Chapter 4
Ariel's POV
Pain.
It was all that I felt as Alpha Bryan's slap sent me spiraling away. Tears rolled down my cheeks but Alpha Trent immediately came to my rescue and beat Alpha Bryan up, I smiled painfully, my heart leaping for joy.
All stopped when Alpha Bryan revealed a bitter truth; that I was his mate. Trent was taken aback by this and he looked at me with pain in his eyes. I should've told him, I should've explained everything but I held back, stupidly.
“Ariel?” Alpha Trent called out, I knew he desperately didn't want it to be true. He's my mate as well, I had felt it the moment I bumped into him but I didn't want to believe it.
The days I've spent with him confirmed it but I purposely ignored it.
“Yes, it is true.” I answered, attracting gasps and murmurs. I looked at Bryan and he smirked stupidly and I wanted to desperately scratch it off his face.
“But he rejected me, on the day I turned eighteen, his coronation day, he rejected me and called me a weakling and I rejected him too, we have nothing binding us together.” I added and his expression turned sour.
“No, I didn't! You're my mate and I have every right to claim you!” Alpha Bryan declared and he was right, he could reverse his words, but I couldn't bear to let him do it.
“I reject you!” I yelled at the top of my voice.
“What?”
“I can never be with the man who destroyed my pack, I Ariel reject you Bryan, alpha of the Jade Moon Pack as my mate!” I screamed, venting out my frustration. His face turned pale.
“You little piece of-” he cursed and reached out to me, about to grab my hair but Trent caught him and yanked him against a pillar which left him groaning in pain.
“She has rejected you in the presence of everyone Alpha Bryan, leave!” Alpha Trent ordered.
Bryan rose to his feet, chuckling while revealing his bloodied teeth. “I'm an alpha, unless she's claimed by someone else, she'll always be mine.”
My heart sunk and I panicked seeing the disappointed look on Trent's face. I grabbed his arm and looked at him, pleading with my eyes but he shook his head and I felt my world collapse.
Bryan stepped forward and snatched me away from Alpha Trent who stood there, helplessly. He smirked wickedly and whispered into my ears ‘welcome to hell, mate.’
“Please help me!” I cried as Bryan began to drag me away.
The horror of spending forever with the man I hated the most gripped me. I was done for, just as we were about to step out of the room, a loud voice boomed.
“Stop!”
We slowly turned around to see Alpha Trent walking up to us.
“Alpha Trent, you really do not need to apologize for-”
“She can't be free unless someone else claims her, you say?” Alpha Trent asked, interjecting Bryan.
“I, Trent Blackwood, alpha of the Blood Moon Pack accept Ariel as my mate, do you accept this bond?” Alpha Trent offered, out of the blues.
I broke free from Bryan's grip and nodded my head. “Yes! I Ariel, accept you Alpha Trent as my mate!” I hurriedly agreed.
Everyone was shocked and Bryan's eyes almost popped out of its sockets. Without warning, Alpha Trent drew me closer and crashed his lips on mine, kissing me passionately and fiercely. I heard Winter howl happily in my head, a feeling of bliss.
Alpha Trent broke the kiss and we saw Bryan fuming in anger. “She's henceforth my mate, remember that, all of you!”
He grabbed my hand lovingly and began to walk away.
“Alpha Trent, you can't do this!” Bryan yelled after him.
Trent halted and smiled at me then walked up to Bryan. “I can't do this? I'll like to see you try and stop me.”
Bryan scoffed and ran up to me, trying to scare me. “Are you sure you want to do this? You might as well end up like the rest of your pack!”
Trent grabbed him from behind and gave him a soft kick. “How dare you! You're before the supreme Luna, kneel!” Trent thundered, releasing his aura and Bryan fell to his knees.
Trent inhaled sharply. “Ariel is my mate and if you don't like it, take it to an higher authority and there's none because it stops with me!”
We walked away triumphantly afterwards and I felt on top of the world. Alpha Trent took me to my room and made me sit on the bed and gave me a glass of water.
“Drink.” He uttered.
I drank the water and burst into tears, then hugged him tightly. “Thank you for saving me! You have no idea the dread I felt when he was taking me away.”
He was tense at first and then he began to pat my back. “You're fine now Little lamb, no one will dare to hurt you ever again.” He soothingly assured me.
I cried into his embrace, of pain, frustration, horror and most importantly, relief. I didn't know for how long I cried because the last thing I remembered before falling asleep was him swearing to never leave me.
When I woke up the next day, Alpha Trent was seated on a chair just opposite the bed. He smiled widely at me and it made butterflies flutter in my belly. I shut my eyes and pretended to be asleep, embarrassed that he caught me staring at him.
“Little lamb, if you're done pretending to be asleep, clean up, have breakfast and meet me at the garden, I have something to show you.” He informed me.
I didn't respond but heard the shuffling of feet and him opening the door, he laughed softly and walked out, only then did I open my eyes. Breakfast was served by the time I was done taking my bath.
Feeling refreshed, my wolf was energized and I ate, excited to see her surprise that awaited me.
“What do you mean she's the daughter of Alpha Matteo?”
I heard hushed voices and I quickly hid, I peeped and saw Alpha Trent speaking to some masked men.
“Her father wounded my father in battle, I must avenge him!”
“We just got the information yesterday alpha, she's the lost daughter of Alpha Matteo, I think she approached you intentionally with an ulterior motive!”
“How dare she! She'll pay heavily with her life, I won't spare her.”
I gasped, my secret was out, I slowly turned around and turned on my heels, I locked myself in my room and devised a means to escape.
My father had killed numerous evil people in the past, what ill fortune has befallen me that Alpha Trent's father is one of them. I'm definitely not safe here.
I made some lame excuse not to see him the whole day and when night fell, I snuck out of the pack. I kept running as I got into the woods, no daring to look back. Suddenly, I bumped into something and fell down.
Looking up, I saw some familiar faces, scowling at me.
“Look who's fallen into our trap.”
My heart skipped a beat. “Rufus!” I hissed.
Rufus is one of Bryan's men who did his dirty work. Three other men began closing in on me and I tried to run but I was surrounded.
‘Help me!’ I cried out through the mind link, praying someone would come to the rescue.
Rufus raised a fist to punch me and I closed my eyes awaiting the horror but instead, I heard a muffled groan followed by a loud thud and then silence.
Slowly, I opened my eyes and saw the men on the ground, motionless.
“Didn't I tell you to meet me at the garden little lamb?”
My wolf leapt for joy. “Alpha Trent!”