Mate's Redemption || ✔

Chapter Three

Chapter Three

You can do it, Reese. Be a bad bitch.

I huffed as all of us walked downstairs together, Nicole walking right beside me as the men walked in front of us down the stairs. Nicole reached for my shoulder, causing me to look up.

"Show them what they're missing." She spoke quietly in my ear. Nicole always knew how to make me feel good about myself.

Nicole was the first person that I considered to be my friend when I first came to the pack, and by God, I wouldn't be able to find anyone as amazing as Nicole to be my rock here.

We soon made it to the door, and I caught myself thinking; how has the pack changed? Was my brother in the first line? He was too young to become Beta when our parents had passed, but now that he is old enough has he taken his rightful spot back? What about Hayden, had he found someone that fits this needs? Did he finally take over as Alpha of the pack? When I had left I was only sixteen years old while both Hayden and Lane eighteen years old, meaning that—if they were alive—they would be twenty-one years old.

As soon as the door opened, my heart stopped.

The first person to see was indeed my brother, Lane. I looked almost the same as he did years ago besides the growing of his beard and his obviously tired eyes, bags hanging from under the most likely due to all the rogue attacks their pack has been experiencing.

The next person I saw was Bryce, one of Hayden and Lane's close friends. When I was back in the pack, Bryce happened to be one of the strongest young fighters he had and there is no doubt that it climbed up the ladder within the years. Through his shirt, you could tell how ripped his arms had become with the bulged shape they held within his top.

And lastly, walking in front of both Lane and Bryce, was Hayden. My breathing got caught up as I finally laid my eyes on him after years. I hated to say it but he looked gorgeous. He looked more rugged than he did three years ago however it seemed to be doing him a favour—it was a great look.

I inwardly growled at my wolf as I felt her purr that the sight of our mate. She seemed to have forgotten that he had openly rejected us without so much as a second look at us.

I fell to the back of the line as Hayden and his two soldiers behind him follow in his footsteps, greeting everyone one by one—from Alpha Jared, Luna Nicole, Beta Mace, Gamma James and then finally to me.

Hayden was the first one to reach me, looking up in shock. His eyes bulged open as he looked at me, his bottom lip falling slack. "Reese?"

At the sound of my name, both Lane and Bryce looked over at Hayden and I, finally realising that I was here.

"Reese?" Lane choked out, repeating his superiors who didn't know what to say. All the men in front of me gaped at what was in front of them—me. "What are you doing here?" I could see from a distance that Lane's eyes held sadness by the way they drooped—or maybe that was the tiredness that was finally hitting him.

Before I could answer Lane, I noticed from the corner of my eye that Hayden had lifted his hand to touch my elbow, the connection of skin sent my wolf in a whirl of delight as sparks erupted between us. The first time we actually ever touched after finding out we were mates.

As an instinct, I flinched away from his warm touch, the space quickly turning cold. I raised my hand fast and slapped Hayden across the face—hard. His head flew to the side at the impact and I heard gasps from behind both of us as I did so.

I felt anger bubbling inside of me as I watched Hayden. I watched as his hands twitch into fists, a low growl coming from his throat. However, this didn't stop me. Not anymore, I wouldn't anyone—especially Hayden—push me around.

"If you want to keep that hand you better refrain from touching me with it." I snarled, baring my teeth at him. I felt the Alpha essence seeping from him however it made no effort on me. He's not my Alpha, Jared is.

"I suggest you not do that again," Hayden growled, while his voice caused the wolf within me to swoon I boiled in rage by his words.

"You suggest?" I repeated. "I don't give a fuck what you suggest, you aren't my Alpha, you aren't anything to me—"

Hayden scoffed; "You and I both know that's bullshit." My eyes widened as I felt myself going red in anger. I stepped closer to Hayden, my face close to his as I breathed heavily to control myself— Lord knows what would happen if I was to be let loose on Hayden, he is an Alpha so that wouldn't actually end well for me.

"Listen close," I spoke low, our noses almost touching with how close we were. I stood slightly on my tiptoes so I just look at him eye-level, no way was I going to let him literally talk down to me in any way. "You mean absolutely nothing to me." I narrowed my eyes at him angrily, before pushing away from me and swiftly moving through the crowd behind him and out of the door.

"Reese!" I heard my name being called by a voice that pulled on my heartstrings—Lane.

Lane, being my brother, always had a place in my heart but the thought of being near him again pained me so much with how he treated me back in the Midnight Forrest pack. He never attacked me like the others in the pack, however, he let them do what they do and sometimes he would laugh with him and join them when they would prod at me for their on entertainment.

It hurt me that my own flesh and blood would rather be on the side of his own sister's nightmare than his grieving sister. I knew he blamed me from our parents' death which broke me even more, Lane was meant to be one that lifted me back up after such a lost, instead, he pushed me further through the ground.

"Reese!" Lane called for me again as I got further away, his voice holding more urgency however I continued to ignore him with a heavy heart. I wasn't going to let him hurt me again, I wasn't going to let anyone hurt me again.

All these years I grew stronger and no one is going to push me down in that dark well that I was stuck in for a decade ever again.

Not the Midnight Forrest pack.

Not Lane.

And definitely not Hayden, never Hayden again.