Her Broken Mate 41

A few hours earlier*

"Mm, this is a good meal." said Emily, munching on the chicken, licking her lips with relish.

Of course, her mate was hungry, too.

But he wasn't hungry for the food, he was just hungry for her. His eyes were glued to her lips, especially when she let out a pleasurable moan as the food tasted good to her. It made Seth and Sarah giggle when Emily did that on purpose.

After all, her pregnancy hormones were high.

She needed her beta male.

Not on the street, but between the sheets.

Sarah shook her head slightly and was about to turn to Seth when Jupiter stormed through the kitchen in a panic. His chest rose and fell, a frown clearly visible. "Son, Sarah, we need to talk. And we need to do it now. Along with the beta and the female beta, please."

That got the attention of all four, because Jupiter wasn't one to say anything so quickly.

They rose from their chairs, leaned back loudly, and quickly followed Jupiter into Seth's office.

It was a private place, something they needed at the moment.

Just as the door was closed and locked, Jupiter blurted out, "Someone has challenged Seth for the title of Alpha."

The silence before the storm.

All at once they all started shouting and demanding answers. Emily and Ryan pointed their fingers, their faces were confused and maybe a little scared.

Seth, on the other hand, was white as a sheet, his mouth open.

Finally, they got too loud, and that caused Seth to yell. "Everybody be quiet! My dad is trying to explain to us what's going on, and it's not helping that you're all walking up to him and surrounding him. Leave him alone, please."

Just like that, everyone shut up and listened obediently.

Jupiter finally sighed, ruffled his hair, and spoke in a serious tone. "It was bound to happen eventually, especially since you led the pack in the beginning, Seth. You refused to leave your office and talk to anyone. You refused to shake hands, touch, or do most of the things an Alpha has to do. While we all understand why you couldn't do what you'd to do, the people who challenged you didn't."

Well, that caught Sarah's attention.

She stammered out what was still in her head and asked, "Did you just say 'people'?"

He nodded.

Once.

"Are you saying that not just one, but several others have disputed Seth's title of Alpha?" she caught herself screaming, fear growing inside her.

Emily looked like she might throw up at any moment, while Ryan seemed to be trembling, his anger plain to see. He didn't want his best friend to die, not for people who clearly didn't deserve the title.

"This is outrageous!" he exploded, his face red.

"Why would they do that? Don't they know that Seth has suffered enough already!" Emily scowled, tears stinging her eyes.

Jupiter sighed again, "I know. Believe me, it's hard for me to think about the possibility of my son being killed by those vile members of the pack. After all Seth has done for them ... they'd do such a thing. It breaks my heart."

Seth, who'd been silent for a few minutes, clicked his tongue.

"But why now? Why didn't they challenge me in the beginning, when I was mute?
When I refused to come out of my shell and ever smile again?"

They turned to Jupiter for an answer, and he'd the saddest look Sarah had ever seen.

"Because they're the kind of people who're silent in the shadows. A lot of people think they don't talk much, but they're the quiet people to watch out for. They're not socially awkward or anything, they're just watching you and waiting to destroy you later in life. This is now when you're happy and finally have the power to be a real alpha."

And the room went silent again.

"When do the challenges start?" asked Seth suddenly.

A gasp is heard before Jupiter breaks the silence, "After this meeting."

"Right after this meeting?! Are they insane?!" Sarah literally screamed, already growling her words.

Jupiter nodded silently and grimaced.

Emily was already crying, her hormones going crazy. Ryan gently stroked her back, comforting her and at the same time letting himself be comforted by the sparks she was emitting.

It calmed him and his wolf.

Sarah, on the other hand?

She was a raging fire, a storm waiting to be unleashed.

Seth stood silently beside Sarah's bed, his expression blank yet calm. He blinked once and said something that surprised them all. "I can take them. I knew they'd challenge me sooner or later, and I'm glad they're stepping out of their shadows now."

Jupiter sighed. "That's the spirit, son. I think you can win."

Ryan and Emily nodded after they calmed down a bit.

For Sarah?

Not really.

Her fists shook, her voice wavered, before she said goodbye to the room.

She could hear Seth quickly dispersing the gathering as he ran after her. His footsteps creaked and clattered across the wooden floor, his scent enveloping her.

"Sarah, Sarah! Stop, please stop."

She couldn't stop.

She couldn't breathe.

She couldn't stop crying.

Suddenly she felt his arms wrap around her from behind, his face buried in her neck. He inhaled her scent, pressed himself closer to her, and trembled.

"Don't leave me, please."

She inhaled his scent in return and cried out in a broken voice, "I'll never leave you. My soul and my wolf wouldn't stand for it." she paused, turned in his arms and sniffled, "Please win. I want you to win. Don't let those bastards get your title and ruin what your family has built on for generations."

He nodded and pressed a kiss to the back of her neck as she continued to rant and worry.

"I love you, Seth. For the sake of the Moon Goddess, I won't leave you, but in return, you can't leave me. I need you. I trust you to win, but the thought that you might lose is my greatest fear," she whispered, a tear rolling down her cheek.

Seth leaned back a little, his eyes filled with love. "And I love you. I promise I'm going to win. I won't leave you behind, I wouldn't let that happen, especially if you're the Luna. They might claim you and take you away.
Tell me, Sarah. All your biggest fears and worries, your insecurities. I'll take them all and put them out of your misery."

She shook her head up and down, the tears coming out in full.

And so it remained for the remaining time she spent with him before the challenges began.
_ _ _

"You're worried about your weight and appearance?" he asked with shocked eyes.

They were sitting in her bedroom, lying against each other. She'd confessed it to Seth and wanted to vent to her boyfriend about her insecurities. She knew she looked "good" or "perfect" on the outside, but inside she could be such a mess.

It didn't help that Seth had challenges coming up soon.

He nodded and bit the inside of his cheek.

"Why? You're perfect," he countered, raising an eyebrow as he lovingly stroked her thigh while she leaned against him, nestling into his body heat.

"I... Just compare myself to other she-wolves sometimes. How their curves are, their looks, their eyes, and I see the biggest flaws in myself. I don't know why I can't look in the mirror and find myself beautiful. Have you seen the fat on me? It's unattractive. I'm afraid that maybe you don't mean what you say, that you're leaving me for someone else. That I'm not good enough for you."

Seth was silent for a while, then he began to suspect... that maybe he was trying to tell her she was right.

She was about to say something when he beat her to it and stunned her.

"You know... I believe that women's deepest insecurities come from the men who hurt them. They've seen that we ourselves are our own worst enemy, our own biggest naysayer... if you can't respect yourself, who can? Don't you want to be respected by others? It's not easy to love yourself, and my words may mean nothing," he pauses and hugs her tighter. "But to me, you're my world. My dreams. My queen. You rule everything, baby. To everyone else, you're an average woman. In my eyes? You're more. Ultimately, it's up to you to believe it. I can't solve all your problems."

She blinked, lost for words.

"It's almost like a horse. You can only bring it to shore, but you can't make it drink it. I can't change how you think or feel because you've to make the choice to feel that way. If someone calls you ugly or unattractive, you can let them label you and go on like that for the rest of your life, or... You can take control of your life and say, 'No, it's my life.' You can't blame others by saying, 'Well, my mother says I'm fat. My brother or sister says I'm ugly.' It's up to you if you want to be labeled that way. Take control of your life, because in the end, it all depends on you."

She closed her eyes, and the heavy feeling in her chest began to disappear.

She knew it wouldn't go away overnight, but she'd to take small steps.

She couldn't love herself overnight, but she didn't have to do that for Seth.

She'd to do it for herself.

Finally, she smiled, kissed him gently on the cheek, and hugged him. Seth, who'd been silent for a few minutes, grabbed her chin.

She emitted a surprised sound when he did, and stared into his beautiful eyes. They were mesmerizing. She felt the tension in the room begin to heat up.

She swallowed nervously, knowing what was about to happen, but she nodded. When Seth saw this, he smiled.

Soon he leaned in for a kiss.

Just as their lips were about to touch, Ryan and Emily suddenly knocked loudly on her door.

They immediately turned to the door and their smiles disappeared. Sarah's face was red with embarrassment as she heard a frustrated grunt from Seth.

"It's time, Alpha." said Ryan.

And now... the challenges begin.