Page 13 of The Alpha's Reclaimed Mate

I prickled with humiliation and anger, knowing that she enjoyed my suffering. “I take it you have some ideas? What do you suggest I do then?”

Emma scoffed. “It’s not our job to figure out your life. Maybe go ask Oswald if the office needs a janitor or something.”

At least cleaning toilets was more useful than kicking a ball around, I wanted to bite back. Instead, I just breathed in and gathered my composure, replying with crisp compliance, “Fine. I’ll ask Oswald to give me a job.”

“About time,” said Cassie.

“Maybe you can clean up our family’s reputation, too, since it became such a shit smear after he rejected you,” added Emma.

Cassie patted Emma’s shoulder and laughed. “Yeah, right! Only thing that’s going to fix our reputation is if Aria just miraculously stopped existing.”

“Ugh,” said Emma. “Now we have to work twice as hard to make up for you being such an embarrassment.” Her glare cut into me.

I couldn’t handle the way they looked at me, the way they spoke to me—with so much disdain for my very being. Before my overwhelming anger risked saying something rude, I turned for the door. When did my sisters begin to hate me so much?

But by the time I shut the door behind myself, I realized what I had just condemned myself to. These past couple of days, I couldn’t imagine talking to Oswald again. Now I had no choice but to confront him, accept that I lost everything I had going for me, and beg for a job.

The atmosphere in the pack was different now. As I walked between the buildings, there was only judgment from my packmates that I passed by. I felt their stares and heard the undertones of their jeers. I knew rumors were already flying after I’d hurt Mara, but now it was all anybody ever talked about around me. “Did you hear she screamed at Mara after the ceremony, telling her she didn’t deserve Oswald?” they said. “I heard she threatened to beat up Mara. After she won that fight against Preston, I wouldn’t be surprised if she actually tried. She’s dangerous,” said someone else. “You should stay away from Aria if you know what’s good for you.”

A chill ran up my spine at the thought of my packmates isolating me, depriving me of companionship. That would be the worst possible consequence of these rumors. Wolf shifters thrived on attention and touch. We needed physical contact, or it would drive us mad. I’d longed for Oswald’s Alpha touch, but the touch of my pack and family had been enough. What would happen to me if my packmates alienated me completely?

Hurrying into the office building, I made the dreadful journey up three floors in silence, down the corridor to where Oswald’s office sat. His door was open. I mustered up my little courage and knocked on the door.

Oswald didn’t look up at me, just wrinkled his nose as he tapped away on his keyboard. “It’s over Aria. Don’t waste my time asking me to reconsider because I’m not going to.”

His harsh voice was a punch in the gut. My courage was already crippled. “I didn’t come here to talk about that,” I managed to say.

“Why are you here then?”

I hesitated. “Can I come in?”

“Ugh.” Oswald leaned back in his chair and glared at me. “Fine. Close the door.”

Within my chest, my wolf whined. I kept my head down as I shut the door behind myself but didn’t take my usual seat before his desk, instead fidgeting with my hands as I stood near the door. “Since I’m not doing what I was trained for, I… I don’t really know what I’m supposed to be doing.”

“What do you mean?”

I had the feeling he just wanted to hear me admit how much of a loser I was. “I don’t have a college lined up. I didn’t train for a trade here in the villa. I’m not a great hunter. I don’t know how to serve the pack now.”

Oswald growled. “Why is that my problem?”

“I thought maybe you’d have something in mind for me, if not to be the Alpha Female.”

“That’s something you should have considered. Figure it out.”

I couldn’t resist frowning. “You never even implied that it was a possibility that I wouldn’t become Alpha Female. You and everyone else always talked to me like that was my future.”

“Don’t blame everyone else for your shortcomings,” said Oswald.

“I’m not!” My eyes darted up to Oswald. “I was just explaining why I came here to ask you for advice!”

The moment my voice rose, Oswald stood up from his chair, planting his hands on his desk. “The fact that you would have the guts to even talk to me about this is appalling. Is yourself the only thing you care about?”

“No! I care about the pack. I want… I need to have a purpose!”

“You still haven’t apologized to us. What makes you think you deserve to be part of this pack?”

“What?” I stared bewildered at him. “I kept trying to apologize! You never let me talk to you or Mara! I don’t understand, Oswald. I don’t understand why you’re shutting me out and then acting like I’m the villain when I’m… I’m just… trying to do the right thing!”

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