Fated: The Alpha's Unwanted Luna

A few minutes later, Doctor Gilbert could be seen walking toward the Alpha’s penthouse, where he’d been told Sebastian was with his new mate, Laila walking beside him, her expression still cold and indifferent, as though she had nothing to do with him at all. The sight and her behavior made him feel hurt through their bond, and he wanted so bad to make up for last time, even though he was aware this was for the best.

"Miss Serrano, I—"

Laila turned to glare at him. "Here’s the deal, Doctor Rodrigo. I’m not here because I want you to accept me, or mark me. This isn’t about you, and you should already know I no longer give a fuck about you, you’re gone and forgotten to me. I’m here for Viola, to help however I can. Don’t make things awkward again by bringing up the mate bond." She said, her emerald eyes unbothered.

Laila had tried her best once to win him over, to make her mate look at her the way a mate should. But when it hadn’t worked, when he’d humiliated her that day in his lab by getting her aroused and then sending her away like a disposable banana peel, she refused to keep pushing herself onto him.

She had her own pride, mate bond or not. She would fight the pull of it, every urge, every bit of it, until it faded naturally on its own, or until she found it in herself to reject him outright to his face. But right now, none of that mattered. This was about Viola, not them.

She walked ahead of him, reaching the penthouse first, but since he was the pack doctor, who has more right to be there, she had to wait for him there.

Gilbert finally caught up, and when they arrived, Sebastian’s guards were posted everywhere around the floor, blocking their path forward. Gilbert cleared his throat.

"The Elders sent me here, as the pack doctor. You can confirm with the Supreme Alpha." He said, and the guard studied him for a moment before reaching Sebastian through the mind-link.

"You can go in," the warrior said, after speaking with the Alpha and granting them passage.

When Laila tried to follow, the men stopped her, one of them placing a hand against her chest to keep her from proceeding. A displeased look settled over Gilbert’s face, and he turned back. He took Laila’s hand in his, glaring heatedly at the warrior before announcing firmly, "She’s with me. Keep your hands to yourself next time."

Then he pulled her along with him into the penthouse.

Laila felt a strange flutter in her stomach, but she quickly pushed it aside and hardened herself again. Even after they stepped inside the penthouse, he didn’t let go of her hand until she yanked it free herself, muttering,

"Isn’t it strange how many men he’s got guarding her? What is she, porcelain?"

Before Gilbert could respond, Sebastian rounded the corner leading into the living room and demanded,

"What brought you here, Gilbert? What do you want?"

At that exact moment, Victoria came around the corner too, still wearing his shirt, clinging to his side, her voice small as she spoke. "You haven’t finished making it for me yet, mate."

Sebastian wrapped his arm around her. "Don’t worry, I’ll get it done, sunshine. Just give me a moment, okay?" He smiled down at her, and though she gave him a flash of displeasure, she nodded anyway.

Laila, watching all of this, couldn’t help but narrow her eyes at the endearment, the same one she’d once heard him use with his wife, now being handed just as easily to someone else.

She studied the woman closely: tall, fair-skinned, as though she’d never once been in the sun, with a small, innocent face. As Laila studied her, Victoria’s eyes flicked over and locked with hers.

"What are these people doing here? She’s making me uncomfortable." She said, clinging tighter to Sebastian, and Laila nearly rolled her eyes. She hadn’t even done anything yet, and the bitch was already claiming discomfort. Oh wait until I am done with you!

"What do you want, Gilbert, and why is Laila here with you?" Came Sebastian’s irritated voice, glaring at both of them.

"I’m here at the elders’ request, to inspect the crescent mark and confirm she’s really the one before they set up a ceremony to welcome her officially. Laila’s here to help her feel more comfortable, woman to woman, and to help familiarize her with Silver, since we’re assuming she isn’t from here originally."

Sebastian looked ready to send them both away, and tell them he didn’t need either of them anywhere near her, when Victoria took hold of his arm, turning his face toward her.

"It’s all right. Let them do what they need to do. I don’t want to cause any trouble for you in the pack, especially with elders, they can be troublesome. I don’t mind." She gave him a reassuring smile, and Sebastian leaned down, kissing her forehead.

"I’ll be right here beside you. Get this done quickly and go, we were about to have dinner before you two interrupted." He said that last part to Gilbert, leading Victoria over to the living room couch.

Even though Laila no longer carried a mate bond with Sebastian and didn’t care who he had by his side, she couldn’t help feeling a flare of irritation at the way Victoria clung to him. That place didn’t belong to her; it belonged to her friend. Seeing Victoria so comfortably occupying it only made Laila more determined to figure out exactly where this woman had come from and why she was so annoyingly clingy.

She watched as Gilbert opened his equipment bag, while Laila walked around and settled beside the she-wolf on the couch, with Gilbert sitting on her other side.

Meanwhile, Sebastian returned to the kitchen to finish the meal he’d been cooking before their arrival, though his eyes kept flicking back to check that Victoria was comfortable, making Laila feel like she was going to vomit right into her own mouth from irritation.

Gilbert examined the mark up close, and while he worked, Laila played her part, smiling warmly.

"How are you liking Silver so far?"

Victoria’s brown eyes turned to her, and she smiled meekly. "It’s good."

Laila exchanged a glance with Gilbert. That wasn’t what she’d been hoping for, she wanted to see this woman’s true colors, because Laila knew a bitch when she saw one, and this whole "innocent little thing" act was nowhere close to the truth.

"That’s wonderful. If you had to rate it compared to where you’re from, how would Silver compare?" Laila asked, keeping her tone light and friendly.

"It can’t really be compared to my home. There’s nothing quite like home. I’m only here because my mate found me, and I can’t bear to be apart from him now." Victoria said, her eyes drifting toward Sebastian’s back in the kitchen.

"From what I understand, Silver has some of the highest standards of any pack around, so now I’m genuinely curious about this home of yours. Which pack is it?" She asked, but the question made Victoria’s eyes snap away from the kitchen entirely, turning sharply on Laila, her meek expression slipping just slightly as she said,

"What exactly are you trying to pry out of me, she-wolf? What do you want?" She asked, narrowing her eyes suspiciously at Laila.

Laila chuckled inwardly, thinking, bingo, now we’re getting somewhere.

"Why would I pry? I was just curious. I’ve never heard of a pack more beautiful than Silver, and neither have I seen such a pretty she-wolf as you, especially your skin. It’s so fair, like you’ve lived somewhere without sunlight. How do you maintain skin like that through summer?" Laila reached out to touch her arm in a friendly gesture, but Victoria grabbed it and twisted it swiftly, so hard that Laila had to bite back a cry of pain.

The bitch is strong!

"I know exactly what you’re trying to do. You want my mate for yourself," Victoria said, that same smile still fixed on her face as she tilted her head to the side. But Gilbert’s poking and prodding soon annoyed her, and she used her other hand to swat his away as he examined her neck, knocking him and his equipment away so hard that he stumbled backward.

"Only I’m smarter than you think, and I know exactly how to deal with annoying flies like you. Ouch!" she suddenly cried out, releasing Laila’s arm with enough force to shove her slightly off the couch.

Before either Gilbert or Laila had fully recovered from the force she’d used to shove them both aside, Sebastian came rushing into the living room at her sudden cry.

"What’s wrong? Are you hurt, Vic?" He was already on his knees in front of her as she clutched her arm.

Victoria turned to Laila, her eyes filled with tears now. "She pinched my arm, Seb. She’s jealous of me, and she’s made me so uncomfortable this whole time, touching me."

Before Laila even registered what was happening, Sebastian had reached out and backhanded her across the mouth, sending her to the floor. "How dare you?!" He gritted out, already reaching to strike her again, when Gilbert intervened, stepping between them and placing a protective hand over Laila.

"Supreme Alpha, she didn’t mean to hurt your mate, it was a mistake. I’ve finished checking the mark, and it matches exactly what’s described in the old texts. I believe she is the true prophesied one, and she’ll absorb your curse the moment you mark her and make your life easier. If that’s all you need, we’ll take our leave now." Gilbert bowed his head, keeping his hand firmly over Laila, in case the Alpha lunged at her again.

Sebastian would have struck her anyway, if Victoria hadn’t stepped forward to hold him back. "Tell them to leave us alone, and never to disturb us again. I don’t like her. I don’t want her anywhere near me."

"Get out!" Sebastian barked at them.

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