_Beauty And The Brute

Gosh, not him. Anybody but HIM.

The most annoying part was how my wolf instantly began howling like a hungry beast as soon as she heard his voice.

Yup, that's right... The one and only Alpha Kaene. AKA, my mate who I fucking cheated on a few minutes ago!

All eyes turned to him as he walked toward us in graceful strides, his stern gaze lingering on me for so long that I had to look down at my feet in guilt.

Luckily for me, he soon turned his gaze to Elsa and Beta Negan, a frown appearing on his face.

"I believe I asked a question. What is happening here?" His voice was nearly a growl, low but threatening.

However, Elsa puffed her chest up proudly, giving me a disdainful look before she spoke. "Well, my Alpha, your Moon's Chosen was just about to attack me if it hadn't been for your timely interference. Given how feral she is, I'm surprised she was even able to stop her attack because of your presence..."

She paused, a cold smirk curling up her lips. "... But at least she knows her place."

I ground my teeth, withholding the nagging urge to slap this bitch.

But before I could make any hasty decisions, Alpha Kaene's voice sounded again. "Elsa, enough with the backhanded comments. They're beneath you."

What?!

My eyes snapped into a suspicious frown as I fixed my gaze on the Alpha, who was now standing in front of us, his arms behind his back.

To my surprise, he also had his gaze fixed on me, his eyes giving a look that spelled out: 'You should thank me later for this.'

Who would've thought the arrogant Alpha could–

"And, Phoebe. I am highly disappointed in you but I'm not surprised." He suddenly blurted with a cold tone, derailing the good thoughts I was already making toward him. "It's going to take a long time to rid you of your cavewoman mentality."

My face heated up in a mix of embarrassment and rage.

It didn't help that Elsa cackled like a wicked witch at my expense as if she hadn't been the one trying to attack me first.

Anyway, after Elsa had laughed to her satisfaction, she sighed. "Oh, Kaene. I'm so glad you see what I see in this... 'girl'." The way she emphasized the last word made my blood boil.

I subconsciously glanced at Beta Negan, realizing how silent he was.

Oh, so that's how it is?

He didn't even want to look me in the face, talk less of defending me from this bullying. What did I expect from the Alpha's bestie?

Fuming, I snapped at Elsa. "Oh, please, Elsa! Even the tiny sprouts of hair underneath my armpits are more feminine than your entire body. You look like a botched sex doll ordered from Temu."

You should've seen the way the smile on her face deformed into an ugly scowl, her eyes twitching as she glared at me.

Hehe... I outdid myself with that one! It felt so good insulting the famed snobby rich girl who was the talk of the pack.

"Why, you little–" she was about to move toward me when Kaene held her back.

"Enough, Elsa. I remember my mother telling you to leave the estate for now. What are you even still doing here?" He asked with an inquisitive stare.

The bitch's gaze went from Kaene's face to his hand wrapped around her wrist, but she didn't dare squirm or pull out from his vise-like grip.

Instead, she turned all her rage to me, pointing a finger at me. "My Alpha, are you just going to let this reject stand there and insult me?"

However, I did her one better, turning my gaze to Kaene. "The real question here, Kaene, is WHY are you still entertaining this girl? Was your public rejection not enough? Now you're joining people to mock and insult me?"

I hated how there was a lingering hurt in my voice. Like I gave a damn about what the Alpha thought of me.

It was just so infuriating knowing this man was my mate and yet allowed this random Barbie doll to insult me without restraint.

Meanwhile, Alpha Kaene's expression became indifferent as he sighed. "You're the one making a mockery of yourself, Phoebe. Under what law does it state that I have to defend you in everything?"

What the heck was this enigmatic brute talking about?

Overwhelmed with rage, I pointed a finger at the Alpha, causing Elsa to gasp dramatically.

But I didn't care as I snarled. "What is your problem?! Seriously... You wouldn't let me leave, yet when I do stay, you're poised to make my life a living hell. This is just the first night, for the moon's sake! I–"

"Enough!" Kaene suddenly barked, forcing me to jolt back in fear. "You've embarrassed and defied me enough, Phoebe."

Without any warning, he snatched me by the arm, causing me to gasp in protest.

"Hey, what are you doing? Let go of me!" I hit him on the arm repeatedly, but he only increased his grip while dragging me away until I felt like my bones were going to break.

Just then, Beta Negan decided to speak up with a cautious tone. "Kaene, I think you should–"

"Don't even think about it, Negan!" Kaene snapped coldly, turning back to glare at his supposed best friend. "This is MY future at stake. And she is MY responsibility. So no, I don't need your advice."

I gawked at him speechlessly, also glancing at Negan who had the same speechless look.

But that didn't last for long as Kaene continued dragging me despite my protests, my voice echoing through the night until we finally got to the Alpha mansion.

Some guards patrolling the compound gave me judgemental looks, but I ignored them, still silently trying to get Kaene to let go of me.

However, as soon as we got to my suite, he threw me in and locked the door behind him.

"Now... Would you mind explaining what all that was about?" He turned his gaze to me, his hands folded in front of his chest.