Fake Mate of the Drogomor Alpha

Chapter 7 : A Little Bit of a Mess

*Zara*

Putting up the facade of being happy for Noah and Serena had been a bit exhausting. I had hoped, at some point during the interactions, that I would see the golden threads form.

They'd made a connection so fast. I thought it would lead to a real mate bond, despite Noah being stubborn. Unfortunately, I was wrong.

I knocked on the door to Issac and Estella's office.

“Come in," Estella said.

I entered, feeling a pit of nervousness in my stomach. What would they say about this situation?

Entering the office, I dipped my head toward Alpha Issac, whose expression was twisted into a light, concerned frown. He was pinching the bridge of his nose, deep in thought.

Estella gave me a smile that felt somewhat forced, causing me to swallow and feel even worse. The best thing to do right now was to rip the bandage off, so to speak.

Issac spoke first. “We have some concerns," he said, a frown plastered on his face. “This all seems so… fast. We were hoping Noah would take more time to find someone he actually loved."

Estella nodded. “We want him to be happy, not to hurry things along for the sake of him getting us off of his back," she said softly.

“Your concerns are valid," I said. “I do not see a true connection there. He is pretending, likely to get rid of me."

Estella widened her eyes, then looked over to Issac, whose expression now twisted into one of anger.

“My son is treating Serena so callously. This is not a game. This is for him. He needs to move on and take a mate. Rushing this along is ridiculous." He let out a soft growl.

Estella nodded in agreement. She said in a slightly agitated tone, “This situation is horrible. Thank you for speaking up about it. The job could have been considered finished if you'd said nothing, dear."

I shook my head. “No," I said gently. “I do this for a reason. I want to see lifelong happiness in the couples I match. Otherwise, what is the point? I will go talk to Serena and see what she has to say about all of this. Surely it feels too fast even if she loves him."

Alpha Issac nodded, murmuring, “Please do before this gets more out of hand."

I bit my lip. My wolf bristled as the opportunity to stop this disaster was closing fast.

I asked, “Is there any way to delay the wedding on your end? With Noah and Serena's happiness on the line, I am extremely concerned."

Issac shook his head, letting out a soft sigh. “Noah is very stubborn and will not listen to me. I can only do so much. Demanding a stop to his wedding is beyond my reach."

He looked exhausted and somewhat irritated.

“I understand. I will do all that I can to make sure this disaster doesn't carry through."

Estella, who'd been silent for a little while, smiled at me reassuringly. “Do not feel too pressured, dear. This is a lot, and in the end, at least he will end up with a Luna. A true mate would be preferred, but maybe this will help him move on."

She didn't sound so sure, and Issac echoed this with the perturbed expression on his face. I could tell they were torn between wanting Noah to move on and accept a mate, and Noah finding a true one.

I knew it needed to be a true mate, someone he had passion and love for, not the way he was trying to use Serena. Even if they ended up together and things seemed okay at first, the high chance of a falling out would bring a lot of misery.

That, and I took pride in my work. It could mean the end of my career already if things fell through in a horrible way, as it would be obvious that they are not meant for each other.

Bidding the Alpha and Luna goodnight, I hurried down the hall, searching for Serena. Would she be with Noah?

When I passed by the door of his study, the scent of vanilla mixed with the woods caused my heart to flutter. Was he in there right now? My wolf wanted me to go to him, but I knew he would just waste my time on purpose, so I wouldn't stop this sham engagement.

I was about to move on when suddenly I realized I heard another voice with him.

It was Serena.

I moved closer to the door, making sure I wouldn't be smelled or overheard as I listened to their conversation.

“Oh Noah, this is so wonderful!" Serena said, her tone gushing and excited.

“It is," Noah said, though his tone didn't reflect that. In fact, it sounded somewhat bored.

“We should situate the wedding as soon as possible. I found a hall right here. It has an opening in a month. How's this look? We can plan everything out in that time, easily," Serena said.

My heart clenched. A month?! That was no time at all! How was I going to delay it to find Noah's true match?

Noah replied, “That sounds reasonable. The hall is spacious enough for the pack. We will be busy, but it will be worth it." Was there a hint of uncertainty in his tone?

Either way, it didn't matter, because the wedding was on, and in the following days, the planning began.

As news of the wedding started to spread, the pack was abuzz with talk about it happening so soon.

I found Serena in the lobby, reading the newspaper. I approached her, trying to keep a friendly smile. “Hello there," I said carefully. “The wedding is moving very fast now, isn't it?"

Serena looked up and gave me a delighted smile. “It is!" she said, her voice beyond delighted.

I nodded, letting silence hang in the air for a moment. Then, I said, “You don't think it's moving forward too fast?"

Serena shook her head. I saw a spark of worry in her eyes, but she said, “Not at all. I really want to be with Noah. He is someone who will very much be the wonderful mate I've been admiring from afar."

“You really want to be with him," I muttered, then shook my head. “But do you really love him?"

Serena avoided my gaze, then let out a sigh. “No," she murmured, causing relief to flow through me. “But love can come later. He will be a good Alpha, and I may not be his true love, but I will be his Luna, a powerful Luna."

I furrowed my brow, saying gently, “That is no way to go looking for a mate. Status and power are not everything. I have seen Alphas and Lunas that do not match. It is a horrible disaster."

“It is?" Serena asked, her tone nervous. She furrowed her brow, then shook her head. “But that would not be the case with Noah and me. He is a bit rough around the edges, but a sweet man on the inside. That much I do know. Besides—"

Her eyes turned a bit dreamy.

“Besides what?" I asked, still trying to be understanding despite her having participated in the trickery too. I expected it from Noah, not her.

I then said, “The fantasy of having both status and power has nothing on true love. If it isn't meant to be, the status and power won't mean anything. You will just be very miserable."

She focused on me, giving an apologetic smile, and rubbing the back of her neck. “But it's been a dream of mine for a long time. My family has never had much power or wealth. I could do more, help the pack more, with that position."

“But you would sacrifice both your and Noah's happiness."

I tried to reason with her gently, but she shook her head, a look of determination crossing her face.

“Oh, we don't make each other miserable! It won't be true love, but we can make a strong partnership. He can be a very charming person. He will make a wonderful Alpha and mate. I know it," she said confidently.

I bit my lip, trying to hold back a scoff. Instead, I said, “I really do not believe it will be worth it, Serena. Trust me. I've seen people who are clearly not in love try to make it work. It never ends well."

Serena looked at me, furrowing her brow. Worry and understanding were there as a mix in her expression, but she shook her head. “It is a risk I am willing to take," she said finally, causing my heart to clench.

With that, I let her be, going into my room to mull over my thoughts. Rushing my search for Noah's mate was not going to work either. No suitable mate had emerged so far, and now the time crunch was even more dreadful.

I knew Noah wouldn't budge, and Serena was too lost in her fantasies to see how much of a disaster all this was. Noah's parents couldn't command him to stop this, either, given he could make his own decisions and clearly would see this through.

Laying on the bed, I let out a soft groan, putting my hand over my face. How was I going to stop this disaster of a mismatch from happening?

A memory struck me, the reminder of what happened when two people marry for convenience as opposed to love.

****

My best friend, Giovanna, came to me crying one day. We'd both recently hit thirteen.

My heart shattered as I opened the door to find Giovanna on my doorstep, eyes swollen and red from crying. My best friend was the strongest person I knew, rarely shedding a tear even when we skinned our knees.

"Gia, what's wrong?" I asked, quickly pulling her inside. She collapsed onto the couch, fresh sobs wracking her slight frame.

"It's my parents," she choked out. "They are fighting again. My mom hit him… again."

I sucked in a sharp breath as she described the vicious fight that included cruel words hurled. Gia had tried to intervene, only to be shoved aside by her enraged mother.

My hands curled into fists. I'd noticed her father's unexplained injuries from time to time, and the tense silences in their house and at family dinners. But Gia always insisted things were fine. Now the ugly truth stared back through her puffy eyes.

"Why?" I whispered. "How could she hurt the man she loves like that?"

Gia let out a bitter laugh. "She never loved him, not really. It was just a marriage of convenience after a drunk one-night stand, for status and my father's money." She buried her face in her hands. "I was just the unwanted consequence."

My heart splintered for her. I pulled her into a fierce embrace, letting her tears soak into my shirt. She had always dreamed her parents would realize they were destined mates. But their selfish choices had trapped them all in a living nightmare, one where Gia suffered the most.

"Listen to me," I said firmly. "Their mistakes are not your fault. You deserve so much better than them."

She clung to me tightly as she continued to cry.

***

As I shook away the memory, my thoughts turned to Noah and Serena. I needed to take drastic action but hadn't a clue what I could do.