The Mate He Never Expected: His Crazy Obsession

Priya's pov,

My heart raced as I stood in the middle of the pack hall, and was surrounded by almost everyone in the Defanly pack.

Even my family was present. My father, and my two elder brothers, Kingsley and Dylan.

Their gazes were piercing as they stared at me without hiding their hatred.

They did not even try to hide the contempt they had for me.

I lowered my head to the ground because I felt greatly intimidated and confused.

My hands gripped my trouser tightly, and I could hear the sound that my own heart made as it beat fast against my chest.

I had been summoned here to the pack hall by my Alpha mate, Hunter. I had come with anticipation, thinking that he was finally ready to tell everyone that he was going to make me his official Luna.

It happened three years ago, when I was eighteen years old and my wolf had newly awakened.

Hunter happened to be celebrating his coronation as the Alpha's new heir.

You see, Hunter was not the first born of the Alpha.

The first born had died four years ago, and the next year, Hunter was named the Alpha's heir, even though he was the third son of the Alpha.

According to what I knew and what everyone knew, the second child of the Alpha was a lady, and here in our Defanly pack, it was a taboo to let a woman become the Alpha.

She could only become Luna, but Paige stepped down, as she didn't want to marry.

Everyone thought that she was a crazy werewolf for doing something unreasonable like that, but I knew the main reason behind why she did that.

Ever since I existed in this pack, everyone was indifferent towards me, but the only person who was not bothered by my presence was Paige. The Alpha's second child.

Before she ran away from the pack three years ago, she told me that she had her reasons. That she didn't want to be trapped. I have not heard anything from her ever since then.

She was not even there during Hunter's coronation.

Neither was she there when the moon goddess at last answered my request for a mate during the same coronation day.

But I never knew that my mate would end up being Hunter, with everyone being a witness to that moment, including Kingsley and Dylan.

That day, which was supposed to be the special day of my life, ended up being my worst nightmare.

I was a mate to the person who hated and despised me, and he never tried to hide it.

I thought he was going to reject me at that moment. At that spot. But surprisingly, that never happened.

That gave me hope and made me become delusional and helplessly in love.

In my mind and in my heart, I believed deep within me that our mate's bond was very strong, and that he actually cared for me. That was why he couldn't bear to reject me.

Due to that, no matter how coldly he had treated me, I had endured, hoping that his heart was going to be big enough to fully accept me one day, when he was ready.

And my heart raced because I had thought that that day was today, after being summoned by him to the pack hall, where only important things were discussed.

The previous Alpha, his father, had died early this year, and he had become our new Alpha.

But for the ritual to be completed, he must get married to his fated mate (if he had one) and make her his Luna, who would stand by his side, in sickness and in health, in trouble and in happiness.

"Lift your head, Priya, and face your Alpha". Hunter's cold voice made me flinch out of fear.

His voice naturally used to be cold whenever he spoke to me, but this time, it was different. It was colder.

Hesitantly, because I was nervous, I lifted my head and stared at Hunter, my mate.

He stood in front of me, but stood higher than me.

Standing beside him was Felicia, the most loved werewolf and the pride of our pack.

She had blonde hair which shone like the morning sun itself, with skin as white and peerless like the fictional fairies.

Her bright blue eyes, which resembled a doll's, were enough to make everyone fall in love with her.

But seeing her standing next to Hunter, and how he held her to himself and allowed her to rest her head on his broad chest, my heart throbbed with jealousy.

Her face looked pale, which piqued my curiosity.

"Priya Gomez! You are a wicked and a heartless lady. I can't believe that I have let you be my mate for these past years despite your weak and useless wolf".

I froze in shock the instant after Hunter said that to me as he pointed a finger at me and glared at me with piercing eyes, just like the other werewolves and my own family.

He continued to accuse me, "Priya, Felicia is a kind-hearted lady, but you poisoned her after her act of kindness towards you. She invited you to her home, but you left halfway because you knew you had done something like poisoning her food".

"You are not only ugly on the outside, but inside you are twisted by the kind of ugliness that even the cruelest person in the world avoids. You are jealous of Felicia. How could someone like you be jealous of her?". He asked me, and that was when the glare of everyone multiplied so many times against me.

But, that wasn't what hurt me.

What hurt me the most was the way Hunter stared at me like I was a demon supposed to be hidden not just from him, but from the entire world itself.

But what was he talking about? How could he say that to me?

How could he pin a blame that was as big as this? Why would I poison Felicia?

I remembered I was on my own, and she came to me and invited me to a small party she threw in her house for scoring all A's in her final school exams.

For the first time ever in my life, after she invited me, I felt like I actually belonged.

I felt like I had found someone who was going to make others accept me if I hung out with her.

But during the party, I felt uncomfortable after feeling that everyone was ganging up on me more than usual.

I felt little and useless, causing me to leave.

So, why was he saying that I poisoned her? How? When? I left the party before it even barely started.

"I-". My words got stuck in my throat and made it seem like I was almost choking as I tried to say something to defend myself.

I bit my lower lip in realization, because I knew that nobody was going to ever believe the words coming out of my mouth. Not when they all hated me.

"For attempted murder, you ought to be imprisoned. But because of our bond as mates, I would make an exception just this once". He said to me and stopped pointing his finger at me.

He held Felicia comfortably in his arms.

Seeing that, I smiled foolishly at him, as if agreeing to the crime I knew I never committed. But the smile instantly faded away because of Hunter's next words.

"You may be exempted from being imprisoned, Priya, but your crime is unforgivable".

"So today, in the presence of everyone, I am rejecting you as my mate. And, you are banished from the Defanly pack!". He roared, before he threatened me, "Leave now and never return. If you ever return, then you will be imprisoned without fail, or killed on sight".

My hand made its way to my chest because of the burning sensation in my heart.

I looked around, staring at everyone's faces that my eyes landed on, like a total fool.

The words Hunter said were a direct slap on my face, and the words kept on playing inside my head.

My legs became weak, making me fall to the ground.

I was a mess, but I was not embarrassed.

I have been embarrassed more than this in my life, so what else could I lose?

Why me?

What did I do wrong to deserve all of this?

My head was spinning, and Hunter's words stuck to my skull like thorns.

I felt a tear in my chest. It was my heart. It had been torn beyond repair, as I still tried to understand what had happened to me.

Di- did Hunter just say that he was going to reject me and banish me? All because of the sin I never committed?

"I- I didn't poison her. It wasn't me".

The words I longed to say finally escaped my lips, but in the end, all I received from Hunter was his cold glare.

He stared at me as if I was disgusting garbage, strictly meant for discarding.

That was when reality completely hit my head and I realized the truth which I had been trying to escape from.

Everyone hated me. I was the scorn of everyone, and was the trash they loved to trample on. The idiot whom no one loved, not even my own family.

What pain could be worse than this?

The air I breathe suddenly became poison to me, and I really wanted to die.

I had endured everything.

I thought that I was going to be his Luna and get everyone's attention and love.

The kind of life I had always dreamed of having. But what a joke. Who knew everything was going to end up turning like this?

"Ple- please. Someone should believe me". I pleaded. My eyes had become blurry from tears, but I could see the hatred in their eyes as they glared at me, before they began to leave the pack hall one by one, until the hall was empty, and I was the only one inside.

"It hurts. It hurts like hell". I whimpered and clenched my chest.

I felt like I was dying, but was it not for the best? Someone should kill me.

I never should have been born. I never should have been alive.

I had to turn around after hearing the sound of footsteps approaching my side.

I lifted my head and saw a guard, who was Darren, Kingsley's best friend since childhood. He stood in front of me, staring at me, but I turned my head away from him because of how pathetic I looked.

"You need to leave, Priya. If you don't leave by yourself, the guards will have no choice but to throw you out of the pack themselves". He said to me, and squatted.

As I felt his touch on my body, I flinched and found the strength to get up from the ground.

He rose to his feet, and my eyes never left his side.

"Please". He said, as he showed me the way out of the pack hall.

Him showing me the way out of the hall should not have meant something awful to me because the drama was over, but, my heart tore into pieces at the realization that I was being banished from my home.

The place where my mom gave birth to me.

The place which had been my only home ever since I existed.

How could they do this to me?

To one of their own werewolf members?

Feeling dejected, unable to accept what had happened to me, but with no other choice but to accept it, since no one was on my side, I walked out of the pack hall, while holding firm to the last pride I had.

It was clear to me. No matter what I do.

No matter how much I tried, everyone was going to hate me, because my very existence was a shame. They considered me a jinx who killed my mother.

As I made my way back home to get the little stuff I owned, kids insulted me, threw rocks at me. Nobody did anything to stop them.

Not even their parents.

Their parents only stood still in the corner, glaring at me, while most of them hissed at me and called me names.

A murderer. A black-hearted witch. A jinx.

I swallowed their words and could only bite my lower lip in endurance as I continued to move forward to my father's house.

But who would have thought that I would meet my family on the way, outside the house, as if they were all waiting for me?

Seeing that scene, my eyes sparkled with hope, because I thought they finally cared about me.

But, I was foolish for thinking so. If foolishness was a person, then it would have been me.

"What are you doing here? Why have you not left the pack?". My father questioned me, and his voice was cold.

It was void of whatever emotions which he had left in his stony heart.

I halted in my tracks, and the hopeful smile on my face vanished.

"Dad?". I called, though it was a big mistake. He squeezed his face, clearly irritated by what I had called him.

"Don't call me that. I have no such child like you. It wasn't enough that you killed my wife, and now, you have the guts to try to kill Felicia? You are a monster!". He roared at me, and I flinched, shocked.

I was aware he never loved me, but I never knew it had gotten to this extent.

My eyes widened in shock, and my lips parted open. Though I did not know what to say.

Then I stared at my brothers, Kingsley and Dylan, with my teary eyes, hopeful that they were going to, at least, say something to defend me as their little sister, but heck, when will I ever learn?

"Leave, Priya. It's for the best. Go far away, and never return". Kingsley, the eldest, plainly said to me. And exactly like my father, he too was void of emotions.

The same as Dylan.

Between my brothers, Kingsley was the Beta werewolf of Hunter, while Dylan was one of our pack's doctors.

Except that it wasn't my pack anymore.

If not for the fact that I had fought hard and tried my best to hold back my tears, they almost escaped my eyes.

I didn't want them to see how weak I was. After all, none of them even cared. And I have come to accept the truth of reality.

"I will leave. But please let me take my bag". I pleaded, suppressing my emotion from bursting out.

There was silence after what I said. Nobody said anything, and I mistook their silence for yes and began to walk to the house in front of me.

"A criminal is not welcome in my house. Don't take anything. Leave, Priya! I said, leave! Don't make me call the guards and make them throw you away!". My father yelled at me, and as I turned around, they were staring at me.

Each one of them, frowning.

I whimpered, trying to remain strong.

But, I really could not. Every second, I was constantly being pierced by thorns.

None of them tried to defend me.

None of them batted an eye when I was humiliated in their presence.

It was clear that they hated me, but how could they be so cruel as to want me to leave the pack empty handed?

Do they want me to die out there? Would they finally be happy if I died?

But, what did I do to deserve death?

I really, really tried to control my emotions while staring at the faces of the people who were my family.

We were related by blood.

I wasn't adopted.

He was my biological father, and they were my biological brothers, who came from the same father and mother.

"You- you can hate me all you want! But, I must leave with my things! I need them to survive!". I cried out, unable to endure the bitterness anymore.

I used to think that I was tough. That I could always endure the injustice done to me, but it turned out I was wrong. Today proved me wrong, after I experienced hell.

Tears streamed down my face endlessly, and they fell drop by drop to the ground.

Inside my heart, there was a storm which was trying to break free. Hatred.

It was trying to break free, and my wolf, Lara, who had endured enough humiliation, was supportive of letting the storm in me break free.

She had remained quiet this whole time, but now, I feel it.

Her anger. Her rage. Her sadness. All at the same time, and they overwhelmed me.

But I couldn't bear to unleash it. I did not dare to.

"If you are done shedding crocodile tears in order to gain our sympathy, you should continue to dream on". Kingsley said to me. There was no remorse in his voice.

"Exactly, Priya. Don't think that by crying, that is going to change anything". Dylan supported what Kingsley had said with a hiss, making me swallow the invisible lump in my throat.

I forced myself to stop crying.

They were right.

I was only shedding crocodile tears. No one was going to sympathize with me.

"Da- please just allow me to take my bag and I will leave. It's not as if I am going to return home again". I said, almost choking on my own words.

It took a lot of suspense, before my father said, "Quickly go inside and take your trash and leave my house. I don't want people seeing you here".

After saying this to me, he walked past me and entered the house, followed by Kingsley and Dylan, who equally walked past me.

At this point, I really wished that, rather than being banished, they would have demanded my life, because death was better than being despised and being the scorn of the pack.

I gritted my teeth in regret, before I went into the house, heading straight for my bedroom which was upstairs.

It didn't take me long, and I arrived in my bedroom. Was it even worth being called a bedroom?

A room which was so plain, that if shown to people, they would believe that my room belonged to maids.

Not a wardrobe was in the room. I did not even ask for much.

I had been the one cleaning the entire house for as long as I could remember.

Both Kingsley and Dylan had closets, even my father.

I did not even ask for a closet like their own, but only asked for a simple wardrobe.

Sadly, what I got was nothing. Only a bag, which I had struggled and bought using my hard-earned money.

While Kingsley and Dylan were busy going to prestigious schools, I was busy working part-time in an old couple's business.

They did cow business, and since they did not have any children of their own, they needed help around their house and with their business.

But, did I actually forget about them?

Although I stopped working for them a year ago after my father threatened me to stop working there since I was embarrassing him, did I forget that the couple were the only ones who genuinely cared about someone like me?

One fateful night, the couple came to me.

I was bothered by that, because I thought I had done something wrong and was in big trouble.

Though who would have thought that they would ask me to become their child?

They told me that as long as I agreed to it, they were going to meet my father and talk about things with him, so that he could let me go.

But, I disagreed with them.

That was because I was blinded by the delusion that perhaps, one day, my family might finally open up their hearts to me, and would not only accept me as their family, but would love and cherish me.

Thinking about it in my current predicament, that sounded hilarious and stupid.

If I had agreed to the couple's demands, at least, they would have defended me there at the pack hall when I was coldly accused of the crime which I never committed.

But now, filled with shame and brokenness, I did not even have the courage to face them one last time before I left the pack.

Swallowing my tears, my pains, even though it hurts like hell, I quietly put all my belongings into my bag, and every single one of them fitted the bag so perfectly, and there was still some space left in the bag.

These belongings in the bag were the only things I ever owned.

I never had fancy dresses like girls my age. Neither did I own any jewelry of any sort.

My clothes were shabby, and they always called me the maid of Beta Raymond's house. I would not blame them, because I fitted what they called me.

Beta Raymond was my father.

He used to be the Beta werewolf of the previous Alpha before he passed away.

I stared at my room one last time. A room which felt more like a prison than a home.

After that, I carried my bag in my hand and left the room, about to leave the pack.

I have no clue about the future which awaits me out there.

But my mind kept on screaming that it would be better than here, in the Defanly pack, where everyone treated me like disposable trash.

'Lara, are you there?'. I called my wolf, but all I received from her was silence.

She must be mad at everyone and also me.

For months. No, for years, she had been advising me to leave, telling me that no one loved us.

And that she could not continue to bear such a humiliation. But, I never listened to her. I thought she was being too extra.

In the end, she had always been right, and I was the foolish one, who kept on hoping, patiently waiting for a miracle to happen.

Before stepping out of the house, I met Kingsley, Dylan, and my father in the living room discussing.

I halted.

They stopped their discussion after they saw me.

But it was only for a brief moment that they stopped discussing. After staring at me coldly, they continued talking, completely ignoring that I existed.

Something hit me as I watched how lovely a family they were.

I could not take it anymore, as I had been pushed to the wall. I had been pushed to a dead end.

I had been enduring the pain for ages and had been storing the bitterness in my heart, rather than unleashing it.

But today, I did not actually think that I was on the verge of bursting out.

I was already banished from the pack and betrayed by my own family. So, what worse could possibly happen to me which has not already happened to me?

I left my bag on the ground.

After clenching my fists and finding the hidden courage in my heart, for the first time ever, I dared to ask them, "What wrong have I done to deserve the awful way you have been treating me? What wrong have I committed that you did not even attempt to defend me when I was accused and banished!".