The Mate He Hates

Amanda's POV

"I'm tired. Is the river still far from here?" Elisa grumbled wearily and rested against a tree. She looked exhausted, as if she had journeyed a thousand miles.

"The river is just behind that mountain." I pointed to a mountain a few steps away from us.

She grumbled and lazily moved away from the tree. "I told you to come alone. Why must I join you?" She murmured, and I scoffed, rolling my eyes at her.

We continued our journey while Elisa trailed behind, but I couldn't leave her, so I had to walk as slowly as she did. We were almost at the river when our feet halted for what we saw. Standing before the river was a young man who should be in his Early twenties. His back was turned against us, but what we noticed was the knife in his hand. Before we could comprehend what was happening, he stabbed himself right in the chest, and we gasped.

He made a low sound of pain and fell to the floor while blood gushed out of his stabbed chest. "Let's leave this place." Elisa held my hand as she tried to pull me away, but I refused to move, my eyes fixed on the young man who was slowly dying.

"We need to help him, Elisa." I pleaded with my step-sister, and she frowned. "Are you insane? Do you even know what you are saying?" She snapped at me, and I gulped. "What if he is dangerous?

As you can see, he was the one who tried to kill himself. Let's go." She snapped at me, but her words were brushed aside as I pulled away from her grip and ran towards the young man.

When I reached where he was lying, I knelt on the floor and saw his eyes were slightly closed, and his breath was seizing. "Are you okay?" I asked in panic, and as if he heard my voice, he slowly opened his eyes and held my gaze. Goodness, he has the most amazing green eyes I have ever seen on anyone.

"Are you okay?" I asked with concern, confused about what to do.

He didn't respond to me; instead, he just closed his eyes, as if he were waiting for death to take him. "No, no, please open your eyes." I pleaded as fear gripped my entire being. "Let's go," Elisa yelled from where she stood, but I ignored her and tore my dress. I took the pieces of my dress and placed them on the bleeding surface, but it was useless.

Restlessly, I got up and looked around the wood. I remembered how Granny had told me about a particular type of leaf in the woods that helped sustain an injured person. According to her, if the leaves are squeezed, and the substance from it is applied to the surface of a bleeding wound, the bleeding would stop and sustain the person until medical help is given.

I remembered the leaves because Granny had shown me, and I had stored a picture of them in my head. Quickly, I began searching around for it, and luckily, as the goddess would have it, I found it just a few steps away from us. I hurriedly plucked it and ran back to the injured stranger.

I rubbed the leaves with both my palms, took off the pieces of my clothes from his wound, and then applied the liquid substance to the wound. "Ahhh..." the injured stranger grunted in pain while I gulped and kept pouring more of the substance into the wound. With expectation, I watched the bleeding wound, waiting for it to stop bleeding, but it didn't. Instead, more blood was gushing out of it.

"What should I do?" I murmured in panic as the fear of him dying gripped me. I didn't know who this stranger was, but somehow, I felt an uncomfortable feeling in my chest. My eyes were becoming teary, and I wanted to cry.

"Leave. Don't help me." He spoke weakly, with his eyes still closed, causing my heart to pound. "No, I will help you. I won't let you die! Do you hear me? You won't die; I won't let you die." I made those promises to him and hurriedly got up.

I ran to where Elisa stood. "Please stay here; I will be back. I have to go call someone..." I didn't allow Elisa to speak before I sped up and began running.

I ran as fast as my legs could carry. As I ran, tears fell on my cheeks, and my whole body shook with fear. Despite not knowing him, I was just so scared of losing him. I ran out of the woods and went to the first home I saw.

I knocked on the door, and the door opened, revealing Sir Timothy, the pack's famous carpenter. "Hello... Amanda..."

"Someone needs your help; he is injured in the woods. Please help." I pleaded in fear, and he raised a brow at me. "Someone is wounded in the woods?" He asked to be sure he heard me right.

"Yes... we met him at the woods injured..." I lied. I didn't want to tell him that the young man tried taking his life. "Please help!" I pleaded, with tears falling freely on my cheeks.

"Let's go." Sir Timothy closed his door.

"Thank you." I led the way as I began running back to the woods, and Sir Timothy understood and followed suit.

We ran back into the woods, but getting to the riverbanks, I realized we had companies. Three well-built men were with Elisa. One carried the injured young man on his shoulders, and the others talked to Elisa.

"What is your name?" One of the men asked, and Elisa swallowed in fear.

"We have to help her." I tried going to meet up with Elisa, but Sir Timothy held me back. "These men are warriors from the Snow Moon pack. Stay here." He whispered.

"I won't harm you; just tell me your name." The man asked Elisa in a calm and cozy voice.

"Elisa, my name is Elisa." Elisa trembled with fear.

"Elisa, thank you for saving our young master. The leaves you used had stopped his bleeding." He said, and my heart leaped with joy. "You will be greatly rewarded." He smiled at Elisa, and they all turned to leave.

The moment they left, Sir Timothy let go of me, and I ran to Elisa. "Are you okay? Who are those men?" I asked with concern.

"I don't know; they just came out from that side of the woods and immediately called the stranger "young master," Elisa explained, and I frowned and looked in the direction they had taken.

"Are we sure they are good people? What if they are lying and want him dead?" I muttered with concern, wishing I could do something.

"Why do you care? You almost put my life in danger." She snapped at me and began walking away, while I didn't move an inch as I stared at the stain of his blood on the ground, and then I saw the pieces of my dress. I picked them up and stared at them.

"Amanda, let's leave," Sir Timothy called out to me. "Now!" He demanded, forcing me to move my feet. We walked out of the woods while Elisa kept complaining about my decision to help the stranger to sir Timothy. She continued complaining until we exited the woods, bid goodbye to Sir Timothy, and began our journey back home.

"I will tell my mother about this," Elisa threatened me with those words, but I didn't care. My mind was still on the injured stranger; I wondered if he was okay and if those men would help treat him or call for a healer.

Soon, we arrived home and met my stepmother, Elisa's mother, in the sitting room knitting. When she noticed us walking in, she lifted her eyes from the knitted dress and looked up at us.

"Where are you girls coming from?" She asked, and Elisa approached her. "The woods, Mommy, and guess what happened?"

Aunt Ana frowned and looked at me. "I believe it was your idea to go to the woods, right?" She asked in anger, approaching me. Before I could comprehend what was happening, a hot slap landed on my cheek.

"How many times have I told you not to take my daughter to the woods? She is fourteen, and so are you. What will you do if a rogue shows up? How can you two defend yourselves when you don't have your wolf yet?" She yelled at me, and another slap landed on my face, forcing me to fall on my butts as tears fell from my cheeks.

"Mother, that wasn't all. She even tried saving a stranger who tried killing himself," Elisa announced while I swallowed in pain.

"What!" Aunt Ana exclaimed in shock. "Yes, Mother, see her dress; it's torn. She damaged her dress."

Aunt Ana glared at me with gritted teeth. "You," she sucked in a deep breath to hold down her anger. "You are grounded, Amanda. You are never to leave the house until I say so."

Amanda's POV

I have been grounded for the past two weeks; neither did I go to school nor leave home. My stepmother has imprinted so many lies about me on my father's mind, and he didn't bother to ask me or hear from me, but rather, he agreed with my stepmother's decision to keep me grounded.

Sighing frustratedly, I sat on my bed, and my thoughts drifted to the stranger I had saved in the woods. It's been two weeks, and never a day has passed without me thinking about him. It goes as far as seeing him in my dreams. I have countless dreams of him, and when I wake up, I begin wondering why I think of him so much.

Never a day goes by without me worrying about him. I was worried if he was okay, worried if he was being taken care of, and sometimes concerned if he had tried to attempt another suicide. I was so confused at how I agonized over a stranger who didn't even know I existed.

Feeling thirsty, I left my room and went to the living room to get a water bottle from the fridge. On my way to the kitchen, a knock landed on the door, and I shifted my attention to it.

"Amanda, get the door," Aunt Ana, my stepmother, shouted from the kitchen.

Feeling reluctant, I went for the door, held the doorknob, and pulled it open. My breath seized in my chest at what stood before me.

Standing before me was him! The young man I saved in the woods, the one who had occupied my mind and thoughts for the past two weeks, the one I couldn't stop thinking and worrying about.

Our gazes met, and I swallowed hard. He stood tall, dressed in a simple wear of black jeans and a black T-shirt. His black hair was gelled backward, while his green eyes were captivating.

"Is she the one?" He asked, despite being a young man; his voice carried authority.

"No, my lord," the man beside him responded, and I immediately recognized him. I recognized him as one of the men who took him that day in the woods.

"Are you sure we are in the right place?" The green-eyed man asked, his piercing gaze not leaving mine.

"How long does it take you to answer the door?" I heard Aunt Ana's voice behind me. "Who is there?" She said as she pushed me aside and stood before the visitor.

I noticed my stepmother was silent for a moment, and immediately she bowed. "It's an honor to have you, Alpha Edward, in my home." Her words confused me, and I had to look at the young man, whose blank expression hadn't left his face.

He looked at me one more time and then looked away.

"A young damsel saved me two weeks ago, and I was told she lives here. She goes by the name Elisa." He spoke, and my eyes widened. That was me, not Elisa.

"Wow, Elisa is my daughter; please come in." Aunt Ana stepped aside for them to walk in.

The young man was the first to step in, followed by two men I recognized.

Aunt Ana led them to the sitting room and offered them seats, which they took.

Confused, I stood there and watched them.

"Don't just stand there; get refreshments for our guest," Aunt Ana ordered, but the young man shook his head. "That will not be needed; I need to see your daughter. Where is she?" The young man asked.

"She is in her room..."

Aunt Ana turned to me, "Go call Elisa." She instructed, while I just remained numb, not attempting to make a move. I didn't see the need to call Elisa when I was the one who saved him, and Aunt Ana was fully aware of that.

"Don't just stand there; go call your sister," Aunt Ana urged. I frowned and looked at Aunt Ana, who glared back at me.

"You want to exhibit your stubborn character to the guests; bravo." Aunt Ana sneered at me before looking away.

"Elisa darling, please come downstairs," Aunt Ana called out to Elisa.

Moving my gaze back to the young man, our gaze met, but he just looked away. There was something different about him. Back in the woods, he seemed like an innocent, broken young man, but right now, he seemed like an entirely different person.

"Yes, Mother," Elisa responded while descending the stairs, and immediately, the young man got up and began making his way toward Elisa.

I could see the stunned look on Elisa's face; I believe she must have recognized him.

"You are Elisa." He asked, and Elisa nodded.

The young man turned to his men. "Is she the one?" he asked, and the two nodded. "Yes, Alpha, she is the one who saved you."

My eyes widened, and I looked at Aunt Ana, who gave me a threatening look and placed a finger on her lips, signaling me to keep quiet.

"Do you remember me?" His voice sounded tender.

"Yes, you were the man in the woods," Elisa responded shyly.

"You saved me," the young man said to Elisa, and I thought Elisa would decline and say it was me, but surprisingly, she didn't; instead, she smiled and nodded.

"No," I whispered in disbelief.

"I am Alpha Edward Parker," he introduced himself.

"I'm Elisa." Elisa bowed with respect.

Stunned and confused, I looked at Aunt Ana, who gave me a threatening look, and I gulped.

"Let's have a seat," he led Elisa to sit beside him while I stood there like an outcast. In fact, I became invisible. My heart clenched, and I wished to speak; I wanted to scream that I was the one who saved him. It was me and not Elisa, but somehow, I realized my mouth was sealed.

"I am here to make a proposal," Alpha Edward spoke, which got my attention.

"I am just twenty-one and was made the alpha after the death of my father..." he announced, and Mother nodded. She seemed so excited.

"I will be leaving for China for my training, which might take four to five years, so I won't be around..." he paused and looked at Elisa, who smiled shyly at him.

He looked at Elisa briefly and then at me, but he quickly looked away and then back to Aunt Ana.

"I want to swear my betrothal to your daughter, Elisa. I wish to get married to her and make her my Luna when I'm done with my training," he announced, and Mother jumped up on her feet with excitement.

"Really?" Mother asked, not able to control her excitement.

"I am not a man of many words; I have thought of this before coming here. If not for the help of Elisa, then I wouldn't be alive, and besides, my seer had told me that the young lady who saved me is destined to be my second chance mate in the future," he revealed, and my eyes widened.

I wanted to open my mouth to say something, but fear and panic couldn't let me. I just remained numb where I stood.

He turned to Elisa, who was smiling widely. "Do you agree to wait for me?" he asked. Without thinking, Elisa nodded, saying, "Yes, I will wait for you," with a shy smile, looking away.

The air in the room was charged with excitement, but my heart sank as I realized the depth of the misunderstanding. Everything in me was compelling me to speak, to say the truth, but I just couldn't; I was so scared.

"Go check what I was cooking," Aunt Ana ordered, and I gulped. "Now!" she commanded, and my feet moved. Slowly and with heavy steps, I made my way to the kitchen. When I reached the kitchen door, I turned and looked at them, but none of them were looking my way. Edward was glancing at Elisa while Mother was smiling at them. He looked at Elisa with so much love and admiration in his eyes; it felt like Elisa was the most precious thing on earth to him.

Tears gathered in my eyes, and I quickly walked into the kitchen, letting the tears fall on my cheek. I couldn't tell why I was crying or why my heart was aching so badly. It felt like my world was crumbling right before me. More tears fell freely on my cheek, and I didn't bother to wipe them away.

I continued crying until I heard the sound of a car, and I had to peep through the window and realize they were leaving.

My breath seized in my chest, and I ran out of the kitchen to the living room. I needed to speak to him; I had to tell him the truth. Reaching the living room, I met Aunt Ana, who glared at me. "We have to talk," she demanded.

I positioned myself in front of Aunt, meeting her stern gaze. "Henceforth, Elisa is the one who saved Alpha Edward's life. You're never to disclose the truth to anyone. Understand?" she insisted, her threat lingering in the air as confusion and shock gripped me.

"But, Aunt, why..."

"Silence!" She interrupted sharply, and I nervously swallowed. "If you breathe a word to anyone, I won't only kill you, but your father will cease paying your mother's hospital bills. And you know what that means." She threatened.

Amanda's POV

Four years later...

I woke up feeling ecstatic and happy. Today was my birthday, and I would be turning eighteen. I was super excited because not only would I become an adult, but I would also get my wolf and eventually find my mate.

It's shocking that Elisa and I were born on the same day but by different mothers. My mother was my father's first wife, but she wasn't his mate. Two months after getting married to my mother, he met Elisa's mother, and she turned out to be his mate. That was how father ended up with two wives. According to my mother, she and Aunt Ana, my stepmother, took in the same day, and as fate would have it, they gave birth on the same day. However, I was four hours older than Elisa.

While growing up, I saw how much my father loved Aunt Ana and Elisa. Mother and I were just his spare family, and we were okay with it until she fell so sick and was forced to stay with her sister. I wanted to go with my mother, but my father kicked against it and forced me to stay here, where I basically lived like a slave.

Releasing a heavy sigh, I climbed down from my bed, said my prayers, and went straight to the shower. After bathing, I dressed up in one of my best dresses, packed my hair into a bun, and left my room for Elisa's room. I wanted to wish her a happy birthday.

Reaching her room, I knocked on the door, and she asked me in. When I walked in, I found her on a phone call, so I took a seat and decided to wait for her.

"When should I be expecting you?" Elisa asked the person on the other end of the phone. The person responded, and I saw her blush. "I can't wait to see you, Alpha Edward. I can't wait to be in your arms." She said and turned to look at me with a victorious smirk on her face.

Realizing she was talking to Alpha Edward, my heart clenched, and I swallowed in pain. For the past four years, I have struggled with this torture. Elisa never ceased to call him or answer his calls in my presence. She always used any opportunity to rub my pain in my face. For the past four years, I have lived in total misery. I watched her do video calls with him, and he would send dozens of expensive gifts and jewels to her, and Elisa made sure to flaunt them in my face. I thought that maybe, as the years went by, I would forget about him, or perhaps I just had a childish crush on him, and with time, it would go away, but I was wrong. Every day, I go through his social media accounts. Although he posts a few pictures of himself, I find myself gawking over them.

"I love you more." Elisa giggled before ending the call. With a victorious smirk playing on her face, she looked my way. It was obvious she was enjoying what she was doing.

"And how may I help you?" She asked, sounding not pleased to see me.

I sighed and walked forward to her. "Happy eighteenth birthday," I said, and she scoffed before rolling her eyes. "Stop with all this pretense." She got out of bed and stood before me. "Edward is back in the country, and he will be present at our shifting ceremony, or should I say my shifting ceremony..." She moved closer to me and placed both hands on her waist. "I don't want you an inch close to him. If you do or even try telling him the truth about that, then be sure I will use Mother's black magic on you, and you know what that means..." She threatened, and I gulped. Aunt Ana, my stepmother, was a witch. Members of the pack saw her as a good witch, but they never knew she was a wolf in sheep's clothing. When I was little, I thought my mother's sickness was natural, but as I grew up, I came to realize that my mother's illness wasn't natural. Aunt Ana was responsible for it, but I had no proof.

"I believe we are clear. Now, excuse me, I have to prepare for my shifting ceremony." She pointed at the door, signaling for me to go out.

I had a lot of things to say to her, but I decided to hold back my words and walked out of her room. Leaving her room, I took the stairs to the living room, and then I went to the backyard where the ceremony would be held. Father had hired a few people who would help decorate the backyard for the shifting ceremony.

Feeling delighted, I moved my eyes around at the decoration, but my eyes fell on a write-up, and I frowned. Only Elisa's name was written, and mine was nowhere.

Confused and curious, I went over to the man decorating the write-ups. "Good morning." I greeted him, and he turned my way. "Good morning." He responded. "Please, where is the other name you will decorate with?" I asked, and he ceased his brows. "Are there two people having a shifting ceremony? Sir Linus only gave me one name, which was Elisa. He told me it was his daughter's shifting ceremony. And I think you are not the one because I have seen Elisa." He responded and went back to his work.

Tears fell on my cheek. I couldn't believe my very own father would do this to me. For goodness's sake, I'm his daughter. I might not be the daughter of his mate, but I am his flesh and blood. Why would he treat me in such a manner?

Feeling heartbroken, I left the backyard and stormed up to my room. I shut the door and slumped on my bed, burying my head into the pillow, and cried profusely. I wished I could talk to someone or my mother, but she hardly spoke. She barely can say a word; that's how serious her illness was. I wished I had friends I could pick up my phone to call, but I had no friends besides my classmates who weren't close to me.

In my tears, I couldn't wait to turn eighteen. Firstly, I would leave this house and be with my mother. This time, father won't be able to stop me. I just wanted to leave the house and the memories I had here.

My thoughts went to Alpha Edward. I thought of how my life would have turned out if he recognized me as the one who helped him. Perhaps I wouldn't be in my bed wallowing in pain. There have been rumors in the house about his return. I overheard Elisa telling Aunt Ana he was returning to ask for her hand in marriage. The thought of that broke my heart, but I put it aside. I couldn't question destiny and what it has in store for me.

After hours of wallowing in pain on my pillow, I left the bed and went over to the sink. I washed my face and brushed my hair before staring at my reflection in the mirror. Today was my birthday, one of the most important days of my life, and I won't let the happenings in my life weigh me down.

"You will be fine," I encouraged myself with those words and left the bathroom. I went to my dresser, picked up a lipstick, and just as I was about to apply it, the door of my room flung wide open, and Elisa walked in, gorgeously dressed.

Our eyes met, and she glared at me. "Father had asked me to tell you not to attend the ceremony," she announced, and my brow ceased. "Excuse me?"

"You heard me right, Amanda. Father said you should stay in your room until he calls for you," she repeated, her eyes challenging me. "This is ridiculous! Why would father say that? What did I do?" I asked amidst tears.

"I won't obey father this time. I won't..." I was sharply cut off by a great howl in my head. "Mate!" A voice echoed in my mind, enveloping my entire being in an unfamiliar sensation.

I stared at Elisa, who looked back at me. "Mate is here!" The voice spoke again, and this time, I realized it was my wolf.

"Why are you trembling? Is this an act?" Elisa asked, and I shook my head at her. "My...mate... is here... my wolf just announced it," I spoke with a trembling voice, and just then, a fascinating intoxicating smell hit my nose.

"Your mate is here?" Elisa sounded confused, but I didn't respond. Instead, I sniffed the air and realized the scent was coming from the window. "The window..." I said and hurriedly went towards it. With a pounding heart, I looked down and was dumbfounded to see Alpha Edward coming out of a car.

"Mate!" My wolf howled loudly, announcing that it was him-Alpha Edward was my mate. "Alpha... Edward is my mate," I screamed at the top of my voice, and just when I was about to turn around and run out of the room to go meet up with him, a solid metallic object hit my head, sending me to the floor unconscious.

•••••••••••••••

I woke up to a terrific pounding in my head, grunting with discomfort. I opened my eyes, and it took three to four seconds to remember who I was and where I was. I groaned as I sat up, and then I looked around and realized I was in my room, but it was dark. I looked outside the window and realized it was night already. Confused, I stood up from the floor, and my memories returned.

I recalled how my wolf announced my mate to me, and I realized it was Alpha Edward. But then, I was hit on the head, but by whom? "Elisa." She was the one with me. My head was buzzing with a tremendous headache, and when I touched it, I realized I was bleeding, but I wasn't bothered by it. Instead, I ran out of my room to meet with Alpha Edward. I have to tell him that we are mates.

Reaching the stairs, I heard voices, and one of the voices was Aunt Ana. She was talking so excitedly with Elisa. When I got to the living room, I met my father, Elisa, and Aunt Ana, but there was no Alpha Edward, not even the scent of him.

"Where is Alpha Edward? Where is he?" I asked no one in particular as I searched around the living room. "He has left. Is there any problem?" Father was the one who responded.

"He can't leave. I have to tell him we are mates," I stuttered, and Elisa laughed loudly. "Mates?" She chuckled and walked over to me.

"And who told you he is your mate?"

"My wolf... my wolf told me."

"What wolf?" She mocked, and I raised a brow at her. "I have gotten my wolf; she told me..." Elisa chuckled loudly and shook her head.

"Why don't you try speaking to that wolf again?" She mocked, and I stared at her, confused. I couldn't understand what she was saying. "Speak to it," she urged.

Perplexed, I took a deep breath. "Hi," I called out to my wolf but got no response. "Hello!" Still no response; it was as if my wolf never existed.

With panting breath, I looked at Elisa, who smirked. "Sorry, sis, but I don't think you have a wolf, and for Alpha Edward..." She paused and tilted her left neck to me, revealing a fresh mark on the crook of her left neck. "I now have his mark, and we are getting married," she announced, and my eyes widened.