Charlotte's Pov

I kept walking to the pack mansion which was built only for the occupancy of the pack members, except for the prestigious families who have their own mansion built.

Not that my visit to Stefan is a new one as we've been best friends since we were kids.

Everyone around the pack house knew me as a regular visitor despite the fact that I'm the Alpha's daughter.

Stefan has been my one and only crush. Since my tenth birthday it has been my wish that he ends up being my mate even if he's not,I'm willing to be his mate if only he would one day, see my hidden feelings for him other than a genuine love friends have for each other.

I stopped at his doorstep and was about to push it open when I heard a familiar voice.

I leaned closer on the door so I could hear the voice clearer.

"Stefan,how long will we keep pretending?

I'm tired of hiding it from everyone,I don't even get your reason for keeping this a secret."

This voice sounds so familiar to me,but it can't be Ruth saying this.

How can Ruth and Stefan have a secret which they don't want to disclose to anyone,they aren't even close to each other and no one sees them as friends.

But then again, Stefan, who's my best friend in the whole universe, has a secret which I don't know?

I leaned more on the door and kept my ears firm on it,too eager to hear what the secret was all about.

"Ruth, please give me more time and I will make it official to everyone that you're my mate but not yet,I have to talk to Charlotte personally."

What did I just hear him say?

They both are mates?

But I thought we were the best of friends but he kept me in the dark.

My heart became heavy all of a sudden, it was like what I felt when we lost many of our warriors to the Enchanter Pack.

"Stefan!

What are you trying to say?

Do you know how I feel whenever I sneak out of my house to see you?

Do you know what I feel whenever I have to pretend as a stranger in front of my own mate?

I guess you don't know what it feels like to hide the fact that you've found your mate for a whole six months!"

I can feel the bitterness in Ruth's voice as she said those words.

I turned my back to the door and began to walk out of the pack house.

I still don't belong there.

I tried holding back my tears but it dripped down my cheeks anyway.

I hate shedding tears,it makes me feel weak.

No I won't cry,it doesn't worth it, no it doesn't.

"Charlotte."

Stefan called out my name but that was the last voice I wanted to hear right now.

The voice of that betrayer…

I ran as fast as my legs could carry me to the training ground.

My wolf was threatening to be let out so I let it out.

As I ran,my bones cracked, and skull enlarged,my furs began to appear as my clothes tore into halves,I ran faster at the appearance of my claws.

Awhooo….

My wolf groaned in pain and agony as we ran faster to the training ground.

Right now, it's clear to me that I have only myself to rely on and nobody else,

Just me against the world.

My heart twitched even more and I despise it so much that the thought of Stefan's betrayal to me has a lot of effect on me.

The minute I reached the training ground, I saw my supposed warriors having fun in the name of training.

"What's the meaning of this!"

I growled in a very loud tone via mindlink which attracted the entire warriors to turn and stare at me.

"We aren't here to play or have fun!

We are here to train!

So we can be the best!

So we can conquer our enemies!

We are here to bring out the best in us!

Not to weil away our time!

We aren't meant to train only when our enemies are at bay but we have to be ready and prepared at all times,every damn minute and every second of the day!

Don't just relax because they haven't given us any signal."

I poured out my frustration on my warriors,they all were quiet as I spoke but that didn't stop them from 

looking elsewhere as I spoke but I cared less.

"Mike!"

I called out to one of the warriors who just walked into the training ground nonchalantly as though he didn't see me addressing the whole pack.

"Yes…"

He halts at his track while replying to me.

"You were supposed to be here with the rest of the warriors, where were you?"

I asked him, feeling belittled by him .

"Charlotte,I had something that I needed to handle that was the reason I left."

The way he responded to my question was freaking obvious that he doesn't give a damn at what my reaction to his attitude would be.

That has been my problem with them all,they never see me as someone worth being their commander.

Not that it is their fault in any way, it isn't their fault.

None is mine…

I never wanted a life like mine either.

Being called the Alpha's daughter and yet treated worse than an Omega.

Maybe because they all knew that I ain't the Alpha blood daughter as he never fails to say it out loud regardless of where he was.

He made his subjects see me as a foreigner in their pack. That was the reason they had never accepted me as the commander of the warriors.

All my life I devoted myself to training them to be better warriors but they all never saw my efforts, they only saw my identity…

The Alpha's daughter by chance.

"Did you care to spare me a minute at least, Mike you have to.."

I was still talking but was interrupted by Mike.

"You weren't here,were you?

Did you expect me to run around the entire pack in search of you?

Just take your permission?"

The way he questioned me made me feel like what my stepfather has always said it was indeed true 

'A nobody'

I had to lash my anger out on someone one way or the other.

Growl…

I bounced on Mike immediately using my canines and my claws. I began to tear his skin with a calculated speed, not giving him any chance to defend himself.

I am supposed to be treated like a commander and not otherwise.

I felt a large wolf bounce on both of us and we rolled off on the ground on each side.

When I regained my stand, I looked up to see that it was Stefan's wolf that bounced on the both of us so as to stop me from tearing Mike apart because I am sure of having the upper hand.

"Charlotte, the Alpha sent for you."

Stefan said to me as he walked closer to me making me reminisce on what I overheard in his room.

My heart began to hurt to an extent that I needed to growl loudly. Perhaps it might help me release the pain of betrayal I'm feeling only by looking at him.

"This training is adjourned till tomorrow,you may all leave."

I ordered the obviously tired wolves .

"Charlotte don't you think that we need to talk,I mean we're good friends and shouldn't be fighting over issues as trivial as this."

I turned to his direction the minute those words left his mouth.

Tears clouded my eyes and I didn't know the best act to display, in fact I felt so weak to even open my mouth to say something.

"We aren't meant to,and from today onwards, we are strangers to each other."I announced.

I ran deep into the forest after I said those words to him. It still hurts me so much to know that our years of friendship have just come to an end.

I froze at a spot when I saw a very huge white wolf backing me.I knew it wasn't part of our pack by merely looking at it, maybe it's from the sovereign Pack or perhaps a rogue.

I was about to bounce on it when I felt something heavy bounce on me from behind.

Growl…