Adored By My Ruthless Alpha

1

AMBER

“I, Cooper Stone, heir of Alpha Donald Stone, of the Drevine pack, reject you, Amber Blackwaters of the Brimsard Bay pack, as my rightful mate.” His eyes burned with hatred and a blood-curdling scream left my lips as I dropped on the floor, my legs feeling weak under the load of his rejection. 

I couldn’t breathe. Tears blurred my vision as I felt the burning pain on my shoulder blade where his mark was. It couldn’t compete with the pain that rose like a turbulent storm within my chest. 

After a few beats of my shattered heart, the reality sank in. This was supposed to be my special day. The day I got married to my boyfriend, Cooper. I had entered the venue in hope of starting a new life with him until I found out that he was getting married, but not to me. 

It was my sister. 

I didn’t miss the disgust and disappointment in his eyes when I looked up. Those green eyes I got lost in used to hold so much warmth in them. Or was it an illusion I built in my head like a house of cards? 

Cooper and I were together for five years before he proposed to marry me. He was the son of the Alpha of Drevine–also known as the West pack of Elmstone.

We weren’t mates, but that didn’t stop me from loving him. Mates were rare in our world and hard to find, so people ended up with the people they fell in love with. He had marked me while being in a relationship and I thought our bond would last forever. Never did I imagine he would reject the bond as if it meant nothing.

My lips quivered as I asked, "Why?" I looked directly at those eyes that had both given me hope and shattered it.  “Why did you betray me like this?” 

He crossed his arms over his chest, his eyes flashing with rage, “You dare to call me a betrayer, you unlucky, murderous freak! I am the one betrayed by a worthless slut like you. Since the time you entered my life, my life started falling apart!” 

Those words dripped from his lips like poison. He had called me by the name that everyone else in the pack addressed me out of pure hatred. An unlucky freak. 

 The day I was born, they tagged me as a bad omen and a murderer. It was because my mother died after giving birth to me. Bad things happened in Brimsard Bay pack when I was present. At least, that was what everyone claimed as a valid reason to kick me out of the pack house. I was just a child but they showed no mercy. Not even my dad.

A warm hand touched my shoulder from behind. It was Angela, my guardian.

“Amber. Don’t make a scene here.” Her voice held concern as she stood behind me. “People will make you the villain if you stop the wedding.” She gave my shoulder a soft squeeze. I knew she was right.

But they have already painted me as the villain since my birth. Even dad hated me. He didn’t come to see me for once when I lived with Angela. He supported my elder sister’s bullying in school and during pack training because, according to him, I took away his mate. He didn’t allow me to see mom’s grave for once.

The only person who stood beside me was Angela. She acted as my anchor for survival and even paid for my education by saving the money from running her little pharmacy shop. I managed the pharmacy to repay her. Watching her work has given me sufficient knowledge in the field of medicine and herbs.

During those moon days, I was in high school and I met Cooper.

He was my senior crush, a famous high school jock. I knew he was out of my league, but then he confessed his feelings for me on one warm Saturday full-moon night. My body almost had a heart attack.

The memory was fresh in my head. The way my cheeks had burned. The grainy, soft sand tickled my toes under the moonlight as I held onto each word that left his kissable lip.