Chapter 6 VI

The day dawned, with a strong sun to contrast with my gloomy mood, I kept my father's words in my head and did my best not to think about the bad night I had.

I took a shower and look for something to wear, I was going back to the leader's house to return the uniform. And also to confront Alpha Felix about last night. What's the worst thing that could happen?

If he doesn't like me, he might reject me: Then we'll both move on.

But the thought of being rejected by him made me shudder. If he turned his back on me, I'd be dateless for the rest of my life - unlike him, who has the power to choose someone else, even without a connection.

As an alpha, he could reject any she-wolf the Moon Goddess designated as his mate, and if he rejects me," Elodie feels a drop of icy sweat trickle down her temple.

"He won't reject you. Relax. Just talk to him." Ayla tries to reassure me.

"Elodie! Could you come here for a moment?" Freya shouts from downstairs.

"I'm coming."

I brush my hair and put on a clip to hold back my bangs, it was starting to get too long. I inherited my mother's long, silky hair and fair skin, and I got my father's brown hair and gray eyes, I was a complete mix of the two.

"Elodie! Come down right now!" My stepmother shouted once more.

"Argh! What's wrong with her early in the morning?" Grumbling, I grab the bag with the carefully folded uniform inside and leave the room.

"What do you want, Freya..." The rest of the words get stuck in my throat as my eyes connected with the icy blue eyes staring back at me.

"A-Alpha Felix." I say, breathless with surprise.

He was standing in the middle of our small room, with his gamma and Lady Tessa.

"Elodie, have more respect." Freya hisses beside me, rousing me from my trance.

"Ah, excuse me. Good morning, alpha Felix, gamma Caleb, Mistress Tessa." I bow my head in respect.

"Mistress Lunt, we are here to retrieve something you took from the gala ball last night. We will not charge you with theft, but we will make it a warning." Says gamma Caleb.

"Hm... Something I took? I didn't take anything." I'm confused. What were they talking about?

"Hm, you took the uniform with you last night, dear." Ms. Tessa clarifies.

"Oh! Is that it? I was about to take it back..." I start to say but am interrupted by Alpha Felix.

"Theft is not tolerated in this gang, Miss Lunt. You're lucky we're just warning you this time; next time the whip will be your punishment, and we'll lock you in the dungeon for a month!" His voice was so harsh that I started to shake.

"I'm sure it must have been a misunderstanding, Alpha Felix; I know Elodie wouldn't do such a thing." Lady Tessa comes to my aid.

"That's right." Freya agrees. "I assure you, alpha, that my Elodie is not a thief. Something or someone made her run away from the party; she came home crying last night."

Freya steps in front of me, trying to defend me.

"Surely, in her haste to get home safely and away from whoever hurt her, she forgot to return her uniform." I couldn't speak; I was shaking, nailed to the floor, fighting back tears that desperately wanted to fall.

Why was he being so mean to me?

"Who did this to you, Elodie?" Lady Tessa suddenly asks.

I looked at the alpha, who gave me a silent warning. I close my mouth tightly and look down at my feet.

"May I have a word with Miss Lunt? Alone?" The alpha asks.

I turn to Freya, who glares at me briefly and then looks at the three people standing before us.

"Hm. Sure."

My heart leaped, panicking.

"Right this way. I'll pour you some tea."

Freya escorts Gamma and Lady Tessa into the kitchen, leaving me alone with the alpha. We stood there in silence for a few minutes before he finally spoke.

"I'm only going to say this once, so listen carefully, Miss Lunt. I am the alpha of this pack, known for my strength and my prowess in taking care of this village, just like my father and my ancestors did."

He looks at me.

"Everyone expects a lot from me. Especially the kind of woman I present as my companion..." He stops talking for a moment as he assesses me from head to toe.

"And I'm sure you don't qualify. I hope, for your own sake, that you haven't told anyone yet. Because I'm going to deny it."

That was it. I look at him standing there, his expression as stoic as ever. It was what I feared most. He was going to reject me. I would be lonely for the rest of my life.

"Why am I not good enough, Alpha?" I dare ask, my voice is shaky, coming out almost as a whisper.

"What?"

"I asked... Why am I not good enough for you? Why are you going to condemn me to be a lone wolf?" I ask. I look directly into his eyes.

Tears roll down my face.

"Because you are nothing but a commoner. You would be a liability to me if you were my partner." Felix shakes his head. "I had you investigate. You have no talents or skills that could be useful to me as a leader to rule and protect my pack."

I lower my head in shame. That and only that is what he thought of me... A liability. A person of no value. Someone who had nothing to offer him as a companion.

"I... I understand." I say, not looking at him.

Could my life get any worse than this?

~~

Damn it! What the hell is wrong with me?

Felix came here with one mission: to reject her and get on with his life. But I couldn't get the words right.

I stood there rambling about her being a liability and useless to me and the gang as my partner, but I couldn't bring myself to reject her.

She stood in front of me, shaking and crying, as she listened to me tell her the reasons why I didn't want her.

I felt an urgent urge to hug her and never let go.

But I couldn't do that; I couldn't risk the safety of the pack just because of her.

"Stop chattering, boy! You're breaking her heart!" Cedric shouts in my head.

I look deep into Elodie's eyes. Those huge grayish eyes revealed all the emotions inside her. I was afraid that her frail figure would collapse at any moment.

"I... I understand." Elodie finally says. She looked down at her feet as her hands, visibly shaking, played with the bag.

It's now or never. Reject her and get over it. "I..." I start to speak but am interrupted by a strange girl with red hair and long legs and arms who ran up to Elodie, hugging her.

"Elodie, are you okay?" The girl asks and holds Elodie's shaking shoulders, who was crying.

"Maia!" Elodie shouted, trying to control her sobs.

Then my Gamma and Lady Tessa returned from the kitchen with Lady Lunt, who immediately went near the girl. Everyone showed sympathy for her, who was shaking and sobbing in her friend's arms.

"Alpha, you didn't have to be so hard on her." Caleb scolds me. "Elodie took the uniform by accident. She was upset because some asshole hurt her last night. I'm sure she won't do anything like that again."

Imagine if he knew the idiot was me.

"Is this the uniform, my love?" Tessa asked, pointing to the bag Elodie held. She just nodded. "I'll take it with me then, dear." Tessa takes the bag from Elodie's hand and smiles at me. "See, no harm done. The uniform is back in our possession."

I try my hardest to maintain a stoic expression, as always. Elodie still refused to look at me.

I take a deep breath and head toward the door.

"We're leaving." I leave Elodie's house, still hearing her sobs.

Cedric starts to lecture me about hurting the girl again, but all I could think about was how weak I was.

And that I hadn't managed to reject her yet.