Page 16 of Alpha's Chosen Mate (Wolf Billionaire #2)

CHAPTER 16

LEILANI

I really should’ve had breakfast in my room. I woke up feeling suffocated by the walls of my room, and the claustrophobia forced me downstairs. It was a horrible idea, because now all I want to do is break something.

Something being every bone in Sasha’s body.

I mean, I know I told Asher I was done, but I didn’t...I didn’t mean it. I was just angry and jealous, as I should’ve been. He’d reacted in an even worse manner when he thought something happened between Christian and me. And I did see them kiss two days ago. I have every right to be mad, don’t I?

He sits at the head of the table, while Sasha and I sit opposite each other, on either side of him. She’s been giggling for minutes, leaning in to whisper things in Asher’s ears that make him smile fondly. Her breasts are in his face, way bigger than mine, and even I think they look nice in that corset top.

She flips her glossy hair over her shoulder, exposing her bare neck to Asher, and something snaps hard enough to startle the entire room.

“Uh...Leilani,” Talon says quietly beside me. When I glare at him, he looks pointedly at my broken fork and bleeding palm. I hide them both under the table. I bite the inside of my cheek painfully as I force a smile, glancing from Asher’s closed-off expression to Sasha’s annoyed one. Jules ignores me, as always, but shows no such irritation with Sasha. She’s been listening with interest and dreamy eyes as Sasha speaks of her time studying abroad in France. Turns out Asher visited from time to time over the years.

Uneducated me, sitting here without a degree or whatever, watching everyone act like she’s a star fallen from the sky. Even Cayden, who hasn’t spoken a word, has his ears perked up, glancing over from time to time, nodding and smiling at things I can’t ever relate to. They even have inside jokes.

I’m clearly the outsider here. An outsider nobody cares to explain shit to. I hate it. Fuck them.

My chair screeches against the ground as I stand abruptly, tossing the napkin harder than I intend to, and it lands in Sasha’s soup, making some of it splash onto her top. My eyes widen and I start to apologize. I might even have offered to help clean it up if she didn’t open her damned mouth.

She gasps, standing and tugging at the neckline. “Do you have any idea how much this costs? It’s the only one of its kind, custom-made for me.” Teal eyes regard me with disdain. “I wouldn’t expect you to understand, seeing as you’ve been in the wilds all your life, learning how to cover up for your murdering father?—”

“Sasha,” Asher chides, but she doesn’t shut up .

“Clumsy. Uncultured. A savage like the filth that birthed you. Being at this table is more than a wretched thing like you deserves.” Her eyes glint maliciously as she sees the hurt in my eyes. Not at her speech, but at the fact that no one utters a word to interrupt her rant. I hate that I look at Asher and find his expression devoid of emotion. “Do you have no sense of self-preservation, or do you just enjoy being humiliated?”

“That’s enough, Sasha,” Asher says sternly, but I could tell him there’s no use. The words are out there, hanging over us, and my eyes sting so bad I can barely see through the tears. I bite my bottom lip until I taste blood, and then I smile, glancing at Asher. “Thanks for breakfast.” I swallow the pain and turn around, walking toward the courtyard, my hands itching for violence.

The sharp twang of the bow slices through the air as the arrow lands with a thud, precisely in the center of the target, slicing through the previous arrow. I reach for another, ignoring the blood on my fingers, but the quiver is empty.

“Here, luna,” a boy says, holding out another arrow to me. A blush dusts his cheeks and his eyes are aglow with awe. His blush spreads when I accept it with thanks, and only then do I notice I have an audience of warriors, adults and teenagers alike.

“You’re exceptionally good with a bow,” Talon says. I ignore him and pull the string. “Would you teach?—”

I redirect my aim between his brown eyes. “Tell Asher I’m not in the mood for his games. I know he sent you.”

Talon raises his hands in surrender. “Sasha?— ”

I pull the string harder, straining it, and wisely he keeps his mouth shut. My aim returns to the target and I release the arrow. Hoots and cheers erupt when the arrowhead slices through the previous arrow’s shaft. My chest feels lighter, but my hands are in horrible condition, bleeding all over from little cuts. Sighing, I hand the bow to an eager guard, and he smiles sheepishly at me.

Talon hands me a handkerchief. I don’t take it, my strides brisk as I head back inside. “Stop following me,” I tell him when I hear his steady steps behind me.

“Sasha’s father was the previous alpha of the Dark Fangs Pack. This is her home, as much as it is ours.” He waits for my response, but I don’t give him one. “She had no brothers, so there were no heirs to the seat. When he found Asher, he nurtured him like he would his own son, and once he realized Sasha was quite taken by him, he betrothed them to each other. Asher would be his heir, and once Sasha came of age, she would be his luna. This isn’t something Asher chose. It was out of his control?—”

I whirl. “He was promised to another and he still abducted me. He married me. What does that make me? A placeholder? The other woman? Should I take my things and leave? As a matter of fact, I think I should.”

Talon runs a hand through his hair. “No, Leilani. I wanted you to know there’s nothing going on between them anymore. They were together for a while, but Asher broke up with Sasha a year ago.” He winces. “She just doesn’t believe things between them can end, because he’s indebted to her and her late father. And she plays on that debt, manipulating things to her benefit, knowing Asher is a man of honor and he never goes back on his word. This morning shouldn’t have happened. ”

“It’s fine,” I say, a touch less aggressive than before.

“He cares for you,” Talon adds. “He loves you, and he’s loved you for a long time now. Even when he despised you, he would paint you for hours and follow you everywhere. He’s always protected you. You have no idea the things he’s done to keep you safe.”

How does one respond to that, when it doesn’t come from the man himself? When the man in question doesn’t act like that’s true at all? I choose the easy response: none. I continue to my bedroom and my shoulders tense when Talon calls out, “You never unwrapped your birthday present, did you? You’ll understand when you do.”

For a while after I return to my room, I stare at Asher’s door, contemplating entering. I curse Talon for making me curious, and I start toward the door when something catches my eye in the corner of my room.

A white envelope sits askew on my nightstand, and I head for it instead, my heart flipping excitedly. Maybe he wrote me a letter? I don’t know what to expect as I pick it up. It isn’t as flimsy as I expected it to be. Tearing open the glued top, I realize it’s a picture.

“No...no...no...” I whisper with dread as I see pictures of my hair. My neck. My breasts. I flip through the pictures. Each one gets progressively worse. There’s one where my legs are parted and my fingers buried in my.... I shudder and the pictures fall from my grip, scattering all over the floor. I’m on my belly in one of them, stark naked and asleep in Christian’s bed.

I realize in all of them, I’m in Christian's bed. I’m either sleeping or waiting on him to...well. My eyes are either dark with lust, or my bottom lip is caught between my teeth as I rest on my elbows. They’re all photos of me in different sexual positions, during sex, but they’re captured in a way that only I am in frame. There’s no sign of Christian, even though he was obviously there.

I fall to my knees, picking them up desperately, and when I have them all, I rip them into pieces and toss them into the hearth, watching them burn. My fingers lift to my lips and I bite my nails anxiously. How did these get in here? Did Christian...oh Goddess, how long has he been gathering those pictures? If they get out...here in Asher’s pack...

Asher. I need to talk to Asher. I rush over to the nightstand, opening the top drawer and retrieving the cell I’ve rarely used. My fingertip hovers over Asher’s number, but I hesitate. What will he think of this, of me? What if he calls me a whore and judges me like everyone else? With Sasha around...would he think I’m ruined? What if this is all he needs to decide I’m disposable? Where would I go? He’s the alpha of my father’s pack, and plans are underway to merge both territories into one. I’d have no one else to turn to except Christian, and I’d rather die than return to him.

I turn off the screen and slump down onto the ground, letting the phone fall. I cover my ears and bury my face in my knees. Why does my life suck so bad? Why does everything have to be so damned difficult? Can’t I have one moment of peace?

“I don’t want to,” I groan, snatching the pillow from Enya’s grasp and throwing it over my face to block the bright light. I somehow slept through the entire day, and now the sun is setting beautifully.

Enya grabs the pillow roughly and pulls down the duvet. “ You must. You are the luna, so you must attend to the guests with the alpha.”

I growl impatiently. “Let Sasha do it. Who knows what a foolish peasant like me might say...ow!” I yell when Enya whacks me on the back of my head with the pillow. “I could have you sleeping in the dungeons for that, you know!”

She makes an ugly face. “You don’t even know where they are. Get up, girl, or I’ll use the stick on you.” She inclines her head toward my back scratcher and I sigh, thrashing like a child as I roll out of bed.

An hour later, I’m in another wondrously suffocating dress, standing in a filled hall, and it makes me wonder how many damned parties I’m going to have to host for Asher. At least there are a lot of faces I recognize from my father’s pack today. Talking to them distracts me from the obvious fact that Sasha hasn’t left Asher’s side all night. But it isn’t nearly enough to take away the feeling of incompetence and embarrassment.

She takes the spotlight, talking to every guest, hugging them, laughing, conversing easily, with a confidence it would take years for me to build. They look good together, I notice, and my heart only aches more. Why did he force Enya to send me down here just to humiliate me?

Is this what my life will be like from now on? Watching every man in my life couple up with someone who isn’t me?

I’m so lost in my thoughts that I don’t notice the male making his way toward me until he’s right in front of my face. “Leilani!”

I blink, recognizing the dark eyes and scanty black hair. “Morris!” I smile, genuinely happy for the first time in a while. I lurch forward, hugging him and breathing in his familiar scent of homemade bread. “I didn’t expect to see you here!”

He pulls back, smiling and adjusting the lapel of his brown suit. It’s the same one he wore at my wedding. “I didn’t either, but the alpha specifically requested that I attend. He thought you might need the company of a familiar face.”

My brows rise and I glance over at Asher, who seems to be in deep conversation with Talon and Cayden. I don’t see Sasha’s shiny hair anywhere near them. As if feeling my gaze on him, his eyes shift to me, and hold mine for a while. My heart flutters and the room around me seems to disappear.

His eyes lower, drinking me in from head to toe, and a small smile graces his lips before he looks away. My head empties, and it takes several seconds to get my wits about me. It’s so easy to get lost in his gaze. Why did he smile at me like that? What does that look mean?

“I never believed I’d say this about Asher Wilde, but...” Morris shakes his head, laughing a little. “He’s a good man. I expected the worst, but he’s done so much for the pack in such a short time. The children love him.”

I find a smile creeping up my lips as I recall his interactions with them. “He must’ve promised them all marriage.”

Morris snorts. “Gavin’s three-year-old daughter swears he’s her husband. You should see how she clings to him and cries whenever he has to leave.” His face takes on a more serious expression as he brings me up to date on Asher’s progress with the warriors, building shelters, and bringing in more supplies. I listen with admiration, and an insufferable grin that I can’t help.

I glance over at Asher again, only to find him cutting across the crowd, making his way to me. I blow out a nervous breath, even though my expression is one of aloofness. Asher is only halfway to me when someone steps into his path, and a twinge of annoyance flares as Sasha takes Asher’s arm and inclines her head toward the center of the room, where a few couples sway to the music.

I force my gaze away, before I can hurt myself by hoping he won’t take her hand. “Morris, I...would you excuse me for a moment?”

He nods, worry furrowing his brows, but I don’t give him a chance to ask what’s wrong. I head to my place of comfort—the bar. Smiling sweetly at the bartender, I say, “Whiskey?”

He hands me a glass of orange juice instead. “No alcohol for you, luna. Alpha’s orders.”

I suspected as much when I didn’t find one glass of alcohol on the servants’ trays. Every time I asked them to get me some, they’d promised to get me a glass right away, but they never returned. I make a sulking face and suck on the straw. My brows shoot up. “Hey, this is actually really nice?—”

Someone bumps hard into my right hand, smacking the glass into my dress. The contents splash everywhere, drenching me in juice and ice. I stand numbly, staring down at the ruined ivory fabric.

“Oh, I’m so sorry,” an unremorseful, snotty voice says behind me, and I turn to find Sasha smiling at me.

Asher is still making his way over to me. But I don’t bother to wait anymore. I head to my room in my ruined dress.