The Mate He Hates

Alpha Edward’s POV

“Thanks for joining me at the table,” Aunt Victoria said with a smile, and I nodded. She had pleaded with me to leave my room and join her for lunch, and I couldn’t decline it.Published by Nôv'elD/rama.Org.

We began eating while I forced the food down my throat. I had no appetite to eat, but I had to because my stomach was empty. As I ate, I could feel Aunt Victoria’s constant gaze on me, but I would ignore them and continue eating. When she realized that she wasn’t getting my attention, she decided to speak up.

“About the prisoner, I went to check on her, and I must tell you she isn’t doing fine,” she said, and I had to look her way.

“So?”

She sucked in a deep breath, dropped her fork before answering. “I was wondering if you could take her out of the cell and put her among the servants, at least let her talk to people, have fresh air, and bathe properly. If she continues staying there, you might wake up one day and find her dead.”

I frowned at Aunt Victoria’s words and shook my head. “No,” I stated firmly; there was no way I would allow her such privileges.

“Please…” Aunt Victoria begged, but I shook my head. “No, Aunt, I’m not doing that,” I declared firmly before getting up. I left the dining table and went to my chambers. Seated on the couch, I thought of Aunt Victoria’s words, which angered me. I hate the fact that she would want Amanda to live a free life while she brutally killed my mate. The fact that she would suggest that angered me even more.

“Guard,” I called out to a guard, and he walked in.

“Go check on the prisoner and tell me what she is doing,” I said to the guard, who nodded before leaving.

After he left, I groaned and ran a hand through my hair. I was feeling angry; she was the reason I couldn’t get back the voice of my wolf. I should be living happily with Elisa if she didn’t kill her out of jealousy.

I wonder how she could look so innocent, like one who wouldn’t hurt a fly but could murder her sister in cold blood. I knew her innocent look would easily deceive anyone that she was innocent, but it was definitely not me. I have seen and judged murder cases, and most of them seem and look innocent.

A few minutes later, the guard returned. “She is sleeping in her cell.”

Hearing that she was sleeping made me jealous and angry; she had the privilege to be alive, but I wouldn’t let her sleep.

“The firework festival is tomorrow night, right?”

“Yes, Alpha,” the guard responded.

“Good,” I nodded. “Have the woods for the fireworks been cut?”

“No, Alpha, but we are about to do that.”

“No need, give the work to her,” I said to the guards and saw the shock and confusion in his eyes.

“Yes, give her an axe and take her to the yard to cut the woods. Make sure she doesn’t stop until she finishes it, or she faints,” I said to him, and he nodded. I could tell that he didn’t support my decision, but he wouldn’t dare counter my words. “Now go.”

He obeyed and left. A sigh escaped my lips as I relaxed back on the couch and closed my eyes. I didn’t know, nor could I explain, what was going on with me. I was practically turning into someone I couldn’t recognize. My taste for revenge had turned me into something else, but it wasn’t my fault; she brought out the worst in me.

To clear my head, I decided to bury myself with some paperwork that had piled up for me. So I got up and went over to my desk. I picked up a file and began going through it, but my thoughts constantly drifted to her. No matter how hard I tried to ignore her or the thought of her, I couldn’t. It seemed she had occupied my entire mind, and I couldn’t concentrate.

After minutes of struggling to work, I couldn’t, so I decided to drop the file and check on her in the yard.

I left my chamber and made my way to the yard. Upon reaching the yard, I saw her a few steps away, her back turned against me, so she didn’t notice I was standing there.

I watched her lift the axe, which seemed heavy for her. She hit it on the big wood, but it didn’t break because of the little force applied to it. She sighed, lifted the axe, and hit it with a strong force; this time, it made a crack, but it didn’t break. I heard her make an exhausted sigh, and then she looked at the guards with pleading eyes, but they urged her to continue.

Weakly, she lifted the axe to hit the wood, but suddenly, instead of the axe hitting the wood, it landed on her leg, and she shouted in pain. I didn’t know when I involuntarily moved towards her, but I realized myself and stopped.

I watched her wail in pain as she fell to the ground while blood gushed out of her legs. Such a sight of her suffering was supposed to satisfy me, but strangely, I wasn’t. There was this strange feeling I couldn’t explain. I watched her crying as she held her legs, but the guards didn’t do a thing; instead, they just stood and watched.

Turning around, I wanted to leave, but my feet were stuck to the ground. I couldn’t take a step, no matter how hard I tried.

“Please help, it’s painful.” Her loud sobs rang in my ear, and I was compelled to turn around and walk towards her.

Reaching where she was, she looked at me with tear-soaked eyes, and an uncomfortable feeling hit my chest, causing me to look away. “Go get the mansion physician,” I told a guard, who hurried away.

Feeling uneasy, I looked at her bleeding legs and was unsettled by the sight of it. The wounds on her legs were so deep, and I could imagine the pain she was feeling. Settling my gaze on her, I noticed she was sobbing silently, not wanting her cries to be heard, and neither did she look my way; instead, she kept staring at the wounded leg with tears-soaked eyes.

Soon, the doctor came and began attending to her wounds while I watched her. I wanted to leave, but somehow, I found my feet glued to the ground. I watched as the physician cleaned her injury and bandaged it.

“I think a healer should be called. The injury is deep. It will take weeks to heal,” the physician suggested, but I ignored her, and she left.

After she left, I looked at Amanda, whose eyes were closed for a moment, but after that, she struggled to get up and picked up the axe.

My brow furrowed. “What are you doing?” I asked, but she ignored me and went over to the woods.

“Stop!” I yelled at her, but she ignored me and tried lifting the axe. But, I was quick to grab the axe from her and throw it away. She looked my way and glared at me. “What the fuck is your problem?” She asked, gritting her teeth. “You asked me to cut the woods, and I’m doing just that, so fuck off!” She spat with anger.

“How dare you!” A slap landed on her face, but I wasn’t the one who did it, the guard did.

He grabbed her hair. “Go down on your knees and apologize this minute,” he ordered as he forced her to go on her knees. She winced in agony as his firm grip tangled in her hair.

“Apologize now,” he commanded. I observed her slowly raise her head, anticipating an apology from her, but instead, she stunned me by spitting on my face. “Here is your apology!”