My Mate, The Alpa I Hate

That night, the luxurious nightclub in the city center was bustling with activity. Guests were enjoying the thumping EDM music under the flashing purple and blue strobe lights above their heads, with cocktail glasses scattered almost everywhere on the tables.

Evelyn Parker, the Alpha girl who always drew attention, sat on the VIP sofa in a black glitter dress that clung tightly to her body with a very short above the knees. Beside her sat Antoine—the handsome guy who had been her boyfriend for the past five months—smiling happily while raising his glass into the air. 

“To me, who’s celebrating my birthday! Cheers!” he shouted, half-drunk. All his friends joined in, shouting and toasting. Eve did the same, laughing softly, her eyes slightly droopy—but she was still conscious—as she clung affectionately to Antoine’s fairly muscular body.

That night, they drank five bottles of expensive wine, three pitchers of tequila, and who knows how many fancy cocktails with names too difficult to pronounce. The point is they spent a lot of money. 

At two in the morning, as they were getting more and more drunk one by one, the bartender came over with a respectful expression—respecting the princess who was there. 

“Here’s the bill. Can you pay now, Miss?”  

Eve, who was half-leaning on Antoine’s shoulder, immediately reached into her small clutch. Her hand extended to hand over a credit card. Unfortunately, it was immediately returned.  

“I’m sorry, Miss. Do you have another card?”  

This startled Eve, who was still half-conscious. She glared. 

“What do you mean?”  

“Your card can’t be used, Miss,” the waiter replied timidly.  

Eve sighed and muttered under her breath. But her hands were busy searching for her other cards.  

“I’m sorry, Miss. But the result is the same.” The waiter said after swiping the card through the scanner.

Eve’s friends just stared blankly. Meanwhile, Antoine laughed drunkenly, “Babe, your card is suddenly maxed out? Isn’t your family very wealthy? And you promised this party was my birthday present, right?”  

“Don’t worry, honey. I’ll handle it.”  

Eve smiled slightly, though she was actually starting to panic. She kept her confusion to herself. Her eyes widened as she turned her head to the side. 

No way. She was Evelyn Parker! The granddaughter of the legendary Queen Grace Parker—and the daughter of Alpha Emmanuel Parker, whose wealth could buy the entire pack. She couldn’t risk embarrassing herself in front of her friends. That could make them avoid and hate Eve. So she kept smiling as she turned back toward them.  

“Wait, a minute! I’m sure there’s a misunderstanding here.”  

Eve stood up and walked away. With her hands still trembling from being half-drunk, she pressed the name “Grandma Grace” on her phone contacts.  

“Hello, Grandma,” Eve said after the call was answered.

“WHERE ARE YOU? WHAT’S THE MATTER CALLING AT THIS HOUR?!” Her grandmother’s voice came through, shouting like a thunderclap in broad daylight. Eve blinked twice.  

“Grandma. Why were all of Eve’s cards declined? Eve was celebrating Antoine’s birthday. And Eve didn’t bring any cash. How can I pay this much? Eve is embarrassed in front of my friends and Antoine.”  

On the other end, Grace’s voice grew louder, “ARE YOU CRAZY?! A PARTY AT A CLUB JUST TO CELEBRATE THAT GOOD-FOR-NOTHING MAN’S BIRTHDAY? AGAIN YOU’RE SPENDING WITHOUT THINKING FIRST! DO YOU WANT TO BE A LUNA OR A CHEAP DANCER, HAH?! STUPID GIRL! MY MONEY ISN’T MEANT TO BE WASTED LIKE THAT!”  

Eve covered her ears briefly while glancing over. She was afraid her friends would hear the old woman’s words.  

“Grandma. Don’t act like a child! What about my reputation as the wealthy Alpha princess if I can’t even pay for something this cheap? Think about my mental state, Grandma! My mental state could be ruined.” Eve started playing the victim. 

“You’re the one acting like a child. Grandma doesn’t care. You’d better stay away from your toxic friends right now!”

“No, Grandma. I don’t want to!” Eve raised her voice, causing her friends to stare at her.  

“EVELYN PARKER! GO HOME RIGHT NOW! DON’T FORGET, YOU’RE A LUNA CANDIDATE, NOT A SPONSOR FOR THOSE RANDALLED KIDS!”  

“But, Grandma. I can’t leave until I pay this bill.”

“I don’t care! Let that bastard pay it himself!”  

The phone hung up.  

“Grandma! Grandma, wait!”  

There was no response. Eve fell silent. Everyone was quiet. It turned out they had overheard Eve and Grace’s conversation earlier. Eve smiled slightly as she walked closer.  

“What’s wrong, Babe?” Antoine asked.

Reluctantly, Eve explained the situation, “I’m sorry, Antoine. But Grandma Grace blocked all my cards.”  

“What?” Everyone looked confused.  

Then the bartender cleared his throat and said, “So... who’s going to pay?”

Antoine stood up immediately as everyone looked at him, “Hey, isn’t this my birthday? And this should be a gift from my girlfriend. Right, Babe?”  

Eve gave a bitter smile, she felt confused about what to do now. After all, she was the one who had promised to pay for everything. Eve could only stand stiffly among her friends, who were still half-drunk. Her eyes fixed on the bill the bartender had placed on the table, with a staggering amount.

Antoine sat back down, his shirt wrinkled, his face still red from the alcohol, but he still managed to complain, “You should have checked it first before inviting everyone to the party. How embarrassing!”

“Wait a moment, dear! I’m trying to convince Grandma to reactivate my credit card.”  

“But how long are we going to be stuck here? Don’t you see we’re all drunk and want to go home quickly?”  

Eve remained silent. Her eyes were hot, holding back tears that were about to spill. But it wasn’t because of the alcohol. It wasn’t that she was embarrassed in front of her friends. But... because of her disappointment with her grandmother’s overly authoritarian attitude, in her opinion. 

“Why, Grandma, why did you make me look like a loser in front of everyone?! I’m really embarrassed in front of them,” Eve thought to herself. 

She cried inside. But her face remained expressionless, though her lips trembled slightly.

Everything was getting more chaotic. Antoine and his friends kept blaming Eve. 

Until a few moments later, the sound of footsteps approached.

“Excuse me.”

Everyone turned around.

Like they were hypnotized. All the girls at Eve’s table fell silent. More accurately, they were mesmerized. Their eyes widened and their mouths dropped open. Including the two girls who had been fussing and whining to go home earlier. They covered their mouths and pushed each other to catch the man’s attention.

The handsome man was indeed tall, dressed neatly in a black leather jacket and a white T-shirt that hugged his prominent chest muscles, his hair slightly disheveled with a cold, bad-boy face that was captivating, and eyes as sharp as a sword ready to pierce the hearts of the women who saw him. He stood right in front of them. No wonder the women there immediately became aggressive. Except for Eve, of course. The girl, however, stared at him suspiciously.

“Sorry to interrupt, but let me pay for everything.” The man pulled out a Platinum Mastercard, owned by only the ten richest people in the world. Even Eve’s family couldn’t afford it.

“Oh, my God. That man is truly wealthy,” Eve’s friends murmured, their eyes sparkling. 

The bartender nodded and processed the payment. Within 15 seconds, everything was settled. Eve remained silent, but she was as captivated as the others. She felt the opposite, though. So when her friends—especially the girls—started whispering praises about the man, she felt annoyed.

The man turned around, looking at Eve with a small smile. The smile seemed sweet to Eve’s friends, but to her, it looked like a mockery.

“Nice to meet you, Miss Evelyn. See you another time.” The man left after saying those words.

“Who is he? Why does that stranger know my name?” Eve muttered.  

“Never mind, dear. The whole world knows you. What matters is that our problem is solved. Okay? Now let’s continue having fun!” Antoine said innocently, wrapping his arm around Eve’s shoulder.  

“No, I’m sure he’s not from the Shadowpack. I’ve never seen him before. I have to meet that man.” Eve pushed Antoine’s hand off her shoulder. Then she hurried to catch up with the stranger’s departure. 

With quick steps and labored breathing, Eve managed to exit the club before the man got into the car. 

“Wait!” Eve shouted. The man stopped opening the car door. Then slowly he turned around.

Not wanting to waste any time, Eve immediately approached him. The cold air instantly pierced her skin, but she didn’t care. 

Eve stared at him intently, her chin raised in her characteristic manner. Arrogant.

“I don’t know who you are and I don’t want to know. But you suddenly showed up and paid our bill. That makes me uncomfortable. So, take this.” Eve handed him her business card. The man smiled slightly and took it. “You can collect the money you spent earlier at my house. I’m not used to being helped by strangers. So, next time, don’t try to act like a hero in front of me.”  

The man smiled briefly as he removed his sunglasses. Honestly, Eve’s heart trembled when she saw the man’s calm eyes staring directly into hers. Then—still with a cool expression and a deep gaze—he replied, “Actually, I didn’t intend to make you uncomfortable. I just don’t like seeing a beautiful girl being taken advantage of by her boyfriend and friends.”  

Eve glared. Angry. 

“What do you mean? You don’t know them. Don’t speak recklessly!”

The man smirked. He walked toward Eve with a domineering stance. Eve, trying to hold her ground with her pride, had no intention of backing down. Because that would make her look weak. Unfortunately, that brought them extremely close. In fact, Eve could smell the man’s intoxicating scent. 

When Eve tried to step back, it was too late. The man had already grabbed her back and pulled her into his embrace.

Screw what was happening. But Eve couldn’t deny that she was now captivated. Her heart was pounding, her blood was racing, and her eyes couldn’t blink. Her body froze as the man lowered his face. Eve closed her eyes, thinking he was going to kiss her.  

“Alright, Eve. If this is a debt, then you must pay it back as soon as possible,” the man whispered before releasing Eve’s body and leaving her there. 

Eve came to her senses, taking deep breaths to steady her heartbeat. Then she glanced at the man’s luxurious car as it drove further away. 

“Who is that man? How dare he call me by my first name,” Eve muttered angrily. Though her heart was still racing.