The Alpha’s Rejected And Broken Mate
Chapter 43

Rowan POV

I watched the table like a hawk, waiting for the right moment. Sophie and Darius, the newlyweds, came inside the marquee amid a chorus of cheers, Luna Marian and Alpha John sitting beside them at Amber's table. I saw the look she gave Amber, a disgusted look, like she was repulsed at the fact that they were sitting at the same table. I expected a speech of some sort, but instead caterers began to serve food to everyone. My stomach growled and I dug in, losing sight of the table for a few minutes. It seemed like ages, but then the first dance began and everyone began to file towards the dance floor, except for Amber and, strangely enough, her parents, who were watching their other daughter proudly.

I got up and adjusted my tux, feeling somewhat awkward in the fancy clothes. Amber looked up as I approached the table, her eyes widening as she spotted me, before she bit her lip and looked away, blushing profusely. So the mate bond was having some sort of affect on her, I thought a bit smugly. Her father, Beta Mathew, looked at me thoughtfully.

"Is there something we can do for you?" he asked me, a little harshly.

His wife looked a bit embarrassed. From the smell of it, the man had gotten his hands on a few alcoholic drinks already.

I gestured towards Amber. "I was wondering if I might have the honor of a dance with your beautiful daughter?" I asked evenly, staring the man down.

He looks a bit more cheerful now. "Of course" he says with an exhale, turning towards a reluctant-looking Amber, "go and dance with this man dear. Remember your deal" he added meaningfully.

I wonder what the Beta means by that. It almost sounds like a threat or a warning of some sort.

Amber stands up and looks at me, her green eyes shimmering as she comes around the table. I hold out my hand and she takes it. I can feel her body trembling, but sparks are flying up my arm and my wolf is purring just being able to touch her. "You look beautiful" I told her sincerely, giving her a gentle smile as we walked to the dance floor.

"Thank you" she mumbles shyly.

We stop and she puts a hand on my shoulder, as I put one on her waist, both of us gently swaying back and forth in time to the romantic music. It's heaven. Pure bliss. There's no other way to describe it. Her skin is so soft and smooth, her lips are curled in a smile, begging to be kissed. It's all I can do to keep my hands to myself, feeling myself growing warm as we dance, her gorgeous dress making her stunning eyes stand right out.

"I missed you" I blurt out feeling like an i***t. "I mean, the bookstore", I added awkwardly.

"I don't work there anymore" she says quietly, looking up at me with a sigh "that's why you haven't seen me."

"What have you been up to then? School must be busy?"

She shakes her head, looking regretful. "I wouldn't know" she murmurs, "I haven't been, in weeks."

She glances over her shoulder and I follow her gaze. Her father is in a deep discussion with a man that looks her age and she scowls. "I bet that's another one" she mutters and I frown.

"Another one?" I asked gently, prodding, both our bodies still moving in sync with each other as I twirled her around, making her laugh.

"Another man that my father probably wants me to marry" she says honestly with a shrug of her shoulders.

My wolf grows loudly in my mind. The thought of another man so much as touching her has him riled up to the point of going berserk. I have to calm him down in my mind, before he takes control and does something stupid.

"I take it you would rather not..." I trailed off as the music stopped. She gives me a sheepish smile and steps back, rubbing her hands together to ward off the sudden chill in the air.

"Thank you for the dance" she says wistfully. "I really enjoyed it."

I watch with a sigh as she makes her way back to the table. Her father glances up at me and then stands up, weaving through the crowd to meet me. His wife follows behind, looking thoroughly put out and miserable to boot. I see the guard is sitting beside Amber who is watching the crowd, her eyes focussing on the bride and groom.

"Beta Mathew" I say calmly as he stops in front of me, a broad grin on his face. "Is there something you want?"

"I think we should have this discussion in private, Alpha Rowan. Don't you?"

I incline my head and then gesture for him to lead the way.

We walked, silently, the three of us, his wife strangely silent and pale, out of the marquee, several guests giving us interested glances, onto the grounds and towards a house, a large one, near the outskirts of the pack. It was a large mansion that screamed luxury and wealth. But it was also cold. There was no other way to describe it.

Beta Mathew scrambled in his pockets, whistling slightly under his breath. He finally produced a key and unlocked the door. "Follow me" he said, slurring his words slightly.

I stepped back and allowed the wife, Clarissa, I believed her name was, to go before me, following politely behind her as her husband made his way directly towards a room at the back of the house, a study no less, I noted as I stepped forward from the doorway. Already, Beta Mathew was sitting behind his desk, a smug look on his face, while his wife stood next to him, wringing her hands nervously. She would not meet my eyes. I frowned at both of them and sat, opposite him, in one of the armchairs provided, trying to look relaxed and calm.

"So", begins Beta Mathew with a wicked grin "it looks like you've taken a shine to my daughter Amber Alpha Rowan. I saw the way you were looking at her. You want her, I can tell" he said, with an air of satisfaction.

Why was I not surprised by this conversation? I had been planning to approach the man anyway, but he'd just made that a million times easier by approaching me first. For now, I will play along.

"She's a person, not a possession" I growled, my wolf wanting to tear him to shreds.

He laughs. Actually has the audacity to laugh in my face. "She's less than a person" he scoffs, "she's useless. You know that she's an undesirable, don't you? Has no wolf to speak of."

My hands flex as I try not to imagine wrapping them around his neck. Just because she was an undesirable, didn't mean she was any less of a person.

"Mathew" scolds his wife, her voice hushed, a worried look on her face "don't talk about our daughter like that."

He stiffens and glares at his wife. "It happens to be the truth" he says hotly, "and you would rather I told the truth now, wouldn't you Clarissa," he snarls.

Their marriage was definitely not a marriage of paradise, I thought idly, watching both of them. If anything, the wife looked afraid of him. It made me wonder if he hurt her, which raised my ire even further. A man should never lay hands on a woman, ever. It was one of my firm beliefs and something everyone in my pack adhered to. I had no patience for abusers in my pack, they were banished without fail if I found out someone was beating their wife behind closed doors. "Yes" murmurs his wife, letting out an exhale and looking away "my apologies for speaking out of turn" she finishes.

Beta Mathew sits back in his chair and puts his hands together. "Listen here, mate, there is something I want to ask you, but it comes at a cost. My daughter Amber is in need of a husband and you might just be the one."

I'm suspicious and disgusted at the way he's treating his daughter. The man wants something from me, that I can tell. His wife bites her lip and just shakes her head sadly.

"Shouldn't it be up to your daughter who she marries?"

"No. It's either she marries or ends up on the streets" he says coldly. "I don't want an undesirable in my house any longer than I have to."

"What is it you want then? What do you want from me, in order for her hand in marriage?" I asked stiffly, leaning forward and piercing his eyes with mine.

He looks triumphant now, turning to his wife excitedly. "I told you he wanted her" he crows, "didn't I Clarissa?"

She glares back at him.

"Money" he tells me simply, "in exchange for my daughter's hand."

That was odd. They had their own company and plenty of wealth. Why would they want more?

I resolved to get my Beta Laurence to look into their finances once I'm back home. Maybe there is something happening within their company they don't want people to know about.

"Mathew" begs the wife, "you don't have to do this. Please, Amber is our daughter" she says, sniffling.

He turns on her and she recoils " Do I need to teach you another lesson? Or are you going to keep your stupid mouth shut" he demands.

"Enough of that" I boomed out loud and he turned back towards me, startled "I won't have you abusing your wife in front of me, is that clear", I demanded, letting my Alpha tone flow through.

He gulps and nods. His wife looked at me with a grateful expression on her pretty face. She mouths the words 'thank you' from behind him where her husband can't see her.

I slammed my hands on the desk, scaring the man out of his wits. He no longer looks as smug as he did a second ago, instead he's looking uncertain and a bit frightened. Good. I was reminding him that while he might be a Beta, I was an Alpha and I was in charge. "How much money" I said snidely, "how much money for you to agree to marry your daughter to me?"

He swallows. "A billion", he says evasively, "minimum."

I try not to look incredulous. A billion dollars was a lot of money, but it was more than easy enough for me to deal with. It was a drop in the ocean compared to how much my company made in a year. It was just ludicrous the amount they were wanting. It angered me that he didn't even care about his daughter's feelings on the matter.

"A billion dollars" I repeated softly, dangerously "did I hear you right?"

His eyes began to gleam with greed. "You heard me. A billion dollars or I give her to the next person asking for her, and I don't care if they are nice to her or not", he threatens. "I don't even care that you might beat her, I just want her gone and that's the price I'm asking for her."

God, how I wish I could kill this man in front of me right now, but it was not a good idea to kill someone in someone else's pack. It would cause all sorts of trouble for my own. His wife looked embarrassed still, as well as a little teary.

I have no choice but to concede, or let someone else have my mate. Something neither I nor my wolf are about to let happen.

"A billion dollars, but I want this all in writing" I demanded quickly, "so that you can't demand anymore. I also want her to marry me tomorrow, so make it happen" I hissed, standing up. "I'll come back for my bride in the evening, along with the money." "You've made an excellent decision" Beta Mathew declared, standing up and shaking my hand. "I hope you enjoy your purchase" he, slurred.

I fought the urge to punch him directly in the face and instead stare at him seething, before turning around and stomping out the front door. My wolf was ecstatic at the thought of marrying Amber, but I knew that my mate was going to hate me for doing this to her, but it had to be done. Maybe, in time, if I was lucky, she might forgive me for this. But I highly doubted it.