FATED TO ALPHA HUNTER BY VENNEH LISAH

𝐀𝐍𝐈𝐀'𝐒 𝐏𝐎𝐕

The king came back two days after, and history repeated itself. It was like Hunter all over again. Arman didn't want to see or hear anything about me. Once again, I was confused about what I had done wrong.

I had cried and fretted, but I didn't get anything from him, not even an atom of sympathy. He didn't want to be in my presence. Once again, a mate had bonded with me and cast me aside, destroying my bond all over again. Was it a curse from the moon goddess? Was this something I had to go through in every relationship? I didn't know what my crime was this time.

The night of the full moon came, but I never shifted. I realized that when someone has stress, they can't shift. However, I could hear howling sounds in the distance, even the ones made by the king as they shifted and ran through the woods.

As I heard his howling from his aura, my wolf in her weakness growled, "Mate!" What, the king was my mate? Why did the moon goddess always pair me with powerful men who always ended up causing me pain? The king had cast me out to a room on the basement floor, and I sat there with his man, Gary.

"He will come around, Ania. You just need to give him space," Gary told me."

"I don't understand. What did I do?" I asked, confused. Gary furrowed his brow, and then I saw his eyes glaze over as he began to mind-link. I waited for him to finish, and then his eyes flickered before settling on me.

"The king went to your pack house and learned that you've been accused of killing people, including his friend and unborn child. How true is that?" he asked. I blinked in disbelief. I thought the truth had already come out and that I had been vindicated. About his friend and her unborn child,I only heard it from him.

"And to make matters worse, the king has just discovered that his mate is from your old town. She could be behind all of this," he added.

I couldn't believe it. Who was Arman's mate? I thought the mate bond was sacred, and that one couldn't be fated to two people at the same time. I tried to speak, but no words would come out. Was the king throwing me under the bus because of a new mate? Why did it seem like my world was always falling apart whenever I discovered I had a mate? I had so many questions with no answers.

"Just try to get some rest. After your shift, I will take you to Arman's old quarters. You didn't have a shift last night, so I hope you will have one tonight," he said.

The doors opened, and hope bubbled up inside of me. I thought it might be Arman coming to tell me that this was all just a sick joke, but it was just Zara and Rina. Zara rubbed her elbow as if she had just banged it, which would explain the curse that escaped her lips. They paused at the doorway and glanced at Gary, who nodded to them before standing up and walking out. He stopped next to Zara at the door.

"Don't be long; I don't want to have to drag you to the cells for disobeying the King," Gary warned them before explaining to me that I was supposed to be left in solitude, as per the King's orders. She nodded before rushing in, with Rina close behind her. Rina embraced me, hugged me tightly, then checked me over while Zara stood with a cupcake in her hand.

"I had a cake made, but I couldn't carry it down," Zara said.

"You should have seen it, Ania. Zara did a great job. We spent all day making it," Rina said, but then she frowned.

"You enjoy it then," I told them, knowing how much we always wished to celebrate our birthdays. But for the past five years, it had remained a dream. Rina and I always stared longingly, wishing we could try the cakes we made for Richard and his mate Lucy. We never knew if they tasted alright, but the delight on their faces told us they must have been good, or they would never have been polite.

"We can't stay long; Gary is right; the King is on the warpath. But I couldn't let you go without wishing you a happy birthday," Zara said, placing the blue cupcake in my hand. She lit a candle on it with a match, and I stared at the flickering flame.

"Blow it out and make a wish," Zara said, and to make her happy, I did. Rina smiled sadly and kissed my knee where she was crouched beside me.

"What did you wish for?" Zara asked, a teary smile on her face.

"I wished to be free," I told her, and Rina sobbed.

"Don't say that," Rina cried.

"I think it's a good wish," Zara said, looking confused at Rina.

"Not where we come from. The only freedom rogues get is in death," Rina choked out, and Zara looked at me, shocked before grabbing my face in her hands.

"Promise me you'll wish for anything but that. Do you hear me? I will not watch my queen die. I have buried enough of them," she said before walking out. Rina watched her go before looking back at me.

"I wish I could stay to see you shift," she said, and I nodded, terrified of the thought of shifting with no one here, in the basement floor of all places.

"It's not too bad. We have slept in worse places," Rina said, glancing around, trying to uplift my mood.

"I will speak to Beta Dwight. Maybe he can convince the King to let me stay here with you," Rina said, but I shook my head. She was a good friend, and I felt blessed to have her.

"No, stay in your room. You don't need to be punished too," I told her. Rina looked at me, confused, while chewing her lip.

"Rina, love, you need to go before someone sees you and reports back to the King," Dwight told her as he stepped up from behind her. I saw her cheeks turn a little pink. I smiled at Rina. She didn't get flustered much, but just that one endearing word sent her crimson. She nodded before standing and kissing my forehead.

"I will try to come back. If not, I will come tomorrow," Rina said, rushing back to the door. She looked up at Dwight as she passed him.

"I won't leave her alone. Once she shifts, I will sneak her back upstairs," Dwight told her before reaching for a lock of her auburn hair, twirling it around his finger, and then clearing his throat. He nodded and let her rush off. I raised an eyebrow at him.

"What? She's pretty," Dwight said, shaking his head like he had just been caught doing something he shouldn't.

The night was long and stretched out for what felt like forever. It was grueling, and the pain was unbearable. However, I never shifted. Another night went by, and I just wallowed in despair at the rejection of my mate. My bones ached, and my chest constricted.

In the morning, I woke up in the nest I had built, and it became clear to me that I wouldn't be shifting, even though I should have already. Gary tried to reassure me that I was just worried about my mate, but it didn't make sense to me. I had seen him just the day before, albeit briefly. But that was enough to make my heart feel like it had been torn out. I would have preferred that to what I was feeling now because that night had been one of the worst I had ever endured. It was worse than when he was gone because I knew he was here, but just out of my reach.

Rina sat with me on the wharf that extended out into the lake. She had brought breakfast, but I had no appetite and couldn't bring myself to eat. We sat there in the morning sun, enjoying the warmth, but I felt cold deep into my bones. It was as if I had never known warmth and never would again. The ache was terrible. Rina tried to cheer me up by telling me everything that had happened as they ran through the woods, but it mainly fell on deaf ears.

It seems that she overheard one of the guards mentioning that more evidence linking me to the killings had been discovered. I trembled in fear and whispered, "Not again." Rina informed me that the castle was on edge all night and that the King was intolerable when they returned from the ran. He even attacked two of the night guards. I longingly gazed at his bedroom, knowing he was inside, so close yet so far away.

As Rina moved closer to the edge of the wharf, I grasped her arm tightly. "Rina!" I hissed, but she pointed out Dwight, who was nearby, and I reluctantly let her go. Although I knew he wouldn't let her drown, I still felt anxious as I couldn't even see the bottom of the lake. Watching her so close to the edge made my already nauseous stomach even worse. I wouldn't be able to save anyone, not even myself, if she fell in. Rina was right, though; Dwight would come to her rescue if necessary.

"I have to head back soon. I have to go into town with Zara to grab some supplies," Rina informed me. Tears filled my eyes upon hearing that she had to leave, but I sadly nodded, realizing that it was beyond her control. I was surprised that he had allowed her to come and see me. Now, I would have to return to my "prison" and be trapped in the basement room where he had placed me.

Rina worriedly bit her lip and gently clutched my fingers. "Maybe I could ask if you could come?" she said, hopeful. But I knew it would never be allowed. Before I could answer, screams came from the direction of the castle. I turned my head to see Janet thrashing and screaming while two guards dragged her across the manicured lawns. Rina stood up, and Dwight turned to look up the hill where the castle was located.

"Huh, serves her right," Rina chuffed, and I looked at her from where I sat, wondering what Janet had done to be escorted out.

"What did she do?" I asked curiously. Rina turned and looked down at me, gasping before her head turned to Janet, still thrashing as they led her toward the front of the castle, towards the enormous gates.

"She tried putting her hands on you and has been sabotaging your work. The King banished her," Rina told me as she looked down at her hands, picking at her nails.

"Why would he punish her for my sake? I am nothing to him," I asked, suddenly feeling sick. Especially since I knew she had been with Arman in the past, although Zara said he was looking for a replacement. One thing that crossed my mind last night was whether she would return to being his servant. The thought sickened me.

"The King didn't like how she treated you. He is doing it because of you, Ania," Rina told me, and I felt like I was going to be sick at her words. Bile burned my throat, and my heart sank. A whimper escaped my lips before I could stop it. Why would he throw me aside, yet still punish others because of me? I was sure to be hated by the other staff.

"Hey, hey. He has banished her from the castle. Can't you see the king loves you, Ania?" she said, clutching my face in her hands.

"The king loves you. He just needs time to figure things out on his own as Hunter did," Rina whispered as I tried to stop my panic attack, the pain of the past flooding through me. She wiped my tears, and I felt so stupid, so weak.

"You think he loves me?" I asked, finally letting out a breath.

"Yes, I am positive the king loves you," Rina said, snickering. Yet I couldn't find the humor in her words. The thought of him being near and out of reach sent a sharp pain through my chest and also upset me. However, it was odd because I also felt bad for Janet. I didn't want that for her, to lose her job because of me. I never found pleasure in another's pain, even if it was justified. Rina was about to say something else when a whistle caught our attention. We looked up to the hill and saw Zara waving to her.

"I have to go, but I'll try to visit you later," Rina said, briefly hugging me before rushing down the wharf. I followed her with my gaze, watching as she ran past Dwight and up the hill to Zara. Dwight was coming down the small path toward me, and I waited for him.

"Good morning, Beta," I greeted him, baring my neck to him.

"You don't do that for me, Ania. You're my superior, not the other way around," Dwight told me, and I shook my head.

"A superior who is on the basement floor because her King can't bear the sight of her," I retorted, and Gary wandered over. Dwight looked away and clicked his tongue before clenching his jaw.

"We'll all find a way through this. We'll get to the bottom of it. But please give our king the time he needs," Gary said with a swift nod. I doubted it.

"Who else feels like we've been through this before?" Gary asked, and I looked at him confused. I had gone through it before, but I couldn't say the same for them. I was even more shocked when Dwight nodded in agreement as they escorted me to my new room, my little safe haven. I would ask them more about their utterances later.