43

43
Raymond
“We need to go get Ella,” I heard Amira say to Jane.
“Hey, I’m here,” Ella called out, waving.
When Ella introduced me as her mate, I held my breath. But Amira just smiled and welcomed me warmly. “Any mate of Ella’s is family to us.”
As we got ready to leave the club, I thought Ella would come with me to the Silver Moon Pack to meet my Alpha. But she shook her head.
“I need to tell my parents first. They should know I found my mate.”
Of course she was right. I was just so excited to start our life together that I hadn’t thought about her family. After making sure she and her friends got home safely, I went back to my own pack.
The Silver Moon Pack house was a big mansion deep in the forest. As I got closer, I could hear loud laughter and music from inside. I found Richard there, lying on the couch with Priscilla, the pack’s biggest slut, almost sitting on his lap.
It made me sick. This wasn’t the Richard I grew up with. Before meeting Jane, he had been honorable and respectful to women, a true Alpha king. Now he was just another player, using his power to get easy sex.
“Where have you been, Ray?” he asked, not even looking away from Priscilla’s chest. “Don’t tell me you were with some random girl.”
“I would never do that. I met my mate, and I’m in love with her,” I said, unable to hide my happiness.
“Wow. That’s good news, Beta. Congratulations. I hope she has a wolf,” he said with a cruel smile. “I hope she’s different from her.”
My hands made fists. Even now, he couldn’t talk about Jane without being mean.
“Even if she doesn’t have a wolf, I’ll accept her as long as she’s my mate,” I said firmly.
“Oh. Your choice. As you can see, Ray, I’m busy,” he said, turning back to her.
I couldn’t help myself. “Oh, I can see. Busy with the pack slut. Well, I’ve got news for you. Guess who I met today at the club?”
“I can’t guess. Just say what you want to say. I’m busy.”
“I met your mate, Jane. Can you believe that, Richard?”
His head snapped up so fast I thought it might break. “You mean my ex-rejected mate, not my mate,” he said coldly.
“Chill, dude. That girl is different now. She’s very powerful, and she’s got a wolf,” I said, unable to hide how impressed I was. “She’s powerful enough to kill Alpha Jason Miller. I was shocked. She took him down easily. I’m so proud of her.”
Richard’s whole attitude changed. He pushed Priscilla off his lap so hard she hit the floor. “You mean my mate is powerful enough to kill an Alpha?”
“Did I hear you right? You said what? Your mate?” I couldn’t believe how shameless he was. “Are you kidding me? Don’t make me laugh, Richard.”
“Don’t make me repeat myself. Where is my mate?” he howled, his Alpha power pressing against me. “Where is Jane, my mate?”
“Your ex-mate?” I corrected, disgusted by his sudden interest. “The one you rejected in front of everyone? The one you chose another Luna over?”
“I’m ready to follow your advice. After all, she’s mine. She’s my mate,” he said, as if he hadn’t completely destroyed her months ago. “I’ll accept her because of you.”
The truth hit me hard. He didn’t want Jane back because he realized he loved her. He wanted her back because she was powerful now. Because she could be useful to him.
“Don’t make me wait. Tell me, Ray—where is she?” he roared.
But I just stared at him, finally seeing him for what he really was. A selfish, power-hungry man who had thrown away the greatest gift the Moon Goddess could give. Now he wanted it back only because it might help him.
I thought about Jane’s pain, about Ella’s loyalty to her friend, about the warning Jane had given me. And I made my decision.
“Find her yourself, Richard. I’m done cleaning up your mistakes.”
His face turned red with anger, but I didn’t care anymore. I had found my mate, and I wasn’t going to let Richard destroy another good thing. Jane deserved better than him, and I was going to make sure she knew it.
As I walked away from my so-called Alpha, I felt lighter than I had in years. Tomorrow, I would see Ella again. Tomorrow, I would start building a life with the woman the Moon Goddess had chosen for me.
And if Richard wanted to find Jane, he could do it without my help. Some mistakes were too big to fix, and some people didn’t deserve second chances.
But I did. And so did Ella. And that was all that mattered now.