The Alpha King's Outcast Mate

~︎Alora︎~

"Aaaahhhhh!!! She's dead!!"

I jerked up from my worn-out bed suddenly as I heard the loud scream.

Other servants in the Pack, like me, were moving around, restless.

"What's going on?" I asked frantically, but no one paid attention to me.

Confused, I put on my overused, torn dress and slippers and made my way to the hallway. The chaos was even more serious there.

Pack healers, maids, servants, and even elders moved around.

"Hey, please wait!" I finally called one of the servants, and she stopped in her tracks suddenly.

"What?!" She asked, almost raising her voice.

"I'm sorry for stopping you so abruptly, but please, what is going on?" I asked her.

The servant sighed lowly before speaking up. "Luna Kamilla is dead. Apparently, she was found dead this morning in her chambers."

"What?! My...mother?" I stammered, unsure of what I had just heard.

"I'm so sorry for your loss, Alora." The servant said before walking off hastily.

No… no… I'm sure I heard wrong. Is the Goddess trying to play a silly trick on me? This has to be a nightmare!

Without thinking further, I dashed through the hallway, heading for my mother's chambers.

I loved my mother so much—she was the only one I could talk to while every other person here treated me like an outcast. Yes, I am the Alpha's daughter, but I wasn’t treated as such.

"What are you doing here?!" An elder asked as I stepped into my mother's chambers.

There was a crowd in the room, and everyone turned to face me when the elder asked that.

I ignored him and focused on my mother. Tears formed in my eyes as I watched her lying there—not moving. Just… static. I could do anything now to see her smile again… her face.

The tears that had formed in my eyes spilled down my cheeks now. Cautiously, I made my way to her bed.

"Where do you think you're going?" Another elder asked, blocking my path.

"Is… is it true?" I asked instead of answering, gulping hard.

"Don't act so innocent now. We all know you have a hand in her death!"

"Huh? What do you mean?" I asked, wiping the tears slowly with the back of my palm.

"Fake bitch! Stop acting like you didn't kill her! A servant testified that you were the last person that entered her room last night." One of the servants yelled.

"Wha—no!" I protested, staggering backwards. "I didn't kill her. I only came to give her dinner."

"Surely you must have put something deadly in that dinner."

"No… I—"

"Everyone knows how bad you wanted the Alpha and Luna to notice you as their daughter, and since they didn't treat you as such, you decided to take it out on Luna Kamilla by ending her life once and for all."

"No! I will never do that!"

"Take her away!" One of the elders yelled.

"She's clearly guilty!" Another elder yelled.

"No! No! Let me go!" I screamed as the guards dragged me onto the Packgrounds.

"Murderer! How could you kill your own mother?!" Selene spat, her voice laced with venom.

She was one of the strong warriors of our pack, and she had always hated me. In fact, everyone hated me. Despite being the Alpha's daughter, I was treated like a mere slave because they believed I killed my twin brother at birth.

So, I was seen as a curse—spat on and lowered to the rank of an Omega. I was made to do all the work and had borne all the harsh treatments, but this—this was hard to bear. Being accused of a crime I didn't commit. Killing my own mother? It was absurd!

"Killing your brother wasn't enough, and you chose to kill your own mother." Someone amongst the crowd whispered, not-so-quietly.

"No… please. I didn't do it. Believe me!" I pleaded with my head bowed, but no one heard my pleas.

Everyone began to throw stones and hurtful things at me.

"Banish her!"

"Kill her!" They yelled.

From the corner of my left eye, I looked at my father, but he was defiant. He seemed unmoved by my pleas either.

"Please, Father…" I begged as blood dripped from my lips. "Have mercy… I'm innocent."

"Innocent?!" Selene scoffed. You're a snake! I knew you were plotting something evil all this time! You killed my best friend!" Selene continued to yell.

"I didn't do it… I swear by the Moon Goddess, I am innocent."

"Shut your filthy mouth up, you fool!" Selene spat. "The pack healers said she was poisoned, and you were the last person that was spotted in her chambers last night. You even served her dinner."

"It was just tea, and—"

"Just admit you did it, murderer! How could you do this?!" She cried.

"I didn't—"

"It doesn't matter if you admit it or not anyway… We all know you're guilty." A random pack member, said from the crowd.

"No… I—"

"What are you waiting for?" "One of the elders asked as he stared at my father. "We're waiting for your judgement, Alpha."

"I no longer have the authority to pass judgments in this pack." My father said defiantly.

Gasps followed amongst the crowd.

"What do you mean, Alpha?" Another elder asked. "If you're no longer passing judgments, then who will?"

"Maxwell Blackwood." My father said coldly.

The gasps increased.

How cruel could my father be? He wanted to make my mate pass judgement on me?

Yes. Maxwell was my mate, but unlike other couples that experienced the matebond, he was ashamed of me. In fact, we kept our relationship a secret, and no one knew I even had a mate. I didn’t mind that.

And now, my father wanted him to pass judgement on me.

I knew how Maxwell secretly craved being the Alpha of this Pack. But I hoped that for the sake of our mate bond, he'd turn down the offer.

"From today, I appoint him, Maxwell Blackwood, as the new Alpha of this pack. Maxwell, please, step forward."

Maxwell obeyed, and my father removed his crown and placed it on his head.

"But… this doesn't make any sense!" An elder protested.

"Yes!" Another said. "In the midst of this chaos, you're appointing another as Alpha?"

"My decision is final. He can pass whatever judgement he wishes to pass." My father said, and for a moment, he glanced at me but quickly looked away before walking off.

My heart sank. I couldn't help but wonder if he was under some sort of spell. How could he treat me this way? His own daughter!

"You have committed a grievous atrocity." Maxwell started, not taking his eyes off me. His eyes were cold and distant—different from the ones that always desired and longed for me.

"Maxwell… I—"

"Shut up, you slave!" He barked, and I flinched. "It's Alpha to you. You will address me by my title!"

"I'm sorry." I winced as Selene delivered another kick to my ribs.

"You are to be locked in the dungeons till midnight. By then, I'll surely have a suitable judgement for you." Maxwell said coldly.

"Max… I mean… Alpha, don't do this, please. Remember, you … you are my mate." I muttered, but it was loud enough for everyone to hear.

Whispers followed.

"So she has a mate?"

"I feel bad for our Alpha. How could the Moon Goddess curse him with such abnormality?"

"Enough!" Maxwell ordered, and there was a pin-drop silence.

He moved closer to where I knelt and mellowed to my level.

"I thought you'd be wise enough not to say that," he said, raising my chin up and making my eyes meet his. "... but now that you have… I, Maxwell Blackwood, crowned Alpha of the Nightshade Pack, reject you, Alora Shades, as my mate."

"No… please, no…"

I gripped my chest tightly, hoping he'd take the words back, but it was too late for that. My chest stung hard, and I found it hard to balance myself.

"Accept my rejection, you pig!"

His words stung even harder, and I was almost finding it difficult to breathe.

I'm sure my eyes were swollen from tears now. "I… I accept your rejection." I muttered.

"Throw her in the dungeons this instant!" He ordered, without an ounce of sympathy, and the guards swung into action immediately.

I didn't even have the opportunity to protest as they dragged me away harshly. The crowd continued to throw stones and sand at me as I was dragged away.

They threw me into one of the cells like I was a rag doll.

"Pathetic." One of the guards mocked. "This is what you get for killing your own blood."

"I didn't do it. I swear, I'm inno—"

"Save it." Another one said, and they all laughed. "You're the only prisoner here. I hope you're not scared of the dark."

"No! Please, don't leave me here!" I cried, but my pleas were futile.

The guards walked into the darkness, leaving me all alone.

"No…"

I crashed onto the floor hard and sobbed uncontrollably, desperately wishing for death.