HIS UNWORTHY MATE

~JADE~

I awoke to a numbing pain in my limbs, a headache threatening to split my forehead open, and my eyes aching as I rubbed them open to an unfamiliar ceiling. Confusion slowly sets in as I rub my eyes a little more to rid myself of the blurriness in my vision while staring at the alien ceiling.

It's not possible that I could be dreaming at this moment or that I suddenly do not recognise the ceiling of my home. I've been waking up to the ceiling in my bedroom for two years, and I am certain it is not painted this absurd red colour with a ridiculous chandelier hanging down from it.

My body cries out in protest as I push up on the bed, my eyes trailing off the ceiling as I take in the unfamiliar view of the bedroom. My mind races with different questions while I try to recall any memories from last night-how I fell asleep, when, and what I was doing in a strange room.

Nothing quite makes sense until I hear a deep groan beside me and my head snaps to the side with so much speed that I almost gave myself whiplash.

"Morning." The owner of the voice greets me with a smug grin.

I had to take a moment to myself, blinking rapidly while trying to process my thoughts and what I was seeing. Or perhaps who was lying right next to me on the bed, and how I did not think to even check if I was alone or with someone.

"Why the hell are you sharing a bed with me?" I yell, all the while trying to reign in the anger in my voice.

"What do you mean?" He pushes forward, reaching his hand out as I put more distance between us on the bed. "Don't you remember last night?" He smiles widely, licking his lips seductively as I blink.

"Are you okay? Stop touching me, the fuck." I slapped his hand away from my shoulder while scrambling to pull more of the bed sheet to cover my naked upper body.

I didn't need anyone to tell me I was naked under this sheet. I can feel the cold fabric against my skin and the cool air from the air conditioner with every movement I make. My immediate problem here is, how the hell did I get in bed with this asshole?

"Come on now, Jade, stop acting so oblivious. You enjoyed yourself last night. I can still vividly remember how sexy your voice sounded when you moaned and the pretty face you made when I made you climax."

My hand moved before I could make sense of the ringing noise in my head as I slapped the smug smile off his face.

"Do you have a death wish?" I screamed at him,

"What the hell are you talking about? Are you fucking playing with me? I enjoyed it?! If you're the last person on earth, I'd rather end my life than let you touch me. What the fuck is wrong with you, creeping into the same bed as your girlfriend's sister?"

I was losing my calm with every passing second, and the sound of the annoying laughter sputtering out of him didn't help my anger.

"You don't remember what happened? I brought your drunk ass into this room so you could sleep because Arya begged me to, but you were all over me and wouldn't let me leave. You begged me to touch you." Darren remarked mockingly.

"I..." No, there is no way in hell I would do that.

"I don't drink; everyone knows I don't drink alcohol." My senses were screaming at me, but I ignored them, shaking my head at the mere possibility of the nonsense Darren had just sprouted.

Me? Begging him to touch me, drunk out of my mind? There is no way in hell. That can't be me. Yet every attempt I made to remember what happened last night seemed futile.

'Levana, do you remember what happened last night?' I called for my wolf, hoping she would help jolt my memory because the last thing I remembered did not correlate with anything this bastard had just said. I was met with silence as I called for Lev again.

"Well, your ass was pretty drunk last night, and it sort of made you hotter than you've ever looked." The creep replied, winking at me, and bile rose in my throat as panic set in the pit of my stomach.

My eyes trail down my body as I register my situation right now. I am naked, with no form of clothing on my body at all. Darren is half-naked.

Did we-

"No... No... No. That's not possible; that's not." I shook my head frantically to dispel the thought of what he was implying.

That can't be true. I wouldn't do that. Not with my elder sister's boyfriend, not when I have the absolute best mate in the whole fucking world. Why the hell would I have sex with a scumbag like Darren? Hell no.

My mind screamed for answers, yet the only moment I could remember before the break in my memory was when I was with Arya in the dining area. I had moved away from the party noise in the living room. Arya joined me a few seconds later, and she offered to get me something to eat.

I don't like spicy food, and the peppered meat she brought was extra spicy. I had choked, and she hurried back to the kitchen to grab a cup of water. I remember taking the glass from her. I gulped it down in haste, set it back on the table to get over the harshness of the pepper, and then-nothing.

Nothing.

I don't remember anything after that. How is that possible? I don't remember leaving that dining area after drinking the water. I don't remember anything else.

Arya couldn't have-no, that's impossible. I shook my head at the absurd idea in my thoughts. She wouldn't do that to me. Darren is just messing with me; he's an asshole; he's only trying to mess with my head.

"I know you're sick and you play all kinds of dirty games, you shameless twat. Right now, you're trying to mess with my head. I know that's what you're trying to do, and I won't let you. You should consider jumping into the lagoon." I curse at him, ignoring the look of mockery on his face, as I try to get off the bed without exposing any part of my body.

I am not going to remain in this room and let him play his stupid mind games with me.

"You think this is a joke?" He voiced, smirking while he arched his left brow.

"Fuck you, Darren," I growled out, irritated with him.

"Oh, we did that already, but I don't mind showing you a reminder of what it felt like."

"If you think I am going to let you get away with this nonsense., what the hell?"

I gasp in shock as he grabs my hand, pulling me forward.

I lose my grip on the sheet, causing it to slip down to my waist, and as my naked body crashes into him, the door to the bedroom flies open.

A loud growl bounced off the room's walls, sending dreadful shivers down my spine because I knew that voice. Panic and frustration crash through my nerves as I wiggle out of Darren's grasp, turning to face my mate, Hunter, whose eyes glow with anger, and his nose emits fire breaths.

"Darling, it's not what it looks like. I swear it's not what it looks like."

I rush out in a frantic voice, hoping that will quell the bloodlust in Hunter's eyes. This obviously doesn't work because I watch the shift in his eyes with trepidation as Hunter loses control. His wolf pushes forward, lunging at me with claws and fangs all out to attack.

~JADE~

I am not sure why I didn't move, even though it was pretty apparent that Hunter had lunged for an attack.

That's a lie. I know pretty well the reason I didn't move. My body had frozen in place when I saw him lunge, and a part of me thought my mate wouldn't ever attack me.

It was impossible that Hunter would want to attack me, given how he has never raised a hand at me for the past two years we've been together.

But I was deluding myself. Maybe the reason he never hit me for the past two years was because I never gave him a reason to, and now. Now, I gave him every viable reason to want to hurt me, but I still tried convincing myself that he wouldn't.

The realisation dawned on me too late. Before I could get my body to move out of the way, Hunter came barreling forward, his hand outstretched, his palm striking me in the face, and his claws cutting a deep wound across my cheek.

My head swings sideways, and echoes of sounds ring repeatedly in my ear. My hands moved out of reflex to grab the cheek Hunter struck, and I let out a wince at the sharp sting that followed. I was not quite sure what happened next, as I remained stuck between getting the ringing sound in my head to stop and hoping the deep cut on my cheeks healed without leaving a scar.

I pull my hand away from my cheek, staring down at my bloodied palm, while I try to comprehend everything that has happened since I opened my eyes in this room. Also, I was trying to fathom how my mate, who had never gotten physically violent with me in the last two years, didn't even stop to think twice before lunging at me.

My eyes watered, and my head was a mess. I heard the commotion all around me but felt stuck in my daze. I heard someone scream; I heard growls; I heard someone yelling. I listened to what sounded like punches-the sound of a bone breaking. Yet I couldn't move; I just couldn't get myself to do anything as I stared at the blood staining my palm.

I think I had expected Hunter to hit me again. His attacking me wouldn't have ended with just one slap. Which was why I flinched and jumped in place when I felt a sudden slap to my back and someone grabbing my shoulder to shake me.

"Will you fucking do something?" The person yells in my face as I turn to them. It was my elder sister, the one whose boyfriend I had slept with. I stare at her, dazed and confused, for a moment until she slaps me again.

"Get your mate off my boyfriend; he's going to kill him," Arya screams again, and this time, I could make out and understand what she was saying amidst all the recurring noise in my head.

I shift on the bed, turning to look behind me to see my mate Hunter, dealing punch after punch to Darren's face while Darren actively tries to block them with his fist, but there is only much he can do to stop the onslaught.

Hunter is an Alpha who has trained almost all his life. I know his strengths and how he is in combat. Darren was no match for him, and we all know that.

"Are you just going to keep staring at them?" Arya yells, slapping my shoulder as I stare blankly at the duo, Hunter letting out his anger and Darren doing what he could to save his face. "Do something; Hunter is going to kill him, and it's going to be your fault, you cheating bitch!" Arya screamed in my face, grabbing my shoulders and shaking me vehemently while hurling every insult she could think of at me.

She is right; this was my fault. If something happens to Darren and Hunter kills him, it will become my sin and my fault. I need to do something. I have to stop him. Another slap from my sister seemed to do the trick, snapping me out of the mess in my head. I scramble off the bed, running towards them, and I grab my mate's hand.

"Hunter, please stop. You'll kill him. Please stop; this is just a misunderstanding; nothing happened. I swear--" Hunter denies me the liberty of completing my sentence as he strikes me across the face.

The force of his slap knocks me backwards, an anguished groan slipping past my lips as I fall sideways, and the foot of the bed frame connects with my left side. Impacting my ribs with a force that cuts all the air out of my lungs momentarily, a silent gasp of pain escapes my airways.

I wasn't awarded the liberty to process the pain spreading through my left side as Arya comes dragging me up, yelling at me to stop my mate from killing her boyfriend, once again reminding me that this was all my fault.

How is it my fault when I have not the slightest memory of what happened between Darren and me? I stagger on my feet, biting back a groan as the pain travels to my chest.

"Hunter, please... Please, you're hurting him. Nothing happened between us; I swear nothing.

I clamp my lips together as Hunter turns to me with burning hatred in his eyes. "Nothing happened? You are fucking naked; I found you naked in bed with him, and you're telling me nothing happened." Hunter bellowed; his voice bounced off the walls of the room, and it took everything in me not to fall flat on my ass out of fear.

"I swear I... Nothing..." I couldn't get the words out; he wouldn't let me speak.

"Then explain to me why you're naked. Explain to me why my mate is fucking naked in bed with a fucking Delta, your sister's boyfriend." He grabs my shoulder, his claws breaking through my skin as he shakes me vehemently with every word he says, and I stand there, unable to form a coherent sentence.

"Bloody hell, man, you're hurting her." Darren's voice filters through Hunter's scream, and I shift my gaze to see him standing up on his feet to yank Hunter's hand away from my shoulder.

"How about you take that anger out on me, man to man? Uhh, what a coward you are, hitting your mate." Darren yells at Hunter, which earns him a hard punch from Hunter, and the chaos ensues again.

"What now? You're standing up for her? Do you want to prove to her that you're a competent man? You fucked her once, and you're ready to fight for her. Is her pussy that sweet?" Hunter sneers as he throws punch after punch at Darren, who tries his best to defend himself but ends up failing.

He was never a match for Hunter. No one in this pack is a match for Hunter except for his father.

Arya slaps my shoulder again, and my legs move before my brain can register anything she says.

"Hunter... Hunter, baby, please let him go. You'll- you'll kill him, please."

"Yes, I intend to kill him, and his blood will be on your hands because it's your bloody fault." He snaps at me with blazing red eyes. "How dare you beg me to let him go? So, you're also ready to fight for him, uhh?"

I shake my head, taking fearful steps back as Hunter turns entirely, advancing toward me. "You want to take his place; how brave of you to fight for your new darling. Did you enjoy it?" He grabs my wrist, dragging me closer as I try to put more distance between us.

"I asked you a question: did you bloody enjoy it?" he growls, tugging on my arm, causing my body to slam into his chest.

"You can't speak." He grabs my jaw, gripping it with a force that has tears clouding my eyes. "Have you gone mute and can't talk back anymore? Answer my fucking questions." He slaps me across the face, and I stagger back without being given the liberty to process the pain before he yanks me close again.

"Did he fuck you that well? Is he a better fuck than I am? Is that why you're begging me not to kill him? How good was it, uhh? Did your filthy pussy suck him in good? Answer me." he snarls in my face, and I shake my head frantically, unable to keep my tears locked in.

"No... I don't.... I don't remember." I break down in tears, shaking my head as he doesn't stop shouting.

Hunter's depraved laughter echoes in the room at my response.

"You don't remember?" he asked, laughing with a look of disgust spreading across his face. "You want him to fuck you again; is that why you say you can't remember? Did he fuck you into oblivion?"

I shake my head. No, that wasn't what I meant. I don't remember anything that happened between us. I don't even know if anything happened. How can I answer his questions when I don't know what happened and don't feel like something has happened?

"No, no... That's not..."

"How about I help you? Let me help you remember; then maybe you can finally have the answers to my questions."

"What? Hunter, what are you?" The rest of my sentence got cut off as he shoved me back with so much force, and I stumbled, falling onto the bed.

"I'll help you... Let me remind you what it's like to have your mate fucked. You spend one night with another man and suddenly lose your memory. Don't worry, I'll help."

I don't know if it is my shock that glues me in place. My body trembles with dread as Hunter unbuttons his pants and draws out his cock.

"Hunter. This is... Do you seriously think this is right?" I all but yell as he steps forward, and I scramble to get out of bed.

"The fuck you're running for." He snarls, his hands gripping my ankle, and he yanks me back. My head slams into the edge of the bed frame, and a cloud of darkness blurs my vision for a minute as Hunter drags me, turning me onto my stomach, and positions himself behind me.

"Since you've conveniently lost your memory and can't remember what happened last night, let me remind you what it's like to be fucked by an Alpha. When I am done with you, you'll tell me who fucks you better. Me or that filthy Delta?" Hunter whispers in a sinister voice that has my entire body trembling.

"Hunter..." I hear Arya and Darren call him.

"Come on, man, don't do..."

"STAND DOWN." Hunter snarls, commanding them in his Alpha voice, and I hear them whimper.

I was trembling, tears freely flowing down my cheeks, and my throat feeling clogged, unable to breathe as the stench of his pheromones permeated through the room.

"Hunter, please you... Arkk." Everything I was about to say was trapped between my airways as my mate rams into me with such force that it rocks me forward.

"SHUT THE HELL UP." He growls as his hands come forward to grip my throat in a chokehold. Even if I wanted to speak, there was no way I could make a sound or do anything against the Alpha command in his voice.

~JADE~

Everything else happened in a blur. It all felt like a nightmare, and I wished someone would wake me up so badly.

Hunter had dragged me out of Arya's place naked, and I had no will to protest against his iron grip. He believed I had lost all sense of decency, and I was so ashamed that I was unable to even ask for something to cover my nakedness as he threw me out of bed after he pulled his dick out of me.

I couldn't even look Arya or Darren in the eyes because my friend had fucked me right there in their presence, without a care in the world, like I was no better than a cheap fuck. Humiliated and degraded me beyond words, dragged me through the street naked, and left me on the front porch of my parent's house with a warning that I would never return to our home.

I had crawled inside my parents' house, shaking and crying. Despite how many times they asked what happened, my mouth wouldn't budge; all I could do was weep as I sank further into the shame enveloping me.

"Is this true, Jade?" Even now, as I sit here in the presence of my parents and in-laws, I still wish this was nothing but a nightmare.

"Jade!" I heard my father snap, and I dragged my eyes away from my lap.

"Is everything your mate just said true? Did you cheat on him with your sister's boyfriend?" Dad asked, and I shook my head.

"I didn't; I didn't do it," I replied as fresh tears streamed down my face.

"Now she's calling me a liar. Your sister and I saw you in bed with him. You were both naked." Hunter growled from where he was seated across the room, and I flinched.

"Jade." My mom's soft voice filtered through: "Tell me the truth, please." Mom asked in a shaky voice.

"I... don't... I don't remember," I stuttered,

"I didn't drink any alcohol; I was sober. All I took was water, and I don't know what happened; I woke up and..."

"So, you're saying you cheated because you wanted to? You didn't even need alcohol to whore yourself to your sister's boyfriend."

"Keep quiet." Alpha Orion, my father-in-law and Alpha Head of the Pack growled at Hunter, his voice cutting through all the other voices in the living room.

"You will not call your mate such degrading names while I am seated." Hunter's father muttered, glaring hard at his son.

"She is not my mate, not after she..."

"Do you want to be thrown out of here? keep quiet." Alpha Orion snaps at Hunter once more. He lets out a series of muffled words before falling silent, listening to his father.

"I do not care what state you found her in or how angry you were. You should've reined in your anger and had the issue dealt with by the elder's council. Do you know how demeaning it is to be told that my son, the next Alpha of this pack, was seen dragging his naked mate back to her parent's house?" Alpha Orion bellowed at Hunter, who lowered his head.

"I taught you better than that, did I not?" He snarls at Hunter, who nods.

"What you do to your mate behind closed doors is no business of mine; what you do to her publicly concerns me if it shames my name and that of this family. Never in generations has such shame been brought on our family. The pack's future Luna was publicly humiliated by her Alpha."

Shaking his head with a sigh, he points to me, then to Hunter. "You are both a disgrace." He declares with resentment heavy in his voice, and I cast my head down as shame washes over me.

I know how much respect and love Hunter's parents have accorded me ever since I returned to the pack. Pack members called me their perfect Luna; I was my parents' golden child, beloved by every member of the pack, and in just one day, all that was replaced with reproach and disappointment.

"This is something that we could've swept under the rug." The current Luna, Hunter's mother, said this, and she sighed heavily.

"Your Alpha ceremony is in two months; the preparations are all set in place. All notable Alphas from far and beyond have been invited; you shouldn't have escalated this situation. Now with the stunt you pulled this morning, there's no way we can keep whatever happened in that room a secret because Pack members have already started talking."

"Mother, I don't understand what you're saying. She cheated, she betrayed my trust and her sister's trust, and you're saying it could've been swept under the rug?" Hunter asks, the tone of his voice rising above the normal octave, and his mother nods.

"Yes, not every union can be perfect; what is important is upholding the standards and name of this family and this pack. There is a reason why we are the most respected among all packs. If you hadn't pulled the stunt, you pulled this morning, your father and I would've solved this without having to involve the elder's council."

"My mate cheated on me, and defiled our mate bond, and you expect me to keep it a secret?" Hunter half-yells at his mother, which earns him a warning growl from his father.

"Yes, that is what you should've done if you had paid any attention to all the teachings of your father. There is nothing new under the sun, and no union is perfect. Everyone makes mistakes; let's say she made a drunken mistake. Punish her however you want behind closed doors. Do whatever you wish to her to show your anger, as long as your action is not displayed for the world to see. As long as your actions don't hinder your Alpha ceremony, as long as it doesn't tarnish the name of this pack and this family, now we have no choice but to bring this before the council."

"Which is the right thing to do!" Hunter exclaims, throwing his hands in the air out of frustration.

"AND THAT IS GOING TO COST US A LOT. YOUR ALPHA ASCENDING CEREMONY WILL BE CANCELED, AND EVERY NEIGHBOURING PACK WILL KNOW ABOUT THIS. WE WILL HAVE NO CHOICE BUT TO SAVE FACE AND SHARE IN THIS DISGRACE. ARE YOU A STRANGER TO WHAT HAPPENS TO ANY MATE FOUND GUILTY OF INFIDELITY BEFORE THE COUNCIL? THIS DOES NOT LOOK GOOD ON US; OUR IMAGE WILL BE TARNISHED FOREVER." His mother yells at him; the veins in her neck and forehead popping with every word she says and it finally dawns on me.

They weren't defending me or trying to appease their son for my sake. It was all about them, the intervention they talked about when they first got here; it wasn't about proving my innocence; it was about their family, the pack, and their image. And here, I thought they might have believed me when I said I didn't cheat on their son.

No one is ready to believe me; no one wants to give in to the thought that I might be telling the truth. Or even try to investigate the situation. Why aren't they asking Arya any questions? It was her party; she gave me the water I drank before I blacked out.

"Arya, where is your boyfriend? Why isn't he here?"

Alpha Orion, asks my sister, who has been crying buckets ever since this sham of a meeting started.

"I don't know... I haven't seen him since the incident this morning." She replies in between her sobs and hiccups.

"Jade, can you prove your innocence? If you can, this can still be resolved." My mom asked, and I stared at her blankly, wondering how I could do that when I don't even remember shit. Perhaps they can get Darren and make him tell the truth, but what if he is telling the truth? What if I cheated on my mate?

"That is no longer necessary. She has to go before the council; it's the words of her mate and her sister against her. There is nothing she can do to salvage the damage already done. Even if we try, the pack members are already talking; we can only make sure to save the pack's name henceforth."

"So, you're implying we make my daughter a scapegoat even if she might be innocent?" Mom grumbled as she glared at Alpha Orion.

"She became a scapegoat the moment she woke up in bed with a man who wasn't her mate." Hunter's mother replied, rolling her eyes at my mom.

"The council.... What... What will happen to me if they find me guilty?" I asked, amidst their banter.

I left the pack at a very young age, and most of the pack's customs weren't taught to me when I grew up with my aunt in the Philippines. Ever since it became clear that I'd become Luna someday, I've been learning about pack customs, rites, and laws, but I had no reason to look up infidelity or anything about the council of elders.

"If found guilty, you will be stripped of your rights as a pack member, a severance will take place, Hunter will reject you, and your mate bond will be nullified. After which you'll be branded as unworthy; you'll be paraded around the pack naked as you dance the dance of shame, and you'll be banished from the pack afterwards." Hunter's mom explained, and my eyes grew bigger with each word.

Rejected? I'll be made to dance naked around the pack, branded as unworthy, and I am not even given the chance to prove my innocence. Does it even matter if I am innocent? They'll make me the scapegoat if it saves them face.

"You can't do that. You can't reject me."

"Why do you still believe that you've done nothing wrong?" Hunter hissed at me.

"Because I am pregnant with your child, you'll kill your child if you reject me, and you know that."

This was my last resort. I know how much his parents have been looking forward to having a grandchild, an heir, because, for some reason, they only ever have one child in their bloodline. Hunter is the only child, and he can only give his parents one grandchild.

I don't know why that is, but it is the first thing I was told after we became mates and why it was important for me to take care of myself and be healthy enough to carry the future Alpha.