but he didn’t stop his father. No, he allowed his father to go on about the upcoming Luna Ceremony that was now going to take part in the coming days. The entire room erupted in applause, but I could feel the eyes of several pack members on me as I watched Chandler take the girl's hand in his and step forward on the stage.

Applause echoed through the room and I could not take it anymore. I turned, making sure to keep my head held high and simply walked out of the ballroom as fast as I could in my short heels. The sound of the crowd slowly faded as I made my way to anywhere else that was quiet. I just needed a moment to gather myself before returning to the ball.

I found myself in one of the formal sitting rooms of the pack house. These rooms were not used all that much except for the Luna's monthly book club meetings with the other ranked she wolf members of the pack. It was dark inside except for the light of the moon as it poured in from the open drapes, bathing everything in a silver glow.

I gazed up at the moon.“Why now? Why couldn’t he find her when it wouldn’t have hurt as badly?” I asked aloud to the empty room. “Hell, I don’t even know why I’m talking to you. It isn’t like you can talk back.” I sighed as I leaned against the window frame and stared out into the night.

“No, she doesn’t talk to humans very much. Hell, she doesn’t talk to her own creations either, so don't take it personally.” A deep male voice said from behind me. I whirled around to see the imposing wolf from the ballroom leaning against the door frame with his arms crossed over his chest. The soft glow from the moonlight illuminating his face that was still partially hidden behind his masquerade mask.

A buzz of excitement coursed through me as my eyes swept over his towering figure. The dark blue suit he wore clung to his taut chest muscles. I wondered if his entire physique matched the largeness he projected. The thought intruded unexpectedly, and I had to mentally shake it off before my thoughts veered into forbidden territory. Reluctantly, my gaze climbed back up his frame, taking in his stature with reluctant admiration. His hair was dark, though the dim light left me uncertain whether it was black or simply a deep brown. His jawline was sharply defined, a light stubble gracing his cheeks, igniting a sudden urge in me to feel its texture against my palm.

Nope, not a chance, I reminded myself. He has a mate and she is in the ballroom. So why is he here with me and not with his mate?

“I know that I was just talking out loud.” I said suddenly nervous.

I have lived with wolves my entire life and I have felt many of their auras from time to time when they let their full force out, but none of them compare to the wolf standing before me. His was so powerful. I could feel it. It demands your full attention. He pushed off the door and i swear i stopped breathing all together as he crossed the room, only stopping when he was standing directly in front of me.

Was it hot in here? I swear it felt as if someone had just stuck me inside a sauna and turned the heat all the way up. Why is it so hot now? I thought to myself as I craned my neck back to look up at him. From the doorway he didn’t appear to be so tall, but now I could tell he definitely was a good six inches taller than me at least. His lip twitched slightly as I stared up at him a bit tongue-tied.

“"Were you two close?" he inquired, his dark eyes gleaming behind his mask. It took me a moment to grasp his meaning. Then it dawned on me. The way I had hurried out of the ballroom as soon as the announcement was made, it was quite obvious that I was not taking the news of the next alpha's nuptials well.

“Doesn’t really matter now, does it?” I said and turned back to face the window once again. The view of the blooming Crape Myrtle trees was stunning in the moonlight. Each bloom almost glowed from the silver light as they swayed in the gentle breeze.

“You know it would never have worked right?” He added and I felt my annoyance starting to grow. What does he know?

I whipped around and glared up at him. “And why is that? We have been happy for three years now. So what if I wasn’t his mate?” I said angrily. "We would have been fine. I loved him and he loved me too. We would have made a home and a life together regardless of the stupid mate bulls*t."

“It isn't stupid and you know it." He all but growled at me. "And you think that he wouldn’t have dropped you the second he found her, even if you were already mated with him?” he asked almost mockingly.

“He wouldn’t have.” I defended Chandler, though deep down I had my doubts, but I sure wasn’t about to share them with a man I barely knew. It was none of his business.

My breath hitched as the corners of his mouth picked up into a lopsided grin that instantly transferred his face from doom and gloom to someone who was so cocky and sure of himself. “So delusional. Who are you trying to convince, me or yourself about that?”

I huffed and turned my head away, refusing to let him see that his words had indeed struck a cord deep in me, “Like I said, it doesn’t matter anymore now. He found her and will likely forget I even existed.” I said softly, unable to keep the disappointment from my voice.

The warmth of his fingers on my chin as he tilted my face back until I was looking at him once again. “If he could forget you so easily, then he never deserved you in the first place.” He said, his eyes darkening even more.

“Layla, what’s going on?” Chandler's sudden voice startles me and I jump back, putting a couple of inches between the mysterious wolf and me. I didn’t miss the slightly amused look on the wolf's face as I turned to face my new ex. Chandler stood alone in the doorway looking very surprised to see that I wasn’t alone.

“Nothing.” I said, looking over at the man briefly. “Shouldn’t you be with your mate?” I asked as I turned back to Chandler. Try as I might, I could not keep the bitterness that seeped into my voice as I called her that.

Chandler took two steps into the room before stopping due to the thick aura that was coming off of the wolf beside me. Chandler looked between the two of us again. “I need to talk to you, Layla. Please.” He pleaded and the sound of sadness in his own voice pulled on my heart.

“See, you aren’t someone that is so easily forgotten, little Human.” The wolf said in a whisper I could only hear before walking towards the open door. “I look forward to seeing you around little Human.” He added when he stopped and looked back at me from over his shoulder.

I’m not sure if that was a good idea, but I couldn't help the excitement that coursed through my body at the idea of seeing him again.