The Alpha's Promise (1st Book of The Alpha Wolves)

Prologue - Edited

 “But you promised Ray, you promised me that you would protect me!”

My screams echoed through the lonesome woods and salty tears streamed down my cheeks as I bawled and begged in front of him.

“I know I did Mari, but I had to break it, I can’t do this. I can't just protect you; I have to protect my pack too! Having a mate would be a burden and I am not risking the safety of my pack for you!”

He crossed his arms across his broad chest and glared down icily at my small figure.

Ray's words stung. They stung deeply and I felt like he had just stabbed me in the heart with a silver dagger. I heard my wolf whine inside my head. These were words I would never forget. What I heard was not real, it couldn't be.... I thought he had loved me all this time, just like he said he had since we first met. But apparently I was just a burden to him and worse, I was never wanted.

But he was all I had! Ever since the rogue accident that had killed my parents, no one wanted me. Everyone blamed me for it and I felt deeply ashamed, thinking their deaths were my fault! But Ray appeared.... and Ray became my new light, the only one who loved me after a long time. The only one who would love me in the future. My destined love, my mate.

This couldn’t be happening. I looked up at him in disbelief, down on my knees.

“I’m rejecting you - pack your bags as soon as you get to the pack house: you are banished from this pack. Forget all we had: I never wanted nor loved you. NOW GET OUT OF MY SIGHT!”

Ray suddenly became angry – so angry that I knew that if it was anybody else, they would have listened to him to survive, listened to Ray the future Alpha because not listening to him would get them killed. I knew this because he had done it in the past and I had seen it happen with my own eyes. But I was too shocked to do anything. I began to have a nervous breakdown and started to cry even harder.

This was worse than the terrible deaths of my parents. Oh no, it was so much more. The man I loved had rejected me, had kicked me out of the only 'family' I had and now I was alone once again. I cradled my head in my arms rocking back and forth on the ground.

“This, this cannot be happening,” I thought despairingly. Crying hurt so much, my throat was aching with a lump that I couldn’t swallow. Never had I cried so much in my entire life time. And after 16 years of being on this Earth, I had my fair share of crying...

I glanced up from position on the ground, waiting for Ray to strike me. But he wasn’t: he was leaning against a nearby tree, looking at me blankly.

“Are you done?”

His voice was ice cold, his condescending glare slicing through me. It was as if he absolutely despised me. Had he been faking all this time? And if he was, what was the reason behind it? According to my pack members, there was nothing good about me. To them, I was ugly and a brutal failure: it was all my fault that my parents had died. All mine...

“I ASKED YOU A QUESTION.” His raging voice startled me as I trembled on the forest floor.

“S-sorry R-r-ray.” I tried to answer in a calm and respectful way. It was the best I could do. If I hadn’t been trying at all, my voice would have stuttered each letter of each word.

“DON'T CALL ME BY MY FIRST NAME, IT’S ALPHA RAY TO YOU! ONLY CLOSE FRIENDS CAN SAY THAT.” Once again I flinched at the tone of his voice and it made me submit automatically. I flinched as I thought back to what he said. He had said 'close friends' could call him Ray… Wasn't I a close friend? After all, I was his mate, right?

“S-sorry Alpha Ray!” I pleaded. He started to stomp towards me and without warning he suddenly smacked me across my face and whispered menacingly in my ear, “Stop your crying…or else.”

I gave a quick nod of the head, not wanting him to hit me again. I was pretty sure I had a big bruise on my face because the smack had been so hard, my head had whipped to the side.

“You disgust me.” This was all Ray said before he dragged me to the pack house by my long blonde hair, with me whimpering at every tug.

This was really happening. My mate, the future alpha of the Blood Stone pack, was rejecting me and was disgusted with me. I guess after 6 months of being with me, he had gotten tired. I never gave my virginity to him - I wanted to wait. I knew he had cheated on me, but I paid no mind. I loved him and... and I thought he had loved me. But boy was I wrong… Ray Stone would never love a girl, not even his own mate.

At the beginning, he had promised to protect me and for the last six months, he actually did. I had no idea what changed in him, but it would always be a mystery because I, Marielle Heartifillia, was rejected. I was now a rogue and my heart was torn apart by my one and only mate.