He Never Cared About Me

••• Charlotte’s POV ••• I opened my eyes and saw my four friends and one of Hayden’s friends, Max. I’d met him before, and I knew he hated me, so I didn't bother with him. “Hayden, how shameless can you be?” Nate growled and punched Hayden right in his face. Hayden was not expecting it, and he took the punch directly. He staggered a few steps back and wiped the blood that flowed down from his nose. He was about to punch Nate back when I saw Max stopping him. “Charlotte, I apologize for his behavior. He is drunk as a skunk and did not know what he was doing,” Max apologized, which surprised me to no end. Didn't he use to hate me? He kept saying bad things about me, abusing me emotionally, just like those who were related to Hayden every time we met. Why was he apologizing now? “I also want to apologize for the past. I shouldn't have humiliated or belittled you. I misunderstood you. I’m sorry about that,” he apologized again. I wondered what was wrong with these two men in front of me tonight. One acted like he was jealous, and the other apologized humbly. Did they get drugged or something? I felt something covering my lower body and saw that Nate had removed his shirt and tied it around my waist. I smiled gratefully at him. “Hayden, I’m warning you. Stop harassing Charlotte in the future, or I swear the whole members of the Moon Crest Pack will teach you a lesson,” Olivia growled threateningly. Max apologized again for Hayden’s behavior while Hayden himself looked at us coldly with his bloodshot eyes and sneered like he wasn't afraid of Olivia’s threat. I was too tired, and after what had happened with Hayden, I didn't want to have anything to do with him anymore. I turned to look at my friends and said, “Let's just go. I'm tired.” My friends naturally would heed my words, especially after witnessing Hayden harassing me. Nate circled an arm around my shoulders and stirred me toward the exit. We left without even sparing a glance at Max and Hayden. Olivia stubbornly asked Nate to drive me home with her in tow. I sat in the passenger seat while she sat in the back seat. I closed my eyes and took a few claiming breaths. “Char, are you okay?” I heard Olivia’s concerned voice. “Yeah, I’m okay.” I glanced back and smiled reassuringly at her. Now that I was calm, I really felt okay. Hayden’s action, although humiliating, didn't affect me that much. I’d just treated it like he was drunk and didn't know what he was doing, just as Max had said. It didn't mean that I forgave him; it was just I didn't want to think about it since I wouldn't want to have anything to do with him anymore. Knowing that I didn't want to talk about Hayden, Olivia changed the subject. “Char, you were so amazing on the stage. So many men asked for your numbers, and I think someone took a video of you dancing,” she said excitedly. I just smiled softly. I was used to it. I knew I was beautiful, not to mention I was an Alpha’s daughter. Many men chased me before I married and became mates with Hayden. “You know what, Char. You shouldn't keep yourself low-key. You should show the whole world your real self. That way, you wouldn't get bullied anymore. You pretended to be weak. That was why you got bullied by Hayden’s family and pack members. Now that you are free of him, it’s time for you to shine!” Olivia lectured me. My smile faltered, but thankfully we already reached my house, so I didn't have to answer her. “Alright, I’ll be my true self from now on,” I promised Olivia before I got off from the car. “It was nice seeing you again, Nate. Thank you for tonight,” I smiled at him, and he smiled back. “Go in. We’ll go after we make sure you’ve entered your house,” Nate said. I smiled helplessly at my friends, who were worried about me, and turned around to enter my house. Sometimes it seemed like they forgot that I was a powerful female Alpha. Not that I was complaining about their care for me, but it was amusing. I quickly showered and plopped myself on my bed. Looking at the white ceiling, I thought about what happened tonight. How did everything come to this point? The main reason seemed to be that I concealed my identity from Hayden. He and Olivia mentioned it. Was it really important? I rolled to my side and thought I didn't purposely conceal it. I meant, at first, maybe I intended to hide it, but I did try to tell him about it during the three years we were together. I kept trying to bring the topic up, but every time I started talking about it, he said he didn't care about it. At first, I was moved. I thought he truly loved me for me; therefore, he didn't care about my background. But boy, how wrong was I... Over the years, I realized not only did he not care about my background, whether I was rich or poor, weak or strong, but he simply didn't care about me. Suddenly a scene from two years ago popped up in my mind. We were having dinner, and Milla was present. “Brother, why didn't you reject and divorce this weak orphan rogue?” Milla complained. “Don't tell me because you love her because I know you don't. There are so many beautiful she-wolves wanting to be your mates. Just reject her. What’s the use of having a useless Luna? She couldn't contribute anything to the pack. She’s so poor she is just a burden to our pack.” And what did Hayden do at that time? Nothing. Nada. He didn't do or say anything to back me up. He didn't reprimand his sister for belittling his mate and the Luna of the pack. He let just her be. After dinner and when we were ready to sleep, I told him Milla’s words hurt me. And his response? “You are indeed poor. What could I say?” he asked with indifference and switched off the bedroom light. Yeah, he didn't even care if I was hurt by others or himself. But I stupidly thought I could make him love me or that he at least had some feelings for me. That was why I was shaken when he told me he never loved me and just claimed me as his mate to make his pack stronger and save future troubles. How stupid was I to believe that mates were supposed to love and care for each other? Shouldn't he feel a bit of affection toward me because of the matebond? No. The only thing our matebond did to him was getting attracted to me physically, and the sex was always amazing. He sure knew what to do with his hands, fingers, mouth, tongue, and dick. Though I was sure it was Rhett’s doing and not because Hayden himself was attracted to me. Maybe it was my fault too. I never put on makeup or tried to look good in front of him. He must have thought I was ugly. So, I didn't understand why it bothered him so much that I concealed my identity. He didn't care about it when we were together; why did he care about it now? Was it because of his ego? Was he afraid to be called a fool for letting a powerful female Alpha go? But it was his own fault for not caring about it before. I let out a heavy sigh and closed my eyes. There was no point in thinking about it now. We were already unmated, and nothing could change that fact. Whether he was angry about me concealing my identity or not was not my problem anymore. We had nothing to do with each other anymore, and hopefully, he wouldn't harass or pester me in the future. If he knew what was good for him and his pack, he would stay away from me. If not... I let out another sigh. It didn't matter anymore. I didn't want to care about him anymore. All I wanted to do now was to do a great job at taking over and being the new Alpha of the Moon Crest Pack and go back to being myself. I would only live for myself, my close friends, and my pack. Hayden, his family, mistress, and pack could go to hell for all I cared.