Three Alphas, Fated To One, Played By One, But Mated To One-Chapter 109: Shattered in Public

Mike’s POV

I had never felt like this before. The irritation was too much.

No

That wasn’t quite the right word.

I had suffered from irritation, frustration, and annoyance, but never had this kind of feeling.

It was something else.

Something that sat heavily in my chest and refused to leave.

I stood in my office, staring at the reports in front of me without actually seeing them.

The whispers within the pack were getting intense and they were getting on my nerves.

Everyone was pointing fingers at me for having a useless Luna.

Some of my childhood friends were mocking me for getting paired with a wolfless human who couldn’t help me strengthen the pack.

It was so embarrassing I was afraid of leaving my office these days, but I couldn’t just hide.

That would be showing weakness.

Yes, embarrassing.

The word echoed in my mind, louder than the rest.

Because that’s what it was.

No matter how much I tried to ignore it.

No matter how much I told myself it didn’t matter.

It did.

It mattered more than anything because I wasn’t just any man in the pack.

I am the freaking alpha.

And everything that is tied to me reflects my strength, power, and authority.

But now, there was doubt too.

Because of her.

I exhaled sharply, running a hand through my hair.

The image of her standing in the courtyard flashed through my mind again.

The blood that covered her skin.

The fire in her eyes.

And the command in her voice.

She had looked so strong it was intimidating.

But none of that mattered now.

Not when she didn’t have a wolf.

Because in this world...

That was the foundation of a werewolf.

Without it, everything else was similar to a sand castle, and I couldn’t afford such a weakness.

A sand castle that could crumble with the slightest touch.

My fists clenched tightly.

"This is ridiculous," I muttered.

My mate shouldn’t be so weak.

Even though I had seen what she could do, her being wolfless was still an issue.

My chest tightened at the thought.

Because a part of me...

A part I didn’t want to acknowledge knew I was being unfair.

But that part didn’t matter.

Not when everything was at stake.

I let out a slow breath, my gaze drifting toward the window.

The sky was dark now.

Evening had settled in.

Dinner time.

I didn’t want to go.

I didn’t want to deal with the looks, and the whispers.

But I had to.

Because that’s what an Alpha does.

If I didn’t show up, the rumours tomorrow would be even wilder.

I straightened, pushing everything down and locking it away.

Emotions had no place in the current situation.

The dining hall was already filled when I entered.

Voices filled the air.

Laughter.

Conversation.

And what felt like a normal atmosphere.

Or at least the illusion of it.

However, the moment I stepped in, everything changed.

The whispers stopped, the laughter ceased, and the hall became so silent you could hear a pun drop.

I walked forward without hesitation, taking my seat at the head of the table.

Innocent was already there looking all dolled up and graceful like always.

She glanced at me briefly. 𝗳𝐫𝚎𝗲𝚠𝚎𝗯𝕟𝐨𝘃𝚎𝗹.𝗰𝗼𝗺

Then smiled faintly.

"You look tense," she said quietly.

"I’m fine."

Of course I wasn’t fine. I didn’t like the feeling of people speaking about me behind my back as if I was some kind of a joke.

But I didn’t feel like explaining.

Her gaze lingered for a second longer before it shifted to the entrance.

I followed it.

And there she was.

Valerie.

She stepped into the hall slowly, her posture straight despite the faint stiffness in her movements because of the injuries that were still healing.

Her arm was wrapped in a thick bandage, partially hidden beneath her sleeve, but I still noticed it.

For a brief moment, I felt something stir in my chest, but then the whispers started again and that feeling disappeared like smoke.

Valerie was like a walking rumor mill yet it didn’t seem to bother her.

She walked into the room confidently as if nothing else mattered.

She took her seat quietly beside me.

However, I didn’t miss the small act of moving the chair further from mine.

I had noticed that since that night, she had been deliberately distancing herself from me.

My fingers tapped lightly against the table in annoyance.

I couldn’t understand why my heart felt so uncomfortable seeing her distancing herself like that.

But I chose to remain silent.

Conversations resumed.

But I wasn’t listening.

Because my attention kept drifting to her.

She looked so unbothered by the whispers it bothered me.

How could she be so calm about all this?

The council was already making things difficult for her yet she hadn’t said anything.

What was she planning?

Why did she behave like nothing was wrong?

Like she didn’t feel the weight of everything pressing down on her.

Or maybe...

She did.

And just refused to show it.

That thought lingered longer than I expected.

"Alpha."

Her voice cut through my thoughts.

"What is it?"

Her gaze met mine briefly before she looked away.

"I need to speak with you," she said.

Straight to the point.

Of course.

"When?" I asked.

"Tonight," she replied. "If you’re available."

I wondered what she wanted to talk to me about.

However, I was still irked by the way she spoke with that distant tone.

She was treating me like a stranger.

Like someone she had to schedule time with.

Like someone who didn’t matter.

That didn’t sit well with me.

"At this point," I said, my voice colder than intended, "I’m not sure what we would have to discuss."

Her fingers stilled on the table.

Just for a second.

"I have something important to discuss with you." She said after taking a deep breath.

The distant tone she used finally got to me.

It felt as if something sharp had been driven into my heart causing me to become irrational.

"Important matters to discuss?" I asked in a sarcastic tone that I didn’t intend to use.

A faint edge crept into my voice.

"What exactly do you plan to handle without even having a wolf?"

The words left my mouth before I could stop them.