Chapter 9

My heart pounded according to the footsteps I heard thundering up the stairs. I was frozen in place. I didn't know whether I should run, hide, or stay. Why did his father even care who was in his room anyway? Oh God. What if he asked me who I was in Alpha command? I'd tell him and he would find a way to make my life miserable for having the audacity to come anywhere near his son. Oh God, oh God, oh God!

The door flew open and there he was, a furious Alpha Roman. And behind him, an even more furious Louis.

"Well, well, if it isn't the little snoop" Alpha Roman said with a dark smile on his face that made me shrink away from him.

"You are invading my privacy, father. Leave, immediately"

"Oh but don't you want me to meet your lovely friend here? What's your name?"

I froze. I couldn't speak. I was terrified. What would he do if he found out the daughter of his worst enemy was in his son's bed, or worse, was his son's mate.

"You don't want to answer your Alpha girl? Speak, I command you, what is your name?" Just as my mouth opened to speak, Louis spoke.

"Do not say a word" I froze. His command was fighting against his father's. I couldn't speak and yet I wanted to say my name.

"Speak, girl" his father commanded louder.

"I-" "Say nothing" Louis commanded.

They kept going at it, command after command until my head felt like it was going to split. I felt a liquid tickle my nose and when I touched my finger against it and brought it to my eye sight I saw that it was blood. When Louis noticed, he groaned and rushed toward me. Before I could blink I was in his arms bridal style and we were flying out of his window. He landed softly on the floor and began sprinting through the surrounding forest. I groaned and lay my head against his shoulder. It felt like my head was on fire and melting at the same time.

"I'm sorry. I didn't think of how this would affect you. I'm so sorry" Louis whispered as he ran.

In the distance, I could hear laughter. Was his father laughing? How cruel could he be? Had he done this just to antagonize his son? Why? Why was he so cruel to his own son?

Louis halted and as my eyes finally stopped spinning, I noticed we were in my bedroom.

"Thank you" I whispered as he set me down on my feet.

"It's my fault. I should not have put you in the middle of my argument. I just assumed you wouldn't want him to know who you were"

"And you were right. I didn't"

He nodded. "But I didn't think what effect two very opposite alpha commands would have on you"

"I didn't even know this could happen"

"Well, lesson learned. Good day" and he was gone. I frowned. Why the cold reception? Why apologize to me, act like he actually cared about me for a bit, and then disappear abruptly as if he couldn't stand being in the same room as me. He was so confusing.

I sighed and made for the bathroom to have a hot bath. When I was done, I called Devon. By the time he arrived, which was less than five minutes later, I was laying in bed.

"I'm so sorry Angie. I didn't think. I didn't know that it would affect you so much. I'm so sorry"

I smiled. "It's okay Dev"

"No it's not. I was practically hitting you. Please forgive me" he said as he sat on the edge of my bed.

"Dev, it's ok. I know you didn't mean to hurt me. But you cannot try to fight Louis like that. If he doesn't kill you, court will sentence you to death if you're tried, you know that. So please for heaven's sake, don't try to fight him for any reason"

He sighed. "Fine, you're right. I was just a little pissed. He can't just reject you but expect you to not be talking to other men"

I frowned. That was actually true. Louis had been acting possessive. Was it the work of the bond? Had it gotten that strong? Oh heavens. If we weren't careful, soon there would be no avoiding this bond. Although with the murder of the Luna and the threat of the alpha, that was the last thing on my mind.

Alpha Roman paced angrily. Their bond must have been getting stronger. He thought of how Louis rushed her out of the room as soon as he noticed she was bleeding. He cared about her. It was only a matter of time before they officially completed their bond and Louis would be eligible to take the throne and the title of Alpha with her as his Luna. That would ruin all of his plans. He couldn't let that happen.

Of all the werewolves in the world, Angela White simply had to be his son's mate.

He would have to hurry his plans to rectify the solution and get her out of the picture. And he needed to add in an extra element to ensure that the offer to leave his pack for another would be irresistible. He needed to spice up the offer.

He sat on his chair behind his desk in his study and thought. What exactly could be added besides her family's name finally being out of the mud to get her to accept the offer?

He swivelled his chair as he thought. She was already forming a strong bond with Louis and it was getting strong enough that she might not want to leave him. So first, he needed to ensure that she began believing that their bond wasn't as strong as she thought and that Louis did not care for her as much as she thought. And then he would provide the incentive he was thinking of. Yes, it was perfect.

By the time Melissa came to see if I was doing better, Devon must have apologized like a billion times even though i keot telling him it wasn't his fault. He kept saying he should have remembered that mates felt each other's pain even though it was unheard of to go to those extremes.

"Angie, we need to get you out of bed and out for a walk. That's what you need to feel better!" Melissa said.

"No, she needs rest and fluids" Devon argued.

"She's not a baby and neither does she have the flu. She's a werewolf. What she needs is exercise"

"But-" "No buts Dev, she's going for a walk" Melissa interrupted, then tried to help me off the bed.

"I've told you guys, I'm ok already. As you said, I'm a werewolf. In case you haven't noticed, we heal fast"

"Yeah but a little fresh hair would do you some good" Melissa pushed. I sighed. Once Melissa got going there was no arguing with her; you would lose. It was easier to just agree in the first place.

I got up and got some sweat pants and a tank top and walked to the bathroom to change. A few minutes later I was done and ready.

"Alright guys, I'm ready. I just need to stop by Lincoln's to say goodbye"

I said and slipped out of the room. I knocked on the door of Lincoln's room and opened it when he said to come in.

"Hey little buddy"

"Hey Angie. What's up?" He asked from his position on his bed. He was reading a novel and had his reading glasses on, the ones that made him look so adorable.

"I'm heading out for a bit" I said.

"We're you gonna tell me that you got hurt yesterday?" He asked. I froze in my tracks like a deer caught in headlights.

"Um.." "Angie why wouldn't you tell me? Are you okay?"

I groaned. "How'd you even know?"

"I know everything" he said with a straight face. I tried to suppress my laughter. He actually was serious.

"I'm sorry Linc, I just didn't want you to worry that's all"

He sighed like a long suffering mother of a draining, tasking child.

"But I'm your brother, it's my job to worry about you"

I smiled. "No sweetie it's the other way around. I'm the older one. Look I'm okay now. It was just a little squabble between Louis and Devon"

"But you're sure you're okay enough to go for a walk?" He asked.

"I'm fine Linc. Besides, Melissa and Dev are coming with me"

He nodded. "Be careful" I laughed and ruffled his hair while he tried to shove my hand away.

"I will"

When I exited his room Dev and Melissa poked their heads in and said hi to Lincoln, then we turned around and left the house.

When we had been walking for about five minutes, I finally noticed that the whispers and pointing that was usually done to me were different, more hostile and at once quizzical.

"Guys, what's going on?"

Devon frowned. "You noticed too? Something seems different about the gossip today"

"Oh heavens I forgot! Everyone is going on about how they think you're the one who caused Louis to miss the bonfire"

"But how did anyone find out? It was just us three that night" Devon said.

But I knew how it got out was Alpha Roman. He probably put two and two together and discovered that I was the emergency that Louis had to resolve that caused him to miss the bonfire.

"What exactly is your problem?" A voice I knew all too well screeched. It was Natasha.

"It wasn't enough that you stole Lou's clothes to get his scent, you have to go around spreading rumours about you? Why are you so obsessed? Louis would never look twice at a woman like you" she said with a cruel smirk.

"She didn't start the rumours, Natasha so back off" Melissa said threateningly.

"Well look at that, it seems you've finally lost your tongue and you now need your friends to talk for you"

"I have nothing to say to you Natasha" I said.

She shook her head. "You need to be taught a lesson. You need to learn your place which is beneath the rest of the pack. You're worthless and you will never be worthy of Lou's attention. Give it up"

I felt the urge to scratch her eyes out. I wanted to reply, to snap at her, or better yet, snap her bones. But I remembered that that would be ill advised. Court would stand with her during trial due to who I was. So it wasn't worth getting into a fight I would loose in the end. I might win the battle but I would surely lose the war.

"Maybe you should give up Natasha. Maybe you should learn that you'll never be the Luna of this pack. Maybe you should stop being so fucking insecure that you need to run to Angie every time you hear something that you know deep down is true. And finally, maybe you should take your own advice and accept that you're never going to be with Louis and move on" Melissa snapped.

I stared at her in shock. Melissa had always been a mouthy person who didn't care about what anyone thought of her. But she'd never snapped at someone this much, this fully before.

"I... How dare you, you little mutt! Just wait until I become the Luna. I'll banish you from the pack"

"Actually" Melissa began with a condescending smile on her face. "since I'm the fastest werewolf in this entire state, my presence in this pack is very much needed to prove their supremacy above all packs. So unfortunately for you, you can't do that. And that's assuming you become the Luna, a quest which I sincerely advise you to give up on. You would make a terrible leader Natasha"

And with that she grabbed both our hands and pulled us away.