The Alpha's Bride

~ the Steelbite pack ~

It was after midnight when Cassie arrived home, to the packhouse of the Steelbite pack.

Everyone saw that she was not in a good mood, and they stayed away from her.

Alpha Richard gave Cassie about one hour to steam out before he came to her room, only to find Cassie sprawled on her bed with her head buried into pillows that did a lousy job in lowering the volume of her sobs.

Cassie was not sad or heartbroken. She was humiliated and furious. How can she accept this outcome?

She experienced Damon's intimate embrace more than once, and even though he was never cuddly or lovey-dovey, he never hurt her. Cassie didn't take it against him. He is an Alpha, after all. He doesn't need to woo women because they come to him, just how Cassie did.

Everyone knows that Alpha Damon samples a woman for one night, and that's it.

Cassie had the pleasure of being with him repeatedly over the last few years. She thought it means something, yet now he was choking her and he kicked her out because she slapped one scrawny Omega? The image of Damon's furious glare is etched into Cassie's mind, and she is confident that it will become part of her nightmares.

In her pack, Cassie is a princess and everyone treats her with respect, and what she experienced from Damon was equivalent to hundred slaps on the face. It was one thing for Maya to mock her, but even the warriors who escorted Cassie out of Damon's territory looked at her with taunting smirks which made Cassie's blood boil.

Cassie was embarrassed and angry and she was not sure how she can show her face in public anymore.

"Will you tell me what happened, pumpkin?", Alpha Richard asked while taking a seat on the edge of Cassie's bed.

Cassie whipped her head to glare at her father. "What happened? You know what happened. Alpha Damon kicked me out and told me not to come anymore like I'm some kind of a criminal!"

"That was the outcome, but I'm missing the part why you assaulted one of his members. Didn't I tell you to act like his Luna and be compassionate while there?"

"Compassionate!? Compassion is for people who behave and know their place!", Cassie screamed. "That Omega is a thief! She had a phone that obviously didn't belong to her, and when I asked her to give it to me, she refused and tried to leave, like I'm not important. I only slapped her to make sure she knows her place, I didn't even hit her that hard, but then Alpha Damon grabbed my neck and slammed me against the wall. He wanted to kill me!" Cassie was hysteric.

"Sweetie, that's Alpha Damon you are talking about. If he wanted to kill you, you would be dead.", Alpha Richard said, and he knew that Cassie returned unscathed only because Cassie is his daughter.

"I told you to act like a Luna and be benevolent. Unless it was in an act of defense, you shouldn't be physical, even if your opponent is an Omega."

"So now it's my fault!"

"Alpha Damon thinks so.", he deadpanned. "How about you calm down and tell me what happened, from the beginning, since you arrived at the Dark Howlers pack. I don't think he would lose his temper over one isolated incident, so tell me everything you can remember. Let's analyze the situation together and see if we can salvage it."

Alpha Richard went through this exercise many times. Whenever Cassie returns from the Dark Howlers pack, he will find a reason to ask Cassie about details from her visit. Yes, Cassie is only focused on seducing Damon, but sometimes she would find other useful information that Alpha Richard could use.

Cassie took a few deep breaths and started… "When I arrived, Alpha Damon avoided our usual greeting. Well, he is not really warm and gentle but whenever I come, I hug and kiss him, but this time he dodged me…" She told him how Damon was distant, and one moment he allowed her to come close, only to push her away in the next; how he was always busy; about the incident in the kitchen when she caught Talia stealing; how Damon would eat in his room instead of joining them; and how Damon took another girl to human town while giving her a warning that she was too nosy, and then how she caught Talia with a pricy phone.

"Hmph! Why did he defend her, twice? She is so weak. You should see her, the moment I called her out for stealing she lowered her head in submission, and when I grabbed her hand, she couldn't get out…"

Alpha Richard didn't need to hear the details. He already got the gist of it about the reason why Cassie was kicked out: Cassie lost temper, crossed the line, and Alpha Damon punished her. To be honest, considering Cassie's personality, Alpha Richard was surprised that Alpha Damon didn't snap earlier.

"I thought that it's a mood swing. Maybe he found another woman. That's not unusual, but it never lasted for more than a day, and he would always accept my advances. However, this time, I was there for days, and he didn't touch me. Is it because of Marcy from the Red Moon pack? Did they really got engaged?"

Alpha Richard shook his head. "Nothing is conclusive with Marcy. Alpha Damon left saying that they will decide later how to proceed with the engagement."

Cassie frowned. "Is he actually thinking about it?"

"Alpha Damon is not a thinking type. He acts. Alpha Damon left the Red Moon pack without sealing the engagement, and that means he was not willing to make Marcy his Luna."

Cassie relaxed at those words. "But then, why was he avoiding me? Other than one woman who he took to the human city for an appointment, I didn't see any other woman around him other than Omegas and that annoying Beta Maya."

"Do you know who is the woman that Alpha Damon took for an appointment?"

"I never saw her before. But her clothes were high-end…", Cassie paused. "Actually, a day before that, Alpha Damon went shopping personally and I saw bags full of clothing. I'm confident that he bought clothes for her."

"Is that unusual? If he was courting a woman, it's not unusual to buy her gifts."

Cassie plopped on the bed and stared at the ceiling. "I don't know, daddy. Nothing was out of place, but my intuition told me that everything changed. So far, Alpha Damon was either indifferent or accepting toward me, yet this time, he scolded me more than once, and he even hurt me. Man doesn't change like that unless he found someone else. Maybe buying clothes is normal for courting women, but I'm watching Alpha Damon for years, and he doesn't court women."

Alpha Richard agreed with this. He knew very well from his experience that Alpha doesn't need to show off in order to get a woman to warm his bed because there are always women who are attracted to status and power... unless Alpha Damon found a woman worth pursuing. But he didn't want to say that to Cassie and risk her throwing a fit.

"Tell me about that girl. I will see if I can find out who she is."

"Which one? The Omega who is the reason why Alpha Damon hurt me, or the one in the car?", Cassie asked and before her father could respond, she continued talking, "Actually, they kind of look alike."

"Sisters? Or is it possible that it's the same person?"

Cassie didn't take a good look at Talia when she was in the car, but she noticed a few things. "Both had copper-colored hair and a petite frame. I didn't notice more than that but..." Cassie's eyes widened. "What if it's the same girl?" That would explain why the girl in the car was quiet.

"If that's the same girl, it sounds to me that Alpha Damon is protective of her. Did you get her name?"

Cassie shook her head. "I can call him and…"

"No.", Alpha Richard cut her off. "Let me investigate this. Stay low, Cassie, promise me."

Cassie was not willing. "Why?"

"Because you just enraged Alpha Damon and he told me that if you get close to him, he will treat you as an enemy. Trust me, you don't want that. Give him time to cool off and forget about the incident. If that's the same girl, and he was protective of her, she might be more than just an Omega."

Cassie frowned. "You are telling me that some woman is latching onto my man, and I should stay quiet?"

"No. I'm telling you that some woman is under his protection, and you shouldn't provoke him. There is no proof that there is anything romantic between them. She could be a relative or someone he treats well because of benefits. There is also an option that she is a spy who is training to go undercover. If her mission is important, Alpha Damon would personally check her abilities. Let's not risk doing anything rashly. I will find out who she is, and we will take it from there."

Cassie pursed her lips. "OK. I will not contact Alpha Damon, but only if you promise to tell me what you find."

"Alright.", Alpha Richard said. "Now get cleaned up and sleep. I want to see you in high spirits in the morning."

Cassie let out a long sigh before agreeing. "Good night, daddy."

"Good night, pumpkin."

He kissed Cassie's forehead and left her room.

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