"You worthless bitch! It's quite rich of you to think that the Alpha would ever love an orphaned Omega like you from an almost non existent pack. His heart has always belonged to me, despite being your so called mate. We both know that having a mate bond isn't love." Isabella Green stated smugly. Isabella was the daughter of Alpha Anders of the Red Peak Pack, an ally of the Moonstone pack.
Vanessa frowned as her wolf fought to show forth, but she always made sure that her necklace was in place. Even her wolf still wanted to fight for her mate, but what Isabella said was painfully true.
'Stay put, Vana. You know very well that you can't do anything. I don't know why you keep trying.'
'How dare she lay a claim on our mate? Take that stupid necklace off and let's put her in her place. She has no idea who she's messing with.'
'Shut up and stay put. It's not like she's totally wrong. You know why we're here." And with that, Vana stayed put, but still raging.
"Believe it or not, even if I were to fall down the stairs by myself today, your "mate" would not hesitate to believe me if I said that you did it," Isabella said, arrogance dancing in her tone.
Vanessa was about to go downstairs to the full moon celebration when she came face to face with Isabella, Jerome's mate, who was about to go upstairs. Jerome was her late brother-in-law. He died at war with a rival pack, the Blue Hill pack. He was betrayed by his beta and poisoned, before going out to fight. Due to that, he was weakened and was killed. Eventually, his beta was caught and executed. Immediately, Austin took over and they won the war, killing both the Alpha and beta of Blue Hill pack.
Vanessa trembled in anger as she glanced at the smug woman. A woman who apart from revealing her vicious character in front of her, had always pretended to be soft in front of her mate and even in front of everyone in the pack.
Everyone in the Moonstone Pack loved her, including her mate!
Three years ago, she thought she was lucky to find her mate, but when she was married, not long after, she learned the fact that her mate was willing to accept their bond and marry her was just because he wanted to hide his love for his brother's mate.
What an irony!
Vanessa knew she should have listened to her father when he said that rejection was better than accepting Austin Jones as her mate, but she wanted to prove him wrong and went to the shaman to get a necklace that would hide her original scent and reduce her wolf aura to that of an omega.
"Doesn't it sound so ridiculous to you, Isabella? You're already carrying his brother's child. You are still cared by many in the pack even if you don't act this out." Vanessa looked at her slightly bulged belly and frowned disapprovingly. She knew that Isabella only wanted Austin because he was now the Alpha of the pack. She wanted to be Luna.
How could this woman joke about the baby in her belly, it was so vicious!
"You're right." Isabella approached her and continued in a voice that only she could hear, "but I now want your mate to reject you, divorce you and even throw you out of the pack."
"You!" Before Vanessa could finish a sentence, she saw Isabella suddenly fall down the stairs.
From the perspective of the pack members in the hall, it looked as if Vanessa had pushed her down.
Vanessa immediately tried to save Isabella, but accidentally tripped herself in the process.
But Austin jumped down the stairs almost instantly and held Isabella in his embrace as if she was his treasure. Vanessa's wolf whimpered.
He didn't even take a peek at Vanessa, who was struggling to get up since her foot was strained, but ran up the stairs with his brother's mate Isabella in his arms and turned the house upside down in worry.
Soon the best healers of the pack appeared, and the servants took them into the pack house respectfully, but nobody cared for Vanessa. She, who was the current Luna, was left all alone and shivering without having a person to look after her.
But deep in her heart, Vanessa knew what kind of status she held in the Moonstone Pack for the past three years. Even the housekeepers had more importance than her!
How ironic is Vanessa's fate?
To top it off, Jerome's mate, Isabella Green, had everything in the pack. With a flick of her finger, everything she needed would come to her feet because the Alpha loved her. He only loved her, and everyone else was just dust in his eyes, including his fated mate, Vanessa!
Knowing what happened, the Moonstone Pack became alert. Austin and his mother stood near Isabella.
With a sigh, Vanessa held the nearby wall for support while tears brimmed her vision. A bone shifted when she jumped and it would take a few days to heal, due to her wolf's limitations. Shaking her head in disappointment, she slowly strode away to her room, since there was nothing she could do except aggravate them further. Moreover, she needed some peace to gather herself.
On getting there, she dropped onto the bed and cried her eyes out. She drifted into sleep as exhaustion took over.
---
When she was in a deep slumber, Austin came to her, and a flash of coldness appeared in his eyes. His deep gaze turned menacing as he reminisced what happened to Isabella because of his 'dear mate'.
"Get up." He said in his dangerously cold tone while impatience was visibly dancing on his face.
Seeing no movement from Vanessa, he gave a light kick on her legs, but it hit her already strained muscles, and she yelped in pain while jolting awake.
Her yells of discomfort affected him, of course. His wolf protested and wanted his mate, but Austin wanted to make her even more miserable but controlled himself!
'My prayer to Selene is that you regret everything single fucking thing you've been doing to our mate. You're so damn cruel.'
'Well, too bad you'll only do what I fucking want, Dax. Can't you see that she isn't fit for us? You're supposed to be the wise one, but you're so fucking blind and dumb. Can we not do this right now? Isabella is the one I want.'
'I wonder what the hell else you want. Look at her. Is there any woman in this pack that comes close to her beauty? You're the blind one here, not me. I want my mate."
Austin blocked his wolf out when Vanessa finally raised her eyes and met his indifferent silhouette, and her heart hurt glancing at the furiousness lurking in his cold eyes.
Tears swelled in her eyes again, and her cheeks became wet as they flooded like a burst dam, but there was no sound. They were her silent cries displaying her helplessness and despair!
Inhaling a chunk of air, she quickly got a grip on herself, and asked in her hoarse voice, "Austin, how is Isabella doing?"
Hearing her concern for Isabella, Austin felt it was fake, and his blood boiled, though Vanessa was really worried.
He gave a cold glance at her. If looks could kill, she would be frozen to death by now and muttered, his tone deadly and not giving her any chance to disobey, "come to the square, now!"
Listening to his command, a shiver settled down her spine and her eyes widened. The last ounce of sleepiness totally vanished as she fully grasped the meaning behind his words.
She couldn't help but look at Austin in disbelief. With a gulp she decided to question him, although she understood what exactly he stated, her tone quivered, "why should I do that, Austin?"
He gave a mocking sneer that scared the shit out of her and announced, " to fucking apologize!"
Hearing him say that broke her heart, and she remained stunned, too lost in her pain that her mate, whom she loved dearly, was really doing this to her!
Peeping at her stilled figure, he gave an awful glance and grabbed her hands, and forcefully dragged her with him, not even bothering for a second while he was mercilessly hurting her legs and hands.
He managed to get the doctors on time after her unexpected fall, but it didn't help her in saving the little child in her womb. The fetus was already lifeless! The supposed heir, gone.
When he found that his elder brother's only bloodline was dead, he became an enraged beast. And knowing Vanessa was the reason behind it, didn't help him either. It was like pouring oil into the fire!
Everything was ruined. There was nothing left except punishing his mate for the unjust sin she committed, and he would make sure of it.
---
Vanessa eyed him in incredulity, she just couldn't acknowledge the fact that he wanted her to apologize when she was clearly innocent!
It felt as if she was deserted and stuck in a hellhole with no way out. Her face turned pale, and her body trembled since she knew she shouldn't set her foot at the square if she wanted to live.
Because people who went in, never came out, and she knew it better because she had seen countless scenarios in the past years! It was used to judge traitors only and if found guilty, they were executed immediately.
She felt desperate and decided to converse with Austin but she didn't know how? With an inward huff, she licked her lips and grasped her teeth in between her plump lips while squinting her eyes.
Finally, after gathering enough courage, she muttered, her voice was so soft, "Austin."
She knew he heard it but she got no response from him, and she continued, while her voice cracked in the end, "I'm innocent. Trust me."
But he paid no heed to her words, and she started struggling to become free from his grip and to prevent herself from going into that cesspool.
Her struggles irked him, and his grasp on her tightened further, making her wail in pain, but he didn't even bat an eyelid at her.
"Don't waste your words here." He gritted his teeth and added in his cold voice, "You have a lot to confess at the square in front of all the pack members."
His words were like a bucket of cold water splashing on her face. Then she understood it was of no use to struggle!
She eyed Austin, who was so freezingly cold, and she couldn't help but rethink what she had done.
She had gone to great lengths to be married to him and even decided to cut ties with her beloved family since they opposed their bond.
But look at what she got from him over the years? Only indifference and coldness. He was never merciful to her and never supported her.
Deep in her heart, she had a tiny hope that one day, he would realize her love and would come for her. But would that really happen when there was already a person deeply rooted in his heart?
It was none other than Isabella. Austin's one and only love. Except for Isabella, his heart had no place for others, and what could Vanessa possibly do to warm his cold heart?
Alas, she tried every method possible on earth that might make him come closer to her, but nope, none worked.
Because his heart would only soften for Isabella.
And what was she, Vanessa, in front of Isabella? Invisible! She was nothing but an imbecile, a worthless piece of trophy mate!
And now, she finally realized she was wrong!
But wasn't it too late already?
She wondered if his wolf was dead. They were fated mates and fated mates couldn't keep their hands off each other. She wondered if the moon goddess made a mistake.
Grasping her situation, she muttered, her tone held no emotion, "let go of my hand."
Seeing Austin didn't leave her hand, she added in a firm tone, "I'll go on my own."
Hearing her words, he gazed at her with contempt in his onyx eyes. The suppressed anger in his heart was enraged, and he felt as if it would burst out at any moment and burn this stupid woman in front of him.
Without giving her a second glance, he walked towards the square, leaving her behind all by herself.
She felt as if her life had turned into a joke after she had been married to him. Eyeing his sturdy back, she couldn't help but sneer at her foolishness for her deed three years ago. Accepting Austin as her mate!