Ch. 206..210: The Alpha’s Exchanged Mate Chapter 206-210
The Alpha’s Exchanged Mate – Chapter 206
Alexander’s POV…
I stared at the two women wondering what the f**k I had just heard them saying. Due to Caleb’s mood, we left the office a bit early. But we couldn’t get into the packhouse together as he had received a call from Carlos to attend to something urgent as regards the omega clan. He had left with a promise to return.
Heading to the room, I was surprised that I couldn’t find Becca, who would have come to welcome me as her usual routine. I didn’t see Edwina, either. When I asked the maids if they had both gone out. No one saw them leaving the house, which meant they were around somewhere. I wheeled myself down to the study, knowing Edwina spends most of her spare time in it.
I was right as I neared the door, which appeared to be a bit open. The guards standing by the hallway bowed their heads. I nodded my head in response. The intention was to open the door and get in, but I got stopped by the voice of Becca when she mentioned something about my mother being an actual human. It sounded wrong to my ears; there was no way my mother was human, and I would have known about it.
Hearing Becca, who had been part of my life for nearly two decades, telling Edwina such a huge secret in that familiar manner. It was obvious Edwina had known for a while.
I stood still by the door, unable to show the exact emotion I was feeling. Becca sprouted up from where she sat, her eyes darting around the room, avoiding my eyes.
“What are you talking about, Becca? What do you mean by my mother being human?” I glared at her, not sparing Edwina, who seemed to want to say something at a glance
She fidgeted, trying to find something to say. “Say something, Becca!” I growled. “How could you hide this from me?!”
“It’s not what you think, alpha. Your father wanted it that way, and no one could go against the dead alphas’ wish. There was no way I could have told you.” Becca said, her voice shaky.
“And you.” I turned to Edwina. “You knew about this?”
She stood up, too, “I can explain, Xander.”
“Why didn’t you ever tell me about it?”
“Becca said not to.”
“What?” I spat, “is this a joke? What the f**k won’t you all hide from me at this point!”
Staring at them had me boiling with annoyance. Turning around, I wheeled myself angrily out of the study heading to my room. I slammed the door hard, getting up from the wheelchair and throwing a huge punch at the wall. The pain felt nothing like what I was feeling in my heart at the moment.
All my life, I had thought my father had made very great decisions; we were so close. We discussed practically everything, and he never thought to tell me about my mother’s background for once. I felt betrayed again!
How hard could it have been for him to admit the actual truth to me? It made me regret pushing Edwina away the first time, thinking her not owning a wolf was the wrongest default. If we had been married the first time, the case of Ben and Sonia would have been avoided. I blame my father and Becca, who had stayed close to me since his death. I blame them for all the pain and betrayal I had to experience.
My mother. I never got to know her; I had only fed on everything my father told me about her. I moved around the room, feeling every part of me shake. My wolf pushed to be let out. It shouldn’t hurt this much, but it did.
I was more taken aback by finding out Edwina was aware of it. To think she was doubtful about our child and owning a wolf. It had never really occurred to me, and that was something that I would never be bothered about. Resting my forehead against the wall, I inhaled and exhaled, trying to calm my breath.
“Xander! You can walk?” Edwina said from behind me.
I stood frozen. I had been so carried away it skipped my mind that I was in disguise. Slapping the wall loudly, I growled. Knowing there was no way out of this, I would eventually have to come out in the open.
Swallowing the dry spit in my mouth, I turned to Edwina. She had a horrific look in her eyes. “I can explain,” I said, stretching out a hand to her.
She moved a few steps back, away from me, “since when have you been able to walk?”
I scratched the back of my head, avoiding her glare. “About a year or more now.”
“What?” Edwina gasped. “you knew long before Sonia got exposed and before you married me?”
“Yes, but there was a reason for that!” I tried to defend myself. I wasn’t going to accept the fault without justifying my actions.
“Why exactly did you hide this from me?”
I shrugged, “there was a need for me to know those who would stick to me irrespective of my condition. Sonia began to show her truer self when she thought I would be disabled for the rest of my life.”
“And you think it was worthy enough to lie to me about it?” Edwina had anger in her eyes, which appeared foreign as regards her.
“I would have told you regardless, but I wanted to know if you could fall in love with me without necessarily seeing me stand.”
Edwina scoffed, “you must really think highly of yourself. Here you are, getting pissed about something hidden from you for years, and you are just the same as the kind of person you detest. You kept this away from not just me but everyone else in the pack. How can I trust someone like you?”
I moved closer to her, but she took two steps back. “I have had to endure betrayal at its peak. What else would you have me do?!”
“Don’t you f*****g yell at me!” She bickered, looking livid…
I pulled back, surprised at her outburst.
She pointed a finger at me, “don’t you try to say anything else. It’s obvious you are only concerned about yourself. Who has to put up with all the lies. How about me? Did you ever stop to think about how I would feel? I doubt that since it’s all about searching for whoever would stay true to you. I was really a fool to think you would act any different. You shameless, pathetic liar!”
Leaving me perplexed, Edwina stormed out of the room. I knew there and then that I had probably made the worst decision of my life.
The Alpha’s Exchanged Mate – Chapter 207
Authors POV…
Becca bit on her nails as she paced the room back and forth. If only she had known. She would have prevented her big mouth from spitting out the underlying truth of Xander’s mum to Edwina in the first place. It would hurt her to be the main cause of their argument.
When Xander stormed out of the room, Becca attempted to go after him. But Edwina had stopped her, saying she had nothing to worry about. Edwina had promised to talk to him, and it would be sorted. She believed her, knowing how much Xander respected Edwina’s input.
Checking her time, she noticed Caleb hadn’t returned with Xander. She went to her room to check her phone, just in case he had left a message for her. Becca was right about the message; Caleb had called at first when she wasn’t picking up, so he had dropped a text. It said he went on a quick errand but would check on her before heading to his home.
She blushed at the text as memories of the night tickled her. Leaning deep into the bed, she went to the new cot that had been made for Star, where she was placed to check on her. The maids are obsessed with her; they have taken charge of caring for Star on a routine. Each person fought to be her nanny for the day. She looked so peaceful and beautiful.
It makes Becca really happy every time she sets her eyes on the little one, hoping Star would love her just as much as she does.
Becca giggled when Star gripped a hold of her finger, which she was using to caress her tiny fist. Her grip was stronger than normal. She would make a fearless warrior.
The message notification beeped on her phone. Thinking it was Caleb, she grinned widely. Picking up the phone. Becca almost lost her footing when she opened the message.
In a recorded video a few hours ago, Caleb was being grinded on by Ramona, both of their m***s filling her ear.
It wasn’t just the video; attached to it was a document. Zooming into it, she realized it was a pregnancy test with Ramona’s name clearly written.
She took a step back with an unsteady breath, and a single tear dropped from her eyes. Becca gulped hard, trying to check again. The more she watched the video, the more her heart clenched. She was sure the video was from today since she had personally picked out the cloth Caleb had worn. He had left for his house very early and had done a video call with her to decide the cloth he would wear.
The pregnancy test was the Cherie on the icing for her; she slipped onto the floor, crying bitterly. The pregnancy shouldn’t be a surprise, considering Caleb and Ramona had been together long before she and Caleb began a thing. At the same time, it was uneasy for her to swallow. The tears flowed incessantly as she hugged her legs to her chest, wishing she had never gotten involved in this mess.
A knock came on the door, and it was no other than Caleb. Becca decided she would ask him and hope for the sake of both their sanity; he wouldn’t deny it.
“Hey, baby.” Caleb grinned childishly at her, kissing her cheeks. “so sorry I returned late. Needed to take care of things real quick.” He explained while staring at Star. Smiling down at her.
“Are you still having a thing with Ramona?” Becca blurted out.
The hair on Caleb’s back stood on high alert; he hoped it wasn’t what he was thinking. He had decided to follow Xander’s advice of not letting her know until it was sorted.
Placing a nervous hand in his pocket, he tried to play it cool. “What do you mean, Becca? I have been faithful to you since I told Ramona off.”
Becca scoffed inwardly in irritation at how easy he found it to lie to her face, “you bastard!” She yelled, throwing one of her shoes at him. “How dare you lie to me! What the f**k is this?”
She showed him the video of himself and Becca having what looked like a good time in the office. Caleb’s spittle ran dry as the memories of lunchtime, which he had been working hard to forget, were returning to him in a rush.
“I promise, Becca. This wasn’t intentional.” He pleaded to try to get close to her.
“Don’t take that step.” Becca warned, “don’t you make an attempt to come near me. Now, I would ask you some questions, Caleb and I want a direct answer. How long have you both been meeting up for now?”
Caleb looked like he would cry, “I have not been meeting with her baby. She has been blowing up my phone, saying she wanted to talk to me. And then we met up today, one thing led to the other from there. I promise, Becca, I would never lie to you.”
“But you did the moment you stepped into this room.” Becca sniffed, throwing her hands out. “Now, when did you intend to tell me about the pregnancy?”
“I only got to know about it today.”
“Caleb!” Becca called out in disbelief.
“I’m not lying, Becca please believe me.”
Becca sniffed, trying to hold back the tears. “it’s obvious this was the wrongest move from the very beginning. First, you approached me with pity, claiming you wanted to do right by me. And here you are still screwing your so-called ex, and she is carrying your child. How dare you lead me on when your life is all planned out?”
Caleb had a lost look on his face, “I don’t know what you are talking about, Becca. There was no way I would have known. She was really sneaky about it. Please, baby.”
“Don’t you call me baby, you liar! How dare you, Caleb? Do I look like a fool to you?”
Caleb sniffed, “no baby, please hear me out.”
“I don’t want to see you anymore. Please leave.” Becca muttered, opening the door.
“Don’t do this, Becca. Please, let’s sort this, baby.” He pleaded.
“There is nothing to sort out here, just leave and don’t you f*****g dare to come back here.” She dragged him out when he seemed reluctant to go.
Shutting the door loudly behind him resulted in waking Star up with a loud cry. Becca went to carry her child, hugging her closely as tears escaped her eyes.
The Alpha’s Exchanged Mate – Chapter 208
Edwina’s POV…
My eyes blurred as I tried to stop the tears from coming. I felt foolish for letting Xander trample on my trust, just like every other person in my life that was gone now. How he thought I would be dumb enough to believe his pity story surpassed me.
I had catered for his needs as inconvenient as it appeared due to the condition I thought he was in. Meanwhile, he had been lying through his teeth, all the while sleeping next to me.
I had placed Xander above all, thinking he was different from every other person that had played with my emotions.
How could he do that? How did he not deem it fit to tell it to me? A whole alpha who resulted in lying to not just his Luna but his entire pack as a whole. I feel disappointed being in acquittance with someone as selfish as that, who appears to be more concerned about guarding his heart than the numerous ones that would be pained.
Every member of the night howlers had stayed back rather than run off when war seemed like the only thing they would indulge in to save their pack. I won’t be surprised at how disappointed they would be, too, for having an alpha who thinks it’s okay to lie to his members.
Tears flowed without restriction as I tried to think of my life and the situations I always find myself in. Fate really has me keyed into messy situations. I am beginning to feel like the moon goddess holds a grudge against me.
“Need some company?” Becca sat next to me, her face looking all swollen as mine.
I tried to keep my voice neutral, but it came out scruffy. “Sure, what’s up with you?”
Becca chuckled lightly. She sounded like she had been crying. “You try really hard, but it’s too obvious. Did the alpha insist on throwing me out for hiding his mother’s identity?”
Throwing my head back in laughter, I leaned on my hands, stretching out my legs. “Then the both of us would surely be out on the streets by morning.”
“What happened?” She pressed further.
“I don’t know how to put this, but Xander can actually walk.” I tried not to delve into too many details to avoid breaking into another bout of tears.
Becca squinted her eyes, trying to adjust her sitting position. “can you be clearer, please.”
“He has been healed for nearly two years and clearly has been living under the disguise to protect his heart. That’s what he said, though.” I snorted in annoyance.
Gasping loudly, “are you being serious right now?” Becca scoffed in irritation. “I can assure you Caleb knows about this. The two-faced lying a*****e!”
“Hold your breath and catch it back, sis. What just happened?” I inquired.
Not saying anything, Becca fished for her phone from her pocket. She tapped on it quickly and handed the phone to me. My eyes rounded like saucers when I saw the content of the message. A video and document.
“Ramona sent this to you?” I asked, surprised.
“It’s obvious she did it just to spite me for practically snatching Caleb from her.”
“Should this bother you?”
“It wouldn’t have if Caleb had told me the truth when I asked him, but he still had the guts to lie to my face.”
“That hurts more than being cheated on.”
“Very true.”
We both stayed quiet, staring into the dark nights, our hearts heavy. Who would have thought that as responsible as Caleb appeared, he would stoop so low to act so distastefully? This might sound like trying to play the victim, but I feel Becca and I are too much of good people at heart to be experiencing these sorts of things.
All Becca ever wanted was his affection and commitment, but it still seems like he is hung up on Ramona. My case is quite different from hers, but the bottom line is they both lied to us without thinking of what it might do to us.
“How are you feeling?” I asked Becca
She sighed, mirroring my sitting posture, “I don’t know how I feel exactly. You know love isn’t something that comes easy for me. It takes me time to build my interest in a person and to keep up with it. The love I have nurtured for Caleb went through a growth process, and I know it will never be easy to let go on my part. I don’t want to be loved with pity. I don’t want a love that comes with force. I want to be loved naturally and truly without ever having a cause to doubt such love. But it appears I might be forcing things with Caleb. So, I’m guessing it’s due time.”
I rubbed my palm against my arm, trying to keep the cold out. “I envy your courage and truth, Becca. I had lived the exact opposite of your thoughts, craving love in whatever form it was presented. All I wanted was to have something tagged love. But then, I deserve better. I deserve to be loved right and appropriately. Not being lied to or trampled upon and, most importantly, given the respect and regard I deserve.”
I rubbed my palm against my arm, trying to keep the cold out. “I envy your courage and truth, Becca. I had lived the exact opposite of your thoughts, craving love in whatever form it was presented. All I wanted was to have something tagged love. But then, I deserve better. I deserve to be loved right and appropriately. Not being lied to or trampled upon and, most importantly, given the respect and regard I deserve.”
“And we would get it. Because it’s due time.”
I gritted my teeth, hugging myself tightly as I bobbed my head in response.
“You are cold,” Becca noted.
I chuckled, “I came out in quite a hurry and forgot to get my jacket.”
Becca smiled, “you must have left the room in such a fit of anger to have forgotten your jacket, knowing it’s no longer just yourself you need to cater for.”
I stood up, using her hand for support, “sometimes I forget I’m pregnant.” I rubbed at my tiny bump.
Laughing, “you haven’t gotten to the point where the pubs would show you how strong they really are.”
My eyes light up in excitement, “do you think I would have pubs and not just one?”
“Depends. You might and you might not.”
“Aww.” I pouted. “Would like for it to be about three to four pubs.”
“Why?” She chuckled
I wiggled my brow, “so I won’t have to visit the labour room again.”
We both laughed at my silly joke, and it felt quite relieving.
“I would like to sleep in a separate room tonight,” I informed Becca.
“Noted!” She replied with a head nod. “Let’s make you some hot choco then, and you have a good night’s sleep.”
I rubbed my palms together, “sounds heavenly.”
The Alpha’s Exchanged Mate – Chapter 209
Alexander’s POV…
Woke up to a cold side of the bed. The bags underneath my eyes were enough to act as an airbag during an accident. They were so heavy it felt like my eyes were under pressure.
I had waited up for Edwina to return to the room, but it was obvious that wouldn’t be happening. I was surprised to find out when I drifted off to sleep, though.
My mind wobbled, and all I wanted was to stick to the bed and never have to come out of the room. Different emotions flowed through me. Now that Edwina knows my truth, I feel compelled to let the pack members know too. Truth is, judging by Edwina’s reaction, I’m really scared the pack members, too, would be disappointed.
I g*****d inwardly while pulling at my hair. I can’t believe this shit is happening right now; I thought everything was falling into place, and I would show myself to my woman at the right time. I can tell she hates me now and compares me to that f*****g Ben. Now I have stooped so low to cursing the dead. I might go bonkers at this point.
How did I get so carried away and get distracted for a split second? All of this truth was supposed to be leaked at the due time when I was ready. Edwina is beginning to really fall for me, and it’s the most beautiful feeling ever. Now, I can tell whatever love she had for me had dropped by a max load percentage.
I must have had a sleepless night because my head reeled the moment my legs touched the ground. It’s inappropriate for me to say, but I would really like to hide for as long as I can. There is no way it would be right to shove my apology down Edwina’s throat judging by the gravity of my offence. I don’t need to be told that I would have to work hard towards earning back her trust and love, most importantly.
It’s not probable that I would be able to survive without Edwina present in my life anymore. The mere thought of it seems scary, and I don’t want to think about it. Would be tagged as complete bad luck if my real mate left me again. That would be me having two failed unions and being left to live my almost miserable life alone.
Leaning into the bed frame, I tried to maintain a focus and think of a way out. It’s tiring when one has to deal with so much. There is no need to hide anymore. Half of the warriors know I can walk. The sizzlers pack alpha and his council are also aware. My most trusted men and mate know too. I don’t think I would like to step out of the packhouse still trapped in a wheelchair.
I gulped dryly, it was the weekend, and there was no way I could find a way out of this house unless Caleb was kind enough to get me out of here. Snatching my phone off the bed stand, I dialled his line.
“What? I really don’t want to work today. I would like to go on a month’s leave.” Caleb drawled on the other line.
I checked the phone to be sure I had called the right person. It was just about seven in the morning, and Caleb sounded drunk.
My brain was on high alert now, “where the hell are you, Caleb?”
“My house. Forgotten I have one?”
“Don’t you talk rudely at me! It’s not my fault you sound f****d up, still brooding over Ramona’s spill?”
He hiccuped into the receiver, causing me to pull at my ear. The sound sent a tickling feeling down my eardrum. “If you can get here in a jiffy. I might tell you what happened exactly.”
There was no need to slack; I already got an invite. Hanging up, I stood up and hurriedly got into the bathroom after calling one of the drivers to get a car ready for us to head out. Most of their names had skipped my memory. I had gotten so attached to Caleb even though he wasn’t my chauffeur. It just feels nice driving around with your beta and trusted friend.
My heart sank deeper when I still didn’t get a hold of Edwina. It’s almost like she had gone into hiding. What I was certain of was her still being in the packhouse. Trusting Becca would definitely be with her.
My heart sank deeper when I still didn’t get a hold of Edwina. It’s almost like she had gone into hiding. What I was certain of was her still being in the packhouse. Trusting Becca would definitely be with her.
*
“You should have some.” Caleb stretched a bottle of vodka at me just a few seconds after entering his home.
I slapped his hand away, “do I look crazy like you? It’s unhealthy for me and most especially you to indulge in alcohol so early this morning.”
“Didn’t know you had become a good rating habit right activist.” He taunted, hiccuping again.
I stood from the damned wheelchair, snatched the bottle from his hand and headed to the kitchen. “How long have you been drinking?”
“All night long. Slept for a while and woke up to it again,” Caleb responded, sounding unremorseful.
“Which implies you don’t have a life at the moment. Why do you always have to indulge in alcohol to drown your worries?”
“You are one to talk with those bags under your eyes.” He snorted.
My finger instinctively trailed my eyes. How was he able to point that out while being excessively drunk? All of a sudden, he stood up, heading towards me. Pulling a stool out, he sat on it, his hands resting on the kitchen island.
Ignoring his eyes that kept trailing my movement, I prepared two cups of coffee, keeping it black. If there was a way to make it stronger, I would. Caleb needs some awakening this morning. His own mood had pulled me out of mine. It must be bad for someone like him, who acts responsibly, to be caught drinking alcohol in the early hours of the morning.
Two cups later, Caleb still rested his head on his folded hands, squinting his eyes at me. “So, tell me, why the hell are you here this morning looking sore-eyed?”
The Alpha’s Exchanged Mate – Chapter 210
Alexander’s POV…
Eyeballing his a*s out, I turned my back to him, trying to wash up the used cups. One thing I loved to do was handle my chores. Before I got confined to the wheelchair, I used to swing by Ben’s place to crash after a long day at work. We end up cooking and washing up ourselves. They were sweet memorable moments. I wanted to distract myself from responding to Caleb, or should I say, I was trying to gather my thoughts.
“Why aren’t you saying anything?” He pressed on, raising his head fully now.
“Can you not.” I inhaled deeply, scratching the back of my head. “I hope you haven’t taken my advice of keeping something from your woman because I think that has cost me my small family.”
Caleb snorted, mumbling under his breath. “guess that’s too late. But tell me, what happened?”
“Edwina saw me on my feet,” I told him.
He started with a perplexed look on his face, “Saw you on your feet? How did that happen?”
I rolled my eyes, sitting my butt on a stool. I sighed, “so, yesterday, I barged in on Edwina and Becca discussing my mum.”
“So?”
I hate to have to explain every detail of the things I say. “Well, I found out my mother is actually human.”
“Human?”
“Can you stop responding in monologues, please?” I was really getting on edge.
He shrugged, flicking his tongue over his dry lips. “Was only trying to get the exact detail of everything.”
“I got angry that Becca kept such information away from me and told Edwina, who didn’t deem it fit to tell me about it. Saying they swore allegiance to my father to not tell me about it. I wheeled myself back to the room, got pissed and wanted to punch something so hard. In my anger, I stood up and paced around the room. Unfortunately, Edwina had come to the room to beg me. She got angry, and that was it. I haven’t set my eyes on her since last night.”
“We definitely are in the same boat.”
The response he gave had me taken aback a bit, “what do you mean? “
“Ramona sent a recording of the s*x we had at the office yesterday to Becca, not forgetting to add the pregnancy test result. Compounding more problems for myself, I had denied any recent meeting with Ramona, which only pissed her off the more. At this point, I guess I would die single.” Caleb g*****d uncomfortably.
“Doesn’t sound exactly bad.”
“Stop playing around right now!” He glared.
I raised my hands up in surrender as we both sighed. “this is so f****d up!”
“Beyond our imagination. Almost like we did the moon goddess wrong.”
“Might be the case. It’s tiring.”
Thinking it through, the mess we both got into was my fault. Caleb might have come out clean to Becca if I hadn’t been the crazy counsellor.
“What do you intend to do now that your Luna knows the truth about your disability facade?” Inquired Caleb.
“Probably, it’s time to let the pack members know about my healing.”
He chuckled, “healing my bloody a*s!
I pointed a finger at him, “you should really mind yourself.”
“I’m high as f**k, Xander! The only thing I can indulge in is to play loose-mouthed.”
I laughed. Caleb is one hell of a terrible drinker. It would have been better if I was the one indulging in drinking. With me, there is still a minimal amount of control.
“When do you intend to make the announcement?” Asked Caleb.
“Thinking I should do so in a week; I can probably get Edwina’s attention back by then.”
“What would you tell them happened. There is a need for a believable story.”
“Did I ever tell you; that fabricating stories is more of my hobby?”
“You don’t say!” Caleb laughed, “I should go have a bath. I feel like I reek.”
Using two fingers to hold my nostrils together, “you definitely reek.” I assured him.
“Oh really?” He raised his armpit, sniffed it a bit and made a move to make me have a smell too.
“Oh really?” He raised his armpit, sniffed it a bit and made a move to make me have a smell too.
“Don’t you mess with me!” I screamed in a girlish manner, running away from the kitchen.
Laughing to his fill, Caleb eventually left for the bathroom. Hunger was beginning to pull at my belly, I made a quick sandwich, but being the good person that I am, I also made Caleb a smaller plate than mine. It’s better than nothing at all.
I had just settled into the couch when a knock came on the door, I intended to yell out Caleb’s name, but it would be dumb of me knowing he might not hear me. I doubted if he was expecting anyone, but to avoid taking any chances, I stood up and sat in my wheelchair before heading towards the door.
I should have known it wouldn’t be someone Caleb would like to see, considering how early it still was. Ramona stood by the door with a determined look on her face. She obviously came around to stir Caleb up.
“Alpha!” She called in surprise, bowing her head almost immediately. “You are here.”
I nodded stiffly unintentionally, though. Opening the door wider, I let her in. Not bothering to let me ask her to sit. Ramona made herself comfortable on the couch.
“Is Caleb in?” She questioned, staring at me.
For a moment, I wanted to think that Ramona was high on something to not fear my presence at all and ask after Caleb from me.
“The question is, why are you here, Ramona?” I raised a brow sternly at her.
I heard a light scoff from her, “I came here to see my boyfriend, alpha.”
“The last time I checked, the both of you aren’t together anymore.” I glared
“It’s obvious he tells you everything. I’m his girlfriend, and only I would determine if it would remain so.” She said with a certainty that sounded a hundred.
“What the f**k!” Caleb let out in an irritating tone.