The Alpha’s Curvy Cinderella - Chapter 136: Chapter 136

Josie POV
I gritted my teeth as I bid goodbye to my parents. My father’s hug was tight and comforting, his hair tickling my cheek as I held on, wishing I didn’t have to go.
“If you need me, I will come for you” he whispered into my ear “Just say the word. You are free to reject him any time you wish” he added.
Yes, but to reject a mate, an Alpha no less, would be considered the highest insult, I thought morosely as my mother hugged me, her eyes troubled, her expression torn.
“Just try to let the mate bond establish” she advised with concern “but do not think it has to be the end all. If you want to come back, our door is always open,” she said, letting me go.
Alpha Drake looked impatient. “We really must be going,” he said gruffly, shaking my father’s hand and kissing my mother on the cheek.
He looked annoyed, his eyes cold and distant. I shivered, turning and walking uncertainly behind him, my footsteps timid, my head hung low. He opened the back door to the limousine and roughly gestured for me to get inside. I bit my lip and quietly slid in, buckling myself up. He got in and slammed the door shut. It was just the two of us. He glanced out the window, his jaw clenched. I felt the tension in the air and my shoulders hunched. I felt miserable as the limousine headed towards his pack and the silence seemed to grow louder, the atmosphere in the limo dangerously claustrophobic.
“If you don’t want me then why are we going to your pack?” I burst out in sheer desperation.
His body stiffened. His eyes slid towards me, cold and glacial. I felt a sense of foreboding. This wasn’t the look of a mate that cherished his other half. He gave a humorless laugh “We’re going to my pack because I have no choice but to bring you with me” he said mockingly.
“I don’t understand,” I said quietly “if you didn’t want to take me, then just reject me and take me back home.”
His eyes narrowed. “I cannot. Your father was kind enough to give me a deal. In exchange for signing a treaty with my pack, which was sorely needed, I was to accept you as my mate. Only you are permitted to reject me” he said bitterly “and it would look suspicious if you rejected me before we even made it back to my pack, now, wouldn’t it?” he added with a
sneer.
Tears filled my eyes. I had been unaware of the deal my father had struck, but it made sense now, Alpha Drake’s reluctance to take me, his impatience to leave, the cold manner he was treating me with. I felt sick. I felt angry. My father had no right to demand such a thing. My lower lip quivered. The Alpha’s lips tightened.
“Get ahold of your emotions” he muttered callously “out of the two of us, you ended up with the better part of the deal. I have a fiancee back home that I have to break the news too” he added harshly and I cringed.
“That’s why you didn’t want me when you realized we were mates,” I said hollowly, feeling stricken “because you’re already in love with someone else.”
Gods, could this get any worse? He regarded me steadily. “I’m prepared to make sacrifices in order to ensure the safety of my pack and to increase its power and strength,” he said stiffly “what I want is of no consequence.”
I closed my eyes. He had no idea how cold he sounded, how hard. I fought back the tears. He was bitter and I didn’t blame him. I was ripping him from his fiancee’s arms. I was a horrible person. No wonder he despised me. No apology was going to fix this, or his opinion of me or my family. Why had father done this? Why had my mother gone along with it? Did they truly believe this was best for me? Or had they not considered the consequences?
We traveled in silence, Alpha Drake’s arms folded across his chest as he stared mutely out the window. The hours passed slowly. When we pulled up in front of his pack house, I was relieved, albeit apprehensive. His pack was large, his house a mansion with several floors. My eyes widened as I took in the view, the beautiful grounds, the lovely flowerbeds out front. I stepped out of the limousine, breathing in the fresh air and stretching. Alpha Drake stepped out, looking ominous. The door to the pack house opened with a large bang and a woman came flying out. I eyed her enviously. She was pretty, with long dark black hair and glittering green eyes. She had light-coloured skin and was petite. She flung herself into Alpha Drake’s arms, embracing him like a koala. He hugged her back, breathing in her scent while I felt jealousy shoot through
me.
“I missed you” the girl squealed, kissing him on the lips as I looked away embarrassed.
This had to be the fiancee. Another man stepped out, a cane in one hand, limping slightly, a boyish smile on his handsome face, his black hair covering one eye. He stepped forward, and I moved closer, to prevent him from having to walk too far with his injured leg, the man who looked to be in his early twenties, shaking mine with a kind smile. “I’m Rohan,” he said quietly “the Gamma of the pack.”
“It’s nice to meet you, I’m Josie,” I said hesitantly, as Alpha Drake and his fiancee stood there, wrapped in each other’s arms “I’m um, just visiting,” I said in a whisper, not sure how else to explain it.
He still held my hand. I drew in a breath. I could feel the warmth of his hand and his eyes were kind. I swallowed hard. He seemed like such a nice man. He reluctantly let go, his eyes going to Alpha Drake.
“I would be delighted to show Josie to a guest room,” he said quietly “if that is alright with you Alpha Drake? What floor should I put her on?”
Alpha Drake’s eyes shot to me. I tensed. Pack houses had various floors depending on what status you were. Omegas were typically on the ground floor while Alphas had the top floor. Betas typically had the fourth floor and Gammas the third. I wondered where he was going to place me.
A smirk crossed his face. I could feel my heart sinking. He looked at Gamma Rohan and inclined his head. “Josie is merely a visiting guest,” he said cruelly as my heart skipped a beat and misery overtook me “so I would recommend putting her on the second floor.”
An insult. A blatant one. Gamma Rohan looked uncertain. Even without a wolf, my aura would still be one of Alpha lineage. Alpha Drake looked at his Gamma challengingly. “Did I not make myself clear Gamma Rohan?” he said silkily, his fiancee watching me with curiosity.
“It’s just that um” Gamma Rohan began to stammer.
I jumped in “the second floor will be more than adequate” I said quietly, not wanting the poor Gamma to get in trouble “I would be more than grateful if you could show me to a guest room.”
The Gamma sighed. Alpha Drake just nodded and then began to make his way up the stairs, the fiancee holding his hand, a smile on her face. She seemed oblivious to what was going on. I said nothing.
“Let me get an omega to help you with your bags,” Gamma Rohan said, looking around.
“No need” I said faintly.
Before he could stop me, I headed back out and grabbed the two bags I had brought, lugging them in. He reached out for one and I shook my head. “Thank you, but I am perfectly capable of carrying them,” I said with a smile.
He looked a little surprised and then shrugged. He began to lead the way to the second floor. Although he limped, he had no issues making his way up and he led me to the back of the house, opening the door to a large room that had me gasping. It was decorated with white furniture and lavender bed covers. Definitely feminine. I eyed it, before he pointed at an adjoining door. “Bathroom” he said simply, as I put my bags down. “It’s beautiful” I told him sincerely.
He beamed. “I hope you like it. It’s the prettiest room on the second floor” he added.
How did he know? I didn’t have time to ask questions. He turned and then paused. “I hope that you will join us for dinner Josie” he said, his dark eyes dancing as I stared at them, entranced “I would love to get to know a bit more about you. Something tells me there’s more to you than meets the eye.”