Chapter 3 An Alpha

Sibyl Sitting at the bus station, I stared at the ominous clouds as lightning streaked across them with dead eyes. The night was deserted, with only a few cars passing by. Soon, heavy rain began pouring down, despite it not being the rainy season. As expected, even the weather seemed to have turned against me. Ten minutes later, I boarded the bus, taking the last corner seat by the window, while my mind filled with memories of Edwin's abuse and betrayal. No matter how many times I tried, I couldn't forget the image of him and Daisy together. Hearing him call her by my name while he fucked her made me feel even sicker. My whole body still ached with the intense pain of his betrayal. It had already been half an hour, but I could still feel the pain coursing through my body, even though I had broken the bond from my side. The memories of the moment that we first recognized each other as soulmates along with all the other sweet moments we shared in the past shattered in my mind, making my heart shred to the point where tears silently flowed down my cheeks. How could my world crumble like it had been made of sand? Or had it always been this fragile and tainted? The rose petal covered nest that I had believed was my home actually had thorns hidden beneath. I had lost everything in the blink of an eye. At this point, Edwin had turned out to be no different from the other men from my past. My drunk, abusive father, my perverted uncle, and my trash of a brother—all of them were a disgrace to the name of men. There was already enough hate for men built up inside me thanks to all the shining examples of male in my family life. Now Edwin had added another layer of hatred to all the others. My hand went to my throat, where a handprint and pain were still palpable. Just then, Edwin's words crossed my mind: “I want my mate and mistress both.” “Nothing can be over unless I say it is, Sibyl!” I tilted my head and gazed at the rain outside. “I don't need a soulmate. I don't need a man. I don't need a pack,” I murmured to myself, wiping my tears away and putting my glasses back on. An hour later, the bus dropped me off at the bus station in the next city. It was the city that I had been born in, my old pack used to be settled here, I had spent the first 21 years of my life here before I met Edwin and followed him to his pack. While looking for a taxi, I noticed all the shops had closed, which was strange as this city was home to mostly werewolves-pack wolves, some lone wolves, and even rogues. Sixty percent of the city population was werewolves and they never slept at night, let alone closed their shops so early. How could the city have changed so much in just three years? Was I missing something? I got so distracted by the gloominess of my surroundings that I didn't notice someone walking towards me until I collided with them. I froze in place when my head hit something hard, that ended up being someone’s chest. The scent coming from the person was so strong and masculine that it rooted my feet to the concrete. He... was a werewolf. No, he was an Alpha. His cold aura surrounded me with its dominance, to the point that my wolf, Zara, paused in my mind holding her breath just like me. His silence unsettled my heart, it was at this point that I realized he was not alone. There were many others behind him. That was when the smell of fresh blood hit my nose, I blinked behind my sunglasses and found his white shirt splattered with blood. Not only that, I sensed some of them were in their wolf forms. Shit! It turned out that I had bumped into someone dangerous. My mind screamed one word: avoid. I immediately pulled away from his chest, secretly opened my folded white cane, while I kept my head low, never allowing him to see my face. I didn't know why, but I had a feeling he had been looking at me. “I am sorry,” I apologized then walked past him, the sound of my white cane echoing in the surroundings. “She is blind?” one of the wolves commented. I was sure they were from the same pack. I continued walking at a normal pace, yet I still felt that man’s eyes on me. It was as if he had turned around and was watching my every move with predatory eyes. Was it only my imagination? Whatever it was, I was not looking for trouble with anyone. Especially with that kind of man who was obviously dangerous. Taking a taxi, I arrived at the apartment in the middle of the city. Nothing in the building seemed to have changed until my eyes fell on the broken doorknob of my apartment. It was proof of poor maintenance that made me frown. Using my key, I entered my house, only to be greeted by my four-year-old nephew playing in the living room. “Aunt Sibyl!!” He excitedly rushed all the way over to hug my legs. My heart warmed,my depressed mood was lifted slightly by this innocent child's hug. I smiled and squatted down to his height. “Did you miss your aunt?” I lovingly kissed his forehead. “Yes! I missed my aunt and chocolates too!” He eagerly looked at my hand for treats, knowing that I always bought him some. “I didn't bring chocolate with me, but I'll take you out for ice cream in the morning, okay?” I rubbed his head. “Okay!” He hugged me happily. “Where are your mommy and daddy?” It was strange that they had left such a small child alone at this time of night or just home alone in general. As soon as I asked this question, the sound of the main door opening came from behind us. “Sibyl, what are you doing here?” a woman's gasp entered my ears from behind. It was none other than my sister-in-law, Nina. She stood on the doorstep with a pack of beer, her eyes wide and mouth slightly agape, as if she had seen a ghost. I got to my feet and asked, “What's there to be surprised about? This is my house, I can return whenever I want, right?” I looked at her closely, studying her expression, which changed when she was reminded once again that she was only a tenant in this apartment. Four years ago, I had purchased this apartment with my hard work, blood, and sweat in the middle of the city. I had only lived here for a month or two because Edwin wanted me to move to his pack. I did as he asked, but I never told him or anyone else about this apartment, so Edwin was unaware of this place. When I had returned to grab some stuff at a later time I encountered my brother, who had accidentally impregnated a she-wolf that was not his soulmate. He had to take responsibility for his actions, but due to our old pack being destroyed, he had no pack to live in or money to sustain himself and he was also unemployed. I disliked my brother due to his drinking and rogue behavior that came from our father, but I pitied the innocent life growing in Nina's womb. They were close to sleeping on the streets. That was when I decided to let my brother use my apartment to stay until he found a job and a place to live. He started his life as a lone wolf and promised to live a respectful life with his new little family. "Where did you go, leaving Abraham all alone?" I questioned, grabbing a water for myself. "I was at my part-time job," she walked to the fridge and started placing beers inside. "You know, feeding three mouths is not easy in the city. You are so fortunate living in a pack like a queen enjoying the treatment of Luna," she sighed meaningfully. “When both people earn a living then feeding three mouths is not a big deal,” I commented and she shut her mouth. “Plus, Jonathan runs the restaurant, right? He should make more than enough money to feed three months,” I added the same way she did. “Yeah…” she tried to paste on a fake expression that I did not buy. Why had she looked away? Nina had been born a warrior’s daughter from a reputed pack, but she was a slut. That's why her parents disowned her when she got knocked up by my good-for-nothing brother. It was unbelievable that she had been able to hide her pregnancy from her parents and pack for seven months. After my brother married her, they both started living in the city in my apartment as lone wolves. Of course, she had always been envious of me for some reason. I could read her easily. The knowledge of my life turning upside down, my mate bringing home a mistress causing me to leave his pack and reject him, would surely bring her unimaginable satisfaction. Or maybe I had been wrong about her because I noticed her panicked eyes landing on my luggage in the corner of the living room before snapping back at me. “Sibyl, did you…” she choked, then hurriedly checked the mate mark on my neck. “I am staying here from now on,” I announced, dragging my luggage from the corner ready to enter my bedroom. “You are staying here? How is this possible?” Nina suddenly grew louder, earning a blank stare from me. I always knew that she never wanted me to return so that she could steal my apartment but this time her panic seemed to have a different source than the other times. Something was off but I could not put a finger on it. She immediately controlled herself and stated, “I mean, you can always come to your home and stay, but what about your soulmate and pack?” I smiled at her fake concern. “Don't worry about my affairs, Nina. Take care of your child, he seems hungry,” I gestured to Abraham, who was picking up a lint covered candy from the floor. “Don't eat that! It is dirty!” Nina scolded him harshly, mercilessly smacking his hand away, proof of her horrible parenting. I shook my head, pulling my keys out to open my bedroom door only to catch an unexpected scent. “Where is Jonathan?” I turned towards Nina. She looked extremely nervous. “Jonathan is…” She couldn't find the words though she didn't need to answer as he walked into the house drunk.