THE LOVE OF A LYCAN

232 THE ALPHA'S MATE

"You know what? The first time I saw you, even the bunny on your lap is braver than your old self." Calleb nodded at the white bunny that was munching at the carrot carelessly. It sure got a little bit fat under Raine's care.

Raine chuckled when she heard that. "Yes, I think you are right… I didn't even dare look at people in their eyes."

"You have worked hard to become better." Calleb patted Raine's head.

Raine, without doubt, was his Luna, but Calleb always saw her as his little sister who died two decades ago because of a rogue attack. They have the same timidity when it comes to socializing with strangers.

"Thank you for always taking good care of me." Raine said gratefully.

Though they would sometimes squabble over trivial things like most siblings do, Calleb was the second person, after Torak of course, who could make her feel comfortable whenever she is with him.

"Gah! What's with this mood?" Calleb threw his hands in the air and grumbled. He clearly didn't like melancholic situations and heart to heart conversations as it didn't suit his style. "Have you seen the building and all those fancy decorations for your birthday?" Calleb changed the topic.

Raine slightly cringed when she heard Calleb's question.

It had been four days since the news with a big headline 'Torak's woman' broke out and it didn't cease down even a little bit since then.?Tomorrow, in response to the big news about Torak's woman, Torak would actually announce the birthday celebration for his woman - a girl in this case.

Instead of denying the news, Torak validated it as the actual fact.

Of course this news tomorrow would shake all the media online and offline, and would even send bigger waves of shock to all people in the business and entertainment industry.

The preparation for Raine's birthday party was still under way and its extravagance had already been caught by the media, yet they still did not get any clear information regarding the purpose of the party.

"No." Raine shook her head. "I leave everything to Torak to make the decision." She felt slightly down when Calleb reminded her about the upcoming celebration.

Raine left everything for Torak to handle because she didn't even know what she wanted or expected for her birthday celebration.

The original plan was to have a simple dinner with Calleb and Raphael then after that, Raine would ask for her 'gift' from Torak.?To be precise, it would actually bea request.

"You should see the place for yourself. You will be surprised!" Calleb said with enthusiasm, but when he saw Raine grimace, he took back his words. "Or maybe not."

"I am sure I will be surprised." Raine said sarcastically.

"I don't need those people when I already have Torak. I am already more than happy." Raine stated cheerfully.

But Calleb laughed out loud which startled the bunny in Raine's lap.?It jumped down and scurried away.

"I am sure Torak's wolf will wiggle his tail ecstatically if he hears this." Calleb uttered between his laugh.

"You scared the bunny." Raine slapped Calleb's shoulder with annoyance. "Calleb, can I ask you something?"

"What is it?" He asked after his laughter subsided.

"Do I look… beautiful?" Raine blurted out her insecurities. She didn't have a female friend to talk to about men, just like how all the girls in the orphanage were always gossiping about their crush.

The only person who was close enough for Raine to talk to about this was Calleb. So Raine didn't have a choice except to ask him as her insecurities started to bother her.

"Of course you are beautiful.?It is impossible for you to become handsome." Calleb joked and got another slap on his back.

"I am serious…" Raine almost cried because it was embarrassing enough to ask something like this without Calleb turning it into a joke. "I mean… do I look attractive in… a man's eyes?" Her voice was getting small at the end of the sentence.

Calleb raised his eyebrows when he saw Raine blush. "You want to ask if you look attractive in Torak's eyes?" He simplified Raine's question and pointed out the most important part.

Raine nodded her head and bit her lips.?She really felt embarrassed now but at the same time she also wanted to know Calleb's opinion. "Yes."

"Of course you do look attractive.?You are his mate.?Who else would Torak put his eyes on?" Calleb stated in a matter-of-fact tone and tilted his head as if saying, why do you ask the obvious?

For some reason Calleb's answer made Raine feel even gloomier.?It felt like the feeling that Torak had for her wasn't sincere and the mate bond was like a shackle for Torak to be with Raine.

Raine shook her head.?She knew she was only being demanding for no reason, but deep down, the fact about the mate bond really bothered her.

There would always be 'what if's' in Raine's mind…

She couldn't help but remember the question that Serefina and Aeon had asked her about her relationship with Torak without the existence of the mate bond.

What if there was no mate bond between Torak and her? Would he still feel the same? Would he kill Raine instead for being so weak?

"What if there is no mate bond between us?" Raine asked Calleb, unsure how to explain her own feelings on this matter.

"Why are you questioning the impossible?" Calleb furrowed his brows and added. "The fact that you have to be concerned about now is that you are Torak's mate and no one will be able to say otherwise.?Don't bother yourself with other meaningless thoughts."

With that being said, Calleb dusted his pants off as he stood up and stretched his stiff body. "Let's go inside.?It's almost time for Torak to return."

Raine was not satisfied with Calleb's answer.?She had probably become so demanding on this matter instead of being grateful for what she had now, yet she couldn't help but think about this over and over again.

"So, why has Torak not marked me yet? Isn't that something that a mate will do?" Raine pestered Calleb as they went out of the greenhouse, passing by two Lycan warriors on their way to the main house.

"How should I know? I am not the one who will mark you." Calleb face-palmed himself.?As a Lycan without a mate, he was also clueless about this matter. How was he supposed to know? All the things that he had said to Raine at that time were based on what he had heard and not from his own experience.

"It bothers me…" Raine whined.

"Then ask him." Calleb suggested.

"I have a plan to ask him to mark me as my birthday gift, what do you think? Is it alright to ask for something like that?" Raine was nervous if her request would make Torak upset or uneasy.

Calleb stroked his chin as he gave some thought to it. "I have never heard about anyone giving a mark as a birthday gift, but you can try." He said carelessly.?Later on, he would regret his words that had no knowledge in them.

"You think so? Do you think Torak will be upset with my request?" Raine kept asking even as the main house was just a few meters away.

"Why would he be upset? Marking your own mate is only a natural thing to do." Calleb said rightfully. "At least in my opinion. If you want to know more about these confusing things, you can ask Raphael.?He has more knowledge about this than me." Calleb suggested.

But Raine rejected it directly. "No, I am okay with your advice." Raine didn't think she could ask something like this of Raphael.

They were in good terms, but Raine was not that close to Raphael as she was with Calleb to ask something as personal as this.

Calleb shrugged his shoulder.?He didn't even bother with Raine's decision.

==============

When tomorrow came, the announcement came out even before the sun rose from the east.?Donovan's company would hold a grandiose celebration in the most luxurious building in the city.

The uproar and comments online created many speculations even before the official news was released by the company's public relations office.

Torak's name with his mysterious woman was on top of all the search engines in the country.

This was also the first time that business magazines and gossip magazines had the same topic at the same time.

The impact of this news was so great and it almost went out of hand as many women, especially Torak's big fans, started some gossip trash about how the young girl had seduced Torak Donovan, using dark magic to charm the perfect bachelor.

For some people it sounded ridiculous, but there would always be those who found the theory interesting and talked about it with enthusiasm.

That was only one of hundreds of speculation that was circulating online before real information would be published in the afternoon.

The announcement alone would be put on air by five famous television stations at the same time and would also be broadcasted on digital billboard at the busiest streets in the country.

Torak didn't hold back when he announced the birthday celebration of his woman.?This was also a public declaration that he was no longer single, shutting down all chances that any woman has upon him.

When the first wave of comments hit that day, even Raine didn't dare to open her phone or turn on the television since it was always the same news that appeared.

Raine didn't think that this would turn out to be this huge.

She almost pleaded for Torak to cancel it, had she not remembered how Torak asked her sincerely that night to let all people know that Raine was his woman and to let all creatures know that Raine was his mate.

Raine was very nervous to face her upcoming birthday party three days from now.

Two days before the significant day, Belinda came from Raven village to accompany Raine.

Torak saw how all of this commotion had taken a toll on Raine and made her speak less to him. Raine was nervous and it was clear for everyone to see.

Because Raine didn't have female friends or anyone to speak with other than Calleb, who Torak thought wouldn't get how distressed his mate was, and also because Raine wouldn't talk to Torak about what she was feeling, Torak thought that Belinda would be the best person to accompany Raine.

And Torak's judgment was right.

As soon as Belinda came, Raine felt slightly better and became more cheerful than she had been these past few days.

Now that Belinda was there to be with Raine, Calleb could come to the company and help Raphael deal with most of the media matters.?Everything was so abrupt?and there were a lot of things to be handled, not to mention that the public's reaction was almost getting out of hand.

This fact made Raphael concerned.

"Torak… Raine will be the center of attention for months.?Do you think she will be all right?" Raphael asked as they were going out of Torak's office, heading to the multipurpose room on the second floor, where they will hold the announcement on the forthcoming extravagant event.

"We can't keep this a secret any longer." Torak stated in a matter-of-fact tone. "This is bound to happen sooner or later."

"Yes, but should you make it this big?" Raphael asked.

A little bit of information that they had leaked to the public this early morning had made a big fuss, not to mention if they admitted this openly.

"Yes." Torak replied curtly. "This should be big."

"You will attract all of your enemies to attack Raine." Raphael voiced out his concern. "Not to mention that she will be a college student, there will be a lot of humans who will hate her and creatures that would seek for revenge to you through her."

From the beginning,Raphael disagreed with the idea as it was too risky.

"I understand your concern." Torak replied as they entered the lift. "But Lucifer and Andromalius already know that Raine is my mate and also a few minions out there have the same knowledge. It is only a matter of time before the thing you're worried about happens."

Both of them arrived at the second floor and were greeted by the employees, who bowed their heads politely as Torak and Raphael walked past them.

Because of the crowd, Torak resumed their conversation through mind link.

[In the end, the outcome would be the same.] Torak halted as he thought about something before he continued. [I prefer to strike first and set everything within my plan so I can control the situation, rather than wait for them to attack Raine and not be ready enough to know what steps we should take.]

Raphael thought about it for a bit longer and as Torak's words repeated in his head, he knew that his words made a lot of sense.?Afterwards, Raphael didn't dwell anymore on the topic as they walked into the conference room.

By 1 p.m., a large number of reporters had already gathered at the press conference room.?Amidst the multiple shutter sounds, Torak and Raphael stood at the side calmly.

Torak didn't need to make an appearance for this press conference, but he simply wanted to make sure everything was running smoothly as he had planned. He wouldn't tolerate any mishap this time.

The place where Torak and Raphael were standing couldn't be seen by those reporters and neither could they see the reporters.?However, Torak and Raphael could see the public relations manager and his team as they sat in front of many cameras and reporters.?This announcement would be aired live.

At 1:15 p.m. sharp, the press conference officially started. The staff maintained order as the reporters were given 15 minutes to ask questions.

At the same time, many people stopped what they were doing to look at their cell phone streaming the news on line while others stopped walking to follow the news from the digital billboards that were located in the busiest streets of Red River City and Fulbright City.

At the roof top where Aeon resided, he could see the big picture of the digital billboard that broadcasted the press conference live.

He gritted his teeth and the shadow around him turned darker as if he would swallow the whole building into nothingness.

==============

"Don't you want to see the live press conference that Torak is holding for you?" Belinda held her cell phone as she accompanied Raine inside the green house, who was feeding a little white rabbit.

At first Belinda was surprised because Torak had allowed this little creature to reside here, but since it was Raine's request, it seemed possible.

Raine was holding the white bunny while squatting down beside a sunflower.?Her white dress touched the ground and became a little bit dirty, but she didn't seem mind it as she put all of her focus on her pet that was munching spinach from her hand, as if there was nothing more important to her than to fatten the little one.

"No, I don't want to see it.?It will only make me more nervous about my birthday." Though Raine had never celebrated her birthday for eight years, this was the first time she feared her own birthday.

The thought of becoming the center of attention was so nerve-wracking, not to mention that when she entered university, she would be stared at by many people.?And it wasn't because she had committed a crime or got a Nobel Prize, but because she was simply Torak's woman.

"Don't be so nervous.?The Alpha will handle everything." Belinda tried to cheer Raine up, but only got a slight nod from her as she continued with what she was doing, oblivious at all the fuss outside this house.

Even Raine could feel that the human guards looked at her differently, as if trying to see what was good in her that someone like Torak Donovan became so infatuated with her.

The Lycan guards treated her politely and were not surprised at the news, as if they had expected this from their Alpha.

"I know he will…" Raine replied after a few seconds had passed.

All she had to do was be safe and follow Torak's instruction, right? Like a good girl…

==============

Two days passed and the day of her birthday arrived in a blink of an eye.

Her birthday celebration would start at 7 p.m., but as early as 5 in the evening, the hall began to fill up with many guests from influential people that Raine had only ever seen on television or had never seen at all.

The place where her birthday was held was the most expensive five-star hotel in the city.?Torak was the second largest shareholder of the hotel.

That fact though didn't ease the nervousness that had started to build up in Raine's stomach.

It was a good thing that Belinda and Calleb were there to accompany her before she entered the ballroom.

Raine looked so exquisite in her white dress.?She glowed like an angel basking in the moonlight, so pristine and calm, with her long straight black hair cascading down her shoulders and back casually.

Belinda had helped her apply a simple make up and now she was staring at Raine, her eyes twinkling with admiration at what she was seeing.?This made Raine bashful.

On the other hand, Calleb's reaction didn't help either.?He gawked at her as if Raine had grown a third hand and now has two heads.

"Stop staring at me like that…" Raine whimpered.?She wanted to scurry away, or better yet, go home and forget about this party.

"Don't be like that… you are so beautiful." Belinda caressed Raine's cheeks then led her to stand in front of the mirror so Raine could see herself.

Raine stared at her reflection in the mirror and had to admit that she was beautiful, at least for tonight, in this dress and make up.

Her mood had not been good since this morning and only turned gloomier when she watched a parade of luxurious cars coming into the hotel one by one.?They were all her guests, or to be precise, Torak's guests, as Raine had never met them even once.

The fabric of her dress was so soft to the touch and had small crystals around her chest area.?The style of her dress was off shoulder and body hugging, its length reaching her ankle.?She wore nine-centimeter high heels so she wouldn't look too diminutive beside Torak.

Raine wasn't that short, it was just that Torak was too tall for her.

"Yes, you look like an angel." Calleb chimed in, but then he realized. "Well, you are indeed an angel, but you know what I mean."

Raine didn't want to hear those words since she didn't enjoy their compliment at this moment.

"Where is Torak?" Raine looked at the door. Wouldn't he come to pick her up? Raine didn't want to enter the room full of strangers alone.

She also had not yet seen him since they had their breakfast together, although Torak called her five times today to make sure she was alright.

No, she was anything but alright, but at this point, she wouldn't be able to back out.?There was no way to step down from what she had agreed.

It was already 7.10 p.m. and the party must have started by now.

"Don't worry.?The Alpha handles everything. He will order us to bring you inside at the peak of the event, so you don't need to stay there for a long time and attend to all the guests that you don't know." Belinda explained.

Upon hearing that, Raine's eyes widened and she turned her head towards Belinda. "Really?"

"Yes, you will be there for an hour at the most." Belinda sounded perplexed. "Hadn't I told you about this?"

Raine shook her head. "No." She would have been less nervous had she known this beforehand.?She could at least endure an hour of overwhelming attention.

"Don't tell me that you forgot about it!?" Calleb hissed as he watched Belinda grimace. "That's why she kept asking for Torak.?I thought she was just being noisy even though she already knew Torak is entertaining the guests on her behalf."

"What to do? I forgot you know!" Belinda retorted.

"The Alpha will be angry if he knew this." Calleb mumbled and stared at Raine.?He beamed with happiness when he approached her. "Cheer up! Today is your birthday and here's my gift for you!"

He fished out his gift from his pocket and placed something long and slim on Raine's hand.

When Raine raised it to her eye level, she furrowed her brows because what Calleb gave her was a beautifully carved poniard, a slender dagger fifteen inches in length.

Raine didn't know what to say when she received her first gift. "Hmm… Calleb… what should I do with this?" She asked gingerly as she pulled out the sharp blade and carefully held it.

"To protect yourself of course." He said with a proud look on his face. "I got it when I won a bet against an old Lycan who had lived through many dynasties and is now living as an ascetic in a remote area."

Belinda sneered. "What kind of gift is that? Don't you see, the weapon does not please the Luna at all!" She chastised.

"The poniard is meant to protect her, not to please her!" Calleb retorted. "Look at you, you didn't even bring any gift and now you complain about my gift?"

"You!?" Belinda's temper flared up.

Raine had seen this scene many times so she didn't panic, unlike the first time she watched Belinda hang Calleb upside down in the air.

"It's okay, I like it.?Thank you!" Raine stepped forward and hugged Calleb. "Your gift is the first gift that I received after nine years."

"I am sorry I didn't bring anything." Belinda cleared her throat awkwardly. "We don't have this tradition of celebrating birthdays or giving something on birthdays, so I didn't bring anything." She looked regretful now.

Raine smiled softly, walked towards Belinda and hugged her tightly. "I know and I don't mind.?I am very happy that you are here with me during these past three days." She said sincerely. "Thank you, Belinda."

Raine's words made Belinda feel better.

"Alright, stop with this 'thank you' scene.?Torak just asked you to make an appearance." Calleb clapped his hands and separated Raine from Belinda as he assessed her, checking if there was a wrinkle on her dress.

Belinda was so tempted to blow the young Lycan out of this room through the window, but Raine was standing too close to him and she didn't want to ruin her dress.

Together, the three of them went to the main hall where the celebration was already in full swing.

Calleb and Belinda escorted Raine to the side of the stage where there was a huge eleven tier birthday cake, decorated in white and golden colors, and with red roses in every tier.

The sight of her birthday cake amazed her so much that she missed the entire speech of Torak.

Only when Calleb nudged her side did Raine comeback to her senses and she heard Torak's last words.

"… here is my woman. My angel.?My mate." Torak said, his voice husky.?One could detect easily the happiness that was laced in the way he talked about Raine.

Belinda gave Raine a small push on her back so she could take her first step towards Torak.

As she appeared on stage, a thunderous round of applause resounded around her and flashes of camera lights almost blinded her eyes.

Raine was afraid and was about to stagger back to the backstage, but then she caught Torak's blue eyes as he stretched out his hand.?He smiled softly as he talked to her in silence, 'come to me my love'.

With that, Raine stilled her heart and gathered all of her courage to take one step at a time until she reached the place where her mate stood waiting for her.