The Rogue Alpha’s Claim

“How dare you lie to me?”

Ariel’s fingers were balled in a fist, and her eyes narrowed as she focused on the object of her ire. Her eyes still held unshed tears that threatened to spill, but she held herself.

She would never give him the joy of seeing her in such a state.

“I don’t understand. What is going on?” Kane blinked slowly, trying to make sense of the scene in front of him.

Ariel looked at his confused face, and the rage in her only seemed to grow. Why was he acting like he was innocent?

“Are you really going to sit there and pretend like you don’t know what I am talking about? Why did you even fall for me? You knew there was someone for you, yet you allowed me to believe a lie until I was trapped in it. What is your aim? Huh? Answer me?”

Kane ran his fingers through his hair, not sure he could deal with this right now. They have been having issues with the Alpha King, and according to rumors, his pack was likely going to be under attack.

He had been trying to pull all the strings he had, and the last thing he needed was Ariel nagging at him for something he had no idea about.

He closed his eyes, taking a deep breath to calm him down, and when he opened them, he focused them on Ariel. “If you are not going to talk to me like a civilized person, I suggest you get out.”

Ariel’s gasp was the only thing he could hear, and her eyes widened to the point where it was almost impossible to believe her ear.

“You are impossible.” She was fuming as she wagged her finger at him. “You made me believe a lie, and you made me fall in love with you, but you didn’t think to tell me that you had a mate out there.”

“Ariel, you are…”

“I am not done talking.” Ariel yelled, wagging her fingers at him. “How dare you lie to me? What would happen to me when you met your mate? You are going to throw me away after you have used me? I don’t think so.”

And with that, she was storming out of his office, making sure to bang the door hard.

It would give her satisfaction if the door actually collapsed.

Ariel stormed out of the house in anger, happy that she didn’t see anyone she knew. She didn’t think she could do well without wanting to shout at them.

She went out through the back, running through the meadow, her feet pounding the soft earth with fierce intensity. The wind whipped through her hair as she ran, but she didn’t relent until she got in front of a huge tree, and she collapsed under it, her head bowed between her thighs.

She felt like a fool.

No, she was a fool.

She had fallen for a lie because she was so desperate for a man to love her, and now that it was ending, she didn’t know what to do.

Now that she was a little clearheaded, she could remember sometimes when some pack members slipped and referred to her as his mate.

Was it actually true?

Maybe she would have waited and listened to him.

Ariel gave it some thought, and she was shaking her head. “No, it was impossible,”

There was no way she could be his mate; she didn’t tick any of the boxes according to what she had seen, and even if she was, he should have said something.

It was a thing of joy, a thing to be proud of, and he wasn’t going to hide it, except it wasn’t true.

Does that mean they were all in it?

“Argghhh!” Ariel yelled as the thought roamed through her mind. She couldn’t imagine the pack that she had come to see as hers and her friends could actually do such heinous things to her, and this time, the tears flowed freely.

“I hate him.” She sniffed, cleaning the tears with the back of her palm.

She didn’t even know which one hurt. The fact that he lied to her, or the fact that there was someone else for him and he would have no choice but to love that person unconditionally?

Ariel clutched her chest, rubbing it to soothe the heartbreak.

Who knew love could hurt like this?

***

Kane stared at the door, flinching from the loud bang. He was still surprised that the door was still attached to its hinges after all it had been through a lot.

Which brought him to the problem at hand.

How did she know that they were mates, and more importantly, how much did she know?

He had been afraid to say anything else; he would say more than she knew and end up jeopardizing their relationship.

Had she learned the whole truth? He couldn’t help but wonder, but he was shaking his head as the thought came to him.

If she knew the real truth, her reaction would be much worse; probably his blood would have been in her hand.

But he had to be sure. “Did you tell Ariel anything more about us being mates?” He asked Toby in the mind link.

“No, I didn’t say anything. Did she find out?”

“I don’t know how she found out, but she did, and I am not sure how much she knows.”

“Oh, sucks to be you. I have to go now; I already have my hands full with a difficult task.”

“Good luck with that.”

Kane tried everyone he knew who was close to his mate, but they all had the same response. They didn’t tell her anything.

So he wondered how she got to know.

‘You idiot, our mate needs you no more than ever, and you are worrying about useless things.’ Max snapped, annoyed with his human counterpart, and Kane was getting into action.

He stopped, letting his nose lead him to her. Ariel didn’t have a scent yet, but his scent had mixed enough with her that he could track her there.

He walked through the back door, and he could see his mate leaning on one of the trees, and her head was bent on her knees.

He moved closer to her, walking quietly so as not to startle her. The faint scent of salt reached his nose, an indication that she had been crying.

“Ariel.” He tapped her shoulders gently, but the action startled her, and she jerked up, alert and ready to rain. “It is fine; it is me.”

“Kane, what the hell? You startled me.” Ariel yelled as she woke up, and Kane couldn’t ignore how red her eyes were, no doubt from crying.

“Sorry about that.”

“What are you doing here?” Her voice was tight with anger, and she lowered her head back to the ground. She wasn’t sure she could face him now.

“I need to clear up some things; I haven’t been exactly truthful.”

“You don’t say.” Ariel rolled her eyes. “Honestly, you disgust me. Just get out; I don’t think I can stand you.” She demanded it, turning her face away from him.

“Just hear me out, okay?”

“What more do you have to say? I am not going to sit here and continue hearing you lie to me. If you don’t want to leave, I will do that.” Ariel was fuming as she stood up, and she made to leave, but Kane held her hand.

“Would you listen to me?”

“I refuse to hear what a liar has to say. Now if you don’t unhand me, I am going to scream bloody murder.”

“Ariel.”

“I am going to count to five. One, two, three…”

“You are my mate.”

“Four… w-wait, w-what?”

“You are my mate, Ariel.”