Chapter 15

I had never witnessed a wolf displaying such disdain toward their mate. What had I done to deserve this? I never desired for my mate to be an alpha. All I ever wanted was for someone to accept me for who I am.

Without uttering a word to Zen, I silently opened the door and exited his room, clutching my neck where he had bitten me. As I stepped outside, I noticed Alex, waiting on the balcony.

Alex smiled at me, watching as I exited Zen's room. However, his gaze quickly shifted to my neck, where blood was still seeping through my fingers. My white dress had become stained with the blood. The smile vanished from Alex's face.

"So, he is your mate," Alex said in an icy tone.

I didn't answer to Alex.

Alex burst into laughter out of nowhere. "That's so weird! I had a feeling about it, given how strangely Zen had been behaving since we got back to the mate. When I saw you earlier, I could already sense that Zen was the reason for your loneliness. I've been with Zen my whole life, so why didn't I see this coming?"

Alex seemed to be pondering this to himself as he lightly touched the fresh blood oozing from my fingers. Without saying a word, I hurriedly walked past him, not bothering to provide any explanation.

I quickly returned to my room, feeling as though the entire pack had become a prison to me. My body continued to tremble, and I was once again in pain due to Zen's constant rejections, which were driving me insane.

I reached out to touch my neck once more. The bleeding had ceased, but the pain still lingered. I scratched at the mark a few times, causing me to fall to my knees. Tears streamed down my face as the wound reopened and began to bleed again.

Alex's words had unsettled my heart even more than Zen's earlier actions. My parents had always taught me to live with dignity, regardless of my weaknesses. However, that day, because of my mate, I felt like a laughingstock to those around me.

After a few days, I was transferred from the cooking section to the laundry. During this time, I made a conscious effort to avoid everyone, including Zen and Alex. I attempted to talk to Cathy a few times, though, but she refused to acknowledge me and even moved to a different area.

As a result, I became incredibly lonely. I had to wake up early for my laundry shift, and to avoid certain individuals, I would wake up even earlier to wash my portion of clothes before anyone else was awake.

One day, while hanging the clothes in the yard to dry, none of the pack members had yet woken up. The sky was still hazy, but it held a fresh and beautiful quality in the early morning. Suddenly, I sensed someone's presence behind me.

The constant presence of someone behind me was starting to annoy me. I turned around and saw Alex standing calmly a few feet away, with his hands tucked in his pockets. I couldn't help but pause for a moment, unable to take my eyes off his stunning appearance.

In the surreal morning atmosphere, Alex looked as fresh and vibrant as a newly bloomed daisy. He seemed almost ethereal, like a spirit that could vanish at any moment.

"Found you," Alex said calmly. As our eyes met, I felt a sudden chill. Until the previous day, Alex had only shown his warm side. I never expected him to look at someone with such authority.

"You know, you're always welcome to do more than just stare," Alex said, his eyes moving seductively from my eyes to my lips.

I averted my gaze in embarrassment. Perhaps, Zen was right about me. Lately, I had been behaving desperately around guys.

"Why are you up so early?" I inquired, trying to divert attention from the uncomfortable situation.

Ever since the night Zen tried to mark me, thoughts of Alex had left me feeling incredibly frustrated, thinking I was probably a joke to him.

"Were you avoiding me intentionally?" Alex asked, ignoring my attempt to shove off the topic.

I was taken aback by Alex's question, wondering why he had noticed. Why would an Alpha of his rank be concerned about whether a lowly Omega maid like me stayed out of his sight or not? We weren't even close to each other. Or was it because of Zen? Maybe he paid extra attention to me because I was rejected by his best friend as a mate. But as I thought about it, that idea seemed absurd to me.

"I still have work to do, so I'll catch up with you later," I intentionally ignored Alex's question and attempted to escape from the situation.

However, to my surprise, Alex suddenly appeared in front of me, blocking my path. I lost my footing and nearly fell to the ground, but Alex quickly grabbed my elbow, preventing me from falling. As I regained my balance, Alex continued the conversation.

"When we were in the woods, I sensed the power of your wolf. It's stronger. Why are you living as an omega? Even though you didn't fully shift that day, you managed to defeat a whole pack of beta wolves," Alex said, never taking his eyes off me.

"So, all of his curiosity was because of my wolf?" I pondered silently. "How ridiculous! Is this how perfect beings belittle others? Even if I miraculously managed to kill a few wolves, I still sensed no changes within my body. I was no different from an omega. Why does he even care?"

"What is occupying your thoughts so intensely?" Alex inquired, tilting his head and looking at me with a puzzled expression.

I let out a sigh and responded, "You know, I'm just as bewildered by everything happening to me. I have no idea if my wolf is an omega a beta, or anything of the sort. Before that day, I had never even been in a fight. So, believe me. My wolf is nothing extraordinary."