The Alpha’s Rejected And Broken Mate
Chapter 9

Sophie

POV

I did it, I finally did it. I managed to seduce Darius into f*****g me, just before my parents and Amber were due home. You should have seen the look on his face when he saw the trap I'd laid out for him. I fully intended for my parents to catch me. I've spent my entire childhood drilled into being told that I was only to sleep with my chosen mate. I even knew that my parents wouldn't give a flying toss about Amber or her feelings. All I needed to do was tell a few lies and they believed every single word. I didn't even care that I was trapping Darius. He'd willingly slept with me after all, so it's not as though he was completely innocent, was it? I would do anything to become Luna, and now I had succeeded. I was smug, all day at school, loving the hurt look on Amber's face throughout the school hours, as she deliberately avoided the both of us.

Darius cornered me after school had finished, the final bell had already rung, and while I was putting my books away in my locker, my friends waiting outside for me. I had just closed the locker and whirled around, his hand pinning me to the locker and preventing me from moving away.

"How could you" he hissed, his face mere inches from my own, a pissed-off look on his handsome face.

I didn't have to ask what he was talking about, I knew. I just stared at him, making him even angrier. "You knew they were coming home, didn't you," he said incredulously "it was all planned, wasn't it Sophie."

He lets go of me and steps back, a puzzled look on his face. "Do you hate your sister that much? Or was it all because you want to be Luna in the end" he said bitterly.

I raise an eyebrow. "You're not exactly a victim in this Darius. You cheated on Amber with me. It's not like I forced you to."

His eyes narrow on me. "Answer the question, Sophie. Was this to get back at your sister for something?"

I shake my head, a smug expression on my face. "Don't you get it yet Darius? I have always loved you since we were small, but you only ever had eyes for Amber. God knows why" I mutter "she can't shift, she's rude and she's hardly someone the pack was going to look up to. Becoming Luna is a bonus as far as I'm concerned" I purr.

He looks sick to his stomach. "You have no idea what you've done, do you? How could you be this despicable?"

Well, that stung, but only slightly. "I think it's a case of the pot calling the kettle black," I tell him with a shrug. "Besides if you love Amber that much, you wouldn't have cheated on her. I did her a favor if you think about it."

"My parents are going berserk. Your parents already called them. They can't wait for the wedding by the way" he almost shouts, the corridor empty now and silent, the students have already filed past us.

"Neither can I," I say bluntly "face it Darius you're stuck. Your parents hate Amber so naturally, they are thrilled. I'm a perfect catch" I add smugly.

He looks like he wants to physically hurt me, his eyes turning pitch black. I refuse to cower in front of him or let him intimidate me. He would learn it wouldn't do him any good.

He exhales and then glares at me. "I will make your life a living hell for this" he threatens, warning me. "You've ruined my life Sophie Henderson. You don't know what love is and I feel sorry for you because of it."

I just laugh out loud. "As if. Darius, you're turning eighteen tomorrow. You just think you've been in love when in truth, you have yet to experience it. It doesn't have to be like this, we can make this a proper relationship. I will do anything you desire of me" I whisper, leaning in close to his face.

He looks disgusted, his lips curling in contempt as I shudder and step back. "Don't even consider it. I won't be sharing a room with you, you can bet on that."

He stomps off, slamming his locker closed on the way, and heads out the exit, muttering under his breath.

I take a deep breath to center myself. Calm down Sophie, I tell myself sternly. Give him time to come around. He's just upset at the moment. We'll have a real marriage because his parents won't let him do otherwise. Neither will yours. I grab hold of my bag which I'd dropped by my feet when Darius pinned me to the locker, and place it over my shoulder, sauntering outside, feeling confident once again. My friends meet me but I insist that I want to walk home, and enjoy the beauty of the day, rather than catch a lift back. I wave goodbye happily as I begin the trek home.

It's a fairly decent walk, but I can use the exercise. I need to keep my trim figure after all. I smile as I picture myself in a beautiful wedding dress, Amber forced to watch me walk down the aisle with her ex-boyfriend. My heart almost sings with happiness. The sky was a clear blue with fluffy clouds chasing each other, birds chirping happily from their perches as I walked beneath trees. The air was chilly, making me shiver slightly, my hands going into the pockets of my jacket. I took the shorter route home, using back roads and tracks, careful to keep my clothes immaculate. Not that it matters, if they get dirty then Maria, our housekeeper will take care of it. But she'll tell me off and tell me to take better care of them and I wasn't in the mood for a lecture, to be honest. Finally, I reach home, knocking on the door loudly, waiting impatiently for Maria to answer. When she does, she has a cross expression on her face.

"Good afternoon Sophie" she greets me tightly, her eyes sweeping over me, her lips flattened.

I know she's angry at me. She's always had a soft spot for Amber, dotes on her actually. Maria was not someone I was going to miss when I moved into Darius's bedroom. Amber could keep her. The two of them deserved each other, the hired help and the undesirable. The thought brings a smile to my face.

"Is Amber home?" I ask gleefully.

She frowns at me, but as a servant of the household, she cannot refuse to answer me, even if she wants to.

"Miss Amber is home, she is in her room" she informs me flatly.

"That's all, you can go, Maria," I tell her dismissively "I'm sure you have plenty of work to do."

Maria frowns at me and then stomps off. I grin. I love ridiculing the hired help and reminding them of their places. Maria had been with us the longest and I suspect it has to do with Amber more than anything.

I almost skip up the stairs with glee. Life is going so beautifully for me, that it's like everything has fallen completely into place. I'm headed towards Amber's room when she steps out and stares at me, raising her chin and regarding me like I'm something she'd like to stomp on and squish beneath her shoes.

"Oh, Amber" I exclaim "I ran into Darius after school and we're discussing wedding plans. Do you want to hear them?" I say slyly.

She doesn't even flinch. Instead, she rakes her eyes over me, a look of condemnation in her eyes.

"I have no interest whatsoever in your wedding" she sneers "I told you, you and Darius are perfect for each other."

"Jealous much" I counter back, folding my arms.

She just shakes her head. "You always wanted Darius and now you have him. If he's willing to cheat on me, then he's not worth my time. I will find someone who worships me and you" she says, her voice hushed, barely above a whisper "you will be miserable for the rest of your days because you'll be spending your life with someone who doesn't love you. Who resents you for trapping him into a marriage of convenience."

I scoff. "We'll be perfectly fine as chosen mates. I'm very good at persuading people to do what I want, Darius will be no different. Besides, love comes after, just like it did for mother and father."

Amber laughed in disbelief. "Yes, what a great relationship they have. Father bullies her, talks over her, and treats her like garbage. She in turn treats me like garbage but dotes on you. She has no real voice, no interests of her own. She does everything that father tells her to do. I wouldn't look up to them if I were you, Sophie, because they are hardly role models for a successful and loving marriage."

Now I stare at her with uncertainty in my eyes. I was seeing my parents in a brand new light and I didn't like it. For the first time, I feel a pang of fear. What if Amber is right? What if I end up being nothing more than a trophy for Darius like my mother was for my father? With no opinions of my own, or at least none that I'm allowed to voice?

"Can you see it now?" Amber says mockingly, moving closer "your future Sophie? Is being Luna worth it? Or have you finally seen the light?"

I cough, my throat feeling like it's seizing. Panic is rising inside of me. Part of me is forced to acknowledge that I may have made a god-awful mistake, but I can't picture my life without Darius in it. As Luna I would have responsibilities, not to mention I would have control over the pack. I would be cherished and protected. I would be safe, not to mention adored by Darius's parents. Amber was just jealous, I thought to myself because she would no longer be Luna.

"Oh, I see it, Amber," I tell her lightly "I see myself as Luna. I see the children that Darius and I will raise, the family that we will have. I see myself fighting alongside my pack, protecting it from rogues and other Alpha's trying to take the territory for themselves. I see myself growing old with Darius, tending to him when he's sick and loving him when he's well. I see all that and more."

Amber is silent for a moment. "I wish you all the happiness in the world then Sophie," she said quietly "I really do. But I see your future, even if you don't and it's not a pretty one" she promises me thickly.

Without another word, Amber turns and slowly goes back inside her room, shutting the door on me. Shutting me back out. For the tiniest moment, I feel a flicker of regret but I push it away. Regrets were for losers. Instead, I shook my head and continued further down to my own bedroom, opening the door and closing it behind me, locking the door. I don't want Maria coming in and disturbing me.

I reach out and take hold of several magazines that my mother has left on my dresser for me. They are wedding ones and I plonk myself down on my bed, lying down and flipping through them. I was determined to have the biggest, most lavish wedding I could think of. One that screamed elegance and looked like something out of a fairytale. Darius was going to be my prince charming naturally. Father would walk me down the aisle. A smile plays on my face as I think about the role that I want Amber to play. She'll never see it coming and, I was going to ensure that she wasn't able to refuse. My own form of revenge for her trying to scare me.