The Mate He Hates

Alpha Edward’s POV

Returning to my chambers, I grabbed a bottle of whiskey and gulped down a large quantity into my mouth. Groaning, I sat on the couch but realized I was restless. My mind kept drawing me to her, and no matter how hard I tried to ignore it, I couldn’t.

I sighed and took more sips, but I was still restless. I imagined the pain she would go through, and heaven knows what type of lash my men would use on her.

I panicked at the thought that she wouldn’t survive the torture. What if she dies? The thought frightened me, and I had to jump to my feet. Dashing out of my chambers, I made my way to the backyard, and as I got closer, I noticed I wasn’t hearing her cries or screams. The thought of that made my heart pound in my chest. What if she was already dead?

Panicking, I hurried my steps. Reaching the backyard, I was surprised to see her in the arms of Matthew. He carried her and approached me.

I raised a brow and looked at him, then at Amanda, who was in his arms. Her eyes were closed.

“What happened?” I asked.Published by Nôv'elD/rama.Org.

“She has fainted, Alpha,” he responded and walked past me.

I stood in place and watched him carry her away. I looked at my men, who bowed their heads. “He asked us to stop,” they said, but I ignored them and went back to the mansion.

I didn’t bother to look for Matthew; instead, I returned to my chambers and began pacing around. I knew I shouldn’t be worried about her; she could die for all I care. I don’t care about it, or maybe I was lying to myself.

“Damn it!” I kicked a stool away and ran a hand through my hair. I was not supposed to worry about her, but why was I worried about her? Why should I be concerned about a lady who took my mate away from me? If nothing else, she deserved death.

I kept pacing around my room as I fought with my thoughts.

A few moments later, Matthew walked into my room. We looked at each other, but I did not say a word because I wanted him to speak.

“I had to ask the men to stop,” he said, and I didn’t say a word.

“If they had continued, she wouldn’t have made it…”

“I don’t care. I don’t care if she dies,” I snapped at Matthew. “You shouldn’t have asked them to stop. I gave the punishment, and if she couldn’t endure it, then she should have died!” I yelled at Matthew. Somehow, it felt like I was lying to myself.

“I’m sorry, I just had to do it,” Matthew murmured, and I groaned.

I took a long sip of my drink and stared out the window. Neither of us said a word for a long while until I decided to speak.

“Where is she?” I said, referring to Amanda.

“The maids were able to wake her up, and she is back in her cell,” he announced, and I frowned.

“I didn’t call the healer, but I think we should. The bruises on her back are severe,” Matthew spoke, sounding worried.

“There will be no need to call the healer. I want her to feel the pain of the injury,” I said, and didn’t get a response from Matthew.

Turning my eyes towards him, I noticed a frown on his face, which showed he wasn’t pleased with my decision, and that piqued my curiosity.

“You seem to be worried about her. May I know why?” I asked, sounding insecure.

Matthew stared at me for a moment, and then he shook his head. “I just don’t want you to stain your hands with blood.”

I scoffed. “Stop it, Matthew. You know I have killed before.”

“Yes, but those kills were justified, not this,” he responded, and I raised a brow at him.

“She is a murderer, Matthew. She killed my mate, and if I am to kill her, then it’s also justified,” I uttered firmly, and all Matthew did was look at me like he had something to say, but he didn’t say it.

After a moment of silence, he spoke. “I will be taking my leave. Goodnight.” He turned and left.

A groan left my lips, and I went back to the couch. I picked up the bottle of whiskey and realized it was empty. I forced myself up and went over to the bar, took out a bottle of dry gin, opened it, and gulped a large quantity.

The harshness of the whiskey hit my tongue, and I groaned and went back to the couch.

My thoughts went to her, and I wondered how she was. I wasn’t worried; I was just wondering about her.

I tried to get the thought of her out of my head, but I couldn’t. With each passing second, she would fill my thoughts, and unable to hold up anymore, I decided to go check up on her, at least to make sure she wasn’t dead.

Leaving my room, I made my way to the cell, and when I got there, I met her seated on the floor, her head buried between her knees.

Loud sobs were coming from her, and all I did was stand there and watch until she noticed my presence and lifted her gaze to meet mine.

Holding her gaze, I realized her eyes were bloated and full of tears. Her once sea-blue, fascinating eyes looked dull and lifeless. The pain in her eyes was so evident that somehow I felt it.

Unable to hold her gaze, I looked away for a moment and then looked back at her.

“Why don’t you just kill me?” She pleaded in a trembling voice. “Kill me and end all this.” She sobbed, and all I did was stand there and stare.

“This is too much; this is more than I can bear,” she cried, and I had to swallow in discomfort. I couldn’t explain why I was feeling so much discomfort in my chest.

“Just kill me, will you?” She begged desperately for death. “An eye for an eye, is that not better?” She asked and still got no response from me.

My eyes scanned her body, and I noticed the cane marks on her hands, which made me wonder what her back would look like.

Slowly, she got up and staggered towards me. When she got closer to me, she fell on the floor on her knees and placed both palms together.

“Please kill me,” she begged desperately. I could see the desire for death in her eyes. She wanted death so much, but it was something I would never give her.

“The pack healer will attend to you.” With those words, I turned and left.