Alpha's Mate

Chapter 5

Ayden's Pov

     "Calm down Ayden the food isn't going anywhere" Caden laughed.
     "I just need to make sure they are okay" I mumbled. Once we got to the dining room I looked around for her.
     "She has to be around here. I can sense her" Milo said.
My body stiffened when I finally spotted her. She was serving food but kept her head down. I walked over to grab my plate and her body froze. She dropped the spoon and limped back into the kitchen.
     "Is she hurting?!" Milo was trying to get me to follow her, but I stopped him.
     "Ayden, your Alpha aura is radiating. Are you okay?" Lance's voice rang through my head.
     "I saw her. She is limping. If that bastard hurt her I swear I'll kill him." I sneered.
     "Don't worry. She probably just tripped." Caden joined in.
     "Tripped?! Look at the faint bruising on her arms and legs. Her eye and mouth are recovering from swelling" Milo's voice said.
     "Milo, Calm down. Don't draw attention to us" Lance warned.
     "Don't tell me what to do! I am your Alpha!" I felt Milo trying to push through and I turned my attention to the guys.
     "Go sit down. I'll figure out where she went" I commanded at Milo. He grunted but obeyed.
     "He isn't calm but he is controlled. It's getting harder every minute we are here." Caden said and I agreed. I remained quiet until we reached the table.
     "Excuse me" I waved my hand at one of the girls to get her attention.
     "Is everything okay Alpha? Do you need anything?" She asked politely.     
     "Do you know where the other girl that was just there headed off to?" I asked and pointed to where she was standing. She looked around and then back at me.
     "Oh! Do you mean Rose? She probably went into the kitchen to grab more food. Would you like for me to call her?"
     "Yes! Let's talk to her!" Milo was jumping around and wagging his tail.
     "No that's okay. I didn't catch your name" She laughed.
     "I'm Skylar" She smiled and I nodded. She handed me a plate and motioned at me to grab some food.
     "So Rose, is she our new Luna?" Caden opened mindlink.
     "Drop it. Let's focus on other things. She and Skylar look like the oldest of all the girls." I said.
     "Something must be going on, but if they are afraid of Alpha Roy they will never talk about" Lance added.
     We headed over to our table and began eating. After a couple of minutes, she finally stepped out of the kitchen. Skylar whispered something in Rose's ear and they both turned to look at me. I let my eyes roam her body and take in all the injuries on her body.
     "I'm going to kill whoever hurt her" Milo growled.
     "We need to get her out of this shit hole sorry excuse for a pack and take her back with us"
     "How are we going to do that?"
     "I don't know yet, but we will figure it out"
We finished breakfast and Alpha Roy invited us out to the garden. As much as I wanted to stay here with her I had to follow everyone outside to not catch anyone's attention.

Jade's Pov

     "Come on girls. Just a little while longer and we are finished" I looked around the ballroom and admired it.
     We took a break to serve a quick lunch and then continued with the ballroom. Just as we were putting up the final flowers Beta Alfred walked in. He took a quick look around and then looked at me.
     "Our guests are going up to their rooms to rest and then get ready for the party. If they need anything don't waste time getting it for them. Be here fifteen minutes before eight" He said and I nodded.
     "Yes Beta Alfred" He left and I turned to look at the girls.
     "Follow me, girls. Let's go get you some dresses" They nodded and we headed up to my room.
It took me forever to find everyone a dress that fit them but finally got it. I grabbed my dress and slipped onto it quickly. I let my hair down out of its usual ponytail. I took one quick look at the mirror and then headed out of the room. We walked over to the ballroom and waited for the guests to arrive.
     "Rose! You look absolutely amazing" Luna Celeste smiled as she walked over to me.
     "Luna Celeste! Thank you so much. You look amazing as well" I smiled at her and she pulled me to the side.
     "Sweetheart, are you okay? You're limping. Are you hurt?" She asked softly.
     "I'm fine" I avoided eye contact with her and she grabbed my hand.
     "If something is going on you know you can trust me" She smiled and my eyes got watery.
     "I-" She nodded in reassurance but I shook my head.
     "I'm okay Luna Celeste. Thank you for your concern" I knew she wanted to ask me again, but she shrugged it off.
     "If you'll excuse me I need to check on the food" She smiled and walked away. I let out a sigh of relief and walked toward Skylar.
     "How is everything?" She turned my way and smiled.
     "Thankfully, so far so good," She said and we laughed. My heart skipped a beat when I saw him walk through the door. He was wearing a black elegant suit and had his hair slicked back. He froze when he looked at me. His eyes trailed up and down my body and I felt my cheeks heat up. Skylar nudged my side and I looked at her.
     "It's rude to stare. Especially at an Alpha" I rolled my eyes and laughed.
     "Come on" We walked around to make sure everyone got to their seats without a problem.
We got the cue to serve our first course and we handed out all the plates. Alpha Roy said this had to be a small meal since they were going for their run after. When they finish their run they will come back here and have the second part of their meal. I've never been on a run or even seen one, but I have heard the stories about how magical they feel. Everyone waits for the moon to be at its highest and then they'll feel the pull. If you are near your mate you will instantly feel attracted to them. Then the Alpha will lead the run around the packgrounds where you get to soak in the mesmerizing energy from the moonlight.
     "While we are on the run you need to refresh everything. Spray something in the room it reaks" Gamma Richard snapped me out of my thoughts and I nodded. He walked away and I explained to Skylar what he said to me.
     "Are you okay? Your eyes are a lighter shade of purple than usual" I shook my head and smiled at her.
     "Yes, I just feel a little overwhelmed" She looked around and then back at me.
     "Do you want to step out for a little? I can ask the girls to cover for us while you feel better" She said and I nodded. She walked over to Ruby and talked to her.
     "Something is wrong" Sara was pacing back and forth in my head.
     "Why do you say that?"
     "Something is off. Be careful"
     "Hey, I already talked to Ruby she said they got it under control" I was beginning to feel light-headed and almost fell.
     "Come on, let's go get some fresh air" She guided me out the backway and stepped out into the moonlight.
     "We shouldn't be outside. W-we need to go b-back in" I felt a headache coming and I held my head in my hands.
     "Rose, you need to breath calm down please" Skylar rubbed circles on my back, but it wasn't helping. I fell to the ground and the world was spinning.
     "Skylar, something is wrong. I don't feel so good" I cried.
     "Let's get you back inside" She tried to lift me up, but my legs felt so weak.
     "We have to go back inside before anyone sees us out here. We can get in big trouble. Please Rose find the strength to get up" She begged. I finally got up and we started heading inside.
     "What are you doing here?!" We froze in our spot. We both knew that voice from anywhere. Gamma Richard stepped in front of us with his arms crossed.
     "Do I have to repeat myself?" His voice was so low it made me feel weaker than I already was.
     "She was feeling light-headed. I-I just wanted to h-help her" Skylar's shaky voice said.
     "I told you to stay in and refresh everything before the guests went back in. Why can't you follow simple rules?!" His voice made me flinch.
     "I think you might be transforming" Sara's voice came to my head.
     "What? Now? I can't! He will see and probably kill me for lying!" I began to panic.
     "I'm still not sure exactly what it is. Just hold on for a little I'll figure it out" She disappeared to the back of my head.
     "Are you listening to me?!" His hand met the side of my cheek and I fell to the ground.
     "and you! Helping her break the rules?!" He punched Skylar in the stomach and she collapsed.
     "Please don't hurt her. It was m-my fault" My voice barely above a whisper. He walked up to me and kicked me in the stomach. The sound of wolves howling in the distance made him look around.
     "They are already on their run! You will go back in there this instant and fix your mistakes. I better not catch you out here again. When Alpha Roy hears about this he won't be happy." He bent down and punched me in the face.
     "She is hurting enough already. S-she can't t-take it anymore" Skylar breathed out.
     "Shut up!" He kicked her in the stomach and she bent down crying.
     "Come on you little bitch" He yanked Skylar up by her arm and she groaned in pain.
     "You two fucking bitches are giving me a headache. I will deal with you two later" He pulled me up and I whimpered away from him. He started dragging us back in and I pulled away from him.
     "What the fuck do you think you're doing" He sneered at me.
     "I don't want to go back inside" Skylar looked at me worriedly, but I turned back to look at the Gamma.
     "Talking back to me won't get you anywhere. It'll make things worse" His grip on my arm tightened and I whimpered again.
     "You're nothing but a puny little human. No even a full werewolf.  You shouldn't even be alive. You're just a waste of oxygen." He spat.
     "And you're nothing but a weak Gamma bitch following around little Alpha's orders" His face was turning red from how angry he was getting. Where was all this confidence coming from? He shoved me away from him and I fell to the ground again. He threw repeated punches at me and I felt myself slip in and out of consciousness.
     "Stop please! She can't take it anymore! You'll kill her!" Skylar yelled. I could hear her sobbing but Gamma Richard didn't stop. After a while, he finally stopped and he was trying to catch his breath.
     "What the fuck is going on here?!" A roaring voice asked. I picked up my head as much as possible and saw a tall shadow coming toward us. Once it stepped into the light I was shocked to see who it was. It was the handsome Alpha that I couldn't get my mind off all night. I breathed in his scent and collapsed on the ground.
     "Mate" Sara's voice whispered right before I passed out.