BRINGING THE ALPHA TO HIS KNEES

My mother was in the advanced stage of gastric cancer. She was dying slowly and painfully. And one night, she'd whispered to me, "Stop wasting your money on me; I can't survive this." A dry, long cough followed, where I forced myself not to cry. "Before I die, Ariana," she continued, "I want to witness your wedding with your mate. I beg you. I want you to have the life I didn't."

It was her greatest wish, to see that I got married to Diego, the Alpha of the Blood-Rain Pack. I was grievously shaken to the marrows by the state of my mom. And more by her near-death request.

Then I approached the formidable Alpha, my mate. Diego was built like a Greek god, striking in all sense, but he sometimes had the heart of stone.

It wasn't the norm for a woman to propose marriage to her mate. The Alpha was supposed to make the move, to command what happened between them. But I just couldn't keep it to myself.

And the first day I asked this of him, he looked me in the eye with bottled anger and told me to wait outside for him. But I didn't give up. I kept bugging him, pleading and crying in secret.

It got to a point he couldn't resist my repeated pleadings and finally agreed to marry me. I was elated! We made rigorous arrangements and the day was fixed.

On the wedding day, I stood at the altar, lips trembling, and waited for Diego, who never arrived.

That night, my mother died. She cried hard and uttered bitter curses on herself.

The next day, Diego's childhood sweetheart, Camela, posted a picture of the two of them on Instagram with the caption: "Fools end up in tears. The Alpha knows who owns his heart."

I wiped my tears and punched in a reply, "Congratulations, a bitch and an asshole, may you never die!" The next minute, I took down the comment.

I didn't cry or make a fuss. I handled my mother's funeral in silence.

In fact, I was not entirely surprised at all that Diego left me for Camela. After being together with him for five years, Camela could easily drag him over with just one phone call.

I didn't even want to know what happened this time, what made him disgrace me in front of my dying mom and everyone in the wedding hall.

After the funeral, I went back to Diego's house. He wasn't there. Well, to hell with him.

I threw my clothes in a suitcase and was about to leave when the front door opened. I saw Camela walking in with Diego.

He was stunned for a moment when he saw me, then he glanced at the suitcase in my hand and frowned. "Ariana, what the hell d'you think you're doing?" There was hardcore mockery in his tone.

Camela flashed an innocent smile, but she held onto Diego tightly as if to declare her rulership. "Ariana, I'm so sorry. I cut my finger that day in the kitchen, and Diego came to take care of me. I didn't know it was your wedding day. I hope you didn't mind."

I saw a small Band-Aid on her left index finger and my face flushed with surprise and rage.

So this was the reason Diego left me and didn't attend the wedding?

To Diego, Camela's finger was more important than our wedding and my mother. Someone who was supposed to be my mate?

I took a step forward. "Diego, I, Ariana George, reject you as my mate!"

There was a deafening silence. For years, it hadn't been heard of that a girl rejected her alpha mate. It was a sacred taboo.

But the moment my mom died in my arms, all the love I'd for him died with her.

Diego shot a glance at Camela and turned to me. "Ariana, can you be more sensible? We can always have the damn wedding anytime, but Camela was injured, I couldn't just ignore that."

"Could I be more sensible?" I fired back, the pain tearing into me. "I let Camela into our life because you said she was your fucking sister."

"Watch your language, Ariana!" the Alpha thundered, eyes glowing, his wolf hinting itself.

"To hell with language, Diego!" I took a step closer.

I saw Camela's jaws drop open at my brazenness. She wouldn't stare at me longer if she knew what I'd in mind for her.

"I allowed you carry medicine with you for her, to run to this woman without hesitation when I needed you the most, to let her occupy half of your heart. Is that your definition of sensible?"

"You raise your voice at him?" Camela whispered, throwing suggestive looks at Diego.

My eyes didn't leave Diego's. "You can do whatever you want in the future, I won't care anymore."

I pulled my luggage past him.

Diego finally noticed something was wrong with me and pulled me back. "Was your mom dissatisfied with what happened that day? I can explain to her."

I contemplated this folly. All these days, if the dickhead Alpha really cared, he'd have asked a long time ago.

I pried his hand away. "No need!"

As the moments passed, I felt something peeling away from me. It was my love for Diego, my soft spot for his stupidity.

I started again at the front door.

"Let's talk, Ariana," Diego said.

Camela jumped. "Let her go! Lord, this isn't your fault. Her mother's just pretending to be sick, to blackmail you into marrying Ariana. See?"

I stopped, something exploding in my head. I turned around and slowly dropped my bags. I walked past Diego to Camela. "Camela, what did you say?"

She was an inch taller than me. "I said, you wretched omega, that your mom's a liar, a cheap deceiver and—"

"Ariana!" Diego surged forward.

It was late.

Without thinking, I bashed Camela across the face. Really hard.