Spurned Yet Desired

Adamantem's POV

"Adamantem; I named you Adamantem because when I gave birth to you, I knew the heaven, the Moon Goddess gave me the most precious gem in this world." Those were my Mother's words when I came to her room one day while crying because my Alpha Father spat at me and told me to get lost as I was a worthless living creature.

I was just six years old by then, and I could not understand why my mother said I was her precious gift while my Alpha Father told me I was a worthless she-wolf.

I sobbed more as I replied to my mother, "Why would Alpha Father think of me otherwise, Mother? For him, I am worthless. He even said that my name never suits me at all."

She embraced me smilingly, letting me feel all the love that she has for me, and said, "In this world my child, it is your belief about yourself and not of anyone else that will get you through. You are Adamantem, your name itself tells the world that you are the most valuable gem, you are a diamond, the symbol of light and life; the sun. You are an emblem of purity and perfection, of invincible power, brilliant and unconquerable".

I stopped sobbing as I looked at my mother with a smile that suddenly glowed out of my gloomy face. "I am Adamantem, Mother. I will remember that." My voice was low when I replied to her, but my hope and confidence in my young and innocent mind grew high.

I am now in my eighteenth year of existence. Supposedly, today will be my most special day. Today is my birthday. It would be the day that my existence as an adult would be recognized; it would be the day I hoped that I would meet my mate, the man the Moon Goddess, fated me to be with; the name was written across my name in the book of life. The man who will care for me, love me, and who will lift my dying spirit. My mate, who would hopefully help me and my mother escape from this hell.

I am still dreamily thinking about meeting my mate when someone knocks on my room's door.

"Adamantem, are you not going to wake up?! You lazy bum, get up and prepare breakfast for us!" I could hear my stepmother's voice outside. Yes, I have a stepmom now.

My Alpha Father declared my Mother as dead and claimed to be a widower already, just months after he announced that my Omega Mother had been missing. I wanted to tell the whole world at that time that he was just lying, that my Mother was alive, but of course, I could not do that. My mouth was sealed just like how my spirit had been sealed inside the darkness clouding my whole being.

"Holy shit Adamantem! Are you going to come out now, or I will get inside and drag you out?!" this sickening voice of Luna Betty echoed all over my ears and brought me back to the present. I scampered down my bed for fear that she would come inside and drag me by the hair, which she usually does.

"Coming out now, Luna Betty," I shouted while hurrying to fix my long, wavy gold hair. Ms. Marta said it is one of my assets that enhances my already beautiful face. Ms. Marta further said that I got some of my father's features that made me truly beautiful and royal blood-like even when dressed as a maid, always.

I got out of my room after fixing my hair and refreshing myself. I was, however surprised when I saw Luna Betty standing nearby. I thought she had gone away already. She was looking at me with fire in her eyes. I know she is mad.

"Apology, Luna Be..." But, before I could finish my apology, Luna Betty's palm already hit my right cheek. I stumbled and felt my right ear ringing because of the impact. I could feel my heart beating so fast as my wolf hurled in anger inside of me.

"That's my birthday greeting to you, Adamantem for being such a lazy bug!" Luna Betty said, smirking at me before she turned her back and went away.

...

I sat on the floor, tears dripping down my eyes while trying to resist Ada, my wolf, from coming out. She wanted to rip off Luna Betty's neck.

After calming myself, I went to the kitchen to cook. I was starting to prepare my ingredients for a waffle when I heard someone enter the kitchen.

"Happy, Birthday, Adamantem!" Ms. Marta, the packhouse's Chief Maid was in front of me with a medium-sized round cake in her hands, while she sang a happy birthday song for me. "Blow the candle and wish," she added after she finished singing.

With misty eyes, I blew the candles and made a wish; a sincere wish, which I hoped the Moon Goddess would hear.

"Ms. Marta, can I ask a favor, please? Could you ... could you please bring my Mother a piece of my cake when you bring her food?" I looked at Ms. Marta with my begging eyes and when she nodded, I hugged her with gratefulness.

"Thank you so much, Ms. Marta," I said with tears now in my eyes. I put the cake aside after putting a big slice in a food bowl and gave it to Ms. Marta, which she quickly kept inside one of the cabinets.

After hiding the piece of cake, Ms. Marta smiled and looked at me tenderly but suddenly her forehead furrowed. "What happened to your right cheek, Adamantem?" she asked with brows knitting.

"It's nothing, Ms. Marta. I, ... I accidentally bumped into my door," I said, lying as I bowed down my head.

Ms. Marta held my chin and looked at me. "Did Luna Betty or your Alpha Father, slap you again?" she asked, pity cast in her eyes.

I could not lie anymore. Ms. Marta had seen several times how I have been treated both by my father and his second wife. "It was Luna Betty who slapped me," I said, in murmurs.

"That woman is really evil. She is not even the real mate of the Alpha." Ms. Marta was angry, and I could see it in her eyes. But, just like me, she cannot do anything. All she could do was to tend to me when I needed her help and to bring my Mother more food and other needed things when Alpha Theodore and Luna Betty couldn't see her doing it.

"Are you done cooking, Adamantem?!" Ms. Marta and I were both surprised when we heard Luna Betty's booming voice inside the kitchen.

"Ahh, yes, Luna Betty, Adamantem finished cooking already. Please have a seat, and we will ask some maids to serve you." It was Ms. Marta who replied to Luna Betty. I looked at Ms. Marta in awe. I have not even started cooking, but she just winked at me.

Luna Betty shook her head and said, "No, let Adamantem serve us. My Alpha husband and my son will also be here in a minute."

Ms. Marta and I looked at each other, fear was evident in my eyes. I am afraid to commit mistakes while serving them, as I know what will happen. I will not be eating the whole day again.

Then suddenly, we heard Luna Betty say, "Ohh, that cake seems delicious. Serve it here too." She was talking about the birthday cake, gifted to me by Ms. Marta. My heart ached as I looked at my chocolate birthday cake.

After a while, I saw my Alpha Father enter the dining hall, and my heart started to race, while my knees seemed to weaken. This is me whenever I saw Alpha Theodore, my father, whom I never felt being a father to me, my whole life.

I was about to turn my back with the intent of entering the kitchen and getting another dish when my Alpha Father called me, "Adamantem!"

I froze and suddenly thought how my mother would tenderly call me such a name and how she prided herself on calling me Adamantem.

"Adamantem! Are you listening to me?!" My father's scary voice made me jump suddenly.

"Yes, I am Adamantem! I mean, yes my Alpha father, I am listening," I said in surprise.

"Then, do not turn your back, come here beside me and listen to me well!" my Alpha Father icily said as he sat down on his usual place in the dining table we called cabisera or the center of one end part of the table.

I walked towards him and stood beside him with a bowed head, with the hope that he might have remembered that today is my eighteenth birthday. Yes, today is my eighteenth birthday, supposedly, a happy day for me.

"Adamantem, I and Luna Betty will go to attend the Wolf Clan Conference. All other Alphas will be there. You need to come with us."

I batted my eyes as I heard what he said. "Does it mean that he will finally introduce me as his heir, now that I am of age already?" I thought, with a growing delight deep inside. "Yes, my Alpha Father. I will come to that Wolf Clan Conference, if you want me to," I softly replied, not looking at him. I was trained to do that in my younger years.

"You need to get the attention of Alpha Eleo, the Alpha of the Golden Valley Pack, and find a way to seduce him and make him marry you in the end!"

Astonished, I looked at my Alpha Father with wide eyes.

Adamantem's POV

"But, Alpha Father, I could not do it. How would a woman like me seduce an Alpha like that of the Golden Valley Pack?" I asked with disbelief. I looked at Ms. Marta and she too was in awe when she heard my father's words, while Luna Betty was smirking.

"I don't care how you are going to do it, Adamantem, if you need to be naked in front of him, just do it then! He is the most powerful Alpha in the realm and for him to be my son-in-law means more power and wealth for our pack! Now, if you don't have more to say, go, take a bath, and beautify yourself. The beautician will come to your room in a while. The Wolf Clan Conference will be tonight. We will leave in the afternoon to arrive at the venue on time. So, be ready by then," My Alpha Father said firmly as he motioned for me to go now. It is as if I don't have any right to refuse.

I ran to my room and, while running my mind caught my father's words as he mind linked me. "Refuse to do it and both you and your mother will suffer more."

When I reached my room, I sat on my bed dumbfounded. My heart was beating fast and Ada, my wolf, was growling in disagreement with what my Alpha Father wanted me to do.

"You should not do it, Adamantem. We are going to find our own mate. It is our mate that you should marry and not any Alpha chosen by your father," Ada howled in my ears.

I agreed with Ada. "Yes, Ada, I wanted to find our mate. Besides, I know the Alpha of the Golden Valley Pack. I have heard a lot of terrible things about him. He is said to be ruthless and cold-blooded. How would I marry a man, if, right now, I could see that he might be as ruthless as my Alpha Father, Ada?" I murmured and Ada, my wolf, heard me clearly.

"It is time to escape from your tyrant father, Adamantem. Let me take over, and we will run away from her," Ada suggested, and I suddenly fell into silence. How would I run away from here, if I will be leaving my mother in the merciless hands of my Alpha Father?

I shook my head, tears wanting to spill now. "No, Ada. We cannot just leave my Mother. If we will run away, my Alpha Father would definitely turn his anger to my Mother. I don't want her to suffer more. All I want is to escape, but only if we will be escaping together with my Mother."

While I and my wolf, Ada were debating on what to do, we heard knocks on the door. When I opened the door, I saw our pack's beautician, with some colorful and beautiful dresses in her arms. I opened wide my door and let her enter.

She looked around my room and then frowned as if disgusted.

"Your room is so small. The Alpha really despises you," she uttered shamelessly, not even thinking and respecting me as the daughter of the Alpha of our pack. My jaw tightened as I looked at her.

"Just give me those dresses if my Alpha Father sent them for me and you can go. I don't need someone like you to beautify me. I can do it, myself," I retorted to her icily. I am used to this kind of treatment from most of our pack members, and I know why; my Alpha Father has been very vocal and showy to everyone about how much he despises me and my mother.

The beautician sighed with relief and actually as an insult to me. "Good. Here, get your clothes. I want to get out of here now," she said, smirking as she tossed the dresses on my bed without care.

I took a deep breath, not wanting to lose my patience. When she got out, I immediately closed the door with a bang.

...

I chose the yellow, knee-length, body-hugging cocktail dress from the dresses sent by my Alpha father. It showed off my curves and brightened my flawless skin more, at the same time, it made me look decent and elegant. I let my golden curls hang on my shoulders and put on light makeup. For my finale, I whisked on the light rose perfume that was gifted to me by Ms. Marta, this morning aside from the cake. After looking in the mirror, I sat on my bed with a heavy heart. Ada, my wolf, has been silent as she does not want to go.

"Ada, I don't want to do this either, but I need to because I have to protect the life of my mother," I murmured and tried to reach out to Ada, but she remained silent.

A few minutes later, I heard knocks on my door.

"Yes?" I asked the maid outside after opening the door.

"The Alpha said that you are about to leave in five minutes, so you better be down in the living room already," the middle-aged maid informed me, without even smiling.

I simply nodded at her. She is one of Luna Betty's loyalists and I do not trust her at all.

When I went down to the living room, Luna Betty and my Alpha Father were there already. Luna Betty wore a long red gown. She looks overly decorated, I would say if I were asked to describe her now. She looked at me with a raised eyebrow, while my father just nodded at me. I don't know if he appreciates my aura this time, although it does not bother me anymore. I am used to being ridiculed rather than being appreciated by my father.

"Let's go," It was my Alpha Father who walked ahead of us toward the parked Limousine outside the packhouse.

I kept my silence as we traveled for around two hours. Only my Alpha Father and Luna Betty were talking to each other until we reached the five-star hotel where the Wolf's Clan Conference is going to be held.

The moment we entered the biggest function hall of the hotel, my head suddenly spun and my heart rate rose up, and a warm feeling enclosed me when a sandalwood scent filled my nostrils. It was intoxicating, letting me breathe not in normalcy. Ada, my wolf, all of a sudden alighted and then howled. "Adamantem, he is here, our Mate!" Ada said through my mind.

I held my breath and excitement hits me, but when I remembered why I am here in the first place, I instantly felt so low and down.

"Ada, he is here, our Mate, but we cannot be near him, or I will be dead meat. Father will surely kill me if I will seek for another man, other than the Alpha of the Golden Valley Pack," I connected my mind to Ada as I murmured these words. Ada growled in anger.

When we were seated in our assigned seats, my Alpha Father whispered to me, "That tall man seated on the third table to the left, wearing a dark gray tuxedo is Alpha Eleo of the Golden Valley Pack. You know what to do, Adamantem."

I felt my heart skip as my Father reminded me of my task for tonight. Slowly, I moved my head to find Alpha Eleo, then my heart trembled when my eyes were met by two squinting, bluish eyes of a man, who was the only one wearing a dark gray suit at the table mentioned by my Alpha father. The sandalwood scent strongly filled my senses and I could hear the loud throbbing of my heart, while my hands sweated even if the function hall of the hotel was too cold. I stared at those eyes with an almost open mouth.

"Ada, Alpha Eleo is our Mate," I told my wolf as excitement started to flood me. Ada howled and did some somersaults inside.

Adamantem's POV

"Ada, if Alpha Eleo is our Mate, then there will be no problem. I can easily fulfill my father's wishes at the same time as my dream of marrying my mate will also come true," my wolf heard me clearly, and she agreed readily and did some somersaults once more.

As I looked at the table of Alpha Eleo again, I noticed his absence therein. I was suddenly in a panic. "No, he cannot just go away without us meeting face to face," I hurled at my head, and Ada, my wolf, agreed.

"Alpha Father, excuse me, I need to go to the washroom," I said before leaving the seat beside my father. I looked around and searched for Alpha Eleo. My sense of smell was my guide in finding him.

I saw him standing near the poolside and, luckily, no one was around the area except him. I slowly walked toward him and stopped a few steps away from him.

As if he sensed my presence, he turned his head and looked at me with the same squinting eyes. I nervously smiled at him and made a few steps nearer.

"Alpha Eleo," was all I could say when he fully faced me and gazed at me with a lifted eyebrow.

"I know you will follow me." His baritone voice was soothing, although his tone was somewhat sarcastic. I still found his voice too good to listen to. It warms my heart and I smiled at him further.

"Did you feel it too, Alpha Eleo?" I asked with excitement.

He squinted his eyes once again and looked at me coldly. "Who sent you here, young woman? Was it your greedy father?" he asked with sarcasm.

I fell silent and could not reply to him. Partly, he was true. It was because of my Alpha Father that I attended this convention to find him, seduce him, make him mine, and all of those other words as commanded to me by my father. But partly, I am here in front of him, because I found out that he was my mate.

"I... I mean, did you not feel the mate pull? I am sure of myself that you are my mate because I felt it; I felt all the signs," I suddenly said, stammering.

Alpha Eleo suddenly grabbed my right arm and, with a hissing tone, said, "Don't you dare use that word, mate, just to hook me. I am sure your father commanded you to find a way to lure me. I have heard about him and I learned further that he was eyeing me to be his ally, to strengthen your pack's power and wealth."

I was stunned by his words. I could not find the right words to say, because again, partly his guess was right.

"I ... I don't know what you are talking about. I am here because I clearly feel that you are my mate. I know you feel it too. By the way, you looked at me at the onset when our eyes met," I said in a stammering way. I wanted him to understand that we are mates, and he does not need to doubt my intentions.

"Listen carefully, whoever you are, I do not consider you as my Mate. So, do not dream of hooking me and being my Luna in the future. Don't dream about it if you don't want to end up frustrated and crying!" Alpha Eleo stated in between his gritting teeth. Thereafter, he drastically removed his hand holding my wrist, and speedily walked away from me.

As he turned around, Ada and I, both cried in despair. "Ada, he rejected us," I murmured in my most gloomy voice while tears ran down my cheeks like a flood.

...

ALPHA ELEO'S POV

I immediately smelled that light rose scent when the Alpha of the Green Meadows Pack, together with his second wife and his daughter, entered the Wolf Clans Convention venue. I know about his daughter, whom he vocally despised, and I know how this Alpha of the Green Meadows Pack abused both his Omega wife and his daughter.

I looked at Alpha Theodore's daughter and my heart dribbled while my wolf, Ely, automatically said, "Mine" when the young woman's eyes met mine. She was so innocent looking although her Barbie look gave her a very seductive aura. She is like a living Barbie doll and I could not help to hold my breath in awe.

But, wouldn't it be surprising to see him at this convention together with his daughter, whom he despised a lot? I heard some rumors that Alpha Eleo had been eyeing me to be his ally and suddenly something hit my wise and keen mind. Did Alpha Eleo bring his daughter to this convention to get my attention?" I thought.

So, I purposely left my table and went to the pool area. If my senses guided me well in coming up with those thoughts a while ago, this daughter of Alpha Theodore would definitely find a way to find me and declare something to me.

To my disappointment, she did!

So, when she declared that she was my mate, I grabbed her wrist aggressively out of frustration. "Listen carefully, whoever you are, I do not consider you as my Mate. So, do not dream of hooking me and being my Luna in the future. Don't dream about it if you don't want to end up frustrated and crying!" I told her, in a hissing manner. When I saw how hurt she was, I almost wanted to take back my words, but I controlled myself. Her father, Alpha Theodore, would not succeed in luring me to his daughter so that he could be more powerful and wealthy in the end, at my expense.

"No way, Alpha Theodore, your daughter is too innocent to be used to satisfy your greed and hunger for more power and wealth. I will not allow you!" I thought firmly while pacifying my wolf, Ely, not to become furious with my action towards our mate.