Chapter 98 Ginger Crew

Chapter 98 Ginger Crew

I stared into the mirror, completely short-circuited by everything I was feeling. I ran my index finger gently over the mark, terrified it would vanish at my touch.

I could barely wrap my head around it. My mate—a human—had actually claimed me.

I couldn’t understand her. She was walking contradiction. She rejected me and my seed, humiliating me as a male and spitting on our mate bond. Yet, she marked me as hers. It was the ultimate proof of acceptance a mate could give.

I was stunned that a human even had the power to mark a werewolf. But I was even more shocked that she had chosen to mark me—the very male she had spent so much time dragging through the mud.

There was zero record in werewolf history of a female rejecting her mate’s seed. Especially when that mate was an Alpha.

Did my blood disgust her?

Was I not good enough to father her pups?

She knew a piece of my past. Maybe she was terrified of my corrupted bloodline. But I am nothing like my father.

I am nothing like him.

I will love my pups more than my own life. I will protect them against the whole damn world. I need to make that crystal clear to my female. She will trust me, and she will accept my seed.

I’m getting her out of that prison. She’s done enough time. As the victim of her crime, I have every right to drop the charges.

Once we actually talk, I’ll make sure she understands the gravity of what she did. Then, I’ll assure her she can fully rely on my honor as a father and provider. I will provide, protect, honor, and love our pups. I’m not like those human males who walk out on their kids.

If the council members want to whine about me being too soft by freeing her, I’ll tell them to challenge me for my rank. Now that I’m whole again, with my true nature restored, I can protect what’s mine.

Decision made, I shut off the shower, ready to face my female and straighten things out. I’ll grant her my forgiveness and show her there’s no room for rejection between us. She’s going to be so grateful and happy. I can already see her green eyes lighting up when I rescue her from that cell with an official pardon.

She’ll beg for forgiveness for ever saying she hated me once she hears my commitment as a father. She’s beautiful, my female, marking me as hers and binding us together despite everything. I’ll reward her. I’ll give her so much pleasure in our bed, because my wolf and my third shift are dying to come out and play with her.

My beast was already planning to knot her and breed her before the day was over.

Suddenly, a wave of dizziness hit me, and my vision blurred. My claws ripped out, replacing the nails on my hands and feet. A crushing weight of anguish took over.

These weren’t my emotions…

Something was wrong.

My chest was burning. Something was deeply, horribly wrong. My third shift was frantic, fighting to take control of my human body. I burst out of the bathroom, and the three elders were staring at me like they’d just seen a ghost.

"Bring my female back!" I roared. I needed her in my arms. I needed to know she was safe.

I was terrified she had gotten hurt in that cell due to the mate withdrawal. Poor thing. She didn’t know I was banned from seeing her. She must miss me terribly.

It breaks my heart to think of how much she must be suffering right now...

HER POV (Ponto de Vista Dela)

"Are there any more of these little berries? This is insane! We have nothing like this back home!"

I was living it up in the massive hot bath inside Derik’s mansion. Yes, that blue-eyed Alpha son of a bitch lived in a literal mansion. I was sipping wine and stuffing my face with these incredible purple berries that only exist in this fantasy world.

Honestly? It felt like a total luxury spa day.

Derik wasn’t even in the territory. He’d left for a meeting two days ago and was due back any second. His Beta, a gorgeous wolf with total hot-nerd energy named Eli, had introduced me to his wife. She was a sweet Beta wolf with red hair just like mine, and right now, they were treating me like royalty.

And I wasn’t mad about it.

"I’ll fetch them right away, Luna Esmeralda!" replied a shy, super sweet pre-teen who—get this—also had red hair.

I was officially among my people. Shoutout to the ginger crew.

"Excuse me, Luna Esmeralda. May I come in for a moment?"

Leaning against the wooden doorframe was a drop-dead gorgeous woman. Body was an absolute ten—toned, curvy, with honey-brown hair cascading down to her waist in thick, loose waves. Her eyes were green, but a different shade than mine, deeper and warmer. Her plump lips were painted red, and she looked like a straight-up magazine cover model.

With a little more meat in all the right places, if you catch my drift...

"No, I’m taking a bath. Wait outside, please."

Was I bitchy?

Maybe. But I hated her on sight.

Maybe it was just pure envy seeing a woman that stunning, but I didn't buy the sugary-sweet tone of her voice, or that weird gleam in her eyes.

"Who was that?" I asked the Beta’s wife, who was chilling in a chair on the other side of the bathhouse.

"That is Hira. She’s the leader of the harem females. Her late mate was my male’s older brother."

"Derik has a harem?"

"The pack has a harem, not necessarily Alpha Derik. Every werewolf pack has them, Luna. Even the New Moon pack..."

"So Ares had a harem this whole damn time and I had no clue?"

Ugh. Every single detail just made my resentment for that big bad wolf grow. What a hypocritical liar. The whole time we were together, he had a whole catalog of female wolves to screw behind my back. No wonder he didn't regret anything, and no wonder he never came to see me in prison.

"The harem is for the pack. It’s where mature females are cared for until they find their fated mates. Many of us serve the Alpha until he finds his Luna."

The cute little ginger girl came back with a basket overflowing with berries.

"Sunna, are you in the harem yet?" I asked the sweet girl.

"No, Luna. My wolf hasn’t matured yet."

"Sunna is a total romantic," the Beta's wife chimed in. "She doesn't plan on serving the Alpha or any other wolf when she comes of age. She’s saving herself for her fated mate. Right, Sunna?"

The little redhead bit her lip, blushing bright red, but nodded.

That one simple conversation proved that no matter how much I thought I’d researched werewolves, I knew jack shit about their culture and traditions. Maybe I hadn't been as open to learning and fitting in as I thought.

But it was too late now. The second Derik got back, I was going to ask him to take me to the Elves so I could escape this world for good.