The Alpha Forsaken Mate

Ellie's POV

I turned eighteen today, which is a big deal in our pack. In our society, turning eighteen is the time for our coming-of -age celebration where the Alpha gets to choose his mate. Most girls can't wait for this day, bursting with joy. For me, however, there are signs of anxiety with only a sprinkle of optimism. I am Ellie, the low-ranked omega wolf. Carrying the burdens of my dead parents, I am adopted into this pack. I have no relatives here, but I have always had one friend who had my back, and it's a boy and his name is Daniel.

Daniel is more than a childhood friend. He's the Alpha of the Silver Crest pack and, in a fresh turn of events, he wants me as his mate. Although we described one another as brother and sister growing up, this feels very surreal in this instance. I'm an omega, an orphan, so there's no way I would have thought they could choose someone powerful like him. But here I am, stepping up with courage for whatever the ceremony has in store, even if a section of me is frightened of what everyone else will think of me.

The occasion taking place this evening is in honor of this selection, although I can feel the burden of disapproval already. As I make my way across the hall, I am the subject of audible whispers.

"She's just an orphan. "What does he see in her?" One of them whispers.

"Daniel could've had anyone. "Why would he choose her of all women?" another male voice joins in.

I try to brush them aside, but it's proving very difficult. Those words are painful, but they will not spoil this day. Daniel cares for me and that is sufficient for the time being.

Out of nowhere, I heard a voice I was familiar with. "Ellie! Hey! What are your deep thoughts about?"

It's my roommate, Kara. We have been together through thick and thin, and she never fails to bring me a smile, a cheerful word.

"I was just thinking..." I replied, looking down to avoid her gaze.

"Are you concerned about tonight?" Kara questions and I can feel her analyzing me.

I nod, feeling a wee bit foolish. "Yeah, I suppose I am. It's just...... Well, Daniel and I are worlds apart. He's an Alpha, and I am, well, you know me."

Kara gives me a quick pat on the back. "Ellie, I mean you more than just you." If Daniel can appreciate that, why can't you? "It is all, I repeat, all about you."

There is no denying that her words have some effect, but I cannot shake off the butterflies completely. I know she's right; I just need to be able to convince myself of it. I breathe deeply, trying to breathe out the frightened part of my mind. The night will be majorly important for me and I will have to deal with it come what may and, more importantly, do it without fear.

Kara's phone goes off, and she walks away to take the call, leaving me with my thoughts. I reached for my dress from the wardrobe. It is a simple but classy gunmetal gray and black dress. With the dress held up against me, I stand in front of the mirror and begin to imagine how this evening will play out. I see myself swirling in dance with Daniel while his hand remains firmly placed on my back, his eyes radiating warmth.

"Is that a sneak preview of how you are looking forward to the dance?" I was taken aback and turned around to see Jake, my other roommate, at the door looking at me with a smirk.

"Since when have you been lurking here?" embarrassed, I responded to him, a rush of heat rising to my face.

"Long enough to keep in mind that you are set for the night," he says with a laugh and comes to stand beside me. But class time is calling. "Don't want to delay your big day."

I nodded and followed him out. It's just a brief distance to the class we are heading to, but all the same, each footstep feels like a weight. Word about the event has gotten out, and I can tell people are watching, some with disinterest and some with interest. As I walk, there are sounds of people talking and soft murmurs go on that are not supposed to be heard from this close range.

"She is just an omega, after all." "He will always be out of her league," a girl says in a low tone.

Some of the girls even look my way with contempt in their gaze. I try to maintain my composure, chin up, though, internally, my self-esteem is quite low. Just when I feel like I have reached the breaking point, Jake cuts me some slack.

"Don't pay attention to them," he murmurs, "There is a reason why Daniel picked you".

We got to the classroom, and I exhaled in relief. Once seated, I attempt to pay attention to the ongoing lesson, but it is hard owing to the soft talks and glares directed toward me. I look at Jake, who gestures that everything will be okay. He's always played the role of an elder brother, hence his presence is quite comforting.

After class, I start packing quickly as I am exhausted. I convince myself that things will be nice once I am back home. But home isn't exactly easy either, since I will stay with foster parents until the dorm renovations are completed.

I wouldn't call it the best of situations, but I will at least get some time off from people to study for tonight. That I will get to see Daniel, who always seems to make up for everything and who is not far from me, now cheers me up even more as I walk down the corridor.

Finally, I arrive at my foster family's place, and the soothing effect due to the home walls is back. I go up to the room and feel eager to relax after the long hours. But as I walk into the room, I hear sounds coming from the inside. The voice of my stepsister, Emily, makes me stop. Apparently, she is talking to someone inside, but I cannot hear what she is saying.

As I step closer, my heart almost stops as a male voice I recognize answers back. It sends my thoughts spiraling, and I feel ice run through my veins. It was definitely Daniel.

Ellie's POV

I feel an agonizing sensation in my heart, as if someone has taken all the happiness and shoved it within. What is Daniel doing here with Emily? I don't want to believe it but I know I can't turn a deaf ear to what is going on. I shake my head in puzzlement and go back, dread mixing with confusion as I cannot turn around to whatever is going on beyond that door.

I exit the place silently, an ache in my heart and my brain switches off. I thought Daniel was the one person I could really count on, the one person who actually cared. But now, nothing makes any sense.

I step out into the street, allowing the weather to refresh my mind a bit. I'm in a state of discomfort; it is as though the floor has been taken away from beneath me. All this time, I wished to come to terms with this person, who probably did not wish anything for me.

After searching the park for a while, I finally found a bench which I sat on for dusk. I have no experience with it and am dizzy. Hopes and plans, which were filled with all of this night, gradually went away.

But as I sit there, I feel a yearning that swells deep within me. For as long as I can remember, I've had the impression that I was not good enough, that there was nothing to offer me other than that I was a weak omega. It would probably make sense to begin by reversing their words.

I am well aware that tomorrow will be tough and that, no doubt, the rest of the world will be full of gossip. However, I will not let them label me. I will still attend my ceremony, and I will still wear my head up. I will locate my inner strength, whether Daniel is there.

Finally, I got to my feet, my heart aching but my resolve intact. This evening might not turn out the way I had envisioned, but an end that is not. That's only the start.

I felt as if I were a statue with my heart ripped into pieces. The very foundation of my existence seemed to have shifted in no time. I have been looking forward to this day since morning, the ceremony, Daniel's vows, and the beautiful years we spent together. Only this time was all those memories, hopes, everything, wiped out courtesy of the horrifying view in front of me.

It was too much. The view in front of me was incomprehensible. How do you even handle something like that? What do you even feel? Rage, sadness, and especially shock, all of this came over me in turns. My body began shaking uncontrollably, and I noticed that tears I hadn't even been aware of had drenched my cheeks. I took a shaky breath, trying to compose myself. I wiped my face, which was wet with tears, but it was in vain. The tears continued to flow.

Then shuddering, I moved forward and forced my gaze on them. Daniel and my step-sister Emily were all over each other and had not even noticed me standing there. They were in each other, as if nothing of this world existed outside their boundaries. It was pure torture. My heart was in agony when I saw how lovingly Daniel skinned her double cheek, the same way he used to cup my face.

I surged with an unfamiliar zeal, urging myself that I had to witness this treachery, otherwise, I would never accept the truth. I shoved the door wide open and its creaking sound finally made them pay attention. Emily's face turned ghostly the moment she turned and spotted me. She hastily wrapped a blanket around herself and Daniel sat up in shock and embarrassment. There was a short period of silence among us.

The air was still. I almost felt as if I were being suffocated by its intensity. Emily was instantly up and out of the room, elbowing me aside and dismissing me in every sense of the word, including sight. Surely, I thought, there was no way she would simply ignore the fact that she made this mess and run away from it.

Finally, it was Daniel who faced me and, instead of being naked, he had a sheet that covered half his form, showing an expression that moved from shock to a near blankness. He gazed at me, then dropped his head to the floor, unable to look me in the face.

"E-ellie..." the boy stammered the next moment, his eyes pleadingly focused on my lap. "I... I can talk."

I did not think he deserved an explanation, shaking my head instead as I tried to think about how best to articulate my simmering rage. Why should he even try to clarify this? How could he possibly look me in the eye after what he had just done? The same man that so sweetly professed his love to me and vowed to present me as his mate that very night, was caught cheating on me with my step-sister. I felt an ugly, wrenching twist of rage and despair in my heart. All the faith I had in him seemed a huge prank.

Daniel then unexpectedly dropped to the floor begging. Concern and anguish were written all over his face. "Ellie, please. I did something terrible. I don't know what got into me. I... I didn't want this to happen."

The only thing I felt was an overwhelming sense of emptiness, and I just kept looking at him, who was down on the floor and begging with his hands cupped together as in an act of my forgiveness. There was something defensive about the actors' delivery of the lines. It was as if he was afraid of being audibly annoyed and disappointed, and was doing his best to not show it. The entire situation was unreal, more like a bad dream. I inhaled deeply, trying to relax.

"Are you saying that you did not intend for any of this to take place?" I reiterated, more like a whisper. You did not intend to betray me with my step-sister? "And on the day you are guaranteed to present me as your girlfriend?"

Daniel turned his gaze away, the slightest hint of guilt flashed in his face. However, it was only for a few moments, his eyes were back to focusing. "Ellie, please try to understand this, I... I was weak. I don't know why I clung to that girl, but I love you. You are the one I want, not her."

Ellie's POV

I shook my head, so weary and furious at the same time. "If you loved me, you would not have done this. You loved her more than me, Daniel. You made a conscious decision to violate every single commitment you ever gave me."

His face changed in an instant, softened, but it was clear that he was finding it hard to cope with me, and he suddenly got up, his look changing from one of shame to a cold, almost an angry one.

"You know what?" "Maybe it's not only me who is at fault," he blurted out sharply." You've been so... distanced recently. Always wary, always second-guessing. "Maybe I just wanted a respite from that."

There was something in the way he said those words that shocked me for a moment, one that hurt worse than I thought it would. He was actually pointing fingers at me! How could he do that after all that I have just seen? He was actually twisting it and making me the villain here?

"I'm the one to blame for all of this, right?" I questioned, my voice unsteady. "I'm the one who forced you to turn against me?"

Daniel's eyes turned violent, and I met a stranger for a moment. Where did that soft, protective friend who stood by me in hard times go? This was a completely different person, someone who would inflict pain just to feel better about himself. The realization crashed over me like a wave and I staggered a step back, feeling forlorn and disappointed almost to the point of sinking.

"Daniel, guess what?" "This isn't of any use to me," I said, sounding determined even when it hurt." I thought I understood you, but there is every chance I was mistaken." "You are not who I thought you were."

"Ellie, just hold on," he said, his tone once again warming up. But I didn't feel like hearing him out. I didn't want to hear another excuse, more like a lie. I turned back and walked out of the room, the weight in my body increasing with every step.

"Did I actually hear you correctly, Daniel? "Are you out of your mind or are you sick and tired of...it all?" I heard myself yell at him, rage vibrating with every word that escaped my lips. The contempt was undeniable in my voice. I was almost apologetic for the words that were leaving his mouth.

Daniel just stood there, and then he let out a snort, actually smiling a little. "You see, had you agreed to do exactly what you dolled up for me those Yorkies earlier, all this cuck would not have been. "We would have been good, smiling even," he said, licking his lips and slamming his fist against the wall in what appeared to be anger directed towards me.

"And you believe that is what love is all about?" I averted my gaze at him in a strange way. "Seriously? "You assume that love is merely the satisfaction of your needs?" He was becoming less and less of the man that I envisioned. Perhaps he was never that man; rather, this man had just been believably calm all this while.

He snickered. "You know, that is not the case," he scornfully prompted, poking my chin. I immediately looked away and swatted his hand away. I attempted to make my way past him, but he stepped forward and stood in my way.

"You're staying here until you stop being mad at me. "And do not pretend as if you do not know you share some responsibility in this," he grinned hard-faced. "I am making you my mate for a reason." "It's a lot of work, but it benefits you." "Trust me."

"Sound alert: I am not interested in your 'assistance'!" I retorted, her voice shaking but firm. I attempted to get around him a second time, but his hand darted out, grasping my wrist in a vice-like grip. His grip was uncomfortably tight, and irritation was evident in his eyes.

His face contorted in rage as he yanked me closer. "You will hear me out," he spat out the words. "You are going to pretend as if nothing has happened. You will take my hand during the introductions when I present you as my chosen one. Got it?" It was a statement made with a dangerously low tone, that cut deep into my core with the menace of his very dark, penetrating stare.

"I was shaking my head strongly." "No way." "I would rather die than do such a thing," I answered while trying to maintain my composure. He had already broken many of the boundaries, but this time he was stepping into the territory of trying to take dominion over me, and it irked me. He ought to know by now that I was not going to be his little sh*t anymore.

Confusion passed on his face. To his credit, he actually appeared sad for a split second, but it was back to the realm of dismissal almost immediately. And a cruel smile, one that made my stomach churn, appeared on his lips, one that made me feel sick. "Whatever-the decision to be my mate is not yours to make anyway. "I guess then if I want something, I can just get it," he mused with a dark anticipation in his tone.

When he advanced, I panicked slightly. Within him, I saw an unsettling glint that made me aware he did not merely mean to intimidate me into silence. He tried to grab me, his rough hands catching both my shoulders before sliding me back against the wall. I couldn't extricate myself from his grasp. It was too strong. Too strong. And as a result, I felt as though I was in captivity.

"Please, just let me go," I pleaded, my voice almost gone. My heart raced and terror gripped me. I attempted to shove his hands away, but he only twisted them, smiling wider. He got closer, whispering into my ear with his lips almost on me. "Calm down, Ellie. Just a few hours and it's going to be thank-you only."