Fated is overrated

Chris POV

Jeremy drops his gaze "I am so sorry, Alpha. You are completely right. I should be ashamed of myself". His humble answer, combined with the fact that Elise herself called him the exception, diminish my anger towards him slightly. "Let me make 1 thing crystal, no, DIAMOND clear.. "I drawl, looking each one of them directly in the eyes to emphasize the severity of what I am about to say. "Things are going to change around here, and they are going to change right the f*ck NOW. There shall be no more bullying. No more exclusion based on whatever reason one can think of.

No more cheating on your mate. I demand of you all that you respect and protect our pack members as if they were your own damn pups. If I even catch as much as a whiff of either of you, or anyone else for that matter, disregarding my demands, I will banish you and turn you rogue".

All of their jaws drop, almost in unison, at my statement. 'Alpha, blue hue has arrived' my secretary informs me. Sh*t, talk about bad timing.

"Blue hue has just arrived unfortunately, so I have to cut this discussion short. Have I made myself clear?" I look at them sternly, before adding "I will organize a pack meeting tonight to deliver the message to the entire pack as well". They all nod at my question. 'Thank you, Kendra. Please send them in. Also, please arrange a mandatory pack meeting for tonight at dinner. All pack members must attend, even the pups'. 'Of course, Alpha' she responds curtly.

After a short while, the blue hue delegation enters my office. The Alpha and Luna have brought their deltas, head warrior, some of their key warriors, their betas, and... the beta's daughter.

Of course. It's just my luck. Even more "just my f*cking luck", when I smell a very potent lavender smell, coming from Belinda, the beta's daughter."

Mate..' Cezar pipes up, not sounding as enthusiastic as one would expect him to. Especially considering we have searched for our fated mate for so long.

But, I guess I'm not that excited either, knowing she f*cked my beta last night. Of course, she didn't know I was her mate. Regardless, the thought isn't very nice. 'It's not just that.. Something about her is off. Same with her wolf' Cezar adds.

I wonder what he means, but I have no time to dwell on that right now. She stares directly into my eyes, but she doesn't comment at all. Again, not the reaction one would expect when finding their fated mate.

Her eyes glaze over, as do her father's. His face turns into a genuine smile, even though his daughter's face doesn't.

What is up with her? "It seems we have something else to discuss after this meeting, Alpha Chris?" the Beta asks me in a chipper voice. I, on the other hand, am just confused right now.

I don't feel an extreme pull to her, as I should. Is it strange that I keep comparing this cold-hearted woman before me to Elise? Elise is so kind-hearted, well-mannered, and sweet beyond comparison.

"Alpha Chris?" the beta drags me from my train of thoughts, and I have to force a smile to my face. "It seems we do. Please, have a seat".

Throughout the meeting, I can tell Ashton and Belinda are glancing at each other continuously. It is pissing me the f*ck off, but not for the reason one might think.

It is pissing me off, because I just warned that f*cker not to stray from his mate. I thought I was pretty clear. I slam my fist on the table, before speaking in a raised voice "Ashton, Belinda, any thoughts on what we have just discussed?".

I can tell Ashton is caught completely off guard, some beta he is. "Uh.. Uhm.. No" he stumbles out, idi*t. "I erhm.. I agree with everything that was said." Belinda smiles sweetly, but one glance at her Alpha and father tells me they know exactly why I asked them the question. Neither of them were paying attention.

"Good to hear you both have such valuable input into the matter" I retort sarcastically, almost venomously, before we continue our discussion.

After the meeting is over, Alpha James sends out everyone from his pack except Belinda and her parents, as I send out everyone except Ashton. I can tell Ashton is wary about why I am not sending him out.

He doesn't know she is my fated mate yet. Alpha James is watching the interaction between Belinda and Ashton, and between Belinda and her parents intently. You can almost see the gears turning in his head, but he doesn't speak. Yet.

"So, you are fated mates? How wonderful!" Belinda's father exclaims excitedely, although he and his wife seem to be the only genuinely excited people in the room.

I can't help but notice that Alpha James isn't excited either. I wonder why that is. Ashton, however, is visibly shocked. "Chr.. Alpha, is that true?"

Ashton thankfully corrects himself at the last minute, or I don't know what I would have done. His face, however, tells it all.

His mouth is closing and opening like a fish out of water, and his complexion is even paler than it was before. I almost wonder what is going through his head right now.

"Yes, it's true" I answer shortly and pointedly. I can see the excitement of Belinda's father diminishing, as he too seems to notice something is off now.

"Why are you both not excited?" he asks the obvious question at hand. Well, time to rip the band-aid off. "I'm not sure why Belinda isn't, but I guess my lack of excitement is stemming from the fact that she was intimate with my beta just last night".

I can hear everyone except the 2 topics of discussion gasping while I am monitoring Belinda's facial expression. She doesn't even seem fazed at the little bomb I just dropped in front of her parents.

What the hell is wrong with her? Finally, she speaks. "Look, no offense, Alpha Chris, but I would prefer we rejected each other".