CHAPTER FOUR

Catania'S POV

Alpha Chase pulls me along the long hallway which has got barred doors on opposite sites, caring less about the fact that I'm stumbling behind him. His footsteps are long and fast and I can hardly catch-up. I'm an athletic girl, but this is too much for me.

He has my wrist wrapped up in his big palms and it hurts like hell. Why is he using so much force on me? Did I do something wrong?

Is he mad at me?

And most importantly, why has he brought me to the dungeon?

"Alpha Chase" I call out in pain , hoping that he will stop and let go of my sister that is about to be cut off from my body. He doesn't stop though, he keeps walking on, paying a deaf ear to my wincing and stumbling.

When we get to one of the barred doors, he forcefully pushes it open and urges me to get into it, but I don't bulge.

I stay on the spot, shocked. Wondering what I've done for him to cage me up.

"I … I… I don't understand. Why have you brought me here?" I ask worried and Alpha chase's deadly gaze intensifies, making fear spike up within me. Without uttering another word, I quietly step into the dungeon and he immediately locks up the barred doors with a big key. "Alpha Chase '' I can softly as I break into tears.

I really wish he would explain to me what's going on because right now, I am beyond confused. I don't like the silent treatment he's giving me.

"Catania" He finally calls and I look at him with hope filled in my eyes.

"Yes, Alpha"

"I didn't bring you here because you did something wrong, I'm just trying to protect you" He starts to explain but I only get more confused. I can see frustration written all over his body as he walks helter-skelter before the cell door, ruffling his thick blonde hair with his big palms.

"I don't understand you, Alpha Chase" I speak out in fear.

"I'm trying to protect you from those men out there!" He explains further and I understand where he is driving, but I still don't understand why the men were so attracted to me. They seemed to be obsessed and just the thought of how they were growling and walking towards me sends chills down my spine.

What do I have in me that got them obsessed?

"Alpha Chase, please, I will like to know what is going on. First, my wolf was not activated and now strange men seem to be obsessed with me. Is there something wrong?"

"Yes Catania, there's a big problem that needs to be sorted out immediately." He confirms and I swallow dryly and look up at him with sorrow embedded in my eyes. My ears suddenly get all itchy and my palms are so moist right now that one would think I soaked them in water, but it's just perspiration.

"What …what do… what do you mean by that?" I ask with a shaky voice. I'm trying to be strong for myself, but the things Alpha Chase is telling me are too much to handle.

Alpha Chase gives me a hard stare, probably thinking of how to explain the issue better to me, before coming close to the cell door.

"Your wolf was not activated and just a few minutes later, a few male werewolves were crazily attracted to you. They would have ripped you apart if I hadn't taken you away. Those werewolves who were attracted to you were widowed and unmated werewolves"

"Widowed as in werewolves who have lost their mates?"

"Yes! And werewolves who haven't mated yet!" He adds and I cover my mouth and my palms to curb the scream that's about to escape from it.

"Having those categories of men attracted to you can only mean one thing, Catania"

"And what's that?"

"It gives you the identity of a "stealer"

"Stealer?" I repeat as I jerk myself backwards to carefully scrutinize his face,just maybe I will understand what he's talking about just by looking at him. "What the hell is a stealer?"

"A stealer is an unmated Shewolf whose scent attracts windowed and unmated werewolves to herself."

"What?" I ask aghast.

"I believe you heard me well. You have become of age and now, you have the ability to release pheromones in order to attract your mate, but that pheromone is also capable of attracting widowed and unmated werewolves to you and only until you mate with one of them will they all stop being obsessed with you"

"What? No! I cannot mate with a widowed werewolf!" I deny in disgust.

"Of course you can't, that's why you need to find your mate sooner or later. Catania, I know you must be wondering why I brought you in here, I'm just trying to protect you from those men. I have seen what widowed werewolves do to "stealers''. I don't want the same fate to fall upon you, that's why I have brought you here."

He explains with so much sincerity and my heart swells up with emotions, but deep down, I'm still confused, sad and afraid of what the future holds for me. My wolf has not been awakened and because of that, finding my mate will be such a difficult task. How am I going to get through this?

"Alpha, my wolf has not been awakened, so that means I can't find my mate on my own unless he smells me and knows, how then am I going to get through this?" I ask worried and he smiles.

I don't get why he is smiling because nothing is funny.

"And that is another problem. The fact that you don't have a wolf could likely mean that you don't have a mate!"

"Don't say that!" I cry. "Please don't say that"

"I am serious Catania, this is a big deal. I am your Alpha and I would never lie to you about issues like this"

"No!" I deny in tears as I violently shake my head. "I can't not have a mate. My life cannot end like this. Those widowed werewolves will always be on my tail wherever I go. I don't want that to happen. Alpha Chase …" I call as I pass my hands through the spaces between the barred door and hold his big right hand in both my hands. "Please Alpha, just mate with me. I promise I won't let anyone know, I will keep my mouth shut. All I want is for you to covet me so that those men will no longer be obsessed with me. Please mate with me" I beg in tears, but my heart sinks into my stomach when Alpha Chase withdraws from my hold and takes a step backwards.

I know he is disappointed in me. I am literally begging him to have sex with me, but I don't seem to have a choice. This is beyond my control and I choose him because he hasn't found his mate yet as well.

Also, he just said I might not have a mate because of the absence of my wolf. I can take that, but I cannot take the fact that I have to live my entire life hiding from men who want to rip my body apart.

"No! How can you even think of such a thing?"

"Alpha I'm sorry, I'm just very desperate right" I say within severe sobs. My entire face is drenched in tears and all the veins on my forehead are protruding out.

This is worse than the treatment I get from my parents.

"I cannot mate with you Catania. I haven't found my mate yet and I am patiently waiting for her. Besides, if I dare to mate with you, that means I have to marry you whether I like it or not. I can't let that happen. You are a stealer, an unworthy being, a rejected werewolf. You are not worthy of being my lifetime partner or the Luna of this pack!" Alpha Chase spits out with a firm tone and I can feel the bitterness in his words. I look up at his face with pain in my heart.

His words are cruel and demoralizing. His eyes hold no sense of remorse, all I can see in them is disgust.

Even the way he looks at me now is not the way he looked at me back at the garden. I can bet my life that he loathes me.

The pain!

The pain in my heart is excruciating and I wish I could just end my life right now. This is not how my birthday was supposed to turn out.

I was supposed to find and mate and live happily ever after with him, not to become some symbol of rejection.

Sweet Moon goddess, what did I do to deserve this?

"To keep the pack in a calm state, you will have to stay in this dungeon to prevent the werewolves from perceiving your pheromone. I will figure out what to do with you later" then he turns around and walks away, not even sparing me a single glance.

This is a man I used to love and fantasize about. Countless times, I have wished for him to be my mate because I thought him to be kind and softhearted, but after all what he just said and how he has treated me for the past thirty minutes, my opinions about him have changed and I curse all the times I stayed all-night fantasizing about him.

He is a cruel man.

Selfish too and I hate the fact that he is my Alpha.

I hate him!