Mated To Alpha Kessler

Seeing my uncle again fills me with emotions I can’t quite explain. So many questions race through my mind. I had thought he was still locked up in the dungeon.

How did he manage to escape? I rack my brain, trying to pinpoint the enemy lurking in the shadows, unaware that he had already escaped.

As he stands before me now, his presence is unsettling, I struggle to grasp the reality of his escape.

Every word he speaks sends a shiver down my spine, and I can’t shake the feeling that danger still looms.

Annie might have helped, for all I know. Many things could have transpired between Kessler and Annie for her to aid Jack in this devious act.

With a trembling voice, I greeted him, “Hello, Uncle Jack.”

Uncle Jack’s eyes pierce through me, his expression unreadable. “It’s been a long time, hasn’t it?” I swallow hard, unsure of what to say next.

Then, a phone starts ringing, startling all of us. We wonder whose phone it could be. I recognize the ringing tone as mine.

Jack rushes to my phone and places it to his ear, “Hello? Hello?” he repeats, but there’s no response. Anger flashes across his face as he angrily smashes the phone to the floor. With his heavy boot, he grinds it to pieces.

I exchange uneasy glances at Annie in the room, unsure of what to say or do next.

“Now, back to my niece before I was rudely interrupted, how are you doing?” he asks, his voice dripping with scorn.

All my life, I’ve been scared of him and what he might do next. But right now, I notice I have no iota of fear left for him. I can’t quite explain where this sudden boldness comes from.

Perhaps I had gotten used to his threats, or maybe maturity had finally set in. I’m not the timid Lyra I used to be years ago. The situation has made me tougher, and I can’t find that one thing that could scare me again.

“Not bad, Uncle Jack. As you can see, I’ve fulfilled part of our deal.”

He looks at me, shaking his head in pity. “Seems you’ve gotten bold, huh?” he asks, looking me dead in the eyes. “Need I remind you that you are no one important?”

I meet his gaze steadily, feeling a newfound sense of strength within me. “Maybe not to you, Uncle Jack, but I’m important enough to stand up for myself.”

His eyes narrow as if assessing my newfound confidence. “Bold words, niece,” a hint of a smirk playing on his lips. “Let’s see if you can back them up.”

“You were never wanted by your birth parents because you are pure evil. No one, I mean no one, wants to be associated with you,” he spits out with venom.

“But I can’t wrap my head around the fact that Aiden chose to rescue you. You are nothing but a pathetic excuse of a child with an aura of darkness clouding you.”Upstodatee from Novel(D)ra/m/a.O(r)g

“You think you’re important because you believe you’re the Lycan king’s mate. You mean nothing to him.

You’re just one of his numerous conquests. He can get any woman he deems fit pregnant, just like he did to you and Annie. Do you know the number of women pregnant for him?”

“So grow the heck up and stop feeling important by acting bold and snazzy.”

If words could kill, I swear my uncle’s demeaning words just murdered my self-esteem. He made me feel small and utterly irrelevant. I thought I wanted to give him a taste of his own medicine by not showing how fearful I was, but girl, I was dead wrong.

He continues to belittle me, drowning any ounce of courage I had shown earlier. Tears well up in my eyes, as against the show of strength I had tried so hard to maintain.

Deep down, I realize that no matter how hard I try, I can never escape the shadow of his scorn.

Realizing that my parents discarded me because of the aura of darkness that surrounded me was a new revelation. There are many things I seem not to know about myself.

I make a mental note to uncover the mystery surrounding my birth.

Could all he says about Kessler be true? Am I just one of his conquests?

Annie gives a maniacal laugh and comes closer to me. “Kessler denied this pregnancy, despite knowing the child was his. My dear, stop feeling fly; he will do the same to you.”

I regret falling for him, not knowing the true picture, despite being warned by several people from his pack.

“What do you think happened to his first mate? Do you know the heartache and emotional trauma he put her through? So, my dear, grow up,” Annie taunts.

I place my hands over my ears, not wanting to hear anything more about what they have to say about Kessler. I scream in anger, “Can you please stop? I don’t give a damn about Kessler. He’s my rejected mate, and there’s nothing between us. And please, if it’s because of him you held me hostage, please let me go. I have nothing to do with him.”

Annie’s eyes narrow, her expression turning cold. “You think you can just walk away from this? You’re his mate, whether you like it or not. And you’ll soon realize that you can’t escape your fate.”

Jack steps forward and delivers a hot, resounding slap that sends me weak at the knees. “How dare you talk when I haven’t asked you to? Do you think I care if he’s your rejected mate or not?”

Hot tears stream down my face as I wrestle with the situation I find myself in. I can’t believe I keep going round and round in circles without any sense of direction. I’m angry at no one in particular, but myself, for choosing to stay strong despite all I’ve been through.

But I can’t give up. I need to fight my way through and end this circle once and for all. I haven’t eaten for two days now, and I am hungry and drained of strength. I fear for the little one growing in my belly.

If no one rescues me, I must find my way out of this mess.

“Look at me,” my uncle commands.

I have no option but to obey him.

He starts, “I know I’ve not been the best to you. I wouldn’t say I regret it, but sometimes my actions have your best interest at heart.”

I scoff at this new revelation.

“I know you wouldn’t believe me based on how I’ve treated you, but trust me when I say, Kessler is up to no good. He has said time and time again that you mean nothing to him.”

His words run in my mind, with the doubts and fears that have haunted me for so long. Could there be truth in what he says? Is Kessler truly as heartless as my uncle claims?

I want to believe my uncle has my best interests at heart, but years of mistreatment have left me wary of his motives.

I look at him, trying to search for any iota of a lie in him, but I’m shocked to find none. I know he can guard his emotions well.

But my heart sinks when I remember how Kessler says to my face that I mean nothing to him, nothing to his pack and that I won’t be recognized as his mate.

I have resolved with a silent vow to myself. I refuse to be defined by Kessler’s rejection or my uncle’s disdain. I’ll carve my path, one where I am valued and respected, where I can protect myself and the child growing inside me.

But on second thought, Could my uncle be telling the truth, or is this another tactic to manipulate me into doing his bidding? I thought I had moved on from Kessler, but hearing my uncle say all of this about him breaks my heart.

“You think I’m lying, but my dear niece, I am not,” my uncle insists. “I have proof to back up my claim.” He motions to Annie to bring something, and she retrieves it.

I realize it’s a recorder. Jack plays it, and what I hear Kessler say about me makes my blood run cold.