Alpha Luke and His Unwilling Mate -
Chapter 28
~Nyla~
“I’ll just catch a tiny rabbit for you all, I hope.” I heard Rachel giggle nervously while the others told her she will get at least a baby dear and nothing less.
She looked like a little fairy dressed in a white traditional robe and wearing a lavender flower headband. The woodland setting and garden arches with twinkling lights and flowers made the entire place look like an enchanted forest at twilight.
“Oh yes, Riley! What took you so long? You look beautiful!”
“And you look stinking cute!” I pressed her into a tight hug. “Can’t wait to see you in your dress once you bring us back a large elk.”
“Elk it is then.” She giggled again and hugged me back. “I know you won’t disown me even if I disappoint everyone else tonight.”
“You will do fantastic and your dad and brother will be proud of you. You are an Alpha just like them, Rae. Don’t stress.”
“I told her the same. Don’t know why she wants to hear it from you.” Tiana barged into our conversation. “By the way, where did you get this dress from?”
“Why? It’s not your dress if that’s what you are worried about.”
“Well, it looks really expensive. Would have looked better on me.” She rolled her eyes and walked towards Adalyn and Madison who were grabbing some drinks.
Adalyn looked over and froze when she saw me. Sweat dripped from her forehead immediately while my heart raced, hoping she wouldn’t remember anything.
“Addy, what’s the matter? Are you okay?” Madison got hold of her arms. “Your heart is beating quite erratically right now.”
“Sh-she…” I panicked when Adalyn pointed towards me. “She tried to kill me.”
“Oh, come on. You would take her down in seconds. She’s a weak human who thinks she’s good because she wakes up early to train.” Madison scoffed at me.
“She’s very strong. She tried to drown me.”
Crap!
“What nonsense is she talking?” I asked Rachel as if Adalyn had lost her mind.
“Don’t mind her. She’s been saying you tried to kill her for days now. After Ryder went missing and his phone was found near the beach, this must be her new silly story now… that you drowned her. Why is your heart beating so hard and fast by the way?”
“Oh, she’s just scaring me with that weird look on her face. I don’t feel safe considering all the stuff I heard about how good of a fighter she is.”
“My brother won’t let her lay a finger—“
“Rachy, why are you still here?” Luke spared me one quick glance and took his sister away to the middle of the venue. We were all standing in a big circle, including Alpha Caine and the elders at the end, which led into the clearing where Rachel was going to run after shifting.
Luke turned around and stepped closer to me. I could feel my skin burn under his gaze and it sure looked like he wanted to suck me into one of his deep, passionate k****s. The longing flickered through his eyes for a split second while I was gawking at how hot he looked. This man was definitely the sexiest thing ever.
I lowered my gaze to the ground to hide my blushing face when his lips neared my ear. He smelled divine. I was consumed by a desperate need to be in his arms.
“How many f*****g times do I have to tell you, DO NOT draw attention to yourself. Why are you so troublesome? Always picking fights with Sadie, Tiana, and now with Adalyn and even Madison. Go stand with the omegas.”
I wished looks could kill because I just gave him one such look while he glared back at me for not running behind to mingle with the crowds. I stepped out of the circle and stood with the kitchen staff. The housekeeper moved away from me as if standing next to me would tarnish her reputation.
The mage walked up to the center of the circle and smeared something grey on Rachel’s forehead and cheeks while chanting inaudible words.
Taking a deep breath, Rachel shifted into a beautiful grey wolf. The size of her wolf was impressive considering how tiny she was, at barely five feet one.
She howled at the crescent moon and ran into the woods while I noticed a hint of pride in Luke’s eyes. Rachel was a little timid and lacked confidence because of all the bullying from the others and harsh words from her dad, but her wolf was wild and looked strong.
She was back before we blinked, holding a bloody carcass between her teeth.
“Wow! You did get an elk!” I shouted in excitement while everybody cheered and howled.
Olivia held a towel for her to shift back and walk to a nearby dressing room to change into a fabulous green dress. I joined the line of omegas who were going to get some food. Watching a mom carry her kid over her shoulders, I couldn’t help but think about Ari and my withdrawal symptoms.
I was feeding her fine until last night, but there was no more milk for my baby this morning. And now my skin was itching and feeling extremely parched, no matter how much body butter I had applied. I’m more and more convinced I failed Ari in many ways. Her nourishment and safety should have been my priorities.
I’m stuck with a man with unrequited feelings and bipolar behavior. All I needed was one nudge to push me over the edge.
“Riley! What are you doing here?” Rachel hugged me from the back and jumped in excitement.
“I’m so proud of you, Rae! Your kill was better than many I knew.”
“Guess I was worried for nothing.”
She showed me a bracelet she wore by attaching a tiny bone from her kill. Wyatt wore something similar around his neck every time he went hunting. It was considered a good luck charm.
“Did my brother ask you to eat here? We will be leaving for the club after thirty minutes.”
“You go on. I’d like to be with Ari.”
“Riley, come on. You are with her all the time when not with Zoey. You know I don’t get to hit the clubs like all the older folks do. I need you with me to celebrate tonight. Please…”
“Ask Mr. Alpha then. He reminded me not too long ago that I was a slave here.”
“I don’t think he would say something like that. You are confusing him with Ryder, and there’s no more Ryder. I’ll ask him anyway, but come eat with me.”
“I don’t want to eat with you guys. You know I don’t like anyone there except you. I’m fine here.” I waved at Olivia who was now in the line for food.
It wasn’t my intention to hurt Rachel, but her brother tended to turn into a douchebag every time she invited me somewhere. She should know by now how much it hurts me to be told to walk away from her.
“Fine.” She left without arguing and I couldn’t help feeling guilty.
Olivia spread out a small blanket on the grass, and we sat down to finish our dinner. The food was delicious, and it was nice catching up with her. We were about to get some dessert when Luke came over with an unaccustomed scowl on his face. I ignored him and looked at the cake options I got.
“Strawberries, basil, and pink peppercorns… interesting but no thank you.” I looked into Olivia’s plate when Luke walked around and blocked my view.
“You have five minutes to come to the parking lot. Pick your dessert soon.”
“And you can f**k off! I don’t want to go anywhere with you.”
Whatever happened to not drawing attention. Cutting off my protests, he grabbed me by the waist and dragged me towards the parking lot, with my feet barely touching the dry leaves and twigs on the ground.
“You can kick me in the nuts when we are alone. But you have to behave when we are around people. Don’t make me repeat myself.”
Pushing me into the backseat next to Rachel, he sat behind the wheel while his new beta occupied the passenger seat.
“Oh, finally! I had to blackmail my dear brother to make you go with us.” Rachel clapped her hands and texted her friends. “And oh, this is Beta Connor. They are good friends and my brother always wanted him as—“
“She doesn’t need to know all that, Rachy.”
When he looked at me through the rearview mirror, I scowled at him and turned away. Kicking him in the nuts didn’t sound like a bad idea at all.
We passed by many ancient oak trees, supermarkets, and then some fast food joints before arriving at the club. Several people poured out of the club as everything was fully pre-booked by Rachel. Tiana came running to meet us at the entrance. She stole a glance at Luke and that was when I noticed how pretty she looked today.
The fancy club lights filtered through her red curly hair as she caught Luke’s arm and asked playfully, “Won’t you buy me a drink, Alpha?”
“Are you twenty-one yet?”
“You can never remember my age or my birthday. I turned twenty-two six months back.”
I threw a mocking smile at her when Luke ignored her and walked away to meet his Gamma and the others who were at the bar. I went to the dance floor with Rachel and her two classmates while Madison, Tiana, and Adalyn ordered several rounds of booze.
Soon I was feeling out of breath and extremely dehydrated. To avoid any show of my changing skin, I had worn a full length emerald green gown, which now left me feeling hot and flustered. I drank a lot of water with ice and a wedge of lemon to cool myself, but it only helped for a few minutes.
I should have fought with Luke and excused myself to my room when he forced me to get into the car. This was a terrible idea. I wanted to put some ice on my burning shoulder.
“Is that gin and tonic? You are a fast drinker.” A man I never met before on the pack lands pulled a chair next to me and started talking to me as if I was his friend from college.
I turned around to look at Luke before answering and found his eyes right on me. He got up from his seat and walked straight towards us. He sets the rules and breaks them himself obviously.
“Excuse me, I need to dance with my woman.” Pulling my chair away from the man’s, he wrapped one arm around my shoulder while taking my right hand into his.
“Your woman? What about people hearing us now?”
“They are completely wasted.” He looked at the girls sitting to my left. Madison was annoyingly loud when drunk.
He shooed the man away. “She’s taken. Don’t talk to her.”
I swatted his arm and stood away from him. I wanted to get a good view of Rachel shifting and running back with the kill, but because of his stupid rules, I had to stand far behind and miss out on a lot of details. Now he doesn’t think it’s a big deal to pull me close like we were long lost lovers.
“Come on, Nyla. You know why I had to do that. It wasn’t appropriate for my mistress to stand with my family at an event like that. My dad already asked Travis about it.”
“Stick your explanations up your a*s. I never asked you to give me such a disgusting title. I’d appreciate it if you just let me be, even if it’s in the kitchens.”
“Oh, I’d never let you leave my bed if—“
“Hey, buy me a drink?” Zoey showed up in a sexy black dress with no heed to the dress code. She wasn’t at the ceremony, so I guess it didn’t matter. Who the hell invited her? She wrapped both her hands around Luke’s bicep and leaned into him.
“Sure!”
He walked away as if I didn’t exist while Zoey reached for his cheek to k**s him. She was about 5.10 or so, and with those high heels, she was as tall as him. Clinging onto him for the next one hour, she danced with him and he even took her over to the men who he was sitting with earlier.
This was exactly why I was mad at him. I was treated like some dirt most of the time.
If I had any sad feelings about missing him by returning to the ocean, I should get over them right now. There was no Eric to go home with. Rachel was dancing away happily while my mate ignored me.
I left the place silently to get my baby from the wet nurse and leave while everyone was busy and distracted.
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