His Cursed Mate

Chapter Eight

**Trigger Warning: This chapter contains depictions of self-harm**

Ell's POV

I continued to stare hard at my hands, my gaze unfaltering as I inhaled deeply, trying desperately to reign in my heart. Its aggressive pounding against my ribcage was indicative of the bond we shared. It almost felt like it was trying to rip its way from my flesh and offer itself up to him on a platter. Gods, there was no way the others couldn't hear the antagonistic rhythm of it beating within my chest. It was fucking embarrassing, and there wasn't even anything I could do about it.

All at once, the silence surrounding us was broken by the sound of Luther snickering beside me. He clasped his hands over his mouth in a feeble effort to quell his laughter as he looked back and forth between Ren and I.

I shot Luther a small glare, but before anything could be done about his laughter, I caught a glimpse of movement behind me, followed by the sound of cracking bones from Luther's ribs. I turned around to see Gen standing there, arms crossed over her chest as she glowered at Luther. Her right hand appeared to be swollen and slightly bruised at the knuckles.

    "Ow!! Gen, what the hell? You just broke at least two of my ribs! I was only laughing
because the two of them looked so ridiculous just staring at each other like they were. I
couldn't help it!" He cried, shooting a hurt expression at Gen.

    "You'll heal. Besides, you were being a dick. You wouldn't know anything about what
the mate bond feels like, and it's certainly no laughing matter..." she retorted, her voice
ice cold as she leaned against the counter behind her.

He muttered a few choice words to himself as he turned away from her, a solemn pout riddling his features as he rubbed his side.

Just then, a bellowing voice came from the other side of the room, simultaneously drawing everyone's attention toward it.

    "Knock it off, you guys. Can't you see that we have a guest?" The voice carried an
authoritative tone to it.

I clenched my jaw and turned my head toward the sound of his voice, meeting the gaze of a man who appeared to be in his mid-forties. He was quite tall; taller than Ren, but still shorter than Luther. He had more of an athletic build to him; less muscular than Ren, but still well-toned regardless. He had a strong facial structure, with a neatly trimmed beard and mustache in the same hue of those on Ren. His hazel eyes were laced with traces of emerald and gold. They were soft and sincere, but they held an edge to them, leading me to surmise that he had seen a twisted thing or two in his lifetime. Upon closer inspection, his eyes looked incredibly similar to Mari's.

My eyes widened slightly as I gave him a small nod of understanding. So, this was their Alpha - Ren and Mari's father. I mentally kicked myself for not having figured it out sooner. It should have been obvious as soon as I looked at him. After all, this was the same man from the picture I had seen upstairs.

The man gave me a kind smile and took a few steps toward me, extending his hand. I cautiously placed my hand in his. He gave my hand a small squeeze and gingerly shook it.

    "Hello there. My name is Harland Ogden. I'm Ren and Mari's father, and the Alpha of
Estabrook." He said, his voice laced with concern as he looked at me. "Ren brought you
here with quite a few injuries. How are you holding up? I hope that your room is okay.
Ren insisted that we give you the room with the best view..."

At his words, a surprised expression crossed my face. He was so kind for an Alpha. Usually, Alphas were gruff and didn't allow themselves to act as kindly as he was acting toward me. It didn't make sense; especially with how poorly I had treated his son thus far. Hearing that Ren had specifically requested the room I had been given, I felt my cheeks flush slightly. I snuck a glance at him as he stood to the side of his father.