“I Piper Whitlock, warrior to the Black Haven Pack...reject you Bradley Drake as my Mate.” She whispered into the darkness of the room and then fled as fast as she could as pain coursed through her body. ‘He enjoyed my purity, not me.’ she thought as pain replaced the pleasure she had been feeling tonight. She knew she looked a terrible mess, tears streaming down her face, and she’d stumbled and fallen many times as pain tore at her insides but had picked herself up and kept going. Stepped out over the border right into rogue territory, saw him step towards her his eyes widened at her actions. Not many females would do what she was doing. “I...am finally free now.” ****** Piper sobbed softly out in the middle of the woods, it was all too much to handle nowadays, it was time to leave her home pack here in Montana. She could no longer take the pain of his betrayal anymore. Not that her Alpha, Alpha Bradley of the Black Haven Pack, knew that it hurt her, every time that he was with another; he had no idea who she was to him. She, however, had scented him out 3 years ago, at the age of 18. On the first full moon after her 18th birthday. Had felt pain almost instantly, and not because he’d been with another at the time, but because he’d not scented her, not recognized her as his Mate. He had bumped right into her that day even. Piper and her wolf Harper were more than nervous, tracking his perfect woodsy scent through the packhouse. It had a hint of blackberry, had led them all the way to him. She had been standing right behind him, only half a foot away, he was taller than she was, by a long way, he stood six-four and was all muscled up, he’d been wearing faded blue jeans and a dark purple tee-shirt that day, his dark brown hair had been a little messy. Alpha Bradley had been talking on his phone that day, and when he had turned around, had run right into her. His deep blue eyes with those flecks of green in them, had turned right on her, and then he’d frowned right down at her. She was only five-six, he’d towered over her. There had been no recognition in his eyes at all, “Don’t stand so close, girl.” he'd stated casually, and then had stepped around her and just walked away; and her heart had broken. Harper had howled in pain inside of her mind. They’d known what he was to them, but he had no idea. It was what she and her wolf had always feared, all her life, even before gaining Harper, even since she was little, had lost her parents to a rogue attack at the age of 10, and no-one here seemed to notice her after her parents' death. No-one seemed to know who she was, it was like she just didn’t exist. That had been her life. Although she had attended school here in the pack's small K1 to year 12 school, and had graduated with good marks, people were always bumping into her, and telling her to watch her step. No-one knew she was there, invisible to the entire pack is what it felt like, unless someone was looking directly at her, and she knew why. She had no scent. Though she could smell every one of them, no-one could smell her. She had gotten a job and worked long quiet hours, tucked away in the back room of a dress-making store inside the pack. She’d loved to learn how to design and create beautiful dresses. Even a lot of the pack's she-wolfs wore her dresses to the pack's events and mating balls. To their 16th and 18th birthday celebrations. She, however, did not. She lived alone away from the pack, out in a tiny cabin away from everyone, so that they would not hear her sobs and distress as she put up with the pains of betrayal. The first time she had felt him with another, she and Harper had howled in pain and run away deep into the woods. Found that tiny cabin no longer in use, and curled up into a ball, had stayed there in agony till he’d stopped being with another. Then had just stayed there for a whole day, unable to go back to the pack. Their pain would have been for all to see, if anyone saw her that was. There was nothing they could do about it. It had hurt like nothing she’d ever felt before, and continued to do so right to this day, and to hide their pains they had hidden themselves away, unable to tell him, what he was to them. She knew he would never believe her, only if he scented her out would he recognize her as his Mate. She and Harper both knew this, and they both knew he was never going to be able to do that either. The pains were worse when he was away from the pack; mating some other she-wolf in another pack. Did not hurt her any less than the one she-wolf here in the pack he bedded on a regular basis. Three long years she’d had to suffer now. Three long years she’d walked the halls of the packhouse, came across him, and not once did he pay her the slightest bit of attention, and when he did bump into her; as did so many others. Because they couldn’t smell that she was right there, he would just frown down at her, either apologize, or ask her to move out of the way, and just move on. Had occasionally snapped at her all angry to watch where on eаrth she was going. For two years she slipped into his bedroom when he wasn’t here in the pack, looked at his things, touched his clothes, felt hot tears slide down her cheeks; for the man that was her Mate. The man that had never once scented her out. The man that she and Harper loved, but would never love them. She had even slept curled up in his bed, not that he’d ever known it. No scent of her remained, she could wander at will anywhere she liked, left no trail at all, had even sat in his Alpha’s chair once, touched his desk and wondered what it would be like to be his Luna. Tonight, he had been with another, she knew who. He had one regular girl here inside the pack, Bianca. She was older like he was, a warrior, highly ranked. She’d seen them together chatting and flirting on occasion. Seen the way he looked at her body, even that hurt too. He desired Bianca, she was tall and very fit, all muscle, he liked that about her. Piper had once been fit like that, not tall but very fit, and had been strong too. But the past three years had drained her, she was thin now, always had dark circles under her eyes and looked quite frail. The small amount of joy she had taken from training, as a warrior, to try and make her parents proud; they had been warriors, that joy of being a good fighter. Not that she had been old enough to go out and fight, had dwindled to nothing, once she’d turned 18; she was barely a shell of her former self now. She stayed away from all pack events, just worked in the small back room of the store, surrounded by materials and designs to be created. Orders to be filled. Her only solace; that she could create something so beautiful amidst her own misery. Harper was a ball of sadness and pain, they could not take anymore, they had to leave, it was killing them, and she knew it. Bradley was going away on some Alpha meeting, or some pack business in just two days, and so that is when she was going to say goodbye and leave. She had no idea if she could reject her Mate without him being there or knowing what she was to him for that matter. But that was what she was going to do. She had to try anyway, it was all they could do. Piper figured if he had no idea who she was, for the past three years, then why would he need to be there to hear her rejection. It was likely only going to cause her pain. He would feel nothing because he knew nothing. Then, once the full moon came and went after that rejection, surely it would be official, and severed completely by the Moon Goddess herself, or at least she was hoping that’s how it worked. She and Harper had put themselves in front of him many times, they had no choice left to them, they were nothing to him, never would be and they knew it. Three full years and nothing. Not once had he so much as twitched a nose in her presence. So, no more would she put herself or her wolf through that. They had enough money saved up to go out into the human world, and make a living for themselves. She had good skills in fashion and design. Although she mostly made dresses, there were millions of humans in need of wedding dresses. The equivalent to a Luna Ceremony Gown. Spent the next 2 days in the packhouse library, looking at places she could go; her mind made up. She was not even going to look at him one last time. There was no point. She sat at a computer, one hand on the mouse scrolling through places that were well away from the pack. Away from forests and where other packs could well be. She may be a wolf, but she didn’t feel like one; she was just invisible mostly. Her other hand was on the Blue Azure Crystal Pendulum Drop necklace that hung around her neck. It had a white gold chain that was fine and felt warm against her skin all the time, and had a white gold casing, to hold the crystal itself and a smaller blue azure crystal ball right above the casing that attached to the chain. It had been her mother's, she'd told her that one day she would get her daughter one too. A gift for her 16th birthday, and they would have matching mother-daughter jewellery. But Piper had only been 10, when she had lost both her parents. She’d never taken it off, it was the only thing she had left of her; she had found it on her mothers body when the attack had been over, and had retrieved it as her only heirloom. She and Harper were at the point where they might as well live as a human, no wolf would ever smelled her, and she would remain Mate-less from the moment she rejected him. They were already resigned to that fact. She found a nice city several states away, Harper didn’t care that there was no forest nearby. She had not shifted to her wolf in over a year now, couldn’t, it seemed, or perhaps just no longer wanted to. So she was fine with a city, didn’t want to be in the woods, didn’t want to run and be free, didn’t seem to care at all anymore about being a wolf herself. Piper found and booked a flight out there, a hotel for somewhere to stay, while they found a small apartment and sorted out the business that she was going to create. They would die and wither away, no more. They would become strong from this, and live a human life from now on. Then they went back to their cabin in the woods by the southern border of the pack, and had just stayed there. They could see the pack gates with the use of a set of binoculars from the roof of her cabin. She sat and watched and waited for his car to leave, not that hard to spot, it was white, unlike most of the other pack cars, that were black or silver, he drove a white Mercedes SUV. She saw it leave and grabbed her hiking backpack. It was full of her belongings. Living a simple life meant not much to pack. Her whole life fitted in that one backpack. It was large and designed to be used for long hiking trips, but even with her small, weakened stature, she could manage it. Piper walked through the woods until the packhouse came into view, sighed heavily and headed for it. Today was the day, she was leaving. No-one would even notice she was gone because they didn't even know she existed. Only those who came into the store to buy one of her dresses at Renee's store, Haven Gowns, may wonder where she had gone. Though Renee had always claimed them as her dresses, she told Piper she was the store owner, so this was how it was. Piper's name was on the label of all her dresses though. Renee never minded about that, and she did pay Piper well. Not that anyone ever asked who Piper was, or asked to meet her. She walked into the packhouse and right up the main set of stairs, to the very top floor. No-one stopped her, placed her backpack down the hall and around near the Omega stairs, that she would use to leave. It was out of sight and no omegas would be up here at this time of the night. All their work done for the day. Only the Alpha Unit lived in this part of the packhouse; and they were all off with the Alpha. She walked down to his suite and let herself in. It was clean and smelled like him, fresh pine with eucalyptus and that hint of blackberries. She walked about one last time, a glutton for punishment, she knew. Should have just left already but couldn’t, not without one last scent of him. Walked into his walk-in and touched all his clothes, slid her hand along them all, touched everything, couldn’t help herself. As much as it pained her and Harper, they were still drawn to him. Likely always would be, leaving was simply self-preservation and if her rejection did not hold, they’d likely not survive much longer anyway. Piper walked over and stood looking down at his bed, one last night here in his bed, and then gone at the brink of dawn. That was the plan. He’d be gone for several days; always was. The first night away was usually peaceful, but not the nights after that. She stripped off all her clothes and got into his bed. Grabbed onto the pillow that smelled the most like him and buried her face into it, letting the tears fall one last time. She fell asleep in the middle of his big king-sized bed, wrapped in his scent, in the very sheets that would touch his skin while he slept, allowing herself to dream it was where she belonged one last time. She woke with a start. It was still dark, then there was the sound of the bedroom door banging closed. She bit her lip, heard movement and then the sound of clothing being removed. She could smell him. Bradley was back, he could not smell her, had not realized she was in here, in his very bed, he hadn’t even turned the lights on. She was very small at five-six, and was now so thin that she likely didn’t even make a small lump in his bed which had a thick plush feather down comforter on it. He got into bed, and she prayed he’d stay on that side of the bed, that she would be able to slip out once he was asleep. The punishment for this kind of thing; being in his bed, would likely be terrible. And he would be the one to dish it out. She did not relish the thought of getting a beating or whipping, or thrown in the cells afterwards by her own Mate. It would likely destroy them completely. Why was he back? His hand touched her back, stilled completely on her skin, and then a large angry growl came from him. He knew there was a stranger in his bed, he was well within his rights to kill her, and she and Harper both knew it. Wondered if he’d even feel the disconnection afterwards, though doubted it. Then his body was suddenly pressed up against hers. “Well, I guess you want some time with your Alpha.” his voice had suddenly turned all husky and his hand had slid over the curve of her hip, and he’d pulled her hard against him. His mouth was on her shoulder and a groan escaped him as his fingers dug into her hip. “I could use company after my day.” he’d growled, “So you’re in luck.” his hand slid up her body. It was leaving a burning hot trail over her skin, everywhere he was touching her. Piper had no idea what to do. No-one had ever paid her the slightest bit of attention, no-one had ever touched her, and now he was; something she never thought would happen. His hand slid over her hills, and he stroked his fingers over her niple. She gasped as it hardened under his touch, and heat bloomed between her thighs, then she was tugged over onto her back and his mouth was on her neck, his hand sliding down her body “F'k-, you're hot to touch.” He’d growled into her neck, sounding full of desire to her. His fingers had dipped right between her thighs and, oh Goddess, the pleasure of his touch, she had cried out as he’d stroked her firmly, grabbed onto him, wanted more, needed more of him. “Please,” she had whispered, and his fingers were buried inside of her a second later, a deep groan had come from him, as she’d moaned at the intense sensation of him touching her so intimately. He was moving his hand, pushing his fingers in and out of her, as she clung to him, could feel her first ever or'gаsm coming, gasped and moaned under his touch, arched up to him, and moaned his name as it rolled through her body. Heard him growl “Oh, that was fcking fine.” Then his mouth was on hers, and she felt him tugging her legs apart. It was too late for her, she could not deny what she’d always wanted. She couldn’t even utter the word no, somewhere inside her brain she knew she should but couldn’t. Then he was in her, one hard movement all the way in. She cried out in pain as he took her, and felt his whole body still atop of hers. He knew, it was likely obvious she’d never been with another “Oh dayum, even better.” he’d suddenly growled down at her, then his mouth was on hers once more, and he started to move, taking her slowly at first, and it hurt, it was uncomfortable, he was so big, and she felt stretched completely around him. His mouth moved to her neck as he tasted her skin, slid his tongue over her mark spot, and her whole body burned hot like it was on fire. She cried out his name and thrvst her hips up to meet his, pleasure finally taking over, he was her Mate and was having her, if only just once, she would have him for herself. Take all of him, give him everything of herself. He picked up the pace as he felt her acceptance of him inside her. Cried out as pleasure started to build quicker, ripping through her body, like nothing she’d ever imagined it could be. Clung on to him and begged him not to stop. Heard his deep throaty chuckle “I think you like it.” “Yes,” she had answered him honestly, “Please, I want you, all of you.” she moaned and had meant every word. His mouth had found hers, his body moved harder and faster, giving her what she had asked for, heard him groan as he came, felt his seed spill inside of her; like a hot river spreading through her insides. Dug her nails into him as she’d cried out his name. His hand slid down her body. “You feel amazing,” he growled deeply. His hands had gripped her a'ss firmly, and then he was moving again, hard and fast. “I want more.” he’d growled into her neck, pulling and pushing at her hips, his need to have her increasing. Then he was gone from her. Piper had gasped at the sudden loss of him, only to be yanked over and up onto all fours, heard his gasp as he took her from behind “f'k- yes.” and was thrvsting in and out of her firm and hard, faster and in his need. Piper cried out repeatedly as he held her hips, gripping on to her hard, and he was suddenly slamming in and out of her. She could hear her own cries of pleasure filling the darkness of the room, she could hear Harper howling with pleasure inside her own mind, as he took them. Screamed out as she climaxed. Only to have him shove her down on the bed and grate out “More.” was holding her down, one hand on the back of her neck while the other pulled her hips up “f'k-.” he roared as he started again, thrvsting like he had lost all control taking what he wanted furiously, hard and rough holding her down dominating her completely "Oh, f'k- yes." he was really moving now, giving her all he had, everything. Piper could barely gasp for air herself, just cry out as wave after wave of pleasure hit her, could feel the 0rgа5ms one after the other ripping through her till she was screaming in pure bliss. Her whole body shunted forward as she screamed his name one last time as he slammed home, his seed spilling inside of her again. His body was heavy on top of hers, she lay under him, gasping, trying to breathe and calm down, his breath she could feel was heavy and ragged like her own. “I like fkn you.” he’d groaned as he’d rolled off of her body and lay on the bed next to her. Piper's joy at what had just happened, was gone in an instant, she felt hot tears burn her eyes. ‘He liked fcking her.’ she thought, as pain in her heart replaced the pleasure she had been feeling. She was his Mate, and still, he did not recognize her. Felt not just her own heart shatter, but Harper’s too. She did not look at him, couldn’t, just lay there quietly, held in the sobs of pain, and waited for him to fall asleep. Then she dragged her aching body from his bed, he still could not tell what she was to him. It was just a good f'k-. She picked up her clothes, could hear him snoring softly, as her tears continued to fall silently down her face. At least they’d gotten to have him, just once. She stepped away from the bed, from him, and closed her eyes and tried to stop the flow of tears. Pulled on her clothes, turned from the bedroom doorway, and looked at his sleeping body, pain seared through her and her wolf. They would never survive his betrayal again. Not after this, they both knew it, and they knew he would go off and be with someone else. They were nothing to him, never had been, and without a scent for him to smell, they never would be. Piper took in a long silent breath, “I Piper Whitlock, warrior to the Black Haven Pack...reject you Bradley Drake as my Mate.” she whispered into the darkness of the room, and then fled as fast as she could, as pain coursed through her body, she heard Harper howl in pain inside her mind. They ran from his suite, down the hall, grabbed their bag and stumbled and nearly fell most of the way down the stairs to the door at the bottom, struggling with the pain of their rejection. Refused to stop regardless of the pain, they had been through a lot of pain in the past three years, they knew how to run, and hold it in, to hide it until they were alone. She didn’t stop running until they reached the western border of the Pack. She knew she looked a terrible mess, tears streaming down her face, and she’d stumbled and fallen many times, as pain tore at her insides, but she had picked herself up and kept going. Was still sobbing from the pain she was in, when she looked at the patrol man, he was frowning right at her, had no idea where she had come from, or who she was; not scented her coming, would have heard her, but even now, she could tell he was confused as to what she was. She stepped out over the border right into rogue territory, saw him step towards her, his eyes widened at her actions. Not many females would do what she was doing. “I reject Alpha Bradley Drake and his Pack, the Black Haven Pack, as my Pack, I...am a rogue now.” she’d stated firmly; her decision clear in her mind. The border patrol man gasped in shock, then she turned and ran from everything, and everyone she’d ever known, as she felt herself being severed from the pack entirely. It was the only thing that could save her and Harper. They would die here if they had to stay and suffer any longer. They were not afraid to be out in rogue territory, had been out here before, not even a rogue picked up her wolfen scent. She was a mere human to them as well. So, a human they would be from now on. They would live, breathe, eat and work as a human would, in the human world. She made their way to the airport to catch their flight and start over. A wolf no more. Piper POV Piper stood in her bridal shop window, pinning the dress to the mannequin, to make it a neat fit and look its best to attract customers. Not that she was short of them. She smiled, her designs were well liked, even here in the human world. It was a lovely strapless A-line gown, a blush coloured dress with a square neckline, the skirt flowed freely, and it had a bodice covered in hand embroidered crystal beads. It had a pulled up and neatly pleated section, at the front of the dress, that allowed all the wonderful soft ruffles of the overlapping layers of the soft satin material to be seen. She did like it, had just finished it yesterday. Her store ‘Goddess Gowns’ here in Portland was one of three she now owned. Her main store, where she worked from, was a nice space, in a two-story building, where all her gowns were on display downstairs, with a spacious sitting area and plush seating. There was a small runway from the dressing rooms, out into the center of the store, where the waiting guests would sit and watch the bride-to-be show-off the dress she chose. Her office was upstairs in a loft space. She’d had split the loft into two large rooms, her office in the first space and her working studio in the second, where she sat and created her gowns. She was good at her job. Liked her work and had sold many dresses to wealthy humans, as well as regular humans, she catered to everyone. She kept to herself as much as possible, but did hold and attend fashion shows, and was quite well known in the bridal industry. She stepped back and looked at her latest creation, adjusted it a couple of times, until she was happy with it. Hearing the pretty bell she’d bought tinkle as the store's door opened to let someone in. Most days they came by appointment, but on Tuesday's she kept her books open, for walk-ins. Her books were pretty full at the moment, Izzy would likely show them around, or make them an appointment to see her at some point in the future. Then the scent hit her, they were wolves; inside her store were werewolves. She felt Harper growl a little inside of her mind. Although they had come across wolves, and all other manner of creatures over the past eight years, today the scent that hit them, reached their nose. It was one that particularly annoyed them. Without even turning to look, she could hear the woman, who was laughing and happy, excited to be in this very store, to purchase her gown for her Ceremony as she called it. She heard the man chuckle and reminded her that Brad, had told her to get whatever she wanted, he did not care about the cost it would incur him. Piper stepped out of the window display, and refused to even look at them. She knew by the scent that was on them, they were of her old pack, likely from the way the woman was talking. This woman was here to purchase a Goddess Gown designed by Piper Harper Designs. To wear to her Luna Ceremony, and to none other than Bradley Drake himself. “Izzy, please attend to the customers.” she stated flatly as she headed up the stairs to her office. “Yes Piper.” she heard Izzy call after her. Piper nor Harper wanted to be anywhere near that woman or her escort for that matter. Pain was already pulling at them both. He’d found another, it seemed. No not found another. Had scented out his first Mate. She thought bitterly. He’d never once scented her, but obviously had that woman downstairs in her very store. She and Harper might have left out of self-preservation, but it didn’t mean they didn’t still love the man. Knew their rejection had worked, seeing as not once since that night, had she felt the pains of betrayal. It had been the right thing to do, saved both her and Harper. They’d moved well away from that pack, several states away in fact. Why were they here in her store? This was the first time, they had come across the Black Haven Pack, since they had left. Why of all places would that woman come all the way here to her store? Was it just some cruel joke? She already felt like Selena had rejected her and Harper, cursed them and given her a life of torture, but no, that wasn’t enough, it seemed. Now her Mate had his own Mate, and was here to dump pain upon her once again. There was a knock on her door “Piper, sorry to bother you. The young lady downstairs wants one of your older gowns,” Izzy stated. “I don’t make those anymore.” Piper replied calmly, “Just tell her to buy one off of the racks downstairs. I’m sure there is something she will like. I don’t have the time to make anything new right now, even from the old.” “Yes Piper...are you alright Piper?” Izzy asked her with a slight frown. “I’m fine Izzy, have a headache is all.” she waved the girl away. “Close my door, I can’t stand the smell.” she stated, not wanting to smell them, or even hear the conversation that those two down there may have. And to hll with it, if that escort or the girl heard her comment about the smell. She glanced at the large wall clock and sighed, hopefully they would leave soon. She had to go and get Brandon from the bus stop in a little while. Did not want that man around her son, period. Not that he would connect any dots, she did not smell to that wolf downstairs, and any likeness to Bradley would simply be shrugged off. There was a knock on her door a few minutes later, and she was about to raise her voice to Izzy, for disturbing her yet again, because she’d been given instructions already. When the door opened without her stating to come in, she looked at it with a deep frown on her face. Her jaw tightened as she watched Cooper opening the door to her office without permission. Cooper, the Beta to the Black Haven Pack, stood there in her office doorway, smiled right at her, all charmingly, thinking he was going to be able to use his good looks and charm, to be able to sway her into whatever he wanted. Most human females would be drooling already, at his black hair and deeply dark charcoal grey eyes, his chiseled jaw and well-built physique. Little did this wolf know, she wasn’t some gullible human out for the charming. She was not going to fall at his feet and stare up at him all dreamy-eyed, and become so smitten that she’d do whatever he wanted her too. It was likely how he’d gotten past Izzy though. Had used those stormy grey eyes of his and, by the look of it, had run his hand through his hair, which would have showed off the muscles in his arm. He was only wearing a short-sleeved, very well-fitted tee-shirt, and those sickeningly perfectly pearly white teeth of his; that he had turned on her now. He was a picture of charm and sx appeal; he was definitely trying to play on his good looks to get what he wanted. She was not attracted to him in the slightest. “Hello, I’m Cooper.” Piper cut him right off there. “I don’t care. Get out.” she snapped at him. She did not want this wolf anywhere near her at all. Watched his smile actually falter, and he frowned at her. “That’s not a very nice way to treat a potential customer, I have a friend here who would...” “I don’t care.” she cut him off once again. “I already told my store manager, Izzy, I don’t have time to make a dress from an old, obsolete line.” she turned her eyes away from him, back to her desk and the design pad in front of her, effectively dismissing him, he would understand that; likely seen his Alpha do it many times, he’d probably done it himself a heap. “Please,” she heard him actually step inside of her office “We’ll pay whatever you want.” Piper turned her eyes back to him, more than annoyed now, trying to use money to get what he wanted. Now he understood his looks wouldn’t do it; typical. “I don’t need your money. Now I am very busy Carter...was it. Have your friend choose something in the store downstairs.” “It was Cooper,” he grated out, sounding like he didn’t like her tone. Well, she didn’t like him in her office, any more than he looked like, he wanted to be there right now. She was ticking the man off, it seemed. Good. Maybe he’d take that woman and leave altogether. “My friend wants a custom Piper Harper gown.” She rolled her eyes right at him, whose store did he think he was in? “Everything downstairs is a Piper Harper gown.” she dripped sarcasm at his stupidly spoken request. “You are very rude.” he glared right at her. Oh, this was not rude, this was just annoyed, he didn’t want to see her fully pissed off. And she was doing everything to get him out of her store, with the attitude of him not coming back at all. She saw him actually take a breath and try to calm his anger. His wolf must be cranky at the lack of respect she was showing. She heard Harper snort amused inside her mind; they’d not even really gotten started. “Please, at least look at the picture of the dress she wants.” he turned slightly “Hadley come in here and show the lady the dress you want.” he called out to her. Piper's jaw tightened all the way, so much so she could hear her own teeth grinding against each other. He looked right at her, had picked up on it too. They did not want to know the woman’s name, and certainly did not want to have to look right at her, for that matter. That was why she had come upstairs and asked Izzy to deal with them. On any other given day in her store, Piper would have been more than willing and happy to stay downstairs and assist in her store. Her customers liked to meet her. She knew this, and for the most part, didn’t actually mind interacting with them. Only the super prima donnas annoyed her. Whining spoiled little baby’s that had never heard the word ‘No’ before, irritated her and Harper for that matter. She was glaring right at him now, and actually saw him try and smell her, an interesting response to her anger. He clearly wasn’t used to humans challenging him or standing up to him. A very pretty red-headed girl walked into her office a moment later, obviously not her real hair colour. It was as red as a fire truck. The girl, not woman, was young, likely only barely 18 or 19. She smiled right at Piper, had deep dark blue eyes, and she had that trim-taught and terrific body that all wolves have, she was wearing a well-fitted dress that accentuated her hills and hips, drawing one's eyes right to how fit she actually was. Just his type, she thought bitterly, it did not escape her or Harper that she scented of Alpha blood either. She did not smile at Hadley; she’d been called. Already initiated into the pack, she had the pack's scent on her as well. The girl faltered as Piper's eyes met hers, fully annoyed and angered to have to be looking right at her. Cooper brought her further into the office. “I’m sure she won’t bite Hadley.” it was a warning; she and Harper had not missed his tone. “Show her the dress you want. I’m certain I will be able to convince her to make it.” ‘Fat chance.’ Harper snarled inside her mind. He walked Hadley across the office and sat her down opposite Piper herself. She glared right at him. He was lucky Harper was still inside her mind and not fully on the surface. And oh yes, he was very used to getting his way all the time. And of course, whatever the Luna wanted, she would get. He was here to make sure of that. Well, today he was going to find out that he couldn’t have everything he wanted. She was no push over. Yes, every other Luna out there got what they wanted. She and Harper hated Luna’s with almost a passion, almost as much as they hated their own Kind. “Piper.” she felt his aura roll at her, just a little. Likely trying to make her complaint “Please, it is Hadley’s wish.” “And I told you... I’m busy and don’t have the time.” she shot back at him, making sure he understood his aura meant nothing to her. “Look at it.” he practically demanded her. Well, they were no longer a part of his pack anymore, rogues didn’t have masters, didn’t have to answer to anyone unless they actually chose to. She raised an eyebrow at him “I don’t like your attitude.” she snapped and stood up, felt Harper bristle inside her own mind. They would be no match for him, but they were not about to let him, lord it over them, right here in their office. “Nor I yours.” he snapped right back. He plucked the photo from the girl's hand. “What harm will come from looking at it?” he held it out to her. “Nothing, I suppose.” she grated out and yanked the dаmed thing from his hand, it was actually a magazine clipping not a photo, and the moment her eyes landed on it her anger twitched up a notch. She had only made one of these, had tortured herself with it. It was the very dress she had designed for herself; the one that she had always imagined she would wear, the one she had designed long before she’d left the pack, tormented herself with dreams of Bradley scenting her and claiming her; and that dress being the one she would wear for her Luna Ceremony. Never happened, never would. There was one thing Piper was certain of; this girl before her was never going to wear that dress. She would never make it for her to wear to her ceremony to Bradley. She tore the clipping in half, and then in half again “I will not make that.” she spat as she tossed the torn pieces of paper into the bin. The girl gasped and actually sobbed, then shot up out of the chair and left the room in a rush. Cooper went after her “Go and don’t come back.” she practically snarled right at him. Saw him stop and glare right at her, stand there and stare at her, right at her, she was not intimidated by him, and it surprised him. Shocked him that he couldn’t seem to frighten her, watched him breathe in again. He was once again trying to figure out what she was. Why she’d not done what he wanted? Well, he would smell nothing, like every other time he’d walked passed her, or ran into her, and he had more than once. He would smell a human and nothing more, if he even smelled that. He stood in her office doorway staring right at her, as she stared right back at him, locked eyes right with him, her brown eyes never moved from him, a slight smirk touched his lips; she presented a challenge to him and his wolf, it seemed. His wolf's eyes appeared as it pushed forward. It was likely meant to frighten her, all he got from her was a raised eyebrow at him. “You don’t frighten me, get out of my store.” she stated, never moving her eyes from his wolf's. Shock registered on his face, at her lack of reaction to his wolf on the surface, then he just turned and left. “Yes, go away and don’t bloody come back.” she muttered to herself, knew his keen sense of hearing would pick it up, didn’t care at all. Wanted him to know that she didn’t want him to come back. She glanced at the clock and sighed, heard the bell chime; he’d left the store. She poured herself a glass of water and drank it. Today was not a good day. Today was not something she had ever seen coming or even been prepared for. Downstairs she found Izzy’s eyes on her, questioningly “I’m going to pick up Brandon.” “Yes Piper.” she just nodded. Then walked out of her store, and found Cooper across the street with the girl, and as she glanced at them, realized the packs Gamma and Delta were also both there. The Gamma looked right at her, the girl was hugged into him, taking comfort from her Gamma. 'Oh! How sweet.' She thought bitterly. Turned and walked off down the street. Three blocks to the bus stop and waited. She’d survived more than that, all that girl got was a “no”, was a spoiled bloody prima donna. Brandon got off the bus, and she smiled at him, thankfully he had her caramel-coloured hair, with a few natural blonde highlights from the sun, and his skin was fair like hers too. Though he did have his father's blue eyes with those brilliant green flecks in them. He was her one true joy in her life. She smiled right at him as he stood talking to his friends; would not interrupt the boy, he had people hanging off him, just seven years old and already popular, typical of his Alpha gene’s she supposed. Finally, he turned his smile on her. “Hey mum.” “Hey sweetie, I thought...we’d go and get waffles.” He grinned now. “Sure.” She knew it was his favorite thing, loved waffles with strawberries and doused in hot melted chocolate with a big scoop of chocolate ice cream. She took his hand and strolled along to the cafe, they ate at sometimes after school. She watched him eat happily. “I thought we could get away, go on a little holiday, the long weekend is coming.” He looked right at her. “No work?” Piper chuckled and even heard Harper chortle inside her mind “No work...why don’t we go snowboarding?” “Sweet.” he grinned, now, all excited. The boy did like to be in the outdoors, and he’d learned to snowboard at 5, bloody took to everything that he tried. His natural agility shone through, as did his track and field, he even excelled at swimming. Everything he did was a natural talent at “Mum it's fall.” he suddenly stated. “It’s snowing somewhere in the world.” she shrugged. “get your phone out and find somewhere. We’ll leave on Friday after school and come back on Monday. You pick where.”
“I Piper Whitlock, warrior to the Black Haven Pack...reject you Bradley Drake as my Mate.” She whispered into the darkness of the room and then fled as fast as she could as pain coursed through her body. ‘He enjoyed my purity, not me.’ she thought as pain replaced the pleasure she had been feeling tonight. She knew she looked a terrible mess, tears streaming down her face, and she’d stumbled and fallen many times as pain tore at her insides but had picked herself up and kept going. Stepped out over the border right into rogue territory, saw him step towards her his eyes widened at her actions. Not many females would do what she was doing. “I...am finally free now.” ****** Piper sobbed softly out in the middle of the woods, it was all too much to handle nowadays, it was time to leave her home pack here in Montana. She could no longer take the pain of his betrayal anymore. Not that her Alpha, Alpha Bradley of the Black Haven Pack, knew that it hurt her, every time that he was with another; he had no idea who she was to him. She, however, had scented him out 3 years ago, at the age of 18. On the first full moon after her 18th birthday. Had felt pain almost instantly, and not because he’d been with another at the time, but because he’d not scented her, not recognized her as his Mate. He had bumped right into her that day even. Piper and her wolf Harper were more than nervous, tracking his perfect woodsy scent through the packhouse. It had a hint of blackberry, had led them all the way to him. She had been standing right behind him, only half a foot away, he was taller than she was, by a long way, he stood six-four and was all muscled up, he’d been wearing faded blue jeans and a dark purple tee-shirt that day, his dark brown hair had been a little messy. Alpha Bradley had been talking on his phone that day, and when he had turned around, had run right into her. His deep blue eyes with those flecks of green in them, had turned right on her, and then he’d frowned right down at her. She was only five-six, he’d towered over her. There had been no recognition in his eyes at all, “Don’t stand so close, girl.” he'd stated casually, and then had stepped around her and just walked away; and her heart had broken. Harper had howled in pain inside of her mind. They’d known what he was to them, but he had no idea. It was what she and her wolf had always feared, all her life, even before gaining Harper, even since she was little, had lost her parents to a rogue attack at the age of 10, and no-one here seemed to notice her after her parents' death. No-one seemed to know who she was, it was like she just didn’t exist. That had been her life. Although she had attended school here in the pack's small K1 to year 12 school, and had graduated with good marks, people were always bumping into her, and telling her to watch her step. No-one knew she was there, invisible to the entire pack is what it felt like, unless someone was looking directly at her, and she knew why. She had no scent. Though she could smell every one of them, no-one could smell her. She had gotten a job and worked long quiet hours, tucked away in the back room of a dress-making store inside the pack. She’d loved to learn how to design and create beautiful dresses. Even a lot of the pack's she-wolfs wore her dresses to the pack's events and mating balls. To their 16th and 18th birthday celebrations. She, however, did not. She lived alone away from the pack, out in a tiny cabin away from everyone, so that they would not hear her sobs and distress as she put up with the pains of betrayal. The first time she had felt him with another, she and Harper had howled in pain and run away deep into the woods. Found that tiny cabin no longer in use, and curled up into a ball, had stayed there in agony till he’d stopped being with another. Then had just stayed there for a whole day, unable to go back to the pack. Their pain would have been for all to see, if anyone saw her that was. There was nothing they could do about it. It had hurt like nothing she’d ever felt before, and continued to do so right to this day, and to hide their pains they had hidden themselves away, unable to tell him, what he was to them. She knew he would never believe her, only if he scented her out would he recognize her as his Mate. She and Harper both knew this, and they both knew he was never going to be able to do that either. The pains were worse when he was away from the pack; mating some other she-wolf in another pack. Did not hurt her any less than the one she-wolf here in the pack he bedded on a regular basis. Three long years she’d had to suffer now. Three long years she’d walked the halls of the packhouse, came across him, and not once did he pay her the slightest bit of attention, and when he did bump into her; as did so many others. Because they couldn’t smell that she was right there, he would just frown down at her, either apologize, or ask her to move out of the way, and just move on. Had occasionally snapped at her all angry to watch where on eаrth she was going. For two years she slipped into his bedroom when he wasn’t here in the pack, looked at his things, touched his clothes, felt hot tears slide down her cheeks; for the man that was her Mate. The man that had never once scented her out. The man that she and Harper loved, but would never love them. She had even slept curled up in his bed, not that he’d ever known it. No scent of her remained, she could wander at will anywhere she liked, left no trail at all, had even sat in his Alpha’s chair once, touched his desk and wondered what it would be like to be his Luna. Tonight, he had been with another, she knew who. He had one regular girl here inside the pack, Bianca. She was older like he was, a warrior, highly ranked. She’d seen them together chatting and flirting on occasion. Seen the way he looked at her body, even that hurt too. He desired Bianca, she was tall and very fit, all muscle, he liked that about her. Piper had once been fit like that, not tall but very fit, and had been strong too. But the past three years had drained her, she was thin now, always had dark circles under her eyes and looked quite frail. The small amount of joy she had taken from training, as a warrior, to try and make her parents proud; they had been warriors, that joy of being a good fighter. Not that she had been old enough to go out and fight, had dwindled to nothing, once she’d turned 18; she was barely a shell of her former self now. She stayed away from all pack events, just worked in the small back room of the store, surrounded by materials and designs to be created. Orders to be filled. Her only solace; that she could create something so beautiful amidst her own misery. Harper was a ball of sadness and pain, they could not take anymore, they had to leave, it was killing them, and she knew it. Bradley was going away on some Alpha meeting, or some pack business in just two days, and so that is when she was going to say goodbye and leave. She had no idea if she could reject her Mate without him being there or knowing what she was to him for that matter. But that was what she was going to do. She had to try anyway, it was all they could do. Piper figured if he had no idea who she was, for the past three years, then why would he need to be there to hear her rejection. It was likely only going to cause her pain. He would feel nothing because he knew nothing. Then, once the full moon came and went after that rejection, surely it would be official, and severed completely by the Moon Goddess herself, or at least she was hoping that’s how it worked. She and Harper had put themselves in front of him many times, they had no choice left to them, they were nothing to him, never would be and they knew it. Three full years and nothing. Not once had he so much as twitched a nose in her presence. So, no more would she put herself or her wolf through that. They had enough money saved up to go out into the human world, and make a living for themselves. She had good skills in fashion and design. Although she mostly made dresses, there were millions of humans in need of wedding dresses. The equivalent to a Luna Ceremony Gown. Spent the next 2 days in the packhouse library, looking at places she could go; her mind made up. She was not even going to look at him one last time. There was no point. She sat at a computer, one hand on the mouse scrolling through places that were well away from the pack. Away from forests and where other packs could well be. She may be a wolf, but she didn’t feel like one; she was just invisible mostly. Her other hand was on the Blue Azure Crystal Pendulum Drop necklace that hung around her neck. It had a white gold chain that was fine and felt warm against her skin all the time, and had a white gold casing, to hold the crystal itself and a smaller blue azure crystal ball right above the casing that attached to the chain. It had been her mother's, she'd told her that one day she would get her daughter one too. A gift for her 16th birthday, and they would have matching mother-daughter jewellery. But Piper had only been 10, when she had lost both her parents. She’d never taken it off, it was the only thing she had left of her; she had found it on her mothers body when the attack had been over, and had retrieved it as her only heirloom. She and Harper were at the point where they might as well live as a human, no wolf would ever smelled her, and she would remain Mate-less from the moment she rejected him. They were already resigned to that fact. She found a nice city several states away, Harper didn’t care that there was no forest nearby. She had not shifted to her wolf in over a year now, couldn’t, it seemed, or perhaps just no longer wanted to. So she was fine with a city, didn’t want to be in the woods, didn’t want to run and be free, didn’t seem to care at all anymore about being a wolf herself. Piper found and booked a flight out there, a hotel for somewhere to stay, while they found a small apartment and sorted out the business that she was going to create. They would die and wither away, no more. They would become strong from this, and live a human life from now on. Then they went back to their cabin in the woods by the southern border of the pack, and had just stayed there. They could see the pack gates with the use of a set of binoculars from the roof of her cabin. She sat and watched and waited for his car to leave, not that hard to spot, it was white, unlike most of the other pack cars, that were black or silver, he drove a white Mercedes SUV. She saw it leave and grabbed her hiking backpack. It was full of her belongings. Living a simple life meant not much to pack. Her whole life fitted in that one backpack. It was large and designed to be used for long hiking trips, but even with her small, weakened stature, she could manage it. Piper walked through the woods until the packhouse came into view, sighed heavily and headed for it. Today was the day, she was leaving. No-one would even notice she was gone because they didn't even know she existed. Only those who came into the store to buy one of her dresses at Renee's store, Haven Gowns, may wonder where she had gone. Though Renee had always claimed them as her dresses, she told Piper she was the store owner, so this was how it was. Piper's name was on the label of all her dresses though. Renee never minded about that, and she did pay Piper well. Not that anyone ever asked who Piper was, or asked to meet her. She walked into the packhouse and right up the main set of stairs, to the very top floor. No-one stopped her, placed her backpack down the hall and around near the Omega stairs, that she would use to leave. It was out of sight and no omegas would be up here at this time of the night. All their work done for the day. Only the Alpha Unit lived in this part of the packhouse; and they were all off with the Alpha. She walked down to his suite and let herself in. It was clean and smelled like him, fresh pine with eucalyptus and that hint of blackberries. She walked about one last time, a glutton for punishment, she knew. Should have just left already but couldn’t, not without one last scent of him. Walked into his walk-in and touched all his clothes, slid her hand along them all, touched everything, couldn’t help herself. As much as it pained her and Harper, they were still drawn to him. Likely always would be, leaving was simply self-preservation and if her rejection did not hold, they’d likely not survive much longer anyway. Piper walked over and stood looking down at his bed, one last night here in his bed, and then gone at the brink of dawn. That was the plan. He’d be gone for several days; always was. The first night away was usually peaceful, but not the nights after that. She stripped off all her clothes and got into his bed. Grabbed onto the pillow that smelled the most like him and buried her face into it, letting the tears fall one last time. She fell asleep in the middle of his big king-sized bed, wrapped in his scent, in the very sheets that would touch his skin while he slept, allowing herself to dream it was where she belonged one last time. She woke with a start. It was still dark, then there was the sound of the bedroom door banging closed. She bit her lip, heard movement and then the sound of clothing being removed. She could smell him. Bradley was back, he could not smell her, had not realized she was in here, in his very bed, he hadn’t even turned the lights on. She was very small at five-six, and was now so thin that she likely didn’t even make a small lump in his bed which had a thick plush feather down comforter on it. He got into bed, and she prayed he’d stay on that side of the bed, that she would be able to slip out once he was asleep. The punishment for this kind of thing; being in his bed, would likely be terrible. And he would be the one to dish it out. She did not relish the thought of getting a beating or whipping, or thrown in the cells afterwards by her own Mate. It would likely destroy them completely. Why was he back? His hand touched her back, stilled completely on her skin, and then a large angry growl came from him. He knew there was a stranger in his bed, he was well within his rights to kill her, and she and Harper both knew it. Wondered if he’d even feel the disconnection afterwards, though doubted it. Then his body was suddenly pressed up against hers. “Well, I guess you want some time with your Alpha.” his voice had suddenly turned all husky and his hand had slid over the curve of her hip, and he’d pulled her hard against him. His mouth was on her shoulder and a groan escaped him as his fingers dug into her hip. “I could use company after my day.” he’d growled, “So you’re in luck.” his hand slid up her body. It was leaving a burning hot trail over her skin, everywhere he was touching her. Piper had no idea what to do. No-one had ever paid her the slightest bit of attention, no-one had ever touched her, and now he was; something she never thought would happen. His hand slid over her hills, and he stroked his fingers over her niple. She gasped as it hardened under his touch, and heat bloomed between her thighs, then she was tugged over onto her back and his mouth was on her neck, his hand sliding down her body “F'k-, you're hot to touch.” He’d growled into her neck, sounding full of desire to her. His fingers had dipped right between her thighs and, oh Goddess, the pleasure of his touch, she had cried out as he’d stroked her firmly, grabbed onto him, wanted more, needed more of him. “Please,” she had whispered, and his fingers were buried inside of her a second later, a deep groan had come from him, as she’d moaned at the intense sensation of him touching her so intimately. He was moving his hand, pushing his fingers in and out of her, as she clung to him, could feel her first ever or'gаsm coming, gasped and moaned under his touch, arched up to him, and moaned his name as it rolled through her body. Heard him growl “Oh, that was fcking fine.” Then his mouth was on hers, and she felt him tugging her legs apart. It was too late for her, she could not deny what she’d always wanted. She couldn’t even utter the word no, somewhere inside her brain she knew she should but couldn’t. Then he was in her, one hard movement all the way in. She cried out in pain as he took her, and felt his whole body still atop of hers. He knew, it was likely obvious she’d never been with another “Oh dayum, even better.” he’d suddenly growled down at her, then his mouth was on hers once more, and he started to move, taking her slowly at first, and it hurt, it was uncomfortable, he was so big, and she felt stretched completely around him. His mouth moved to her neck as he tasted her skin, slid his tongue over her mark spot, and her whole body burned hot like it was on fire. She cried out his name and thrvst her hips up to meet his, pleasure finally taking over, he was her Mate and was having her, if only just once, she would have him for herself. Take all of him, give him everything of herself. He picked up the pace as he felt her acceptance of him inside her. Cried out as pleasure started to build quicker, ripping through her body, like nothing she’d ever imagined it could be. Clung on to him and begged him not to stop. Heard his deep throaty chuckle “I think you like it.” “Yes,” she had answered him honestly, “Please, I want you, all of you.” she moaned and had meant every word. His mouth had found hers, his body moved harder and faster, giving her what she had asked for, heard him groan as he came, felt his seed spill inside of her; like a hot river spreading through her insides. Dug her nails into him as she’d cried out his name. His hand slid down her body. “You feel amazing,” he growled deeply. His hands had gripped her a'ss firmly, and then he was moving again, hard and fast. “I want more.” he’d growled into her neck, pulling and pushing at her hips, his need to have her increasing. Then he was gone from her. Piper had gasped at the sudden loss of him, only to be yanked over and up onto all fours, heard his gasp as he took her from behind “f'k- yes.” and was thrvsting in and out of her firm and hard, faster and in his need. Piper cried out repeatedly as he held her hips, gripping on to her hard, and he was suddenly slamming in and out of her. She could hear her own cries of pleasure filling the darkness of the room, she could hear Harper howling with pleasure inside her own mind, as he took them. Screamed out as she climaxed. Only to have him shove her down on the bed and grate out “More.” was holding her down, one hand on the back of her neck while the other pulled her hips up “f'k-.” he roared as he started again, thrvsting like he had lost all control taking what he wanted furiously, hard and rough holding her down dominating her completely "Oh, f'k- yes." he was really moving now, giving her all he had, everything. Piper could barely gasp for air herself, just cry out as wave after wave of pleasure hit her, could feel the 0rgа5ms one after the other ripping through her till she was screaming in pure bliss. Her whole body shunted forward as she screamed his name one last time as he slammed home, his seed spilling inside of her again. His body was heavy on top of hers, she lay under him, gasping, trying to breathe and calm down, his breath she could feel was heavy and ragged like her own. “I like fkn you.” he’d groaned as he’d rolled off of her body and lay on the bed next to her. Piper's joy at what had just happened, was gone in an instant, she felt hot tears burn her eyes. ‘He liked fcking her.’ she thought, as pain in her heart replaced the pleasure she had been feeling. She was his Mate, and still, he did not recognize her. Felt not just her own heart shatter, but Harper’s too. She did not look at him, couldn’t, just lay there quietly, held in the sobs of pain, and waited for him to fall asleep. Then she dragged her aching body from his bed, he still could not tell what she was to him. It was just a good f'k-. She picked up her clothes, could hear him snoring softly, as her tears continued to fall silently down her face. At least they’d gotten to have him, just once. She stepped away from the bed, from him, and closed her eyes and tried to stop the flow of tears. Pulled on her clothes, turned from the bedroom doorway, and looked at his sleeping body, pain seared through her and her wolf. They would never survive his betrayal again. Not after this, they both knew it, and they knew he would go off and be with someone else. They were nothing to him, never had been, and without a scent for him to smell, they never would be. Piper took in a long silent breath, “I Piper Whitlock, warrior to the Black Haven Pack...reject you Bradley Drake as my Mate.” she whispered into the darkness of the room, and then fled as fast as she could, as pain coursed through her body, she heard Harper howl in pain inside her mind. They ran from his suite, down the hall, grabbed their bag and stumbled and nearly fell most of the way down the stairs to the door at the bottom, struggling with the pain of their rejection. Refused to stop regardless of the pain, they had been through a lot of pain in the past three years, they knew how to run, and hold it in, to hide it until they were alone. She didn’t stop running until they reached the western border of the Pack. She knew she looked a terrible mess, tears streaming down her face, and she’d stumbled and fallen many times, as pain tore at her insides, but she had picked herself up and kept going. Was still sobbing from the pain she was in, when she looked at the patrol man, he was frowning right at her, had no idea where she had come from, or who she was; not scented her coming, would have heard her, but even now, she could tell he was confused as to what she was. She stepped out over the border right into rogue territory, saw him step towards her, his eyes widened at her actions. Not many females would do what she was doing. “I reject Alpha Bradley Drake and his Pack, the Black Haven Pack, as my Pack, I...am a rogue now.” she’d stated firmly; her decision clear in her mind. The border patrol man gasped in shock, then she turned and ran from everything, and everyone she’d ever known, as she felt herself being severed from the pack entirely. It was the only thing that could save her and Harper. They would die here if they had to stay and suffer any longer. They were not afraid to be out in rogue territory, had been out here before, not even a rogue picked up her wolfen scent. She was a mere human to them as well. So, a human they would be from now on. They would live, breathe, eat and work as a human would, in the human world. She made their way to the airport to catch their flight and start over. A wolf no more. Piper POV Piper stood in her bridal shop window, pinning the dress to the mannequin, to make it a neat fit and look its best to attract customers. Not that she was short of them. She smiled, her designs were well liked, even here in the human world. It was a lovely strapless A-line gown, a blush coloured dress with a square neckline, the skirt flowed freely, and it had a bodice covered in hand embroidered crystal beads. It had a pulled up and neatly pleated section, at the front of the dress, that allowed all the wonderful soft ruffles of the overlapping layers of the soft satin material to be seen. She did like it, had just finished it yesterday. Her store ‘Goddess Gowns’ here in Portland was one of three she now owned. Her main store, where she worked from, was a nice space, in a two-story building, where all her gowns were on display downstairs, with a spacious sitting area and plush seating. There was a small runway from the dressing rooms, out into the center of the store, where the waiting guests would sit and watch the bride-to-be show-off the dress she chose. Her office was upstairs in a loft space. She’d had split the loft into two large rooms, her office in the first space and her working studio in the second, where she sat and created her gowns. She was good at her job. Liked her work and had sold many dresses to wealthy humans, as well as regular humans, she catered to everyone. She kept to herself as much as possible, but did hold and attend fashion shows, and was quite well known in the bridal industry. She stepped back and looked at her latest creation, adjusted it a couple of times, until she was happy with it. Hearing the pretty bell she’d bought tinkle as the store's door opened to let someone in. Most days they came by appointment, but on Tuesday's she kept her books open, for walk-ins. Her books were pretty full at the moment, Izzy would likely show them around, or make them an appointment to see her at some point in the future. Then the scent hit her, they were wolves; inside her store were werewolves. She felt Harper growl a little inside of her mind. Although they had come across wolves, and all other manner of creatures over the past eight years, today the scent that hit them, reached their nose. It was one that particularly annoyed them. Without even turning to look, she could hear the woman, who was laughing and happy, excited to be in this very store, to purchase her gown for her Ceremony as she called it. She heard the man chuckle and reminded her that Brad, had told her to get whatever she wanted, he did not care about the cost it would incur him. Piper stepped out of the window display, and refused to even look at them. She knew by the scent that was on them, they were of her old pack, likely from the way the woman was talking. This woman was here to purchase a Goddess Gown designed by Piper Harper Designs. To wear to her Luna Ceremony, and to none other than Bradley Drake himself. “Izzy, please attend to the customers.” she stated flatly as she headed up the stairs to her office. “Yes Piper.” she heard Izzy call after her. Piper nor Harper wanted to be anywhere near that woman or her escort for that matter. Pain was already pulling at them both. He’d found another, it seemed. No not found another. Had scented out his first Mate. She thought bitterly. He’d never once scented her, but obviously had that woman downstairs in her very store. She and Harper might have left out of self-preservation, but it didn’t mean they didn’t still love the man. Knew their rejection had worked, seeing as not once since that night, had she felt the pains of betrayal. It had been the right thing to do, saved both her and Harper. They’d moved well away from that pack, several states away in fact. Why were they here in her store? This was the first time, they had come across the Black Haven Pack, since they had left. Why of all places would that woman come all the way here to her store? Was it just some cruel joke? She already felt like Selena had rejected her and Harper, cursed them and given her a life of torture, but no, that wasn’t enough, it seemed. Now her Mate had his own Mate, and was here to dump pain upon her once again. There was a knock on her door “Piper, sorry to bother you. The young lady downstairs wants one of your older gowns,” Izzy stated. “I don’t make those anymore.” Piper replied calmly, “Just tell her to buy one off of the racks downstairs. I’m sure there is something she will like. I don’t have the time to make anything new right now, even from the old.” “Yes Piper...are you alright Piper?” Izzy asked her with a slight frown. “I’m fine Izzy, have a headache is all.” she waved the girl away. “Close my door, I can’t stand the smell.” she stated, not wanting to smell them, or even hear the conversation that those two down there may have. And to hll with it, if that escort or the girl heard her comment about the smell. She glanced at the large wall clock and sighed, hopefully they would leave soon. She had to go and get Brandon from the bus stop in a little while. Did not want that man around her son, period. Not that he would connect any dots, she did not smell to that wolf downstairs, and any likeness to Bradley would simply be shrugged off. There was a knock on her door a few minutes later, and she was about to raise her voice to Izzy, for disturbing her yet again, because she’d been given instructions already. When the door opened without her stating to come in, she looked at it with a deep frown on her face. Her jaw tightened as she watched Cooper opening the door to her office without permission. Cooper, the Beta to the Black Haven Pack, stood there in her office doorway, smiled right at her, all charmingly, thinking he was going to be able to use his good looks and charm, to be able to sway her into whatever he wanted. Most human females would be drooling already, at his black hair and deeply dark charcoal grey eyes, his chiseled jaw and well-built physique. Little did this wolf know, she wasn’t some gullible human out for the charming. She was not going to fall at his feet and stare up at him all dreamy-eyed, and become so smitten that she’d do whatever he wanted her too. It was likely how he’d gotten past Izzy though. Had used those stormy grey eyes of his and, by the look of it, had run his hand through his hair, which would have showed off the muscles in his arm. He was only wearing a short-sleeved, very well-fitted tee-shirt, and those sickeningly perfectly pearly white teeth of his; that he had turned on her now. He was a picture of charm and sx appeal; he was definitely trying to play on his good looks to get what he wanted. She was not attracted to him in the slightest. “Hello, I’m Cooper.” Piper cut him right off there. “I don’t care. Get out.” she snapped at him. She did not want this wolf anywhere near her at all. Watched his smile actually falter, and he frowned at her. “That’s not a very nice way to treat a potential customer, I have a friend here who would...” “I don’t care.” she cut him off once again. “I already told my store manager, Izzy, I don’t have time to make a dress from an old, obsolete line.” she turned her eyes away from him, back to her desk and the design pad in front of her, effectively dismissing him, he would understand that; likely seen his Alpha do it many times, he’d probably done it himself a heap. “Please,” she heard him actually step inside of her office “We’ll pay whatever you want.” Piper turned her eyes back to him, more than annoyed now, trying to use money to get what he wanted. Now he understood his looks wouldn’t do it; typical. “I don’t need your money. Now I am very busy Carter...was it. Have your friend choose something in the store downstairs.” “It was Cooper,” he grated out, sounding like he didn’t like her tone. Well, she didn’t like him in her office, any more than he looked like, he wanted to be there right now. She was ticking the man off, it seemed. Good. Maybe he’d take that woman and leave altogether. “My friend wants a custom Piper Harper gown.” She rolled her eyes right at him, whose store did he think he was in? “Everything downstairs is a Piper Harper gown.” she dripped sarcasm at his stupidly spoken request. “You are very rude.” he glared right at her. Oh, this was not rude, this was just annoyed, he didn’t want to see her fully pissed off. And she was doing everything to get him out of her store, with the attitude of him not coming back at all. She saw him actually take a breath and try to calm his anger. His wolf must be cranky at the lack of respect she was showing. She heard Harper snort amused inside her mind; they’d not even really gotten started. “Please, at least look at the picture of the dress she wants.” he turned slightly “Hadley come in here and show the lady the dress you want.” he called out to her. Piper's jaw tightened all the way, so much so she could hear her own teeth grinding against each other. He looked right at her, had picked up on it too. They did not want to know the woman’s name, and certainly did not want to have to look right at her, for that matter. That was why she had come upstairs and asked Izzy to deal with them. On any other given day in her store, Piper would have been more than willing and happy to stay downstairs and assist in her store. Her customers liked to meet her. She knew this, and for the most part, didn’t actually mind interacting with them. Only the super prima donnas annoyed her. Whining spoiled little baby’s that had never heard the word ‘No’ before, irritated her and Harper for that matter. She was glaring right at him now, and actually saw him try and smell her, an interesting response to her anger. He clearly wasn’t used to humans challenging him or standing up to him. A very pretty red-headed girl walked into her office a moment later, obviously not her real hair colour. It was as red as a fire truck. The girl, not woman, was young, likely only barely 18 or 19. She smiled right at Piper, had deep dark blue eyes, and she had that trim-taught and terrific body that all wolves have, she was wearing a well-fitted dress that accentuated her hills and hips, drawing one's eyes right to how fit she actually was. Just his type, she thought bitterly, it did not escape her or Harper that she scented of Alpha blood either. She did not smile at Hadley; she’d been called. Already initiated into the pack, she had the pack's scent on her as well. The girl faltered as Piper's eyes met hers, fully annoyed and angered to have to be looking right at her. Cooper brought her further into the office. “I’m sure she won’t bite Hadley.” it was a warning; she and Harper had not missed his tone. “Show her the dress you want. I’m certain I will be able to convince her to make it.” ‘Fat chance.’ Harper snarled inside her mind. He walked Hadley across the office and sat her down opposite Piper herself. She glared right at him. He was lucky Harper was still inside her mind and not fully on the surface. And oh yes, he was very used to getting his way all the time. And of course, whatever the Luna wanted, she would get. He was here to make sure of that. Well, today he was going to find out that he couldn’t have everything he wanted. She was no push over. Yes, every other Luna out there got what they wanted. She and Harper hated Luna’s with almost a passion, almost as much as they hated their own Kind. “Piper.” she felt his aura roll at her, just a little. Likely trying to make her complaint “Please, it is Hadley’s wish.” “And I told you... I’m busy and don’t have the time.” she shot back at him, making sure he understood his aura meant nothing to her. “Look at it.” he practically demanded her. Well, they were no longer a part of his pack anymore, rogues didn’t have masters, didn’t have to answer to anyone unless they actually chose to. She raised an eyebrow at him “I don’t like your attitude.” she snapped and stood up, felt Harper bristle inside her own mind. They would be no match for him, but they were not about to let him, lord it over them, right here in their office. “Nor I yours.” he snapped right back. He plucked the photo from the girl's hand. “What harm will come from looking at it?” he held it out to her. “Nothing, I suppose.” she grated out and yanked the dаmed thing from his hand, it was actually a magazine clipping not a photo, and the moment her eyes landed on it her anger twitched up a notch. She had only made one of these, had tortured herself with it. It was the very dress she had designed for herself; the one that she had always imagined she would wear, the one she had designed long before she’d left the pack, tormented herself with dreams of Bradley scenting her and claiming her; and that dress being the one she would wear for her Luna Ceremony. Never happened, never would. There was one thing Piper was certain of; this girl before her was never going to wear that dress. She would never make it for her to wear to her ceremony to Bradley. She tore the clipping in half, and then in half again “I will not make that.” she spat as she tossed the torn pieces of paper into the bin. The girl gasped and actually sobbed, then shot up out of the chair and left the room in a rush. Cooper went after her “Go and don’t come back.” she practically snarled right at him. Saw him stop and glare right at her, stand there and stare at her, right at her, she was not intimidated by him, and it surprised him. Shocked him that he couldn’t seem to frighten her, watched him breathe in again. He was once again trying to figure out what she was. Why she’d not done what he wanted? Well, he would smell nothing, like every other time he’d walked passed her, or ran into her, and he had more than once. He would smell a human and nothing more, if he even smelled that. He stood in her office doorway staring right at her, as she stared right back at him, locked eyes right with him, her brown eyes never moved from him, a slight smirk touched his lips; she presented a challenge to him and his wolf, it seemed. His wolf's eyes appeared as it pushed forward. It was likely meant to frighten her, all he got from her was a raised eyebrow at him. “You don’t frighten me, get out of my store.” she stated, never moving her eyes from his wolf's. Shock registered on his face, at her lack of reaction to his wolf on the surface, then he just turned and left. “Yes, go away and don’t bloody come back.” she muttered to herself, knew his keen sense of hearing would pick it up, didn’t care at all. Wanted him to know that she didn’t want him to come back. She glanced at the clock and sighed, heard the bell chime; he’d left the store. She poured herself a glass of water and drank it. Today was not a good day. Today was not something she had ever seen coming or even been prepared for. Downstairs she found Izzy’s eyes on her, questioningly “I’m going to pick up Brandon.” “Yes Piper.” she just nodded. Then walked out of her store, and found Cooper across the street with the girl, and as she glanced at them, realized the packs Gamma and Delta were also both there. The Gamma looked right at her, the girl was hugged into him, taking comfort from her Gamma. 'Oh! How sweet.' She thought bitterly. Turned and walked off down the street. Three blocks to the bus stop and waited. She’d survived more than that, all that girl got was a “no”, was a spoiled bloody prima donna. Brandon got off the bus, and she smiled at him, thankfully he had her caramel-coloured hair, with a few natural blonde highlights from the sun, and his skin was fair like hers too. Though he did have his father's blue eyes with those brilliant green flecks in them. He was her one true joy in her life. She smiled right at him as he stood talking to his friends; would not interrupt the boy, he had people hanging off him, just seven years old and already popular, typical of his Alpha gene’s she supposed. Finally, he turned his smile on her. “Hey mum.” “Hey sweetie, I thought...we’d go and get waffles.” He grinned now. “Sure.” She knew it was his favorite thing, loved waffles with strawberries and doused in hot melted chocolate with a big scoop of chocolate ice cream. She took his hand and strolled along to the cafe, they ate at sometimes after school. She watched him eat happily. “I thought we could get away, go on a little holiday, the long weekend is coming.” He looked right at her. “No work?” Piper chuckled and even heard Harper chortle inside her mind “No work...why don’t we go snowboarding?” “Sweet.” he grinned, now, all excited. The boy did like to be in the outdoors, and he’d learned to snowboard at 5, bloody took to everything that he tried. His natural agility shone through, as did his track and field, he even excelled at swimming. Everything he did was a natural talent at “Mum it's fall.” he suddenly stated. “It’s snowing somewhere in the world.” she shrugged. “get your phone out and find somewhere. We’ll leave on Friday after school and come back on Monday. You pick where.”
“I Piper Whitlock, warrior to the Black Haven Pack...reject you Bradley Drake as my Mate.” She whispered into the darkness of the room and then fled as fast as she could as pain coursed through her body. ‘He enjoyed my purity, not me.’ she thought as pain replaced the pleasure she had been feeling tonight. She knew she looked a terrible mess, tears streaming down her face, and she’d stumbled and fallen many times as pain tore at her insides but had picked herself up and kept going. Stepped out over the border right into rogue territory, saw him step towards her his eyes widened at her actions. Not many females would do what she was doing. “I...am finally free now.” ****** Piper sobbed softly out in the middle of the woods, it was all too much to handle nowadays, it was time to leave her home pack here in Montana. She could no longer take the pain of his betrayal anymore. Not that her Alpha, Alpha Bradley of the Black Haven Pack, knew that it hurt her, every time that he was with another; he had no idea who she was to him. She, however, had scented him out 3 years ago, at the age of 18. On the first full moon after her 18th birthday. Had felt pain almost instantly, and not because he’d been with another at the time, but because he’d not scented her, not recognized her as his Mate. He had bumped right into her that day even. Piper and her wolf Harper were more than nervous, tracking his perfect woodsy scent through the packhouse. It had a hint of blackberry, had led them all the way to him. She had been standing right behind him, only half a foot away, he was taller than she was, by a long way, he stood six-four and was all muscled up, he’d been wearing faded blue jeans and a dark purple tee-shirt that day, his dark brown hair had been a little messy. Alpha Bradley had been talking on his phone that day, and when he had turned around, had run right into her. His deep blue eyes with those flecks of green in them, had turned right on her, and then he’d frowned right down at her. She was only five-six, he’d towered over her. There had been no recognition in his eyes at all, “Don’t stand so close, girl.” he'd stated casually, and then had stepped around her and just walked away; and her heart had broken. Harper had howled in pain inside of her mind. They’d known what he was to them, but he had no idea. It was what she and her wolf had always feared, all her life, even before gaining Harper, even since she was little, had lost her parents to a rogue attack at the age of 10, and no-one here seemed to notice her after her parents' death. No-one seemed to know who she was, it was like she just didn’t exist. That had been her life. Although she had attended school here in the pack's small K1 to year 12 school, and had graduated with good marks, people were always bumping into her, and telling her to watch her step. No-one knew she was there, invisible to the entire pack is what it felt like, unless someone was looking directly at her, and she knew why. She had no scent. Though she could smell every one of them, no-one could smell her. She had gotten a job and worked long quiet hours, tucked away in the back room of a dress-making store inside the pack. She’d loved to learn how to design and create beautiful dresses. Even a lot of the pack's she-wolfs wore her dresses to the pack's events and mating balls. To their 16th and 18th birthday celebrations. She, however, did not. She lived alone away from the pack, out in a tiny cabin away from everyone, so that they would not hear her sobs and distress as she put up with the pains of betrayal. The first time she had felt him with another, she and Harper had howled in pain and run away deep into the woods. Found that tiny cabin no longer in use, and curled up into a ball, had stayed there in agony till he’d stopped being with another. Then had just stayed there for a whole day, unable to go back to the pack. Their pain would have been for all to see, if anyone saw her that was. There was nothing they could do about it. It had hurt like nothing she’d ever felt before, and continued to do so right to this day, and to hide their pains they had hidden themselves away, unable to tell him, what he was to them. She knew he would never believe her, only if he scented her out would he recognize her as his Mate. She and Harper both knew this, and they both knew he was never going to be able to do that either. The pains were worse when he was away from the pack; mating some other she-wolf in another pack. Did not hurt her any less than the one she-wolf here in the pack he bedded on a regular basis. Three long years she’d had to suffer now. Three long years she’d walked the halls of the packhouse, came across him, and not once did he pay her the slightest bit of attention, and when he did bump into her; as did so many others. Because they couldn’t smell that she was right there, he would just frown down at her, either apologize, or ask her to move out of the way, and just move on. Had occasionally snapped at her all angry to watch where on eаrth she was going. For two years she slipped into his bedroom when he wasn’t here in the pack, looked at his things, touched his clothes, felt hot tears slide down her cheeks; for the man that was her Mate. The man that had never once scented her out. The man that she and Harper loved, but would never love them. She had even slept curled up in his bed, not that he’d ever known it. No scent of her remained, she could wander at will anywhere she liked, left no trail at all, had even sat in his Alpha’s chair once, touched his desk and wondered what it would be like to be his Luna. Tonight, he had been with another, she knew who. He had one regular girl here inside the pack, Bianca. She was older like he was, a warrior, highly ranked. She’d seen them together chatting and flirting on occasion. Seen the way he looked at her body, even that hurt too. He desired Bianca, she was tall and very fit, all muscle, he liked that about her. Piper had once been fit like that, not tall but very fit, and had been strong too. But the past three years had drained her, she was thin now, always had dark circles under her eyes and looked quite frail. The small amount of joy she had taken from training, as a warrior, to try and make her parents proud; they had been warriors, that joy of being a good fighter. Not that she had been old enough to go out and fight, had dwindled to nothing, once she’d turned 18; she was barely a shell of her former self now. She stayed away from all pack events, just worked in the small back room of the store, surrounded by materials and designs to be created. Orders to be filled. Her only solace; that she could create something so beautiful amidst her own misery. Harper was a ball of sadness and pain, they could not take anymore, they had to leave, it was killing them, and she knew it. Bradley was going away on some Alpha meeting, or some pack business in just two days, and so that is when she was going to say goodbye and leave. She had no idea if she could reject her Mate without him being there or knowing what she was to him for that matter. But that was what she was going to do. She had to try anyway, it was all they could do. Piper figured if he had no idea who she was, for the past three years, then why would he need to be there to hear her rejection. It was likely only going to cause her pain. He would feel nothing because he knew nothing. Then, once the full moon came and went after that rejection, surely it would be official, and severed completely by the Moon Goddess herself, or at least she was hoping that’s how it worked. She and Harper had put themselves in front of him many times, they had no choice left to them, they were nothing to him, never would be and they knew it. Three full years and nothing. Not once had he so much as twitched a nose in her presence. So, no more would she put herself or her wolf through that. They had enough money saved up to go out into the human world, and make a living for themselves. She had good skills in fashion and design. Although she mostly made dresses, there were millions of humans in need of wedding dresses. The equivalent to a Luna Ceremony Gown. Spent the next 2 days in the packhouse library, looking at places she could go; her mind made up. She was not even going to look at him one last time. There was no point. She sat at a computer, one hand on the mouse scrolling through places that were well away from the pack. Away from forests and where other packs could well be. She may be a wolf, but she didn’t feel like one; she was just invisible mostly. Her other hand was on the Blue Azure Crystal Pendulum Drop necklace that hung around her neck. It had a white gold chain that was fine and felt warm against her skin all the time, and had a white gold casing, to hold the crystal itself and a smaller blue azure crystal ball right above the casing that attached to the chain. It had been her mother's, she'd told her that one day she would get her daughter one too. A gift for her 16th birthday, and they would have matching mother-daughter jewellery. But Piper had only been 10, when she had lost both her parents. She’d never taken it off, it was the only thing she had left of her; she had found it on her mothers body when the attack had been over, and had retrieved it as her only heirloom. She and Harper were at the point where they might as well live as a human, no wolf would ever smelled her, and she would remain Mate-less from the moment she rejected him. They were already resigned to that fact. She found a nice city several states away, Harper didn’t care that there was no forest nearby. She had not shifted to her wolf in over a year now, couldn’t, it seemed, or perhaps just no longer wanted to. So she was fine with a city, didn’t want to be in the woods, didn’t want to run and be free, didn’t seem to care at all anymore about being a wolf herself. Piper found and booked a flight out there, a hotel for somewhere to stay, while they found a small apartment and sorted out the business that she was going to create. They would die and wither away, no more. They would become strong from this, and live a human life from now on. Then they went back to their cabin in the woods by the southern border of the pack, and had just stayed there. They could see the pack gates with the use of a set of binoculars from the roof of her cabin. She sat and watched and waited for his car to leave, not that hard to spot, it was white, unlike most of the other pack cars, that were black or silver, he drove a white Mercedes SUV. She saw it leave and grabbed her hiking backpack. It was full of her belongings. Living a simple life meant not much to pack. Her whole life fitted in that one backpack. It was large and designed to be used for long hiking trips, but even with her small, weakened stature, she could manage it. Piper walked through the woods until the packhouse came into view, sighed heavily and headed for it. Today was the day, she was leaving. No-one would even notice she was gone because they didn't even know she existed. Only those who came into the store to buy one of her dresses at Renee's store, Haven Gowns, may wonder where she had gone. Though Renee had always claimed them as her dresses, she told Piper she was the store owner, so this was how it was. Piper's name was on the label of all her dresses though. Renee never minded about that, and she did pay Piper well. Not that anyone ever asked who Piper was, or asked to meet her. She walked into the packhouse and right up the main set of stairs, to the very top floor. No-one stopped her, placed her backpack down the hall and around near the Omega stairs, that she would use to leave. It was out of sight and no omegas would be up here at this time of the night. All their work done for the day. Only the Alpha Unit lived in this part of the packhouse; and they were all off with the Alpha. She walked down to his suite and let herself in. It was clean and smelled like him, fresh pine with eucalyptus and that hint of blackberries. She walked about one last time, a glutton for punishment, she knew. Should have just left already but couldn’t, not without one last scent of him. Walked into his walk-in and touched all his clothes, slid her hand along them all, touched everything, couldn’t help herself. As much as it pained her and Harper, they were still drawn to him. Likely always would be, leaving was simply self-preservation and if her rejection did not hold, they’d likely not survive much longer anyway. Piper walked over and stood looking down at his bed, one last night here in his bed, and then gone at the brink of dawn. That was the plan. He’d be gone for several days; always was. The first night away was usually peaceful, but not the nights after that. She stripped off all her clothes and got into his bed. Grabbed onto the pillow that smelled the most like him and buried her face into it, letting the tears fall one last time. She fell asleep in the middle of his big king-sized bed, wrapped in his scent, in the very sheets that would touch his skin while he slept, allowing herself to dream it was where she belonged one last time. She woke with a start. It was still dark, then there was the sound of the bedroom door banging closed. She bit her lip, heard movement and then the sound of clothing being removed. She could smell him. Bradley was back, he could not smell her, had not realized she was in here, in his very bed, he hadn’t even turned the lights on. She was very small at five-six, and was now so thin that she likely didn’t even make a small lump in his bed which had a thick plush feather down comforter on it. He got into bed, and she prayed he’d stay on that side of the bed, that she would be able to slip out once he was asleep. The punishment for this kind of thing; being in his bed, would likely be terrible. And he would be the one to dish it out. She did not relish the thought of getting a beating or whipping, or thrown in the cells afterwards by her own Mate. It would likely destroy them completely. Why was he back? His hand touched her back, stilled completely on her skin, and then a large angry growl came from him. He knew there was a stranger in his bed, he was well within his rights to kill her, and she and Harper both knew it. Wondered if he’d even feel the disconnection afterwards, though doubted it. Then his body was suddenly pressed up against hers. “Well, I guess you want some time with your Alpha.” his voice had suddenly turned all husky and his hand had slid over the curve of her hip, and he’d pulled her hard against him. His mouth was on her shoulder and a groan escaped him as his fingers dug into her hip. “I could use company after my day.” he’d growled, “So you’re in luck.” his hand slid up her body. It was leaving a burning hot trail over her skin, everywhere he was touching her. Piper had no idea what to do. No-one had ever paid her the slightest bit of attention, no-one had ever touched her, and now he was; something she never thought would happen. His hand slid over her hills, and he stroked his fingers over her niple. She gasped as it hardened under his touch, and heat bloomed between her thighs, then she was tugged over onto her back and his mouth was on her neck, his hand sliding down her body “F'k-, you're hot to touch.” He’d growled into her neck, sounding full of desire to her. His fingers had dipped right between her thighs and, oh Goddess, the pleasure of his touch, she had cried out as he’d stroked her firmly, grabbed onto him, wanted more, needed more of him. “Please,” she had whispered, and his fingers were buried inside of her a second later, a deep groan had come from him, as she’d moaned at the intense sensation of him touching her so intimately. He was moving his hand, pushing his fingers in and out of her, as she clung to him, could feel her first ever or'gаsm coming, gasped and moaned under his touch, arched up to him, and moaned his name as it rolled through her body. Heard him growl “Oh, that was fcking fine.” Then his mouth was on hers, and she felt him tugging her legs apart. It was too late for her, she could not deny what she’d always wanted. She couldn’t even utter the word no, somewhere inside her brain she knew she should but couldn’t. Then he was in her, one hard movement all the way in. She cried out in pain as he took her, and felt his whole body still atop of hers. He knew, it was likely obvious she’d never been with another “Oh dayum, even better.” he’d suddenly growled down at her, then his mouth was on hers once more, and he started to move, taking her slowly at first, and it hurt, it was uncomfortable, he was so big, and she felt stretched completely around him. His mouth moved to her neck as he tasted her skin, slid his tongue over her mark spot, and her whole body burned hot like it was on fire. She cried out his name and thrvst her hips up to meet his, pleasure finally taking over, he was her Mate and was having her, if only just once, she would have him for herself. Take all of him, give him everything of herself. He picked up the pace as he felt her acceptance of him inside her. Cried out as pleasure started to build quicker, ripping through her body, like nothing she’d ever imagined it could be. Clung on to him and begged him not to stop. Heard his deep throaty chuckle “I think you like it.” “Yes,” she had answered him honestly, “Please, I want you, all of you.” she moaned and had meant every word. His mouth had found hers, his body moved harder and faster, giving her what she had asked for, heard him groan as he came, felt his seed spill inside of her; like a hot river spreading through her insides. Dug her nails into him as she’d cried out his name. His hand slid down her body. “You feel amazing,” he growled deeply. His hands had gripped her a'ss firmly, and then he was moving again, hard and fast. “I want more.” he’d growled into her neck, pulling and pushing at her hips, his need to have her increasing. Then he was gone from her. Piper had gasped at the sudden loss of him, only to be yanked over and up onto all fours, heard his gasp as he took her from behind “f'k- yes.” and was thrvsting in and out of her firm and hard, faster and in his need. Piper cried out repeatedly as he held her hips, gripping on to her hard, and he was suddenly slamming in and out of her. She could hear her own cries of pleasure filling the darkness of the room, she could hear Harper howling with pleasure inside her own mind, as he took them. Screamed out as she climaxed. Only to have him shove her down on the bed and grate out “More.” was holding her down, one hand on the back of her neck while the other pulled her hips up “f'k-.” he roared as he started again, thrvsting like he had lost all control taking what he wanted furiously, hard and rough holding her down dominating her completely "Oh, f'k- yes." he was really moving now, giving her all he had, everything. Piper could barely gasp for air herself, just cry out as wave after wave of pleasure hit her, could feel the 0rgа5ms one after the other ripping through her till she was screaming in pure bliss. Her whole body shunted forward as she screamed his name one last time as he slammed home, his seed spilling inside of her again. His body was heavy on top of hers, she lay under him, gasping, trying to breathe and calm down, his breath she could feel was heavy and ragged like her own. “I like fkn you.” he’d groaned as he’d rolled off of her body and lay on the bed next to her. Piper's joy at what had just happened, was gone in an instant, she felt hot tears burn her eyes. ‘He liked fcking her.’ she thought, as pain in her heart replaced the pleasure she had been feeling. She was his Mate, and still, he did not recognize her. Felt not just her own heart shatter, but Harper’s too. She did not look at him, couldn’t, just lay there quietly, held in the sobs of pain, and waited for him to fall asleep. Then she dragged her aching body from his bed, he still could not tell what she was to him. It was just a good f'k-. She picked up her clothes, could hear him snoring softly, as her tears continued to fall silently down her face. At least they’d gotten to have him, just once. She stepped away from the bed, from him, and closed her eyes and tried to stop the flow of tears. Pulled on her clothes, turned from the bedroom doorway, and looked at his sleeping body, pain seared through her and her wolf. They would never survive his betrayal again. Not after this, they both knew it, and they knew he would go off and be with someone else. They were nothing to him, never had been, and without a scent for him to smell, they never would be. Piper took in a long silent breath, “I Piper Whitlock, warrior to the Black Haven Pack...reject you Bradley Drake as my Mate.” she whispered into the darkness of the room, and then fled as fast as she could, as pain coursed through her body, she heard Harper howl in pain inside her mind. They ran from his suite, down the hall, grabbed their bag and stumbled and nearly fell most of the way down the stairs to the door at the bottom, struggling with the pain of their rejection. Refused to stop regardless of the pain, they had been through a lot of pain in the past three years, they knew how to run, and hold it in, to hide it until they were alone. She didn’t stop running until they reached the western border of the Pack. She knew she looked a terrible mess, tears streaming down her face, and she’d stumbled and fallen many times, as pain tore at her insides, but she had picked herself up and kept going. Was still sobbing from the pain she was in, when she looked at the patrol man, he was frowning right at her, had no idea where she had come from, or who she was; not scented her coming, would have heard her, but even now, she could tell he was confused as to what she was. She stepped out over the border right into rogue territory, saw him step towards her, his eyes widened at her actions. Not many females would do what she was doing. “I reject Alpha Bradley Drake and his Pack, the Black Haven Pack, as my Pack, I...am a rogue now.” she’d stated firmly; her decision clear in her mind. The border patrol man gasped in shock, then she turned and ran from everything, and everyone she’d ever known, as she felt herself being severed from the pack entirely. It was the only thing that could save her and Harper. They would die here if they had to stay and suffer any longer. They were not afraid to be out in rogue territory, had been out here before, not even a rogue picked up her wolfen scent. She was a mere human to them as well. So, a human they would be from now on. They would live, breathe, eat and work as a human would, in the human world. She made their way to the airport to catch their flight and start over. A wolf no more. Piper POV Piper stood in her bridal shop window, pinning the dress to the mannequin, to make it a neat fit and look its best to attract customers. Not that she was short of them. She smiled, her designs were well liked, even here in the human world. It was a lovely strapless A-line gown, a blush coloured dress with a square neckline, the skirt flowed freely, and it had a bodice covered in hand embroidered crystal beads. It had a pulled up and neatly pleated section, at the front of the dress, that allowed all the wonderful soft ruffles of the overlapping layers of the soft satin material to be seen. She did like it, had just finished it yesterday. Her store ‘Goddess Gowns’ here in Portland was one of three she now owned. Her main store, where she worked from, was a nice space, in a two-story building, where all her gowns were on display downstairs, with a spacious sitting area and plush seating. There was a small runway from the dressing rooms, out into the center of the store, where the waiting guests would sit and watch the bride-to-be show-off the dress she chose. Her office was upstairs in a loft space. She’d had split the loft into two large rooms, her office in the first space and her working studio in the second, where she sat and created her gowns. She was good at her job. Liked her work and had sold many dresses to wealthy humans, as well as regular humans, she catered to everyone. She kept to herself as much as possible, but did hold and attend fashion shows, and was quite well known in the bridal industry. She stepped back and looked at her latest creation, adjusted it a couple of times, until she was happy with it. Hearing the pretty bell she’d bought tinkle as the store's door opened to let someone in. Most days they came by appointment, but on Tuesday's she kept her books open, for walk-ins. Her books were pretty full at the moment, Izzy would likely show them around, or make them an appointment to see her at some point in the future. Then the scent hit her, they were wolves; inside her store were werewolves. She felt Harper growl a little inside of her mind. Although they had come across wolves, and all other manner of creatures over the past eight years, today the scent that hit them, reached their nose. It was one that particularly annoyed them. Without even turning to look, she could hear the woman, who was laughing and happy, excited to be in this very store, to purchase her gown for her Ceremony as she called it. She heard the man chuckle and reminded her that Brad, had told her to get whatever she wanted, he did not care about the cost it would incur him. Piper stepped out of the window display, and refused to even look at them. She knew by the scent that was on them, they were of her old pack, likely from the way the woman was talking. This woman was here to purchase a Goddess Gown designed by Piper Harper Designs. To wear to her Luna Ceremony, and to none other than Bradley Drake himself. “Izzy, please attend to the customers.” she stated flatly as she headed up the stairs to her office. “Yes Piper.” she heard Izzy call after her. Piper nor Harper wanted to be anywhere near that woman or her escort for that matter. Pain was already pulling at them both. He’d found another, it seemed. No not found another. Had scented out his first Mate. She thought bitterly. He’d never once scented her, but obviously had that woman downstairs in her very store. She and Harper might have left out of self-preservation, but it didn’t mean they didn’t still love the man. Knew their rejection had worked, seeing as not once since that night, had she felt the pains of betrayal. It had been the right thing to do, saved both her and Harper. They’d moved well away from that pack, several states away in fact. Why were they here in her store? This was the first time, they had come across the Black Haven Pack, since they had left. Why of all places would that woman come all the way here to her store? Was it just some cruel joke? She already felt like Selena had rejected her and Harper, cursed them and given her a life of torture, but no, that wasn’t enough, it seemed. Now her Mate had his own Mate, and was here to dump pain upon her once again. There was a knock on her door “Piper, sorry to bother you. The young lady downstairs wants one of your older gowns,” Izzy stated. “I don’t make those anymore.” Piper replied calmly, “Just tell her to buy one off of the racks downstairs. I’m sure there is something she will like. I don’t have the time to make anything new right now, even from the old.” “Yes Piper...are you alright Piper?” Izzy asked her with a slight frown. “I’m fine Izzy, have a headache is all.” she waved the girl away. “Close my door, I can’t stand the smell.” she stated, not wanting to smell them, or even hear the conversation that those two down there may have. And to hll with it, if that escort or the girl heard her comment about the smell. She glanced at the large wall clock and sighed, hopefully they would leave soon. She had to go and get Brandon from the bus stop in a little while. Did not want that man around her son, period. Not that he would connect any dots, she did not smell to that wolf downstairs, and any likeness to Bradley would simply be shrugged off. There was a knock on her door a few minutes later, and she was about to raise her voice to Izzy, for disturbing her yet again, because she’d been given instructions already. When the door opened without her stating to come in, she looked at it with a deep frown on her face. Her jaw tightened as she watched Cooper opening the door to her office without permission. Cooper, the Beta to the Black Haven Pack, stood there in her office doorway, smiled right at her, all charmingly, thinking he was going to be able to use his good looks and charm, to be able to sway her into whatever he wanted. Most human females would be drooling already, at his black hair and deeply dark charcoal grey eyes, his chiseled jaw and well-built physique. Little did this wolf know, she wasn’t some gullible human out for the charming. She was not going to fall at his feet and stare up at him all dreamy-eyed, and become so smitten that she’d do whatever he wanted her too. It was likely how he’d gotten past Izzy though. Had used those stormy grey eyes of his and, by the look of it, had run his hand through his hair, which would have showed off the muscles in his arm. He was only wearing a short-sleeved, very well-fitted tee-shirt, and those sickeningly perfectly pearly white teeth of his; that he had turned on her now. He was a picture of charm and sx appeal; he was definitely trying to play on his good looks to get what he wanted. She was not attracted to him in the slightest. “Hello, I’m Cooper.” Piper cut him right off there. “I don’t care. Get out.” she snapped at him. She did not want this wolf anywhere near her at all. Watched his smile actually falter, and he frowned at her. “That’s not a very nice way to treat a potential customer, I have a friend here who would...” “I don’t care.” she cut him off once again. “I already told my store manager, Izzy, I don’t have time to make a dress from an old, obsolete line.” she turned her eyes away from him, back to her desk and the design pad in front of her, effectively dismissing him, he would understand that; likely seen his Alpha do it many times, he’d probably done it himself a heap. “Please,” she heard him actually step inside of her office “We’ll pay whatever you want.” Piper turned her eyes back to him, more than annoyed now, trying to use money to get what he wanted. Now he understood his looks wouldn’t do it; typical. “I don’t need your money. Now I am very busy Carter...was it. Have your friend choose something in the store downstairs.” “It was Cooper,” he grated out, sounding like he didn’t like her tone. Well, she didn’t like him in her office, any more than he looked like, he wanted to be there right now. She was ticking the man off, it seemed. Good. Maybe he’d take that woman and leave altogether. “My friend wants a custom Piper Harper gown.” She rolled her eyes right at him, whose store did he think he was in? “Everything downstairs is a Piper Harper gown.” she dripped sarcasm at his stupidly spoken request. “You are very rude.” he glared right at her. Oh, this was not rude, this was just annoyed, he didn’t want to see her fully pissed off. And she was doing everything to get him out of her store, with the attitude of him not coming back at all. She saw him actually take a breath and try to calm his anger. His wolf must be cranky at the lack of respect she was showing. She heard Harper snort amused inside her mind; they’d not even really gotten started. “Please, at least look at the picture of the dress she wants.” he turned slightly “Hadley come in here and show the lady the dress you want.” he called out to her. Piper's jaw tightened all the way, so much so she could hear her own teeth grinding against each other. He looked right at her, had picked up on it too. They did not want to know the woman’s name, and certainly did not want to have to look right at her, for that matter. That was why she had come upstairs and asked Izzy to deal with them. On any other given day in her store, Piper would have been more than willing and happy to stay downstairs and assist in her store. Her customers liked to meet her. She knew this, and for the most part, didn’t actually mind interacting with them. Only the super prima donnas annoyed her. Whining spoiled little baby’s that had never heard the word ‘No’ before, irritated her and Harper for that matter. She was glaring right at him now, and actually saw him try and smell her, an interesting response to her anger. He clearly wasn’t used to humans challenging him or standing up to him. A very pretty red-headed girl walked into her office a moment later, obviously not her real hair colour. It was as red as a fire truck. The girl, not woman, was young, likely only barely 18 or 19. She smiled right at Piper, had deep dark blue eyes, and she had that trim-taught and terrific body that all wolves have, she was wearing a well-fitted dress that accentuated her hills and hips, drawing one's eyes right to how fit she actually was. Just his type, she thought bitterly, it did not escape her or Harper that she scented of Alpha blood either. She did not smile at Hadley; she’d been called. Already initiated into the pack, she had the pack's scent on her as well. The girl faltered as Piper's eyes met hers, fully annoyed and angered to have to be looking right at her. Cooper brought her further into the office. “I’m sure she won’t bite Hadley.” it was a warning; she and Harper had not missed his tone. “Show her the dress you want. I’m certain I will be able to convince her to make it.” ‘Fat chance.’ Harper snarled inside her mind. He walked Hadley across the office and sat her down opposite Piper herself. She glared right at him. He was lucky Harper was still inside her mind and not fully on the surface. And oh yes, he was very used to getting his way all the time. And of course, whatever the Luna wanted, she would get. He was here to make sure of that. Well, today he was going to find out that he couldn’t have everything he wanted. She was no push over. Yes, every other Luna out there got what they wanted. She and Harper hated Luna’s with almost a passion, almost as much as they hated their own Kind. “Piper.” she felt his aura roll at her, just a little. Likely trying to make her complaint “Please, it is Hadley’s wish.” “And I told you... I’m busy and don’t have the time.” she shot back at him, making sure he understood his aura meant nothing to her. “Look at it.” he practically demanded her. Well, they were no longer a part of his pack anymore, rogues didn’t have masters, didn’t have to answer to anyone unless they actually chose to. She raised an eyebrow at him “I don’t like your attitude.” she snapped and stood up, felt Harper bristle inside her own mind. They would be no match for him, but they were not about to let him, lord it over them, right here in their office. “Nor I yours.” he snapped right back. He plucked the photo from the girl's hand. “What harm will come from looking at it?” he held it out to her. “Nothing, I suppose.” she grated out and yanked the dаmed thing from his hand, it was actually a magazine clipping not a photo, and the moment her eyes landed on it her anger twitched up a notch. She had only made one of these, had tortured herself with it. It was the very dress she had designed for herself; the one that she had always imagined she would wear, the one she had designed long before she’d left the pack, tormented herself with dreams of Bradley scenting her and claiming her; and that dress being the one she would wear for her Luna Ceremony. Never happened, never would. There was one thing Piper was certain of; this girl before her was never going to wear that dress. She would never make it for her to wear to her ceremony to Bradley. She tore the clipping in half, and then in half again “I will not make that.” she spat as she tossed the torn pieces of paper into the bin. The girl gasped and actually sobbed, then shot up out of the chair and left the room in a rush. Cooper went after her “Go and don’t come back.” she practically snarled right at him. Saw him stop and glare right at her, stand there and stare at her, right at her, she was not intimidated by him, and it surprised him. Shocked him that he couldn’t seem to frighten her, watched him breathe in again. He was once again trying to figure out what she was. Why she’d not done what he wanted? Well, he would smell nothing, like every other time he’d walked passed her, or ran into her, and he had more than once. He would smell a human and nothing more, if he even smelled that. He stood in her office doorway staring right at her, as she stared right back at him, locked eyes right with him, her brown eyes never moved from him, a slight smirk touched his lips; she presented a challenge to him and his wolf, it seemed. His wolf's eyes appeared as it pushed forward. It was likely meant to frighten her, all he got from her was a raised eyebrow at him. “You don’t frighten me, get out of my store.” she stated, never moving her eyes from his wolf's. Shock registered on his face, at her lack of reaction to his wolf on the surface, then he just turned and left. “Yes, go away and don’t bloody come back.” she muttered to herself, knew his keen sense of hearing would pick it up, didn’t care at all. Wanted him to know that she didn’t want him to come back. She glanced at the clock and sighed, heard the bell chime; he’d left the store. She poured herself a glass of water and drank it. Today was not a good day. Today was not something she had ever seen coming or even been prepared for. Downstairs she found Izzy’s eyes on her, questioningly “I’m going to pick up Brandon.” “Yes Piper.” she just nodded. Then walked out of her store, and found Cooper across the street with the girl, and as she glanced at them, realized the packs Gamma and Delta were also both there. The Gamma looked right at her, the girl was hugged into him, taking comfort from her Gamma. 'Oh! How sweet.' She thought bitterly. Turned and walked off down the street. Three blocks to the bus stop and waited. She’d survived more than that, all that girl got was a “no”, was a spoiled bloody prima donna. Brandon got off the bus, and she smiled at him, thankfully he had her caramel-coloured hair, with a few natural blonde highlights from the sun, and his skin was fair like hers too. Though he did have his father's blue eyes with those brilliant green flecks in them. He was her one true joy in her life. She smiled right at him as he stood talking to his friends; would not interrupt the boy, he had people hanging off him, just seven years old and already popular, typical of his Alpha gene’s she supposed. Finally, he turned his smile on her. “Hey mum.” “Hey sweetie, I thought...we’d go and get waffles.” He grinned now. “Sure.” She knew it was his favorite thing, loved waffles with strawberries and doused in hot melted chocolate with a big scoop of chocolate ice cream. She took his hand and strolled along to the cafe, they ate at sometimes after school. She watched him eat happily. “I thought we could get away, go on a little holiday, the long weekend is coming.” He looked right at her. “No work?” Piper chuckled and even heard Harper chortle inside her mind “No work...why don’t we go snowboarding?” “Sweet.” he grinned, now, all excited. The boy did like to be in the outdoors, and he’d learned to snowboard at 5, bloody took to everything that he tried. His natural agility shone through, as did his track and field, he even excelled at swimming. Everything he did was a natural talent at “Mum it's fall.” he suddenly stated. “It’s snowing somewhere in the world.” she shrugged. “get your phone out and find somewhere. We’ll leave on Friday after school and come back on Monday. You pick where.”
"Congratulations, Parker," I forced a smile. "I see you've found your Goddess-Gifted Mate." He nodded. "I have. We need to talk." "Why?" I shot back. "I already know what this is—I was chosen just to be rejected by you." I'd known from the start I wasn't his fated mate, and this day had been coming. "Just reject me, Parker. I'll accept it." I said, no emotion in my voice. Eight years ago, I was sold to him. Our bond never grew, never flourished like it should have. The only time we were together was in bed. He stayed silent, staring at me. I shook my head slightly. "I'll do it, then." I said. "I, Belladonna Harrington, reject you, Alpha Parker Hartly, as my Mate." I saw his eyes widen, disbelief flashing across his face. "Accept it," I gasped, clutching my chest. "It hurts, Parker." His frown deepened, then he stood up. "I, Alpha Parker Hartly, accept your rejection. You are no longer my Mate or Luna." Our bond shattered, and I felt it—severed completely. I gasped, my chest aching. He gripped his desk, eyes fixed on me. "Go claim your Goddess-Gifted," I said, voice strained. "And you?" He asked, his voice softer, almost concerned. "I'll be fine." I wasn't his anymore. And for the first time, I was free. --- Part 1: Null & Voided Belladonna Bella stood in the shower in the Luna’s suite, allowing the warm water to wash over her. She was pleasantly exhausted, Parker had left her suite; he was off to a mating ball in another state. She had four days now, where he wasn’t going to be there inside the pack. She was his Luna; had been for eight years now, but she was bound to him not by her choice, had been chosen for him by her own Alpha and Luna; just to get rid of her, and she knew it. She was the youngest child of her father, and unwanted and shunned; a bastard child not born of his Mate bond, and that was why she was hated by the Luna in her home pack. This allianced mating, that she’d been bound to at just 19 years of age. It was, she believed, her father’s Luna’s way of getting rid of her from their pack, once and for all. The only solace she had was that there was a detailed mating alliance. That did not allow for Parker to bring harm to her. Parker came to her room, the Luna’s suite every other night to bed her, and though the sex was good, more than good, damned near on amazing at times, she had to admit, because he wasn’t just a man that came and took what he wanted. No, he was a man that enjoyed sex, enjoyed knowing he pleased the woman in his bed, even if she had been sold to him. Parker could spend hours in her bed, touching and tasting her, sometimes all night long. He was not a terrible Mate to her, but he was indifferent most of the time. She had been given to him to stop a war between their two packs, had been Marked and Mated by him, taken as his Chosen Luna, with full view of rejecting her one-day down the line. She didn’t actually mean anything to him. He didn’t love her, and she didn’t love him. She could enjoy him being in her bed because of the Mate Bond, enjoyed it a lot, and had been known to scream with pleasure at him having his way with her. He could be utterly insatiable at times, and a part of Bella craved him; as his Mate she loved his every touch. She actually enjoyed her heat when it came, just once a year, spent seven glorious days being mated by him, and the sex; all rough I’ve just got to have alpha-blooded needs on the surface. Screamed in utter bliss that week multiple times a day and half all night, but it was the only time he never got out of her bed and slept in his suite. Every time always ended the same way. The moment he couldn’t scent her heat anymore, he was up and gone from her suite. Eight years of it; nothing had changed for him. Just three days ago, her heat had ended, and he’d left in the middle of the night. She’d not even known, she had been exhausted by them mating furiously that last time, and she had slept like the dead. Then she'd woken up on her own because her heat was over. This morning, him in her bed for a few hours before the sun rose. It was because he was going away for a mating ball and would be gone for four days. The pack he was visiting was in another state, 12 hours away, unaffiliated to him but a good opportunity for his wolves to pair up. There was nothing unusual about him being gone for four days, seeing as how far away that pack was, sometimes it was five full days. That was nice for her, he wasn’t one to tax his wolves, and so they stopped overnight on the way there or back if necessary. Not that he informed her of his doings, she just learned it over the years. Parker didn’t think that he was required to tell her his movements, she was only his Mate and Luna, due to the mating alliance that they had. It didn’t bother her at all, it just meant she had four days to herself this week. He always liked to have sex before he left and when he got back as well, something about he had an alpha-blooded sex drive that he needed to sate on a regular basis. She didn’t argue about it, she had it too, there was no need to either, they both got all the tingly mate bond goodness in that bed of hers. And it was always in her bed. She’d never even seen inside the Alpha Suite; that was not a place for her to be. Bella dressed for the day and headed downstairs, to get herself some breakfast, where she saw him and his unit all heading across the foyer and out the front door of the packhouse to leave. He nodded to her, but never said goodbye to her. No one here thought anything about it, they all knew she had been given to him. Was not his Goddess-Gifted Mate. Though the pack here was nice to her, they didn’t treat her badly at all, that had been a surprise to her, and she herself was nice to all of them. She actually liked the pack, and it seemed the pack actually liked her. Looked to her for advice even. She did her Luna duties as was required of her. She had been sent here against her will, but actually found that she fitted in better inside this pack than her own home pack. She had respect here from this pack, from Parker to a certain degree, she thought. She’d learned how to be a Luna to this pack, and attended to all of those duties that Parker had tasked her with, when she’d first been brought here. She had even been allowed to study with his pack’s doctor in the hospital, and now, eight years later she herself was a good doctor. Bella specialized in the delivery of pups, and looking after the she-wolves in labour, using her Luna Calm to help them settle when fully distressed, and things got a bit on the hairy side. She’d not lost a single pup or she-wolf in the past eight years of assisting and then delivering on her own. She was a fully registered doctor with this pack, and one day when she left, she would be a doctor for another pack somewhere else. That was the goal. Though what the really crazy thing was, was that six months after she went into heat herself, there was always an explosion of pups within the pack. It hadn’t gone unnoticed by the pack's doctor, her mentor Annette, she shook her head and had stated “It’s you, you know.” They often laughed and joked about it. Annette had already chuckled just yesterday about getting supplies ready for pups to be born in a few months’ time. Bella had just snorted and shaken her own head, they were currently going through that now, that heat she’d had last week was completely unexpected and out of the blue, her second one for this year. Had not been expected at all. Annette’s theory only made Bella shake her head, she thought it was just a coincidence was all. She’d not gotten pregnant once in the past eight years of having a heat once a year. A part of her was glad of it as well, knowing that there was a clause in her mating alliance that stated all pups she had while still bonded to Parker, were to be given to him. When he found his Goddess-Gifted Mate and rejected her, she had to leave them behind for him to raise. They were his heirs. It was not something she wanted to happen. She knew that Parker would make her give them up as well. He followed all his alliance dealings to the letter. She also knew it was a clause he’d written into their mating alliance himself. He wasn’t willing to relinquish any child to her, he would be claiming all of them as his heirs. She might be their mother if she ever birthed any pups, but she had no rights to them; that was how she looked at that clause. She saw him sometimes looking at her, in the weeks after her heat, assessing her, she knew, listening for a heartbeat of a pup. He wanted an heir and she, being Alpha-blooded like he was, their pup would be a pure-blooded heir for this pack. There were no pups, even though she wasn’t on birth control of any kind, he wouldn’t allow it. He was hoping for a pup between them and she knew it. 2 Belladonna Bella thought there was no pup simply because she didn’t want one and her wolf certainly didn’t want one to a Mate that was not her Fated or that was how it felt to Bella. Neither of them were at all interested in having a pup with a Mate that was going to, at some point in time, whether it be in the near or far future, reject them for his Goddess-Gifted when she came along. Why would anyone want to do that when they knew that their Alpha Mate would be sending them away, pretty much just tossing them out of his pack and without their pups, making them sever their kind bond to however many pups they had and loved. No she-wolf she knew would agree with that, it was insane; and neither she nor Freya, her wolf, were interested in that happening to them. Parker had made a few comments over the years about it, and she’d stared at him, stated simply, “Maybe, Selena doesn’t want us to have a pup, Parker.” To which he’d retort, “And maybe you’re infertile.” Sounding a bit on the angry side about it. “Could well be,” she’d nodded at him simply. She’d not taken offense to his words. Though she wasn’t infertile. She’d been tested a few years back along with himself after that very comment. She’d thought he’d gone away and thought about his own words, and maybe come to the conclusion that one of them was infertile. So they’d both been tested at his request, and they were both fine and capable of conceiving a pup, apparently. It just wasn’t meant to be as far as she was concerned, and she was honestly glad of it. Though during her heats, Parker knotted her every time he came, and she him back, liked the bloody feeling of it as much as he did, and she knew it. She understood that being knotted to one's Mate kind of made you feel whole, that it was part of the mate bond as well. He had in fact knotted her this morning, had looked right down at her while still knotted to her and sighed softly, contentedly. She knew he liked the feeling of being knotted to her. All wolves did unless they weren’t their Mate. His blue eyes had looked into her blue ones, and he’d murmured softly as he’d looked down at her, a gentle smile on his face, “An heir would be nice, don’t you think Belladonna.” He hadn’t said it in months, and she’d been a little surprised to hear him bring it once more, she had thought he’d give up on that thought, though the way he said her name softly, almost sounded like he cared at that moment. She knew better though, he never shortened her name like everyone else inside the pack did. He was the only one to call her Belladonna, and she was certain that he did it, to remind himself she was his Chosen Mate. “I guess it would.” She’d answered him. It was all she ever said on the subject of a pup between them. She’d only ever actually said ‘no’ once, and it had set him and his beast off into a fit of rage. She’d not really understood that. He didn’t love her, she knew that. But she’d never dared to say it again. Because his anger over her declining to even think it was a good idea, had filtered into the pack. The pack had been on edge over his foul mood, and she’d seen him stomping around and grating out orders at everyone. He’d been cranky about it for over a week. So now she stated she guessed it would be, instead of telling him no she didn’t want one with him. To save the pack from his temper was all, something he had, but she rarely saw, the pack rarely saw, and she had a feeling he tried not to lose it for no reason at all. The pack did like him, respect him and were happy with him as their Alpha. Sometimes she wondered what that war with her home pack had been all about. She didn’t recall there being a war, perse, there had been a full threat of one, that much she did know. Though her father and Parker had probably not wanted that war and tried everything to stop it before it got started. She’d not been privy to that and during those two days everyone had been sequestered to their homes. Though she did know there had been a wolfen force at the border of the pack. She shook off her thoughts, she didn’t need a trip down memory lane, that was a long time ago. She ate her breakfast in the dining room as she always did, smiled at the wolves in here eating as well. Chuckled as a boy of six climbed up onto the seat next to her and tugged on her arm “Luna, mummy’s going to have her baby today.” “Is she now?” she’d smiled down at him. “Yes, daddy took her to the hospital just a minute ago.” Bella smiled at him “Are you excited to meet your little sister Franky?” she asked him. “Yes.” He smiled big up at her “Aunty Becky is watching me.” Bella looked up to find Rebekah his aunt walking this way. She was heavily pregnant herself. “Daisy just went into labour, Luna.” Rebekah told her as she walked over to her. “I just heard; Franky’s excited.” She ruffled his blond hair. “How are you doing today, Becky?” “Alright, will you be going to the hospital soon?” Becky asked. “Yes, right after breakfast. Everything will be fine with your sister; I’ve not lost a pup yet and am not about to start today.” She reassured Becky. Bella had gone into heat six months ago. This was going to be a busy week here inside the pack. Her last heat had been very unexpected. Had come in the middle of the night, out of nowhere and Parker had not been in the pack for it either. That first night had been agony locked in her suite, unable to sate the needs from her heat. But he’d come back in short order, when he’d been informed she was in heat, and she’d been on him the moment he’d walked into her suite, practically ripped his pants off him and shoved him down all alpha aggression, and she ridden the hell out of him with all she’d had right by the suites' entry door. He hadn’t cared, had enjoyed it himself, enjoyed all her heats while they lasted. He got to have sex for hours every day and half the nights as well, it was all rough and raw, both their alpha-blooded needs in full swing. They were both very aggressive about getting what they wanted during her heats. It was kind of unavoidable, she thought. Just their bloodlines. She pulled herself from her thoughts and made her way to the pack’s hospital, pulled on her scrubs. Today she was wearing soft blue scrubs with sloths all over them; she thought they were cute. The pack hospital had, had a uniform when she’d arrived in this pack, black scrubs, she’d gotten rid of them, thought they were very unfriendly, and some of the pack’s children who’d never been in the hospital before had shied away from the nurses and doctors on their first visit. Now all the nurses and doctors wore fun scrubs with patterns all over them, some even tailored them to the seasons. It had helped the children relax and be comfortable. They did have a standard uniform for after war or pack attacks, when their wolves were grieving the loss of loved ones. Simple respectful scrubs that were mint green and white. Despite being brought here as a Chosen Mate and Luna, Parker did expect her to attend all Luna duties, and she did them well. He couldn’t fault her on that. He didn’t have any complaints, and had actually told her she made a good Luna to his pack. That had been just a few years back. She’d just smiled and nodded, accepted the compliment from him, they were few and far between, had told him in return, “I like the pack members, they’re nice to me.” and they were. "I'll always do my best for them, Parker." The Lustrous Moon was a much nicer pack to her than her home pack had been. 3 Belladonna It was a long four days inside the pack. Bella had delivered 17 pups over those days, she had lived inside the pack hospital itself, slept in her office, on the couch in there so she didn’t have to make the trip from the Luna suite to the hospital, which took 20 minutes at a casual stroll, it was closer to the pack's town than the packhouse, and she understood that was because it had been built to cater to the majority of the pack who lived in the town not the packhouse. Parker was due home today around lunchtime, and she knew that the moment he was finished initiating his new pack members into his pack, and allocating them homes if they needed it, he was going to want to go right to her room and have sex. He couldn’t go more than two days without sex on any normal given week here inside the pack. With the exception of that one week, he'd been angry. He'd stayed away from her that week; not brought his anger into her bed. But when he had crawled into bed, Goddess she'd never thought he was going to stop eating her out. Gotten multiples from him, several in fact, before she fallen asleep and woke up alone. This was how it had been for the past eight years. She, however, was actually very tired today, exhausted, she would say, had pulled an all-nighter last night and had yet to get any sleep. Bella had delivered three pups in the past 7 hours, and Annette had delivered two herself. Bella had received a text from him just as she was sitting down at her desk in her Luna's office, “I’ll be home in a few hours.” It had read. Bella had frowned down at it, a little confused as to why he’d sent it. He’d never done that before. She shook it off, likely he was just letting her know that he expected them to get naked in her bed when he got home, because he wanted to have sex. It had been four days. Well, it wasn’t going to be like that today. She had many things to do this morning herself and was too tired for sex; he’d have to understand. She was in all likelihood going to be in the Luna’s office when he crossed the pack border as well, because she had to now sit down and register all of those pups with the pack. Get their parents' files all up to date as well; having to register all 17 pups took time, and she didn’t make mistakes. It was going to be a long day, and she’d probably sleep like the dead after Parker had his way with her at some point later in the afternoon. She sighed as she sat in her chair, staring at the computer screen in front of her, her eyes kept drooping and she micro napped a few times, was fighting off sleep that she desperately needed and she knew it. She got up and looked at the time. It was just on 8am. She could sleep for two hours and then pull on her alpha-bloodline after that, to get her through the rest of the day, until she turned in for the night, she would go to bed early and she knew it. She set herself an alarm on her phone and crashed out on the couch in the Luna's office. Woke up and stretched and got coffee, when her alarm went off, she was still tired but could function at least. Returned to her job of documenting the births of those pups, and the condition of the mothers. She hissed as pain shot through her left arm, almost felt like someone had stabbed her and dragged a knife up her arm. It only lasted a few seconds, and she rubbed her arm and shook it off. It was odd, to say the least. Never felt that happen before. She finished documenting those pups, attached their baby pictures to the files and smiled at each one of them, she did love babies, they were so cute. All her life she’d been in a pack hospital. Her mother had died in childbirth, and she’d been raised by her grandmother, a nurse in her home pack, she’d never really had any friends, not being that she was her father’s bastard daughter, not even her half siblings liked her. Bella had learned to stick close to her grandmother, and she herself had worked in the pack hospital from a young age, become a runner for those that worked there, dashing off to get things they needed. Then she had started working in the hospital at 16, had dropped out of school altogether. It was not fun for her in that school, she got bullied by her half siblings all day long. She’d had one a few months older than she was, and she was in all her classes. Her father had not cared that she’d dropped out of school at all, he’d also never sent her off to Alpha College, she wasn’t a legitimate heir so didn’t need to go. She’d never asked to go either. She never went into the packhouse for anything, just tried to be invisible to that pack. Her father may have claimed her as his kin, but she was not part of the Alpha’s family, though she didn’t think Parker knew that. She was in fact hated by all of her siblings; the Luna especially hated her existence. Bella kind of understood that. She’d learned at a young age her conception had seen the packs Luna be in agony with the pains of betrayal. Though her grandmother had told her once, it wasn’t as it seemed, and not to believe that her mother was a mistress, she’d not been, hadn’t wanted to be bedded by her father, the alpha of that pack. She’d hadn’t had a choice about it, but then in the next breath she’d stated don’t blame your father either, he didn’t really want to bed your mother. It had confused her a lot. If neither had wanted it, how had it happened? Bella pulled herself from her thoughts as her tummy rumbled, and she got up to go and have lunch. It was midday and Parker wasn’t back yet, though she didn’t think it would be far off at all. He’d text her at 7am, a few hours. She shrugged, likely they’d all stopped for food somewhere. She was just returning to her office when she felt him come back into the pack, and he mind-linked to her near instantly, “Belladonna, meet me in the foyer.” He stated and cut the link before she could even reply to him. She was actually in the foyer now, so took up a seat with some of the pack’s kids and watched them play a board game. They all smiled up at her, and she smiled back at them, helped that youngest one out a bit. She looked up as Parker walked into the packhouse, and there was a woman walking next to him, quite tall, almost as tall as he was, though Bella noted she was wearing stilettos, they clicked loudly on the tiled floor as she strode along next to Parker. She looked more than annoyed to Bella. Bella stood as was expected of her to greet him when he came home, and watched as the woman looked right at her now as well, then there was just anger in those eyes of hers. Bella saw her take a full step closer to Parker and try to reach out and curl her hand around his forearm. Parker frowned down at her and brushed it away. “I’ve explained this to you Carina,” he stated flatly “No touching at this time.” There was more anger welling off the she-wolf now, and Bella understood right away, Parker had found his Goddess-Gifted Mate at that mating ball and though he would want to claim her for himself. He couldn’t, not until he’d rejected Bella. It was part of their mating alliance. “Axel, please take Carina to get some lunch.” Parker addressed his Delta, and motioned for them to move on passed him. His eyes moved back to her after Axel walked Carina off, “Belladonna, my office please.” He stated casually, and turned and walked that way himself. “Yes, Parker.” She answered him simply, she knew what this was all about, it was time for him to reject her, so he could go and claim his actual mate. 4 Belladonna She wondered just how much he was struggling right this minute, not being able to claim his Goddess-Gifted. How much had he struggled on the full moon when scenting her out and then coming face to face with her? Scenting her out knowing he couldn’t claim her, having that she-wolf see that he was already marked and mated by another, Bella bet that woman, Carina, she’d heard her name was, had been very confused by that. Likely been very angry about it, from what she’d just seen, clearly she hadn’t liked it at all. Ah! That stabbing pain in her arm earlier in the day, it was likely Carina had touched Parker, and as brief as it had been, she’d felt it, that had been pains of betrayal. That full moon night wouldn’t have been fun for her, and then the overnight stay in a hotel, and the long drive here to the pack. That she-wolf was more than ticked off about not being able to claim what was hers, but Parker, she knew, was a stickler for the rules. Which was a good thing for her, otherwise he could have treated her terribly over the years, and he could have marked and mated that she-wolf on the full moon, if he wasn’t a man of his word; something that she knew he actually was, and she was thankful for, because it would likely have killed her if he’d done that. She excused herself from the children and headed into his office, followed his Beta and Gamma. She heard the door being closed by Kane, the pack Beta. “Congratulations, Parker.” She smiled, genuinely happy for him. “I see you found your Goddess-Gifted Mate.” He nodded to her, “I have.” He stated as he sat down behind his desk “so we need to talk, you and I.” He looked right at her now. “Why?” she asked right back “I know what this is, I was chosen, just to be rejected by you.” she knew that was the truth, wondered if her old Luna wanted her to know that and feel it. Punish her for being born by doing this to her. “Just reject me Parker, I’ll accept it.” she told him simply. She had basically been sold to the Alpha sitting before her, she didn’t love him, her wolf didn’t love his either, their bond had never grown and flourished like all others did. It never would, or she didn’t believe that it would. The only time they spent together was in her bed, when he wanted to have sex, or she was in heat. Never did they ever go out for a meal, never had they celebrated their mate bond with each other, she’d not even gotten a Luna Ceremony. She had been announced to the pack the morning after he’d marked and mated her and that was it. She was not his Goddess-Gifted, and only that woman would get all of him, all the things that came with being his true Luna. Parker was frowning at her now, almost with disapproval in those blue eyes of his. He was still sitting there just staring at her, did so for a full minute as though he expected some sort of outburst from her, she thought. She wasn’t going to do that, wasn’t about to pitch a fit or kick up any kind of fuss over this. She stood there and stared right back at him, didn’t really understand why he didn’t just issue that rejection instantly, it was why he’d called her into his office, and she knew it, because he’d brought his Goddess-Gifted home with him. Bella finally raised an eyebrow at him, when he just sat there and continued to stare at her and say nothing. She shook her head a little, “I’ll do it then.” She stated simply, “I Luna Belladonna Harrington, reject you Alpha Parker Hartly as my Mate.” She stated, he’d never given her his name, again something reserved for his Goddess-Gifted Mate only, as was the Alpha Suite. She’d been here eight long years, and the entire time she’d resided in the Luna Suite, again a clause in the mating alliance; put in by Parker himself, she thought. To make sure she understood her place inside this pack, she supposed. She was his Luna and fuck buddy, not the love of his life. She doubted that he had any feelings at all where she was concerned, had wondered at times if he even liked her as a person. They didn’t talk often, so she wouldn’t know. Bella felt the severing of the bond begin on her end and gritted her teeth against it, stood staring at his widened eyes at her sudden rejecting of him. Almost like he couldn’t believe she’d issued it at all, “Accept it.” she gasped out after 30 seconds of him just staring at her “It, hurts Parker. Get it over with, please.” Again, there was that frown on his face, though now it was deepened, then he just stood up and nodded at her, “I Alpha Parker Hartly, accept your rejection Belladonna Harrington, you are no longer my Mate and Luna.” Bella gasped as their bond severed completely, clutched at her chest as she felt him being ripped away from her. Freya's snarl echoed inside her mind at the pain she was feeling. Then there was a pair of hands on her shoulders as she started to buckle under the weight of the pain. She could feel Shannon, the pack’s Gamma, rolling his charm over her to help ease her pain, and she was actually glad that he was there right this very minute. It hurt like a bitch, more than she had thought it would, considering their bond was nothing more than just really good sex. There was no emotional attachment between them, so she'd not expected it to hurt so much. She sank down onto her knees and had to breathe through the feeling of Parkers Mark burning off her neck. It took several long agonizing minutes, and even Shannon's Charm wasn't really helping with the pain of it, though she could feel it being rolled over her the whole time. Her hand reached up to touch her neck instinctively when the mark was gone, no more was the filigree that had adorned her neck for the past eight years, there were just two puncture marks where his fangs had buried into her that first night he’d brought her here to his pack and claimed her. It was no longer sensitive to the touch either, she felt nothing as she touched it where once it had brought desire. Even when she touched it herself, nothing remained right this minute. Her eyes lifted to him, he had a hand tightly gripped onto the edge of his desk, and a fist pressed hard against his chest. He looked to be in as much pain as she was. His eyes were on hers, never left hers at all, not even when she stood herself up and gently removed Shannon’s hands from her, stating softly “I’ll be alright, Shannon. Thank you.” and she knew she would be. “Parker, you should go and claim your Goddess-Gifted, it will resolve your pain quickly.” “And you?” he asked, and it almost sounded to her that he was concerned about her. “I’ll be fine. I understand our mating alliance, and I will follow it to the letter. Kane and I can sort that out. You should go and be with your Mate. She’ll be happy we’re over, and you can claim her, she can finally claim what is hers rightfully by the Goddess.” He was frowning at her now, didn’t appear to understand her reaction to all of this. But she was finally free, released from the contract that had made her just one of his belongings. It’s all she was to him, something he owned. Now she wasn’t his anymore or wouldn’t be in 24 hours; that’s how long she had to leave this pack. She turned to Kane, the pack’s Beta. “If you could meet me in the foyer in say an hour, we’ll finish it off properly, while Parker is marking and mating his Goddess-Gifted Mate.” “Yes Lu… Bella.” He nodded, had almost called her Luna, like he had done so many times before, over the past eight years. 5 Parker For eight years they had been mated to each other, and not once had Belladonna turned loving eyes on him. Not once had she even looked at the Alpha Suite as though she wanted to be in there with him; never had he even seen her glance at it. She just walked on past it like it didn’t exist for her. Belladonna, his mate of eight years, stood before him and still felt nothing for him. She was today wearing a clean set of scrubs. Though they looked a little on the rumpled side to him, as though she’d had a nap in them. It wouldn’t surprise him at all, if she had. She was often up late in the hospital. Slept there some nights when there were a lot of babies to be delivered. Even now standing in his office, he had expected some sort of reaction from her; to him bringing home his Goddess-Gifted Mate. But she’d not even so much as frowned at seeing Carina walk into the packhouse with him or standing there next to him, or Carina trying to touch him in a possessive manner, right there in the packhouse foyer for all to see. Knowing what she was to him, and Belladonna did know it, he’d never walked anywhere with a woman next to him like that before unless it was herself attending a mating ball with him, and Carina, she was all dolled up, to look her best when arriving at the pack. It had taken nearly an hour and a half to get ready in the hotel room this morning, which annoyed him greatly, having to wait for her like that. He had things to do and places to be. Belladonna had said nothing at all about seeing her with him, hadn’t even said anything when he’d sent Carina off with his Delta, and requested Belladonna to come into his office. No, she just politely excused herself from the children she’d been sitting with; likely playing a game with them, he’d seen her do that before on many occasions. He’d never treated her badly, respected her and craved that damned woman’s body more than he’d allowed himself to have her. Had held himself back from her because she didn’t have any feelings for him at all. She didn’t want a pup with him, hearing that had bloody hurt, and he’d been angry about it for a week. They’d been together for five years when he’d bitten the bullet and finally brought it up. He had thought five years of him treating her nicely. Respectfully, and acknowledging her as his Luna would have shown her, they worked well together. Clearly not, and he had not liked the response he’d gotten at all. Even now, he could see after eight years together, that he meant absolutely nothing to her. He couldn’t understand why her side of the mate bond didn’t grow and flourish at all. He didn’t want to issue this rejection, she was an amazing Luna, intelligent, strong and beautiful, had long wavy chestnut brown hair, that right this minute was pulled up in messy bun on top of her head. Because she’d been working in the pack hospital, but it didn’t detract from her beauty at all. Normally she would wear it out, and it fell around her shoulders or down her back in a lovely wavy cascade. She had brilliant blue eyes that could sparkle like the ocean at times and a very kissable mouth. The whole pack liked her, she’d learned everything about all of them over the years, attended to all the Luna’s duties, she was not only his Luna, but was a brilliant pack doctor as well. The woman loved babies, they made her light up from the inside out, and that smiled when she looked down at them; pure joy in her blue eyes. It was infectious the way she smiled. She always had a smile for the little ones. He couldn’t understand why they’d not had pups. She would make a great mother, and he knew it. Their children would be loved and adored by her. He’d not once in the past eight years seen her even raise her voice to a little one, not even a teenager. She’d looked a little exasperated at times, when she got those repeat offenders to her Luna’s office, to be admonished by their Luna for getting into fights, but never did she yell at them. She was a kind soul to everyone. She’d not even argued about being mated off to him, had stood there in her father’s office at just 19 years old, untouched by anyone inside her home pack, he’d taken her virginity, she’d not even known how to kiss. Very unusual for an alpha-blooded female of 19 years of age. She had just stood there in her father’s office and said nothing at all. Not one single word to anyone in that room, as they’d discussed that Mating Alliance, what clauses he wanted, what her father had wanted for her as well. She’d said nothing in his car on the way to this very pack, had sat and stared out the window the entire time. Nothing until he’d initiated her into his pack, until he’d cut his palm and then hers, and pressed their palms together, asked, as her new Alpha, to pledge loyalty to him and his pack. She’d not even really looked at him until that very moment either, just once in her father’s office only. He recalled her that day here in his office, she'd looked at their hands, taken in a long breath and then had just accepted him as her new Alpha. It had been the first time he’d heard her voice. Soft to his own ears even then, he’d put that down to her being unhappy about the Mating Alliance, and he knew she was unhappy. Shannon had told him via the mind-link ‘She’s unhappy, but resigned to it, not going to argue or fight you about Marking and Mating her.’ And she hadn’t. He’d also known she had never been with anyone. Her own father had told him as much, and Shannon had confirmed that, for him, she was nervous about not knowing what to do in the bedroom. He’d been more than experienced, so it wasn’t really an issue, and he’d not Mated her until they’d both marked each other. It would lessen the pain for her and he knew it. He’d also not rushed the job, taken his time and tried to take care of her, bring about pleasure for her, and show her he wasn’t going to be a brute of a Mate, and that he wasn't out to hurt her. Now to hear her congratulate him, it felt very odd to him, and Vex’s ears, which had flattened back against his head and annoyance rolled right off his beast at her words, she actually meant it, it was there in her tone. She was genuinely happy for him, it appeared. Their own Mate confused them to no end. If she’d walked into this packhouse trailing a Goddess-Gifted Mate, he’d likely have tried to take that man's head clean off. Would have been very angry to see another that was getting to touch what was his. But no, she just smiled right at him, the perfectly happy smile she had when she looked at babies, real happiness there on the surface not only for him to see, but to know it was actually for him, she really was happy for him right this very minute; That he had found his Goddess-Gifted Mate. Vex wanted to snarl at her for seeing her so happy about him being gifted to another, but turned and stalked off away to the back of his mind, ‘I’m not voicing it.’ he snarled at Parker and lay down inside his mind to watch her from back there. She’d been mated by his wolf in human form as often as she had been by Parker himself. They were both attached to her and both wanted her. His wolf was annoyed as much as Parker was right this very minute that she could be so bloody happy for them, it was not what he wanted to see from her; not at all. She and Carina were two very different people from what he’d seen so far. Belladonna was the better of the two of them, and he knew it. .... Open the app and continue reading the rest of the story . 👉(It will automatically jump to the book when you open the app)
"Congratulations, Parker," I forced a smile. "I see you've found your Goddess-Gifted Mate." He nodded. "I have. We need to talk." "Why?" I shot back. "I already know what this is—I was chosen just to be rejected by you." I'd known from the start I wasn't his fated mate, and this day had been coming. "Just reject me, Parker. I'll accept it." I said, no emotion in my voice. Eight years ago, I was sold to him. Our bond never grew, never flourished like it should have. The only time we were together was in bed. He stayed silent, staring at me. I shook my head slightly. "I'll do it, then." I said. "I, Belladonna Harrington, reject you, Alpha Parker Hartly, as my Mate." I saw his eyes widen, disbelief flashing across his face. "Accept it," I gasped, clutching my chest. "It hurts, Parker." His frown deepened, then he stood up. "I, Alpha Parker Hartly, accept your rejection. You are no longer my Mate or Luna." Our bond shattered, and I felt it—severed completely. I gasped, my chest aching. He gripped his desk, eyes fixed on me. "Go claim your Goddess-Gifted," I said, voice strained. "And you?" He asked, his voice softer, almost concerned. "I'll be fine." I wasn't his anymore. And for the first time, I was free. --- Part 1: Null & Voided Belladonna Bella stood in the shower in the Luna’s suite, allowing the warm water to wash over her. She was pleasantly exhausted, Parker had left her suite; he was off to a mating ball in another state. She had four days now, where he wasn’t going to be there inside the pack. She was his Luna; had been for eight years now, but she was bound to him not by her choice, had been chosen for him by her own Alpha and Luna; just to get rid of her, and she knew it. She was the youngest child of her father, and unwanted and shunned; a bastard child not born of his Mate bond, and that was why she was hated by the Luna in her home pack. This allianced mating, that she’d been bound to at just 19 years of age. It was, she believed, her father’s Luna’s way of getting rid of her from their pack, once and for all. The only solace she had was that there was a detailed mating alliance. That did not allow for Parker to bring harm to her. Parker came to her room, the Luna’s suite every other night to bed her, and though the sex was good, more than good, damned near on amazing at times, she had to admit, because he wasn’t just a man that came and took what he wanted. No, he was a man that enjoyed sex, enjoyed knowing he pleased the woman in his bed, even if she had been sold to him. Parker could spend hours in her bed, touching and tasting her, sometimes all night long. He was not a terrible Mate to her, but he was indifferent most of the time. She had been given to him to stop a war between their two packs, had been Marked and Mated by him, taken as his Chosen Luna, with full view of rejecting her one-day down the line. She didn’t actually mean anything to him. He didn’t love her, and she didn’t love him. She could enjoy him being in her bed because of the Mate Bond, enjoyed it a lot, and had been known to scream with pleasure at him having his way with her. He could be utterly insatiable at times, and a part of Bella craved him; as his Mate she loved his every touch. She actually enjoyed her heat when it came, just once a year, spent seven glorious days being mated by him, and the sex; all rough I’ve just got to have alpha-blooded needs on the surface. Screamed in utter bliss that week multiple times a day and half all night, but it was the only time he never got out of her bed and slept in his suite. Every time always ended the same way. The moment he couldn’t scent her heat anymore, he was up and gone from her suite. Eight years of it; nothing had changed for him. Just three days ago, her heat had ended, and he’d left in the middle of the night. She’d not even known, she had been exhausted by them mating furiously that last time, and she had slept like the dead. Then she'd woken up on her own because her heat was over. This morning, him in her bed for a few hours before the sun rose. It was because he was going away for a mating ball and would be gone for four days. The pack he was visiting was in another state, 12 hours away, unaffiliated to him but a good opportunity for his wolves to pair up. There was nothing unusual about him being gone for four days, seeing as how far away that pack was, sometimes it was five full days. That was nice for her, he wasn’t one to tax his wolves, and so they stopped overnight on the way there or back if necessary. Not that he informed her of his doings, she just learned it over the years. Parker didn’t think that he was required to tell her his movements, she was only his Mate and Luna, due to the mating alliance that they had. It didn’t bother her at all, it just meant she had four days to herself this week. He always liked to have sex before he left and when he got back as well, something about he had an alpha-blooded sex drive that he needed to sate on a regular basis. She didn’t argue about it, she had it too, there was no need to either, they both got all the tingly mate bond goodness in that bed of hers. And it was always in her bed. She’d never even seen inside the Alpha Suite; that was not a place for her to be. Bella dressed for the day and headed downstairs, to get herself some breakfast, where she saw him and his unit all heading across the foyer and out the front door of the packhouse to leave. He nodded to her, but never said goodbye to her. No one here thought anything about it, they all knew she had been given to him. Was not his Goddess-Gifted Mate. Though the pack here was nice to her, they didn’t treat her badly at all, that had been a surprise to her, and she herself was nice to all of them. She actually liked the pack, and it seemed the pack actually liked her. Looked to her for advice even. She did her Luna duties as was required of her. She had been sent here against her will, but actually found that she fitted in better inside this pack than her own home pack. She had respect here from this pack, from Parker to a certain degree, she thought. She’d learned how to be a Luna to this pack, and attended to all of those duties that Parker had tasked her with, when she’d first been brought here. She had even been allowed to study with his pack’s doctor in the hospital, and now, eight years later she herself was a good doctor. Bella specialized in the delivery of pups, and looking after the she-wolves in labour, using her Luna Calm to help them settle when fully distressed, and things got a bit on the hairy side. She’d not lost a single pup or she-wolf in the past eight years of assisting and then delivering on her own. She was a fully registered doctor with this pack, and one day when she left, she would be a doctor for another pack somewhere else. That was the goal. Though what the really crazy thing was, was that six months after she went into heat herself, there was always an explosion of pups within the pack. It hadn’t gone unnoticed by the pack's doctor, her mentor Annette, she shook her head and had stated “It’s you, you know.” They often laughed and joked about it. Annette had already chuckled just yesterday about getting supplies ready for pups to be born in a few months’ time. Bella had just snorted and shaken her own head, they were currently going through that now, that heat she’d had last week was completely unexpected and out of the blue, her second one for this year. Had not been expected at all. Annette’s theory only made Bella shake her head, she thought it was just a coincidence was all. She’d not gotten pregnant once in the past eight years of having a heat once a year. A part of her was glad of it as well, knowing that there was a clause in her mating alliance that stated all pups she had while still bonded to Parker, were to be given to him. When he found his Goddess-Gifted Mate and rejected her, she had to leave them behind for him to raise. They were his heirs. It was not something she wanted to happen. She knew that Parker would make her give them up as well. He followed all his alliance dealings to the letter. She also knew it was a clause he’d written into their mating alliance himself. He wasn’t willing to relinquish any child to her, he would be claiming all of them as his heirs. She might be their mother if she ever birthed any pups, but she had no rights to them; that was how she looked at that clause. She saw him sometimes looking at her, in the weeks after her heat, assessing her, she knew, listening for a heartbeat of a pup. He wanted an heir and she, being Alpha-blooded like he was, their pup would be a pure-blooded heir for this pack. There were no pups, even though she wasn’t on birth control of any kind, he wouldn’t allow it. He was hoping for a pup between them and she knew it. 2 Belladonna Bella thought there was no pup simply because she didn’t want one and her wolf certainly didn’t want one to a Mate that was not her Fated or that was how it felt to Bella. Neither of them were at all interested in having a pup with a Mate that was going to, at some point in time, whether it be in the near or far future, reject them for his Goddess-Gifted when she came along. Why would anyone want to do that when they knew that their Alpha Mate would be sending them away, pretty much just tossing them out of his pack and without their pups, making them sever their kind bond to however many pups they had and loved. No she-wolf she knew would agree with that, it was insane; and neither she nor Freya, her wolf, were interested in that happening to them. Parker had made a few comments over the years about it, and she’d stared at him, stated simply, “Maybe, Selena doesn’t want us to have a pup, Parker.” To which he’d retort, “And maybe you’re infertile.” Sounding a bit on the angry side about it. “Could well be,” she’d nodded at him simply. She’d not taken offense to his words. Though she wasn’t infertile. She’d been tested a few years back along with himself after that very comment. She’d thought he’d gone away and thought about his own words, and maybe come to the conclusion that one of them was infertile. So they’d both been tested at his request, and they were both fine and capable of conceiving a pup, apparently. It just wasn’t meant to be as far as she was concerned, and she was honestly glad of it. Though during her heats, Parker knotted her every time he came, and she him back, liked the bloody feeling of it as much as he did, and she knew it. She understood that being knotted to one's Mate kind of made you feel whole, that it was part of the mate bond as well. He had in fact knotted her this morning, had looked right down at her while still knotted to her and sighed softly, contentedly. She knew he liked the feeling of being knotted to her. All wolves did unless they weren’t their Mate. His blue eyes had looked into her blue ones, and he’d murmured softly as he’d looked down at her, a gentle smile on his face, “An heir would be nice, don’t you think Belladonna.” He hadn’t said it in months, and she’d been a little surprised to hear him bring it once more, she had thought he’d give up on that thought, though the way he said her name softly, almost sounded like he cared at that moment. She knew better though, he never shortened her name like everyone else inside the pack did. He was the only one to call her Belladonna, and she was certain that he did it, to remind himself she was his Chosen Mate. “I guess it would.” She’d answered him. It was all she ever said on the subject of a pup between them. She’d only ever actually said ‘no’ once, and it had set him and his beast off into a fit of rage. She’d not really understood that. He didn’t love her, she knew that. But she’d never dared to say it again. Because his anger over her declining to even think it was a good idea, had filtered into the pack. The pack had been on edge over his foul mood, and she’d seen him stomping around and grating out orders at everyone. He’d been cranky about it for over a week. So now she stated she guessed it would be, instead of telling him no she didn’t want one with him. To save the pack from his temper was all, something he had, but she rarely saw, the pack rarely saw, and she had a feeling he tried not to lose it for no reason at all. The pack did like him, respect him and were happy with him as their Alpha. Sometimes she wondered what that war with her home pack had been all about. She didn’t recall there being a war, perse, there had been a full threat of one, that much she did know. Though her father and Parker had probably not wanted that war and tried everything to stop it before it got started. She’d not been privy to that and during those two days everyone had been sequestered to their homes. Though she did know there had been a wolfen force at the border of the pack. She shook off her thoughts, she didn’t need a trip down memory lane, that was a long time ago. She ate her breakfast in the dining room as she always did, smiled at the wolves in here eating as well. Chuckled as a boy of six climbed up onto the seat next to her and tugged on her arm “Luna, mummy’s going to have her baby today.” “Is she now?” she’d smiled down at him. “Yes, daddy took her to the hospital just a minute ago.” Bella smiled at him “Are you excited to meet your little sister Franky?” she asked him. “Yes.” He smiled big up at her “Aunty Becky is watching me.” Bella looked up to find Rebekah his aunt walking this way. She was heavily pregnant herself. “Daisy just went into labour, Luna.” Rebekah told her as she walked over to her. “I just heard; Franky’s excited.” She ruffled his blond hair. “How are you doing today, Becky?” “Alright, will you be going to the hospital soon?” Becky asked. “Yes, right after breakfast. Everything will be fine with your sister; I’ve not lost a pup yet and am not about to start today.” She reassured Becky. Bella had gone into heat six months ago. This was going to be a busy week here inside the pack. Her last heat had been very unexpected. Had come in the middle of the night, out of nowhere and Parker had not been in the pack for it either. That first night had been agony locked in her suite, unable to sate the needs from her heat. But he’d come back in short order, when he’d been informed she was in heat, and she’d been on him the moment he’d walked into her suite, practically ripped his pants off him and shoved him down all alpha aggression, and she ridden the hell out of him with all she’d had right by the suites' entry door. He hadn’t cared, had enjoyed it himself, enjoyed all her heats while they lasted. He got to have sex for hours every day and half the nights as well, it was all rough and raw, both their alpha-blooded needs in full swing. They were both very aggressive about getting what they wanted during her heats. It was kind of unavoidable, she thought. Just their bloodlines. She pulled herself from her thoughts and made her way to the pack’s hospital, pulled on her scrubs. Today she was wearing soft blue scrubs with sloths all over them; she thought they were cute. The pack hospital had, had a uniform when she’d arrived in this pack, black scrubs, she’d gotten rid of them, thought they were very unfriendly, and some of the pack’s children who’d never been in the hospital before had shied away from the nurses and doctors on their first visit. Now all the nurses and doctors wore fun scrubs with patterns all over them, some even tailored them to the seasons. It had helped the children relax and be comfortable. They did have a standard uniform for after war or pack attacks, when their wolves were grieving the loss of loved ones. Simple respectful scrubs that were mint green and white. Despite being brought here as a Chosen Mate and Luna, Parker did expect her to attend all Luna duties, and she did them well. He couldn’t fault her on that. He didn’t have any complaints, and had actually told her she made a good Luna to his pack. That had been just a few years back. She’d just smiled and nodded, accepted the compliment from him, they were few and far between, had told him in return, “I like the pack members, they’re nice to me.” and they were. "I'll always do my best for them, Parker." The Lustrous Moon was a much nicer pack to her than her home pack had been. 3 Belladonna It was a long four days inside the pack. Bella had delivered 17 pups over those days, she had lived inside the pack hospital itself, slept in her office, on the couch in there so she didn’t have to make the trip from the Luna suite to the hospital, which took 20 minutes at a casual stroll, it was closer to the pack's town than the packhouse, and she understood that was because it had been built to cater to the majority of the pack who lived in the town not the packhouse. Parker was due home today around lunchtime, and she knew that the moment he was finished initiating his new pack members into his pack, and allocating them homes if they needed it, he was going to want to go right to her room and have sex. He couldn’t go more than two days without sex on any normal given week here inside the pack. With the exception of that one week, he'd been angry. He'd stayed away from her that week; not brought his anger into her bed. But when he had crawled into bed, Goddess she'd never thought he was going to stop eating her out. Gotten multiples from him, several in fact, before she fallen asleep and woke up alone. This was how it had been for the past eight years. She, however, was actually very tired today, exhausted, she would say, had pulled an all-nighter last night and had yet to get any sleep. Bella had delivered three pups in the past 7 hours, and Annette had delivered two herself. Bella had received a text from him just as she was sitting down at her desk in her Luna's office, “I’ll be home in a few hours.” It had read. Bella had frowned down at it, a little confused as to why he’d sent it. He’d never done that before. She shook it off, likely he was just letting her know that he expected them to get naked in her bed when he got home, because he wanted to have sex. It had been four days. Well, it wasn’t going to be like that today. She had many things to do this morning herself and was too tired for sex; he’d have to understand. She was in all likelihood going to be in the Luna’s office when he crossed the pack border as well, because she had to now sit down and register all of those pups with the pack. Get their parents' files all up to date as well; having to register all 17 pups took time, and she didn’t make mistakes. It was going to be a long day, and she’d probably sleep like the dead after Parker had his way with her at some point later in the afternoon. She sighed as she sat in her chair, staring at the computer screen in front of her, her eyes kept drooping and she micro napped a few times, was fighting off sleep that she desperately needed and she knew it. She got up and looked at the time. It was just on 8am. She could sleep for two hours and then pull on her alpha-bloodline after that, to get her through the rest of the day, until she turned in for the night, she would go to bed early and she knew it. She set herself an alarm on her phone and crashed out on the couch in the Luna's office. Woke up and stretched and got coffee, when her alarm went off, she was still tired but could function at least. Returned to her job of documenting the births of those pups, and the condition of the mothers. She hissed as pain shot through her left arm, almost felt like someone had stabbed her and dragged a knife up her arm. It only lasted a few seconds, and she rubbed her arm and shook it off. It was odd, to say the least. Never felt that happen before. She finished documenting those pups, attached their baby pictures to the files and smiled at each one of them, she did love babies, they were so cute. All her life she’d been in a pack hospital. Her mother had died in childbirth, and she’d been raised by her grandmother, a nurse in her home pack, she’d never really had any friends, not being that she was her father’s bastard daughter, not even her half siblings liked her. Bella had learned to stick close to her grandmother, and she herself had worked in the pack hospital from a young age, become a runner for those that worked there, dashing off to get things they needed. Then she had started working in the hospital at 16, had dropped out of school altogether. It was not fun for her in that school, she got bullied by her half siblings all day long. She’d had one a few months older than she was, and she was in all her classes. Her father had not cared that she’d dropped out of school at all, he’d also never sent her off to Alpha College, she wasn’t a legitimate heir so didn’t need to go. She’d never asked to go either. She never went into the packhouse for anything, just tried to be invisible to that pack. Her father may have claimed her as his kin, but she was not part of the Alpha’s family, though she didn’t think Parker knew that. She was in fact hated by all of her siblings; the Luna especially hated her existence. Bella kind of understood that. She’d learned at a young age her conception had seen the packs Luna be in agony with the pains of betrayal. Though her grandmother had told her once, it wasn’t as it seemed, and not to believe that her mother was a mistress, she’d not been, hadn’t wanted to be bedded by her father, the alpha of that pack. She’d hadn’t had a choice about it, but then in the next breath she’d stated don’t blame your father either, he didn’t really want to bed your mother. It had confused her a lot. If neither had wanted it, how had it happened? Bella pulled herself from her thoughts as her tummy rumbled, and she got up to go and have lunch. It was midday and Parker wasn’t back yet, though she didn’t think it would be far off at all. He’d text her at 7am, a few hours. She shrugged, likely they’d all stopped for food somewhere. She was just returning to her office when she felt him come back into the pack, and he mind-linked to her near instantly, “Belladonna, meet me in the foyer.” He stated and cut the link before she could even reply to him. She was actually in the foyer now, so took up a seat with some of the pack’s kids and watched them play a board game. They all smiled up at her, and she smiled back at them, helped that youngest one out a bit. She looked up as Parker walked into the packhouse, and there was a woman walking next to him, quite tall, almost as tall as he was, though Bella noted she was wearing stilettos, they clicked loudly on the tiled floor as she strode along next to Parker. She looked more than annoyed to Bella. Bella stood as was expected of her to greet him when he came home, and watched as the woman looked right at her now as well, then there was just anger in those eyes of hers. Bella saw her take a full step closer to Parker and try to reach out and curl her hand around his forearm. Parker frowned down at her and brushed it away. “I’ve explained this to you Carina,” he stated flatly “No touching at this time.” There was more anger welling off the she-wolf now, and Bella understood right away, Parker had found his Goddess-Gifted Mate at that mating ball and though he would want to claim her for himself. He couldn’t, not until he’d rejected Bella. It was part of their mating alliance. “Axel, please take Carina to get some lunch.” Parker addressed his Delta, and motioned for them to move on passed him. His eyes moved back to her after Axel walked Carina off, “Belladonna, my office please.” He stated casually, and turned and walked that way himself. “Yes, Parker.” She answered him simply, she knew what this was all about, it was time for him to reject her, so he could go and claim his actual mate. 4 Belladonna She wondered just how much he was struggling right this minute, not being able to claim his Goddess-Gifted. How much had he struggled on the full moon when scenting her out and then coming face to face with her? Scenting her out knowing he couldn’t claim her, having that she-wolf see that he was already marked and mated by another, Bella bet that woman, Carina, she’d heard her name was, had been very confused by that. Likely been very angry about it, from what she’d just seen, clearly she hadn’t liked it at all. Ah! That stabbing pain in her arm earlier in the day, it was likely Carina had touched Parker, and as brief as it had been, she’d felt it, that had been pains of betrayal. That full moon night wouldn’t have been fun for her, and then the overnight stay in a hotel, and the long drive here to the pack. That she-wolf was more than ticked off about not being able to claim what was hers, but Parker, she knew, was a stickler for the rules. Which was a good thing for her, otherwise he could have treated her terribly over the years, and he could have marked and mated that she-wolf on the full moon, if he wasn’t a man of his word; something that she knew he actually was, and she was thankful for, because it would likely have killed her if he’d done that. She excused herself from the children and headed into his office, followed his Beta and Gamma. She heard the door being closed by Kane, the pack Beta. “Congratulations, Parker.” She smiled, genuinely happy for him. “I see you found your Goddess-Gifted Mate.” He nodded to her, “I have.” He stated as he sat down behind his desk “so we need to talk, you and I.” He looked right at her now. “Why?” she asked right back “I know what this is, I was chosen, just to be rejected by you.” she knew that was the truth, wondered if her old Luna wanted her to know that and feel it. Punish her for being born by doing this to her. “Just reject me Parker, I’ll accept it.” she told him simply. She had basically been sold to the Alpha sitting before her, she didn’t love him, her wolf didn’t love his either, their bond had never grown and flourished like all others did. It never would, or she didn’t believe that it would. The only time they spent together was in her bed, when he wanted to have sex, or she was in heat. Never did they ever go out for a meal, never had they celebrated their mate bond with each other, she’d not even gotten a Luna Ceremony. She had been announced to the pack the morning after he’d marked and mated her and that was it. She was not his Goddess-Gifted, and only that woman would get all of him, all the things that came with being his true Luna. Parker was frowning at her now, almost with disapproval in those blue eyes of his. He was still sitting there just staring at her, did so for a full minute as though he expected some sort of outburst from her, she thought. She wasn’t going to do that, wasn’t about to pitch a fit or kick up any kind of fuss over this. She stood there and stared right back at him, didn’t really understand why he didn’t just issue that rejection instantly, it was why he’d called her into his office, and she knew it, because he’d brought his Goddess-Gifted home with him. Bella finally raised an eyebrow at him, when he just sat there and continued to stare at her and say nothing. She shook her head a little, “I’ll do it then.” She stated simply, “I Luna Belladonna Harrington, reject you Alpha Parker Hartly as my Mate.” She stated, he’d never given her his name, again something reserved for his Goddess-Gifted Mate only, as was the Alpha Suite. She’d been here eight long years, and the entire time she’d resided in the Luna Suite, again a clause in the mating alliance; put in by Parker himself, she thought. To make sure she understood her place inside this pack, she supposed. She was his Luna and fuck buddy, not the love of his life. She doubted that he had any feelings at all where she was concerned, had wondered at times if he even liked her as a person. They didn’t talk often, so she wouldn’t know. Bella felt the severing of the bond begin on her end and gritted her teeth against it, stood staring at his widened eyes at her sudden rejecting of him. Almost like he couldn’t believe she’d issued it at all, “Accept it.” she gasped out after 30 seconds of him just staring at her “It, hurts Parker. Get it over with, please.” Again, there was that frown on his face, though now it was deepened, then he just stood up and nodded at her, “I Alpha Parker Hartly, accept your rejection Belladonna Harrington, you are no longer my Mate and Luna.” Bella gasped as their bond severed completely, clutched at her chest as she felt him being ripped away from her. Freya's snarl echoed inside her mind at the pain she was feeling. Then there was a pair of hands on her shoulders as she started to buckle under the weight of the pain. She could feel Shannon, the pack’s Gamma, rolling his charm over her to help ease her pain, and she was actually glad that he was there right this very minute. It hurt like a bitch, more than she had thought it would, considering their bond was nothing more than just really good sex. There was no emotional attachment between them, so she'd not expected it to hurt so much. She sank down onto her knees and had to breathe through the feeling of Parkers Mark burning off her neck. It took several long agonizing minutes, and even Shannon's Charm wasn't really helping with the pain of it, though she could feel it being rolled over her the whole time. Her hand reached up to touch her neck instinctively when the mark was gone, no more was the filigree that had adorned her neck for the past eight years, there were just two puncture marks where his fangs had buried into her that first night he’d brought her here to his pack and claimed her. It was no longer sensitive to the touch either, she felt nothing as she touched it where once it had brought desire. Even when she touched it herself, nothing remained right this minute. Her eyes lifted to him, he had a hand tightly gripped onto the edge of his desk, and a fist pressed hard against his chest. He looked to be in as much pain as she was. His eyes were on hers, never left hers at all, not even when she stood herself up and gently removed Shannon’s hands from her, stating softly “I’ll be alright, Shannon. Thank you.” and she knew she would be. “Parker, you should go and claim your Goddess-Gifted, it will resolve your pain quickly.” “And you?” he asked, and it almost sounded to her that he was concerned about her. “I’ll be fine. I understand our mating alliance, and I will follow it to the letter. Kane and I can sort that out. You should go and be with your Mate. She’ll be happy we’re over, and you can claim her, she can finally claim what is hers rightfully by the Goddess.” He was frowning at her now, didn’t appear to understand her reaction to all of this. But she was finally free, released from the contract that had made her just one of his belongings. It’s all she was to him, something he owned. Now she wasn’t his anymore or wouldn’t be in 24 hours; that’s how long she had to leave this pack. She turned to Kane, the pack’s Beta. “If you could meet me in the foyer in say an hour, we’ll finish it off properly, while Parker is marking and mating his Goddess-Gifted Mate.” “Yes Lu… Bella.” He nodded, had almost called her Luna, like he had done so many times before, over the past eight years. 5 Parker For eight years they had been mated to each other, and not once had Belladonna turned loving eyes on him. Not once had she even looked at the Alpha Suite as though she wanted to be in there with him; never had he even seen her glance at it. She just walked on past it like it didn’t exist for her. Belladonna, his mate of eight years, stood before him and still felt nothing for him. She was today wearing a clean set of scrubs. Though they looked a little on the rumpled side to him, as though she’d had a nap in them. It wouldn’t surprise him at all, if she had. She was often up late in the hospital. Slept there some nights when there were a lot of babies to be delivered. Even now standing in his office, he had expected some sort of reaction from her; to him bringing home his Goddess-Gifted Mate. But she’d not even so much as frowned at seeing Carina walk into the packhouse with him or standing there next to him, or Carina trying to touch him in a possessive manner, right there in the packhouse foyer for all to see. Knowing what she was to him, and Belladonna did know it, he’d never walked anywhere with a woman next to him like that before unless it was herself attending a mating ball with him, and Carina, she was all dolled up, to look her best when arriving at the pack. It had taken nearly an hour and a half to get ready in the hotel room this morning, which annoyed him greatly, having to wait for her like that. He had things to do and places to be. Belladonna had said nothing at all about seeing her with him, hadn’t even said anything when he’d sent Carina off with his Delta, and requested Belladonna to come into his office. No, she just politely excused herself from the children she’d been sitting with; likely playing a game with them, he’d seen her do that before on many occasions. He’d never treated her badly, respected her and craved that damned woman’s body more than he’d allowed himself to have her. Had held himself back from her because she didn’t have any feelings for him at all. She didn’t want a pup with him, hearing that had bloody hurt, and he’d been angry about it for a week. They’d been together for five years when he’d bitten the bullet and finally brought it up. He had thought five years of him treating her nicely. Respectfully, and acknowledging her as his Luna would have shown her, they worked well together. Clearly not, and he had not liked the response he’d gotten at all. Even now, he could see after eight years together, that he meant absolutely nothing to her. He couldn’t understand why her side of the mate bond didn’t grow and flourish at all. He didn’t want to issue this rejection, she was an amazing Luna, intelligent, strong and beautiful, had long wavy chestnut brown hair, that right this minute was pulled up in messy bun on top of her head. Because she’d been working in the pack hospital, but it didn’t detract from her beauty at all. Normally she would wear it out, and it fell around her shoulders or down her back in a lovely wavy cascade. She had brilliant blue eyes that could sparkle like the ocean at times and a very kissable mouth. The whole pack liked her, she’d learned everything about all of them over the years, attended to all the Luna’s duties, she was not only his Luna, but was a brilliant pack doctor as well. The woman loved babies, they made her light up from the inside out, and that smiled when she looked down at them; pure joy in her blue eyes. It was infectious the way she smiled. She always had a smile for the little ones. He couldn’t understand why they’d not had pups. She would make a great mother, and he knew it. Their children would be loved and adored by her. He’d not once in the past eight years seen her even raise her voice to a little one, not even a teenager. She’d looked a little exasperated at times, when she got those repeat offenders to her Luna’s office, to be admonished by their Luna for getting into fights, but never did she yell at them. She was a kind soul to everyone. She’d not even argued about being mated off to him, had stood there in her father’s office at just 19 years old, untouched by anyone inside her home pack, he’d taken her virginity, she’d not even known how to kiss. Very unusual for an alpha-blooded female of 19 years of age. She had just stood there in her father’s office and said nothing at all. Not one single word to anyone in that room, as they’d discussed that Mating Alliance, what clauses he wanted, what her father had wanted for her as well. She’d said nothing in his car on the way to this very pack, had sat and stared out the window the entire time. Nothing until he’d initiated her into his pack, until he’d cut his palm and then hers, and pressed their palms together, asked, as her new Alpha, to pledge loyalty to him and his pack. She’d not even really looked at him until that very moment either, just once in her father’s office only. He recalled her that day here in his office, she'd looked at their hands, taken in a long breath and then had just accepted him as her new Alpha. It had been the first time he’d heard her voice. Soft to his own ears even then, he’d put that down to her being unhappy about the Mating Alliance, and he knew she was unhappy. Shannon had told him via the mind-link ‘She’s unhappy, but resigned to it, not going to argue or fight you about Marking and Mating her.’ And she hadn’t. He’d also known she had never been with anyone. Her own father had told him as much, and Shannon had confirmed that, for him, she was nervous about not knowing what to do in the bedroom. He’d been more than experienced, so it wasn’t really an issue, and he’d not Mated her until they’d both marked each other. It would lessen the pain for her and he knew it. He’d also not rushed the job, taken his time and tried to take care of her, bring about pleasure for her, and show her he wasn’t going to be a brute of a Mate, and that he wasn't out to hurt her. Now to hear her congratulate him, it felt very odd to him, and Vex’s ears, which had flattened back against his head and annoyance rolled right off his beast at her words, she actually meant it, it was there in her tone. She was genuinely happy for him, it appeared. Their own Mate confused them to no end. If she’d walked into this packhouse trailing a Goddess-Gifted Mate, he’d likely have tried to take that man's head clean off. Would have been very angry to see another that was getting to touch what was his. But no, she just smiled right at him, the perfectly happy smile she had when she looked at babies, real happiness there on the surface not only for him to see, but to know it was actually for him, she really was happy for him right this very minute; That he had found his Goddess-Gifted Mate. Vex wanted to snarl at her for seeing her so happy about him being gifted to another, but turned and stalked off away to the back of his mind, ‘I’m not voicing it.’ he snarled at Parker and lay down inside his mind to watch her from back there. She’d been mated by his wolf in human form as often as she had been by Parker himself. They were both attached to her and both wanted her. His wolf was annoyed as much as Parker was right this very minute that she could be so bloody happy for them, it was not what he wanted to see from her; not at all. She and Carina were two very different people from what he’d seen so far. Belladonna was the better of the two of them, and he knew it. .... Open the app and continue reading the rest of the story . 👉(It will automatically jump to the book when you open the app)
"Congratulations, Parker," I forced a smile. "I see you've found your Goddess-Gifted Mate." He nodded. "I have. We need to talk." "Why?" I shot back. "I already know what this is—I was chosen just to be rejected by you." I'd known from the start I wasn't his fated mate, and this day had been coming. "Just reject me, Parker. I'll accept it." I said, no emotion in my voice. Eight years ago, I was sold to him. Our bond never grew, never flourished like it should have. The only time we were together was in bed. He stayed silent, staring at me. I shook my head slightly. "I'll do it, then." I said. "I, Belladonna Harrington, reject you, Alpha Parker Hartly, as my Mate." I saw his eyes widen, disbelief flashing across his face. "Accept it," I gasped, clutching my chest. "It hurts, Parker." His frown deepened, then he stood up. "I, Alpha Parker Hartly, accept your rejection. You are no longer my Mate or Luna." Our bond shattered, and I felt it—severed completely. I gasped, my chest aching. He gripped his desk, eyes fixed on me. "Go claim your Goddess-Gifted," I said, voice strained. "And you?" He asked, his voice softer, almost concerned. "I'll be fine." I wasn't his anymore. And for the first time, I was free. --- Part 1: Null & Voided Belladonna Bella stood in the shower in the Luna’s suite, allowing the warm water to wash over her. She was pleasantly exhausted, Parker had left her suite; he was off to a mating ball in another state. She had four days now, where he wasn’t going to be there inside the pack. She was his Luna; had been for eight years now, but she was bound to him not by her choice, had been chosen for him by her own Alpha and Luna; just to get rid of her, and she knew it. She was the youngest child of her father, and unwanted and shunned; a bastard child not born of his Mate bond, and that was why she was hated by the Luna in her home pack. This allianced mating, that she’d been bound to at just 19 years of age. It was, she believed, her father’s Luna’s way of getting rid of her from their pack, once and for all. The only solace she had was that there was a detailed mating alliance. That did not allow for Parker to bring harm to her. Parker came to her room, the Luna’s suite every other night to bed her, and though the sex was good, more than good, damned near on amazing at times, she had to admit, because he wasn’t just a man that came and took what he wanted. No, he was a man that enjoyed sex, enjoyed knowing he pleased the woman in his bed, even if she had been sold to him. Parker could spend hours in her bed, touching and tasting her, sometimes all night long. He was not a terrible Mate to her, but he was indifferent most of the time. She had been given to him to stop a war between their two packs, had been Marked and Mated by him, taken as his Chosen Luna, with full view of rejecting her one-day down the line. She didn’t actually mean anything to him. He didn’t love her, and she didn’t love him. She could enjoy him being in her bed because of the Mate Bond, enjoyed it a lot, and had been known to scream with pleasure at him having his way with her. He could be utterly insatiable at times, and a part of Bella craved him; as his Mate she loved his every touch. She actually enjoyed her heat when it came, just once a year, spent seven glorious days being mated by him, and the sex; all rough I’ve just got to have alpha-blooded needs on the surface. Screamed in utter bliss that week multiple times a day and half all night, but it was the only time he never got out of her bed and slept in his suite. Every time always ended the same way. The moment he couldn’t scent her heat anymore, he was up and gone from her suite. Eight years of it; nothing had changed for him. Just three days ago, her heat had ended, and he’d left in the middle of the night. She’d not even known, she had been exhausted by them mating furiously that last time, and she had slept like the dead. Then she'd woken up on her own because her heat was over. This morning, him in her bed for a few hours before the sun rose. It was because he was going away for a mating ball and would be gone for four days. The pack he was visiting was in another state, 12 hours away, unaffiliated to him but a good opportunity for his wolves to pair up. There was nothing unusual about him being gone for four days, seeing as how far away that pack was, sometimes it was five full days. That was nice for her, he wasn’t one to tax his wolves, and so they stopped overnight on the way there or back if necessary. Not that he informed her of his doings, she just learned it over the years. Parker didn’t think that he was required to tell her his movements, she was only his Mate and Luna, due to the mating alliance that they had. It didn’t bother her at all, it just meant she had four days to herself this week. He always liked to have sex before he left and when he got back as well, something about he had an alpha-blooded sex drive that he needed to sate on a regular basis. She didn’t argue about it, she had it too, there was no need to either, they both got all the tingly mate bond goodness in that bed of hers. And it was always in her bed. She’d never even seen inside the Alpha Suite; that was not a place for her to be. Bella dressed for the day and headed downstairs, to get herself some breakfast, where she saw him and his unit all heading across the foyer and out the front door of the packhouse to leave. He nodded to her, but never said goodbye to her. No one here thought anything about it, they all knew she had been given to him. Was not his Goddess-Gifted Mate. Though the pack here was nice to her, they didn’t treat her badly at all, that had been a surprise to her, and she herself was nice to all of them. She actually liked the pack, and it seemed the pack actually liked her. Looked to her for advice even. She did her Luna duties as was required of her. She had been sent here against her will, but actually found that she fitted in better inside this pack than her own home pack. She had respect here from this pack, from Parker to a certain degree, she thought. She’d learned how to be a Luna to this pack, and attended to all of those duties that Parker had tasked her with, when she’d first been brought here. She had even been allowed to study with his pack’s doctor in the hospital, and now, eight years later she herself was a good doctor. Bella specialized in the delivery of pups, and looking after the she-wolves in labour, using her Luna Calm to help them settle when fully distressed, and things got a bit on the hairy side. She’d not lost a single pup or she-wolf in the past eight years of assisting and then delivering on her own. She was a fully registered doctor with this pack, and one day when she left, she would be a doctor for another pack somewhere else. That was the goal. Though what the really crazy thing was, was that six months after she went into heat herself, there was always an explosion of pups within the pack. It hadn’t gone unnoticed by the pack's doctor, her mentor Annette, she shook her head and had stated “It’s you, you know.” They often laughed and joked about it. Annette had already chuckled just yesterday about getting supplies ready for pups to be born in a few months’ time. Bella had just snorted and shaken her own head, they were currently going through that now, that heat she’d had last week was completely unexpected and out of the blue, her second one for this year. Had not been expected at all. Annette’s theory only made Bella shake her head, she thought it was just a coincidence was all. She’d not gotten pregnant once in the past eight years of having a heat once a year. A part of her was glad of it as well, knowing that there was a clause in her mating alliance that stated all pups she had while still bonded to Parker, were to be given to him. When he found his Goddess-Gifted Mate and rejected her, she had to leave them behind for him to raise. They were his heirs. It was not something she wanted to happen. She knew that Parker would make her give them up as well. He followed all his alliance dealings to the letter. She also knew it was a clause he’d written into their mating alliance himself. He wasn’t willing to relinquish any child to her, he would be claiming all of them as his heirs. She might be their mother if she ever birthed any pups, but she had no rights to them; that was how she looked at that clause. She saw him sometimes looking at her, in the weeks after her heat, assessing her, she knew, listening for a heartbeat of a pup. He wanted an heir and she, being Alpha-blooded like he was, their pup would be a pure-blooded heir for this pack. There were no pups, even though she wasn’t on birth control of any kind, he wouldn’t allow it. He was hoping for a pup between them and she knew it. 2 Belladonna Bella thought there was no pup simply because she didn’t want one and her wolf certainly didn’t want one to a Mate that was not her Fated or that was how it felt to Bella. Neither of them were at all interested in having a pup with a Mate that was going to, at some point in time, whether it be in the near or far future, reject them for his Goddess-Gifted when she came along. Why would anyone want to do that when they knew that their Alpha Mate would be sending them away, pretty much just tossing them out of his pack and without their pups, making them sever their kind bond to however many pups they had and loved. No she-wolf she knew would agree with that, it was insane; and neither she nor Freya, her wolf, were interested in that happening to them. Parker had made a few comments over the years about it, and she’d stared at him, stated simply, “Maybe, Selena doesn’t want us to have a pup, Parker.” To which he’d retort, “And maybe you’re infertile.” Sounding a bit on the angry side about it. “Could well be,” she’d nodded at him simply. She’d not taken offense to his words. Though she wasn’t infertile. She’d been tested a few years back along with himself after that very comment. She’d thought he’d gone away and thought about his own words, and maybe come to the conclusion that one of them was infertile. So they’d both been tested at his request, and they were both fine and capable of conceiving a pup, apparently. It just wasn’t meant to be as far as she was concerned, and she was honestly glad of it. Though during her heats, Parker knotted her every time he came, and she him back, liked the bloody feeling of it as much as he did, and she knew it. She understood that being knotted to one's Mate kind of made you feel whole, that it was part of the mate bond as well. He had in fact knotted her this morning, had looked right down at her while still knotted to her and sighed softly, contentedly. She knew he liked the feeling of being knotted to her. All wolves did unless they weren’t their Mate. His blue eyes had looked into her blue ones, and he’d murmured softly as he’d looked down at her, a gentle smile on his face, “An heir would be nice, don’t you think Belladonna.” He hadn’t said it in months, and she’d been a little surprised to hear him bring it once more, she had thought he’d give up on that thought, though the way he said her name softly, almost sounded like he cared at that moment. She knew better though, he never shortened her name like everyone else inside the pack did. He was the only one to call her Belladonna, and she was certain that he did it, to remind himself she was his Chosen Mate. “I guess it would.” She’d answered him. It was all she ever said on the subject of a pup between them. She’d only ever actually said ‘no’ once, and it had set him and his beast off into a fit of rage. She’d not really understood that. He didn’t love her, she knew that. But she’d never dared to say it again. Because his anger over her declining to even think it was a good idea, had filtered into the pack. The pack had been on edge over his foul mood, and she’d seen him stomping around and grating out orders at everyone. He’d been cranky about it for over a week. So now she stated she guessed it would be, instead of telling him no she didn’t want one with him. To save the pack from his temper was all, something he had, but she rarely saw, the pack rarely saw, and she had a feeling he tried not to lose it for no reason at all. The pack did like him, respect him and were happy with him as their Alpha. Sometimes she wondered what that war with her home pack had been all about. She didn’t recall there being a war, perse, there had been a full threat of one, that much she did know. Though her father and Parker had probably not wanted that war and tried everything to stop it before it got started. She’d not been privy to that and during those two days everyone had been sequestered to their homes. Though she did know there had been a wolfen force at the border of the pack. She shook off her thoughts, she didn’t need a trip down memory lane, that was a long time ago. She ate her breakfast in the dining room as she always did, smiled at the wolves in here eating as well. Chuckled as a boy of six climbed up onto the seat next to her and tugged on her arm “Luna, mummy’s going to have her baby today.” “Is she now?” she’d smiled down at him. “Yes, daddy took her to the hospital just a minute ago.” Bella smiled at him “Are you excited to meet your little sister Franky?” she asked him. “Yes.” He smiled big up at her “Aunty Becky is watching me.” Bella looked up to find Rebekah his aunt walking this way. She was heavily pregnant herself. “Daisy just went into labour, Luna.” Rebekah told her as she walked over to her. “I just heard; Franky’s excited.” She ruffled his blond hair. “How are you doing today, Becky?” “Alright, will you be going to the hospital soon?” Becky asked. “Yes, right after breakfast. Everything will be fine with your sister; I’ve not lost a pup yet and am not about to start today.” She reassured Becky. Bella had gone into heat six months ago. This was going to be a busy week here inside the pack. Her last heat had been very unexpected. Had come in the middle of the night, out of nowhere and Parker had not been in the pack for it either. That first night had been agony locked in her suite, unable to sate the needs from her heat. But he’d come back in short order, when he’d been informed she was in heat, and she’d been on him the moment he’d walked into her suite, practically ripped his pants off him and shoved him down all alpha aggression, and she ridden the hell out of him with all she’d had right by the suites' entry door. He hadn’t cared, had enjoyed it himself, enjoyed all her heats while they lasted. He got to have sex for hours every day and half the nights as well, it was all rough and raw, both their alpha-blooded needs in full swing. They were both very aggressive about getting what they wanted during her heats. It was kind of unavoidable, she thought. Just their bloodlines. She pulled herself from her thoughts and made her way to the pack’s hospital, pulled on her scrubs. Today she was wearing soft blue scrubs with sloths all over them; she thought they were cute. The pack hospital had, had a uniform when she’d arrived in this pack, black scrubs, she’d gotten rid of them, thought they were very unfriendly, and some of the pack’s children who’d never been in the hospital before had shied away from the nurses and doctors on their first visit. Now all the nurses and doctors wore fun scrubs with patterns all over them, some even tailored them to the seasons. It had helped the children relax and be comfortable. They did have a standard uniform for after war or pack attacks, when their wolves were grieving the loss of loved ones. Simple respectful scrubs that were mint green and white. Despite being brought here as a Chosen Mate and Luna, Parker did expect her to attend all Luna duties, and she did them well. He couldn’t fault her on that. He didn’t have any complaints, and had actually told her she made a good Luna to his pack. That had been just a few years back. She’d just smiled and nodded, accepted the compliment from him, they were few and far between, had told him in return, “I like the pack members, they’re nice to me.” and they were. "I'll always do my best for them, Parker." The Lustrous Moon was a much nicer pack to her than her home pack had been. 3 Belladonna It was a long four days inside the pack. Bella had delivered 17 pups over those days, she had lived inside the pack hospital itself, slept in her office, on the couch in there so she didn’t have to make the trip from the Luna suite to the hospital, which took 20 minutes at a casual stroll, it was closer to the pack's town than the packhouse, and she understood that was because it had been built to cater to the majority of the pack who lived in the town not the packhouse. Parker was due home today around lunchtime, and she knew that the moment he was finished initiating his new pack members into his pack, and allocating them homes if they needed it, he was going to want to go right to her room and have sex. He couldn’t go more than two days without sex on any normal given week here inside the pack. With the exception of that one week, he'd been angry. He'd stayed away from her that week; not brought his anger into her bed. But when he had crawled into bed, Goddess she'd never thought he was going to stop eating her out. Gotten multiples from him, several in fact, before she fallen asleep and woke up alone. This was how it had been for the past eight years. She, however, was actually very tired today, exhausted, she would say, had pulled an all-nighter last night and had yet to get any sleep. Bella had delivered three pups in the past 7 hours, and Annette had delivered two herself. Bella had received a text from him just as she was sitting down at her desk in her Luna's office, “I’ll be home in a few hours.” It had read. Bella had frowned down at it, a little confused as to why he’d sent it. He’d never done that before. She shook it off, likely he was just letting her know that he expected them to get naked in her bed when he got home, because he wanted to have sex. It had been four days. Well, it wasn’t going to be like that today. She had many things to do this morning herself and was too tired for sex; he’d have to understand. She was in all likelihood going to be in the Luna’s office when he crossed the pack border as well, because she had to now sit down and register all of those pups with the pack. Get their parents' files all up to date as well; having to register all 17 pups took time, and she didn’t make mistakes. It was going to be a long day, and she’d probably sleep like the dead after Parker had his way with her at some point later in the afternoon. She sighed as she sat in her chair, staring at the computer screen in front of her, her eyes kept drooping and she micro napped a few times, was fighting off sleep that she desperately needed and she knew it. She got up and looked at the time. It was just on 8am. She could sleep for two hours and then pull on her alpha-bloodline after that, to get her through the rest of the day, until she turned in for the night, she would go to bed early and she knew it. She set herself an alarm on her phone and crashed out on the couch in the Luna's office. Woke up and stretched and got coffee, when her alarm went off, she was still tired but could function at least. Returned to her job of documenting the births of those pups, and the condition of the mothers. She hissed as pain shot through her left arm, almost felt like someone had stabbed her and dragged a knife up her arm. It only lasted a few seconds, and she rubbed her arm and shook it off. It was odd, to say the least. Never felt that happen before. She finished documenting those pups, attached their baby pictures to the files and smiled at each one of them, she did love babies, they were so cute. All her life she’d been in a pack hospital. Her mother had died in childbirth, and she’d been raised by her grandmother, a nurse in her home pack, she’d never really had any friends, not being that she was her father’s bastard daughter, not even her half siblings liked her. Bella had learned to stick close to her grandmother, and she herself had worked in the pack hospital from a young age, become a runner for those that worked there, dashing off to get things they needed. Then she had started working in the hospital at 16, had dropped out of school altogether. It was not fun for her in that school, she got bullied by her half siblings all day long. She’d had one a few months older than she was, and she was in all her classes. Her father had not cared that she’d dropped out of school at all, he’d also never sent her off to Alpha College, she wasn’t a legitimate heir so didn’t need to go. She’d never asked to go either. She never went into the packhouse for anything, just tried to be invisible to that pack. Her father may have claimed her as his kin, but she was not part of the Alpha’s family, though she didn’t think Parker knew that. She was in fact hated by all of her siblings; the Luna especially hated her existence. Bella kind of understood that. She’d learned at a young age her conception had seen the packs Luna be in agony with the pains of betrayal. Though her grandmother had told her once, it wasn’t as it seemed, and not to believe that her mother was a mistress, she’d not been, hadn’t wanted to be bedded by her father, the alpha of that pack. She’d hadn’t had a choice about it, but then in the next breath she’d stated don’t blame your father either, he didn’t really want to bed your mother. It had confused her a lot. If neither had wanted it, how had it happened? Bella pulled herself from her thoughts as her tummy rumbled, and she got up to go and have lunch. It was midday and Parker wasn’t back yet, though she didn’t think it would be far off at all. He’d text her at 7am, a few hours. She shrugged, likely they’d all stopped for food somewhere. She was just returning to her office when she felt him come back into the pack, and he mind-linked to her near instantly, “Belladonna, meet me in the foyer.” He stated and cut the link before she could even reply to him. She was actually in the foyer now, so took up a seat with some of the pack’s kids and watched them play a board game. They all smiled up at her, and she smiled back at them, helped that youngest one out a bit. She looked up as Parker walked into the packhouse, and there was a woman walking next to him, quite tall, almost as tall as he was, though Bella noted she was wearing stilettos, they clicked loudly on the tiled floor as she strode along next to Parker. She looked more than annoyed to Bella. Bella stood as was expected of her to greet him when he came home, and watched as the woman looked right at her now as well, then there was just anger in those eyes of hers. Bella saw her take a full step closer to Parker and try to reach out and curl her hand around his forearm. Parker frowned down at her and brushed it away. “I’ve explained this to you Carina,” he stated flatly “No touching at this time.” There was more anger welling off the she-wolf now, and Bella understood right away, Parker had found his Goddess-Gifted Mate at that mating ball and though he would want to claim her for himself. He couldn’t, not until he’d rejected Bella. It was part of their mating alliance. “Axel, please take Carina to get some lunch.” Parker addressed his Delta, and motioned for them to move on passed him. His eyes moved back to her after Axel walked Carina off, “Belladonna, my office please.” He stated casually, and turned and walked that way himself. “Yes, Parker.” She answered him simply, she knew what this was all about, it was time for him to reject her, so he could go and claim his actual mate. 4 Belladonna She wondered just how much he was struggling right this minute, not being able to claim his Goddess-Gifted. How much had he struggled on the full moon when scenting her out and then coming face to face with her? Scenting her out knowing he couldn’t claim her, having that she-wolf see that he was already marked and mated by another, Bella bet that woman, Carina, she’d heard her name was, had been very confused by that. Likely been very angry about it, from what she’d just seen, clearly she hadn’t liked it at all. Ah! That stabbing pain in her arm earlier in the day, it was likely Carina had touched Parker, and as brief as it had been, she’d felt it, that had been pains of betrayal. That full moon night wouldn’t have been fun for her, and then the overnight stay in a hotel, and the long drive here to the pack. That she-wolf was more than ticked off about not being able to claim what was hers, but Parker, she knew, was a stickler for the rules. Which was a good thing for her, otherwise he could have treated her terribly over the years, and he could have marked and mated that she-wolf on the full moon, if he wasn’t a man of his word; something that she knew he actually was, and she was thankful for, because it would likely have killed her if he’d done that. She excused herself from the children and headed into his office, followed his Beta and Gamma. She heard the door being closed by Kane, the pack Beta. “Congratulations, Parker.” She smiled, genuinely happy for him. “I see you found your Goddess-Gifted Mate.” He nodded to her, “I have.” He stated as he sat down behind his desk “so we need to talk, you and I.” He looked right at her now. “Why?” she asked right back “I know what this is, I was chosen, just to be rejected by you.” she knew that was the truth, wondered if her old Luna wanted her to know that and feel it. Punish her for being born by doing this to her. “Just reject me Parker, I’ll accept it.” she told him simply. She had basically been sold to the Alpha sitting before her, she didn’t love him, her wolf didn’t love his either, their bond had never grown and flourished like all others did. It never would, or she didn’t believe that it would. The only time they spent together was in her bed, when he wanted to have sex, or she was in heat. Never did they ever go out for a meal, never had they celebrated their mate bond with each other, she’d not even gotten a Luna Ceremony. She had been announced to the pack the morning after he’d marked and mated her and that was it. She was not his Goddess-Gifted, and only that woman would get all of him, all the things that came with being his true Luna. Parker was frowning at her now, almost with disapproval in those blue eyes of his. He was still sitting there just staring at her, did so for a full minute as though he expected some sort of outburst from her, she thought. She wasn’t going to do that, wasn’t about to pitch a fit or kick up any kind of fuss over this. She stood there and stared right back at him, didn’t really understand why he didn’t just issue that rejection instantly, it was why he’d called her into his office, and she knew it, because he’d brought his Goddess-Gifted home with him. Bella finally raised an eyebrow at him, when he just sat there and continued to stare at her and say nothing. She shook her head a little, “I’ll do it then.” She stated simply, “I Luna Belladonna Harrington, reject you Alpha Parker Hartly as my Mate.” She stated, he’d never given her his name, again something reserved for his Goddess-Gifted Mate only, as was the Alpha Suite. She’d been here eight long years, and the entire time she’d resided in the Luna Suite, again a clause in the mating alliance; put in by Parker himself, she thought. To make sure she understood her place inside this pack, she supposed. She was his Luna and fuck buddy, not the love of his life. She doubted that he had any feelings at all where she was concerned, had wondered at times if he even liked her as a person. They didn’t talk often, so she wouldn’t know. Bella felt the severing of the bond begin on her end and gritted her teeth against it, stood staring at his widened eyes at her sudden rejecting of him. Almost like he couldn’t believe she’d issued it at all, “Accept it.” she gasped out after 30 seconds of him just staring at her “It, hurts Parker. Get it over with, please.” Again, there was that frown on his face, though now it was deepened, then he just stood up and nodded at her, “I Alpha Parker Hartly, accept your rejection Belladonna Harrington, you are no longer my Mate and Luna.” Bella gasped as their bond severed completely, clutched at her chest as she felt him being ripped away from her. Freya's snarl echoed inside her mind at the pain she was feeling. Then there was a pair of hands on her shoulders as she started to buckle under the weight of the pain. She could feel Shannon, the pack’s Gamma, rolling his charm over her to help ease her pain, and she was actually glad that he was there right this very minute. It hurt like a bitch, more than she had thought it would, considering their bond was nothing more than just really good sex. There was no emotional attachment between them, so she'd not expected it to hurt so much. She sank down onto her knees and had to breathe through the feeling of Parkers Mark burning off her neck. It took several long agonizing minutes, and even Shannon's Charm wasn't really helping with the pain of it, though she could feel it being rolled over her the whole time. Her hand reached up to touch her neck instinctively when the mark was gone, no more was the filigree that had adorned her neck for the past eight years, there were just two puncture marks where his fangs had buried into her that first night he’d brought her here to his pack and claimed her. It was no longer sensitive to the touch either, she felt nothing as she touched it where once it had brought desire. Even when she touched it herself, nothing remained right this minute. Her eyes lifted to him, he had a hand tightly gripped onto the edge of his desk, and a fist pressed hard against his chest. He looked to be in as much pain as she was. His eyes were on hers, never left hers at all, not even when she stood herself up and gently removed Shannon’s hands from her, stating softly “I’ll be alright, Shannon. Thank you.” and she knew she would be. “Parker, you should go and claim your Goddess-Gifted, it will resolve your pain quickly.” “And you?” he asked, and it almost sounded to her that he was concerned about her. “I’ll be fine. I understand our mating alliance, and I will follow it to the letter. Kane and I can sort that out. You should go and be with your Mate. She’ll be happy we’re over, and you can claim her, she can finally claim what is hers rightfully by the Goddess.” He was frowning at her now, didn’t appear to understand her reaction to all of this. But she was finally free, released from the contract that had made her just one of his belongings. It’s all she was to him, something he owned. Now she wasn’t his anymore or wouldn’t be in 24 hours; that’s how long she had to leave this pack. She turned to Kane, the pack’s Beta. “If you could meet me in the foyer in say an hour, we’ll finish it off properly, while Parker is marking and mating his Goddess-Gifted Mate.” “Yes Lu… Bella.” He nodded, had almost called her Luna, like he had done so many times before, over the past eight years. 5 Parker For eight years they had been mated to each other, and not once had Belladonna turned loving eyes on him. Not once had she even looked at the Alpha Suite as though she wanted to be in there with him; never had he even seen her glance at it. She just walked on past it like it didn’t exist for her. Belladonna, his mate of eight years, stood before him and still felt nothing for him. She was today wearing a clean set of scrubs. Though they looked a little on the rumpled side to him, as though she’d had a nap in them. It wouldn’t surprise him at all, if she had. She was often up late in the hospital. Slept there some nights when there were a lot of babies to be delivered. Even now standing in his office, he had expected some sort of reaction from her; to him bringing home his Goddess-Gifted Mate. But she’d not even so much as frowned at seeing Carina walk into the packhouse with him or standing there next to him, or Carina trying to touch him in a possessive manner, right there in the packhouse foyer for all to see. Knowing what she was to him, and Belladonna did know it, he’d never walked anywhere with a woman next to him like that before unless it was herself attending a mating ball with him, and Carina, she was all dolled up, to look her best when arriving at the pack. It had taken nearly an hour and a half to get ready in the hotel room this morning, which annoyed him greatly, having to wait for her like that. He had things to do and places to be. Belladonna had said nothing at all about seeing her with him, hadn’t even said anything when he’d sent Carina off with his Delta, and requested Belladonna to come into his office. No, she just politely excused herself from the children she’d been sitting with; likely playing a game with them, he’d seen her do that before on many occasions. He’d never treated her badly, respected her and craved that damned woman’s body more than he’d allowed himself to have her. Had held himself back from her because she didn’t have any feelings for him at all. She didn’t want a pup with him, hearing that had bloody hurt, and he’d been angry about it for a week. They’d been together for five years when he’d bitten the bullet and finally brought it up. He had thought five years of him treating her nicely. Respectfully, and acknowledging her as his Luna would have shown her, they worked well together. Clearly not, and he had not liked the response he’d gotten at all. Even now, he could see after eight years together, that he meant absolutely nothing to her. He couldn’t understand why her side of the mate bond didn’t grow and flourish at all. He didn’t want to issue this rejection, she was an amazing Luna, intelligent, strong and beautiful, had long wavy chestnut brown hair, that right this minute was pulled up in messy bun on top of her head. Because she’d been working in the pack hospital, but it didn’t detract from her beauty at all. Normally she would wear it out, and it fell around her shoulders or down her back in a lovely wavy cascade. She had brilliant blue eyes that could sparkle like the ocean at times and a very kissable mouth. The whole pack liked her, she’d learned everything about all of them over the years, attended to all the Luna’s duties, she was not only his Luna, but was a brilliant pack doctor as well. The woman loved babies, they made her light up from the inside out, and that smiled when she looked down at them; pure joy in her blue eyes. It was infectious the way she smiled. She always had a smile for the little ones. He couldn’t understand why they’d not had pups. She would make a great mother, and he knew it. Their children would be loved and adored by her. He’d not once in the past eight years seen her even raise her voice to a little one, not even a teenager. She’d looked a little exasperated at times, when she got those repeat offenders to her Luna’s office, to be admonished by their Luna for getting into fights, but never did she yell at them. She was a kind soul to everyone. She’d not even argued about being mated off to him, had stood there in her father’s office at just 19 years old, untouched by anyone inside her home pack, he’d taken her virginity, she’d not even known how to kiss. Very unusual for an alpha-blooded female of 19 years of age. She had just stood there in her father’s office and said nothing at all. Not one single word to anyone in that room, as they’d discussed that Mating Alliance, what clauses he wanted, what her father had wanted for her as well. She’d said nothing in his car on the way to this very pack, had sat and stared out the window the entire time. Nothing until he’d initiated her into his pack, until he’d cut his palm and then hers, and pressed their palms together, asked, as her new Alpha, to pledge loyalty to him and his pack. She’d not even really looked at him until that very moment either, just once in her father’s office only. He recalled her that day here in his office, she'd looked at their hands, taken in a long breath and then had just accepted him as her new Alpha. It had been the first time he’d heard her voice. Soft to his own ears even then, he’d put that down to her being unhappy about the Mating Alliance, and he knew she was unhappy. Shannon had told him via the mind-link ‘She’s unhappy, but resigned to it, not going to argue or fight you about Marking and Mating her.’ And she hadn’t. He’d also known she had never been with anyone. Her own father had told him as much, and Shannon had confirmed that, for him, she was nervous about not knowing what to do in the bedroom. He’d been more than experienced, so it wasn’t really an issue, and he’d not Mated her until they’d both marked each other. It would lessen the pain for her and he knew it. He’d also not rushed the job, taken his time and tried to take care of her, bring about pleasure for her, and show her he wasn’t going to be a brute of a Mate, and that he wasn't out to hurt her. Now to hear her congratulate him, it felt very odd to him, and Vex’s ears, which had flattened back against his head and annoyance rolled right off his beast at her words, she actually meant it, it was there in her tone. She was genuinely happy for him, it appeared. Their own Mate confused them to no end. If she’d walked into this packhouse trailing a Goddess-Gifted Mate, he’d likely have tried to take that man's head clean off. Would have been very angry to see another that was getting to touch what was his. But no, she just smiled right at him, the perfectly happy smile she had when she looked at babies, real happiness there on the surface not only for him to see, but to know it was actually for him, she really was happy for him right this very minute; That he had found his Goddess-Gifted Mate. Vex wanted to snarl at her for seeing her so happy about him being gifted to another, but turned and stalked off away to the back of his mind, ‘I’m not voicing it.’ he snarled at Parker and lay down inside his mind to watch her from back there. She’d been mated by his wolf in human form as often as she had been by Parker himself. They were both attached to her and both wanted her. His wolf was annoyed as much as Parker was right this very minute that she could be so bloody happy for them, it was not what he wanted to see from her; not at all. She and Carina were two very different people from what he’d seen so far. Belladonna was the better of the two of them, and he knew it. .... Open the app and continue reading the rest of the story . 👉(It will automatically jump to the book when you open the app)
Daughters in the Alpha lineage are always trained to be mated to an Alpha and become their Luna. But since I’m adopted, and broken, I might be the first mateless Alpha’s daughter ever. “Your mate is here. He can smell you on Dad.” said my brother. He will reject me right? I knew he would…anyone would do that to a broken wolf. *** Molly's POV: Today, my brother Robbie will officially be named Alpha Robert of the Lunar Falls Pack. the Alphas of nearby packs are expected to attend, and some from further decided to make the trip when word spread that the Royal Wolves would be in attendance. Mom was the best of friends with Queen Audrey and my father completed his Alpha training with King Peter over 30 years ago. She was right, though. The color of the dress did make my light green eyes pop, and the cut was very flattering on my curves. I’m the oldest child- they think. See, my birthday isn’t my actual birthday but my gotcha day, as my dad likes to call it. 16 years ago, my dad found me curled in a ball, asleep under a tree right on the edge of the pack territory. There was no one around and no scent to follow. He took me back to the pack house, and I stayed with them while they searched for where I had come from. Days turned to weeks and weeks to months, but there were no leads- no reports of packs of a missing child. After a year, my parents decided to adopt me and with a blood adoption blessed by the King. This is my family. When we stand together, my eyes always show how much I truly don’t belong here. My brother Robbie has always treated me just like a real sister, probably even more so. He’s younger than me, but as we got older, he definitely took the typical older brother role in our relationship as he grew into his alpha powers while everyone realized I was a broken wolf. My family never treated me any differently, but I know it was probably really hard to be the family of one of the kingdom's strongest alphas with an adopted daughter who was basically a human. I AM a wolf, though. I smell like one, and no one has ever questioned that. But I never had my wolf inside communicating with me. I have advanced hearing and smell- but that’s as far as my wolf abilities go. I think my family had hoped that once I reached 16, a switch would flip inside, and my wolf would wake, and I’d be normal, but that day never came. “Molly, maybe we were wrong on your birthday. Just wait; someday you’ll shift,” my mom would say to me every full moon. But here I am, 22 years old- never shifted and barely helpful to my pack. But still, my parents love me. High School was hard once the other kids realized I wasn’t shifting. Robbie tried to protect me from them. But I decided that if I couldn’t physically protect my pack, I would make myself completely indispensable to them. My dad was pretty unhappy with my choice at first. Since now I have taken over the head cook position for the pack, though he insists the job title now be called Head Chef of the Lunar Falls Pack. I’m a broken wolf, and I don’t think I even have a mate, but my mom is convinced that I do. Or she could just be holding out hope because the reality of being mateless is too sad. If my mom is right, though, and I do have a mate out there, you can be sure that they will reject me as soon as they realize how useless of a wolf I am, which is why I tend to stay in the kitchen and avoid any outsiders when they visit. There is a knock on my door, and I immediately smell my dad. He always smells of cedar and tobacco—the most comforting smell. “Molly, Love, you look absolutely beautiful,” he tells me, looking at me in the mirror from my doorway. “Thanks, Dad. I’m almost ready, I promise. I just need to put on my shoes and run down to the kitchen to make sure everything is ready to go for dinner,” I reply with a smile. “You have staff and have been down there all morning, Kiddo. What else could you possibly need to check on?” “I know, Dad. They’re great. But it’s Robbie's big day- and it’s YOUR retirement, too. Don’t you want your meal to be perfect?” “I know it’s a big day for your brother, but who knows, maybe you’ll meet someone special, and it’ll be a big day for you, too.” “It won’t be. But I’ll be there in just a few minutes”, I tell him as I slip on my nude pumps. Little did I know, it actually will BE the day that changes my whole life. Chapter 2 My mother is the Luna to end all Lunas. There is absolutely no comparison to how she handles her duties. The pack house is immaculately decorated at all times, but for my brother today it is perfection. Our pack's deep emerald green and gold colors adorn the walls, and as I step outside on the stone stairs, I see that the decorations extend over the outside of the house as well. A banner hangs above the door with the current pack crest- gold embroidery on the green, of the falls we’re so famous for with four stars next to a silver crescent moon. Robbie will update this when he’s ready to fit his family, as it hasn’t been updated since my adoption, and my dad (probably mom) had a star added to represent me. “Oh, Molly. That dress was the perfect choice!” My mother exclaims and pulls me out of my thoughts. She looks perfect, as always. She’s tall and thin, with her straight brown hair in an elegant twist. She never looks bad, but she looks absolutely stunning today. She’ll never admit it, but I know she’s nervous to have the King and Queen here in such a formal setting. She’s been friends with Queen Audrey since they were kids, but they’re rarely seen together in such a public setting. “Thank you, Mom,” I return to her in earnest. Her opinion means so much to me. My brother lucked out and doesn’t have to greet people even though it’s his own Alpha ceremony. “How’s Robbie doing today?” I ask. “Alpha Robert,” she says, emphasizing his full first name, “Is doing wonderfully today. He’s prepared for this role his entire life and is ready. I wish he had found his Luna before assuming the role, but he will be fine. You and I will have to help him out with the Luna duties until he finds her.” she tells me, and while I’d rather do anything than decorate, there’s nothing I wouldn’t do for my brother. I hear my dad sigh as he hears with his Alpha hearing what I assume are cars coming. “It’s show time, ladies.” A short moment later, I see a car approach, and before they even get to us, a second and third car are seen just behind. The first car stops in front of the pack house, and a gentleman with salt and pepper hair and a woman with dulling blonde hair step out, followed by a large, dark-haired man with olive skin. “Ahh, Blake! It is so good to have you at the Falls! Thank you for joining us,” my dad exclaims, seeing his old friend. “Celeste, Molly, this is Alpha Blake and his lovely Luna, Amanda. I’m sorry, Blake. I'm not sure I’ve met this young man before,” he says before extending his hand to the younger, very handsome man with them. “It’s nice to meet you, Alpha Randall,” he says to my dad while accepting his hand to shake. “I’m the future Alpha Chris. Thank you for inviting us to the ceremony. Luna Celeste, Molly, the pack house looks lovely,” he says to my mother and me. She looks at me, and I know that look. She’s asking if he’s maybe my mate, to which I barely shake my head. “It’s lovely to meet you all,” my mother expertly says to them with a smile. There’s no social situation my mother can’t handle with grace, and while I’m in awe of her skills, I realize I probably should have said something- anything. But I didn’t. They all stand looking at me, waiting for me to pull it together, but alas, I do not. High-pressure social situations aren’t my forte. Everyone continues to look at me when my dad finally steps in to save me from myself. “We can’t express how much we appreciate you all making the trip here for our son,” he says to them, and they, thankfully, all turn their attention to him. Perhaps I shouldn’t have spent quite so much time hiding in the kitchens because that was the first car and I’ve already messed up. A whole line of cars is now waiting for us to greet them. Alpha Blake walks off with his family, and as I’m about to apologize to my father, his eyes go slightly out of focus, a sign that someone has mind-linked him. He gathers his focus back, and with a sigh, he turns to me. “Molly, there’s a situation in the kitchen that they need you for. If you could please hurry back after, that would be most appreciated.” Thank the Goddess! I quickly hug my dad, and he whispers in my ear, “You had better be in there for the ceremony.” I turn around, going to the kitchen in a near run. I’m not sure if I’m moving so quickly because I don’t know the situation in the kitchen or because I’m excited not to greet any more guests, but either way, I head to the kitchen and get there in record time. When I walk into the kitchen, nothing seems amiss. Everything smells fine, and everyone looks pretty calm. I’m confused. “What happened?”. “What do you mean?” Katie Mae asks me. “Someone linked my dad and said there was a situation in the kitchen,” I tell her. “Oh, I don’t know,” Katie replies, “But Oliver is in your office. Go check with him.” Confused, I head to my office to check in with my sous chef, who is running things for dinner tonight. I find him sitting back with his feet propped up on my desk, smirking at me. “Just how badly did you do, Molly?” he asks me. “What do you mean? What’s the emergency?” I ask in a confused panic. “I do believe YOU are the emergency. Alpha Randall linked me and told me he was sending you back to the kitchen. Apparently, you just needed to be let out of your greeting duties. I was told never to speak of this to the Luna.” he says while trying to stifle a laugh. I smile and link my dad. “Thanks, old man.” I can feel his slight chuckle in return. He’s always looking out for me—and probably the whole pack if I was supposed to continue attempting to greet people. “So, what did you do?” Oliver asks me. “I didn’t DO anything, which is the problem. I just forgot to talk.” “Oh, Molls. You’ve got to be the worst-mannered Alpha’s daughter there ever was.” I laugh, but honestly, he’s right. Daughters in the Alpha lineage are always trained to be mated to an Alpha and become their Luna. But since I’m adopted and broken, I’ve never taken the training seriously. I could throw together a dinner party if I had to, but I’d much prefer to be in the kitchen cooking for it instead. “See any hot guys up there?” Oliver asks, breaking me out of my thoughts of my failure. “Oli, I met one family before Dad sent me down. But, of course, I found an attractive guy. He’s the future Alpha of some pack. I don’t think they ever said where. My dad knew his dad well, though.” “I’ll have to sneak up and check out the options during the ceremony, not that I’ll be finding my mate in a room full of Alphas. It doesn’t hurt to enjoy looking,” he tells me as his face falls. My heart stings for my best friend. Oliver is an omega. He probably would have been named head chef if it hadn’t been for me. We’re the same age and became friends while in school. Most Alphas don’t send their kids to the pack schools so that they won’t fraternize with the Omegas, but my dad felt it was important for pack unity if Robbie and I attended the school. He was right, too. Robbie and I made friends with kids from all class structures, and it helped us to understand how privileged we are to be the Alpha’s kids and to have everything we do. Oliver and I met in elementary school and became the best of friends. His dad had passed away when he was small, but his mom was amazing. She used to let me come over after school to play, and sometimes, I’d get to stay for dinner. She taught me how to cook, even though she didn’t work in the pack kitchens. She loved food and taught us everything she could in those years after school and during summer break when we’d go play in the falls and come back completely filthy and starving. When we were in middle school, Oliver came out to me. I’d never met a gay wolf, but it didn’t bother me. Unfortunately, as Oli got older and confided in more people, word spread, and he was treated very poorly by other kids who didn’t understand him. Robbie tried to step in and would hang out with us, but it didn’t matter to the other kids as much as he’d hoped. Oliver's mom died in a rogue attack just before he turned 18, so as soon as he finished school, he started working in the pack kitchen. What happened was terrible, but I’m glad we landed in the kitchen together. Oliver has always been the person who encourages me the most, and it’s helped me be brave. Brave enough to tell my dad I wanted to work in the kitchen. Brave enough to accept that I’m just a broken wolf. Brave enough to try all the new things we wanted in the kitchen and beyond. A few years ago, we cut back the overgrown area behind the pack house and planted a huge edible garden. The first two years weren’t amazing, but we did more research, and with our hard work this year, it has been successful. The packhouse grocery bill was cut almost in half for the summer from everything we’ve been able to harvest, though we didn’t have the abundance we’d hoped for to store for the winter months. I know I’ll find Oliver peeking in during the Alpha ceremony to check out all the guys there. I truly hope that he finds a mate one day. One of us should be happy, and I’m OK that it’s him. “Oli, you better not burn my brother’s dinner because you’re sneaking off to check out the Alphas,” I tell him, mostly joking but completely serious at the same time. “I’d never dream of burning Alpha Robert’s celebration dinner, my dear,” he tells me while grabbing my hand. Suddenly, I’m met with the smell of pine and tobacco and instantly know my brother is walking in. He smells so much like my dad, but still his own. I turn to make a joke about him becoming Alpha today, but when I see his face, I know it’s not the time. He’s so serious, too serious. He’s never like this around me. “Molly, I, uh, I need you to come up to Dad’s office… my office, with me,” he says. He’s so uncomfortable, and he’s rarely ever like this around me- serious and unsure. “What’s wrong? Is everyone OK?” I ask, knowing deep inside that something is wrong. “Everyone is fine, Molly. Dad needs to speak with you,” he tells me, looking anywhere but my eyes. “Dad? Why isn’t he greeting the guests? Why didn’t he mindlink me? Robert,” I say to him, almost in a panic. “What’s going on?!” “Molly,” he says. Finally, he looks me in the eyes. There’s so much emotion and sympathy in his hazel eyes, and I know whatever it is has to be bad. It’s very bad. “Your mate is here.” Chapter 3 My brother’s voice rings through my head as my heart falls to the pit of my stomach. My mate? “How… how does he know he’s my mate?” I ask meekly. “I haven’t met anyone but Alpha Blake and Future Alpha Chris. One of them is mated, and the other, well, he didn’t say anything when we met.” “It’s not either of them, it’s Seth. He could smell you on Dad. He said you hugged him just before you came here, and I guess your scent lingered.” “It could be anyone that Dad was near. It’s not me. It CAN’T be me.” “Molly. It’s you. Come on, they’re all waiting.” “All? How many mates do I have?” “It’s just one, kiddo. We’ve got to get up there. You can’t keep them waiting.” “No, Robbie. No. I’m not going up there just to be rejected and hurt,” I tell him. This isn’t happening. It has to be a mistake. I can’t have a mate. “Molly, it’s ok,” Oliver tells me as he sees my panic and recognizes that my brother does not have control of this situation. “You’ve always assumed you have no mate or that they’ll reject you if you do. Maybe he won’t. Maybe he’ll see you for the amazing wolf you are.” He’s trying. They both are. Trying to convince me that it’s going to be ok, but you can see in their eyes they both know it won’t be—especially my brother. I don’t think I’ve ever seen a look like this on his face before. He’s so worried about me. My mate must be terrible for him to be so concerned. I can barely breathe. It feels like the walls are closing in on me, and my chest hurts with each breath. My fears bubble to the surface, and I can’t contain them. I slowly slip out of my shoes without either of them noticing. There’s a back door out of here right behind them. They’re both faster than me- my brother has the Alpha gene, making him far superior physically to me. There’s only one way I’ll make it past them, so I do what I have to, and I cry. My brother’s face softens, and he walks across the room, enveloping me in a huge hug. It’s a move I wasn’t expecting, making it even harder to remove myself from the kitchen. In all honesty, his hug feels good. I feel so safe when I’m with Robbie. Still, I remember he’s trying to take me to meet my dad, mate, and whoever else is there. I don’t want to be rejected and feel that pain. These thoughts make me cry even harder. Oliver moves closer, so I decide to make my final move to get out of here. “Robbie, I need to sit down,” I tell him, and my ever-doting brother does just what I expected this time and immediately releases me and turns to grab the chair that Oliver had just vacated. I make my move and run to the door. My hand reaches the knob, and the goddess must be with me because it’s unlocked. I take off running to the garden. To my surprise, the smell of my brother gets fainter with each step. I decide to chance a look over my shoulder to see both men standing outside the back kitchen door. Oliver’s arm is across my brother’s chest. “Just let her go, Robert. Give her a few minutes,” Oliver tells him. I run a bit further, but since I know they’re not following me, I finally stop and walk. I’m sure I’ve destroyed all the work I did to look presentable just a few hours ago as I walk barefoot through my favorite place. I can’t be bothered to care right now, though. This was not the plan. This is not the life that I’m supposed to have. I know my family loves me, but it’s obvious at every turn I’m not really theirs. My family always said they loved me so much they couldn’t stand the thought of me leaving when I was small, but who would kick a homeless six-year-old out? I was found under a tree, alone- tiny, with no memory of who I was or where I came from. Was I lost? Or abandoned? Did I have a family that loved and missed me? Or did they leave me in the woods, hoping they’d never have to see me again? I’d accepted all these possibilities before, but as I got older, it became obvious I wasn’t like all the other pups. It became harder and harder to feel like I belonged. I couldn’t play with the kids as I got older because I couldn’t physically keep up with them. That’s what made me love Oliver so much. When the other kids wanted to play tag and throw balls, he’d be there to go on an adventure with me. The first time we made it back to the falls alone was amazing! My dad had taken me once shortly after he found me, but they looked much more amazing when we found them on our own. We got into so much trouble when we got back. I remember Oliver’s mom apologizing repeatedly to my dad. He was angry we’d gone so far without her knowledge. The entire time my dad explained my punishment, my mom smirked and kept telling him we were fine and to calm down. As I got older, I realized that my dad was always worried about me more than anyone else because of my broken wolf. Eventually, he forbade me to go into the woods without a pack warrior nearby- even if I was with Oliver. A few years ago, Robbie had too much to drink and let it slip that Dad was worried someone would kidnap me to use it against him because I wouldn’t be able to get away myself. I was so angry when he first told me, but I quickly realized he was right to be concerned. If another pack did kidnap me, I’d never be able to escape on my own. I’m basically useless and a huge liability. Useless and a liability to my own pack and now, to the mate I never thought I’d have. There’s no reason anyone would not reject me, short of needing a chef, but I don’t think that’s enough to keep around a broken wolf. I don’t know how I'd ever be able to help a mate. And if my mate is in Lunar Falls now for the Alpha ceremony, he’s likely an Alpha himself. While most she-wolves would be thrilled, this is the worst possible scenario for me. I stop walking as I reach the back of my garden. This truly is my absolute favorite place in the pack territory. It’s so peaceful here, and few people ever bother to come this far back. It’s where I spend so much time doing what I can to help take care of my pack in my own way. I know it’s not much, but it’s at least something. The sun is shining brightly now and making it hot, so I climb under the leaning trellis where the squash grow and hide in the shade. I know that eventually someone will be out here to drag me inside, but I decide to stay put until that happens. I hide in the garden for what seems like hours, though I don’t think it’s been that long. I am surprised I’ve been able to stay here alone for so long, but I’m not upset about it either. I peek out from my hiding spot like a small child and see the window to my Father’s study. A man I don’t recognize is staring outside. For just a moment, I wonder if that’s my mate. He’s attractive, from what I can tell. He has longer dark hair above his shoulders and looks pretty muscular. He’s holding a glass with something brown in it- probably some expensive bourbon that my dad hopes will help him overlook my behavior. Maybe he has enough bourbon to have him overlook my brokenness. Doubtful, as I’m not just a broken wolf, but I’m now a filthy wolf wearing no shoes and hiding in actual plants. I smell the familiar scent of my best friend as he approaches and climbs under the trellis with me. The look he’s giving me tells me he knows the situation isn’t great. Oliver knows me so well. He knows that I’m not able to articulate my feelings at the moment, so he doesn’t say a word. He just puts his arms around me and holds me, and I let go of tears I didn’t even realize I’d been holding. I cry for the little girl who didn’t get a wolf, and for all the times another kid made me feel less than. I cry for all the nights I spent wondering why I was left by a tree, and I cry for all the memories that I don’t have from before then. I cry for the kid who grew up not meeting anyone's expectations, and for all the times I know I disappointed my parents. They tried so hard to hide it, but I knew. But most of all, I cry for the fear of having to face a mate that I never dreamed I’d have and the pain of the rejection that I’ll have to endure. “He’s not going to reject you,” Oliver tells me. I know he truly thinks that, but there’s no chance someone would want me. “I’m going to go up there, but I need to change clothes first,” I tell him. He looks at me and nods but doesn’t say a word about how I look an absolute mess. I mind link my dad. I’m going to change and make myself presentable, and then I’ll be there. I’m sorry. I know I’ve embarrassed him. “Okay, Molly, I’ll let him know. He’s a good man. You’re going to be alright,” he tells me. I find a small amount of comfort from the man who would do anything to protect me telling me it will all be fine. Chapter 4 I’m back in my room. I showered, re-curled my hair, and did my makeup. Oliver wouldn’t leave me. I realize now that I’ve caused the Alpha ceremony to begin late, which is causing the dinner to start late, and I’ve all but ruined my brother’s day. I feel worse than I did before. Ollie comes from my closet carrying a darker green dress for me to put on. I realize my shoes I left in my kitchen office are now in my room, but I’m too emotionally exhausted to care how they got here. Ollie zips my dress and hands me the shoes. “Good as new,” he says, taking in my appearance with a critical eye. I’m nervous, but he won’t let me walk in to meet my mate looking anything less than amazing. He grabs my hand and starts to walk, but I’m hesitant to move. He turns to meet my eyes. “No running this time. You have to meet him.” I know he’s right, but I’m still absolutely terrified. We make our way across the packhouse to the Alpha office. As we get closer, I begin to smell him, and I know, without a doubt, that my mate is in there. He smells like juniper, with orange and cinnamon. It’s almost overwhelming. I feel so pulled towards him, and I’ve not even seen him. If this is how finding your mate feels with a broken wolf, then maybe it will be so strong for him that I won’t be rejected. I grasp onto that sliver of hope. I take a deep breath and turn the door knob to enter. My Dad and Robert are sitting propped on the edge of their desk. My mom is sitting elegantly in the chair across from them, and in the other chair is… Queen Audrey? With King Peter behind her? I briefly wonder why they are here for this, but thoughts are lost when my eyes go to the window and land on my mate. He IS who I saw from out in the garden, but instead of looking across the grounds, he’s staring at me intently. Our eyes lock, and I start to feel unsteady. Oliver places his hand on my back to steady me and whispers in my ear. “Go say hi.” Biting my lip, I nod and start to close the space between us. To my shock, my mate starts walking towards me as well. Once we’ve made it to each other, he places a gentle hand on my shoulder. “Are you alright?” he asks. His pale blue eyes are kind, and he seems genuinely concerned for me. I can’t bring myself to speak, so I nod in response. I see my brother out of the corner of my eye and feel such guilt about how I’ve behaved today on his day. I walk towards my brother, and I can tell he wasn’t expecting me to, but he pulls me into a giant hug. “I’m sorry I ruined your ceremony,” I tell him, and it’s the truth. I was so deeply in my feelings that I wasn’t concerned with time, and I knew it was set to begin hours ago. “You didn’t ruin anything, kiddo. You just delayed it,” he tells me, smiling down at me. Releasing me from his hug, he grabs my hand and walks back towards my mate. “Prince Seth, I’m glad to finally introduce you to my sister, Molly. Molls, this is my friend, Prince Seth.” Prince? So that explains why the king and queen are here. I swallow my nerves down. “Prince Seth and I did all our physical training together. He’s a good guy, Molls,” he tells me, squeezing my hand for comfort. “Hi,” I say, looking up at Prince Seth. He’s big, the biggest in the room. He's so tall, and his shoulders are broad and strong. As I saw from the window, his hair is dark and nearly to his shoulders, but he has his mom’s light blue eyes. I know I should say something more, but this situation feels intimidating. “Hi,” he returns with a kind smile and reaches out his hand to me. I release my brother and place my hand in his. He surprises me by bringing my hand to his lips and placing a gentle kiss on it. “It’s so nice to finally meet the famous Molly I’ve heard so much about.” Everyone is watching me, and I feel even more uncomfortable. I wish I could take their attention off of me. “Umm, maybe we should get the ceremony started soon.” “We should get ready to start the ceremony soon. Why don’t we head down and give Molly and Seth a few moments alone,” my dad suggests as he stands and walks over to kiss me on the forehead. My mom follows over just behind him and grabs my free hand while she leans in and whispers in my ear. “He’s handsome.” They head to the door with Robbie while King Peter and Queen Audrey meet them there. They all exit with my dad closing the door behind them. I thought I’d feel more comfortable without everyone looking at us, but now that we’re alone, I’m even more nervous. He seems kind. Maybe he won’t be too harsh when he rejects me. “So,” he says, breaking the silence between us, “Your mom thinks I’m handsome.” I can’t help but laugh. I don’t think she meant for him to hear her, but I’m glad he did and that he can joke about it. He leads me over to the sofa in the corner by my hand, which I note he still hasn’t let go of. I sit, and he takes the space beside me. He’s close, and he’s warm. He smells so good, but I can’t allow myself to become too attached. “I’m sorry I ran away earlier,” I tell him, trying to take responsibility for my stupidity. He doesn’t respond. He just continues to look at me. “I wasn’t trying to be rude. I know this is really disappointing for you”, I finish as my voice lowers to barely above a whisper. “Why would I ever be disappointed with you?” he says, and I can see from his face that he appears to be genuinely surprised by my words. Maybe I read this whole situation wrong. All of BOTH our families were up in my dad’s office while I sat in the garden and cried. They must have talked about me. He has to know. “I, uhh...” I don’t know the words to adequately describe what a mess I am, but I try because he deserves to know before he gets stuck with me. “I’m a broken wolf, Prince Seth.” As I pause to figure out how to explain myself, he finally lets go of my hand, but only so he can gently place his finger under my chin to pull my face to look at him. “It’s just Seth to you. You’re my mate- my equal. Never Prince to you, only ever Seth. You’ll be Princess Molly soon and eventually Queen. But you’ll always be my equal.” It’s at that moment that it hits me that Prince Seth isn’t just his name but his actual identity. Being his mate comes with much more that I’m not made for. Little girls dream of being a princess someday, but it’s an absolute nightmare for me. “I can’t be the queen. I’m not even a real wolf. I saw you in the window and thought my family would have told you. I… I’m so sorry.” My chest begins to hurt as the words come out, and I can barely breathe. “You are a real wolf. It’s in your scent. My wolf is sure of it.” “I’m not, though. I don’t have a wolf. I’ve never shifted. I’m not built as muscular. If anything happens to me, I can’t save myself. I’ll be a huge liability.” “No,” he snaps, and I see a flash of anger in his eyes. “You are NOT a liability. You’re my mate. The Goddess made you for me.” “The Goddess didn’t make me for anyone, Seth. No one wanted me,” I say as my voice begins to waiver. This isn’t going how I thought. I never dreamed I’d have to convince my mate I wasn’t good enough. This man keeps surprising me as he grabs me and pulls me onto his lap. “There are people who DO want you, Molly. I want you. Your parents adopted you- they wanted you. Robert always wanted you. He never stopped talking about you during training. You’re different, Molly, but that doesn’t mean you’re not enough and that you’re not wanted,” he tells me as he holds me on his lap. “I think maybe we should talk about this later,” I tell him as I stand up. He lets me but keeps his hands on my hips. “I’ve ruined Robbie’s day enough. We should head downstairs.” “ OK, Molly, we can talk about it later tonight,” he says as he stands. I note that he still hasn’t let go of me as he leans down and kisses my forehead. It’s sweet and makes my heart flutter. “You are wanted,” he says, taking my hand and leading me towards the door. “You’re mine.” Chapter 5 We arrive at the side yard of the house, where the ceremony is to be held in silence. Everyone is seated and ready to begin, and both our seats are in front. Seth holds my hand, leading me forward when I suddenly stop and refuse to continue walking. “What’s wrong?” he asks with concern on his face. “I can’t hold your hand. They can’t know I’m your mate,” I tell him, looking away. He won’t want me tomorrow, or maybe next week it will hit him. I don’t know when, but at some point, he’ll see past the bond and know he can find better than me. I hear him growl, and he steps towards me. He gently grabs my chin and tilts my head to look into my eyes. Seth starts to say something but then stops himself. He’s towering over me, and it’s intimidating, but I feel safe with him. It’s probably just from the bond. “OK, Molly. I won’t hold your hand, but they will eventually find out. You win for now, but we WILL talk about this later tonight,” he says firmly as his eyes flash with danger. I realize I’ve hurt him. I didn’t mean to do that. “I’m sorry. It’s not that I don’t want to be seen with you,” I begin to try to explain. “But you’re the prince. If people know you’ve found your mate, especially that it’s me, word will spread. It will hurt more when you finally reject me if everyone knows.” My voice is barely a whisper as I finish. I feel so awkward and vulnerable. His free hand lands gently on my hip while the other moves behind my head. He leans to place a soft kiss on my temple. “I will not change my mind, but I won’t hold your hand in public for now if that’s what you truly want. We will figure things out tonight.” He releases me and moves his hands to both my hips now. “It’s a full moon. You’ll be expected at the run tonight. It’s not every day a fancy-pants prince graces Lunar Falls with his presence,” I half-joke with him. “And where will you be? You can’t be alone.” “I usually lock myself in my suite. It’s by the kitchen in the basement and right across from the safe room, just in case.” “Alone?” Seth asks me, concern evident in his voice. “I’ve lived my whole life without a wolf. This isn’t my first full moon. Sometimes, I stay with the young kids who aren’t old enough to shift, but I just want to be alone tonight,” I tell him with complete honesty. “We have a few hours until we need to worry about that. Go on and take your seat. I’ll follow behind in a moment,” Seth tells me. He releases me but quickly reaches out and squeezes my hand. Honestly, he seems like a really nice man. I’ve caused him more headache today than I’m worth, so I do as he told me and head down the aisle to take my seat. My dad is sitting on his Alpha throne on the stage. Mom stands behind him, and Robbie is beside him. Since it’s the passing of the Alpha, no other family members are on stage, and I’ll be sitting alone. As I’m walking to my seat, I hear the whispers start. I’ve gotten used to it from my own pack- and they all know I got the wolf hearing. These guests, though, don’t seem to know. “That’s the wolfless one that Alpha Bardulf found and adopted.” “I heard she’s human.” “Do you think I could make her my whore? She looks too good to go to waste. Too bad she’s not a wolf.” And with that whispered comment, I feel overwhelming anger, but it’s not mine. It’s not like I haven’t heard these kinds of comments before. I realize then that I’m feeling Seth’s emotions through our bond. I know I can’t turn around and look at him. I look up and see my brother coming straight to me in a hurry and my dad with a murderous look on his face. Robbie reaches me and, to my surprise, continues past me to a younger-looking man sitting where I had just walked past. He grabs him by the collar of his shirt and lifts him. “You would do well to remember she’s the daughter of an Alpha,” Robbie tells him, releasing him unceremoniously back into his chair. By this time, my brother’s new Beta and Gama are headed to us. I can feel Seth relax some, though he is still very mad. George, Robbie's Beta, offers his arm to me and escorts me to the front row to be seated beside Queen Audrey. We both bow our heads to her and King Peter. She stands up and, to my surprise, pulls me into a hug and kisses my cheek. “You look stunning, Molly Dear,” She says loudly while she releases me but holds my hand as we sit down and squeezes it. It would seem that everyone in the room heard the comments. I smell Seth as he gets close and realize I’m in his seat beside his mother. I stand to move, but he shakes his head and motions for me to sit back down where I was. The pack elder stands and walks up to my dad and Robbie. He welcomes everyone, and as he begins, I feel Seth’s arm come up and rest behind my shoulders. He rests his hand on his mother's shoulder beside me. Queen Audrey smiles at Seth before returning to my dad and brother. The ceremony is beautiful. I know today is hard for my dad, handing over his pack to someone else, even if it is his own son. Robbie will do well. His Beta, Delta, and Gamma are all great guys and will do what’s best for the pack. The Elder instructs everyone to stand as Dad stands, and Robbie finally sits on the pack throne, officially becoming Alpha Robert of the Lunar Falls Pack. As I stand, I feel Seth bring his arm across my shoulders and back before completely releasing me, leaving me suddenly cold and alone. I’ve avoided acknowledging the bond thus far, but after feeling Seth's anger and loneliness at the lack of his touch, it’s really hard to ignore that it’s there. Everyone in the room is looking at my brother, so I take a chance and reach my left hand over just enough to find Seth’s as he wraps his around mine and gently squeezes it. He’s so comforting, and I begin to think that maybe we can make this work. My parents start to descend the stage, and I realize now that people may look our way, so I reluctantly release his hand. Robert sits on the pack throne with his men behind him and releases his first howl as Alpha, causing all but the royal family and present alphas to bow their heads and bare their necks in submission. I notice that I’m not affected, but I always respond to my dad’s Alpha commands. Seth has noticed because he leans over slightly and explains in the lowest of whispers in my ear. “You’re the mate of a royal. Alpha commands won’t work on you anymore.” It definitely wasn’t what I expected him to say, and I suddenly feel more uncomfortable about the situation. The ceremony is complete, and as we stand to leave, I realize my being between Seth and the King and Queen has complicated our exit now. Typically, the new Alpha would exit first, with everyone after in order of hierarchy, but since the Royals are here, they must exit first. As they turn to leave first, King Peter turns back to us, “Seth, why don’t you escort sweet Molly out? I’m sure our new Alpha Robert won’t mind.” He turns to Robbie, who smiles. “Of course,” he agrees easily, but not without shooting a look at the guy he mildly assaulted just 40 minutes before. Seth steps before me and offers me his arm while wiggling his eyebrows. “My lady.” I honestly can’t help but giggle at his face. I catch my mom out of the corner of my eye and she’s simply beaming at the entire interaction. I take Seth's arm with my hand, and he reaches his other hand over to place it on mine. It’s warm, and the bond sparks with excitement over our contact. We walk out behind his parents. Once we reach the end of the aisle and out of view of everyone, my brother reaches forward and grabs Seth and me. He leans forward behind us and tells Seth, “Watch your hands, bro,” with a smirk. “Oh, I will absolutely be watching where they go,” Seth returns to Robbie, and for a moment, I think my brother might actually lose control of his wolf. “I’m joking, Rob. I’ll always take care of her.” The sincerity in his voice touches me. He barely knows me, though. It’s an empty promise, but he’s trying. With the ceremony over, it’s almost time for the reception. Hopefully, my actions earlier and the delay haven’t hurt the dinner service too much. I know I’m not supposed to be in the kitchens today, but Dad has already sent me down once, and it would look terrible on the pack if things didn’t go smoothly. I make up my mind and decide to head down. “Seth, I need to go down to the kitchens and make sure things are ready. I’ll meet you in the dining room once they’re settled,” I tell him, and his brow furrows. “I’m the head chef for the pack, and while my sous chef is handling everything since this was a family gathering, I’d feel much better if I could ensure everything is ready, and they don’t need extra hands,” I continue, realizing I’m unsure if he even knows I’m a chef. “I can come with you if you really need to. I don’t want to leave you.” “I’ll be fine, honestly. It’s just my staff down there, and you met Oliver earlier. I’ll be fine and head up once they’re all ready.” “Molly, you’re the future Queen now. You don’t have to work anymore,” he tells me, and I know he’s trying to be kind, but that hurts. “I’ve never been required to work. I had to convince my dad to let me have this job. I enjoy it. It’s how I’m able to contribute to my pack,” I explain, but I realize that in my hurt, I’ve said more than I meant to. I have complicated feelings about my role in this pack, and I didn’t mean to start telling him about them. “I understand. At least let me walk you to the kitchen so I know you’re safe, please.” I know his request is genuine, and he wants me to be safe, but with more people leaving the ceremony and coming around, I don’t want anyone to see us together. I nod at him but release his arm. “It’s this way,” I tell him, and I start walking toward the service stairs. I can feel his irritation at me for releasing his arm through our bond, but I continue, and he doesn’t say anything. We reach the bottom of the stairs when he suddenly grabs my arm and sniffs the air. He sniffs again, pushes me against a door, and sniffs my neck slowly. His body is pressed against mine, and his breath is hot against my skin. He’s so close and towers over me. His scent has enveloped me, and I’m beginning to feel completely overwhelmed. “Everything down here smells like you,” he finally tells me. ”It’s so strong.” “Oh, uhh, yeah. I spend all my time down here. The kitchen is down that hall, and my office is there. The door behind me is the one to my suite.” I tell him. “Show me, please,” he says, and I consider it momentarily. He’s so close, and it’s making my heart race. He pushes himself against me the slightest bit more and kisses the spot on my neck where his mate’s mark would go. Chapter 6 I almost cave and let him in, but we’re too close to think clearly, and I need to tell him the endless list of problems we have with being together. “Later,” I whisper because it’s as much as I can squeak out with him so close. It’s intoxicating. He takes a deep breath as he pushes his weight off me, but he still stays where he is, towering over me. “Later,” he whispers back to me while we both take a moment to regain our composure. “Are you ready?” he asks after a moment, and all I can do is nod. He steps back and waves his arm, motioning for me to go in front. I walk to the kitchen door with him behind me before I turn to him. “Thank you for walking down with me.” “You’re welcome. Are you sure you’ll be up for dinner?” “Yeah, Dad will drag me up there if I try anything,” I tell him, and he smiles. “Good. I can’t wait to see you again,” he says, grabbing my right hand and bringing it to his mouth for a kiss. ---------- “I’m surprised you weren’t in here sooner,” Oliver says with a smirk as I step into the kitchen. “I can’t believe you’re making another appearance. Don’t you trust me?” he says, faking hurt. “Oh, Oliver. You know that I don’t,” I respond jokingly and stick my tongue out at him. “How was the ceremony?” He asked. “It was an Alpha Ceremony. Nothing amazing, kinda boring, there’s a new Alpha.” “Oh really? Because I heard our dear Alpha Robert punched an Alpha visiting from another pack.” “Umm, technically, that happened before, so he wasn’t Alpha Robert… yet,” I tell him with a smirk. “And it wasn’t exactly a punch.” “You want to talk about WHY Robbie punched people you walked by just before being named the Alpha?” I sigh. “You know how it is being me. Someone always says SOMETHING.” I’m exhausted from the day and don’t want to think about anything. “So, how is dinner? Can I help out?” “Molly, I’m capable of running this.” “I know, I know you are. I’m here to help if you need me. I’m not taking over for you.” “I think we’re good. Honestly, someone decided to delay the dinner a few hours while they were running away from their very attractive mate, which gave us more time to prep. I assume you’re not ready to talk about that?” he questions me. “No. Maybe. I don’t know. It’s just so much to take in. I think tonight is the first full moon I’m glad to be left out of.” “If you want me to stay with you to talk, just let me know. I don’t mind.” “I appreciate it, Oli, but I need some time alone just to think. It’s been overwhelming.” “You’re really not going to mention that your mate is the prince?” “Nope. I’m not ready to even think about that. It just complicates things even more. I don’t know why he hasn’t already rejected me,” I tell him, looking around. Everything appears to be going very well for my brother’s dinner. “Molls,” Oliver says to get my attention while I’m looking around the kitchen and sighs, not saying what I know he wants to. “Why don’t you sleep in tomorrow, and I’ll handle breakfast.” “I’d hate to do that to you. There’s a lot of people with all the visitors staying tonight.” I tell him, feeling guilty about throwing a second meal service on him. “Honestly, I’d appreciate the chance to show our new Alpha that I can fill your shoes. When you’re marked, you’ll be moving with Prince Seth, and I want to prove that I can handle this.” I hadn’t considered leaving with a mate- ever. Seth will come to his senses at some point and finally reject me, but Oliver is right. He’s not had many chances to prove himself as head chef. I know he’s capable, and he deserves the chance to show Robbie that, too. “Ok, Oliver. Breakfast service is yours. And if, by some miracle, Seth doesn’t reject me, I’ll put in a good word with the Alpha- though I don’t think you have anything to worry about,” I tell him with a small giggle. It’s weird to think my brother is the Alpha we’re talking about. I turn to leave but have an idea for tomorrow. “I’m just going to check and see if we have the stuff to make something tonight during the run, and then I’ll leave.” “Thank you,” he says. “I promise it’ll be amazing. You should change and show the prince all the reasons he shouldn’t reject you. Go put on something sexy and wow him.” I turn to the pantry to check for the ingredients I’ll need. I look around and then move to the fridge and verify that everything I need is on hand before I turn, walk out the door, and head down the hall to my suite. I’ve worn two dresses today, and neither of them was really my choice. It’s been a long day, and I decide to do as Oliver suggested. I walk in and go straight to my closet, looking around. I find a dress that I love and while it’s probably a little bit too formal, I decide to go with it anyway. I head to my bathroom and pull my hair back so it’s finally off my shoulders. I put on a little more makeup to darken my eyes just a tad more and switch from nude to a red lip. The dress is an off-the-shoulder black satin dress in a mermaid cut. It’s basic but classy and feels much more like how I would usually look. I pull out some black strappy heels and look at myself in the mirror. I realize I need to put on a necklace and select one that was handed down from my mom, that was her mom’s. It’s a white gold necklace with just a lot of diamonds, but it dresses up the dress that’s so plain. I look in the mirror, and it’s perfect. I look and feel like myself, and my parents will still be pleased. But then the thought comes that I wonder what Seth will think. With a sigh, I stop just a moment to think about everything that has happened today. I never actually thought I’d have a mate, but if I did, I was sure they would reject me on the spot. I was prepared for it. Instead, I have a mate who is a prince and has not given any indication that he plans to reject me. He hasn’t thought things through, though. He has a wolf, so what he’s feeling from our bond is probably stronger than what I can, and it’s a lot. I don’t have a wolf, and I can’t shift. The only wolf I can mind link is my dad, and it’s probably only because he’s the Alpha or was. I’m not built like a wolf. What if I can’t get pregnant with the heir to the kingdom, or worse, what if I can’t carry a wolf pregnancy? The entire wolf kingdom will surely not accept me and probably wouldn’t accept Seth as King for keeping a broken wolf as a mate. He does seem kind, though. I’m not sure what he was told about me before I made it to Dad’s office, but he’s friends with Robbie, so he has to know a lot. He’s reassured me a few times today that he won’t reject me. He called me “his” earlier, making my heart flutter with hope. And the way he was pressed against me in the hall was more than I could have hoped for. I sigh. There’s not much I can do now, and I need not worry about it. I am who I am, and while he’s given me some hope, I don’t want to have my heart crushed when he realizes I’m no good. I will have to go with it and see what happens. It’s out of my hands. And with that, I decide to head upstairs and find my family. And maybe my mate. I still don’t want the whole kingdom to know, but I enjoy being near him. As much as I try to ignore it, the bond is still tugging at me to get close to him. I reach the door to the dining room and can hear that everyone is already inside. I crack it and slowly slip in, hoping to go unnoticed, which I don’t need to worry about since everyone is walking about mingling and hasn’t been seated yet. I see my mom across the room and head towards her. I haven’t been able to spend time with her since meeting Seth. I just need her hugs. “Hi, Mom,” I say as I approach. “Oh, Molly. You changed clothes. You look lovely!” she tells me, genuine in her compliment. “You look stunning,” I hear from my side and see Queen Audrey as she approaches me. “That lip color suits you.” I can’t help but glow a little as not only the queen but also my mate’s mother complimented me so generously. I remember myself and bow. “Thank you, Your Highness. I feel more myself with the red.” I should have stopped there, but I never know when to quit talking until it’s too late. “Truthfully, I don’t wear much makeup.” “Oh, really, dear? Because you wear it so well.” “I appreciate that,” I tell her. “I don’t wear it often, but my mom taught me well.” “How are you doing, dear? I know it’s been a pretty exciting day for you,” Queen Audrey asks me. “I’m ok, Ma’am. I’m looking forward to some time alone tonight to think about everything while you all go for the run,” I tell her honestly. My mom realizes I’m not quite sure I’m ok and comes to my side to wrap me in a hug. “I’m sure it’s been a bit overwhelming, finding your mate and realizing he’s so damn attractive,” and that’s just what I needed to calm me some. I start giggling, and with the stress of today, I just can’t stop. I smell him and then feel his hand on my lower back. He comes to stand on my other side and pulls me to him. “What’s so funny?” Seth asks me. “Just some girl talk,” Queen Audrey smiles at him, probably to be sure I wouldn’t tell him my mom was drooling over him. Again. Seth releases me, and I suddenly feel sad, but he steps forward, hugs his mother, and kisses her cheek. He releases her and turns back to me, grabbing my hand. “Take a walk with me?” he asks, and I nod. He leads me outside to the balcony, which is not nearly as crowded. It’s a little chilly, but it feels like a perfect fall night. “You look absolutely stunning,” he says when we stop at the railing. “Thanks,” I respond. “It’s the first dress I got to pick for myself all day.” “It’s perfect, Molly. You're perfect,” he says as he places his arm behind me and pulls me to his chest. “The Goddess blessed me when she made you,” he murmurs into the top of my head. I let myself sigh and just be content for a moment. This feels so perfect. If he rejects me, at least I had this precious moment. “I honestly wasn’t sure you’d be back upstairs,” he tells me. “I take it everything was ok in the kitchen?” “Yeah, all was well. Dinner was going well, and Dad’s cake was still good,” I say, realizing I let the surprise slip. “Don’t you mean your brother’s cake?” he inquires, looking down at me. “I mean, I didn’t check on that one. I assumed they could handle it. But there’s a surprise for my dad, too,” I tell him, placing my finger on my lips, indicating it’s a secret, and he smiles at me. “I’m going to skip the run tonight. My parents will be there. That will be enough for the people,” he tells me, and I realize that he’s worried about me being alone. “Umm, I have plans tonight now,” I tell him nervously, and he raises an eyebrow at me. I can tell he’s not happy, so I try to explain. “Sorry, it’s nothing exciting. I’m going to lock myself into my suite and bake. It helps me relax and think clearly.” “I’m worried about you being alone.” He tells me. “I know. Being around someone with a broken wolf is new for you, but it’s been like this my whole life. Do you think my dad would leave me here alone if he didn’t think I was completely safe?” I ask him, and I can tell he’s considering it. “Please don’t miss out on something that would make you happy just for me. I’ll feel terrible if you do.” “But what if something happens to you while we’re all out?” he asks, and I realize there are things he doesn’t know about my situation. “I can mind link my dad and maybe my brother now that he’s Alpha. I promise I’ll reach out if anything happens,” I promise, and I can see him relax. “OK, but make sure your dad knows I’ll always be near him,” he says, and honestly, the thought that he cares enough to do that but still respects my decision warms my heart. “I will. And thank you,” I tell him, pulling him down towards me and kissing his cheek. He growls and rests his forehead against mine. “Aren’t you worried someone will see?” he asks me teasingly, but I can tell he’s serious with his inquiry. “A little, but I’m trying,” I tell him. We stand like that for a while- alone in the quiet. “If we stay like this much longer, everyone will be able to smell me on you,” he points out. “It’s OK,” I whisper to him as I break the contact with our foreheads, but only to lean into him. I reach into his jacket to embrace him, resting my head against his chest. He lowers his chin to the top of my head. The bond is so calm yet still strong. Somehow, though, it is tugging at me for more. We stay just like that until they announce for everyone to take their seats for dinner. “Do you want to go in before me, and I’ll follow again?” he asks me, and it’s so kind and considerate of him. “No, I don’t think I do,” I tell him as we finally separate, but I place my hand inside his. He looks down at our hands and then up at me. “Are you sure? People will definitely see.” “I know,” I tell him. “I’m trying to trust you. I’m trying to be brave.” He beams at me with the biggest smile and leans over to kiss my head before squeezing my hand and leading me into the ballroom. .... Open the app and continue reading the rest of the story . 👉(It will automatically jump to the book when you open the app)
"How long?" I asked, my voice barely audible over the roaring in my ears. My sister Liana stretched languidly, displaying her swollen belly without shame. "Long enough," she purred. "Did you really think he wanted you? A warrior playing at being Luna?" I turned to Jaden, desperate for him to deny it, to say this was all a terrible mistake. Jaden ran a hand through his damp hair, sighing as if I were a troublesome child interrupting his day. "Liana's bloodline is stronger, purer. The pack needs that strength." "Bloodline?" I repeated, disbelief coloring my voice. "We're sisters. We share the same bloodline." "You really don't know, do you?" Her eyes gleamed with cruel delight. "Mother found you in a garbage dump when you were just a few days old. Some wolf took pity on the garbage baby and brought you home." "That's not possible," I said, my voice strange in my ears. "Garbage blood. No lineage. And you still couldn't keep your man satisfied, could you? While you were training or planning that pathetic wedding, he was in my bed, moaning my name." Before I realized what I was doing, my hand flew out, connecting with Liana's cheek in a sharp slap. My wolf stirred within me, her presence stronger than ever before. "They will pay for this," she growled. "Both of them." --- Clara’s POV Two days. Just two days until I would finally become Luna of the Shadowcrest Pack. I sat at the grand oak table in the dining hall, my wedding planner sitting before me as we finalized the arrangements for the wedding. The soft afternoon light spilled through the tall windows, casting a golden glow on the detailed lists and schedules I'd spent months perfecting. "The flowers will arrive at dawn," said Elsa, the pack's event coordinator. "White lilies and blood roses, just as you requested." I nodded, my finger tracing over the timeline. "And the ceremonial chalice? Has it been cleaned?" "Polished until it shines like the moon itself," Elsa confirmed with a smile. A flutter of excitement danced in my chest. After years of preparation, of molding myself into the perfect Luna, of tamping down my warrior instincts to become the gentle support Jaden needed, the day was finally approaching. The dining hall doors swung open. The room fell silent. Every wolf present rose to their feet, heads bowed in respect. But not me. My lips curved into a warm smile as I watched Jaden stride toward me. Tall, confident, with that familiar glint in his hazel eyes that had captured my heart years ago. "Alpha," the others murmured. I moved around the table and wrapped my arms around his neck, breathing in his pine and earth scent. "You're early," I whispered against his ear. Jaden's hands settled on my waist, but something felt off. His touch was light, almost hesitant. His usual warmth seemed dampened. "I need to speak with you," he said, his voice low enough for only me to hear. "It's urgent." A cold sliver of unease crept up my spine. "Now? We're finalizing the—" "Now." The word wasn't harsh, but it left no room for argument. With a quick nod to Elsa to continue without me, I followed Jaden out of the dining hall. We walked in silence, through the pack house and into the gardens beyond, stopping only when we reached the old oak tree where he had first asked me to be his mate. Jaden turned to face me, his eyes darkening as they roamed over my body. He stepped closer, backing me against the rough bark of the oak tree. "You look beautiful today," he said, his voice dropping to that husky tone that always made my knees weak. His hands slid around my waist, his fingertips pressing into my skin through the thin fabric of my blouse. I felt the heat of his palms as they slowly trailed upward along my sides, his thumbs brushing the undersides of my hills with deliberate care. A shiver ran through me at his touch, my body responding despite the unease still lingering in my mind. Before I could question him, he pulled me against him, eliminating any space between us. His lips found mine in a heated kiss that stole my breath. I melted into him, my fingers threading through his soft blonde hair as his tongue slipped past my lips, tasting me with urgent need. His hands continued their journey, now tracing down my back, following the curve of my spine until they reached the hem of my blouse. With ease, his warm palms slid beneath the fabric, his calloused fingers skimming over my bare skin, leaving goosebumps in their wake. One hand moved higher, tracing my ribs before cupping my hills over my bra, while the other gripped my hip firmly, keeping me pressed against him. I could feel his hardness against my stomach, his desire unmistakable. "Jaden," I gasped when he finally broke the kiss to trail hot, wet kisses down my neck. "What is this about?" Instead of answering, he nipped at the sensitive spot below my ear, his teeth grazing my skin before his tongue soothed the slight sting. His thumb found my niple through the thin fabric of my bra, circling it before brushing over the hardened peak, sending sparks of pleasure through my body. "I've been thinking," he murmured against my skin, his breath hot and teasing on my neck. His touch became more insistent as his fingers slipped beneath my bra, skin against skin now. He cupped my bare brests, weighing it in his palm before his fingers skillfully worked my niple, rolling it between his thumb and forefinger. His other hand slid to the small of my back, pressing me harder against his arousal. My body responded traitorously, heat pooling between my thighs despite the warning bells ringing in my head. "About?" I managed to ask, my voice breathless as he suked at the pulse point on my neck, marking me as his. "About us. About the wedding." His fingers traced maddening circles around my niple before giving it a gentle pinch that made me arch into him, a soft moan escaping my lips. He wedged his thigh between my legs, the pressure exactly where I needed it. I bit my lip to stifle another moan as he rocked against me, creating delicious friction. His hands continued their sensual assault, one teasing my brest while the other slipped from my back to the buttons of my blouse, deftly undoing them one by one until he could push the fabric aside and press his lips to the swell of my brests above my bra. Something in his tone cut through the haze of desire. A lump formed in my throat. "What about it?" He pulled back slightly, his eyes avoiding mine even as his hands continued their seductive assault on my senses. "I think we should move the date." The words hit me like a physical blow. Air rushed from my lungs, leaving my chest tight and aching. I pushed him away with both hands, shoving hard against his chest. The spell of desire shattered instantly. My fingers fumbled with the buttons of my blouse, hastily closing them as my cheeks burned with humiliation. "Move it?" I echoed, my voice barely a whisper. "Again?" His hands reached for me, but I stepped back, putting distance between us. The heat that had pooled low in my belly turned to ice. "Baby, come on," he coaxed, trying to pull me back into his arms. "It's not the right time. There's tension with the northern packs. Security concerns." I wiped my mouth with the back of my hand, suddenly disgusted by the taste of him. The marks he'd left on my skin, which moments ago had been badges of passion, now felt like brands of betrayal. "That's what you said three months ago," I spat out, straightening my clothes. "And before that, it was diplomatic issues with the eastern territories." "This is different." "How?" Heat rose to my cheeks, my carefully controlled emotions threatening to spill over. "How is this any different from the last two times, Jaden?" He finally looked at me, his expression unreadable. "Clara, you know I wouldn't ask if it wasn't important." My warrior instincts, the ones I'd worked so hard to suppress, surged forward. "Then tell me what's really going on. Because I don't believe this is about security." Silence stretched between us, heavy and suffocating. "I can't," he finally said. My hands trembled. Three years of preparation. Three years of molding myself into someone else. Three years of waiting. "You can't, or you won't?" I challenged. Jaden's jaw tightened. "Don't do this." "Do what? Ask for honesty from my future mate? From the man who's asked me to postpone our wedding for the third time?" He dropped to one knee before me, taking my hand in his. The gesture that once would have melted my resolve now only fueled my anger. "I promise, Clara," he said, his voice soft. "This will be the last time. After this, nothing will stop us from becoming mates." I wanted to believe him. The desperate part of me that had invested everything into becoming his Luna wanted to nod and accept his words. But my wolf, usually so quiet when I suppressed her, suddenly snarled to life inside me. “He never takes you seriously,” she growled, her voice sharp in my mind. “How many times will you fall for this? You've become the lordess of the ring, pining and waiting for a wedding that will never happen.” I wanted to silence her, but the truth’s in her words stung too deeply to ignore. I pulled my hand from his grasp. "You've made promises before." Without waiting for his response, I turned and walked back toward the pack house, each step burning with the effort not to run. Behind me, I heard him call my name, but I didn't stop. Clara’s POV I walked back to the dining hall, my steps heavy with disappointment. The hallway stretched before me, seeming longer than it had been just moments ago. My chest felt tight, as if someone had wrapped a band around it and pulled until I could barely breathe. When I reached the dining hall doorway, I paused. Inside, Elsa and the other pack members were still discussing table arrangements and flower placements. Their excited voices carried through the air, a stark contrast to the heaviness I felt inside. They hadn't noticed me yet. I stood at the threshold, watching them talk about a wedding that might never happen. My fingers curled into fists at my sides. "The wedding is off until further notice," I announced, my voice steadier than I expected. The room fell silent. All eyes turned to me, wide with shock. Elsa stood from her chair, her clipboard clutched against her chest. "Luna Clara, is everything—" "Just... put everything on hold," I said, cutting her off. I couldn't bear to hear her call me Luna right now. Not when that title seemed to be slipping further away with each passing day. Without waiting for a response, I turned and walked toward my room. Behind me, whispers erupted like a swarm of angry bees. "Did you see her face?" "What happened?" "Did Alpha Jaden change his mind about her?" "They always postpone the wedding and don't even attempt to do an official mating ceremony. Are you sure they're fated mates and aren't lying to us?" Each word stung like a knife in my back, but I kept my head high, my steps measured. I would not give them the satisfaction of seeing me break. Only when I reached my room and shut the door behind me did I allow the mask to slip. My back pressed against the cool wood as I slid down to the floor, my legs no longer able to hold me up. The tears came then, hot and fast. They burned trails down my cheeks as sobs wracked my body. Three years of my life devoted to him, to this pack, to becoming the perfect Luna. And for what? To be pushed aside again and again? "I told you," my wolf whispered in my mind, her voice gentler now, almost sad. "He doesn't deserve us." I pressed my palms against my eyes, trying to stem the flow of tears. "He's my mate," I whispered back. "The goddess chose him for me." My wolf remained silent, but her doubt hung heavy in my mind. I knew she was right but I didn't want to believe it all. I didn't want to believe that my bond with my mate was so weak. ********** Three months passed. Three months of strained smiles and hollow reassurances. Three months of Jaden promising that "soon" we would set a new date, that "soon" everything would be perfect for our union. I walked toward the pack gathering hall, my shoulders squared despite the weight I carried. Today's meeting was important—discussions about pack welfare and border security were on the agenda, and as future Luna, I needed to be present. As I approached the massive doors of the gathering hall, snippets of conversation reached my ears. "There she is—the Luna who can't even get her mate to claim her properly," someone whispered, not bothering to lower their voice enough. "Third postponement in a row. Something's definitely wrong with her," another added with a snicker. I kept my gaze forward, pretending not to hear, but their words sliced through me like claws. "My cousin in the Moonstone Pack says their Luna was claimed within a month of being chosen," a female voice said pointedly. "A whole year of delays? The goddess must have made a mistake." "If she was worthy of being Luna, he would have marked her by now." "I heard he's looking for a replacement. A real Luna who knows her place." "Can't even keep her mate interested enough to go through with the ceremony—" I clenched my jaw tight enough to hurt as I passed a group of younger pack females, their eyes following me with undisguised contempt. "My mother says a real Luna would have given the Alpha pups by now," one of them whispered loudly. "She's probably barren." "Or he just can't stand to touch her that way," another responded with a cruel laugh that echoed in the hall. The whispers died down as I entered the main chamber, replaced by forced smiles and nods of acknowledgment. I had grown used to this dance, this pretense that everything was fine when clearly it wasn't. I took my seat to the right of Jaden's empty chair, feeling eyes boring into me from every direction. Some gazes held pity, others satisfaction. I could almost hear their thoughts: This is what happens when a warrior tries to be a Luna. When Jaden finally entered, the pack rose in respect. Several females straightened their posture, preening as he passed. One even had the audacity to shoot me a triumphant smile, as if to say, Watch how easily I could replace you. Jaden's eyes briefly met mine, a flash of something unreadable passing between us before he addressed the gathering. The meeting progressed as usual, with reports from various pack sectors and discussions about resource allocation. My attention drifted occasionally, my wolf restless within me. "If it weren't for the mate bond," she growled, "I'd have left long ago. It's been a year of these empty promises." "Hush," I thought back, trying to focus on the meeting. "The next item," Jaden announced, "is border security. We've had reports of rogue wolves near our northern territory." My ears perked up. This was something I knew about. Before being chosen as Jaden's mate, I had been trained as a warrior, specializing in territorial defense. "I propose we double the patrols on the northern border," Jaden continued, "and reduce our presence in the east." The council members nodded in agreement, but alarm bells rang in my head. The eastern territory bordered the Silver Claw Pack, known for their opportunistic nature. Reducing our presence there would be a mistake. I listened as they discussed the details, my unease growing with each word. Finally, I couldn't contain myself any longer. "That won't work," I said, my voice cutting through the conversation. The room fell silent. All eyes turned to me, including Jaden's, which had narrowed dangerously. "The east needs constant surveillance," I continued, ignoring the warning looks from the council members. "The Silver Claws will see a reduced patrol as a sign of weakness. We should instead rotate our strongest warriors between both borders." I wasn't trying to challenge Jaden. I was offering a solution based on my training, my experience. But as soon as the words left my mouth, I knew I had made a mistake. Jaden's face darkened, his jaw clenching. "You think you know better than your Alpha?" he asked, his voice deceptively quiet. "No, I just—" The crack of his palm against my cheek echoed through the silent hall. Pain exploded across my face, my vision blurring as I stumbled backward. A high-pitched ringing filled my ears, drowning out the shocked gasps of the council members. My hand flew to my burning cheek, fingers trembling against the heated skin where his palm had connected. At that moment, everything went still. The room. My breath. Even my heart seemed to stop beating for a second as the reality of what had just happened sank in. My mate—the man chosen for me by the goddess herself—had struck me in front of our entire pack. Clara’s POV The silence in the hall pressed against my eardrums like a physical weight. My cheek throbbed, the heat of Jaden's palm print burning into my skin. I blinked rapidly, trying to clear the tears that threatened to spill. "Perhaps," Jaden said, his voice cutting through the silence, "you've forgotten your place in this pack." I stood frozen, unable to find my voice as his words washed over me. "You were chosen to be Luna," he continued, circling me slowly like a predator. "Not to challenge your Alpha. Not to undermine my authority." Every word felt like another slap. The pack members watched with wide eyes, some with shock, others with barely concealed satisfaction. "I—" My voice came out as a whisper. "You what?" Jaden snapped. "You thought you knew better than me? That your opinion matters more than mine?" My throat tightened. This wasn't the man I had fallen in love with. This wasn't the mate the goddess had chosen for me. Or was it? Had I been blind all this time? "I was only trying to help," I managed, hating how weak my voice sounded. Jaden's laugh was cold and cut through me like a blade. "Help? By questioning my leadership in front of the entire pack?" He turned to address the room, spreading his arms wide. "Do you see what I've been dealing with? She thinks she's the Alpha. She treats me like I'm her Luna." Snickers rippled through the crowd. Someone in the back whispered, "No wonder he hasn't claimed her yet." The humiliation burned hotter than the slap. I stood there, exposed and vulnerable as Jaden continued to dismantle whatever dignity I had left. "I trained as a warrior," I said, struggling to keep my voice steady. "I was only offering tactical advice based on my—" "Your training?" Jaden cut me off. "And what good is that training now? You're meant to be Luna. Your job is to support me, to stand by my side, not to think you can do better than me." His words cut deep, deeper than any physical wound could. I had spent years suppressing my warrior instincts, molding myself into what I thought he wanted. And for what? To be publicly shamed for the one time I dared to speak up? "I'm sorry," I said automatically, the words tasting bitter on my tongue. My wolf snarled within me. “Don't apologize! You did nothing wrong!” But I silenced her, as I always did. This was my mate. The bond was sacred. I needed to make things right. Jaden's eyes narrowed at my apology, as if he had expected more resistance. Then he shook his head in disgust. "Meeting adjourned," he spat out, his voice sharp with anger. Without another glance in my direction, he stormed out of the hall, the heavy doors slamming behind him with a finality that echoed through the room. The pack members began to disperse, their whispers filling the silence Jaden had left behind. "That's what happens when a warrior tries to be Luna." "She should know better by now." "No wonder the wedding keeps getting postponed." I remained standing where he had left me, the ghost of his hand still burning on my cheek, his words ringing in my ears. One by one, the pack members filed out, some avoiding my gaze, others staring openly with pity or contempt. Soon, I was alone in the massive hall. I sank into the nearest chair, my legs no longer able to support me. The room that had minutes ago been filled with voices now echoed with silence, magnifying the sound of my ragged breathing. What had happened to us? When had things gone so wrong? I traced my fingers over my cheek, wincing at the tenderness. In all our years together, Jaden had never raised a hand to me. Never humiliated me so publicly. The mate I thought I knew would never have treated me with such contempt. “Maybe you never really knew him at all,” my wolf whispered. I closed my eyes, trying to silence her, but her words burrowed deep into my heart. Had I been so blinded by the mate bond, so desperate to be the perfect Luna, that I had missed who Jaden truly was? Three postponed weddings. Countless excuses. The growing coldness between us. "No," I whispered to the empty hall. "He's my mate. The goddess chose him for me." But even as I said the words, they rang hollow. If the goddess had truly chosen Jaden for me, why did our bond feel so fragile? Why did it seem like he was slipping further away with each passing day? I sat alone in that chair for what felt like hours, going over every moment of our relationship, searching for signs I might have missed. The excitement of being chosen by the goddess to be his Luna. The pride in his eyes when he presented me to the pack. The slow fade of his affection as I tried harder and harder to be what he wanted. My life had become a pathetic tale of a woman pining for a man who no longer wanted her. If he ever had. When I finally stood to leave, my decision was made. I would go to him. I would apologize for speaking out of turn. I would do whatever it took to fix what had been broken. Mom always said a woman should honor and respect her mate. And that is exactly what I shall do. Even if it meant breaking myself in the process. With heavy steps, I made my way out of the hall and toward Jaden's private quarters. I would make things right. I had to. Because without him, without my position as future Luna, who was I? I would end up becoming an abandoned mate. I do not want such a life. As I approached Jaden's chambers, a strange scent caught my attention. Familiar yet out of place. My steps slowed, my wolf suddenly alert within me. I reached his door, my hand raised to knock, when I heard it—a soft feminine laugh from inside. Not just any laugh. One I'd known my entire life. My heart stuttered in my chest. No. It couldn't be. My hand fell to the doorknob instead. I hesitated for only a moment before turning it slowly, silently, pushing the door open just enough to peer inside. What I saw made the room spin around me, the floor tilting beneath my feet. There, in Jaden's massive bed, sheets tangled around her barely covered body, was my sister. And the curve of her belly left no doubt about what she'd been hiding beneath her loose clothing all these months. Clara's POV I stood frozen in the doorway, unable to move, unable to breathe. The scene before me refused to make sense, like pieces from different puzzles forced together. My sister. In Jaden's bed. Pregnant. Liana's eyes met mine, and for a split second, I saw surprise flicker across her face. Then her lips curved into a smile that held no warmth, only triumph. "Clara," she said, not bothering to cover herself. "You should really learn to knock." Her voice broke the spell. I stumbled into the room, my legs barely holding me up. "What is this?" I whispered, though the answer was painfully clear. Jaden emerged from the bathroom, a towel wrapped around his waist. He stopped when he saw me, but unlike Liana, he at least had the decency to look uncomfortable. "Clara," he said, my name sounding foreign on his lips. "You shouldn't be here." A laugh escaped me, harsh and broken. "I shouldn't be here? In my mate's chambers?" The pieces fell into place with sickening clarity. The wedding delays. Jaden's growing coldness. Liana's sudden prominence in pack meetings and events. "How long?" I asked, my voice barely audible over the roaring in my ears. Liana stretched languidly, displaying her swollen belly without shame. "Long enough," she purred. "Did you really think he wanted you? A warrior playing at being Luna?" Each word was a dagger, twisting deeper with every syllable. I turned to Jaden, desperate for him to deny it, to say this was all a terrible mistake. "Why?" I asked him. "If you didn't want me, why keep me believing the lie?" Jaden ran a hand through his damp hair, sighing as if I were a troublesome child interrupting his day. "It wasn't planned," he said finally. "But after what happened today at the meeting... you've never understood what it means to be Luna." "What do you mean?" I asked, confused. "You challenged me publicly, Clara. You undermined my authority in front of the pack," he said, his voice hardening. "It's not the first time either. You're constantly trying to take control, to be the Alpha instead of standing by my side as Luna." The accusation stung deeper than I expected. "I was only trying to help—" "No," he cut me off. "You were trying to lead. That's not a Luna's role." He hesitated, then added, "And there's more. Liana's bloodline is stronger, purer. The pack needs that strength." "Bloodline?" I repeated, disbelief coloring my voice. "We're sisters. We share the same bloodline." Liana laughed, the sound slicing through me like glass. "Sisters?" She spat the word like poison. "Is that what Mother told you?" The room seemed to tilt beneath my feet. "What are you talking about?" "You really don't know, do you?" Her eyes gleamed with cruel delight. "Mother found you in a garbage dump when you were just a few days old. Some wolf took pity on the garbage baby and brought you home." The words hit me like a physical blow. "You're lying," I whispered, but even as I spoke, doubts crept in. The way Mother always favored Liana. The subtle differences in our appearances. The way pack members sometimes looked at me when they thought I wouldn't notice. I had always thought it was just peopel being peopel and when Jaden started postponing our wedding, I thought it was merely... judgemental looks. "Tell her, Jaden," Liana urged, her voice dripping with false sympathy. "Tell her why your bond never felt right. Tell her why the wedding kept getting postponed." Jaden couldn't meet my eyes. "Your wolf lineage is... uncertain," he said finally. "We don't know where you came from. Who your parents were. If you're worthy of being a Luna." My knees buckled. I reached for the wall to steady myself, the room spinning around me. Garbage baby. Uncertain lineage. "That's not possible," I said, my voice strange in my ears. "The goddess chose us as mates. You felt the pull. I felt it." "The goddess made a mistake," Jaden said flatly. My legs gave out. I slid down the wall, landing hа'rd on the floor. My entire life had been built on lies. My family. My place in the pack. My mate bond. "You kept me waiting for a wedding that was never going to happen," I said to Jaden, the truth dawning on me with horrifying clarity. "You just didn't have the courage to end it." "I was trying to spare you," he said, but even he didn't sound convinced. "Spare me?" My voice rose. "By humiliating me in front of the entire pack? By making me believe something was wrong with me?" My wolf stirred within me, breaking her silence as pain coursed through me. "He never intended to claim us," she whispered. "Oh, there's plenty wrong with you," Liana interjected, sliding from the bed and wrapping herself in Jaden's robe. Her pregnant belly pushed against the fabric. "Garbage blood. No lineage. And you still couldn't keep your man satisfied, could you? Too busy acting like an Alpha when you should have been supporting yours like a proper Luna." I struggled back to my feet, using the wall for support. My vision blurred with rage and pain. "You're my sister," I said, my voice breaking. "We grew up together." She stepped closer, her face inches from mine. "I never wanted a sister," she whispered. "Especially not one Mother dragged in from the trash. When I realized that I had watched her waste resources on you, pretending you were worthy of our name, I hated it." "And then to have you chosen by the goddess as Jaden's mate and Luna? What a joke." She shook her head. "Jaden needs someone who makes him feel like the Alpha he is, not someone constantly trying to take his place. It was so easy to take what was yours. He came to me willingly, eagerly. While you were training or planning that pathetic wedding, he was in my bed, moaning my name." Something snapped inside me. The pain, the betrayal, the months of doubt and self-blame crystallized into pure fury. Before I realized what I was doing, my hand flew out, connecting with Liana's cheek in a sharp slap. The sound echoed in the silent room. For a moment, no one moved. Then Liana's face contorted. She clutched her stomach and screamed, falling to her knees at a slow, theatrical pace that didn't match the light slap I'd delivered. "My baby!" she shrieked, looking up at Jaden with wide, tear-filled eyes. "She hit me! She tried to hurt our child!" Jaden was at her side in an instant, his face twisted with rage as he turned to me. "What have you done?" "I barely touched her," I protested, backing away. "She's faking it!" But Jaden wasn't listening. He lunged forward, his open palm connecting with my face in the same spot he had struck earlier. The force sent me crashing into the wall, my vision swimming with black spots. "I, Alpha Jaden Silverstein of the Shadowcrest Pack, reject you, Clara Ashburn as my mate and Luna of my pack," he snarled, his eyes glowing bright golden yellow with alpha power. Clara’s POV The moment the bond shattered, pain like I had never known ripped through me. It felt as if someone had reached into my chest and torn out my heart with bare hands. I collapsed to my knees, a scream tearing from my throat. "Warriors!" Jaden called, his voice distant through the haze of agony. "Take her to the forest and make sure she never returns." The forest. In our world, that wasn't exile. It was execution. I tried to stand, to run, but my body wouldn't respond. The severance of our mate bond had left me weak, disoriented. The room spun around me, black spots dancing in my vision. Heavy footsteps thundered down the hallway. Three of Jaden's most trusted warriors burst into the room, their faces grim as they took in the scene—their Alpha standing protectively over a pregnant woman, and me, crumpled on the floor. "Alpha?" the largest one, Marcus, questioned. "She attacked Liana," Jaden said coldly. "She tried to harm my child. Take her deep into the forest and end it." End it. So casual. As if my life meant nothing. As if the years I had devoted to him, to this pack, could be discarded without a second thought. Strong hands gripped my arms, hauling me to my feet. I tried to struggle, but my limbs felt heavy, uncoordinated. The pain of the broken bond still radiated through my body, making it hard to think, to move. "Please," I gasped, looking at Jaden one last time. "Don't do this." For a moment, something flickered in his eyes—doubt, perhaps, or the ghost of what we had once shared. Then Liana's hand slid onto his arm, and his expression hardened again. "You are nothing to me now," he said, turning away. "Get her out of my sight." The warriors dragged me from the room, my feet barely touching the ground. Through the pack house we went, past curious onlookers who whispered and pointed. News of my disgrace would spread quickly. By nightfall, I would be nothing but a cautionary tale—the Luna who wasn't worthy. Outside, the cold night air hit me like a slap, clearing some of the fog from my mind. The forest loomed ahead, dark and forbidding. Once I entered those trees, I wouldn't come out again. My wolf stirred within me, her presence stronger than I had ever felt it. "Fight," she urged. "We cannot die like this." Marcus and the other warriors marched me across the clearing toward the tree line. They didn't bother to bind my hands—they didn't see me as a threat. To them, I was just a broken mate, too weak from the severed bond to resist. Their mistake. As we reached the edge of the forest, something shifted inside me. The pain of the broken bond was still there, a jagged hole in my chest, but alongside it rose something new—a power I had never felt before, wild and untamed. My wolf, no longer restrained by the mate bond that had kept her submissive, unfurled within me. I waited until we were well into the trees, away from the eyes of the pack. The warriors relaxed slightly, thinking the hard part was over. "Should we let her run?" the youngest warrior asked. "Give her a head start?" Marcus shook his head. "Alpha said to end it. We do it quick and clean." "Not even a chance to defend herself?" "She has no chance against the three of us," the third warrior said with a smirk. "Besides, look at her. She can barely stand." I kept my head down, letting them believe I was defeated. The power within me continued to build, coursing through my veins like liquid fire. "Turn around," Marcus ordered, shoving me forward. "I'll make it quick." I stumbled, then spun—not in submission, but in attack. My fist connected with his jaw with a force that surprised even me. He staggered back, eyes wide with shock. "What the—" I didn't give him time to finish. The power surged through me, lending strength to my limbs. I kicked the youngest warrior in the chest, sending him flying into a tree. The third one came at me with a snarl, his teeth elongating as he began to shift. But I was faster. My wolf's strength flowed into my human form, a partial shift that gave me claws without the vulnerability of the transformation process. I slashed his face, opening deep gashes across his cheek. "She's fighting back!" he yelled, blood streaming down his face. "Grab her!" Marcus recovered, lunging for me. I ducked under his arm and ran, deeper into the forest. Behind me, I heard them crashing through the underbrush. "Alpha!" Marcus called through the pack mind-link. "The rogue is resisting! She attacked us!" I felt the moment Jaden received the message. His voice thundered through the pack bond, a connection I could still feel even though our mate bond was broken. "Clara Ashburn has betrayed the pack," his voice rang out. "She has gone rogue and attacked my warriors. Anyone who sees her is ordered to eliminate her on sight. She is a traitor and a rebel." The words hit me like physical blows. Traitor. Rebel. Rogue. Everything I had fought against becoming. I ran harder, my lungs burning, my legs pushing to their limit. The forest blurred around me, branches whipping at my face, roots threatening to trip me. But I didn't slow down. Behind me, I heard more voices joining the chase. Jaden had called for reinforcements. The entire pack would be hunting me now. I pushed myself toward the eastern border, hoping to lose them in the dense undergrowth. My body ached, the pain of the broken bond still radiating from my chest. But something else was happening too—with each step, each breath, each surge of adrenaline, I felt stronger. The power that had awakened inside me continued to grow. A warrior appeared in front of me, cutting off my path. I didn't stop to think. I feinted left, then dove right, rolling under his outstretched arms. He cursed, spinning to follow, but I was already back on my feet and running. My wolf's voice grew stronger. "The border," she urged. "We're almost there." I could see it ahead—the stone markers that separated Shadowcrest territory from the neutral grounds. If I could just reach it— A weight slammed into my back, sending me sprawling. I hit the ground hard, the breath knocked from my lungs. A warrior pinned me down, his claws digging into my shoulders. "Got her!" he shouted. Clara’s POV His weight crushed me to the ground. His claws dug into my shoulders, cutting deep into my flesh. Pain shot through my body like fire. "You're finished," he growled in my face. His breath was hot and smelled of blood. "The Alpha wants you dead, and I'm going to enjoy it." He pushed his claws deeper into my shoulders. I bit my lip to keep from screaming. Through the trees, I could see the border stones. So close, yet so far while trapped under his weight. "Kill her quickly," Marcus called. Blood ran from his nose where I'd hit him earlier. "We need to go back." "The Alpha didn't say it had to be quick," the warrior on top of me said. He dragged his claw down my cheek, cutting me. Blood ran warm down my face. He licked his claw and smiled. "I want to make her suffer." Something inside me snapped. My wolf howled with fury, not pain. I twisted and bit his arm hard. I tasted his blood as my teeth tore through muscle. He screamed and his grip loosened. I took my chance. I pushed up with all my strength, throwing him off balance. My hand shot up, fingers curled like claws, and I slashed his throat open. Blood sprayed everywhere, covering my face and chest. He fell back, hands clutching his neck, eyes wide with shock. I got to my feet, spitting his blood from my mouth. He lay on the ground, bleeding out fast. Marcus roared and charged at me. His face changed as he partially shifted, his teeth growing sharp and long. "You're dead!" he yelled. I braced myself, my body also shifting partly. My nails grew into sharp claws. My senses got sharper, the smell of blood strong in the air. We crashed into each other hard. His claws caught my side, cutting through skin and muscle. I gasped as pain tore through me. Blood soaked my shirt. But I didn't fall. I slashed at his face, my claws cutting deep from his jaw to his eye. He howled and stepped back, blood pouring down his face. The third warrior attacked from behind. His teeth sank into my shoulder. I screamed as he tore a chunk of flesh away. Blood ran down my back in hot rivers. My vision blurred, darkness creeping in at the edges. I spun around and drove my elbow into his throat with all my strength. There was a crack as his windpipe broke. He fell back, choking, hands at his throat. Marcus came at me again. His claws cut across my chest, leaving deep wounds that sliced through muscle. I felt ribs crack. Each breath hurt, a wet sound coming from my damaged lungs. I fell to one knee, blood dripping from many wounds. It pooled under me, soaking into the dirt. So much blood. Too much. The world spun around me. "You should have died quietly," Marcus said, circling me like prey. His face was a mask of blood from the wounds I'd given him. "Now I'm going to tear you apart, piece by piece." My wolf raged inside me, refusing to give up. "Get up!" she shouted in my mind. "FIGHT!" Something powerful surged through my body, a strength I never knew I had. My wounds still bled, my body still hurt, but somehow I stood up. Marcus charged at me, sure he would win. I stepped aside at the last moment, moving faster than I thought possible. As he passed, I drove my claws deep into his back, between his shoulders. He screamed as I tore downward, cutting through muscle and spine. He fell, his legs suddenly useless. Blood poured from the huge wound, spreading across the forest floor. He tried to crawl away, leaving a trail of blood. I followed slowly, each step sending waves of pain through my beaten body. When I reached him, I grabbed his hair and pulled his head back to show his throat. "Wait," he gasped. "Please—" I didn't wait. My claws cut across his throat, nearly taking off his head. Blood sprayed, covering my arms to the elbows. His eyes went wide, then empty as he died. I let him go and watched his body fall to the ground. The third warrior lay nearby, no longer choking but still, having died from not being able to breathe. I stood there, covered in their blood and my own. My body shook with tiredness and pain. My wounds were bad—the torn shoulder, the cuts across my chest and side, the deep wounds on my face and arms. Inside, I was hurt too, making each breath painful. But I had to keep going. The border was so close. I started running, ignoring the screaming pain from my wounds. Blood poured from my injuries with each step, leaving a clear trail behind me. My vision blurred and my head felt light from losing so much blood. Still, I pushed forward. More warriors would be coming soon. I had to cross the border before they caught me. I looked over my shoulder, hearing shouts in the distance. They were getting closer. I forced my legs to move faster despite the agony tearing through me. Each step was a battle against my failing body. The border stones stood just ahead, old markers with carvings that separated Shadowcrest territory from the neutral grounds. Relief surged through me. Just a little further and I'd be safe. "Almost there," I whispered to myself. "Almost free." I could see the border line now, just yards away. A smile touched my bloody lips. Once I crossed that line, I'd be in neutral territory. Not completely safe, but beyond Jaden's immediate reach. That small hope gave me the strength for a final sprint. I pushed my battered body to its limit, racing toward freedom. Just as my foot was about to cross the line, Jaden's voice thundered through the pack bond, so powerful it made me stumble. "Clara Ashburn has murdered pack warriors," he announced, his voice cold with fury. "She has gone rogue and is killing pack members. I brand her a fugitive and traitor to our pack. She is to be killed on sight, without mercy. Whoever kills and returns with her head gets a prize." The shock of his words hit me like a physical blow. I tripped and fell, landing hard just short of the border. For a moment, I couldn't move, couldn't think, couldn't breathe. The pain of his declaration was worse than all my physical wounds combined. He had just publicly sentenced me to death. Not just exile, not just rejection, but death. Every member of the Shadowcrest Pack would be hunting me now, eager to claim whatever reward Jaden had promised. Tears mixed with the blood on my face. After everything—all the years of loyalty, of love, of trying to be what he wanted—this was how it ended. With him telling everyone I was a murderer who deserved to die. I could hear footsteps getting closer. With a final surge of determination, I picked myself up and crossed the border line. The moment I did, I felt the pack bond snap like a thread, cutting me off from the only family I had ever known. The sudden silence in my mind was deafening. For years, I had lived with the constant hum of pack consciousness in the background of my thoughts. Now there was nothing but my own voice and my wolf's. I stopped on the other side, turning to face the territory I'd just fled. My body was broken, blood still flowing from my numerous wounds. But I stood tall, refusing to collapse despite the pain threatening to overwhelm me. I was a fugitive now. A traitor to my former pack. A rogue. With nowhere to go and nobody to turn to. But I was alive. And as long as I lived, I could fight. My wolf stirred within me, her presence stronger than ever before. "They will pay for this," she growled. "All of them." For once, I didn't silence her. Instead, I embraced her rage, letting it fuel me. I turned away from Shadowcrest territory and limped deeper into the neutral grounds, leaving bloody footprints in my wake. According to wolf laws, as long as I had crossed the borders, I was free from this bounty hunt. I didn't know where I was going or what would happen next. I only knew one thing for certain—this wasn't over. Not by a long shot. Clara’s POV I stumbled forward into the neutral territory, my body screaming with pain. According to wolf laws, I should have been safe once I crossed the border. The pack shouldn't follow me here. They couldn't. But laws meant nothing when a prize was at stake. I had only gone about a hundred yards when I heard them—branches snapping, leaves rustling, paws pounding the earth. I turned, my heart sinking. Through the trees, I could see shapes moving—wolves from the Shadowcrest Pack, following my trail of blood. "There she is!" a voice shouted. "Don't let the traitor escape!" They had crossed the border. The promise of reward from Jaden was stronger than their respect for pack law. I forced my battered body to move faster, pushing deeper into the unknown forest. Each step was agony. My wounds had not stopped bleeding. Blood dripped from the gashes on my chest, my torn shoulder, my slashed side. Every movement reopened them, sending fresh waves of pain through me. But I had no choice but to keep going. My breath came in ragged gasps. The taste of blood filled my mouth. My vision blurred, the trees around me sometimes doubling or tripling. I stumbled often, my legs threatening to give out beneath me. "I can smell her trail!" The voice was closer now. "She's leaving blood everywhere!" They were right. Each step left a crimson footprint, a trail a child could follow. I couldn't outrun them, not in my condition. I needed to hide, to find somewhere they couldn't track me. Ahead, the ground sloped downward toward a small stream. Water. If I could reach it, maybe I could throw them off my scent. I pushed forward, half-running, half-falling down the slope. My foot caught on a root, and I tumbled the rest of the way, landing hard at the bottom. Pain exploded through me as I hit the ground, injuries screaming in protest. For a moment, I couldn't move, couldn't breathe, spots dancing across my vision. "Get up," my wolf urged. "They're coming." I dragged myself to my feet, swaying dangerously. The stream was just ahead, the water reflecting moonlight. I waded in, gasping as the cold water hit my wounds. It stung like fire, but I welcomed the pain. It kept me conscious, kept me moving. I followed the stream for several minutes, hoping the water would mask my scent. When I couldn't go any further, I dragged myself onto the opposite bank and into the cover of a thick patch of bushes. I lay there, trying to quiet my breathing. The world spun around me, darkness creeping at the edges of my vision. I had lost too much blood. My body was shutting down. But I couldn't rest, not yet. Voices drifted to me from across the stream. "Where did she go?" "The trail ends here." "She must have gone into the water." "Split up. Some go upstream, others downstream. She couldn't have gone far in her condition." They were right. I couldn't go far. But I had to try. I crawled from my hiding place, moving as quietly as my broken body would allow. Each movement sent fresh waves of pain through me, but I bit down on my lip to keep from making a sound. I made it to the edge of a small clearing before my strength finally gave out. I collapsed onto my stomach, unable to go any further. My body had reached its limit. "There she is!" a voice shouted from behind me. I turned my head to see three warriors approaching, their faces twisted with excitement at finding their prey. They had shifted back to human form, likely to claim the credit for my kill more personally. "Nowhere to run now, traitor," the first one said, stepping toward me. I tried to get up, to face them on my feet, but my body wouldn't respond. I had nothing left. I was going to die here, on my stomach in the dirt, like an animal at slaughter. "Just end it," I whispered, more to myself than to them. "Make it quick." The warrior laughed. "Oh no. The Alpha didn't say we had to make it quick. I think we'll take our time with you, traitor." "Yeah," another said, stepping closer. "After all the trouble you've caused, you deserve to suffer." I closed my eyes, preparing for pain. Instead, I heard the sound of movement in the trees behind them. The warriors must have heard it too, because they stopped. "Who's there?" one called, suddenly nervous. No answer came, but I felt something—a presence, powerful and dangerous. The air seemed to thicken, charged with a strange energy. My wolf stirred within me, alert despite our exhaustion. A growl cut through the night. It was low, menacing, and unlike anything I'd ever heard before. It wasn't the sound of a normal wolf. It was deeper, more primal, filled with power and threat. The warriors froze, their faces draining of color. Another growl, closer this time. Then a massive shape emerged from the shadows at the edge of the clearing. A wolf, but larger than any I had ever seen. His fur was as black as midnight, his eyes glowing amber in the darkness. He stood taller than a normal wolf, his shoulders broad, his stance radiating dominance and power. This was no ordinary Alpha. This was something else entirely. The warriors backed away, suddenly forgotten. Their faces twisted with fear, a fear so deep it overrode even their desire for Jaden's reward. "We didn't know this was claimed territory," one of them said, his voice shaking. "We were just—" The black wolf snarled, cutting him off. He took a step forward, and the warriors took three steps back. "We're leaving," another warrior said. "Right now. We meant no disrespect." But the wolf wasn't looking at them anymore. His amber eyes had found me, and they stayed fixed on me, intense and unreadable. I stared back, too exhausted to be afraid. What did it matter who killed me now? The warriors began to back away, eager to escape while they could. The black wolf let them go, his attention still on me. He approached slowly, his movements graceful despite his size. I should have been terrified. This creature could kill me with a single bite. But strangely, I felt no fear. Perhaps I was too far gone, too close to death for fear to matter anymore. The wolf stopped beside me, lowering his massive head to look me in the eyes. There was intelligence in that gaze, a calculation that went beyond animal instinct. He was reading me, judging me. I reached out a trembling hand, not sure why. Perhaps to touch something beautiful before the end. The wolf didn't pull away. He allowed my bloodied fingers to brush against his fur. It was soft, surprisingly so for a creature that radiated such danger. The rational part of me thought that what I was doing was insane and a crazy way to court death. But… with all that had happened today, dying this way wouldn’t be bad. At least, I wouldn’t have to die by the hands of the people I thought were my family. The pain of betrayal will be much less. Curious to know who my executioner was, I whispered, "Who are you?" The wolf's form began to change, shifting in that fluid way all werewolves could. But even his shift was different. It was smoother, faster, more controlled than any I had seen before. In moments, a man knelt where the wolf had been. He was tall and powerfully built, with short dark hair and those same amber eyes. His face was handsome in a harsh way, all sharp angles and uncompromising lines. He wore no expression, but power radiated from him, an almost tangible force that made the air around him seem to vibrate. One of the warriors, who had been retreating, stopped and turned, his eyes widening in recognition. "Alpha Darius," he whispered, the words barely audible.
"How long?" I asked, my voice barely audible over the roaring in my ears. My sister Liana stretched languidly, displaying her swollen belly without shame. "Long enough," she purred. "Did you really think he wanted you? A warrior playing at being Luna?" I turned to Jaden, desperate for him to deny it, to say this was all a terrible mistake. Jaden ran a hand through his damp hair, sighing as if I were a troublesome child interrupting his day. "Liana's bloodline is stronger, purer. The pack needs that strength." "Bloodline?" I repeated, disbelief coloring my voice. "We're sisters. We share the same bloodline." "You really don't know, do you?" Her eyes gleamed with cruel delight. "Mother found you in a garbage dump when you were just a few days old. Some wolf took pity on the garbage baby and brought you home." "That's not possible," I said, my voice strange in my ears. "Garbage blood. No lineage. And you still couldn't keep your man satisfied, could you? While you were training or planning that pathetic wedding, he was in my bed, moaning my name." Before I realized what I was doing, my hand flew out, connecting with Liana's cheek in a sharp slap. My wolf stirred within me, her presence stronger than ever before. "They will pay for this," she growled. "Both of them." --- Clara’s POV Two days. Just two days until I would finally become Luna of the Shadowcrest Pack. I sat at the grand oak table in the dining hall, my wedding planner sitting before me as we finalized the arrangements for the wedding. The soft afternoon light spilled through the tall windows, casting a golden glow on the detailed lists and schedules I'd spent months perfecting. "The flowers will arrive at dawn," said Elsa, the pack's event coordinator. "White lilies and blood roses, just as you requested." I nodded, my finger tracing over the timeline. "And the ceremonial chalice? Has it been cleaned?" "Polished until it shines like the moon itself," Elsa confirmed with a smile. A flutter of excitement danced in my chest. After years of preparation, of molding myself into the perfect Luna, of tamping down my warrior instincts to become the gentle support Jaden needed, the day was finally approaching. The dining hall doors swung open. The room fell silent. Every wolf present rose to their feet, heads bowed in respect. But not me. My lips curved into a warm smile as I watched Jaden stride toward me. Tall, confident, with that familiar glint in his hazel eyes that had captured my heart years ago. "Alpha," the others murmured. I moved around the table and wrapped my arms around his neck, breathing in his pine and earth scent. "You're early," I whispered against his ear. Jaden's hands settled on my waist, but something felt off. His touch was light, almost hesitant. His usual warmth seemed dampened. "I need to speak with you," he said, his voice low enough for only me to hear. "It's urgent." A cold sliver of unease crept up my spine. "Now? We're finalizing the—" "Now." The word wasn't harsh, but it left no room for argument. With a quick nod to Elsa to continue without me, I followed Jaden out of the dining hall. We walked in silence, through the pack house and into the gardens beyond, stopping only when we reached the old oak tree where he had first asked me to be his mate. Jaden turned to face me, his eyes darkening as they roamed over my body. He stepped closer, backing me against the rough bark of the oak tree. "You look beautiful today," he said, his voice dropping to that husky tone that always made my knees weak. His hands slid around my waist, his fingertips pressing into my skin through the thin fabric of my blouse. I felt the heat of his palms as they slowly trailed upward along my sides, his thumbs brushing the undersides of my hills with deliberate care. A shiver ran through me at his touch, my body responding despite the unease still lingering in my mind. Before I could question him, he pulled me against him, eliminating any space between us. His lips found mine in a heated kiss that stole my breath. I melted into him, my fingers threading through his soft blonde hair as his tongue slipped past my lips, tasting me with urgent need. His hands continued their journey, now tracing down my back, following the curve of my spine until they reached the hem of my blouse. With ease, his warm palms slid beneath the fabric, his calloused fingers skimming over my bare skin, leaving goosebumps in their wake. One hand moved higher, tracing my ribs before cupping my hills over my bra, while the other gripped my hip firmly, keeping me pressed against him. I could feel his hardness against my stomach, his desire unmistakable. "Jaden," I gasped when he finally broke the kiss to trail hot, wet kisses down my neck. "What is this about?" Instead of answering, he nipped at the sensitive spot below my ear, his teeth grazing my skin before his tongue soothed the slight sting. His thumb found my niple through the thin fabric of my bra, circling it before brushing over the hardened peak, sending sparks of pleasure through my body. "I've been thinking," he murmured against my skin, his breath hot and teasing on my neck. His touch became more insistent as his fingers slipped beneath my bra, skin against skin now. He cupped my bare brests, weighing it in his palm before his fingers skillfully worked my niple, rolling it between his thumb and forefinger. His other hand slid to the small of my back, pressing me harder against his arousal. My body responded traitorously, heat pooling between my thighs despite the warning bells ringing in my head. "About?" I managed to ask, my voice breathless as he suked at the pulse point on my neck, marking me as his. "About us. About the wedding." His fingers traced maddening circles around my niple before giving it a gentle pinch that made me arch into him, a soft moan escaping my lips. He wedged his thigh between my legs, the pressure exactly where I needed it. I bit my lip to stifle another moan as he rocked against me, creating delicious friction. His hands continued their sensual assault, one teasing my brest while the other slipped from my back to the buttons of my blouse, deftly undoing them one by one until he could push the fabric aside and press his lips to the swell of my brests above my bra. Something in his tone cut through the haze of desire. A lump formed in my throat. "What about it?" He pulled back slightly, his eyes avoiding mine even as his hands continued their seductive assault on my senses. "I think we should move the date." The words hit me like a physical blow. Air rushed from my lungs, leaving my chest tight and aching. I pushed him away with both hands, shoving hard against his chest. The spell of desire shattered instantly. My fingers fumbled with the buttons of my blouse, hastily closing them as my cheeks burned with humiliation. "Move it?" I echoed, my voice barely a whisper. "Again?" His hands reached for me, but I stepped back, putting distance between us. The heat that had pooled low in my belly turned to ice. "Baby, come on," he coaxed, trying to pull me back into his arms. "It's not the right time. There's tension with the northern packs. Security concerns." I wiped my mouth with the back of my hand, suddenly disgusted by the taste of him. The marks he'd left on my skin, which moments ago had been badges of passion, now felt like brands of betrayal. "That's what you said three months ago," I spat out, straightening my clothes. "And before that, it was diplomatic issues with the eastern territories." "This is different." "How?" Heat rose to my cheeks, my carefully controlled emotions threatening to spill over. "How is this any different from the last two times, Jaden?" He finally looked at me, his expression unreadable. "Clara, you know I wouldn't ask if it wasn't important." My warrior instincts, the ones I'd worked so hard to suppress, surged forward. "Then tell me what's really going on. Because I don't believe this is about security." Silence stretched between us, heavy and suffocating. "I can't," he finally said. My hands trembled. Three years of preparation. Three years of molding myself into someone else. Three years of waiting. "You can't, or you won't?" I challenged. Jaden's jaw tightened. "Don't do this." "Do what? Ask for honesty from my future mate? From the man who's asked me to postpone our wedding for the third time?" He dropped to one knee before me, taking my hand in his. The gesture that once would have melted my resolve now only fueled my anger. "I promise, Clara," he said, his voice soft. "This will be the last time. After this, nothing will stop us from becoming mates." I wanted to believe him. The desperate part of me that had invested everything into becoming his Luna wanted to nod and accept his words. But my wolf, usually so quiet when I suppressed her, suddenly snarled to life inside me. “He never takes you seriously,” she growled, her voice sharp in my mind. “How many times will you fall for this? You've become the lordess of the ring, pining and waiting for a wedding that will never happen.” I wanted to silence her, but the truth’s in her words stung too deeply to ignore. I pulled my hand from his grasp. "You've made promises before." Without waiting for his response, I turned and walked back toward the pack house, each step burning with the effort not to run. Behind me, I heard him call my name, but I didn't stop. Clara’s POV I walked back to the dining hall, my steps heavy with disappointment. The hallway stretched before me, seeming longer than it had been just moments ago. My chest felt tight, as if someone had wrapped a band around it and pulled until I could barely breathe. When I reached the dining hall doorway, I paused. Inside, Elsa and the other pack members were still discussing table arrangements and flower placements. Their excited voices carried through the air, a stark contrast to the heaviness I felt inside. They hadn't noticed me yet. I stood at the threshold, watching them talk about a wedding that might never happen. My fingers curled into fists at my sides. "The wedding is off until further notice," I announced, my voice steadier than I expected. The room fell silent. All eyes turned to me, wide with shock. Elsa stood from her chair, her clipboard clutched against her chest. "Luna Clara, is everything—" "Just... put everything on hold," I said, cutting her off. I couldn't bear to hear her call me Luna right now. Not when that title seemed to be slipping further away with each passing day. Without waiting for a response, I turned and walked toward my room. Behind me, whispers erupted like a swarm of angry bees. "Did you see her face?" "What happened?" "Did Alpha Jaden change his mind about her?" "They always postpone the wedding and don't even attempt to do an official mating ceremony. Are you sure they're fated mates and aren't lying to us?" Each word stung like a knife in my back, but I kept my head high, my steps measured. I would not give them the satisfaction of seeing me break. Only when I reached my room and shut the door behind me did I allow the mask to slip. My back pressed against the cool wood as I slid down to the floor, my legs no longer able to hold me up. The tears came then, hot and fast. They burned trails down my cheeks as sobs wracked my body. Three years of my life devoted to him, to this pack, to becoming the perfect Luna. And for what? To be pushed aside again and again? "I told you," my wolf whispered in my mind, her voice gentler now, almost sad. "He doesn't deserve us." I pressed my palms against my eyes, trying to stem the flow of tears. "He's my mate," I whispered back. "The goddess chose him for me." My wolf remained silent, but her doubt hung heavy in my mind. I knew she was right but I didn't want to believe it all. I didn't want to believe that my bond with my mate was so weak. ********** Three months passed. Three months of strained smiles and hollow reassurances. Three months of Jaden promising that "soon" we would set a new date, that "soon" everything would be perfect for our union. I walked toward the pack gathering hall, my shoulders squared despite the weight I carried. Today's meeting was important—discussions about pack welfare and border security were on the agenda, and as future Luna, I needed to be present. As I approached the massive doors of the gathering hall, snippets of conversation reached my ears. "There she is—the Luna who can't even get her mate to claim her properly," someone whispered, not bothering to lower their voice enough. "Third postponement in a row. Something's definitely wrong with her," another added with a snicker. I kept my gaze forward, pretending not to hear, but their words sliced through me like claws. "My cousin in the Moonstone Pack says their Luna was claimed within a month of being chosen," a female voice said pointedly. "A whole year of delays? The goddess must have made a mistake." "If she was worthy of being Luna, he would have marked her by now." "I heard he's looking for a replacement. A real Luna who knows her place." "Can't even keep her mate interested enough to go through with the ceremony—" I clenched my jaw tight enough to hurt as I passed a group of younger pack females, their eyes following me with undisguised contempt. "My mother says a real Luna would have given the Alpha pups by now," one of them whispered loudly. "She's probably barren." "Or he just can't stand to touch her that way," another responded with a cruel laugh that echoed in the hall. The whispers died down as I entered the main chamber, replaced by forced smiles and nods of acknowledgment. I had grown used to this dance, this pretense that everything was fine when clearly it wasn't. I took my seat to the right of Jaden's empty chair, feeling eyes boring into me from every direction. Some gazes held pity, others satisfaction. I could almost hear their thoughts: This is what happens when a warrior tries to be a Luna. When Jaden finally entered, the pack rose in respect. Several females straightened their posture, preening as he passed. One even had the audacity to shoot me a triumphant smile, as if to say, Watch how easily I could replace you. Jaden's eyes briefly met mine, a flash of something unreadable passing between us before he addressed the gathering. The meeting progressed as usual, with reports from various pack sectors and discussions about resource allocation. My attention drifted occasionally, my wolf restless within me. "If it weren't for the mate bond," she growled, "I'd have left long ago. It's been a year of these empty promises." "Hush," I thought back, trying to focus on the meeting. "The next item," Jaden announced, "is border security. We've had reports of rogue wolves near our northern territory." My ears perked up. This was something I knew about. Before being chosen as Jaden's mate, I had been trained as a warrior, specializing in territorial defense. "I propose we double the patrols on the northern border," Jaden continued, "and reduce our presence in the east." The council members nodded in agreement, but alarm bells rang in my head. The eastern territory bordered the Silver Claw Pack, known for their opportunistic nature. Reducing our presence there would be a mistake. I listened as they discussed the details, my unease growing with each word. Finally, I couldn't contain myself any longer. "That won't work," I said, my voice cutting through the conversation. The room fell silent. All eyes turned to me, including Jaden's, which had narrowed dangerously. "The east needs constant surveillance," I continued, ignoring the warning looks from the council members. "The Silver Claws will see a reduced patrol as a sign of weakness. We should instead rotate our strongest warriors between both borders." I wasn't trying to challenge Jaden. I was offering a solution based on my training, my experience. But as soon as the words left my mouth, I knew I had made a mistake. Jaden's face darkened, his jaw clenching. "You think you know better than your Alpha?" he asked, his voice deceptively quiet. "No, I just—" The crack of his palm against my cheek echoed through the silent hall. Pain exploded across my face, my vision blurring as I stumbled backward. A high-pitched ringing filled my ears, drowning out the shocked gasps of the council members. My hand flew to my burning cheek, fingers trembling against the heated skin where his palm had connected. At that moment, everything went still. The room. My breath. Even my heart seemed to stop beating for a second as the reality of what had just happened sank in. My mate—the man chosen for me by the goddess herself—had struck me in front of our entire pack. Clara’s POV The silence in the hall pressed against my eardrums like a physical weight. My cheek throbbed, the heat of Jaden's palm print burning into my skin. I blinked rapidly, trying to clear the tears that threatened to spill. "Perhaps," Jaden said, his voice cutting through the silence, "you've forgotten your place in this pack." I stood frozen, unable to find my voice as his words washed over me. "You were chosen to be Luna," he continued, circling me slowly like a predator. "Not to challenge your Alpha. Not to undermine my authority." Every word felt like another slap. The pack members watched with wide eyes, some with shock, others with barely concealed satisfaction. "I—" My voice came out as a whisper. "You what?" Jaden snapped. "You thought you knew better than me? That your opinion matters more than mine?" My throat tightened. This wasn't the man I had fallen in love with. This wasn't the mate the goddess had chosen for me. Or was it? Had I been blind all this time? "I was only trying to help," I managed, hating how weak my voice sounded. Jaden's laugh was cold and cut through me like a blade. "Help? By questioning my leadership in front of the entire pack?" He turned to address the room, spreading his arms wide. "Do you see what I've been dealing with? She thinks she's the Alpha. She treats me like I'm her Luna." Snickers rippled through the crowd. Someone in the back whispered, "No wonder he hasn't claimed her yet." The humiliation burned hotter than the slap. I stood there, exposed and vulnerable as Jaden continued to dismantle whatever dignity I had left. "I trained as a warrior," I said, struggling to keep my voice steady. "I was only offering tactical advice based on my—" "Your training?" Jaden cut me off. "And what good is that training now? You're meant to be Luna. Your job is to support me, to stand by my side, not to think you can do better than me." His words cut deep, deeper than any physical wound could. I had spent years suppressing my warrior instincts, molding myself into what I thought he wanted. And for what? To be publicly shamed for the one time I dared to speak up? "I'm sorry," I said automatically, the words tasting bitter on my tongue. My wolf snarled within me. “Don't apologize! You did nothing wrong!” But I silenced her, as I always did. This was my mate. The bond was sacred. I needed to make things right. Jaden's eyes narrowed at my apology, as if he had expected more resistance. Then he shook his head in disgust. "Meeting adjourned," he spat out, his voice sharp with anger. Without another glance in my direction, he stormed out of the hall, the heavy doors slamming behind him with a finality that echoed through the room. The pack members began to disperse, their whispers filling the silence Jaden had left behind. "That's what happens when a warrior tries to be Luna." "She should know better by now." "No wonder the wedding keeps getting postponed." I remained standing where he had left me, the ghost of his hand still burning on my cheek, his words ringing in my ears. One by one, the pack members filed out, some avoiding my gaze, others staring openly with pity or contempt. Soon, I was alone in the massive hall. I sank into the nearest chair, my legs no longer able to support me. The room that had minutes ago been filled with voices now echoed with silence, magnifying the sound of my ragged breathing. What had happened to us? When had things gone so wrong? I traced my fingers over my cheek, wincing at the tenderness. In all our years together, Jaden had never raised a hand to me. Never humiliated me so publicly. The mate I thought I knew would never have treated me with such contempt. “Maybe you never really knew him at all,” my wolf whispered. I closed my eyes, trying to silence her, but her words burrowed deep into my heart. Had I been so blinded by the mate bond, so desperate to be the perfect Luna, that I had missed who Jaden truly was? Three postponed weddings. Countless excuses. The growing coldness between us. "No," I whispered to the empty hall. "He's my mate. The goddess chose him for me." But even as I said the words, they rang hollow. If the goddess had truly chosen Jaden for me, why did our bond feel so fragile? Why did it seem like he was slipping further away with each passing day? I sat alone in that chair for what felt like hours, going over every moment of our relationship, searching for signs I might have missed. The excitement of being chosen by the goddess to be his Luna. The pride in his eyes when he presented me to the pack. The slow fade of his affection as I tried harder and harder to be what he wanted. My life had become a pathetic tale of a woman pining for a man who no longer wanted her. If he ever had. When I finally stood to leave, my decision was made. I would go to him. I would apologize for speaking out of turn. I would do whatever it took to fix what had been broken. Mom always said a woman should honor and respect her mate. And that is exactly what I shall do. Even if it meant breaking myself in the process. With heavy steps, I made my way out of the hall and toward Jaden's private quarters. I would make things right. I had to. Because without him, without my position as future Luna, who was I? I would end up becoming an abandoned mate. I do not want such a life. As I approached Jaden's chambers, a strange scent caught my attention. Familiar yet out of place. My steps slowed, my wolf suddenly alert within me. I reached his door, my hand raised to knock, when I heard it—a soft feminine laugh from inside. Not just any laugh. One I'd known my entire life. My heart stuttered in my chest. No. It couldn't be. My hand fell to the doorknob instead. I hesitated for only a moment before turning it slowly, silently, pushing the door open just enough to peer inside. What I saw made the room spin around me, the floor tilting beneath my feet. There, in Jaden's massive bed, sheets tangled around her barely covered body, was my sister. And the curve of her belly left no doubt about what she'd been hiding beneath her loose clothing all these months. Clara's POV I stood frozen in the doorway, unable to move, unable to breathe. The scene before me refused to make sense, like pieces from different puzzles forced together. My sister. In Jaden's bed. Pregnant. Liana's eyes met mine, and for a split second, I saw surprise flicker across her face. Then her lips curved into a smile that held no warmth, only triumph. "Clara," she said, not bothering to cover herself. "You should really learn to knock." Her voice broke the spell. I stumbled into the room, my legs barely holding me up. "What is this?" I whispered, though the answer was painfully clear. Jaden emerged from the bathroom, a towel wrapped around his waist. He stopped when he saw me, but unlike Liana, he at least had the decency to look uncomfortable. "Clara," he said, my name sounding foreign on his lips. "You shouldn't be here." A laugh escaped me, harsh and broken. "I shouldn't be here? In my mate's chambers?" The pieces fell into place with sickening clarity. The wedding delays. Jaden's growing coldness. Liana's sudden prominence in pack meetings and events. "How long?" I asked, my voice barely audible over the roaring in my ears. Liana stretched languidly, displaying her swollen belly without shame. "Long enough," she purred. "Did you really think he wanted you? A warrior playing at being Luna?" Each word was a dagger, twisting deeper with every syllable. I turned to Jaden, desperate for him to deny it, to say this was all a terrible mistake. "Why?" I asked him. "If you didn't want me, why keep me believing the lie?" Jaden ran a hand through his damp hair, sighing as if I were a troublesome child interrupting his day. "It wasn't planned," he said finally. "But after what happened today at the meeting... you've never understood what it means to be Luna." "What do you mean?" I asked, confused. "You challenged me publicly, Clara. You undermined my authority in front of the pack," he said, his voice hardening. "It's not the first time either. You're constantly trying to take control, to be the Alpha instead of standing by my side as Luna." The accusation stung deeper than I expected. "I was only trying to help—" "No," he cut me off. "You were trying to lead. That's not a Luna's role." He hesitated, then added, "And there's more. Liana's bloodline is stronger, purer. The pack needs that strength." "Bloodline?" I repeated, disbelief coloring my voice. "We're sisters. We share the same bloodline." Liana laughed, the sound slicing through me like glass. "Sisters?" She spat the word like poison. "Is that what Mother told you?" The room seemed to tilt beneath my feet. "What are you talking about?" "You really don't know, do you?" Her eyes gleamed with cruel delight. "Mother found you in a garbage dump when you were just a few days old. Some wolf took pity on the garbage baby and brought you home." The words hit me like a physical blow. "You're lying," I whispered, but even as I spoke, doubts crept in. The way Mother always favored Liana. The subtle differences in our appearances. The way pack members sometimes looked at me when they thought I wouldn't notice. I had always thought it was just peopel being peopel and when Jaden started postponing our wedding, I thought it was merely... judgemental looks. "Tell her, Jaden," Liana urged, her voice dripping with false sympathy. "Tell her why your bond never felt right. Tell her why the wedding kept getting postponed." Jaden couldn't meet my eyes. "Your wolf lineage is... uncertain," he said finally. "We don't know where you came from. Who your parents were. If you're worthy of being a Luna." My knees buckled. I reached for the wall to steady myself, the room spinning around me. Garbage baby. Uncertain lineage. "That's not possible," I said, my voice strange in my ears. "The goddess chose us as mates. You felt the pull. I felt it." "The goddess made a mistake," Jaden said flatly. My legs gave out. I slid down the wall, landing hа'rd on the floor. My entire life had been built on lies. My family. My place in the pack. My mate bond. "You kept me waiting for a wedding that was never going to happen," I said to Jaden, the truth dawning on me with horrifying clarity. "You just didn't have the courage to end it." "I was trying to spare you," he said, but even he didn't sound convinced. "Spare me?" My voice rose. "By humiliating me in front of the entire pack? By making me believe something was wrong with me?" My wolf stirred within me, breaking her silence as pain coursed through me. "He never intended to claim us," she whispered. "Oh, there's plenty wrong with you," Liana interjected, sliding from the bed and wrapping herself in Jaden's robe. Her pregnant belly pushed against the fabric. "Garbage blood. No lineage. And you still couldn't keep your man satisfied, could you? Too busy acting like an Alpha when you should have been supporting yours like a proper Luna." I struggled back to my feet, using the wall for support. My vision blurred with rage and pain. "You're my sister," I said, my voice breaking. "We grew up together." She stepped closer, her face inches from mine. "I never wanted a sister," she whispered. "Especially not one Mother dragged in from the trash. When I realized that I had watched her waste resources on you, pretending you were worthy of our name, I hated it." "And then to have you chosen by the goddess as Jaden's mate and Luna? What a joke." She shook her head. "Jaden needs someone who makes him feel like the Alpha he is, not someone constantly trying to take his place. It was so easy to take what was yours. He came to me willingly, eagerly. While you were training or planning that pathetic wedding, he was in my bed, moaning my name." Something snapped inside me. The pain, the betrayal, the months of doubt and self-blame crystallized into pure fury. Before I realized what I was doing, my hand flew out, connecting with Liana's cheek in a sharp slap. The sound echoed in the silent room. For a moment, no one moved. Then Liana's face contorted. She clutched her stomach and screamed, falling to her knees at a slow, theatrical pace that didn't match the light slap I'd delivered. "My baby!" she shrieked, looking up at Jaden with wide, tear-filled eyes. "She hit me! She tried to hurt our child!" Jaden was at her side in an instant, his face twisted with rage as he turned to me. "What have you done?" "I barely touched her," I protested, backing away. "She's faking it!" But Jaden wasn't listening. He lunged forward, his open palm connecting with my face in the same spot he had struck earlier. The force sent me crashing into the wall, my vision swimming with black spots. "I, Alpha Jaden Silverstein of the Shadowcrest Pack, reject you, Clara Ashburn as my mate and Luna of my pack," he snarled, his eyes glowing bright golden yellow with alpha power. Clara’s POV The moment the bond shattered, pain like I had never known ripped through me. It felt as if someone had reached into my chest and torn out my heart with bare hands. I collapsed to my knees, a scream tearing from my throat. "Warriors!" Jaden called, his voice distant through the haze of agony. "Take her to the forest and make sure she never returns." The forest. In our world, that wasn't exile. It was execution. I tried to stand, to run, but my body wouldn't respond. The severance of our mate bond had left me weak, disoriented. The room spun around me, black spots dancing in my vision. Heavy footsteps thundered down the hallway. Three of Jaden's most trusted warriors burst into the room, their faces grim as they took in the scene—their Alpha standing protectively over a pregnant woman, and me, crumpled on the floor. "Alpha?" the largest one, Marcus, questioned. "She attacked Liana," Jaden said coldly. "She tried to harm my child. Take her deep into the forest and end it." End it. So casual. As if my life meant nothing. As if the years I had devoted to him, to this pack, could be discarded without a second thought. Strong hands gripped my arms, hauling me to my feet. I tried to struggle, but my limbs felt heavy, uncoordinated. The pain of the broken bond still radiated through my body, making it hard to think, to move. "Please," I gasped, looking at Jaden one last time. "Don't do this." For a moment, something flickered in his eyes—doubt, perhaps, or the ghost of what we had once shared. Then Liana's hand slid onto his arm, and his expression hardened again. "You are nothing to me now," he said, turning away. "Get her out of my sight." The warriors dragged me from the room, my feet barely touching the ground. Through the pack house we went, past curious onlookers who whispered and pointed. News of my disgrace would spread quickly. By nightfall, I would be nothing but a cautionary tale—the Luna who wasn't worthy. Outside, the cold night air hit me like a slap, clearing some of the fog from my mind. The forest loomed ahead, dark and forbidding. Once I entered those trees, I wouldn't come out again. My wolf stirred within me, her presence stronger than I had ever felt it. "Fight," she urged. "We cannot die like this." Marcus and the other warriors marched me across the clearing toward the tree line. They didn't bother to bind my hands—they didn't see me as a threat. To them, I was just a broken mate, too weak from the severed bond to resist. Their mistake. As we reached the edge of the forest, something shifted inside me. The pain of the broken bond was still there, a jagged hole in my chest, but alongside it rose something new—a power I had never felt before, wild and untamed. My wolf, no longer restrained by the mate bond that had kept her submissive, unfurled within me. I waited until we were well into the trees, away from the eyes of the pack. The warriors relaxed slightly, thinking the hard part was over. "Should we let her run?" the youngest warrior asked. "Give her a head start?" Marcus shook his head. "Alpha said to end it. We do it quick and clean." "Not even a chance to defend herself?" "She has no chance against the three of us," the third warrior said with a smirk. "Besides, look at her. She can barely stand." I kept my head down, letting them believe I was defeated. The power within me continued to build, coursing through my veins like liquid fire. "Turn around," Marcus ordered, shoving me forward. "I'll make it quick." I stumbled, then spun—not in submission, but in attack. My fist connected with his jaw with a force that surprised even me. He staggered back, eyes wide with shock. "What the—" I didn't give him time to finish. The power surged through me, lending strength to my limbs. I kicked the youngest warrior in the chest, sending him flying into a tree. The third one came at me with a snarl, his teeth elongating as he began to shift. But I was faster. My wolf's strength flowed into my human form, a partial shift that gave me claws without the vulnerability of the transformation process. I slashed his face, opening deep gashes across his cheek. "She's fighting back!" he yelled, blood streaming down his face. "Grab her!" Marcus recovered, lunging for me. I ducked under his arm and ran, deeper into the forest. Behind me, I heard them crashing through the underbrush. "Alpha!" Marcus called through the pack mind-link. "The rogue is resisting! She attacked us!" I felt the moment Jaden received the message. His voice thundered through the pack bond, a connection I could still feel even though our mate bond was broken. "Clara Ashburn has betrayed the pack," his voice rang out. "She has gone rogue and attacked my warriors. Anyone who sees her is ordered to eliminate her on sight. She is a traitor and a rebel." The words hit me like physical blows. Traitor. Rebel. Rogue. Everything I had fought against becoming. I ran harder, my lungs burning, my legs pushing to their limit. The forest blurred around me, branches whipping at my face, roots threatening to trip me. But I didn't slow down. Behind me, I heard more voices joining the chase. Jaden had called for reinforcements. The entire pack would be hunting me now. I pushed myself toward the eastern border, hoping to lose them in the dense undergrowth. My body ached, the pain of the broken bond still radiating from my chest. But something else was happening too—with each step, each breath, each surge of adrenaline, I felt stronger. The power that had awakened inside me continued to grow. A warrior appeared in front of me, cutting off my path. I didn't stop to think. I feinted left, then dove right, rolling under his outstretched arms. He cursed, spinning to follow, but I was already back on my feet and running. My wolf's voice grew stronger. "The border," she urged. "We're almost there." I could see it ahead—the stone markers that separated Shadowcrest territory from the neutral grounds. If I could just reach it— A weight slammed into my back, sending me sprawling. I hit the ground hard, the breath knocked from my lungs. A warrior pinned me down, his claws digging into my shoulders. "Got her!" he shouted. Clara’s POV His weight crushed me to the ground. His claws dug into my shoulders, cutting deep into my flesh. Pain shot through my body like fire. "You're finished," he growled in my face. His breath was hot and smelled of blood. "The Alpha wants you dead, and I'm going to enjoy it." He pushed his claws deeper into my shoulders. I bit my lip to keep from screaming. Through the trees, I could see the border stones. So close, yet so far while trapped under his weight. "Kill her quickly," Marcus called. Blood ran from his nose where I'd hit him earlier. "We need to go back." "The Alpha didn't say it had to be quick," the warrior on top of me said. He dragged his claw down my cheek, cutting me. Blood ran warm down my face. He licked his claw and smiled. "I want to make her suffer." Something inside me snapped. My wolf howled with fury, not pain. I twisted and bit his arm hard. I tasted his blood as my teeth tore through muscle. He screamed and his grip loosened. I took my chance. I pushed up with all my strength, throwing him off balance. My hand shot up, fingers curled like claws, and I slashed his throat open. Blood sprayed everywhere, covering my face and chest. He fell back, hands clutching his neck, eyes wide with shock. I got to my feet, spitting his blood from my mouth. He lay on the ground, bleeding out fast. Marcus roared and charged at me. His face changed as he partially shifted, his teeth growing sharp and long. "You're dead!" he yelled. I braced myself, my body also shifting partly. My nails grew into sharp claws. My senses got sharper, the smell of blood strong in the air. We crashed into each other hard. His claws caught my side, cutting through skin and muscle. I gasped as pain tore through me. Blood soaked my shirt. But I didn't fall. I slashed at his face, my claws cutting deep from his jaw to his eye. He howled and stepped back, blood pouring down his face. The third warrior attacked from behind. His teeth sank into my shoulder. I screamed as he tore a chunk of flesh away. Blood ran down my back in hot rivers. My vision blurred, darkness creeping in at the edges. I spun around and drove my elbow into his throat with all my strength. There was a crack as his windpipe broke. He fell back, choking, hands at his throat. Marcus came at me again. His claws cut across my chest, leaving deep wounds that sliced through muscle. I felt ribs crack. Each breath hurt, a wet sound coming from my damaged lungs. I fell to one knee, blood dripping from many wounds. It pooled under me, soaking into the dirt. So much blood. Too much. The world spun around me. "You should have died quietly," Marcus said, circling me like prey. His face was a mask of blood from the wounds I'd given him. "Now I'm going to tear you apart, piece by piece." My wolf raged inside me, refusing to give up. "Get up!" she shouted in my mind. "FIGHT!" Something powerful surged through my body, a strength I never knew I had. My wounds still bled, my body still hurt, but somehow I stood up. Marcus charged at me, sure he would win. I stepped aside at the last moment, moving faster than I thought possible. As he passed, I drove my claws deep into his back, between his shoulders. He screamed as I tore downward, cutting through muscle and spine. He fell, his legs suddenly useless. Blood poured from the huge wound, spreading across the forest floor. He tried to crawl away, leaving a trail of blood. I followed slowly, each step sending waves of pain through my beaten body. When I reached him, I grabbed his hair and pulled his head back to show his throat. "Wait," he gasped. "Please—" I didn't wait. My claws cut across his throat, nearly taking off his head. Blood sprayed, covering my arms to the elbows. His eyes went wide, then empty as he died. I let him go and watched his body fall to the ground. The third warrior lay nearby, no longer choking but still, having died from not being able to breathe. I stood there, covered in their blood and my own. My body shook with tiredness and pain. My wounds were bad—the torn shoulder, the cuts across my chest and side, the deep wounds on my face and arms. Inside, I was hurt too, making each breath painful. But I had to keep going. The border was so close. I started running, ignoring the screaming pain from my wounds. Blood poured from my injuries with each step, leaving a clear trail behind me. My vision blurred and my head felt light from losing so much blood. Still, I pushed forward. More warriors would be coming soon. I had to cross the border before they caught me. I looked over my shoulder, hearing shouts in the distance. They were getting closer. I forced my legs to move faster despite the agony tearing through me. Each step was a battle against my failing body. The border stones stood just ahead, old markers with carvings that separated Shadowcrest territory from the neutral grounds. Relief surged through me. Just a little further and I'd be safe. "Almost there," I whispered to myself. "Almost free." I could see the border line now, just yards away. A smile touched my bloody lips. Once I crossed that line, I'd be in neutral territory. Not completely safe, but beyond Jaden's immediate reach. That small hope gave me the strength for a final sprint. I pushed my battered body to its limit, racing toward freedom. Just as my foot was about to cross the line, Jaden's voice thundered through the pack bond, so powerful it made me stumble. "Clara Ashburn has murdered pack warriors," he announced, his voice cold with fury. "She has gone rogue and is killing pack members. I brand her a fugitive and traitor to our pack. She is to be killed on sight, without mercy. Whoever kills and returns with her head gets a prize." The shock of his words hit me like a physical blow. I tripped and fell, landing hard just short of the border. For a moment, I couldn't move, couldn't think, couldn't breathe. The pain of his declaration was worse than all my physical wounds combined. He had just publicly sentenced me to death. Not just exile, not just rejection, but death. Every member of the Shadowcrest Pack would be hunting me now, eager to claim whatever reward Jaden had promised. Tears mixed with the blood on my face. After everything—all the years of loyalty, of love, of trying to be what he wanted—this was how it ended. With him telling everyone I was a murderer who deserved to die. I could hear footsteps getting closer. With a final surge of determination, I picked myself up and crossed the border line. The moment I did, I felt the pack bond snap like a thread, cutting me off from the only family I had ever known. The sudden silence in my mind was deafening. For years, I had lived with the constant hum of pack consciousness in the background of my thoughts. Now there was nothing but my own voice and my wolf's. I stopped on the other side, turning to face the territory I'd just fled. My body was broken, blood still flowing from my numerous wounds. But I stood tall, refusing to collapse despite the pain threatening to overwhelm me. I was a fugitive now. A traitor to my former pack. A rogue. With nowhere to go and nobody to turn to. But I was alive. And as long as I lived, I could fight. My wolf stirred within me, her presence stronger than ever before. "They will pay for this," she growled. "All of them." For once, I didn't silence her. Instead, I embraced her rage, letting it fuel me. I turned away from Shadowcrest territory and limped deeper into the neutral grounds, leaving bloody footprints in my wake. According to wolf laws, as long as I had crossed the borders, I was free from this bounty hunt. I didn't know where I was going or what would happen next. I only knew one thing for certain—this wasn't over. Not by a long shot. Clara’s POV I stumbled forward into the neutral territory, my body screaming with pain. According to wolf laws, I should have been safe once I crossed the border. The pack shouldn't follow me here. They couldn't. But laws meant nothing when a prize was at stake. I had only gone about a hundred yards when I heard them—branches snapping, leaves rustling, paws pounding the earth. I turned, my heart sinking. Through the trees, I could see shapes moving—wolves from the Shadowcrest Pack, following my trail of blood. "There she is!" a voice shouted. "Don't let the traitor escape!" They had crossed the border. The promise of reward from Jaden was stronger than their respect for pack law. I forced my battered body to move faster, pushing deeper into the unknown forest. Each step was agony. My wounds had not stopped bleeding. Blood dripped from the gashes on my chest, my torn shoulder, my slashed side. Every movement reopened them, sending fresh waves of pain through me. But I had no choice but to keep going. My breath came in ragged gasps. The taste of blood filled my mouth. My vision blurred, the trees around me sometimes doubling or tripling. I stumbled often, my legs threatening to give out beneath me. "I can smell her trail!" The voice was closer now. "She's leaving blood everywhere!" They were right. Each step left a crimson footprint, a trail a child could follow. I couldn't outrun them, not in my condition. I needed to hide, to find somewhere they couldn't track me. Ahead, the ground sloped downward toward a small stream. Water. If I could reach it, maybe I could throw them off my scent. I pushed forward, half-running, half-falling down the slope. My foot caught on a root, and I tumbled the rest of the way, landing hard at the bottom. Pain exploded through me as I hit the ground, injuries screaming in protest. For a moment, I couldn't move, couldn't breathe, spots dancing across my vision. "Get up," my wolf urged. "They're coming." I dragged myself to my feet, swaying dangerously. The stream was just ahead, the water reflecting moonlight. I waded in, gasping as the cold water hit my wounds. It stung like fire, but I welcomed the pain. It kept me conscious, kept me moving. I followed the stream for several minutes, hoping the water would mask my scent. When I couldn't go any further, I dragged myself onto the opposite bank and into the cover of a thick patch of bushes. I lay there, trying to quiet my breathing. The world spun around me, darkness creeping at the edges of my vision. I had lost too much blood. My body was shutting down. But I couldn't rest, not yet. Voices drifted to me from across the stream. "Where did she go?" "The trail ends here." "She must have gone into the water." "Split up. Some go upstream, others downstream. She couldn't have gone far in her condition." They were right. I couldn't go far. But I had to try. I crawled from my hiding place, moving as quietly as my broken body would allow. Each movement sent fresh waves of pain through me, but I bit down on my lip to keep from making a sound. I made it to the edge of a small clearing before my strength finally gave out. I collapsed onto my stomach, unable to go any further. My body had reached its limit. "There she is!" a voice shouted from behind me. I turned my head to see three warriors approaching, their faces twisted with excitement at finding their prey. They had shifted back to human form, likely to claim the credit for my kill more personally. "Nowhere to run now, traitor," the first one said, stepping toward me. I tried to get up, to face them on my feet, but my body wouldn't respond. I had nothing left. I was going to die here, on my stomach in the dirt, like an animal at slaughter. "Just end it," I whispered, more to myself than to them. "Make it quick." The warrior laughed. "Oh no. The Alpha didn't say we had to make it quick. I think we'll take our time with you, traitor." "Yeah," another said, stepping closer. "After all the trouble you've caused, you deserve to suffer." I closed my eyes, preparing for pain. Instead, I heard the sound of movement in the trees behind them. The warriors must have heard it too, because they stopped. "Who's there?" one called, suddenly nervous. No answer came, but I felt something—a presence, powerful and dangerous. The air seemed to thicken, charged with a strange energy. My wolf stirred within me, alert despite our exhaustion. A growl cut through the night. It was low, menacing, and unlike anything I'd ever heard before. It wasn't the sound of a normal wolf. It was deeper, more primal, filled with power and threat. The warriors froze, their faces draining of color. Another growl, closer this time. Then a massive shape emerged from the shadows at the edge of the clearing. A wolf, but larger than any I had ever seen. His fur was as black as midnight, his eyes glowing amber in the darkness. He stood taller than a normal wolf, his shoulders broad, his stance radiating dominance and power. This was no ordinary Alpha. This was something else entirely. The warriors backed away, suddenly forgotten. Their faces twisted with fear, a fear so deep it overrode even their desire for Jaden's reward. "We didn't know this was claimed territory," one of them said, his voice shaking. "We were just—" The black wolf snarled, cutting him off. He took a step forward, and the warriors took three steps back. "We're leaving," another warrior said. "Right now. We meant no disrespect." But the wolf wasn't looking at them anymore. His amber eyes had found me, and they stayed fixed on me, intense and unreadable. I stared back, too exhausted to be afraid. What did it matter who killed me now? The warriors began to back away, eager to escape while they could. The black wolf let them go, his attention still on me. He approached slowly, his movements graceful despite his size. I should have been terrified. This creature could kill me with a single bite. But strangely, I felt no fear. Perhaps I was too far gone, too close to death for fear to matter anymore. The wolf stopped beside me, lowering his massive head to look me in the eyes. There was intelligence in that gaze, a calculation that went beyond animal instinct. He was reading me, judging me. I reached out a trembling hand, not sure why. Perhaps to touch something beautiful before the end. The wolf didn't pull away. He allowed my bloodied fingers to brush against his fur. It was soft, surprisingly so for a creature that radiated such danger. The rational part of me thought that what I was doing was insane and a crazy way to court death. But… with all that had happened today, dying this way wouldn’t be bad. At least, I wouldn’t have to die by the hands of the people I thought were my family. The pain of betrayal will be much less. Curious to know who my executioner was, I whispered, "Who are you?" The wolf's form began to change, shifting in that fluid way all werewolves could. But even his shift was different. It was smoother, faster, more controlled than any I had seen before. In moments, a man knelt where the wolf had been. He was tall and powerfully built, with short dark hair and those same amber eyes. His face was handsome in a harsh way, all sharp angles and uncompromising lines. He wore no expression, but power radiated from him, an almost tangible force that made the air around him seem to vibrate. One of the warriors, who had been retreating, stopped and turned, his eyes widening in recognition. "Alpha Darius," he whispered, the words barely audible.
"Congratulations, Parker," I forced a smile. "I see you've found your Goddess-Gifted Mate." He nodded. "I have. We need to talk." "Why?" I shot back. "I already know what this is—I was chosen just to be rejected by you." I'd known from the start I wasn't his fated mate, and this day had been coming. "Just reject me, Parker. I'll accept it." I said, no emotion in my voice. Eight years ago, I was sold to him. Our bond never grew, never flourished like it should have. The only time we were together was in bed. He stayed silent, staring at me. I shook my head slightly. "I'll do it, then." I said. "I, Belladonna Harrington, reject you, Alpha Parker Hartly, as my Mate." I saw his eyes widen, disbelief flashing across his face. "Accept it," I gasped, clutching my chest. "It hurts, Parker." His frown deepened, then he stood up. "I, Alpha Parker Hartly, accept your rejection. You are no longer my Mate or Luna." Our bond shattered, and I felt it—severed completely. I gasped, my chest aching. He gripped his desk, eyes fixed on me. "Go claim your Goddess-Gifted," I said, voice strained. "And you?" He asked, his voice softer, almost concerned. "I'll be fine." I wasn't his anymore. And for the first time, I was free. --- Part 1: Null & Voided Belladonna Bella stood in the shower in the Luna’s suite, allowing the warm water to wash over her. She was pleasantly exhausted, Parker had left her suite; he was off to a mating ball in another state. She had four days now, where he wasn’t going to be there inside the pack. She was his Luna; had been for eight years now, but she was bound to him not by her choice, had been chosen for him by her own Alpha and Luna; just to get rid of her, and she knew it. She was the youngest child of her father, and unwanted and shunned; a bastard child not born of his Mate bond, and that was why she was hated by the Luna in her home pack. This allianced mating, that she’d been bound to at just 19 years of age. It was, she believed, her father’s Luna’s way of getting rid of her from their pack, once and for all. The only solace she had was that there was a detailed mating alliance. That did not allow for Parker to bring harm to her. Parker came to her room, the Luna’s suite every other night to bed her, and though the sex was good, more than good, damned near on amazing at times, she had to admit, because he wasn’t just a man that came and took what he wanted. No, he was a man that enjoyed sex, enjoyed knowing he pleased the woman in his bed, even if she had been sold to him. Parker could spend hours in her bed, touching and tasting her, sometimes all night long. He was not a terrible Mate to her, but he was indifferent most of the time. She had been given to him to stop a war between their two packs, had been Marked and Mated by him, taken as his Chosen Luna, with full view of rejecting her one-day down the line. She didn’t actually mean anything to him. He didn’t love her, and she didn’t love him. She could enjoy him being in her bed because of the Mate Bond, enjoyed it a lot, and had been known to scream with pleasure at him having his way with her. He could be utterly insatiable at times, and a part of Bella craved him; as his Mate she loved his every touch. She actually enjoyed her heat when it came, just once a year, spent seven glorious days being mated by him, and the sex; all rough I’ve just got to have alpha-blooded needs on the surface. Screamed in utter bliss that week multiple times a day and half all night, but it was the only time he never got out of her bed and slept in his suite. Every time always ended the same way. The moment he couldn’t scent her heat anymore, he was up and gone from her suite. Eight years of it; nothing had changed for him. Just three days ago, her heat had ended, and he’d left in the middle of the night. She’d not even known, she had been exhausted by them mating furiously that last time, and she had slept like the dead. Then she'd woken up on her own because her heat was over. This morning, him in her bed for a few hours before the sun rose. It was because he was going away for a mating ball and would be gone for four days. The pack he was visiting was in another state, 12 hours away, unaffiliated to him but a good opportunity for his wolves to pair up. There was nothing unusual about him being gone for four days, seeing as how far away that pack was, sometimes it was five full days. That was nice for her, he wasn’t one to tax his wolves, and so they stopped overnight on the way there or back if necessary. Not that he informed her of his doings, she just learned it over the years. Parker didn’t think that he was required to tell her his movements, she was only his Mate and Luna, due to the mating alliance that they had. It didn’t bother her at all, it just meant she had four days to herself this week. He always liked to have sex before he left and when he got back as well, something about he had an alpha-blooded sex drive that he needed to sate on a regular basis. She didn’t argue about it, she had it too, there was no need to either, they both got all the tingly mate bond goodness in that bed of hers. And it was always in her bed. She’d never even seen inside the Alpha Suite; that was not a place for her to be. Bella dressed for the day and headed downstairs, to get herself some breakfast, where she saw him and his unit all heading across the foyer and out the front door of the packhouse to leave. He nodded to her, but never said goodbye to her. No one here thought anything about it, they all knew she had been given to him. Was not his Goddess-Gifted Mate. Though the pack here was nice to her, they didn’t treat her badly at all, that had been a surprise to her, and she herself was nice to all of them. She actually liked the pack, and it seemed the pack actually liked her. Looked to her for advice even. She did her Luna duties as was required of her. She had been sent here against her will, but actually found that she fitted in better inside this pack than her own home pack. She had respect here from this pack, from Parker to a certain degree, she thought. She’d learned how to be a Luna to this pack, and attended to all of those duties that Parker had tasked her with, when she’d first been brought here. She had even been allowed to study with his pack’s doctor in the hospital, and now, eight years later she herself was a good doctor. Bella specialized in the delivery of pups, and looking after the she-wolves in labour, using her Luna Calm to help them settle when fully distressed, and things got a bit on the hairy side. She’d not lost a single pup or she-wolf in the past eight years of assisting and then delivering on her own. She was a fully registered doctor with this pack, and one day when she left, she would be a doctor for another pack somewhere else. That was the goal. Though what the really crazy thing was, was that six months after she went into heat herself, there was always an explosion of pups within the pack. It hadn’t gone unnoticed by the pack's doctor, her mentor Annette, she shook her head and had stated “It’s you, you know.” They often laughed and joked about it. Annette had already chuckled just yesterday about getting supplies ready for pups to be born in a few months’ time. Bella had just snorted and shaken her own head, they were currently going through that now, that heat she’d had last week was completely unexpected and out of the blue, her second one for this year. Had not been expected at all. Annette’s theory only made Bella shake her head, she thought it was just a coincidence was all. She’d not gotten pregnant once in the past eight years of having a heat once a year. A part of her was glad of it as well, knowing that there was a clause in her mating alliance that stated all pups she had while still bonded to Parker, were to be given to him. When he found his Goddess-Gifted Mate and rejected her, she had to leave them behind for him to raise. They were his heirs. It was not something she wanted to happen. She knew that Parker would make her give them up as well. He followed all his alliance dealings to the letter. She also knew it was a clause he’d written into their mating alliance himself. He wasn’t willing to relinquish any child to her, he would be claiming all of them as his heirs. She might be their mother if she ever birthed any pups, but she had no rights to them; that was how she looked at that clause. She saw him sometimes looking at her, in the weeks after her heat, assessing her, she knew, listening for a heartbeat of a pup. He wanted an heir and she, being Alpha-blooded like he was, their pup would be a pure-blooded heir for this pack. There were no pups, even though she wasn’t on birth control of any kind, he wouldn’t allow it. He was hoping for a pup between them and she knew it. 2 Belladonna Bella thought there was no pup simply because she didn’t want one and her wolf certainly didn’t want one to a Mate that was not her Fated or that was how it felt to Bella. Neither of them were at all interested in having a pup with a Mate that was going to, at some point in time, whether it be in the near or far future, reject them for his Goddess-Gifted when she came along. Why would anyone want to do that when they knew that their Alpha Mate would be sending them away, pretty much just tossing them out of his pack and without their pups, making them sever their kind bond to however many pups they had and loved. No she-wolf she knew would agree with that, it was insane; and neither she nor Freya, her wolf, were interested in that happening to them. Parker had made a few comments over the years about it, and she’d stared at him, stated simply, “Maybe, Selena doesn’t want us to have a pup, Parker.” To which he’d retort, “And maybe you’re infertile.” Sounding a bit on the angry side about it. “Could well be,” she’d nodded at him simply. She’d not taken offense to his words. Though she wasn’t infertile. She’d been tested a few years back along with himself after that very comment. She’d thought he’d gone away and thought about his own words, and maybe come to the conclusion that one of them was infertile. So they’d both been tested at his request, and they were both fine and capable of conceiving a pup, apparently. It just wasn’t meant to be as far as she was concerned, and she was honestly glad of it. Though during her heats, Parker knotted her every time he came, and she him back, liked the bloody feeling of it as much as he did, and she knew it. She understood that being knotted to one's Mate kind of made you feel whole, that it was part of the mate bond as well. He had in fact knotted her this morning, had looked right down at her while still knotted to her and sighed softly, contentedly. She knew he liked the feeling of being knotted to her. All wolves did unless they weren’t their Mate. His blue eyes had looked into her blue ones, and he’d murmured softly as he’d looked down at her, a gentle smile on his face, “An heir would be nice, don’t you think Belladonna.” He hadn’t said it in months, and she’d been a little surprised to hear him bring it once more, she had thought he’d give up on that thought, though the way he said her name softly, almost sounded like he cared at that moment. She knew better though, he never shortened her name like everyone else inside the pack did. He was the only one to call her Belladonna, and she was certain that he did it, to remind himself she was his Chosen Mate. “I guess it would.” She’d answered him. It was all she ever said on the subject of a pup between them. She’d only ever actually said ‘no’ once, and it had set him and his beast off into a fit of rage. She’d not really understood that. He didn’t love her, she knew that. But she’d never dared to say it again. Because his anger over her declining to even think it was a good idea, had filtered into the pack. The pack had been on edge over his foul mood, and she’d seen him stomping around and grating out orders at everyone. He’d been cranky about it for over a week. So now she stated she guessed it would be, instead of telling him no she didn’t want one with him. To save the pack from his temper was all, something he had, but she rarely saw, the pack rarely saw, and she had a feeling he tried not to lose it for no reason at all. The pack did like him, respect him and were happy with him as their Alpha. Sometimes she wondered what that war with her home pack had been all about. She didn’t recall there being a war, perse, there had been a full threat of one, that much she did know. Though her father and Parker had probably not wanted that war and tried everything to stop it before it got started. She’d not been privy to that and during those two days everyone had been sequestered to their homes. Though she did know there had been a wolfen force at the border of the pack. She shook off her thoughts, she didn’t need a trip down memory lane, that was a long time ago. She ate her breakfast in the dining room as she always did, smiled at the wolves in here eating as well. Chuckled as a boy of six climbed up onto the seat next to her and tugged on her arm “Luna, mummy’s going to have her baby today.” “Is she now?” she’d smiled down at him. “Yes, daddy took her to the hospital just a minute ago.” Bella smiled at him “Are you excited to meet your little sister Franky?” she asked him. “Yes.” He smiled big up at her “Aunty Becky is watching me.” Bella looked up to find Rebekah his aunt walking this way. She was heavily pregnant herself. “Daisy just went into labour, Luna.” Rebekah told her as she walked over to her. “I just heard; Franky’s excited.” She ruffled his blond hair. “How are you doing today, Becky?” “Alright, will you be going to the hospital soon?” Becky asked. “Yes, right after breakfast. Everything will be fine with your sister; I’ve not lost a pup yet and am not about to start today.” She reassured Becky. Bella had gone into heat six months ago. This was going to be a busy week here inside the pack. Her last heat had been very unexpected. Had come in the middle of the night, out of nowhere and Parker had not been in the pack for it either. That first night had been agony locked in her suite, unable to sate the needs from her heat. But he’d come back in short order, when he’d been informed she was in heat, and she’d been on him the moment he’d walked into her suite, practically ripped his pants off him and shoved him down all alpha aggression, and she ridden the hell out of him with all she’d had right by the suites' entry door. He hadn’t cared, had enjoyed it himself, enjoyed all her heats while they lasted. He got to have sex for hours every day and half the nights as well, it was all rough and raw, both their alpha-blooded needs in full swing. They were both very aggressive about getting what they wanted during her heats. It was kind of unavoidable, she thought. Just their bloodlines. She pulled herself from her thoughts and made her way to the pack’s hospital, pulled on her scrubs. Today she was wearing soft blue scrubs with sloths all over them; she thought they were cute. The pack hospital had, had a uniform when she’d arrived in this pack, black scrubs, she’d gotten rid of them, thought they were very unfriendly, and some of the pack’s children who’d never been in the hospital before had shied away from the nurses and doctors on their first visit. Now all the nurses and doctors wore fun scrubs with patterns all over them, some even tailored them to the seasons. It had helped the children relax and be comfortable. They did have a standard uniform for after war or pack attacks, when their wolves were grieving the loss of loved ones. Simple respectful scrubs that were mint green and white. Despite being brought here as a Chosen Mate and Luna, Parker did expect her to attend all Luna duties, and she did them well. He couldn’t fault her on that. He didn’t have any complaints, and had actually told her she made a good Luna to his pack. That had been just a few years back. She’d just smiled and nodded, accepted the compliment from him, they were few and far between, had told him in return, “I like the pack members, they’re nice to me.” and they were. "I'll always do my best for them, Parker." The Lustrous Moon was a much nicer pack to her than her home pack had been. 3 Belladonna It was a long four days inside the pack. Bella had delivered 17 pups over those days, she had lived inside the pack hospital itself, slept in her office, on the couch in there so she didn’t have to make the trip from the Luna suite to the hospital, which took 20 minutes at a casual stroll, it was closer to the pack's town than the packhouse, and she understood that was because it had been built to cater to the majority of the pack who lived in the town not the packhouse. Parker was due home today around lunchtime, and she knew that the moment he was finished initiating his new pack members into his pack, and allocating them homes if they needed it, he was going to want to go right to her room and have sex. He couldn’t go more than two days without sex on any normal given week here inside the pack. With the exception of that one week, he'd been angry. He'd stayed away from her that week; not brought his anger into her bed. But when he had crawled into bed, Goddess she'd never thought he was going to stop eating her out. Gotten multiples from him, several in fact, before she fallen asleep and woke up alone. This was how it had been for the past eight years. She, however, was actually very tired today, exhausted, she would say, had pulled an all-nighter last night and had yet to get any sleep. Bella had delivered three pups in the past 7 hours, and Annette had delivered two herself. Bella had received a text from him just as she was sitting down at her desk in her Luna's office, “I’ll be home in a few hours.” It had read. Bella had frowned down at it, a little confused as to why he’d sent it. He’d never done that before. She shook it off, likely he was just letting her know that he expected them to get naked in her bed when he got home, because he wanted to have sex. It had been four days. Well, it wasn’t going to be like that today. She had many things to do this morning herself and was too tired for sex; he’d have to understand. She was in all likelihood going to be in the Luna’s office when he crossed the pack border as well, because she had to now sit down and register all of those pups with the pack. Get their parents' files all up to date as well; having to register all 17 pups took time, and she didn’t make mistakes. It was going to be a long day, and she’d probably sleep like the dead after Parker had his way with her at some point later in the afternoon. She sighed as she sat in her chair, staring at the computer screen in front of her, her eyes kept drooping and she micro napped a few times, was fighting off sleep that she desperately needed and she knew it. She got up and looked at the time. It was just on 8am. She could sleep for two hours and then pull on her alpha-bloodline after that, to get her through the rest of the day, until she turned in for the night, she would go to bed early and she knew it. She set herself an alarm on her phone and crashed out on the couch in the Luna's office. Woke up and stretched and got coffee, when her alarm went off, she was still tired but could function at least. Returned to her job of documenting the births of those pups, and the condition of the mothers. She hissed as pain shot through her left arm, almost felt like someone had stabbed her and dragged a knife up her arm. It only lasted a few seconds, and she rubbed her arm and shook it off. It was odd, to say the least. Never felt that happen before. She finished documenting those pups, attached their baby pictures to the files and smiled at each one of them, she did love babies, they were so cute. All her life she’d been in a pack hospital. Her mother had died in childbirth, and she’d been raised by her grandmother, a nurse in her home pack, she’d never really had any friends, not being that she was her father’s bastard daughter, not even her half siblings liked her. Bella had learned to stick close to her grandmother, and she herself had worked in the pack hospital from a young age, become a runner for those that worked there, dashing off to get things they needed. Then she had started working in the hospital at 16, had dropped out of school altogether. It was not fun for her in that school, she got bullied by her half siblings all day long. She’d had one a few months older than she was, and she was in all her classes. Her father had not cared that she’d dropped out of school at all, he’d also never sent her off to Alpha College, she wasn’t a legitimate heir so didn’t need to go. She’d never asked to go either. She never went into the packhouse for anything, just tried to be invisible to that pack. Her father may have claimed her as his kin, but she was not part of the Alpha’s family, though she didn’t think Parker knew that. She was in fact hated by all of her siblings; the Luna especially hated her existence. Bella kind of understood that. She’d learned at a young age her conception had seen the packs Luna be in agony with the pains of betrayal. Though her grandmother had told her once, it wasn’t as it seemed, and not to believe that her mother was a mistress, she’d not been, hadn’t wanted to be bedded by her father, the alpha of that pack. She’d hadn’t had a choice about it, but then in the next breath she’d stated don’t blame your father either, he didn’t really want to bed your mother. It had confused her a lot. If neither had wanted it, how had it happened? Bella pulled herself from her thoughts as her tummy rumbled, and she got up to go and have lunch. It was midday and Parker wasn’t back yet, though she didn’t think it would be far off at all. He’d text her at 7am, a few hours. She shrugged, likely they’d all stopped for food somewhere. She was just returning to her office when she felt him come back into the pack, and he mind-linked to her near instantly, “Belladonna, meet me in the foyer.” He stated and cut the link before she could even reply to him. She was actually in the foyer now, so took up a seat with some of the pack’s kids and watched them play a board game. They all smiled up at her, and she smiled back at them, helped that youngest one out a bit. She looked up as Parker walked into the packhouse, and there was a woman walking next to him, quite tall, almost as tall as he was, though Bella noted she was wearing stilettos, they clicked loudly on the tiled floor as she strode along next to Parker. She looked more than annoyed to Bella. Bella stood as was expected of her to greet him when he came home, and watched as the woman looked right at her now as well, then there was just anger in those eyes of hers. Bella saw her take a full step closer to Parker and try to reach out and curl her hand around his forearm. Parker frowned down at her and brushed it away. “I’ve explained this to you Carina,” he stated flatly “No touching at this time.” There was more anger welling off the she-wolf now, and Bella understood right away, Parker had found his Goddess-Gifted Mate at that mating ball and though he would want to claim her for himself. He couldn’t, not until he’d rejected Bella. It was part of their mating alliance. “Axel, please take Carina to get some lunch.” Parker addressed his Delta, and motioned for them to move on passed him. His eyes moved back to her after Axel walked Carina off, “Belladonna, my office please.” He stated casually, and turned and walked that way himself. “Yes, Parker.” She answered him simply, she knew what this was all about, it was time for him to reject her, so he could go and claim his actual mate. 4 Belladonna She wondered just how much he was struggling right this minute, not being able to claim his Goddess-Gifted. How much had he struggled on the full moon when scenting her out and then coming face to face with her? Scenting her out knowing he couldn’t claim her, having that she-wolf see that he was already marked and mated by another, Bella bet that woman, Carina, she’d heard her name was, had been very confused by that. Likely been very angry about it, from what she’d just seen, clearly she hadn’t liked it at all. Ah! That stabbing pain in her arm earlier in the day, it was likely Carina had touched Parker, and as brief as it had been, she’d felt it, that had been pains of betrayal. That full moon night wouldn’t have been fun for her, and then the overnight stay in a hotel, and the long drive here to the pack. That she-wolf was more than ticked off about not being able to claim what was hers, but Parker, she knew, was a stickler for the rules. Which was a good thing for her, otherwise he could have treated her terribly over the years, and he could have marked and mated that she-wolf on the full moon, if he wasn’t a man of his word; something that she knew he actually was, and she was thankful for, because it would likely have killed her if he’d done that. She excused herself from the children and headed into his office, followed his Beta and Gamma. She heard the door being closed by Kane, the pack Beta. “Congratulations, Parker.” She smiled, genuinely happy for him. “I see you found your Goddess-Gifted Mate.” He nodded to her, “I have.” He stated as he sat down behind his desk “so we need to talk, you and I.” He looked right at her now. “Why?” she asked right back “I know what this is, I was chosen, just to be rejected by you.” she knew that was the truth, wondered if her old Luna wanted her to know that and feel it. Punish her for being born by doing this to her. “Just reject me Parker, I’ll accept it.” she told him simply. She had basically been sold to the Alpha sitting before her, she didn’t love him, her wolf didn’t love his either, their bond had never grown and flourished like all others did. It never would, or she didn’t believe that it would. The only time they spent together was in her bed, when he wanted to have sex, or she was in heat. Never did they ever go out for a meal, never had they celebrated their mate bond with each other, she’d not even gotten a Luna Ceremony. She had been announced to the pack the morning after he’d marked and mated her and that was it. She was not his Goddess-Gifted, and only that woman would get all of him, all the things that came with being his true Luna. Parker was frowning at her now, almost with disapproval in those blue eyes of his. He was still sitting there just staring at her, did so for a full minute as though he expected some sort of outburst from her, she thought. She wasn’t going to do that, wasn’t about to pitch a fit or kick up any kind of fuss over this. She stood there and stared right back at him, didn’t really understand why he didn’t just issue that rejection instantly, it was why he’d called her into his office, and she knew it, because he’d brought his Goddess-Gifted home with him. Bella finally raised an eyebrow at him, when he just sat there and continued to stare at her and say nothing. She shook her head a little, “I’ll do it then.” She stated simply, “I Luna Belladonna Harrington, reject you Alpha Parker Hartly as my Mate.” She stated, he’d never given her his name, again something reserved for his Goddess-Gifted Mate only, as was the Alpha Suite. She’d been here eight long years, and the entire time she’d resided in the Luna Suite, again a clause in the mating alliance; put in by Parker himself, she thought. To make sure she understood her place inside this pack, she supposed. She was his Luna and fuck buddy, not the love of his life. She doubted that he had any feelings at all where she was concerned, had wondered at times if he even liked her as a person. They didn’t talk often, so she wouldn’t know. Bella felt the severing of the bond begin on her end and gritted her teeth against it, stood staring at his widened eyes at her sudden rejecting of him. Almost like he couldn’t believe she’d issued it at all, “Accept it.” she gasped out after 30 seconds of him just staring at her “It, hurts Parker. Get it over with, please.” Again, there was that frown on his face, though now it was deepened, then he just stood up and nodded at her, “I Alpha Parker Hartly, accept your rejection Belladonna Harrington, you are no longer my Mate and Luna.” Bella gasped as their bond severed completely, clutched at her chest as she felt him being ripped away from her. Freya's snarl echoed inside her mind at the pain she was feeling. Then there was a pair of hands on her shoulders as she started to buckle under the weight of the pain. She could feel Shannon, the pack’s Gamma, rolling his charm over her to help ease her pain, and she was actually glad that he was there right this very minute. It hurt like a bitch, more than she had thought it would, considering their bond was nothing more than just really good sex. There was no emotional attachment between them, so she'd not expected it to hurt so much. She sank down onto her knees and had to breathe through the feeling of Parkers Mark burning off her neck. It took several long agonizing minutes, and even Shannon's Charm wasn't really helping with the pain of it, though she could feel it being rolled over her the whole time. Her hand reached up to touch her neck instinctively when the mark was gone, no more was the filigree that had adorned her neck for the past eight years, there were just two puncture marks where his fangs had buried into her that first night he’d brought her here to his pack and claimed her. It was no longer sensitive to the touch either, she felt nothing as she touched it where once it had brought desire. Even when she touched it herself, nothing remained right this minute. Her eyes lifted to him, he had a hand tightly gripped onto the edge of his desk, and a fist pressed hard against his chest. He looked to be in as much pain as she was. His eyes were on hers, never left hers at all, not even when she stood herself up and gently removed Shannon’s hands from her, stating softly “I’ll be alright, Shannon. Thank you.” and she knew she would be. “Parker, you should go and claim your Goddess-Gifted, it will resolve your pain quickly.” “And you?” he asked, and it almost sounded to her that he was concerned about her. “I’ll be fine. I understand our mating alliance, and I will follow it to the letter. Kane and I can sort that out. You should go and be with your Mate. She’ll be happy we’re over, and you can claim her, she can finally claim what is hers rightfully by the Goddess.” He was frowning at her now, didn’t appear to understand her reaction to all of this. But she was finally free, released from the contract that had made her just one of his belongings. It’s all she was to him, something he owned. Now she wasn’t his anymore or wouldn’t be in 24 hours; that’s how long she had to leave this pack. She turned to Kane, the pack’s Beta. “If you could meet me in the foyer in say an hour, we’ll finish it off properly, while Parker is marking and mating his Goddess-Gifted Mate.” “Yes Lu… Bella.” He nodded, had almost called her Luna, like he had done so many times before, over the past eight years. 5 Parker For eight years they had been mated to each other, and not once had Belladonna turned loving eyes on him. Not once had she even looked at the Alpha Suite as though she wanted to be in there with him; never had he even seen her glance at it. She just walked on past it like it didn’t exist for her. Belladonna, his mate of eight years, stood before him and still felt nothing for him. She was today wearing a clean set of scrubs. Though they looked a little on the rumpled side to him, as though she’d had a nap in them. It wouldn’t surprise him at all, if she had. She was often up late in the hospital. Slept there some nights when there were a lot of babies to be delivered. Even now standing in his office, he had expected some sort of reaction from her; to him bringing home his Goddess-Gifted Mate. But she’d not even so much as frowned at seeing Carina walk into the packhouse with him or standing there next to him, or Carina trying to touch him in a possessive manner, right there in the packhouse foyer for all to see. Knowing what she was to him, and Belladonna did know it, he’d never walked anywhere with a woman next to him like that before unless it was herself attending a mating ball with him, and Carina, she was all dolled up, to look her best when arriving at the pack. It had taken nearly an hour and a half to get ready in the hotel room this morning, which annoyed him greatly, having to wait for her like that. He had things to do and places to be. Belladonna had said nothing at all about seeing her with him, hadn’t even said anything when he’d sent Carina off with his Delta, and requested Belladonna to come into his office. No, she just politely excused herself from the children she’d been sitting with; likely playing a game with them, he’d seen her do that before on many occasions. He’d never treated her badly, respected her and craved that damned woman’s body more than he’d allowed himself to have her. Had held himself back from her because she didn’t have any feelings for him at all. She didn’t want a pup with him, hearing that had bloody hurt, and he’d been angry about it for a week. They’d been together for five years when he’d bitten the bullet and finally brought it up. He had thought five years of him treating her nicely. Respectfully, and acknowledging her as his Luna would have shown her, they worked well together. Clearly not, and he had not liked the response he’d gotten at all. Even now, he could see after eight years together, that he meant absolutely nothing to her. He couldn’t understand why her side of the mate bond didn’t grow and flourish at all. He didn’t want to issue this rejection, she was an amazing Luna, intelligent, strong and beautiful, had long wavy chestnut brown hair, that right this minute was pulled up in messy bun on top of her head. Because she’d been working in the pack hospital, but it didn’t detract from her beauty at all. Normally she would wear it out, and it fell around her shoulders or down her back in a lovely wavy cascade. She had brilliant blue eyes that could sparkle like the ocean at times and a very kissable mouth. The whole pack liked her, she’d learned everything about all of them over the years, attended to all the Luna’s duties, she was not only his Luna, but was a brilliant pack doctor as well. The woman loved babies, they made her light up from the inside out, and that smiled when she looked down at them; pure joy in her blue eyes. It was infectious the way she smiled. She always had a smile for the little ones. He couldn’t understand why they’d not had pups. She would make a great mother, and he knew it. Their children would be loved and adored by her. He’d not once in the past eight years seen her even raise her voice to a little one, not even a teenager. She’d looked a little exasperated at times, when she got those repeat offenders to her Luna’s office, to be admonished by their Luna for getting into fights, but never did she yell at them. She was a kind soul to everyone. She’d not even argued about being mated off to him, had stood there in her father’s office at just 19 years old, untouched by anyone inside her home pack, he’d taken her virginity, she’d not even known how to kiss. Very unusual for an alpha-blooded female of 19 years of age. She had just stood there in her father’s office and said nothing at all. Not one single word to anyone in that room, as they’d discussed that Mating Alliance, what clauses he wanted, what her father had wanted for her as well. She’d said nothing in his car on the way to this very pack, had sat and stared out the window the entire time. Nothing until he’d initiated her into his pack, until he’d cut his palm and then hers, and pressed their palms together, asked, as her new Alpha, to pledge loyalty to him and his pack. She’d not even really looked at him until that very moment either, just once in her father’s office only. He recalled her that day here in his office, she'd looked at their hands, taken in a long breath and then had just accepted him as her new Alpha. It had been the first time he’d heard her voice. Soft to his own ears even then, he’d put that down to her being unhappy about the Mating Alliance, and he knew she was unhappy. Shannon had told him via the mind-link ‘She’s unhappy, but resigned to it, not going to argue or fight you about Marking and Mating her.’ And she hadn’t. He’d also known she had never been with anyone. Her own father had told him as much, and Shannon had confirmed that, for him, she was nervous about not knowing what to do in the bedroom. He’d been more than experienced, so it wasn’t really an issue, and he’d not Mated her until they’d both marked each other. It would lessen the pain for her and he knew it. He’d also not rushed the job, taken his time and tried to take care of her, bring about pleasure for her, and show her he wasn’t going to be a brute of a Mate, and that he wasn't out to hurt her. Now to hear her congratulate him, it felt very odd to him, and Vex’s ears, which had flattened back against his head and annoyance rolled right off his beast at her words, she actually meant it, it was there in her tone. She was genuinely happy for him, it appeared. Their own Mate confused them to no end. If she’d walked into this packhouse trailing a Goddess-Gifted Mate, he’d likely have tried to take that man's head clean off. Would have been very angry to see another that was getting to touch what was his. But no, she just smiled right at him, the perfectly happy smile she had when she looked at babies, real happiness there on the surface not only for him to see, but to know it was actually for him, she really was happy for him right this very minute; That he had found his Goddess-Gifted Mate. Vex wanted to snarl at her for seeing her so happy about him being gifted to another, but turned and stalked off away to the back of his mind, ‘I’m not voicing it.’ he snarled at Parker and lay down inside his mind to watch her from back there. She’d been mated by his wolf in human form as often as she had been by Parker himself. They were both attached to her and both wanted her. His wolf was annoyed as much as Parker was right this very minute that she could be so bloody happy for them, it was not what he wanted to see from her; not at all. She and Carina were two very different people from what he’d seen so far. Belladonna was the better of the two of them, and he knew it. .... Open the app and continue reading the rest of the story . 👉(It will automatically jump to the book when you open the app)
"Congratulations, Parker," I forced a smile. "I see you've found your Goddess-Gifted Mate." He nodded. "I have. We need to talk." "Why?" I shot back. "I already know what this is—I was chosen just to be rejected by you." I'd known from the start I wasn't his fated mate, and this day had been coming. "Just reject me, Parker. I'll accept it." I said, no emotion in my voice. Eight years ago, I was sold to him. Our bond never grew, never flourished like it should have. The only time we were together was in bed. He stayed silent, staring at me. I shook my head slightly. "I'll do it, then." I said. "I, Belladonna Harrington, reject you, Alpha Parker Hartly, as my Mate." I saw his eyes widen, disbelief flashing across his face. "Accept it," I gasped, clutching my chest. "It hurts, Parker." His frown deepened, then he stood up. "I, Alpha Parker Hartly, accept your rejection. You are no longer my Mate or Luna." Our bond shattered, and I felt it—severed completely. I gasped, my chest aching. He gripped his desk, eyes fixed on me. "Go claim your Goddess-Gifted," I said, voice strained. "And you?" He asked, his voice softer, almost concerned. "I'll be fine." I wasn't his anymore. And for the first time, I was free. --- Part 1: Null & Voided Belladonna Bella stood in the shower in the Luna’s suite, allowing the warm water to wash over her. She was pleasantly exhausted, Parker had left her suite; he was off to a mating ball in another state. She had four days now, where he wasn’t going to be there inside the pack. She was his Luna; had been for eight years now, but she was bound to him not by her choice, had been chosen for him by her own Alpha and Luna; just to get rid of her, and she knew it. She was the youngest child of her father, and unwanted and shunned; a bastard child not born of his Mate bond, and that was why she was hated by the Luna in her home pack. This allianced mating, that she’d been bound to at just 19 years of age. It was, she believed, her father’s Luna’s way of getting rid of her from their pack, once and for all. The only solace she had was that there was a detailed mating alliance. That did not allow for Parker to bring harm to her. Parker came to her room, the Luna’s suite every other night to bed her, and though the sex was good, more than good, damned near on amazing at times, she had to admit, because he wasn’t just a man that came and took what he wanted. No, he was a man that enjoyed sex, enjoyed knowing he pleased the woman in his bed, even if she had been sold to him. Parker could spend hours in her bed, touching and tasting her, sometimes all night long. He was not a terrible Mate to her, but he was indifferent most of the time. She had been given to him to stop a war between their two packs, had been Marked and Mated by him, taken as his Chosen Luna, with full view of rejecting her one-day down the line. She didn’t actually mean anything to him. He didn’t love her, and she didn’t love him. She could enjoy him being in her bed because of the Mate Bond, enjoyed it a lot, and had been known to scream with pleasure at him having his way with her. He could be utterly insatiable at times, and a part of Bella craved him; as his Mate she loved his every touch. She actually enjoyed her heat when it came, just once a year, spent seven glorious days being mated by him, and the sex; all rough I’ve just got to have alpha-blooded needs on the surface. Screamed in utter bliss that week multiple times a day and half all night, but it was the only time he never got out of her bed and slept in his suite. Every time always ended the same way. The moment he couldn’t scent her heat anymore, he was up and gone from her suite. Eight years of it; nothing had changed for him. Just three days ago, her heat had ended, and he’d left in the middle of the night. She’d not even known, she had been exhausted by them mating furiously that last time, and she had slept like the dead. Then she'd woken up on her own because her heat was over. This morning, him in her bed for a few hours before the sun rose. It was because he was going away for a mating ball and would be gone for four days. The pack he was visiting was in another state, 12 hours away, unaffiliated to him but a good opportunity for his wolves to pair up. There was nothing unusual about him being gone for four days, seeing as how far away that pack was, sometimes it was five full days. That was nice for her, he wasn’t one to tax his wolves, and so they stopped overnight on the way there or back if necessary. Not that he informed her of his doings, she just learned it over the years. Parker didn’t think that he was required to tell her his movements, she was only his Mate and Luna, due to the mating alliance that they had. It didn’t bother her at all, it just meant she had four days to herself this week. He always liked to have sex before he left and when he got back as well, something about he had an alpha-blooded sex drive that he needed to sate on a regular basis. She didn’t argue about it, she had it too, there was no need to either, they both got all the tingly mate bond goodness in that bed of hers. And it was always in her bed. She’d never even seen inside the Alpha Suite; that was not a place for her to be. Bella dressed for the day and headed downstairs, to get herself some breakfast, where she saw him and his unit all heading across the foyer and out the front door of the packhouse to leave. He nodded to her, but never said goodbye to her. No one here thought anything about it, they all knew she had been given to him. Was not his Goddess-Gifted Mate. Though the pack here was nice to her, they didn’t treat her badly at all, that had been a surprise to her, and she herself was nice to all of them. She actually liked the pack, and it seemed the pack actually liked her. Looked to her for advice even. She did her Luna duties as was required of her. She had been sent here against her will, but actually found that she fitted in better inside this pack than her own home pack. She had respect here from this pack, from Parker to a certain degree, she thought. She’d learned how to be a Luna to this pack, and attended to all of those duties that Parker had tasked her with, when she’d first been brought here. She had even been allowed to study with his pack’s doctor in the hospital, and now, eight years later she herself was a good doctor. Bella specialized in the delivery of pups, and looking after the she-wolves in labour, using her Luna Calm to help them settle when fully distressed, and things got a bit on the hairy side. She’d not lost a single pup or she-wolf in the past eight years of assisting and then delivering on her own. She was a fully registered doctor with this pack, and one day when she left, she would be a doctor for another pack somewhere else. That was the goal. Though what the really crazy thing was, was that six months after she went into heat herself, there was always an explosion of pups within the pack. It hadn’t gone unnoticed by the pack's doctor, her mentor Annette, she shook her head and had stated “It’s you, you know.” They often laughed and joked about it. Annette had already chuckled just yesterday about getting supplies ready for pups to be born in a few months’ time. Bella had just snorted and shaken her own head, they were currently going through that now, that heat she’d had last week was completely unexpected and out of the blue, her second one for this year. Had not been expected at all. Annette’s theory only made Bella shake her head, she thought it was just a coincidence was all. She’d not gotten pregnant once in the past eight years of having a heat once a year. A part of her was glad of it as well, knowing that there was a clause in her mating alliance that stated all pups she had while still bonded to Parker, were to be given to him. When he found his Goddess-Gifted Mate and rejected her, she had to leave them behind for him to raise. They were his heirs. It was not something she wanted to happen. She knew that Parker would make her give them up as well. He followed all his alliance dealings to the letter. She also knew it was a clause he’d written into their mating alliance himself. He wasn’t willing to relinquish any child to her, he would be claiming all of them as his heirs. She might be their mother if she ever birthed any pups, but she had no rights to them; that was how she looked at that clause. She saw him sometimes looking at her, in the weeks after her heat, assessing her, she knew, listening for a heartbeat of a pup. He wanted an heir and she, being Alpha-blooded like he was, their pup would be a pure-blooded heir for this pack. There were no pups, even though she wasn’t on birth control of any kind, he wouldn’t allow it. He was hoping for a pup between them and she knew it. 2 Belladonna Bella thought there was no pup simply because she didn’t want one and her wolf certainly didn’t want one to a Mate that was not her Fated or that was how it felt to Bella. Neither of them were at all interested in having a pup with a Mate that was going to, at some point in time, whether it be in the near or far future, reject them for his Goddess-Gifted when she came along. Why would anyone want to do that when they knew that their Alpha Mate would be sending them away, pretty much just tossing them out of his pack and without their pups, making them sever their kind bond to however many pups they had and loved. No she-wolf she knew would agree with that, it was insane; and neither she nor Freya, her wolf, were interested in that happening to them. Parker had made a few comments over the years about it, and she’d stared at him, stated simply, “Maybe, Selena doesn’t want us to have a pup, Parker.” To which he’d retort, “And maybe you’re infertile.” Sounding a bit on the angry side about it. “Could well be,” she’d nodded at him simply. She’d not taken offense to his words. Though she wasn’t infertile. She’d been tested a few years back along with himself after that very comment. She’d thought he’d gone away and thought about his own words, and maybe come to the conclusion that one of them was infertile. So they’d both been tested at his request, and they were both fine and capable of conceiving a pup, apparently. It just wasn’t meant to be as far as she was concerned, and she was honestly glad of it. Though during her heats, Parker knotted her every time he came, and she him back, liked the bloody feeling of it as much as he did, and she knew it. She understood that being knotted to one's Mate kind of made you feel whole, that it was part of the mate bond as well. He had in fact knotted her this morning, had looked right down at her while still knotted to her and sighed softly, contentedly. She knew he liked the feeling of being knotted to her. All wolves did unless they weren’t their Mate. His blue eyes had looked into her blue ones, and he’d murmured softly as he’d looked down at her, a gentle smile on his face, “An heir would be nice, don’t you think Belladonna.” He hadn’t said it in months, and she’d been a little surprised to hear him bring it once more, she had thought he’d give up on that thought, though the way he said her name softly, almost sounded like he cared at that moment. She knew better though, he never shortened her name like everyone else inside the pack did. He was the only one to call her Belladonna, and she was certain that he did it, to remind himself she was his Chosen Mate. “I guess it would.” She’d answered him. It was all she ever said on the subject of a pup between them. She’d only ever actually said ‘no’ once, and it had set him and his beast off into a fit of rage. She’d not really understood that. He didn’t love her, she knew that. But she’d never dared to say it again. Because his anger over her declining to even think it was a good idea, had filtered into the pack. The pack had been on edge over his foul mood, and she’d seen him stomping around and grating out orders at everyone. He’d been cranky about it for over a week. So now she stated she guessed it would be, instead of telling him no she didn’t want one with him. To save the pack from his temper was all, something he had, but she rarely saw, the pack rarely saw, and she had a feeling he tried not to lose it for no reason at all. The pack did like him, respect him and were happy with him as their Alpha. Sometimes she wondered what that war with her home pack had been all about. She didn’t recall there being a war, perse, there had been a full threat of one, that much she did know. Though her father and Parker had probably not wanted that war and tried everything to stop it before it got started. She’d not been privy to that and during those two days everyone had been sequestered to their homes. Though she did know there had been a wolfen force at the border of the pack. She shook off her thoughts, she didn’t need a trip down memory lane, that was a long time ago. She ate her breakfast in the dining room as she always did, smiled at the wolves in here eating as well. Chuckled as a boy of six climbed up onto the seat next to her and tugged on her arm “Luna, mummy’s going to have her baby today.” “Is she now?” she’d smiled down at him. “Yes, daddy took her to the hospital just a minute ago.” Bella smiled at him “Are you excited to meet your little sister Franky?” she asked him. “Yes.” He smiled big up at her “Aunty Becky is watching me.” Bella looked up to find Rebekah his aunt walking this way. She was heavily pregnant herself. “Daisy just went into labour, Luna.” Rebekah told her as she walked over to her. “I just heard; Franky’s excited.” She ruffled his blond hair. “How are you doing today, Becky?” “Alright, will you be going to the hospital soon?” Becky asked. “Yes, right after breakfast. Everything will be fine with your sister; I’ve not lost a pup yet and am not about to start today.” She reassured Becky. Bella had gone into heat six months ago. This was going to be a busy week here inside the pack. Her last heat had been very unexpected. Had come in the middle of the night, out of nowhere and Parker had not been in the pack for it either. That first night had been agony locked in her suite, unable to sate the needs from her heat. But he’d come back in short order, when he’d been informed she was in heat, and she’d been on him the moment he’d walked into her suite, practically ripped his pants off him and shoved him down all alpha aggression, and she ridden the hell out of him with all she’d had right by the suites' entry door. He hadn’t cared, had enjoyed it himself, enjoyed all her heats while they lasted. He got to have sex for hours every day and half the nights as well, it was all rough and raw, both their alpha-blooded needs in full swing. They were both very aggressive about getting what they wanted during her heats. It was kind of unavoidable, she thought. Just their bloodlines. She pulled herself from her thoughts and made her way to the pack’s hospital, pulled on her scrubs. Today she was wearing soft blue scrubs with sloths all over them; she thought they were cute. The pack hospital had, had a uniform when she’d arrived in this pack, black scrubs, she’d gotten rid of them, thought they were very unfriendly, and some of the pack’s children who’d never been in the hospital before had shied away from the nurses and doctors on their first visit. Now all the nurses and doctors wore fun scrubs with patterns all over them, some even tailored them to the seasons. It had helped the children relax and be comfortable. They did have a standard uniform for after war or pack attacks, when their wolves were grieving the loss of loved ones. Simple respectful scrubs that were mint green and white. Despite being brought here as a Chosen Mate and Luna, Parker did expect her to attend all Luna duties, and she did them well. He couldn’t fault her on that. He didn’t have any complaints, and had actually told her she made a good Luna to his pack. That had been just a few years back. She’d just smiled and nodded, accepted the compliment from him, they were few and far between, had told him in return, “I like the pack members, they’re nice to me.” and they were. "I'll always do my best for them, Parker." The Lustrous Moon was a much nicer pack to her than her home pack had been. 3 Belladonna It was a long four days inside the pack. Bella had delivered 17 pups over those days, she had lived inside the pack hospital itself, slept in her office, on the couch in there so she didn’t have to make the trip from the Luna suite to the hospital, which took 20 minutes at a casual stroll, it was closer to the pack's town than the packhouse, and she understood that was because it had been built to cater to the majority of the pack who lived in the town not the packhouse. Parker was due home today around lunchtime, and she knew that the moment he was finished initiating his new pack members into his pack, and allocating them homes if they needed it, he was going to want to go right to her room and have sex. He couldn’t go more than two days without sex on any normal given week here inside the pack. With the exception of that one week, he'd been angry. He'd stayed away from her that week; not brought his anger into her bed. But when he had crawled into bed, Goddess she'd never thought he was going to stop eating her out. Gotten multiples from him, several in fact, before she fallen asleep and woke up alone. This was how it had been for the past eight years. She, however, was actually very tired today, exhausted, she would say, had pulled an all-nighter last night and had yet to get any sleep. Bella had delivered three pups in the past 7 hours, and Annette had delivered two herself. Bella had received a text from him just as she was sitting down at her desk in her Luna's office, “I’ll be home in a few hours.” It had read. Bella had frowned down at it, a little confused as to why he’d sent it. He’d never done that before. She shook it off, likely he was just letting her know that he expected them to get naked in her bed when he got home, because he wanted to have sex. It had been four days. Well, it wasn’t going to be like that today. She had many things to do this morning herself and was too tired for sex; he’d have to understand. She was in all likelihood going to be in the Luna’s office when he crossed the pack border as well, because she had to now sit down and register all of those pups with the pack. Get their parents' files all up to date as well; having to register all 17 pups took time, and she didn’t make mistakes. It was going to be a long day, and she’d probably sleep like the dead after Parker had his way with her at some point later in the afternoon. She sighed as she sat in her chair, staring at the computer screen in front of her, her eyes kept drooping and she micro napped a few times, was fighting off sleep that she desperately needed and she knew it. She got up and looked at the time. It was just on 8am. She could sleep for two hours and then pull on her alpha-bloodline after that, to get her through the rest of the day, until she turned in for the night, she would go to bed early and she knew it. She set herself an alarm on her phone and crashed out on the couch in the Luna's office. Woke up and stretched and got coffee, when her alarm went off, she was still tired but could function at least. Returned to her job of documenting the births of those pups, and the condition of the mothers. She hissed as pain shot through her left arm, almost felt like someone had stabbed her and dragged a knife up her arm. It only lasted a few seconds, and she rubbed her arm and shook it off. It was odd, to say the least. Never felt that happen before. She finished documenting those pups, attached their baby pictures to the files and smiled at each one of them, she did love babies, they were so cute. All her life she’d been in a pack hospital. Her mother had died in childbirth, and she’d been raised by her grandmother, a nurse in her home pack, she’d never really had any friends, not being that she was her father’s bastard daughter, not even her half siblings liked her. Bella had learned to stick close to her grandmother, and she herself had worked in the pack hospital from a young age, become a runner for those that worked there, dashing off to get things they needed. Then she had started working in the hospital at 16, had dropped out of school altogether. It was not fun for her in that school, she got bullied by her half siblings all day long. She’d had one a few months older than she was, and she was in all her classes. Her father had not cared that she’d dropped out of school at all, he’d also never sent her off to Alpha College, she wasn’t a legitimate heir so didn’t need to go. She’d never asked to go either. She never went into the packhouse for anything, just tried to be invisible to that pack. Her father may have claimed her as his kin, but she was not part of the Alpha’s family, though she didn’t think Parker knew that. She was in fact hated by all of her siblings; the Luna especially hated her existence. Bella kind of understood that. She’d learned at a young age her conception had seen the packs Luna be in agony with the pains of betrayal. Though her grandmother had told her once, it wasn’t as it seemed, and not to believe that her mother was a mistress, she’d not been, hadn’t wanted to be bedded by her father, the alpha of that pack. She’d hadn’t had a choice about it, but then in the next breath she’d stated don’t blame your father either, he didn’t really want to bed your mother. It had confused her a lot. If neither had wanted it, how had it happened? Bella pulled herself from her thoughts as her tummy rumbled, and she got up to go and have lunch. It was midday and Parker wasn’t back yet, though she didn’t think it would be far off at all. He’d text her at 7am, a few hours. She shrugged, likely they’d all stopped for food somewhere. She was just returning to her office when she felt him come back into the pack, and he mind-linked to her near instantly, “Belladonna, meet me in the foyer.” He stated and cut the link before she could even reply to him. She was actually in the foyer now, so took up a seat with some of the pack’s kids and watched them play a board game. They all smiled up at her, and she smiled back at them, helped that youngest one out a bit. She looked up as Parker walked into the packhouse, and there was a woman walking next to him, quite tall, almost as tall as he was, though Bella noted she was wearing stilettos, they clicked loudly on the tiled floor as she strode along next to Parker. She looked more than annoyed to Bella. Bella stood as was expected of her to greet him when he came home, and watched as the woman looked right at her now as well, then there was just anger in those eyes of hers. Bella saw her take a full step closer to Parker and try to reach out and curl her hand around his forearm. Parker frowned down at her and brushed it away. “I’ve explained this to you Carina,” he stated flatly “No touching at this time.” There was more anger welling off the she-wolf now, and Bella understood right away, Parker had found his Goddess-Gifted Mate at that mating ball and though he would want to claim her for himself. He couldn’t, not until he’d rejected Bella. It was part of their mating alliance. “Axel, please take Carina to get some lunch.” Parker addressed his Delta, and motioned for them to move on passed him. His eyes moved back to her after Axel walked Carina off, “Belladonna, my office please.” He stated casually, and turned and walked that way himself. “Yes, Parker.” She answered him simply, she knew what this was all about, it was time for him to reject her, so he could go and claim his actual mate. 4 Belladonna She wondered just how much he was struggling right this minute, not being able to claim his Goddess-Gifted. How much had he struggled on the full moon when scenting her out and then coming face to face with her? Scenting her out knowing he couldn’t claim her, having that she-wolf see that he was already marked and mated by another, Bella bet that woman, Carina, she’d heard her name was, had been very confused by that. Likely been very angry about it, from what she’d just seen, clearly she hadn’t liked it at all. Ah! That stabbing pain in her arm earlier in the day, it was likely Carina had touched Parker, and as brief as it had been, she’d felt it, that had been pains of betrayal. That full moon night wouldn’t have been fun for her, and then the overnight stay in a hotel, and the long drive here to the pack. That she-wolf was more than ticked off about not being able to claim what was hers, but Parker, she knew, was a stickler for the rules. Which was a good thing for her, otherwise he could have treated her terribly over the years, and he could have marked and mated that she-wolf on the full moon, if he wasn’t a man of his word; something that she knew he actually was, and she was thankful for, because it would likely have killed her if he’d done that. She excused herself from the children and headed into his office, followed his Beta and Gamma. She heard the door being closed by Kane, the pack Beta. “Congratulations, Parker.” She smiled, genuinely happy for him. “I see you found your Goddess-Gifted Mate.” He nodded to her, “I have.” He stated as he sat down behind his desk “so we need to talk, you and I.” He looked right at her now. “Why?” she asked right back “I know what this is, I was chosen, just to be rejected by you.” she knew that was the truth, wondered if her old Luna wanted her to know that and feel it. Punish her for being born by doing this to her. “Just reject me Parker, I’ll accept it.” she told him simply. She had basically been sold to the Alpha sitting before her, she didn’t love him, her wolf didn’t love his either, their bond had never grown and flourished like all others did. It never would, or she didn’t believe that it would. The only time they spent together was in her bed, when he wanted to have sex, or she was in heat. Never did they ever go out for a meal, never had they celebrated their mate bond with each other, she’d not even gotten a Luna Ceremony. She had been announced to the pack the morning after he’d marked and mated her and that was it. She was not his Goddess-Gifted, and only that woman would get all of him, all the things that came with being his true Luna. Parker was frowning at her now, almost with disapproval in those blue eyes of his. He was still sitting there just staring at her, did so for a full minute as though he expected some sort of outburst from her, she thought. She wasn’t going to do that, wasn’t about to pitch a fit or kick up any kind of fuss over this. She stood there and stared right back at him, didn’t really understand why he didn’t just issue that rejection instantly, it was why he’d called her into his office, and she knew it, because he’d brought his Goddess-Gifted home with him. Bella finally raised an eyebrow at him, when he just sat there and continued to stare at her and say nothing. She shook her head a little, “I’ll do it then.” She stated simply, “I Luna Belladonna Harrington, reject you Alpha Parker Hartly as my Mate.” She stated, he’d never given her his name, again something reserved for his Goddess-Gifted Mate only, as was the Alpha Suite. She’d been here eight long years, and the entire time she’d resided in the Luna Suite, again a clause in the mating alliance; put in by Parker himself, she thought. To make sure she understood her place inside this pack, she supposed. She was his Luna and fuck buddy, not the love of his life. She doubted that he had any feelings at all where she was concerned, had wondered at times if he even liked her as a person. They didn’t talk often, so she wouldn’t know. Bella felt the severing of the bond begin on her end and gritted her teeth against it, stood staring at his widened eyes at her sudden rejecting of him. Almost like he couldn’t believe she’d issued it at all, “Accept it.” she gasped out after 30 seconds of him just staring at her “It, hurts Parker. Get it over with, please.” Again, there was that frown on his face, though now it was deepened, then he just stood up and nodded at her, “I Alpha Parker Hartly, accept your rejection Belladonna Harrington, you are no longer my Mate and Luna.” Bella gasped as their bond severed completely, clutched at her chest as she felt him being ripped away from her. Freya's snarl echoed inside her mind at the pain she was feeling. Then there was a pair of hands on her shoulders as she started to buckle under the weight of the pain. She could feel Shannon, the pack’s Gamma, rolling his charm over her to help ease her pain, and she was actually glad that he was there right this very minute. It hurt like a bitch, more than she had thought it would, considering their bond was nothing more than just really good sex. There was no emotional attachment between them, so she'd not expected it to hurt so much. She sank down onto her knees and had to breathe through the feeling of Parkers Mark burning off her neck. It took several long agonizing minutes, and even Shannon's Charm wasn't really helping with the pain of it, though she could feel it being rolled over her the whole time. Her hand reached up to touch her neck instinctively when the mark was gone, no more was the filigree that had adorned her neck for the past eight years, there were just two puncture marks where his fangs had buried into her that first night he’d brought her here to his pack and claimed her. It was no longer sensitive to the touch either, she felt nothing as she touched it where once it had brought desire. Even when she touched it herself, nothing remained right this minute. Her eyes lifted to him, he had a hand tightly gripped onto the edge of his desk, and a fist pressed hard against his chest. He looked to be in as much pain as she was. His eyes were on hers, never left hers at all, not even when she stood herself up and gently removed Shannon’s hands from her, stating softly “I’ll be alright, Shannon. Thank you.” and she knew she would be. “Parker, you should go and claim your Goddess-Gifted, it will resolve your pain quickly.” “And you?” he asked, and it almost sounded to her that he was concerned about her. “I’ll be fine. I understand our mating alliance, and I will follow it to the letter. Kane and I can sort that out. You should go and be with your Mate. She’ll be happy we’re over, and you can claim her, she can finally claim what is hers rightfully by the Goddess.” He was frowning at her now, didn’t appear to understand her reaction to all of this. But she was finally free, released from the contract that had made her just one of his belongings. It’s all she was to him, something he owned. Now she wasn’t his anymore or wouldn’t be in 24 hours; that’s how long she had to leave this pack. She turned to Kane, the pack’s Beta. “If you could meet me in the foyer in say an hour, we’ll finish it off properly, while Parker is marking and mating his Goddess-Gifted Mate.” “Yes Lu… Bella.” He nodded, had almost called her Luna, like he had done so many times before, over the past eight years. 5 Parker For eight years they had been mated to each other, and not once had Belladonna turned loving eyes on him. Not once had she even looked at the Alpha Suite as though she wanted to be in there with him; never had he even seen her glance at it. She just walked on past it like it didn’t exist for her. Belladonna, his mate of eight years, stood before him and still felt nothing for him. She was today wearing a clean set of scrubs. Though they looked a little on the rumpled side to him, as though she’d had a nap in them. It wouldn’t surprise him at all, if she had. She was often up late in the hospital. Slept there some nights when there were a lot of babies to be delivered. Even now standing in his office, he had expected some sort of reaction from her; to him bringing home his Goddess-Gifted Mate. But she’d not even so much as frowned at seeing Carina walk into the packhouse with him or standing there next to him, or Carina trying to touch him in a possessive manner, right there in the packhouse foyer for all to see. Knowing what she was to him, and Belladonna did know it, he’d never walked anywhere with a woman next to him like that before unless it was herself attending a mating ball with him, and Carina, she was all dolled up, to look her best when arriving at the pack. It had taken nearly an hour and a half to get ready in the hotel room this morning, which annoyed him greatly, having to wait for her like that. He had things to do and places to be. Belladonna had said nothing at all about seeing her with him, hadn’t even said anything when he’d sent Carina off with his Delta, and requested Belladonna to come into his office. No, she just politely excused herself from the children she’d been sitting with; likely playing a game with them, he’d seen her do that before on many occasions. He’d never treated her badly, respected her and craved that damned woman’s body more than he’d allowed himself to have her. Had held himself back from her because she didn’t have any feelings for him at all. She didn’t want a pup with him, hearing that had bloody hurt, and he’d been angry about it for a week. They’d been together for five years when he’d bitten the bullet and finally brought it up. He had thought five years of him treating her nicely. Respectfully, and acknowledging her as his Luna would have shown her, they worked well together. Clearly not, and he had not liked the response he’d gotten at all. Even now, he could see after eight years together, that he meant absolutely nothing to her. He couldn’t understand why her side of the mate bond didn’t grow and flourish at all. He didn’t want to issue this rejection, she was an amazing Luna, intelligent, strong and beautiful, had long wavy chestnut brown hair, that right this minute was pulled up in messy bun on top of her head. Because she’d been working in the pack hospital, but it didn’t detract from her beauty at all. Normally she would wear it out, and it fell around her shoulders or down her back in a lovely wavy cascade. She had brilliant blue eyes that could sparkle like the ocean at times and a very kissable mouth. The whole pack liked her, she’d learned everything about all of them over the years, attended to all the Luna’s duties, she was not only his Luna, but was a brilliant pack doctor as well. The woman loved babies, they made her light up from the inside out, and that smiled when she looked down at them; pure joy in her blue eyes. It was infectious the way she smiled. She always had a smile for the little ones. He couldn’t understand why they’d not had pups. She would make a great mother, and he knew it. Their children would be loved and adored by her. He’d not once in the past eight years seen her even raise her voice to a little one, not even a teenager. She’d looked a little exasperated at times, when she got those repeat offenders to her Luna’s office, to be admonished by their Luna for getting into fights, but never did she yell at them. She was a kind soul to everyone. She’d not even argued about being mated off to him, had stood there in her father’s office at just 19 years old, untouched by anyone inside her home pack, he’d taken her virginity, she’d not even known how to kiss. Very unusual for an alpha-blooded female of 19 years of age. She had just stood there in her father’s office and said nothing at all. Not one single word to anyone in that room, as they’d discussed that Mating Alliance, what clauses he wanted, what her father had wanted for her as well. She’d said nothing in his car on the way to this very pack, had sat and stared out the window the entire time. Nothing until he’d initiated her into his pack, until he’d cut his palm and then hers, and pressed their palms together, asked, as her new Alpha, to pledge loyalty to him and his pack. She’d not even really looked at him until that very moment either, just once in her father’s office only. He recalled her that day here in his office, she'd looked at their hands, taken in a long breath and then had just accepted him as her new Alpha. It had been the first time he’d heard her voice. Soft to his own ears even then, he’d put that down to her being unhappy about the Mating Alliance, and he knew she was unhappy. Shannon had told him via the mind-link ‘She’s unhappy, but resigned to it, not going to argue or fight you about Marking and Mating her.’ And she hadn’t. He’d also known she had never been with anyone. Her own father had told him as much, and Shannon had confirmed that, for him, she was nervous about not knowing what to do in the bedroom. He’d been more than experienced, so it wasn’t really an issue, and he’d not Mated her until they’d both marked each other. It would lessen the pain for her and he knew it. He’d also not rushed the job, taken his time and tried to take care of her, bring about pleasure for her, and show her he wasn’t going to be a brute of a Mate, and that he wasn't out to hurt her. Now to hear her congratulate him, it felt very odd to him, and Vex’s ears, which had flattened back against his head and annoyance rolled right off his beast at her words, she actually meant it, it was there in her tone. She was genuinely happy for him, it appeared. Their own Mate confused them to no end. If she’d walked into this packhouse trailing a Goddess-Gifted Mate, he’d likely have tried to take that man's head clean off. Would have been very angry to see another that was getting to touch what was his. But no, she just smiled right at him, the perfectly happy smile she had when she looked at babies, real happiness there on the surface not only for him to see, but to know it was actually for him, she really was happy for him right this very minute; That he had found his Goddess-Gifted Mate. Vex wanted to snarl at her for seeing her so happy about him being gifted to another, but turned and stalked off away to the back of his mind, ‘I’m not voicing it.’ he snarled at Parker and lay down inside his mind to watch her from back there. She’d been mated by his wolf in human form as often as she had been by Parker himself. They were both attached to her and both wanted her. His wolf was annoyed as much as Parker was right this very minute that she could be so bloody happy for them, it was not what he wanted to see from her; not at all. She and Carina were two very different people from what he’d seen so far. Belladonna was the better of the two of them, and he knew it. .... Open the app and continue reading the rest of the story . 👉(It will automatically jump to the book when you open the app)
"Congratulations, Parker," I forced a smile. "I see you've found your Goddess-Gifted Mate." He nodded. "I have. We need to talk." "Why?" I shot back. "I already know what this is—I was chosen just to be rejected by you." I'd known from the start I wasn't his fated mate, and this day had been coming. "Just reject me, Parker. I'll accept it." I said, no emotion in my voice. Eight years ago, I was sold to him. Our bond never grew, never flourished like it should have. The only time we were together was in bed. He stayed silent, staring at me. I shook my head slightly. "I'll do it, then." I said. "I, Belladonna Harrington, reject you, Alpha Parker Hartly, as my Mate." I saw his eyes widen, disbelief flashing across his face. "Accept it," I gasped, clutching my chest. "It hurts, Parker." His frown deepened, then he stood up. "I, Alpha Parker Hartly, accept your rejection. You are no longer my Mate or Luna." Our bond shattered, and I felt it—severed completely. I gasped, my chest aching. He gripped his desk, eyes fixed on me. "Go claim your Goddess-Gifted," I said, voice strained. "And you?" He asked, his voice softer, almost concerned. "I'll be fine." I wasn't his anymore. And for the first time, I was free. --- Part 1: Null & Voided Belladonna Bella stood in the shower in the Luna’s suite, allowing the warm water to wash over her. She was pleasantly exhausted, Parker had left her suite; he was off to a mating ball in another state. She had four days now, where he wasn’t going to be there inside the pack. She was his Luna; had been for eight years now, but she was bound to him not by her choice, had been chosen for him by her own Alpha and Luna; just to get rid of her, and she knew it. She was the youngest child of her father, and unwanted and shunned; a bastard child not born of his Mate bond, and that was why she was hated by the Luna in her home pack. This allianced mating, that she’d been bound to at just 19 years of age. It was, she believed, her father’s Luna’s way of getting rid of her from their pack, once and for all. The only solace she had was that there was a detailed mating alliance. That did not allow for Parker to bring harm to her. Parker came to her room, the Luna’s suite every other night to bed her, and though the sex was good, more than good, damned near on amazing at times, she had to admit, because he wasn’t just a man that came and took what he wanted. No, he was a man that enjoyed sex, enjoyed knowing he pleased the woman in his bed, even if she had been sold to him. Parker could spend hours in her bed, touching and tasting her, sometimes all night long. He was not a terrible Mate to her, but he was indifferent most of the time. She had been given to him to stop a war between their two packs, had been Marked and Mated by him, taken as his Chosen Luna, with full view of rejecting her one-day down the line. She didn’t actually mean anything to him. He didn’t love her, and she didn’t love him. She could enjoy him being in her bed because of the Mate Bond, enjoyed it a lot, and had been known to scream with pleasure at him having his way with her. He could be utterly insatiable at times, and a part of Bella craved him; as his Mate she loved his every touch. She actually enjoyed her heat when it came, just once a year, spent seven glorious days being mated by him, and the sex; all rough I’ve just got to have alpha-blooded needs on the surface. Screamed in utter bliss that week multiple times a day and half all night, but it was the only time he never got out of her bed and slept in his suite. Every time always ended the same way. The moment he couldn’t scent her heat anymore, he was up and gone from her suite. Eight years of it; nothing had changed for him. Just three days ago, her heat had ended, and he’d left in the middle of the night. She’d not even known, she had been exhausted by them mating furiously that last time, and she had slept like the dead. Then she'd woken up on her own because her heat was over. This morning, him in her bed for a few hours before the sun rose. It was because he was going away for a mating ball and would be gone for four days. The pack he was visiting was in another state, 12 hours away, unaffiliated to him but a good opportunity for his wolves to pair up. There was nothing unusual about him being gone for four days, seeing as how far away that pack was, sometimes it was five full days. That was nice for her, he wasn’t one to tax his wolves, and so they stopped overnight on the way there or back if necessary. Not that he informed her of his doings, she just learned it over the years. Parker didn’t think that he was required to tell her his movements, she was only his Mate and Luna, due to the mating alliance that they had. It didn’t bother her at all, it just meant she had four days to herself this week. He always liked to have sex before he left and when he got back as well, something about he had an alpha-blooded sex drive that he needed to sate on a regular basis. She didn’t argue about it, she had it too, there was no need to either, they both got all the tingly mate bond goodness in that bed of hers. And it was always in her bed. She’d never even seen inside the Alpha Suite; that was not a place for her to be. Bella dressed for the day and headed downstairs, to get herself some breakfast, where she saw him and his unit all heading across the foyer and out the front door of the packhouse to leave. He nodded to her, but never said goodbye to her. No one here thought anything about it, they all knew she had been given to him. Was not his Goddess-Gifted Mate. Though the pack here was nice to her, they didn’t treat her badly at all, that had been a surprise to her, and she herself was nice to all of them. She actually liked the pack, and it seemed the pack actually liked her. Looked to her for advice even. She did her Luna duties as was required of her. She had been sent here against her will, but actually found that she fitted in better inside this pack than her own home pack. She had respect here from this pack, from Parker to a certain degree, she thought. She’d learned how to be a Luna to this pack, and attended to all of those duties that Parker had tasked her with, when she’d first been brought here. She had even been allowed to study with his pack’s doctor in the hospital, and now, eight years later she herself was a good doctor. Bella specialized in the delivery of pups, and looking after the she-wolves in labour, using her Luna Calm to help them settle when fully distressed, and things got a bit on the hairy side. She’d not lost a single pup or she-wolf in the past eight years of assisting and then delivering on her own. She was a fully registered doctor with this pack, and one day when she left, she would be a doctor for another pack somewhere else. That was the goal. Though what the really crazy thing was, was that six months after she went into heat herself, there was always an explosion of pups within the pack. It hadn’t gone unnoticed by the pack's doctor, her mentor Annette, she shook her head and had stated “It’s you, you know.” They often laughed and joked about it. Annette had already chuckled just yesterday about getting supplies ready for pups to be born in a few months’ time. Bella had just snorted and shaken her own head, they were currently going through that now, that heat she’d had last week was completely unexpected and out of the blue, her second one for this year. Had not been expected at all. Annette’s theory only made Bella shake her head, she thought it was just a coincidence was all. She’d not gotten pregnant once in the past eight years of having a heat once a year. A part of her was glad of it as well, knowing that there was a clause in her mating alliance that stated all pups she had while still bonded to Parker, were to be given to him. When he found his Goddess-Gifted Mate and rejected her, she had to leave them behind for him to raise. They were his heirs. It was not something she wanted to happen. She knew that Parker would make her give them up as well. He followed all his alliance dealings to the letter. She also knew it was a clause he’d written into their mating alliance himself. He wasn’t willing to relinquish any child to her, he would be claiming all of them as his heirs. She might be their mother if she ever birthed any pups, but she had no rights to them; that was how she looked at that clause. She saw him sometimes looking at her, in the weeks after her heat, assessing her, she knew, listening for a heartbeat of a pup. He wanted an heir and she, being Alpha-blooded like he was, their pup would be a pure-blooded heir for this pack. There were no pups, even though she wasn’t on birth control of any kind, he wouldn’t allow it. He was hoping for a pup between them and she knew it. 2 Belladonna Bella thought there was no pup simply because she didn’t want one and her wolf certainly didn’t want one to a Mate that was not her Fated or that was how it felt to Bella. Neither of them were at all interested in having a pup with a Mate that was going to, at some point in time, whether it be in the near or far future, reject them for his Goddess-Gifted when she came along. Why would anyone want to do that when they knew that their Alpha Mate would be sending them away, pretty much just tossing them out of his pack and without their pups, making them sever their kind bond to however many pups they had and loved. No she-wolf she knew would agree with that, it was insane; and neither she nor Freya, her wolf, were interested in that happening to them. Parker had made a few comments over the years about it, and she’d stared at him, stated simply, “Maybe, Selena doesn’t want us to have a pup, Parker.” To which he’d retort, “And maybe you’re infertile.” Sounding a bit on the angry side about it. “Could well be,” she’d nodded at him simply. She’d not taken offense to his words. Though she wasn’t infertile. She’d been tested a few years back along with himself after that very comment. She’d thought he’d gone away and thought about his own words, and maybe come to the conclusion that one of them was infertile. So they’d both been tested at his request, and they were both fine and capable of conceiving a pup, apparently. It just wasn’t meant to be as far as she was concerned, and she was honestly glad of it. Though during her heats, Parker knotted her every time he came, and she him back, liked the bloody feeling of it as much as he did, and she knew it. She understood that being knotted to one's Mate kind of made you feel whole, that it was part of the mate bond as well. He had in fact knotted her this morning, had looked right down at her while still knotted to her and sighed softly, contentedly. She knew he liked the feeling of being knotted to her. All wolves did unless they weren’t their Mate. His blue eyes had looked into her blue ones, and he’d murmured softly as he’d looked down at her, a gentle smile on his face, “An heir would be nice, don’t you think Belladonna.” He hadn’t said it in months, and she’d been a little surprised to hear him bring it once more, she had thought he’d give up on that thought, though the way he said her name softly, almost sounded like he cared at that moment. She knew better though, he never shortened her name like everyone else inside the pack did. He was the only one to call her Belladonna, and she was certain that he did it, to remind himself she was his Chosen Mate. “I guess it would.” She’d answered him. It was all she ever said on the subject of a pup between them. She’d only ever actually said ‘no’ once, and it had set him and his beast off into a fit of rage. She’d not really understood that. He didn’t love her, she knew that. But she’d never dared to say it again. Because his anger over her declining to even think it was a good idea, had filtered into the pack. The pack had been on edge over his foul mood, and she’d seen him stomping around and grating out orders at everyone. He’d been cranky about it for over a week. So now she stated she guessed it would be, instead of telling him no she didn’t want one with him. To save the pack from his temper was all, something he had, but she rarely saw, the pack rarely saw, and she had a feeling he tried not to lose it for no reason at all. The pack did like him, respect him and were happy with him as their Alpha. Sometimes she wondered what that war with her home pack had been all about. She didn’t recall there being a war, perse, there had been a full threat of one, that much she did know. Though her father and Parker had probably not wanted that war and tried everything to stop it before it got started. She’d not been privy to that and during those two days everyone had been sequestered to their homes. Though she did know there had been a wolfen force at the border of the pack. She shook off her thoughts, she didn’t need a trip down memory lane, that was a long time ago. She ate her breakfast in the dining room as she always did, smiled at the wolves in here eating as well. Chuckled as a boy of six climbed up onto the seat next to her and tugged on her arm “Luna, mummy’s going to have her baby today.” “Is she now?” she’d smiled down at him. “Yes, daddy took her to the hospital just a minute ago.” Bella smiled at him “Are you excited to meet your little sister Franky?” she asked him. “Yes.” He smiled big up at her “Aunty Becky is watching me.” Bella looked up to find Rebekah his aunt walking this way. She was heavily pregnant herself. “Daisy just went into labour, Luna.” Rebekah told her as she walked over to her. “I just heard; Franky’s excited.” She ruffled his blond hair. “How are you doing today, Becky?” “Alright, will you be going to the hospital soon?” Becky asked. “Yes, right after breakfast. Everything will be fine with your sister; I’ve not lost a pup yet and am not about to start today.” She reassured Becky. Bella had gone into heat six months ago. This was going to be a busy week here inside the pack. Her last heat had been very unexpected. Had come in the middle of the night, out of nowhere and Parker had not been in the pack for it either. That first night had been agony locked in her suite, unable to sate the needs from her heat. But he’d come back in short order, when he’d been informed she was in heat, and she’d been on him the moment he’d walked into her suite, practically ripped his pants off him and shoved him down all alpha aggression, and she ridden the hell out of him with all she’d had right by the suites' entry door. He hadn’t cared, had enjoyed it himself, enjoyed all her heats while they lasted. He got to have sex for hours every day and half the nights as well, it was all rough and raw, both their alpha-blooded needs in full swing. They were both very aggressive about getting what they wanted during her heats. It was kind of unavoidable, she thought. Just their bloodlines. She pulled herself from her thoughts and made her way to the pack’s hospital, pulled on her scrubs. Today she was wearing soft blue scrubs with sloths all over them; she thought they were cute. The pack hospital had, had a uniform when she’d arrived in this pack, black scrubs, she’d gotten rid of them, thought they were very unfriendly, and some of the pack’s children who’d never been in the hospital before had shied away from the nurses and doctors on their first visit. Now all the nurses and doctors wore fun scrubs with patterns all over them, some even tailored them to the seasons. It had helped the children relax and be comfortable. They did have a standard uniform for after war or pack attacks, when their wolves were grieving the loss of loved ones. Simple respectful scrubs that were mint green and white. Despite being brought here as a Chosen Mate and Luna, Parker did expect her to attend all Luna duties, and she did them well. He couldn’t fault her on that. He didn’t have any complaints, and had actually told her she made a good Luna to his pack. That had been just a few years back. She’d just smiled and nodded, accepted the compliment from him, they were few and far between, had told him in return, “I like the pack members, they’re nice to me.” and they were. "I'll always do my best for them, Parker." The Lustrous Moon was a much nicer pack to her than her home pack had been. 3 Belladonna It was a long four days inside the pack. Bella had delivered 17 pups over those days, she had lived inside the pack hospital itself, slept in her office, on the couch in there so she didn’t have to make the trip from the Luna suite to the hospital, which took 20 minutes at a casual stroll, it was closer to the pack's town than the packhouse, and she understood that was because it had been built to cater to the majority of the pack who lived in the town not the packhouse. Parker was due home today around lunchtime, and she knew that the moment he was finished initiating his new pack members into his pack, and allocating them homes if they needed it, he was going to want to go right to her room and have sex. He couldn’t go more than two days without sex on any normal given week here inside the pack. With the exception of that one week, he'd been angry. He'd stayed away from her that week; not brought his anger into her bed. But when he had crawled into bed, Goddess she'd never thought he was going to stop eating her out. Gotten multiples from him, several in fact, before she fallen asleep and woke up alone. This was how it had been for the past eight years. She, however, was actually very tired today, exhausted, she would say, had pulled an all-nighter last night and had yet to get any sleep. Bella had delivered three pups in the past 7 hours, and Annette had delivered two herself. Bella had received a text from him just as she was sitting down at her desk in her Luna's office, “I’ll be home in a few hours.” It had read. Bella had frowned down at it, a little confused as to why he’d sent it. He’d never done that before. She shook it off, likely he was just letting her know that he expected them to get naked in her bed when he got home, because he wanted to have sex. It had been four days. Well, it wasn’t going to be like that today. She had many things to do this morning herself and was too tired for sex; he’d have to understand. She was in all likelihood going to be in the Luna’s office when he crossed the pack border as well, because she had to now sit down and register all of those pups with the pack. Get their parents' files all up to date as well; having to register all 17 pups took time, and she didn’t make mistakes. It was going to be a long day, and she’d probably sleep like the dead after Parker had his way with her at some point later in the afternoon. She sighed as she sat in her chair, staring at the computer screen in front of her, her eyes kept drooping and she micro napped a few times, was fighting off sleep that she desperately needed and she knew it. She got up and looked at the time. It was just on 8am. She could sleep for two hours and then pull on her alpha-bloodline after that, to get her through the rest of the day, until she turned in for the night, she would go to bed early and she knew it. She set herself an alarm on her phone and crashed out on the couch in the Luna's office. Woke up and stretched and got coffee, when her alarm went off, she was still tired but could function at least. Returned to her job of documenting the births of those pups, and the condition of the mothers. She hissed as pain shot through her left arm, almost felt like someone had stabbed her and dragged a knife up her arm. It only lasted a few seconds, and she rubbed her arm and shook it off. It was odd, to say the least. Never felt that happen before. She finished documenting those pups, attached their baby pictures to the files and smiled at each one of them, she did love babies, they were so cute. All her life she’d been in a pack hospital. Her mother had died in childbirth, and she’d been raised by her grandmother, a nurse in her home pack, she’d never really had any friends, not being that she was her father’s bastard daughter, not even her half siblings liked her. Bella had learned to stick close to her grandmother, and she herself had worked in the pack hospital from a young age, become a runner for those that worked there, dashing off to get things they needed. Then she had started working in the hospital at 16, had dropped out of school altogether. It was not fun for her in that school, she got bullied by her half siblings all day long. She’d had one a few months older than she was, and she was in all her classes. Her father had not cared that she’d dropped out of school at all, he’d also never sent her off to Alpha College, she wasn’t a legitimate heir so didn’t need to go. She’d never asked to go either. She never went into the packhouse for anything, just tried to be invisible to that pack. Her father may have claimed her as his kin, but she was not part of the Alpha’s family, though she didn’t think Parker knew that. She was in fact hated by all of her siblings; the Luna especially hated her existence. Bella kind of understood that. She’d learned at a young age her conception had seen the packs Luna be in agony with the pains of betrayal. Though her grandmother had told her once, it wasn’t as it seemed, and not to believe that her mother was a mistress, she’d not been, hadn’t wanted to be bedded by her father, the alpha of that pack. She’d hadn’t had a choice about it, but then in the next breath she’d stated don’t blame your father either, he didn’t really want to bed your mother. It had confused her a lot. If neither had wanted it, how had it happened? Bella pulled herself from her thoughts as her tummy rumbled, and she got up to go and have lunch. It was midday and Parker wasn’t back yet, though she didn’t think it would be far off at all. He’d text her at 7am, a few hours. She shrugged, likely they’d all stopped for food somewhere. She was just returning to her office when she felt him come back into the pack, and he mind-linked to her near instantly, “Belladonna, meet me in the foyer.” He stated and cut the link before she could even reply to him. She was actually in the foyer now, so took up a seat with some of the pack’s kids and watched them play a board game. They all smiled up at her, and she smiled back at them, helped that youngest one out a bit. She looked up as Parker walked into the packhouse, and there was a woman walking next to him, quite tall, almost as tall as he was, though Bella noted she was wearing stilettos, they clicked loudly on the tiled floor as she strode along next to Parker. She looked more than annoyed to Bella. Bella stood as was expected of her to greet him when he came home, and watched as the woman looked right at her now as well, then there was just anger in those eyes of hers. Bella saw her take a full step closer to Parker and try to reach out and curl her hand around his forearm. Parker frowned down at her and brushed it away. “I’ve explained this to you Carina,” he stated flatly “No touching at this time.” There was more anger welling off the she-wolf now, and Bella understood right away, Parker had found his Goddess-Gifted Mate at that mating ball and though he would want to claim her for himself. He couldn’t, not until he’d rejected Bella. It was part of their mating alliance. “Axel, please take Carina to get some lunch.” Parker addressed his Delta, and motioned for them to move on passed him. His eyes moved back to her after Axel walked Carina off, “Belladonna, my office please.” He stated casually, and turned and walked that way himself. “Yes, Parker.” She answered him simply, she knew what this was all about, it was time for him to reject her, so he could go and claim his actual mate. 4 Belladonna She wondered just how much he was struggling right this minute, not being able to claim his Goddess-Gifted. How much had he struggled on the full moon when scenting her out and then coming face to face with her? Scenting her out knowing he couldn’t claim her, having that she-wolf see that he was already marked and mated by another, Bella bet that woman, Carina, she’d heard her name was, had been very confused by that. Likely been very angry about it, from what she’d just seen, clearly she hadn’t liked it at all. Ah! That stabbing pain in her arm earlier in the day, it was likely Carina had touched Parker, and as brief as it had been, she’d felt it, that had been pains of betrayal. That full moon night wouldn’t have been fun for her, and then the overnight stay in a hotel, and the long drive here to the pack. That she-wolf was more than ticked off about not being able to claim what was hers, but Parker, she knew, was a stickler for the rules. Which was a good thing for her, otherwise he could have treated her terribly over the years, and he could have marked and mated that she-wolf on the full moon, if he wasn’t a man of his word; something that she knew he actually was, and she was thankful for, because it would likely have killed her if he’d done that. She excused herself from the children and headed into his office, followed his Beta and Gamma. She heard the door being closed by Kane, the pack Beta. “Congratulations, Parker.” She smiled, genuinely happy for him. “I see you found your Goddess-Gifted Mate.” He nodded to her, “I have.” He stated as he sat down behind his desk “so we need to talk, you and I.” He looked right at her now. “Why?” she asked right back “I know what this is, I was chosen, just to be rejected by you.” she knew that was the truth, wondered if her old Luna wanted her to know that and feel it. Punish her for being born by doing this to her. “Just reject me Parker, I’ll accept it.” she told him simply. She had basically been sold to the Alpha sitting before her, she didn’t love him, her wolf didn’t love his either, their bond had never grown and flourished like all others did. It never would, or she didn’t believe that it would. The only time they spent together was in her bed, when he wanted to have sex, or she was in heat. Never did they ever go out for a meal, never had they celebrated their mate bond with each other, she’d not even gotten a Luna Ceremony. She had been announced to the pack the morning after he’d marked and mated her and that was it. She was not his Goddess-Gifted, and only that woman would get all of him, all the things that came with being his true Luna. Parker was frowning at her now, almost with disapproval in those blue eyes of his. He was still sitting there just staring at her, did so for a full minute as though he expected some sort of outburst from her, she thought. She wasn’t going to do that, wasn’t about to pitch a fit or kick up any kind of fuss over this. She stood there and stared right back at him, didn’t really understand why he didn’t just issue that rejection instantly, it was why he’d called her into his office, and she knew it, because he’d brought his Goddess-Gifted home with him. Bella finally raised an eyebrow at him, when he just sat there and continued to stare at her and say nothing. She shook her head a little, “I’ll do it then.” She stated simply, “I Luna Belladonna Harrington, reject you Alpha Parker Hartly as my Mate.” She stated, he’d never given her his name, again something reserved for his Goddess-Gifted Mate only, as was the Alpha Suite. She’d been here eight long years, and the entire time she’d resided in the Luna Suite, again a clause in the mating alliance; put in by Parker himself, she thought. To make sure she understood her place inside this pack, she supposed. She was his Luna and fuck buddy, not the love of his life. She doubted that he had any feelings at all where she was concerned, had wondered at times if he even liked her as a person. They didn’t talk often, so she wouldn’t know. Bella felt the severing of the bond begin on her end and gritted her teeth against it, stood staring at his widened eyes at her sudden rejecting of him. Almost like he couldn’t believe she’d issued it at all, “Accept it.” she gasped out after 30 seconds of him just staring at her “It, hurts Parker. Get it over with, please.” Again, there was that frown on his face, though now it was deepened, then he just stood up and nodded at her, “I Alpha Parker Hartly, accept your rejection Belladonna Harrington, you are no longer my Mate and Luna.” Bella gasped as their bond severed completely, clutched at her chest as she felt him being ripped away from her. Freya's snarl echoed inside her mind at the pain she was feeling. Then there was a pair of hands on her shoulders as she started to buckle under the weight of the pain. She could feel Shannon, the pack’s Gamma, rolling his charm over her to help ease her pain, and she was actually glad that he was there right this very minute. It hurt like a bitch, more than she had thought it would, considering their bond was nothing more than just really good sex. There was no emotional attachment between them, so she'd not expected it to hurt so much. She sank down onto her knees and had to breathe through the feeling of Parkers Mark burning off her neck. It took several long agonizing minutes, and even Shannon's Charm wasn't really helping with the pain of it, though she could feel it being rolled over her the whole time. Her hand reached up to touch her neck instinctively when the mark was gone, no more was the filigree that had adorned her neck for the past eight years, there were just two puncture marks where his fangs had buried into her that first night he’d brought her here to his pack and claimed her. It was no longer sensitive to the touch either, she felt nothing as she touched it where once it had brought desire. Even when she touched it herself, nothing remained right this minute. Her eyes lifted to him, he had a hand tightly gripped onto the edge of his desk, and a fist pressed hard against his chest. He looked to be in as much pain as she was. His eyes were on hers, never left hers at all, not even when she stood herself up and gently removed Shannon’s hands from her, stating softly “I’ll be alright, Shannon. Thank you.” and she knew she would be. “Parker, you should go and claim your Goddess-Gifted, it will resolve your pain quickly.” “And you?” he asked, and it almost sounded to her that he was concerned about her. “I’ll be fine. I understand our mating alliance, and I will follow it to the letter. Kane and I can sort that out. You should go and be with your Mate. She’ll be happy we’re over, and you can claim her, she can finally claim what is hers rightfully by the Goddess.” He was frowning at her now, didn’t appear to understand her reaction to all of this. But she was finally free, released from the contract that had made her just one of his belongings. It’s all she was to him, something he owned. Now she wasn’t his anymore or wouldn’t be in 24 hours; that’s how long she had to leave this pack. She turned to Kane, the pack’s Beta. “If you could meet me in the foyer in say an hour, we’ll finish it off properly, while Parker is marking and mating his Goddess-Gifted Mate.” “Yes Lu… Bella.” He nodded, had almost called her Luna, like he had done so many times before, over the past eight years. 5 Parker For eight years they had been mated to each other, and not once had Belladonna turned loving eyes on him. Not once had she even looked at the Alpha Suite as though she wanted to be in there with him; never had he even seen her glance at it. She just walked on past it like it didn’t exist for her. Belladonna, his mate of eight years, stood before him and still felt nothing for him. She was today wearing a clean set of scrubs. Though they looked a little on the rumpled side to him, as though she’d had a nap in them. It wouldn’t surprise him at all, if she had. She was often up late in the hospital. Slept there some nights when there were a lot of babies to be delivered. Even now standing in his office, he had expected some sort of reaction from her; to him bringing home his Goddess-Gifted Mate. But she’d not even so much as frowned at seeing Carina walk into the packhouse with him or standing there next to him, or Carina trying to touch him in a possessive manner, right there in the packhouse foyer for all to see. Knowing what she was to him, and Belladonna did know it, he’d never walked anywhere with a woman next to him like that before unless it was herself attending a mating ball with him, and Carina, she was all dolled up, to look her best when arriving at the pack. It had taken nearly an hour and a half to get ready in the hotel room this morning, which annoyed him greatly, having to wait for her like that. He had things to do and places to be. Belladonna had said nothing at all about seeing her with him, hadn’t even said anything when he’d sent Carina off with his Delta, and requested Belladonna to come into his office. No, she just politely excused herself from the children she’d been sitting with; likely playing a game with them, he’d seen her do that before on many occasions. He’d never treated her badly, respected her and craved that damned woman’s body more than he’d allowed himself to have her. Had held himself back from her because she didn’t have any feelings for him at all. She didn’t want a pup with him, hearing that had bloody hurt, and he’d been angry about it for a week. They’d been together for five years when he’d bitten the bullet and finally brought it up. He had thought five years of him treating her nicely. Respectfully, and acknowledging her as his Luna would have shown her, they worked well together. Clearly not, and he had not liked the response he’d gotten at all. Even now, he could see after eight years together, that he meant absolutely nothing to her. He couldn’t understand why her side of the mate bond didn’t grow and flourish at all. He didn’t want to issue this rejection, she was an amazing Luna, intelligent, strong and beautiful, had long wavy chestnut brown hair, that right this minute was pulled up in messy bun on top of her head. Because she’d been working in the pack hospital, but it didn’t detract from her beauty at all. Normally she would wear it out, and it fell around her shoulders or down her back in a lovely wavy cascade. She had brilliant blue eyes that could sparkle like the ocean at times and a very kissable mouth. The whole pack liked her, she’d learned everything about all of them over the years, attended to all the Luna’s duties, she was not only his Luna, but was a brilliant pack doctor as well. The woman loved babies, they made her light up from the inside out, and that smiled when she looked down at them; pure joy in her blue eyes. It was infectious the way she smiled. She always had a smile for the little ones. He couldn’t understand why they’d not had pups. She would make a great mother, and he knew it. Their children would be loved and adored by her. He’d not once in the past eight years seen her even raise her voice to a little one, not even a teenager. She’d looked a little exasperated at times, when she got those repeat offenders to her Luna’s office, to be admonished by their Luna for getting into fights, but never did she yell at them. She was a kind soul to everyone. She’d not even argued about being mated off to him, had stood there in her father’s office at just 19 years old, untouched by anyone inside her home pack, he’d taken her virginity, she’d not even known how to kiss. Very unusual for an alpha-blooded female of 19 years of age. She had just stood there in her father’s office and said nothing at all. Not one single word to anyone in that room, as they’d discussed that Mating Alliance, what clauses he wanted, what her father had wanted for her as well. She’d said nothing in his car on the way to this very pack, had sat and stared out the window the entire time. Nothing until he’d initiated her into his pack, until he’d cut his palm and then hers, and pressed their palms together, asked, as her new Alpha, to pledge loyalty to him and his pack. She’d not even really looked at him until that very moment either, just once in her father’s office only. He recalled her that day here in his office, she'd looked at their hands, taken in a long breath and then had just accepted him as her new Alpha. It had been the first time he’d heard her voice. Soft to his own ears even then, he’d put that down to her being unhappy about the Mating Alliance, and he knew she was unhappy. Shannon had told him via the mind-link ‘She’s unhappy, but resigned to it, not going to argue or fight you about Marking and Mating her.’ And she hadn’t. He’d also known she had never been with anyone. Her own father had told him as much, and Shannon had confirmed that, for him, she was nervous about not knowing what to do in the bedroom. He’d been more than experienced, so it wasn’t really an issue, and he’d not Mated her until they’d both marked each other. It would lessen the pain for her and he knew it. He’d also not rushed the job, taken his time and tried to take care of her, bring about pleasure for her, and show her he wasn’t going to be a brute of a Mate, and that he wasn't out to hurt her. Now to hear her congratulate him, it felt very odd to him, and Vex’s ears, which had flattened back against his head and annoyance rolled right off his beast at her words, she actually meant it, it was there in her tone. She was genuinely happy for him, it appeared. Their own Mate confused them to no end. If she’d walked into this packhouse trailing a Goddess-Gifted Mate, he’d likely have tried to take that man's head clean off. Would have been very angry to see another that was getting to touch what was his. But no, she just smiled right at him, the perfectly happy smile she had when she looked at babies, real happiness there on the surface not only for him to see, but to know it was actually for him, she really was happy for him right this very minute; That he had found his Goddess-Gifted Mate. Vex wanted to snarl at her for seeing her so happy about him being gifted to another, but turned and stalked off away to the back of his mind, ‘I’m not voicing it.’ he snarled at Parker and lay down inside his mind to watch her from back there. She’d been mated by his wolf in human form as often as she had been by Parker himself. They were both attached to her and both wanted her. His wolf was annoyed as much as Parker was right this very minute that she could be so bloody happy for them, it was not what he wanted to see from her; not at all. She and Carina were two very different people from what he’d seen so far. Belladonna was the better of the two of them, and he knew it. .... Open the app and continue reading the rest of the story . 👉(It will automatically jump to the book when you open the app)
"Congratulations, Parker," I forced a smile. "I see you've found your Goddess-Gifted Mate." He nodded. "I have. We need to talk." "Why?" I shot back. "I already know what this is—I was chosen just to be rejected by you." I'd known from the start I wasn't his fated mate, and this day had been coming. "Just reject me, Parker. I'll accept it." I said, no emotion in my voice. Eight years ago, I was sold to him. Our bond never grew, never flourished like it should have. The only time we were together was in bed. He stayed silent, staring at me. I shook my head slightly. "I'll do it, then." I said. "I, Belladonna Harrington, reject you, Alpha Parker Hartly, as my Mate." I saw his eyes widen, disbelief flashing across his face. "Accept it," I gasped, clutching my chest. "It hurts, Parker." His frown deepened, then he stood up. "I, Alpha Parker Hartly, accept your rejection. You are no longer my Mate or Luna." Our bond shattered, and I felt it—severed completely. I gasped, my chest aching. He gripped his desk, eyes fixed on me. "Go claim your Goddess-Gifted," I said, voice strained. "And you?" He asked, his voice softer, almost concerned. "I'll be fine." I wasn't his anymore. And for the first time, I was free. --- Part 1: Null & Voided Belladonna Bella stood in the shower in the Luna’s suite, allowing the warm water to wash over her. She was pleasantly exhausted, Parker had left her suite; he was off to a mating ball in another state. She had four days now, where he wasn’t going to be there inside the pack. She was his Luna; had been for eight years now, but she was bound to him not by her choice, had been chosen for him by her own Alpha and Luna; just to get rid of her, and she knew it. She was the youngest child of her father, and unwanted and shunned; a bastard child not born of his Mate bond, and that was why she was hated by the Luna in her home pack. This allianced mating, that she’d been bound to at just 19 years of age. It was, she believed, her father’s Luna’s way of getting rid of her from their pack, once and for all. The only solace she had was that there was a detailed mating alliance. That did not allow for Parker to bring harm to her. Parker came to her room, the Luna’s suite every other night to bed her, and though the sex was good, more than good, damned near on amazing at times, she had to admit, because he wasn’t just a man that came and took what he wanted. No, he was a man that enjoyed sex, enjoyed knowing he pleased the woman in his bed, even if she had been sold to him. Parker could spend hours in her bed, touching and tasting her, sometimes all night long. He was not a terrible Mate to her, but he was indifferent most of the time. She had been given to him to stop a war between their two packs, had been Marked and Mated by him, taken as his Chosen Luna, with full view of rejecting her one-day down the line. She didn’t actually mean anything to him. He didn’t love her, and she didn’t love him. She could enjoy him being in her bed because of the Mate Bond, enjoyed it a lot, and had been known to scream with pleasure at him having his way with her. He could be utterly insatiable at times, and a part of Bella craved him; as his Mate she loved his every touch. She actually enjoyed her heat when it came, just once a year, spent seven glorious days being mated by him, and the sex; all rough I’ve just got to have alpha-blooded needs on the surface. Screamed in utter bliss that week multiple times a day and half all night, but it was the only time he never got out of her bed and slept in his suite. Every time always ended the same way. The moment he couldn’t scent her heat anymore, he was up and gone from her suite. Eight years of it; nothing had changed for him. Just three days ago, her heat had ended, and he’d left in the middle of the night. She’d not even known, she had been exhausted by them mating furiously that last time, and she had slept like the dead. Then she'd woken up on her own because her heat was over. This morning, him in her bed for a few hours before the sun rose. It was because he was going away for a mating ball and would be gone for four days. The pack he was visiting was in another state, 12 hours away, unaffiliated to him but a good opportunity for his wolves to pair up. There was nothing unusual about him being gone for four days, seeing as how far away that pack was, sometimes it was five full days. That was nice for her, he wasn’t one to tax his wolves, and so they stopped overnight on the way there or back if necessary. Not that he informed her of his doings, she just learned it over the years. Parker didn’t think that he was required to tell her his movements, she was only his Mate and Luna, due to the mating alliance that they had. It didn’t bother her at all, it just meant she had four days to herself this week. He always liked to have sex before he left and when he got back as well, something about he had an alpha-blooded sex drive that he needed to sate on a regular basis. She didn’t argue about it, she had it too, there was no need to either, they both got all the tingly mate bond goodness in that bed of hers. And it was always in her bed. She’d never even seen inside the Alpha Suite; that was not a place for her to be. Bella dressed for the day and headed downstairs, to get herself some breakfast, where she saw him and his unit all heading across the foyer and out the front door of the packhouse to leave. He nodded to her, but never said goodbye to her. No one here thought anything about it, they all knew she had been given to him. Was not his Goddess-Gifted Mate. Though the pack here was nice to her, they didn’t treat her badly at all, that had been a surprise to her, and she herself was nice to all of them. She actually liked the pack, and it seemed the pack actually liked her. Looked to her for advice even. She did her Luna duties as was required of her. She had been sent here against her will, but actually found that she fitted in better inside this pack than her own home pack. She had respect here from this pack, from Parker to a certain degree, she thought. She’d learned how to be a Luna to this pack, and attended to all of those duties that Parker had tasked her with, when she’d first been brought here. She had even been allowed to study with his pack’s doctor in the hospital, and now, eight years later she herself was a good doctor. Bella specialized in the delivery of pups, and looking after the she-wolves in labour, using her Luna Calm to help them settle when fully distressed, and things got a bit on the hairy side. She’d not lost a single pup or she-wolf in the past eight years of assisting and then delivering on her own. She was a fully registered doctor with this pack, and one day when she left, she would be a doctor for another pack somewhere else. That was the goal. Though what the really crazy thing was, was that six months after she went into heat herself, there was always an explosion of pups within the pack. It hadn’t gone unnoticed by the pack's doctor, her mentor Annette, she shook her head and had stated “It’s you, you know.” They often laughed and joked about it. Annette had already chuckled just yesterday about getting supplies ready for pups to be born in a few months’ time. Bella had just snorted and shaken her own head, they were currently going through that now, that heat she’d had last week was completely unexpected and out of the blue, her second one for this year. Had not been expected at all. Annette’s theory only made Bella shake her head, she thought it was just a coincidence was all. She’d not gotten pregnant once in the past eight years of having a heat once a year. A part of her was glad of it as well, knowing that there was a clause in her mating alliance that stated all pups she had while still bonded to Parker, were to be given to him. When he found his Goddess-Gifted Mate and rejected her, she had to leave them behind for him to raise. They were his heirs. It was not something she wanted to happen. She knew that Parker would make her give them up as well. He followed all his alliance dealings to the letter. She also knew it was a clause he’d written into their mating alliance himself. He wasn’t willing to relinquish any child to her, he would be claiming all of them as his heirs. She might be their mother if she ever birthed any pups, but she had no rights to them; that was how she looked at that clause. She saw him sometimes looking at her, in the weeks after her heat, assessing her, she knew, listening for a heartbeat of a pup. He wanted an heir and she, being Alpha-blooded like he was, their pup would be a pure-blooded heir for this pack. There were no pups, even though she wasn’t on birth control of any kind, he wouldn’t allow it. He was hoping for a pup between them and she knew it. 2 Belladonna Bella thought there was no pup simply because she didn’t want one and her wolf certainly didn’t want one to a Mate that was not her Fated or that was how it felt to Bella. Neither of them were at all interested in having a pup with a Mate that was going to, at some point in time, whether it be in the near or far future, reject them for his Goddess-Gifted when she came along. Why would anyone want to do that when they knew that their Alpha Mate would be sending them away, pretty much just tossing them out of his pack and without their pups, making them sever their kind bond to however many pups they had and loved. No she-wolf she knew would agree with that, it was insane; and neither she nor Freya, her wolf, were interested in that happening to them. Parker had made a few comments over the years about it, and she’d stared at him, stated simply, “Maybe, Selena doesn’t want us to have a pup, Parker.” To which he’d retort, “And maybe you’re infertile.” Sounding a bit on the angry side about it. “Could well be,” she’d nodded at him simply. She’d not taken offense to his words. Though she wasn’t infertile. She’d been tested a few years back along with himself after that very comment. She’d thought he’d gone away and thought about his own words, and maybe come to the conclusion that one of them was infertile. So they’d both been tested at his request, and they were both fine and capable of conceiving a pup, apparently. It just wasn’t meant to be as far as she was concerned, and she was honestly glad of it. Though during her heats, Parker knotted her every time he came, and she him back, liked the bloody feeling of it as much as he did, and she knew it. She understood that being knotted to one's Mate kind of made you feel whole, that it was part of the mate bond as well. He had in fact knotted her this morning, had looked right down at her while still knotted to her and sighed softly, contentedly. She knew he liked the feeling of being knotted to her. All wolves did unless they weren’t their Mate. His blue eyes had looked into her blue ones, and he’d murmured softly as he’d looked down at her, a gentle smile on his face, “An heir would be nice, don’t you think Belladonna.” He hadn’t said it in months, and she’d been a little surprised to hear him bring it once more, she had thought he’d give up on that thought, though the way he said her name softly, almost sounded like he cared at that moment. She knew better though, he never shortened her name like everyone else inside the pack did. He was the only one to call her Belladonna, and she was certain that he did it, to remind himself she was his Chosen Mate. “I guess it would.” She’d answered him. It was all she ever said on the subject of a pup between them. She’d only ever actually said ‘no’ once, and it had set him and his beast off into a fit of rage. She’d not really understood that. He didn’t love her, she knew that. But she’d never dared to say it again. Because his anger over her declining to even think it was a good idea, had filtered into the pack. The pack had been on edge over his foul mood, and she’d seen him stomping around and grating out orders at everyone. He’d been cranky about it for over a week. So now she stated she guessed it would be, instead of telling him no she didn’t want one with him. To save the pack from his temper was all, something he had, but she rarely saw, the pack rarely saw, and she had a feeling he tried not to lose it for no reason at all. The pack did like him, respect him and were happy with him as their Alpha. Sometimes she wondered what that war with her home pack had been all about. She didn’t recall there being a war, perse, there had been a full threat of one, that much she did know. Though her father and Parker had probably not wanted that war and tried everything to stop it before it got started. She’d not been privy to that and during those two days everyone had been sequestered to their homes. Though she did know there had been a wolfen force at the border of the pack. She shook off her thoughts, she didn’t need a trip down memory lane, that was a long time ago. She ate her breakfast in the dining room as she always did, smiled at the wolves in here eating as well. Chuckled as a boy of six climbed up onto the seat next to her and tugged on her arm “Luna, mummy’s going to have her baby today.” “Is she now?” she’d smiled down at him. “Yes, daddy took her to the hospital just a minute ago.” Bella smiled at him “Are you excited to meet your little sister Franky?” she asked him. “Yes.” He smiled big up at her “Aunty Becky is watching me.” Bella looked up to find Rebekah his aunt walking this way. She was heavily pregnant herself. “Daisy just went into labour, Luna.” Rebekah told her as she walked over to her. “I just heard; Franky’s excited.” She ruffled his blond hair. “How are you doing today, Becky?” “Alright, will you be going to the hospital soon?” Becky asked. “Yes, right after breakfast. Everything will be fine with your sister; I’ve not lost a pup yet and am not about to start today.” She reassured Becky. Bella had gone into heat six months ago. This was going to be a busy week here inside the pack. Her last heat had been very unexpected. Had come in the middle of the night, out of nowhere and Parker had not been in the pack for it either. That first night had been agony locked in her suite, unable to sate the needs from her heat. But he’d come back in short order, when he’d been informed she was in heat, and she’d been on him the moment he’d walked into her suite, practically ripped his pants off him and shoved him down all alpha aggression, and she ridden the hell out of him with all she’d had right by the suites' entry door. He hadn’t cared, had enjoyed it himself, enjoyed all her heats while they lasted. He got to have sex for hours every day and half the nights as well, it was all rough and raw, both their alpha-blooded needs in full swing. They were both very aggressive about getting what they wanted during her heats. It was kind of unavoidable, she thought. Just their bloodlines. She pulled herself from her thoughts and made her way to the pack’s hospital, pulled on her scrubs. Today she was wearing soft blue scrubs with sloths all over them; she thought they were cute. The pack hospital had, had a uniform when she’d arrived in this pack, black scrubs, she’d gotten rid of them, thought they were very unfriendly, and some of the pack’s children who’d never been in the hospital before had shied away from the nurses and doctors on their first visit. Now all the nurses and doctors wore fun scrubs with patterns all over them, some even tailored them to the seasons. It had helped the children relax and be comfortable. They did have a standard uniform for after war or pack attacks, when their wolves were grieving the loss of loved ones. Simple respectful scrubs that were mint green and white. Despite being brought here as a Chosen Mate and Luna, Parker did expect her to attend all Luna duties, and she did them well. He couldn’t fault her on that. He didn’t have any complaints, and had actually told her she made a good Luna to his pack. That had been just a few years back. She’d just smiled and nodded, accepted the compliment from him, they were few and far between, had told him in return, “I like the pack members, they’re nice to me.” and they were. "I'll always do my best for them, Parker." The Lustrous Moon was a much nicer pack to her than her home pack had been. 3 Belladonna It was a long four days inside the pack. Bella had delivered 17 pups over those days, she had lived inside the pack hospital itself, slept in her office, on the couch in there so she didn’t have to make the trip from the Luna suite to the hospital, which took 20 minutes at a casual stroll, it was closer to the pack's town than the packhouse, and she understood that was because it had been built to cater to the majority of the pack who lived in the town not the packhouse. Parker was due home today around lunchtime, and she knew that the moment he was finished initiating his new pack members into his pack, and allocating them homes if they needed it, he was going to want to go right to her room and have sex. He couldn’t go more than two days without sex on any normal given week here inside the pack. With the exception of that one week, he'd been angry. He'd stayed away from her that week; not brought his anger into her bed. But when he had crawled into bed, Goddess she'd never thought he was going to stop eating her out. Gotten multiples from him, several in fact, before she fallen asleep and woke up alone. This was how it had been for the past eight years. She, however, was actually very tired today, exhausted, she would say, had pulled an all-nighter last night and had yet to get any sleep. Bella had delivered three pups in the past 7 hours, and Annette had delivered two herself. Bella had received a text from him just as she was sitting down at her desk in her Luna's office, “I’ll be home in a few hours.” It had read. Bella had frowned down at it, a little confused as to why he’d sent it. He’d never done that before. She shook it off, likely he was just letting her know that he expected them to get naked in her bed when he got home, because he wanted to have sex. It had been four days. Well, it wasn’t going to be like that today. She had many things to do this morning herself and was too tired for sex; he’d have to understand. She was in all likelihood going to be in the Luna’s office when he crossed the pack border as well, because she had to now sit down and register all of those pups with the pack. Get their parents' files all up to date as well; having to register all 17 pups took time, and she didn’t make mistakes. It was going to be a long day, and she’d probably sleep like the dead after Parker had his way with her at some point later in the afternoon. She sighed as she sat in her chair, staring at the computer screen in front of her, her eyes kept drooping and she micro napped a few times, was fighting off sleep that she desperately needed and she knew it. She got up and looked at the time. It was just on 8am. She could sleep for two hours and then pull on her alpha-bloodline after that, to get her through the rest of the day, until she turned in for the night, she would go to bed early and she knew it. She set herself an alarm on her phone and crashed out on the couch in the Luna's office. Woke up and stretched and got coffee, when her alarm went off, she was still tired but could function at least. Returned to her job of documenting the births of those pups, and the condition of the mothers. She hissed as pain shot through her left arm, almost felt like someone had stabbed her and dragged a knife up her arm. It only lasted a few seconds, and she rubbed her arm and shook it off. It was odd, to say the least. Never felt that happen before. She finished documenting those pups, attached their baby pictures to the files and smiled at each one of them, she did love babies, they were so cute. All her life she’d been in a pack hospital. Her mother had died in childbirth, and she’d been raised by her grandmother, a nurse in her home pack, she’d never really had any friends, not being that she was her father’s bastard daughter, not even her half siblings liked her. Bella had learned to stick close to her grandmother, and she herself had worked in the pack hospital from a young age, become a runner for those that worked there, dashing off to get things they needed. Then she had started working in the hospital at 16, had dropped out of school altogether. It was not fun for her in that school, she got bullied by her half siblings all day long. She’d had one a few months older than she was, and she was in all her classes. Her father had not cared that she’d dropped out of school at all, he’d also never sent her off to Alpha College, she wasn’t a legitimate heir so didn’t need to go. She’d never asked to go either. She never went into the packhouse for anything, just tried to be invisible to that pack. Her father may have claimed her as his kin, but she was not part of the Alpha’s family, though she didn’t think Parker knew that. She was in fact hated by all of her siblings; the Luna especially hated her existence. Bella kind of understood that. She’d learned at a young age her conception had seen the packs Luna be in agony with the pains of betrayal. Though her grandmother had told her once, it wasn’t as it seemed, and not to believe that her mother was a mistress, she’d not been, hadn’t wanted to be bedded by her father, the alpha of that pack. She’d hadn’t had a choice about it, but then in the next breath she’d stated don’t blame your father either, he didn’t really want to bed your mother. It had confused her a lot. If neither had wanted it, how had it happened? Bella pulled herself from her thoughts as her tummy rumbled, and she got up to go and have lunch. It was midday and Parker wasn’t back yet, though she didn’t think it would be far off at all. He’d text her at 7am, a few hours. She shrugged, likely they’d all stopped for food somewhere. She was just returning to her office when she felt him come back into the pack, and he mind-linked to her near instantly, “Belladonna, meet me in the foyer.” He stated and cut the link before she could even reply to him. She was actually in the foyer now, so took up a seat with some of the pack’s kids and watched them play a board game. They all smiled up at her, and she smiled back at them, helped that youngest one out a bit. She looked up as Parker walked into the packhouse, and there was a woman walking next to him, quite tall, almost as tall as he was, though Bella noted she was wearing stilettos, they clicked loudly on the tiled floor as she strode along next to Parker. She looked more than annoyed to Bella. Bella stood as was expected of her to greet him when he came home, and watched as the woman looked right at her now as well, then there was just anger in those eyes of hers. Bella saw her take a full step closer to Parker and try to reach out and curl her hand around his forearm. Parker frowned down at her and brushed it away. “I’ve explained this to you Carina,” he stated flatly “No touching at this time.” There was more anger welling off the she-wolf now, and Bella understood right away, Parker had found his Goddess-Gifted Mate at that mating ball and though he would want to claim her for himself. He couldn’t, not until he’d rejected Bella. It was part of their mating alliance. “Axel, please take Carina to get some lunch.” Parker addressed his Delta, and motioned for them to move on passed him. His eyes moved back to her after Axel walked Carina off, “Belladonna, my office please.” He stated casually, and turned and walked that way himself. “Yes, Parker.” She answered him simply, she knew what this was all about, it was time for him to reject her, so he could go and claim his actual mate. 4 Belladonna She wondered just how much he was struggling right this minute, not being able to claim his Goddess-Gifted. How much had he struggled on the full moon when scenting her out and then coming face to face with her? Scenting her out knowing he couldn’t claim her, having that she-wolf see that he was already marked and mated by another, Bella bet that woman, Carina, she’d heard her name was, had been very confused by that. Likely been very angry about it, from what she’d just seen, clearly she hadn’t liked it at all. Ah! That stabbing pain in her arm earlier in the day, it was likely Carina had touched Parker, and as brief as it had been, she’d felt it, that had been pains of betrayal. That full moon night wouldn’t have been fun for her, and then the overnight stay in a hotel, and the long drive here to the pack. That she-wolf was more than ticked off about not being able to claim what was hers, but Parker, she knew, was a stickler for the rules. Which was a good thing for her, otherwise he could have treated her terribly over the years, and he could have marked and mated that she-wolf on the full moon, if he wasn’t a man of his word; something that she knew he actually was, and she was thankful for, because it would likely have killed her if he’d done that. She excused herself from the children and headed into his office, followed his Beta and Gamma. She heard the door being closed by Kane, the pack Beta. “Congratulations, Parker.” She smiled, genuinely happy for him. “I see you found your Goddess-Gifted Mate.” He nodded to her, “I have.” He stated as he sat down behind his desk “so we need to talk, you and I.” He looked right at her now. “Why?” she asked right back “I know what this is, I was chosen, just to be rejected by you.” she knew that was the truth, wondered if her old Luna wanted her to know that and feel it. Punish her for being born by doing this to her. “Just reject me Parker, I’ll accept it.” she told him simply. She had basically been sold to the Alpha sitting before her, she didn’t love him, her wolf didn’t love his either, their bond had never grown and flourished like all others did. It never would, or she didn’t believe that it would. The only time they spent together was in her bed, when he wanted to have sex, or she was in heat. Never did they ever go out for a meal, never had they celebrated their mate bond with each other, she’d not even gotten a Luna Ceremony. She had been announced to the pack the morning after he’d marked and mated her and that was it. She was not his Goddess-Gifted, and only that woman would get all of him, all the things that came with being his true Luna. Parker was frowning at her now, almost with disapproval in those blue eyes of his. He was still sitting there just staring at her, did so for a full minute as though he expected some sort of outburst from her, she thought. She wasn’t going to do that, wasn’t about to pitch a fit or kick up any kind of fuss over this. She stood there and stared right back at him, didn’t really understand why he didn’t just issue that rejection instantly, it was why he’d called her into his office, and she knew it, because he’d brought his Goddess-Gifted home with him. Bella finally raised an eyebrow at him, when he just sat there and continued to stare at her and say nothing. She shook her head a little, “I’ll do it then.” She stated simply, “I Luna Belladonna Harrington, reject you Alpha Parker Hartly as my Mate.” She stated, he’d never given her his name, again something reserved for his Goddess-Gifted Mate only, as was the Alpha Suite. She’d been here eight long years, and the entire time she’d resided in the Luna Suite, again a clause in the mating alliance; put in by Parker himself, she thought. To make sure she understood her place inside this pack, she supposed. She was his Luna and fuck buddy, not the love of his life. She doubted that he had any feelings at all where she was concerned, had wondered at times if he even liked her as a person. They didn’t talk often, so she wouldn’t know. Bella felt the severing of the bond begin on her end and gritted her teeth against it, stood staring at his widened eyes at her sudden rejecting of him. Almost like he couldn’t believe she’d issued it at all, “Accept it.” she gasped out after 30 seconds of him just staring at her “It, hurts Parker. Get it over with, please.” Again, there was that frown on his face, though now it was deepened, then he just stood up and nodded at her, “I Alpha Parker Hartly, accept your rejection Belladonna Harrington, you are no longer my Mate and Luna.” Bella gasped as their bond severed completely, clutched at her chest as she felt him being ripped away from her. Freya's snarl echoed inside her mind at the pain she was feeling. Then there was a pair of hands on her shoulders as she started to buckle under the weight of the pain. She could feel Shannon, the pack’s Gamma, rolling his charm over her to help ease her pain, and she was actually glad that he was there right this very minute. It hurt like a bitch, more than she had thought it would, considering their bond was nothing more than just really good sex. There was no emotional attachment between them, so she'd not expected it to hurt so much. She sank down onto her knees and had to breathe through the feeling of Parkers Mark burning off her neck. It took several long agonizing minutes, and even Shannon's Charm wasn't really helping with the pain of it, though she could feel it being rolled over her the whole time. Her hand reached up to touch her neck instinctively when the mark was gone, no more was the filigree that had adorned her neck for the past eight years, there were just two puncture marks where his fangs had buried into her that first night he’d brought her here to his pack and claimed her. It was no longer sensitive to the touch either, she felt nothing as she touched it where once it had brought desire. Even when she touched it herself, nothing remained right this minute. Her eyes lifted to him, he had a hand tightly gripped onto the edge of his desk, and a fist pressed hard against his chest. He looked to be in as much pain as she was. His eyes were on hers, never left hers at all, not even when she stood herself up and gently removed Shannon’s hands from her, stating softly “I’ll be alright, Shannon. Thank you.” and she knew she would be. “Parker, you should go and claim your Goddess-Gifted, it will resolve your pain quickly.” “And you?” he asked, and it almost sounded to her that he was concerned about her. “I’ll be fine. I understand our mating alliance, and I will follow it to the letter. Kane and I can sort that out. You should go and be with your Mate. She’ll be happy we’re over, and you can claim her, she can finally claim what is hers rightfully by the Goddess.” He was frowning at her now, didn’t appear to understand her reaction to all of this. But she was finally free, released from the contract that had made her just one of his belongings. It’s all she was to him, something he owned. Now she wasn’t his anymore or wouldn’t be in 24 hours; that’s how long she had to leave this pack. She turned to Kane, the pack’s Beta. “If you could meet me in the foyer in say an hour, we’ll finish it off properly, while Parker is marking and mating his Goddess-Gifted Mate.” “Yes Lu… Bella.” He nodded, had almost called her Luna, like he had done so many times before, over the past eight years. 5 Parker For eight years they had been mated to each other, and not once had Belladonna turned loving eyes on him. Not once had she even looked at the Alpha Suite as though she wanted to be in there with him; never had he even seen her glance at it. She just walked on past it like it didn’t exist for her. Belladonna, his mate of eight years, stood before him and still felt nothing for him. She was today wearing a clean set of scrubs. Though they looked a little on the rumpled side to him, as though she’d had a nap in them. It wouldn’t surprise him at all, if she had. She was often up late in the hospital. Slept there some nights when there were a lot of babies to be delivered. Even now standing in his office, he had expected some sort of reaction from her; to him bringing home his Goddess-Gifted Mate. But she’d not even so much as frowned at seeing Carina walk into the packhouse with him or standing there next to him, or Carina trying to touch him in a possessive manner, right there in the packhouse foyer for all to see. Knowing what she was to him, and Belladonna did know it, he’d never walked anywhere with a woman next to him like that before unless it was herself attending a mating ball with him, and Carina, she was all dolled up, to look her best when arriving at the pack. It had taken nearly an hour and a half to get ready in the hotel room this morning, which annoyed him greatly, having to wait for her like that. He had things to do and places to be. Belladonna had said nothing at all about seeing her with him, hadn’t even said anything when he’d sent Carina off with his Delta, and requested Belladonna to come into his office. No, she just politely excused herself from the children she’d been sitting with; likely playing a game with them, he’d seen her do that before on many occasions. He’d never treated her badly, respected her and craved that damned woman’s body more than he’d allowed himself to have her. Had held himself back from her because she didn’t have any feelings for him at all. She didn’t want a pup with him, hearing that had bloody hurt, and he’d been angry about it for a week. They’d been together for five years when he’d bitten the bullet and finally brought it up. He had thought five years of him treating her nicely. Respectfully, and acknowledging her as his Luna would have shown her, they worked well together. Clearly not, and he had not liked the response he’d gotten at all. Even now, he could see after eight years together, that he meant absolutely nothing to her. He couldn’t understand why her side of the mate bond didn’t grow and flourish at all. He didn’t want to issue this rejection, she was an amazing Luna, intelligent, strong and beautiful, had long wavy chestnut brown hair, that right this minute was pulled up in messy bun on top of her head. Because she’d been working in the pack hospital, but it didn’t detract from her beauty at all. Normally she would wear it out, and it fell around her shoulders or down her back in a lovely wavy cascade. She had brilliant blue eyes that could sparkle like the ocean at times and a very kissable mouth. The whole pack liked her, she’d learned everything about all of them over the years, attended to all the Luna’s duties, she was not only his Luna, but was a brilliant pack doctor as well. The woman loved babies, they made her light up from the inside out, and that smiled when she looked down at them; pure joy in her blue eyes. It was infectious the way she smiled. She always had a smile for the little ones. He couldn’t understand why they’d not had pups. She would make a great mother, and he knew it. Their children would be loved and adored by her. He’d not once in the past eight years seen her even raise her voice to a little one, not even a teenager. She’d looked a little exasperated at times, when she got those repeat offenders to her Luna’s office, to be admonished by their Luna for getting into fights, but never did she yell at them. She was a kind soul to everyone. She’d not even argued about being mated off to him, had stood there in her father’s office at just 19 years old, untouched by anyone inside her home pack, he’d taken her virginity, she’d not even known how to kiss. Very unusual for an alpha-blooded female of 19 years of age. She had just stood there in her father’s office and said nothing at all. Not one single word to anyone in that room, as they’d discussed that Mating Alliance, what clauses he wanted, what her father had wanted for her as well. She’d said nothing in his car on the way to this very pack, had sat and stared out the window the entire time. Nothing until he’d initiated her into his pack, until he’d cut his palm and then hers, and pressed their palms together, asked, as her new Alpha, to pledge loyalty to him and his pack. She’d not even really looked at him until that very moment either, just once in her father’s office only. He recalled her that day here in his office, she'd looked at their hands, taken in a long breath and then had just accepted him as her new Alpha. It had been the first time he’d heard her voice. Soft to his own ears even then, he’d put that down to her being unhappy about the Mating Alliance, and he knew she was unhappy. Shannon had told him via the mind-link ‘She’s unhappy, but resigned to it, not going to argue or fight you about Marking and Mating her.’ And she hadn’t. He’d also known she had never been with anyone. Her own father had told him as much, and Shannon had confirmed that, for him, she was nervous about not knowing what to do in the bedroom. He’d been more than experienced, so it wasn’t really an issue, and he’d not Mated her until they’d both marked each other. It would lessen the pain for her and he knew it. He’d also not rushed the job, taken his time and tried to take care of her, bring about pleasure for her, and show her he wasn’t going to be a brute of a Mate, and that he wasn't out to hurt her. Now to hear her congratulate him, it felt very odd to him, and Vex’s ears, which had flattened back against his head and annoyance rolled right off his beast at her words, she actually meant it, it was there in her tone. She was genuinely happy for him, it appeared. Their own Mate confused them to no end. If she’d walked into this packhouse trailing a Goddess-Gifted Mate, he’d likely have tried to take that man's head clean off. Would have been very angry to see another that was getting to touch what was his. But no, she just smiled right at him, the perfectly happy smile she had when she looked at babies, real happiness there on the surface not only for him to see, but to know it was actually for him, she really was happy for him right this very minute; That he had found his Goddess-Gifted Mate. Vex wanted to snarl at her for seeing her so happy about him being gifted to another, but turned and stalked off away to the back of his mind, ‘I’m not voicing it.’ he snarled at Parker and lay down inside his mind to watch her from back there. She’d been mated by his wolf in human form as often as she had been by Parker himself. They were both attached to her and both wanted her. His wolf was annoyed as much as Parker was right this very minute that she could be so bloody happy for them, it was not what he wanted to see from her; not at all. She and Carina were two very different people from what he’d seen so far. Belladonna was the better of the two of them, and he knew it. .... Open the app and continue reading the rest of the story . 👉(It will automatically jump to the book when you open the app)
"Congratulations, Parker," I forced a smile. "I see you've found your Goddess-Gifted Mate." He nodded. "I have. We need to talk." "Why?" I shot back. "I already know what this is—I was chosen just to be rejected by you." I'd known from the start I wasn't his fated mate, and this day had been coming. "Just reject me, Parker. I'll accept it." I said, no emotion in my voice. Eight years ago, I was sold to him. Our bond never grew, never flourished like it should have. The only time we were together was in bed. He stayed silent, staring at me. I shook my head slightly. "I'll do it, then." I said. "I, Belladonna Harrington, reject you, Alpha Parker Hartly, as my Mate." I saw his eyes widen, disbelief flashing across his face. "Accept it," I gasped, clutching my chest. "It hurts, Parker." His frown deepened, then he stood up. "I, Alpha Parker Hartly, accept your rejection. You are no longer my Mate or Luna." Our bond shattered, and I felt it—severed completely. I gasped, my chest aching. He gripped his desk, eyes fixed on me. "Go claim your Goddess-Gifted," I said, voice strained. "And you?" He asked, his voice softer, almost concerned. "I'll be fine." I wasn't his anymore. And for the first time, I was free. --- Part 1: Null & Voided Belladonna Bella stood in the shower in the Luna’s suite, allowing the warm water to wash over her. She was pleasantly exhausted, Parker had left her suite; he was off to a mating ball in another state. She had four days now, where he wasn’t going to be there inside the pack. She was his Luna; had been for eight years now, but she was bound to him not by her choice, had been chosen for him by her own Alpha and Luna; just to get rid of her, and she knew it. She was the youngest child of her father, and unwanted and shunned; a bastard child not born of his Mate bond, and that was why she was hated by the Luna in her home pack. This allianced mating, that she’d been bound to at just 19 years of age. It was, she believed, her father’s Luna’s way of getting rid of her from their pack, once and for all. The only solace she had was that there was a detailed mating alliance. That did not allow for Parker to bring harm to her. Parker came to her room, the Luna’s suite every other night to bed her, and though the sex was good, more than good, damned near on amazing at times, she had to admit, because he wasn’t just a man that came and took what he wanted. No, he was a man that enjoyed sex, enjoyed knowing he pleased the woman in his bed, even if she had been sold to him. Parker could spend hours in her bed, touching and tasting her, sometimes all night long. He was not a terrible Mate to her, but he was indifferent most of the time. She had been given to him to stop a war between their two packs, had been Marked and Mated by him, taken as his Chosen Luna, with full view of rejecting her one-day down the line. She didn’t actually mean anything to him. He didn’t love her, and she didn’t love him. She could enjoy him being in her bed because of the Mate Bond, enjoyed it a lot, and had been known to scream with pleasure at him having his way with her. He could be utterly insatiable at times, and a part of Bella craved him; as his Mate she loved his every touch. She actually enjoyed her heat when it came, just once a year, spent seven glorious days being mated by him, and the sex; all rough I’ve just got to have alpha-blooded needs on the surface. Screamed in utter bliss that week multiple times a day and half all night, but it was the only time he never got out of her bed and slept in his suite. Every time always ended the same way. The moment he couldn’t scent her heat anymore, he was up and gone from her suite. Eight years of it; nothing had changed for him. Just three days ago, her heat had ended, and he’d left in the middle of the night. She’d not even known, she had been exhausted by them mating furiously that last time, and she had slept like the dead. Then she'd woken up on her own because her heat was over. This morning, him in her bed for a few hours before the sun rose. It was because he was going away for a mating ball and would be gone for four days. The pack he was visiting was in another state, 12 hours away, unaffiliated to him but a good opportunity for his wolves to pair up. There was nothing unusual about him being gone for four days, seeing as how far away that pack was, sometimes it was five full days. That was nice for her, he wasn’t one to tax his wolves, and so they stopped overnight on the way there or back if necessary. Not that he informed her of his doings, she just learned it over the years. Parker didn’t think that he was required to tell her his movements, she was only his Mate and Luna, due to the mating alliance that they had. It didn’t bother her at all, it just meant she had four days to herself this week. He always liked to have sex before he left and when he got back as well, something about he had an alpha-blooded sex drive that he needed to sate on a regular basis. She didn’t argue about it, she had it too, there was no need to either, they both got all the tingly mate bond goodness in that bed of hers. And it was always in her bed. She’d never even seen inside the Alpha Suite; that was not a place for her to be. Bella dressed for the day and headed downstairs, to get herself some breakfast, where she saw him and his unit all heading across the foyer and out the front door of the packhouse to leave. He nodded to her, but never said goodbye to her. No one here thought anything about it, they all knew she had been given to him. Was not his Goddess-Gifted Mate. Though the pack here was nice to her, they didn’t treat her badly at all, that had been a surprise to her, and she herself was nice to all of them. She actually liked the pack, and it seemed the pack actually liked her. Looked to her for advice even. She did her Luna duties as was required of her. She had been sent here against her will, but actually found that she fitted in better inside this pack than her own home pack. She had respect here from this pack, from Parker to a certain degree, she thought. She’d learned how to be a Luna to this pack, and attended to all of those duties that Parker had tasked her with, when she’d first been brought here. She had even been allowed to study with his pack’s doctor in the hospital, and now, eight years later she herself was a good doctor. Bella specialized in the delivery of pups, and looking after the she-wolves in labour, using her Luna Calm to help them settle when fully distressed, and things got a bit on the hairy side. She’d not lost a single pup or she-wolf in the past eight years of assisting and then delivering on her own. She was a fully registered doctor with this pack, and one day when she left, she would be a doctor for another pack somewhere else. That was the goal. Though what the really crazy thing was, was that six months after she went into heat herself, there was always an explosion of pups within the pack. It hadn’t gone unnoticed by the pack's doctor, her mentor Annette, she shook her head and had stated “It’s you, you know.” They often laughed and joked about it. Annette had already chuckled just yesterday about getting supplies ready for pups to be born in a few months’ time. Bella had just snorted and shaken her own head, they were currently going through that now, that heat she’d had last week was completely unexpected and out of the blue, her second one for this year. Had not been expected at all. Annette’s theory only made Bella shake her head, she thought it was just a coincidence was all. She’d not gotten pregnant once in the past eight years of having a heat once a year. A part of her was glad of it as well, knowing that there was a clause in her mating alliance that stated all pups she had while still bonded to Parker, were to be given to him. When he found his Goddess-Gifted Mate and rejected her, she had to leave them behind for him to raise. They were his heirs. It was not something she wanted to happen. She knew that Parker would make her give them up as well. He followed all his alliance dealings to the letter. She also knew it was a clause he’d written into their mating alliance himself. He wasn’t willing to relinquish any child to her, he would be claiming all of them as his heirs. She might be their mother if she ever birthed any pups, but she had no rights to them; that was how she looked at that clause. She saw him sometimes looking at her, in the weeks after her heat, assessing her, she knew, listening for a heartbeat of a pup. He wanted an heir and she, being Alpha-blooded like he was, their pup would be a pure-blooded heir for this pack. There were no pups, even though she wasn’t on birth control of any kind, he wouldn’t allow it. He was hoping for a pup between them and she knew it. 2 Belladonna Bella thought there was no pup simply because she didn’t want one and her wolf certainly didn’t want one to a Mate that was not her Fated or that was how it felt to Bella. Neither of them were at all interested in having a pup with a Mate that was going to, at some point in time, whether it be in the near or far future, reject them for his Goddess-Gifted when she came along. Why would anyone want to do that when they knew that their Alpha Mate would be sending them away, pretty much just tossing them out of his pack and without their pups, making them sever their kind bond to however many pups they had and loved. No she-wolf she knew would agree with that, it was insane; and neither she nor Freya, her wolf, were interested in that happening to them. Parker had made a few comments over the years about it, and she’d stared at him, stated simply, “Maybe, Selena doesn’t want us to have a pup, Parker.” To which he’d retort, “And maybe you’re infertile.” Sounding a bit on the angry side about it. “Could well be,” she’d nodded at him simply. She’d not taken offense to his words. Though she wasn’t infertile. She’d been tested a few years back along with himself after that very comment. She’d thought he’d gone away and thought about his own words, and maybe come to the conclusion that one of them was infertile. So they’d both been tested at his request, and they were both fine and capable of conceiving a pup, apparently. It just wasn’t meant to be as far as she was concerned, and she was honestly glad of it. Though during her heats, Parker knotted her every time he came, and she him back, liked the bloody feeling of it as much as he did, and she knew it. She understood that being knotted to one's Mate kind of made you feel whole, that it was part of the mate bond as well. He had in fact knotted her this morning, had looked right down at her while still knotted to her and sighed softly, contentedly. She knew he liked the feeling of being knotted to her. All wolves did unless they weren’t their Mate. His blue eyes had looked into her blue ones, and he’d murmured softly as he’d looked down at her, a gentle smile on his face, “An heir would be nice, don’t you think Belladonna.” He hadn’t said it in months, and she’d been a little surprised to hear him bring it once more, she had thought he’d give up on that thought, though the way he said her name softly, almost sounded like he cared at that moment. She knew better though, he never shortened her name like everyone else inside the pack did. He was the only one to call her Belladonna, and she was certain that he did it, to remind himself she was his Chosen Mate. “I guess it would.” She’d answered him. It was all she ever said on the subject of a pup between them. She’d only ever actually said ‘no’ once, and it had set him and his beast off into a fit of rage. She’d not really understood that. He didn’t love her, she knew that. But she’d never dared to say it again. Because his anger over her declining to even think it was a good idea, had filtered into the pack. The pack had been on edge over his foul mood, and she’d seen him stomping around and grating out orders at everyone. He’d been cranky about it for over a week. So now she stated she guessed it would be, instead of telling him no she didn’t want one with him. To save the pack from his temper was all, something he had, but she rarely saw, the pack rarely saw, and she had a feeling he tried not to lose it for no reason at all. The pack did like him, respect him and were happy with him as their Alpha. Sometimes she wondered what that war with her home pack had been all about. She didn’t recall there being a war, perse, there had been a full threat of one, that much she did know. Though her father and Parker had probably not wanted that war and tried everything to stop it before it got started. She’d not been privy to that and during those two days everyone had been sequestered to their homes. Though she did know there had been a wolfen force at the border of the pack. She shook off her thoughts, she didn’t need a trip down memory lane, that was a long time ago. She ate her breakfast in the dining room as she always did, smiled at the wolves in here eating as well. Chuckled as a boy of six climbed up onto the seat next to her and tugged on her arm “Luna, mummy’s going to have her baby today.” “Is she now?” she’d smiled down at him. “Yes, daddy took her to the hospital just a minute ago.” Bella smiled at him “Are you excited to meet your little sister Franky?” she asked him. “Yes.” He smiled big up at her “Aunty Becky is watching me.” Bella looked up to find Rebekah his aunt walking this way. She was heavily pregnant herself. “Daisy just went into labour, Luna.” Rebekah told her as she walked over to her. “I just heard; Franky’s excited.” She ruffled his blond hair. “How are you doing today, Becky?” “Alright, will you be going to the hospital soon?” Becky asked. “Yes, right after breakfast. Everything will be fine with your sister; I’ve not lost a pup yet and am not about to start today.” She reassured Becky. Bella had gone into heat six months ago. This was going to be a busy week here inside the pack. Her last heat had been very unexpected. Had come in the middle of the night, out of nowhere and Parker had not been in the pack for it either. That first night had been agony locked in her suite, unable to sate the needs from her heat. But he’d come back in short order, when he’d been informed she was in heat, and she’d been on him the moment he’d walked into her suite, practically ripped his pants off him and shoved him down all alpha aggression, and she ridden the hell out of him with all she’d had right by the suites' entry door. He hadn’t cared, had enjoyed it himself, enjoyed all her heats while they lasted. He got to have sex for hours every day and half the nights as well, it was all rough and raw, both their alpha-blooded needs in full swing. They were both very aggressive about getting what they wanted during her heats. It was kind of unavoidable, she thought. Just their bloodlines. She pulled herself from her thoughts and made her way to the pack’s hospital, pulled on her scrubs. Today she was wearing soft blue scrubs with sloths all over them; she thought they were cute. The pack hospital had, had a uniform when she’d arrived in this pack, black scrubs, she’d gotten rid of them, thought they were very unfriendly, and some of the pack’s children who’d never been in the hospital before had shied away from the nurses and doctors on their first visit. Now all the nurses and doctors wore fun scrubs with patterns all over them, some even tailored them to the seasons. It had helped the children relax and be comfortable. They did have a standard uniform for after war or pack attacks, when their wolves were grieving the loss of loved ones. Simple respectful scrubs that were mint green and white. Despite being brought here as a Chosen Mate and Luna, Parker did expect her to attend all Luna duties, and she did them well. He couldn’t fault her on that. He didn’t have any complaints, and had actually told her she made a good Luna to his pack. That had been just a few years back. She’d just smiled and nodded, accepted the compliment from him, they were few and far between, had told him in return, “I like the pack members, they’re nice to me.” and they were. "I'll always do my best for them, Parker." The Lustrous Moon was a much nicer pack to her than her home pack had been. 3 Belladonna It was a long four days inside the pack. Bella had delivered 17 pups over those days, she had lived inside the pack hospital itself, slept in her office, on the couch in there so she didn’t have to make the trip from the Luna suite to the hospital, which took 20 minutes at a casual stroll, it was closer to the pack's town than the packhouse, and she understood that was because it had been built to cater to the majority of the pack who lived in the town not the packhouse. Parker was due home today around lunchtime, and she knew that the moment he was finished initiating his new pack members into his pack, and allocating them homes if they needed it, he was going to want to go right to her room and have sex. He couldn’t go more than two days without sex on any normal given week here inside the pack. With the exception of that one week, he'd been angry. He'd stayed away from her that week; not brought his anger into her bed. But when he had crawled into bed, Goddess she'd never thought he was going to stop eating her out. Gotten multiples from him, several in fact, before she fallen asleep and woke up alone. This was how it had been for the past eight years. She, however, was actually very tired today, exhausted, she would say, had pulled an all-nighter last night and had yet to get any sleep. Bella had delivered three pups in the past 7 hours, and Annette had delivered two herself. Bella had received a text from him just as she was sitting down at her desk in her Luna's office, “I’ll be home in a few hours.” It had read. Bella had frowned down at it, a little confused as to why he’d sent it. He’d never done that before. She shook it off, likely he was just letting her know that he expected them to get naked in her bed when he got home, because he wanted to have sex. It had been four days. Well, it wasn’t going to be like that today. She had many things to do this morning herself and was too tired for sex; he’d have to understand. She was in all likelihood going to be in the Luna’s office when he crossed the pack border as well, because she had to now sit down and register all of those pups with the pack. Get their parents' files all up to date as well; having to register all 17 pups took time, and she didn’t make mistakes. It was going to be a long day, and she’d probably sleep like the dead after Parker had his way with her at some point later in the afternoon. She sighed as she sat in her chair, staring at the computer screen in front of her, her eyes kept drooping and she micro napped a few times, was fighting off sleep that she desperately needed and she knew it. She got up and looked at the time. It was just on 8am. She could sleep for two hours and then pull on her alpha-bloodline after that, to get her through the rest of the day, until she turned in for the night, she would go to bed early and she knew it. She set herself an alarm on her phone and crashed out on the couch in the Luna's office. Woke up and stretched and got coffee, when her alarm went off, she was still tired but could function at least. Returned to her job of documenting the births of those pups, and the condition of the mothers. She hissed as pain shot through her left arm, almost felt like someone had stabbed her and dragged a knife up her arm. It only lasted a few seconds, and she rubbed her arm and shook it off. It was odd, to say the least. Never felt that happen before. She finished documenting those pups, attached their baby pictures to the files and smiled at each one of them, she did love babies, they were so cute. All her life she’d been in a pack hospital. Her mother had died in childbirth, and she’d been raised by her grandmother, a nurse in her home pack, she’d never really had any friends, not being that she was her father’s bastard daughter, not even her half siblings liked her. Bella had learned to stick close to her grandmother, and she herself had worked in the pack hospital from a young age, become a runner for those that worked there, dashing off to get things they needed. Then she had started working in the hospital at 16, had dropped out of school altogether. It was not fun for her in that school, she got bullied by her half siblings all day long. She’d had one a few months older than she was, and she was in all her classes. Her father had not cared that she’d dropped out of school at all, he’d also never sent her off to Alpha College, she wasn’t a legitimate heir so didn’t need to go. She’d never asked to go either. She never went into the packhouse for anything, just tried to be invisible to that pack. Her father may have claimed her as his kin, but she was not part of the Alpha’s family, though she didn’t think Parker knew that. She was in fact hated by all of her siblings; the Luna especially hated her existence. Bella kind of understood that. She’d learned at a young age her conception had seen the packs Luna be in agony with the pains of betrayal. Though her grandmother had told her once, it wasn’t as it seemed, and not to believe that her mother was a mistress, she’d not been, hadn’t wanted to be bedded by her father, the alpha of that pack. She’d hadn’t had a choice about it, but then in the next breath she’d stated don’t blame your father either, he didn’t really want to bed your mother. It had confused her a lot. If neither had wanted it, how had it happened? Bella pulled herself from her thoughts as her tummy rumbled, and she got up to go and have lunch. It was midday and Parker wasn’t back yet, though she didn’t think it would be far off at all. He’d text her at 7am, a few hours. She shrugged, likely they’d all stopped for food somewhere. She was just returning to her office when she felt him come back into the pack, and he mind-linked to her near instantly, “Belladonna, meet me in the foyer.” He stated and cut the link before she could even reply to him. She was actually in the foyer now, so took up a seat with some of the pack’s kids and watched them play a board game. They all smiled up at her, and she smiled back at them, helped that youngest one out a bit. She looked up as Parker walked into the packhouse, and there was a woman walking next to him, quite tall, almost as tall as he was, though Bella noted she was wearing stilettos, they clicked loudly on the tiled floor as she strode along next to Parker. She looked more than annoyed to Bella. Bella stood as was expected of her to greet him when he came home, and watched as the woman looked right at her now as well, then there was just anger in those eyes of hers. Bella saw her take a full step closer to Parker and try to reach out and curl her hand around his forearm. Parker frowned down at her and brushed it away. “I’ve explained this to you Carina,” he stated flatly “No touching at this time.” There was more anger welling off the she-wolf now, and Bella understood right away, Parker had found his Goddess-Gifted Mate at that mating ball and though he would want to claim her for himself. He couldn’t, not until he’d rejected Bella. It was part of their mating alliance. “Axel, please take Carina to get some lunch.” Parker addressed his Delta, and motioned for them to move on passed him. His eyes moved back to her after Axel walked Carina off, “Belladonna, my office please.” He stated casually, and turned and walked that way himself. “Yes, Parker.” She answered him simply, she knew what this was all about, it was time for him to reject her, so he could go and claim his actual mate. 4 Belladonna She wondered just how much he was struggling right this minute, not being able to claim his Goddess-Gifted. How much had he struggled on the full moon when scenting her out and then coming face to face with her? Scenting her out knowing he couldn’t claim her, having that she-wolf see that he was already marked and mated by another, Bella bet that woman, Carina, she’d heard her name was, had been very confused by that. Likely been very angry about it, from what she’d just seen, clearly she hadn’t liked it at all. Ah! That stabbing pain in her arm earlier in the day, it was likely Carina had touched Parker, and as brief as it had been, she’d felt it, that had been pains of betrayal. That full moon night wouldn’t have been fun for her, and then the overnight stay in a hotel, and the long drive here to the pack. That she-wolf was more than ticked off about not being able to claim what was hers, but Parker, she knew, was a stickler for the rules. Which was a good thing for her, otherwise he could have treated her terribly over the years, and he could have marked and mated that she-wolf on the full moon, if he wasn’t a man of his word; something that she knew he actually was, and she was thankful for, because it would likely have killed her if he’d done that. She excused herself from the children and headed into his office, followed his Beta and Gamma. She heard the door being closed by Kane, the pack Beta. “Congratulations, Parker.” She smiled, genuinely happy for him. “I see you found your Goddess-Gifted Mate.” He nodded to her, “I have.” He stated as he sat down behind his desk “so we need to talk, you and I.” He looked right at her now. “Why?” she asked right back “I know what this is, I was chosen, just to be rejected by you.” she knew that was the truth, wondered if her old Luna wanted her to know that and feel it. Punish her for being born by doing this to her. “Just reject me Parker, I’ll accept it.” she told him simply. She had basically been sold to the Alpha sitting before her, she didn’t love him, her wolf didn’t love his either, their bond had never grown and flourished like all others did. It never would, or she didn’t believe that it would. The only time they spent together was in her bed, when he wanted to have sex, or she was in heat. Never did they ever go out for a meal, never had they celebrated their mate bond with each other, she’d not even gotten a Luna Ceremony. She had been announced to the pack the morning after he’d marked and mated her and that was it. She was not his Goddess-Gifted, and only that woman would get all of him, all the things that came with being his true Luna. Parker was frowning at her now, almost with disapproval in those blue eyes of his. He was still sitting there just staring at her, did so for a full minute as though he expected some sort of outburst from her, she thought. She wasn’t going to do that, wasn’t about to pitch a fit or kick up any kind of fuss over this. She stood there and stared right back at him, didn’t really understand why he didn’t just issue that rejection instantly, it was why he’d called her into his office, and she knew it, because he’d brought his Goddess-Gifted home with him. Bella finally raised an eyebrow at him, when he just sat there and continued to stare at her and say nothing. She shook her head a little, “I’ll do it then.” She stated simply, “I Luna Belladonna Harrington, reject you Alpha Parker Hartly as my Mate.” She stated, he’d never given her his name, again something reserved for his Goddess-Gifted Mate only, as was the Alpha Suite. She’d been here eight long years, and the entire time she’d resided in the Luna Suite, again a clause in the mating alliance; put in by Parker himself, she thought. To make sure she understood her place inside this pack, she supposed. She was his Luna and fuck buddy, not the love of his life. She doubted that he had any feelings at all where she was concerned, had wondered at times if he even liked her as a person. They didn’t talk often, so she wouldn’t know. Bella felt the severing of the bond begin on her end and gritted her teeth against it, stood staring at his widened eyes at her sudden rejecting of him. Almost like he couldn’t believe she’d issued it at all, “Accept it.” she gasped out after 30 seconds of him just staring at her “It, hurts Parker. Get it over with, please.” Again, there was that frown on his face, though now it was deepened, then he just stood up and nodded at her, “I Alpha Parker Hartly, accept your rejection Belladonna Harrington, you are no longer my Mate and Luna.” Bella gasped as their bond severed completely, clutched at her chest as she felt him being ripped away from her. Freya's snarl echoed inside her mind at the pain she was feeling. Then there was a pair of hands on her shoulders as she started to buckle under the weight of the pain. She could feel Shannon, the pack’s Gamma, rolling his charm over her to help ease her pain, and she was actually glad that he was there right this very minute. It hurt like a bitch, more than she had thought it would, considering their bond was nothing more than just really good sex. There was no emotional attachment between them, so she'd not expected it to hurt so much. She sank down onto her knees and had to breathe through the feeling of Parkers Mark burning off her neck. It took several long agonizing minutes, and even Shannon's Charm wasn't really helping with the pain of it, though she could feel it being rolled over her the whole time. Her hand reached up to touch her neck instinctively when the mark was gone, no more was the filigree that had adorned her neck for the past eight years, there were just two puncture marks where his fangs had buried into her that first night he’d brought her here to his pack and claimed her. It was no longer sensitive to the touch either, she felt nothing as she touched it where once it had brought desire. Even when she touched it herself, nothing remained right this minute. Her eyes lifted to him, he had a hand tightly gripped onto the edge of his desk, and a fist pressed hard against his chest. He looked to be in as much pain as she was. His eyes were on hers, never left hers at all, not even when she stood herself up and gently removed Shannon’s hands from her, stating softly “I’ll be alright, Shannon. Thank you.” and she knew she would be. “Parker, you should go and claim your Goddess-Gifted, it will resolve your pain quickly.” “And you?” he asked, and it almost sounded to her that he was concerned about her. “I’ll be fine. I understand our mating alliance, and I will follow it to the letter. Kane and I can sort that out. You should go and be with your Mate. She’ll be happy we’re over, and you can claim her, she can finally claim what is hers rightfully by the Goddess.” He was frowning at her now, didn’t appear to understand her reaction to all of this. But she was finally free, released from the contract that had made her just one of his belongings. It’s all she was to him, something he owned. Now she wasn’t his anymore or wouldn’t be in 24 hours; that’s how long she had to leave this pack. She turned to Kane, the pack’s Beta. “If you could meet me in the foyer in say an hour, we’ll finish it off properly, while Parker is marking and mating his Goddess-Gifted Mate.” “Yes Lu… Bella.” He nodded, had almost called her Luna, like he had done so many times before, over the past eight years. 5 Parker For eight years they had been mated to each other, and not once had Belladonna turned loving eyes on him. Not once had she even looked at the Alpha Suite as though she wanted to be in there with him; never had he even seen her glance at it. She just walked on past it like it didn’t exist for her. Belladonna, his mate of eight years, stood before him and still felt nothing for him. She was today wearing a clean set of scrubs. Though they looked a little on the rumpled side to him, as though she’d had a nap in them. It wouldn’t surprise him at all, if she had. She was often up late in the hospital. Slept there some nights when there were a lot of babies to be delivered. Even now standing in his office, he had expected some sort of reaction from her; to him bringing home his Goddess-Gifted Mate. But she’d not even so much as frowned at seeing Carina walk into the packhouse with him or standing there next to him, or Carina trying to touch him in a possessive manner, right there in the packhouse foyer for all to see. Knowing what she was to him, and Belladonna did know it, he’d never walked anywhere with a woman next to him like that before unless it was herself attending a mating ball with him, and Carina, she was all dolled up, to look her best when arriving at the pack. It had taken nearly an hour and a half to get ready in the hotel room this morning, which annoyed him greatly, having to wait for her like that. He had things to do and places to be. Belladonna had said nothing at all about seeing her with him, hadn’t even said anything when he’d sent Carina off with his Delta, and requested Belladonna to come into his office. No, she just politely excused herself from the children she’d been sitting with; likely playing a game with them, he’d seen her do that before on many occasions. He’d never treated her badly, respected her and craved that damned woman’s body more than he’d allowed himself to have her. Had held himself back from her because she didn’t have any feelings for him at all. She didn’t want a pup with him, hearing that had bloody hurt, and he’d been angry about it for a week. They’d been together for five years when he’d bitten the bullet and finally brought it up. He had thought five years of him treating her nicely. Respectfully, and acknowledging her as his Luna would have shown her, they worked well together. Clearly not, and he had not liked the response he’d gotten at all. Even now, he could see after eight years together, that he meant absolutely nothing to her. He couldn’t understand why her side of the mate bond didn’t grow and flourish at all. He didn’t want to issue this rejection, she was an amazing Luna, intelligent, strong and beautiful, had long wavy chestnut brown hair, that right this minute was pulled up in messy bun on top of her head. Because she’d been working in the pack hospital, but it didn’t detract from her beauty at all. Normally she would wear it out, and it fell around her shoulders or down her back in a lovely wavy cascade. She had brilliant blue eyes that could sparkle like the ocean at times and a very kissable mouth. The whole pack liked her, she’d learned everything about all of them over the years, attended to all the Luna’s duties, she was not only his Luna, but was a brilliant pack doctor as well. The woman loved babies, they made her light up from the inside out, and that smiled when she looked down at them; pure joy in her blue eyes. It was infectious the way she smiled. She always had a smile for the little ones. He couldn’t understand why they’d not had pups. She would make a great mother, and he knew it. Their children would be loved and adored by her. He’d not once in the past eight years seen her even raise her voice to a little one, not even a teenager. She’d looked a little exasperated at times, when she got those repeat offenders to her Luna’s office, to be admonished by their Luna for getting into fights, but never did she yell at them. She was a kind soul to everyone. She’d not even argued about being mated off to him, had stood there in her father’s office at just 19 years old, untouched by anyone inside her home pack, he’d taken her virginity, she’d not even known how to kiss. Very unusual for an alpha-blooded female of 19 years of age. She had just stood there in her father’s office and said nothing at all. Not one single word to anyone in that room, as they’d discussed that Mating Alliance, what clauses he wanted, what her father had wanted for her as well. She’d said nothing in his car on the way to this very pack, had sat and stared out the window the entire time. Nothing until he’d initiated her into his pack, until he’d cut his palm and then hers, and pressed their palms together, asked, as her new Alpha, to pledge loyalty to him and his pack. She’d not even really looked at him until that very moment either, just once in her father’s office only. He recalled her that day here in his office, she'd looked at their hands, taken in a long breath and then had just accepted him as her new Alpha. It had been the first time he’d heard her voice. Soft to his own ears even then, he’d put that down to her being unhappy about the Mating Alliance, and he knew she was unhappy. Shannon had told him via the mind-link ‘She’s unhappy, but resigned to it, not going to argue or fight you about Marking and Mating her.’ And she hadn’t. He’d also known she had never been with anyone. Her own father had told him as much, and Shannon had confirmed that, for him, she was nervous about not knowing what to do in the bedroom. He’d been more than experienced, so it wasn’t really an issue, and he’d not Mated her until they’d both marked each other. It would lessen the pain for her and he knew it. He’d also not rushed the job, taken his time and tried to take care of her, bring about pleasure for her, and show her he wasn’t going to be a brute of a Mate, and that he wasn't out to hurt her. Now to hear her congratulate him, it felt very odd to him, and Vex’s ears, which had flattened back against his head and annoyance rolled right off his beast at her words, she actually meant it, it was there in her tone. She was genuinely happy for him, it appeared. Their own Mate confused them to no end. If she’d walked into this packhouse trailing a Goddess-Gifted Mate, he’d likely have tried to take that man's head clean off. Would have been very angry to see another that was getting to touch what was his. But no, she just smiled right at him, the perfectly happy smile she had when she looked at babies, real happiness there on the surface not only for him to see, but to know it was actually for him, she really was happy for him right this very minute; That he had found his Goddess-Gifted Mate. Vex wanted to snarl at her for seeing her so happy about him being gifted to another, but turned and stalked off away to the back of his mind, ‘I’m not voicing it.’ he snarled at Parker and lay down inside his mind to watch her from back there. She’d been mated by his wolf in human form as often as she had been by Parker himself. They were both attached to her and both wanted her. His wolf was annoyed as much as Parker was right this very minute that she could be so bloody happy for them, it was not what he wanted to see from her; not at all. She and Carina were two very different people from what he’d seen so far. Belladonna was the better of the two of them, and he knew it. .... Open the app and continue reading the rest of the story . 👉(It will automatically jump to the book when you open the app)
"Congratulations, Parker," I forced a smile. "I see you've found your Goddess-Gifted Mate." He nodded. "I have. We need to talk." "Why?" I shot back. "I already know what this is—I was chosen just to be rejected by you." I'd known from the start I wasn't his fated mate, and this day had been coming. "Just reject me, Parker. I'll accept it." I said, no emotion in my voice. Eight years ago, I was sold to him. Our bond never grew, never flourished like it should have. The only time we were together was in bed. He stayed silent, staring at me. I shook my head slightly. "I'll do it, then." I said. "I, Belladonna Harrington, reject you, Alpha Parker Hartly, as my Mate." I saw his eyes widen, disbelief flashing across his face. "Accept it," I gasped, clutching my chest. "It hurts, Parker." His frown deepened, then he stood up. "I, Alpha Parker Hartly, accept your rejection. You are no longer my Mate or Luna." Our bond shattered, and I felt it—severed completely. I gasped, my chest aching. He gripped his desk, eyes fixed on me. "Go claim your Goddess-Gifted," I said, voice strained. "And you?" He asked, his voice softer, almost concerned. "I'll be fine." I wasn't his anymore. And for the first time, I was free. --- Part 1: Null & Voided Belladonna Bella stood in the shower in the Luna’s suite, allowing the warm water to wash over her. She was pleasantly exhausted, Parker had left her suite; he was off to a mating ball in another state. She had four days now, where he wasn’t going to be there inside the pack. She was his Luna; had been for eight years now, but she was bound to him not by her choice, had been chosen for him by her own Alpha and Luna; just to get rid of her, and she knew it. She was the youngest child of her father, and unwanted and shunned; a bastard child not born of his Mate bond, and that was why she was hated by the Luna in her home pack. This allianced mating, that she’d been bound to at just 19 years of age. It was, she believed, her father’s Luna’s way of getting rid of her from their pack, once and for all. The only solace she had was that there was a detailed mating alliance. That did not allow for Parker to bring harm to her. Parker came to her room, the Luna’s suite every other night to bed her, and though the sex was good, more than good, damned near on amazing at times, she had to admit, because he wasn’t just a man that came and took what he wanted. No, he was a man that enjoyed sex, enjoyed knowing he pleased the woman in his bed, even if she had been sold to him. Parker could spend hours in her bed, touching and tasting her, sometimes all night long. He was not a terrible Mate to her, but he was indifferent most of the time. She had been given to him to stop a war between their two packs, had been Marked and Mated by him, taken as his Chosen Luna, with full view of rejecting her one-day down the line. She didn’t actually mean anything to him. He didn’t love her, and she didn’t love him. She could enjoy him being in her bed because of the Mate Bond, enjoyed it a lot, and had been known to scream with pleasure at him having his way with her. He could be utterly insatiable at times, and a part of Bella craved him; as his Mate she loved his every touch. She actually enjoyed her heat when it came, just once a year, spent seven glorious days being mated by him, and the sex; all rough I’ve just got to have alpha-blooded needs on the surface. Screamed in utter bliss that week multiple times a day and half all night, but it was the only time he never got out of her bed and slept in his suite. Every time always ended the same way. The moment he couldn’t scent her heat anymore, he was up and gone from her suite. Eight years of it; nothing had changed for him. Just three days ago, her heat had ended, and he’d left in the middle of the night. She’d not even known, she had been exhausted by them mating furiously that last time, and she had slept like the dead. Then she'd woken up on her own because her heat was over. This morning, him in her bed for a few hours before the sun rose. It was because he was going away for a mating ball and would be gone for four days. The pack he was visiting was in another state, 12 hours away, unaffiliated to him but a good opportunity for his wolves to pair up. There was nothing unusual about him being gone for four days, seeing as how far away that pack was, sometimes it was five full days. That was nice for her, he wasn’t one to tax his wolves, and so they stopped overnight on the way there or back if necessary. Not that he informed her of his doings, she just learned it over the years. Parker didn’t think that he was required to tell her his movements, she was only his Mate and Luna, due to the mating alliance that they had. It didn’t bother her at all, it just meant she had four days to herself this week. He always liked to have sex before he left and when he got back as well, something about he had an alpha-blooded sex drive that he needed to sate on a regular basis. She didn’t argue about it, she had it too, there was no need to either, they both got all the tingly mate bond goodness in that bed of hers. And it was always in her bed. She’d never even seen inside the Alpha Suite; that was not a place for her to be. Bella dressed for the day and headed downstairs, to get herself some breakfast, where she saw him and his unit all heading across the foyer and out the front door of the packhouse to leave. He nodded to her, but never said goodbye to her. No one here thought anything about it, they all knew she had been given to him. Was not his Goddess-Gifted Mate. Though the pack here was nice to her, they didn’t treat her badly at all, that had been a surprise to her, and she herself was nice to all of them. She actually liked the pack, and it seemed the pack actually liked her. Looked to her for advice even. She did her Luna duties as was required of her. She had been sent here against her will, but actually found that she fitted in better inside this pack than her own home pack. She had respect here from this pack, from Parker to a certain degree, she thought. She’d learned how to be a Luna to this pack, and attended to all of those duties that Parker had tasked her with, when she’d first been brought here. She had even been allowed to study with his pack’s doctor in the hospital, and now, eight years later she herself was a good doctor. Bella specialized in the delivery of pups, and looking after the she-wolves in labour, using her Luna Calm to help them settle when fully distressed, and things got a bit on the hairy side. She’d not lost a single pup or she-wolf in the past eight years of assisting and then delivering on her own. She was a fully registered doctor with this pack, and one day when she left, she would be a doctor for another pack somewhere else. That was the goal. Though what the really crazy thing was, was that six months after she went into heat herself, there was always an explosion of pups within the pack. It hadn’t gone unnoticed by the pack's doctor, her mentor Annette, she shook her head and had stated “It’s you, you know.” They often laughed and joked about it. Annette had already chuckled just yesterday about getting supplies ready for pups to be born in a few months’ time. Bella had just snorted and shaken her own head, they were currently going through that now, that heat she’d had last week was completely unexpected and out of the blue, her second one for this year. Had not been expected at all. Annette’s theory only made Bella shake her head, she thought it was just a coincidence was all. She’d not gotten pregnant once in the past eight years of having a heat once a year. A part of her was glad of it as well, knowing that there was a clause in her mating alliance that stated all pups she had while still bonded to Parker, were to be given to him. When he found his Goddess-Gifted Mate and rejected her, she had to leave them behind for him to raise. They were his heirs. It was not something she wanted to happen. She knew that Parker would make her give them up as well. He followed all his alliance dealings to the letter. She also knew it was a clause he’d written into their mating alliance himself. He wasn’t willing to relinquish any child to her, he would be claiming all of them as his heirs. She might be their mother if she ever birthed any pups, but she had no rights to them; that was how she looked at that clause. She saw him sometimes looking at her, in the weeks after her heat, assessing her, she knew, listening for a heartbeat of a pup. He wanted an heir and she, being Alpha-blooded like he was, their pup would be a pure-blooded heir for this pack. There were no pups, even though she wasn’t on birth control of any kind, he wouldn’t allow it. He was hoping for a pup between them and she knew it. 2 Belladonna Bella thought there was no pup simply because she didn’t want one and her wolf certainly didn’t want one to a Mate that was not her Fated or that was how it felt to Bella. Neither of them were at all interested in having a pup with a Mate that was going to, at some point in time, whether it be in the near or far future, reject them for his Goddess-Gifted when she came along. Why would anyone want to do that when they knew that their Alpha Mate would be sending them away, pretty much just tossing them out of his pack and without their pups, making them sever their kind bond to however many pups they had and loved. No she-wolf she knew would agree with that, it was insane; and neither she nor Freya, her wolf, were interested in that happening to them. Parker had made a few comments over the years about it, and she’d stared at him, stated simply, “Maybe, Selena doesn’t want us to have a pup, Parker.” To which he’d retort, “And maybe you’re infertile.” Sounding a bit on the angry side about it. “Could well be,” she’d nodded at him simply. She’d not taken offense to his words. Though she wasn’t infertile. She’d been tested a few years back along with himself after that very comment. She’d thought he’d gone away and thought about his own words, and maybe come to the conclusion that one of them was infertile. So they’d both been tested at his request, and they were both fine and capable of conceiving a pup, apparently. It just wasn’t meant to be as far as she was concerned, and she was honestly glad of it. Though during her heats, Parker knotted her every time he came, and she him back, liked the bloody feeling of it as much as he did, and she knew it. She understood that being knotted to one's Mate kind of made you feel whole, that it was part of the mate bond as well. He had in fact knotted her this morning, had looked right down at her while still knotted to her and sighed softly, contentedly. She knew he liked the feeling of being knotted to her. All wolves did unless they weren’t their Mate. His blue eyes had looked into her blue ones, and he’d murmured softly as he’d looked down at her, a gentle smile on his face, “An heir would be nice, don’t you think Belladonna.” He hadn’t said it in months, and she’d been a little surprised to hear him bring it once more, she had thought he’d give up on that thought, though the way he said her name softly, almost sounded like he cared at that moment. She knew better though, he never shortened her name like everyone else inside the pack did. He was the only one to call her Belladonna, and she was certain that he did it, to remind himself she was his Chosen Mate. “I guess it would.” She’d answered him. It was all she ever said on the subject of a pup between them. She’d only ever actually said ‘no’ once, and it had set him and his beast off into a fit of rage. She’d not really understood that. He didn’t love her, she knew that. But she’d never dared to say it again. Because his anger over her declining to even think it was a good idea, had filtered into the pack. The pack had been on edge over his foul mood, and she’d seen him stomping around and grating out orders at everyone. He’d been cranky about it for over a week. So now she stated she guessed it would be, instead of telling him no she didn’t want one with him. To save the pack from his temper was all, something he had, but she rarely saw, the pack rarely saw, and she had a feeling he tried not to lose it for no reason at all. The pack did like him, respect him and were happy with him as their Alpha. Sometimes she wondered what that war with her home pack had been all about. She didn’t recall there being a war, perse, there had been a full threat of one, that much she did know. Though her father and Parker had probably not wanted that war and tried everything to stop it before it got started. She’d not been privy to that and during those two days everyone had been sequestered to their homes. Though she did know there had been a wolfen force at the border of the pack. She shook off her thoughts, she didn’t need a trip down memory lane, that was a long time ago. She ate her breakfast in the dining room as she always did, smiled at the wolves in here eating as well. Chuckled as a boy of six climbed up onto the seat next to her and tugged on her arm “Luna, mummy’s going to have her baby today.” “Is she now?” she’d smiled down at him. “Yes, daddy took her to the hospital just a minute ago.” Bella smiled at him “Are you excited to meet your little sister Franky?” she asked him. “Yes.” He smiled big up at her “Aunty Becky is watching me.” Bella looked up to find Rebekah his aunt walking this way. She was heavily pregnant herself. “Daisy just went into labour, Luna.” Rebekah told her as she walked over to her. “I just heard; Franky’s excited.” She ruffled his blond hair. “How are you doing today, Becky?” “Alright, will you be going to the hospital soon?” Becky asked. “Yes, right after breakfast. Everything will be fine with your sister; I’ve not lost a pup yet and am not about to start today.” She reassured Becky. Bella had gone into heat six months ago. This was going to be a busy week here inside the pack. Her last heat had been very unexpected. Had come in the middle of the night, out of nowhere and Parker had not been in the pack for it either. That first night had been agony locked in her suite, unable to sate the needs from her heat. But he’d come back in short order, when he’d been informed she was in heat, and she’d been on him the moment he’d walked into her suite, practically ripped his pants off him and shoved him down all alpha aggression, and she ridden the hell out of him with all she’d had right by the suites' entry door. He hadn’t cared, had enjoyed it himself, enjoyed all her heats while they lasted. He got to have sex for hours every day and half the nights as well, it was all rough and raw, both their alpha-blooded needs in full swing. They were both very aggressive about getting what they wanted during her heats. It was kind of unavoidable, she thought. Just their bloodlines. She pulled herself from her thoughts and made her way to the pack’s hospital, pulled on her scrubs. Today she was wearing soft blue scrubs with sloths all over them; she thought they were cute. The pack hospital had, had a uniform when she’d arrived in this pack, black scrubs, she’d gotten rid of them, thought they were very unfriendly, and some of the pack’s children who’d never been in the hospital before had shied away from the nurses and doctors on their first visit. Now all the nurses and doctors wore fun scrubs with patterns all over them, some even tailored them to the seasons. It had helped the children relax and be comfortable. They did have a standard uniform for after war or pack attacks, when their wolves were grieving the loss of loved ones. Simple respectful scrubs that were mint green and white. Despite being brought here as a Chosen Mate and Luna, Parker did expect her to attend all Luna duties, and she did them well. He couldn’t fault her on that. He didn’t have any complaints, and had actually told her she made a good Luna to his pack. That had been just a few years back. She’d just smiled and nodded, accepted the compliment from him, they were few and far between, had told him in return, “I like the pack members, they’re nice to me.” and they were. "I'll always do my best for them, Parker." The Lustrous Moon was a much nicer pack to her than her home pack had been. 3 Belladonna It was a long four days inside the pack. Bella had delivered 17 pups over those days, she had lived inside the pack hospital itself, slept in her office, on the couch in there so she didn’t have to make the trip from the Luna suite to the hospital, which took 20 minutes at a casual stroll, it was closer to the pack's town than the packhouse, and she understood that was because it had been built to cater to the majority of the pack who lived in the town not the packhouse. Parker was due home today around lunchtime, and she knew that the moment he was finished initiating his new pack members into his pack, and allocating them homes if they needed it, he was going to want to go right to her room and have sex. He couldn’t go more than two days without sex on any normal given week here inside the pack. With the exception of that one week, he'd been angry. He'd stayed away from her that week; not brought his anger into her bed. But when he had crawled into bed, Goddess she'd never thought he was going to stop eating her out. Gotten multiples from him, several in fact, before she fallen asleep and woke up alone. This was how it had been for the past eight years. She, however, was actually very tired today, exhausted, she would say, had pulled an all-nighter last night and had yet to get any sleep. Bella had delivered three pups in the past 7 hours, and Annette had delivered two herself. Bella had received a text from him just as she was sitting down at her desk in her Luna's office, “I’ll be home in a few hours.” It had read. Bella had frowned down at it, a little confused as to why he’d sent it. He’d never done that before. She shook it off, likely he was just letting her know that he expected them to get naked in her bed when he got home, because he wanted to have sex. It had been four days. Well, it wasn’t going to be like that today. She had many things to do this morning herself and was too tired for sex; he’d have to understand. She was in all likelihood going to be in the Luna’s office when he crossed the pack border as well, because she had to now sit down and register all of those pups with the pack. Get their parents' files all up to date as well; having to register all 17 pups took time, and she didn’t make mistakes. It was going to be a long day, and she’d probably sleep like the dead after Parker had his way with her at some point later in the afternoon. She sighed as she sat in her chair, staring at the computer screen in front of her, her eyes kept drooping and she micro napped a few times, was fighting off sleep that she desperately needed and she knew it. She got up and looked at the time. It was just on 8am. She could sleep for two hours and then pull on her alpha-bloodline after that, to get her through the rest of the day, until she turned in for the night, she would go to bed early and she knew it. She set herself an alarm on her phone and crashed out on the couch in the Luna's office. Woke up and stretched and got coffee, when her alarm went off, she was still tired but could function at least. Returned to her job of documenting the births of those pups, and the condition of the mothers. She hissed as pain shot through her left arm, almost felt like someone had stabbed her and dragged a knife up her arm. It only lasted a few seconds, and she rubbed her arm and shook it off. It was odd, to say the least. Never felt that happen before. She finished documenting those pups, attached their baby pictures to the files and smiled at each one of them, she did love babies, they were so cute. All her life she’d been in a pack hospital. Her mother had died in childbirth, and she’d been raised by her grandmother, a nurse in her home pack, she’d never really had any friends, not being that she was her father’s bastard daughter, not even her half siblings liked her. Bella had learned to stick close to her grandmother, and she herself had worked in the pack hospital from a young age, become a runner for those that worked there, dashing off to get things they needed. Then she had started working in the hospital at 16, had dropped out of school altogether. It was not fun for her in that school, she got bullied by her half siblings all day long. She’d had one a few months older than she was, and she was in all her classes. Her father had not cared that she’d dropped out of school at all, he’d also never sent her off to Alpha College, she wasn’t a legitimate heir so didn’t need to go. She’d never asked to go either. She never went into the packhouse for anything, just tried to be invisible to that pack. Her father may have claimed her as his kin, but she was not part of the Alpha’s family, though she didn’t think Parker knew that. She was in fact hated by all of her siblings; the Luna especially hated her existence. Bella kind of understood that. She’d learned at a young age her conception had seen the packs Luna be in agony with the pains of betrayal. Though her grandmother had told her once, it wasn’t as it seemed, and not to believe that her mother was a mistress, she’d not been, hadn’t wanted to be bedded by her father, the alpha of that pack. She’d hadn’t had a choice about it, but then in the next breath she’d stated don’t blame your father either, he didn’t really want to bed your mother. It had confused her a lot. If neither had wanted it, how had it happened? Bella pulled herself from her thoughts as her tummy rumbled, and she got up to go and have lunch. It was midday and Parker wasn’t back yet, though she didn’t think it would be far off at all. He’d text her at 7am, a few hours. She shrugged, likely they’d all stopped for food somewhere. She was just returning to her office when she felt him come back into the pack, and he mind-linked to her near instantly, “Belladonna, meet me in the foyer.” He stated and cut the link before she could even reply to him. She was actually in the foyer now, so took up a seat with some of the pack’s kids and watched them play a board game. They all smiled up at her, and she smiled back at them, helped that youngest one out a bit. She looked up as Parker walked into the packhouse, and there was a woman walking next to him, quite tall, almost as tall as he was, though Bella noted she was wearing stilettos, they clicked loudly on the tiled floor as she strode along next to Parker. She looked more than annoyed to Bella. Bella stood as was expected of her to greet him when he came home, and watched as the woman looked right at her now as well, then there was just anger in those eyes of hers. Bella saw her take a full step closer to Parker and try to reach out and curl her hand around his forearm. Parker frowned down at her and brushed it away. “I’ve explained this to you Carina,” he stated flatly “No touching at this time.” There was more anger welling off the she-wolf now, and Bella understood right away, Parker had found his Goddess-Gifted Mate at that mating ball and though he would want to claim her for himself. He couldn’t, not until he’d rejected Bella. It was part of their mating alliance. “Axel, please take Carina to get some lunch.” Parker addressed his Delta, and motioned for them to move on passed him. His eyes moved back to her after Axel walked Carina off, “Belladonna, my office please.” He stated casually, and turned and walked that way himself. “Yes, Parker.” She answered him simply, she knew what this was all about, it was time for him to reject her, so he could go and claim his actual mate. 4 Belladonna She wondered just how much he was struggling right this minute, not being able to claim his Goddess-Gifted. How much had he struggled on the full moon when scenting her out and then coming face to face with her? Scenting her out knowing he couldn’t claim her, having that she-wolf see that he was already marked and mated by another, Bella bet that woman, Carina, she’d heard her name was, had been very confused by that. Likely been very angry about it, from what she’d just seen, clearly she hadn’t liked it at all. Ah! That stabbing pain in her arm earlier in the day, it was likely Carina had touched Parker, and as brief as it had been, she’d felt it, that had been pains of betrayal. That full moon night wouldn’t have been fun for her, and then the overnight stay in a hotel, and the long drive here to the pack. That she-wolf was more than ticked off about not being able to claim what was hers, but Parker, she knew, was a stickler for the rules. Which was a good thing for her, otherwise he could have treated her terribly over the years, and he could have marked and mated that she-wolf on the full moon, if he wasn’t a man of his word; something that she knew he actually was, and she was thankful for, because it would likely have killed her if he’d done that. She excused herself from the children and headed into his office, followed his Beta and Gamma. She heard the door being closed by Kane, the pack Beta. “Congratulations, Parker.” She smiled, genuinely happy for him. “I see you found your Goddess-Gifted Mate.” He nodded to her, “I have.” He stated as he sat down behind his desk “so we need to talk, you and I.” He looked right at her now. “Why?” she asked right back “I know what this is, I was chosen, just to be rejected by you.” she knew that was the truth, wondered if her old Luna wanted her to know that and feel it. Punish her for being born by doing this to her. “Just reject me Parker, I’ll accept it.” she told him simply. She had basically been sold to the Alpha sitting before her, she didn’t love him, her wolf didn’t love his either, their bond had never grown and flourished like all others did. It never would, or she didn’t believe that it would. The only time they spent together was in her bed, when he wanted to have sex, or she was in heat. Never did they ever go out for a meal, never had they celebrated their mate bond with each other, she’d not even gotten a Luna Ceremony. She had been announced to the pack the morning after he’d marked and mated her and that was it. She was not his Goddess-Gifted, and only that woman would get all of him, all the things that came with being his true Luna. Parker was frowning at her now, almost with disapproval in those blue eyes of his. He was still sitting there just staring at her, did so for a full minute as though he expected some sort of outburst from her, she thought. She wasn’t going to do that, wasn’t about to pitch a fit or kick up any kind of fuss over this. She stood there and stared right back at him, didn’t really understand why he didn’t just issue that rejection instantly, it was why he’d called her into his office, and she knew it, because he’d brought his Goddess-Gifted home with him. Bella finally raised an eyebrow at him, when he just sat there and continued to stare at her and say nothing. She shook her head a little, “I’ll do it then.” She stated simply, “I Luna Belladonna Harrington, reject you Alpha Parker Hartly as my Mate.” She stated, he’d never given her his name, again something reserved for his Goddess-Gifted Mate only, as was the Alpha Suite. She’d been here eight long years, and the entire time she’d resided in the Luna Suite, again a clause in the mating alliance; put in by Parker himself, she thought. To make sure she understood her place inside this pack, she supposed. She was his Luna and fuck buddy, not the love of his life. She doubted that he had any feelings at all where she was concerned, had wondered at times if he even liked her as a person. They didn’t talk often, so she wouldn’t know. Bella felt the severing of the bond begin on her end and gritted her teeth against it, stood staring at his widened eyes at her sudden rejecting of him. Almost like he couldn’t believe she’d issued it at all, “Accept it.” she gasped out after 30 seconds of him just staring at her “It, hurts Parker. Get it over with, please.” Again, there was that frown on his face, though now it was deepened, then he just stood up and nodded at her, “I Alpha Parker Hartly, accept your rejection Belladonna Harrington, you are no longer my Mate and Luna.” Bella gasped as their bond severed completely, clutched at her chest as she felt him being ripped away from her. Freya's snarl echoed inside her mind at the pain she was feeling. Then there was a pair of hands on her shoulders as she started to buckle under the weight of the pain. She could feel Shannon, the pack’s Gamma, rolling his charm over her to help ease her pain, and she was actually glad that he was there right this very minute. It hurt like a bitch, more than she had thought it would, considering their bond was nothing more than just really good sex. There was no emotional attachment between them, so she'd not expected it to hurt so much. She sank down onto her knees and had to breathe through the feeling of Parkers Mark burning off her neck. It took several long agonizing minutes, and even Shannon's Charm wasn't really helping with the pain of it, though she could feel it being rolled over her the whole time. Her hand reached up to touch her neck instinctively when the mark was gone, no more was the filigree that had adorned her neck for the past eight years, there were just two puncture marks where his fangs had buried into her that first night he’d brought her here to his pack and claimed her. It was no longer sensitive to the touch either, she felt nothing as she touched it where once it had brought desire. Even when she touched it herself, nothing remained right this minute. Her eyes lifted to him, he had a hand tightly gripped onto the edge of his desk, and a fist pressed hard against his chest. He looked to be in as much pain as she was. His eyes were on hers, never left hers at all, not even when she stood herself up and gently removed Shannon’s hands from her, stating softly “I’ll be alright, Shannon. Thank you.” and she knew she would be. “Parker, you should go and claim your Goddess-Gifted, it will resolve your pain quickly.” “And you?” he asked, and it almost sounded to her that he was concerned about her. “I’ll be fine. I understand our mating alliance, and I will follow it to the letter. Kane and I can sort that out. You should go and be with your Mate. She’ll be happy we’re over, and you can claim her, she can finally claim what is hers rightfully by the Goddess.” He was frowning at her now, didn’t appear to understand her reaction to all of this. But she was finally free, released from the contract that had made her just one of his belongings. It’s all she was to him, something he owned. Now she wasn’t his anymore or wouldn’t be in 24 hours; that’s how long she had to leave this pack. She turned to Kane, the pack’s Beta. “If you could meet me in the foyer in say an hour, we’ll finish it off properly, while Parker is marking and mating his Goddess-Gifted Mate.” “Yes Lu… Bella.” He nodded, had almost called her Luna, like he had done so many times before, over the past eight years. 5 Parker For eight years they had been mated to each other, and not once had Belladonna turned loving eyes on him. Not once had she even looked at the Alpha Suite as though she wanted to be in there with him; never had he even seen her glance at it. She just walked on past it like it didn’t exist for her. Belladonna, his mate of eight years, stood before him and still felt nothing for him. She was today wearing a clean set of scrubs. Though they looked a little on the rumpled side to him, as though she’d had a nap in them. It wouldn’t surprise him at all, if she had. She was often up late in the hospital. Slept there some nights when there were a lot of babies to be delivered. Even now standing in his office, he had expected some sort of reaction from her; to him bringing home his Goddess-Gifted Mate. But she’d not even so much as frowned at seeing Carina walk into the packhouse with him or standing there next to him, or Carina trying to touch him in a possessive manner, right there in the packhouse foyer for all to see. Knowing what she was to him, and Belladonna did know it, he’d never walked anywhere with a woman next to him like that before unless it was herself attending a mating ball with him, and Carina, she was all dolled up, to look her best when arriving at the pack. It had taken nearly an hour and a half to get ready in the hotel room this morning, which annoyed him greatly, having to wait for her like that. He had things to do and places to be. Belladonna had said nothing at all about seeing her with him, hadn’t even said anything when he’d sent Carina off with his Delta, and requested Belladonna to come into his office. No, she just politely excused herself from the children she’d been sitting with; likely playing a game with them, he’d seen her do that before on many occasions. He’d never treated her badly, respected her and craved that damned woman’s body more than he’d allowed himself to have her. Had held himself back from her because she didn’t have any feelings for him at all. She didn’t want a pup with him, hearing that had bloody hurt, and he’d been angry about it for a week. They’d been together for five years when he’d bitten the bullet and finally brought it up. He had thought five years of him treating her nicely. Respectfully, and acknowledging her as his Luna would have shown her, they worked well together. Clearly not, and he had not liked the response he’d gotten at all. Even now, he could see after eight years together, that he meant absolutely nothing to her. He couldn’t understand why her side of the mate bond didn’t grow and flourish at all. He didn’t want to issue this rejection, she was an amazing Luna, intelligent, strong and beautiful, had long wavy chestnut brown hair, that right this minute was pulled up in messy bun on top of her head. Because she’d been working in the pack hospital, but it didn’t detract from her beauty at all. Normally she would wear it out, and it fell around her shoulders or down her back in a lovely wavy cascade. She had brilliant blue eyes that could sparkle like the ocean at times and a very kissable mouth. The whole pack liked her, she’d learned everything about all of them over the years, attended to all the Luna’s duties, she was not only his Luna, but was a brilliant pack doctor as well. The woman loved babies, they made her light up from the inside out, and that smiled when she looked down at them; pure joy in her blue eyes. It was infectious the way she smiled. She always had a smile for the little ones. He couldn’t understand why they’d not had pups. She would make a great mother, and he knew it. Their children would be loved and adored by her. He’d not once in the past eight years seen her even raise her voice to a little one, not even a teenager. She’d looked a little exasperated at times, when she got those repeat offenders to her Luna’s office, to be admonished by their Luna for getting into fights, but never did she yell at them. She was a kind soul to everyone. She’d not even argued about being mated off to him, had stood there in her father’s office at just 19 years old, untouched by anyone inside her home pack, he’d taken her virginity, she’d not even known how to kiss. Very unusual for an alpha-blooded female of 19 years of age. She had just stood there in her father’s office and said nothing at all. Not one single word to anyone in that room, as they’d discussed that Mating Alliance, what clauses he wanted, what her father had wanted for her as well. She’d said nothing in his car on the way to this very pack, had sat and stared out the window the entire time. Nothing until he’d initiated her into his pack, until he’d cut his palm and then hers, and pressed their palms together, asked, as her new Alpha, to pledge loyalty to him and his pack. She’d not even really looked at him until that very moment either, just once in her father’s office only. He recalled her that day here in his office, she'd looked at their hands, taken in a long breath and then had just accepted him as her new Alpha. It had been the first time he’d heard her voice. Soft to his own ears even then, he’d put that down to her being unhappy about the Mating Alliance, and he knew she was unhappy. Shannon had told him via the mind-link ‘She’s unhappy, but resigned to it, not going to argue or fight you about Marking and Mating her.’ And she hadn’t. He’d also known she had never been with anyone. Her own father had told him as much, and Shannon had confirmed that, for him, she was nervous about not knowing what to do in the bedroom. He’d been more than experienced, so it wasn’t really an issue, and he’d not Mated her until they’d both marked each other. It would lessen the pain for her and he knew it. He’d also not rushed the job, taken his time and tried to take care of her, bring about pleasure for her, and show her he wasn’t going to be a brute of a Mate, and that he wasn't out to hurt her. Now to hear her congratulate him, it felt very odd to him, and Vex’s ears, which had flattened back against his head and annoyance rolled right off his beast at her words, she actually meant it, it was there in her tone. She was genuinely happy for him, it appeared. Their own Mate confused them to no end. If she’d walked into this packhouse trailing a Goddess-Gifted Mate, he’d likely have tried to take that man's head clean off. Would have been very angry to see another that was getting to touch what was his. But no, she just smiled right at him, the perfectly happy smile she had when she looked at babies, real happiness there on the surface not only for him to see, but to know it was actually for him, she really was happy for him right this very minute; That he had found his Goddess-Gifted Mate. Vex wanted to snarl at her for seeing her so happy about him being gifted to another, but turned and stalked off away to the back of his mind, ‘I’m not voicing it.’ he snarled at Parker and lay down inside his mind to watch her from back there. She’d been mated by his wolf in human form as often as she had been by Parker himself. They were both attached to her and both wanted her. His wolf was annoyed as much as Parker was right this very minute that she could be so bloody happy for them, it was not what he wanted to see from her; not at all. She and Carina were two very different people from what he’d seen so far. Belladonna was the better of the two of them, and he knew it. .... Open the app and continue reading the rest of the story . 👉(It will automatically jump to the book when you open the app)
“I Piper Whitlock, warrior to the Black Haven Pack...reject you Bradley Drake as my Mate.” She whispered into the darkness of the room and then fled as fast as she could as pain coursed through her body. ‘He enjoyed my purity, not me.’ she thought as pain replaced the pleasure she had been feeling tonight. She knew she looked a terrible mess, tears streaming down her face, and she’d stumbled and fallen many times as pain tore at her insides but had picked herself up and kept going. Stepped out over the border right into rogue territory, saw him step towards her his eyes widened at her actions. Not many females would do what she was doing. “I...am finally free now.” ****** Piper sobbed softly out in the middle of the woods, it was all too much to handle nowadays, it was time to leave her home pack here in Montana. She could no longer take the pain of his betrayal anymore. Not that her Alpha, Alpha Bradley of the Black Haven Pack, knew that it hurt her, every time that he was with another; he had no idea who she was to him. She, however, had scented him out 3 years ago, at the age of 18. On the first full moon after her 18th birthday. Had felt pain almost instantly, and not because he’d been with another at the time, but because he’d not scented her, not recognized her as his Mate. He had bumped right into her that day even. Piper and her wolf Harper were more than nervous, tracking his perfect woodsy scent through the packhouse. It had a hint of blackberry, had led them all the way to him. She had been standing right behind him, only half a foot away, he was taller than she was, by a long way, he stood six-four and was all muscled up, he’d been wearing faded blue jeans and a dark purple tee-shirt that day, his dark brown hair had been a little messy. Alpha Bradley had been talking on his phone that day, and when he had turned around, had run right into her. His deep blue eyes with those flecks of green in them, had turned right on her, and then he’d frowned right down at her. She was only five-six, he’d towered over her. There had been no recognition in his eyes at all, “Don’t stand so close, girl.” he'd stated casually, and then had stepped around her and just walked away; and her heart had broken. Harper had howled in pain inside of her mind. They’d known what he was to them, but he had no idea. It was what she and her wolf had always feared, all her life, even before gaining Harper, even since she was little, had lost her parents to a rogue attack at the age of 10, and no-one here seemed to notice her after her parents' death. No-one seemed to know who she was, it was like she just didn’t exist. That had been her life. Although she had attended school here in the pack's small K1 to year 12 school, and had graduated with good marks, people were always bumping into her, and telling her to watch her step. No-one knew she was there, invisible to the entire pack is what it felt like, unless someone was looking directly at her, and she knew why. She had no scent. Though she could smell every one of them, no-one could smell her. She had gotten a job and worked long quiet hours, tucked away in the back room of a dress-making store inside the pack. She’d loved to learn how to design and create beautiful dresses. Even a lot of the pack's she-wolfs wore her dresses to the pack's events and mating balls. To their 16th and 18th birthday celebrations. She, however, did not. She lived alone away from the pack, out in a tiny cabin away from everyone, so that they would not hear her sobs and distress as she put up with the pains of betrayal. The first time she had felt him with another, she and Harper had howled in pain and run away deep into the woods. Found that tiny cabin no longer in use, and curled up into a ball, had stayed there in agony till he’d stopped being with another. Then had just stayed there for a whole day, unable to go back to the pack. Their pain would have been for all to see, if anyone saw her that was. There was nothing they could do about it. It had hurt like nothing she’d ever felt before, and continued to do so right to this day, and to hide their pains they had hidden themselves away, unable to tell him, what he was to them. She knew he would never believe her, only if he scented her out would he recognize her as his Mate. She and Harper both knew this, and they both knew he was never going to be able to do that either. The pains were worse when he was away from the pack; mating some other she-wolf in another pack. Did not hurt her any less than the one she-wolf here in the pack he bedded on a regular basis. Three long years she’d had to suffer now. Three long years she’d walked the halls of the packhouse, came across him, and not once did he pay her the slightest bit of attention, and when he did bump into her; as did so many others. Because they couldn’t smell that she was right there, he would just frown down at her, either apologize, or ask her to move out of the way, and just move on. Had occasionally snapped at her all angry to watch where on eаrth she was going. For two years she slipped into his bedroom when he wasn’t here in the pack, looked at his things, touched his clothes, felt hot tears slide down her cheeks; for the man that was her Mate. The man that had never once scented her out. The man that she and Harper loved, but would never love them. She had even slept curled up in his bed, not that he’d ever known it. No scent of her remained, she could wander at will anywhere she liked, left no trail at all, had even sat in his Alpha’s chair once, touched his desk and wondered what it would be like to be his Luna. Tonight, he had been with another, she knew who. He had one regular girl here inside the pack, Bianca. She was older like he was, a warrior, highly ranked. She’d seen them together chatting and flirting on occasion. Seen the way he looked at her body, even that hurt too. He desired Bianca, she was tall and very fit, all muscle, he liked that about her. Piper had once been fit like that, not tall but very fit, and had been strong too. But the past three years had drained her, she was thin now, always had dark circles under her eyes and looked quite frail. The small amount of joy she had taken from training, as a warrior, to try and make her parents proud; they had been warriors, that joy of being a good fighter. Not that she had been old enough to go out and fight, had dwindled to nothing, once she’d turned 18; she was barely a shell of her former self now. She stayed away from all pack events, just worked in the small back room of the store, surrounded by materials and designs to be created. Orders to be filled. Her only solace; that she could create something so beautiful amidst her own misery. Harper was a ball of sadness and pain, they could not take anymore, they had to leave, it was killing them, and she knew it. Bradley was going away on some Alpha meeting, or some pack business in just two days, and so that is when she was going to say goodbye and leave. She had no idea if she could reject her Mate without him being there or knowing what she was to him for that matter. But that was what she was going to do. She had to try anyway, it was all they could do. Piper figured if he had no idea who she was, for the past three years, then why would he need to be there to hear her rejection. It was likely only going to cause her pain. He would feel nothing because he knew nothing. Then, once the full moon came and went after that rejection, surely it would be official, and severed completely by the Moon Goddess herself, or at least she was hoping that’s how it worked. She and Harper had put themselves in front of him many times, they had no choice left to them, they were nothing to him, never would be and they knew it. Three full years and nothing. Not once had he so much as twitched a nose in her presence. So, no more would she put herself or her wolf through that. They had enough money saved up to go out into the human world, and make a living for themselves. She had good skills in fashion and design. Although she mostly made dresses, there were millions of humans in need of wedding dresses. The equivalent to a Luna Ceremony Gown. Spent the next 2 days in the packhouse library, looking at places she could go; her mind made up. She was not even going to look at him one last time. There was no point. She sat at a computer, one hand on the mouse scrolling through places that were well away from the pack. Away from forests and where other packs could well be. She may be a wolf, but she didn’t feel like one; she was just invisible mostly. Her other hand was on the Blue Azure Crystal Pendulum Drop necklace that hung around her neck. It had a white gold chain that was fine and felt warm against her skin all the time, and had a white gold casing, to hold the crystal itself and a smaller blue azure crystal ball right above the casing that attached to the chain. It had been her mother's, she'd told her that one day she would get her daughter one too. A gift for her 16th birthday, and they would have matching mother-daughter jewellery. But Piper had only been 10, when she had lost both her parents. She’d never taken it off, it was the only thing she had left of her; she had found it on her mothers body when the attack had been over, and had retrieved it as her only heirloom. She and Harper were at the point where they might as well live as a human, no wolf would ever smelled her, and she would remain Mate-less from the moment she rejected him. They were already resigned to that fact. She found a nice city several states away, Harper didn’t care that there was no forest nearby. She had not shifted to her wolf in over a year now, couldn’t, it seemed, or perhaps just no longer wanted to. So she was fine with a city, didn’t want to be in the woods, didn’t want to run and be free, didn’t seem to care at all anymore about being a wolf herself. Piper found and booked a flight out there, a hotel for somewhere to stay, while they found a small apartment and sorted out the business that she was going to create. They would die and wither away, no more. They would become strong from this, and live a human life from now on. Then they went back to their cabin in the woods by the southern border of the pack, and had just stayed there. They could see the pack gates with the use of a set of binoculars from the roof of her cabin. She sat and watched and waited for his car to leave, not that hard to spot, it was white, unlike most of the other pack cars, that were black or silver, he drove a white Mercedes SUV. She saw it leave and grabbed her hiking backpack. It was full of her belongings. Living a simple life meant not much to pack. Her whole life fitted in that one backpack. It was large and designed to be used for long hiking trips, but even with her small, weakened stature, she could manage it. Piper walked through the woods until the packhouse came into view, sighed heavily and headed for it. Today was the day, she was leaving. No-one would even notice she was gone because they didn't even know she existed. Only those who came into the store to buy one of her dresses at Renee's store, Haven Gowns, may wonder where she had gone. Though Renee had always claimed them as her dresses, she told Piper she was the store owner, so this was how it was. Piper's name was on the label of all her dresses though. Renee never minded about that, and she did pay Piper well. Not that anyone ever asked who Piper was, or asked to meet her. She walked into the packhouse and right up the main set of stairs, to the very top floor. No-one stopped her, placed her backpack down the hall and around near the Omega stairs, that she would use to leave. It was out of sight and no omegas would be up here at this time of the night. All their work done for the day. Only the Alpha Unit lived in this part of the packhouse; and they were all off with the Alpha. She walked down to his suite and let herself in. It was clean and smelled like him, fresh pine with eucalyptus and that hint of blackberries. She walked about one last time, a glutton for punishment, she knew. Should have just left already but couldn’t, not without one last scent of him. Walked into his walk-in and touched all his clothes, slid her hand along them all, touched everything, couldn’t help herself. As much as it pained her and Harper, they were still drawn to him. Likely always would be, leaving was simply self-preservation and if her rejection did not hold, they’d likely not survive much longer anyway. Piper walked over and stood looking down at his bed, one last night here in his bed, and then gone at the brink of dawn. That was the plan. He’d be gone for several days; always was. The first night away was usually peaceful, but not the nights after that. She stripped off all her clothes and got into his bed. Grabbed onto the pillow that smelled the most like him and buried her face into it, letting the tears fall one last time. She fell asleep in the middle of his big king-sized bed, wrapped in his scent, in the very sheets that would touch his skin while he slept, allowing herself to dream it was where she belonged one last time. She woke with a start. It was still dark, then there was the sound of the bedroom door banging closed. She bit her lip, heard movement and then the sound of clothing being removed. She could smell him. Bradley was back, he could not smell her, had not realized she was in here, in his very bed, he hadn’t even turned the lights on. She was very small at five-six, and was now so thin that she likely didn’t even make a small lump in his bed which had a thick plush feather down comforter on it. He got into bed, and she prayed he’d stay on that side of the bed, that she would be able to slip out once he was asleep. The punishment for this kind of thing; being in his bed, would likely be terrible. And he would be the one to dish it out. She did not relish the thought of getting a beating or whipping, or thrown in the cells afterwards by her own Mate. It would likely destroy them completely. Why was he back? His hand touched her back, stilled completely on her skin, and then a large angry growl came from him. He knew there was a stranger in his bed, he was well within his rights to kill her, and she and Harper both knew it. Wondered if he’d even feel the disconnection afterwards, though doubted it. Then his body was suddenly pressed up against hers. “Well, I guess you want some time with your Alpha.” his voice had suddenly turned all husky and his hand had slid over the curve of her hip, and he’d pulled her hard against him. His mouth was on her shoulder and a groan escaped him as his fingers dug into her hip. “I could use company after my day.” he’d growled, “So you’re in luck.” his hand slid up her body. It was leaving a burning hot trail over her skin, everywhere he was touching her. Piper had no idea what to do. No-one had ever paid her the slightest bit of attention, no-one had ever touched her, and now he was; something she never thought would happen. His hand slid over her hills, and he stroked his fingers over her niple. She gasped as it hardened under his touch, and heat bloomed between her thighs, then she was tugged over onto her back and his mouth was on her neck, his hand sliding down her body “F'k-, you're hot to touch.” He’d growled into her neck, sounding full of desire to her. His fingers had dipped right between her thighs and, oh Goddess, the pleasure of his touch, she had cried out as he’d stroked her firmly, grabbed onto him, wanted more, needed more of him. “Please,” she had whispered, and his fingers were buried inside of her a second later, a deep groan had come from him, as she’d moaned at the intense sensation of him touching her so intimately. He was moving his hand, pushing his fingers in and out of her, as she clung to him, could feel her first ever or'gаsm coming, gasped and moaned under his touch, arched up to him, and moaned his name as it rolled through her body. Heard him growl “Oh, that was fcking fine.” Then his mouth was on hers, and she felt him tugging her legs apart. It was too late for her, she could not deny what she’d always wanted. She couldn’t even utter the word no, somewhere inside her brain she knew she should but couldn’t. Then he was in her, one hard movement all the way in. She cried out in pain as he took her, and felt his whole body still atop of hers. He knew, it was likely obvious she’d never been with another “Oh dayum, even better.” he’d suddenly growled down at her, then his mouth was on hers once more, and he started to move, taking her slowly at first, and it hurt, it was uncomfortable, he was so big, and she felt stretched completely around him. His mouth moved to her neck as he tasted her skin, slid his tongue over her mark spot, and her whole body burned hot like it was on fire. She cried out his name and thrvst her hips up to meet his, pleasure finally taking over, he was her Mate and was having her, if only just once, she would have him for herself. Take all of him, give him everything of herself. He picked up the pace as he felt her acceptance of him inside her. Cried out as pleasure started to build quicker, ripping through her body, like nothing she’d ever imagined it could be. Clung on to him and begged him not to stop. Heard his deep throaty chuckle “I think you like it.” “Yes,” she had answered him honestly, “Please, I want you, all of you.” she moaned and had meant every word. His mouth had found hers, his body moved harder and faster, giving her what she had asked for, heard him groan as he came, felt his seed spill inside of her; like a hot river spreading through her insides. Dug her nails into him as she’d cried out his name. His hand slid down her body. “You feel amazing,” he growled deeply. His hands had gripped her a'ss firmly, and then he was moving again, hard and fast. “I want more.” he’d growled into her neck, pulling and pushing at her hips, his need to have her increasing. Then he was gone from her. Piper had gasped at the sudden loss of him, only to be yanked over and up onto all fours, heard his gasp as he took her from behind “f'k- yes.” and was thrvsting in and out of her firm and hard, faster and in his need. Piper cried out repeatedly as he held her hips, gripping on to her hard, and he was suddenly slamming in and out of her. She could hear her own cries of pleasure filling the darkness of the room, she could hear Harper howling with pleasure inside her own mind, as he took them. Screamed out as she climaxed. Only to have him shove her down on the bed and grate out “More.” was holding her down, one hand on the back of her neck while the other pulled her hips up “f'k-.” he roared as he started again, thrvsting like he had lost all control taking what he wanted furiously, hard and rough holding her down dominating her completely "Oh, f'k- yes." he was really moving now, giving her all he had, everything. Piper could barely gasp for air herself, just cry out as wave after wave of pleasure hit her, could feel the 0rgа5ms one after the other ripping through her till she was screaming in pure bliss. Her whole body shunted forward as she screamed his name one last time as he slammed home, his seed spilling inside of her again. His body was heavy on top of hers, she lay under him, gasping, trying to breathe and calm down, his breath she could feel was heavy and ragged like her own. “I like fkn you.” he’d groaned as he’d rolled off of her body and lay on the bed next to her. Piper's joy at what had just happened, was gone in an instant, she felt hot tears burn her eyes. ‘He liked fcking her.’ she thought, as pain in her heart replaced the pleasure she had been feeling. She was his Mate, and still, he did not recognize her. Felt not just her own heart shatter, but Harper’s too. She did not look at him, couldn’t, just lay there quietly, held in the sobs of pain, and waited for him to fall asleep. Then she dragged her aching body from his bed, he still could not tell what she was to him. It was just a good f'k-. She picked up her clothes, could hear him snoring softly, as her tears continued to fall silently down her face. At least they’d gotten to have him, just once. She stepped away from the bed, from him, and closed her eyes and tried to stop the flow of tears. Pulled on her clothes, turned from the bedroom doorway, and looked at his sleeping body, pain seared through her and her wolf. They would never survive his betrayal again. Not after this, they both knew it, and they knew he would go off and be with someone else. They were nothing to him, never had been, and without a scent for him to smell, they never would be. Piper took in a long silent breath, “I Piper Whitlock, warrior to the Black Haven Pack...reject you Bradley Drake as my Mate.” she whispered into the darkness of the room, and then fled as fast as she could, as pain coursed through her body, she heard Harper howl in pain inside her mind. They ran from his suite, down the hall, grabbed their bag and stumbled and nearly fell most of the way down the stairs to the door at the bottom, struggling with the pain of their rejection. Refused to stop regardless of the pain, they had been through a lot of pain in the past three years, they knew how to run, and hold it in, to hide it until they were alone. She didn’t stop running until they reached the western border of the Pack. She knew she looked a terrible mess, tears streaming down her face, and she’d stumbled and fallen many times, as pain tore at her insides, but she had picked herself up and kept going. Was still sobbing from the pain she was in, when she looked at the patrol man, he was frowning right at her, had no idea where she had come from, or who she was; not scented her coming, would have heard her, but even now, she could tell he was confused as to what she was. She stepped out over the border right into rogue territory, saw him step towards her, his eyes widened at her actions. Not many females would do what she was doing. “I reject Alpha Bradley Drake and his Pack, the Black Haven Pack, as my Pack, I...am a rogue now.” she’d stated firmly; her decision clear in her mind. The border patrol man gasped in shock, then she turned and ran from everything, and everyone she’d ever known, as she felt herself being severed from the pack entirely. It was the only thing that could save her and Harper. They would die here if they had to stay and suffer any longer. They were not afraid to be out in rogue territory, had been out here before, not even a rogue picked up her wolfen scent. She was a mere human to them as well. So, a human they would be from now on. They would live, breathe, eat and work as a human would, in the human world. She made their way to the airport to catch their flight and start over. A wolf no more. Piper POV Piper stood in her bridal shop window, pinning the dress to the mannequin, to make it a neat fit and look its best to attract customers. Not that she was short of them. She smiled, her designs were well liked, even here in the human world. It was a lovely strapless A-line gown, a blush coloured dress with a square neckline, the skirt flowed freely, and it had a bodice covered in hand embroidered crystal beads. It had a pulled up and neatly pleated section, at the front of the dress, that allowed all the wonderful soft ruffles of the overlapping layers of the soft satin material to be seen. She did like it, had just finished it yesterday. Her store ‘Goddess Gowns’ here in Portland was one of three she now owned. Her main store, where she worked from, was a nice space, in a two-story building, where all her gowns were on display downstairs, with a spacious sitting area and plush seating. There was a small runway from the dressing rooms, out into the center of the store, where the waiting guests would sit and watch the bride-to-be show-off the dress she chose. Her office was upstairs in a loft space. She’d had split the loft into two large rooms, her office in the first space and her working studio in the second, where she sat and created her gowns. She was good at her job. Liked her work and had sold many dresses to wealthy humans, as well as regular humans, she catered to everyone. She kept to herself as much as possible, but did hold and attend fashion shows, and was quite well known in the bridal industry. She stepped back and looked at her latest creation, adjusted it a couple of times, until she was happy with it. Hearing the pretty bell she’d bought tinkle as the store's door opened to let someone in. Most days they came by appointment, but on Tuesday's she kept her books open, for walk-ins. Her books were pretty full at the moment, Izzy would likely show them around, or make them an appointment to see her at some point in the future. Then the scent hit her, they were wolves; inside her store were werewolves. She felt Harper growl a little inside of her mind. Although they had come across wolves, and all other manner of creatures over the past eight years, today the scent that hit them, reached their nose. It was one that particularly annoyed them. Without even turning to look, she could hear the woman, who was laughing and happy, excited to be in this very store, to purchase her gown for her Ceremony as she called it. She heard the man chuckle and reminded her that Brad, had told her to get whatever she wanted, he did not care about the cost it would incur him. Piper stepped out of the window display, and refused to even look at them. She knew by the scent that was on them, they were of her old pack, likely from the way the woman was talking. This woman was here to purchase a Goddess Gown designed by Piper Harper Designs. To wear to her Luna Ceremony, and to none other than Bradley Drake himself. “Izzy, please attend to the customers.” she stated flatly as she headed up the stairs to her office. “Yes Piper.” she heard Izzy call after her. Piper nor Harper wanted to be anywhere near that woman or her escort for that matter. Pain was already pulling at them both. He’d found another, it seemed. No not found another. Had scented out his first Mate. She thought bitterly. He’d never once scented her, but obviously had that woman downstairs in her very store. She and Harper might have left out of self-preservation, but it didn’t mean they didn’t still love the man. Knew their rejection had worked, seeing as not once since that night, had she felt the pains of betrayal. It had been the right thing to do, saved both her and Harper. They’d moved well away from that pack, several states away in fact. Why were they here in her store? This was the first time, they had come across the Black Haven Pack, since they had left. Why of all places would that woman come all the way here to her store? Was it just some cruel joke? She already felt like Selena had rejected her and Harper, cursed them and given her a life of torture, but no, that wasn’t enough, it seemed. Now her Mate had his own Mate, and was here to dump pain upon her once again. There was a knock on her door “Piper, sorry to bother you. The young lady downstairs wants one of your older gowns,” Izzy stated. “I don’t make those anymore.” Piper replied calmly, “Just tell her to buy one off of the racks downstairs. I’m sure there is something she will like. I don’t have the time to make anything new right now, even from the old.” “Yes Piper...are you alright Piper?” Izzy asked her with a slight frown. “I’m fine Izzy, have a headache is all.” she waved the girl away. “Close my door, I can’t stand the smell.” she stated, not wanting to smell them, or even hear the conversation that those two down there may have. And to hll with it, if that escort or the girl heard her comment about the smell. She glanced at the large wall clock and sighed, hopefully they would leave soon. She had to go and get Brandon from the bus stop in a little while. Did not want that man around her son, period. Not that he would connect any dots, she did not smell to that wolf downstairs, and any likeness to Bradley would simply be shrugged off. There was a knock on her door a few minutes later, and she was about to raise her voice to Izzy, for disturbing her yet again, because she’d been given instructions already. When the door opened without her stating to come in, she looked at it with a deep frown on her face. Her jaw tightened as she watched Cooper opening the door to her office without permission. Cooper, the Beta to the Black Haven Pack, stood there in her office doorway, smiled right at her, all charmingly, thinking he was going to be able to use his good looks and charm, to be able to sway her into whatever he wanted. Most human females would be drooling already, at his black hair and deeply dark charcoal grey eyes, his chiseled jaw and well-built physique. Little did this wolf know, she wasn’t some gullible human out for the charming. She was not going to fall at his feet and stare up at him all dreamy-eyed, and become so smitten that she’d do whatever he wanted her too. It was likely how he’d gotten past Izzy though. Had used those stormy grey eyes of his and, by the look of it, had run his hand through his hair, which would have showed off the muscles in his arm. He was only wearing a short-sleeved, very well-fitted tee-shirt, and those sickeningly perfectly pearly white teeth of his; that he had turned on her now. He was a picture of charm and sx appeal; he was definitely trying to play on his good looks to get what he wanted. She was not attracted to him in the slightest. “Hello, I’m Cooper.” Piper cut him right off there. “I don’t care. Get out.” she snapped at him. She did not want this wolf anywhere near her at all. Watched his smile actually falter, and he frowned at her. “That’s not a very nice way to treat a potential customer, I have a friend here who would...” “I don’t care.” she cut him off once again. “I already told my store manager, Izzy, I don’t have time to make a dress from an old, obsolete line.” she turned her eyes away from him, back to her desk and the design pad in front of her, effectively dismissing him, he would understand that; likely seen his Alpha do it many times, he’d probably done it himself a heap. “Please,” she heard him actually step inside of her office “We’ll pay whatever you want.” Piper turned her eyes back to him, more than annoyed now, trying to use money to get what he wanted. Now he understood his looks wouldn’t do it; typical. “I don’t need your money. Now I am very busy Carter...was it. Have your friend choose something in the store downstairs.” “It was Cooper,” he grated out, sounding like he didn’t like her tone. Well, she didn’t like him in her office, any more than he looked like, he wanted to be there right now. She was ticking the man off, it seemed. Good. Maybe he’d take that woman and leave altogether. “My friend wants a custom Piper Harper gown.” She rolled her eyes right at him, whose store did he think he was in? “Everything downstairs is a Piper Harper gown.” she dripped sarcasm at his stupidly spoken request. “You are very rude.” he glared right at her. Oh, this was not rude, this was just annoyed, he didn’t want to see her fully pissed off. And she was doing everything to get him out of her store, with the attitude of him not coming back at all. She saw him actually take a breath and try to calm his anger. His wolf must be cranky at the lack of respect she was showing. She heard Harper snort amused inside her mind; they’d not even really gotten started. “Please, at least look at the picture of the dress she wants.” he turned slightly “Hadley come in here and show the lady the dress you want.” he called out to her. Piper's jaw tightened all the way, so much so she could hear her own teeth grinding against each other. He looked right at her, had picked up on it too. They did not want to know the woman’s name, and certainly did not want to have to look right at her, for that matter. That was why she had come upstairs and asked Izzy to deal with them. On any other given day in her store, Piper would have been more than willing and happy to stay downstairs and assist in her store. Her customers liked to meet her. She knew this, and for the most part, didn’t actually mind interacting with them. Only the super prima donnas annoyed her. Whining spoiled little baby’s that had never heard the word ‘No’ before, irritated her and Harper for that matter. She was glaring right at him now, and actually saw him try and smell her, an interesting response to her anger. He clearly wasn’t used to humans challenging him or standing up to him. A very pretty red-headed girl walked into her office a moment later, obviously not her real hair colour. It was as red as a fire truck. The girl, not woman, was young, likely only barely 18 or 19. She smiled right at Piper, had deep dark blue eyes, and she had that trim-taught and terrific body that all wolves have, she was wearing a well-fitted dress that accentuated her hills and hips, drawing one's eyes right to how fit she actually was. Just his type, she thought bitterly, it did not escape her or Harper that she scented of Alpha blood either. She did not smile at Hadley; she’d been called. Already initiated into the pack, she had the pack's scent on her as well. The girl faltered as Piper's eyes met hers, fully annoyed and angered to have to be looking right at her. Cooper brought her further into the office. “I’m sure she won’t bite Hadley.” it was a warning; she and Harper had not missed his tone. “Show her the dress you want. I’m certain I will be able to convince her to make it.” ‘Fat chance.’ Harper snarled inside her mind. He walked Hadley across the office and sat her down opposite Piper herself. She glared right at him. He was lucky Harper was still inside her mind and not fully on the surface. And oh yes, he was very used to getting his way all the time. And of course, whatever the Luna wanted, she would get. He was here to make sure of that. Well, today he was going to find out that he couldn’t have everything he wanted. She was no push over. Yes, every other Luna out there got what they wanted. She and Harper hated Luna’s with almost a passion, almost as much as they hated their own Kind. “Piper.” she felt his aura roll at her, just a little. Likely trying to make her complaint “Please, it is Hadley’s wish.” “And I told you... I’m busy and don’t have the time.” she shot back at him, making sure he understood his aura meant nothing to her. “Look at it.” he practically demanded her. Well, they were no longer a part of his pack anymore, rogues didn’t have masters, didn’t have to answer to anyone unless they actually chose to. She raised an eyebrow at him “I don’t like your attitude.” she snapped and stood up, felt Harper bristle inside her own mind. They would be no match for him, but they were not about to let him, lord it over them, right here in their office. “Nor I yours.” he snapped right back. He plucked the photo from the girl's hand. “What harm will come from looking at it?” he held it out to her. “Nothing, I suppose.” she grated out and yanked the dаmed thing from his hand, it was actually a magazine clipping not a photo, and the moment her eyes landed on it her anger twitched up a notch. She had only made one of these, had tortured herself with it. It was the very dress she had designed for herself; the one that she had always imagined she would wear, the one she had designed long before she’d left the pack, tormented herself with dreams of Bradley scenting her and claiming her; and that dress being the one she would wear for her Luna Ceremony. Never happened, never would. There was one thing Piper was certain of; this girl before her was never going to wear that dress. She would never make it for her to wear to her ceremony to Bradley. She tore the clipping in half, and then in half again “I will not make that.” she spat as she tossed the torn pieces of paper into the bin. The girl gasped and actually sobbed, then shot up out of the chair and left the room in a rush. Cooper went after her “Go and don’t come back.” she practically snarled right at him. Saw him stop and glare right at her, stand there and stare at her, right at her, she was not intimidated by him, and it surprised him. Shocked him that he couldn’t seem to frighten her, watched him breathe in again. He was once again trying to figure out what she was. Why she’d not done what he wanted? Well, he would smell nothing, like every other time he’d walked passed her, or ran into her, and he had more than once. He would smell a human and nothing more, if he even smelled that. He stood in her office doorway staring right at her, as she stared right back at him, locked eyes right with him, her brown eyes never moved from him, a slight smirk touched his lips; she presented a challenge to him and his wolf, it seemed. His wolf's eyes appeared as it pushed forward. It was likely meant to frighten her, all he got from her was a raised eyebrow at him. “You don’t frighten me, get out of my store.” she stated, never moving her eyes from his wolf's. Shock registered on his face, at her lack of reaction to his wolf on the surface, then he just turned and left. “Yes, go away and don’t bloody come back.” she muttered to herself, knew his keen sense of hearing would pick it up, didn’t care at all. Wanted him to know that she didn’t want him to come back. She glanced at the clock and sighed, heard the bell chime; he’d left the store. She poured herself a glass of water and drank it. Today was not a good day. Today was not something she had ever seen coming or even been prepared for. Downstairs she found Izzy’s eyes on her, questioningly “I’m going to pick up Brandon.” “Yes Piper.” she just nodded. Then walked out of her store, and found Cooper across the street with the girl, and as she glanced at them, realized the packs Gamma and Delta were also both there. The Gamma looked right at her, the girl was hugged into him, taking comfort from her Gamma. 'Oh! How sweet.' She thought bitterly. Turned and walked off down the street. Three blocks to the bus stop and waited. She’d survived more than that, all that girl got was a “no”, was a spoiled bloody prima donna. Brandon got off the bus, and she smiled at him, thankfully he had her caramel-coloured hair, with a few natural blonde highlights from the sun, and his skin was fair like hers too. Though he did have his father's blue eyes with those brilliant green flecks in them. He was her one true joy in her life. She smiled right at him as he stood talking to his friends; would not interrupt the boy, he had people hanging off him, just seven years old and already popular, typical of his Alpha gene’s she supposed. Finally, he turned his smile on her. “Hey mum.” “Hey sweetie, I thought...we’d go and get waffles.” He grinned now. “Sure.” She knew it was his favorite thing, loved waffles with strawberries and doused in hot melted chocolate with a big scoop of chocolate ice cream. She took his hand and strolled along to the cafe, they ate at sometimes after school. She watched him eat happily. “I thought we could get away, go on a little holiday, the long weekend is coming.” He looked right at her. “No work?” Piper chuckled and even heard Harper chortle inside her mind “No work...why don’t we go snowboarding?” “Sweet.” he grinned, now, all excited. The boy did like to be in the outdoors, and he’d learned to snowboard at 5, bloody took to everything that he tried. His natural agility shone through, as did his track and field, he even excelled at swimming. Everything he did was a natural talent at “Mum it's fall.” he suddenly stated. “It’s snowing somewhere in the world.” she shrugged. “get your phone out and find somewhere. We’ll leave on Friday after school and come back on Monday. You pick where.”
"Congratulations, Parker," I forced a smile. "I see you've found your Goddess-Gifted Mate." He nodded. "I have. We need to talk." "Why?" I shot back. "I already know what this is—I was chosen just to be rejected by you." I'd known from the start I wasn't his fated mate, and this day had been coming. "Just reject me, Parker. I'll accept it." I said, no emotion in my voice. Eight years ago, I was sold to him. Our bond never grew, never flourished like it should have. The only time we were together was in bed. He stayed silent, staring at me. I shook my head slightly. "I'll do it, then." I said. "I, Belladonna Harrington, reject you, Alpha Parker Hartly, as my Mate." I saw his eyes widen, disbelief flashing across his face. "Accept it," I gasped, clutching my chest. "It hurts, Parker." His frown deepened, then he stood up. "I, Alpha Parker Hartly, accept your rejection. You are no longer my Mate or Luna." Our bond shattered, and I felt it—severed completely. I gasped, my chest aching. He gripped his desk, eyes fixed on me. "Go claim your Goddess-Gifted," I said, voice strained. "And you?" He asked, his voice softer, almost concerned. "I'll be fine." I wasn't his anymore. And for the first time, I was free. --- Part 1: Null & Voided Belladonna Bella stood in the shower in the Luna’s suite, allowing the warm water to wash over her. She was pleasantly exhausted, Parker had left her suite; he was off to a mating ball in another state. She had four days now, where he wasn’t going to be there inside the pack. She was his Luna; had been for eight years now, but she was bound to him not by her choice, had been chosen for him by her own Alpha and Luna; just to get rid of her, and she knew it. She was the youngest child of her father, and unwanted and shunned; a bastard child not born of his Mate bond, and that was why she was hated by the Luna in her home pack. This allianced mating, that she’d been bound to at just 19 years of age. It was, she believed, her father’s Luna’s way of getting rid of her from their pack, once and for all. The only solace she had was that there was a detailed mating alliance. That did not allow for Parker to bring harm to her. Parker came to her room, the Luna’s suite every other night to bed her, and though the sex was good, more than good, damned near on amazing at times, she had to admit, because he wasn’t just a man that came and took what he wanted. No, he was a man that enjoyed sex, enjoyed knowing he pleased the woman in his bed, even if she had been sold to him. Parker could spend hours in her bed, touching and tasting her, sometimes all night long. He was not a terrible Mate to her, but he was indifferent most of the time. She had been given to him to stop a war between their two packs, had been Marked and Mated by him, taken as his Chosen Luna, with full view of rejecting her one-day down the line. She didn’t actually mean anything to him. He didn’t love her, and she didn’t love him. She could enjoy him being in her bed because of the Mate Bond, enjoyed it a lot, and had been known to scream with pleasure at him having his way with her. He could be utterly insatiable at times, and a part of Bella craved him; as his Mate she loved his every touch. She actually enjoyed her heat when it came, just once a year, spent seven glorious days being mated by him, and the sex; all rough I’ve just got to have alpha-blooded needs on the surface. Screamed in utter bliss that week multiple times a day and half all night, but it was the only time he never got out of her bed and slept in his suite. Every time always ended the same way. The moment he couldn’t scent her heat anymore, he was up and gone from her suite. Eight years of it; nothing had changed for him. Just three days ago, her heat had ended, and he’d left in the middle of the night. She’d not even known, she had been exhausted by them mating furiously that last time, and she had slept like the dead. Then she'd woken up on her own because her heat was over. This morning, him in her bed for a few hours before the sun rose. It was because he was going away for a mating ball and would be gone for four days. The pack he was visiting was in another state, 12 hours away, unaffiliated to him but a good opportunity for his wolves to pair up. There was nothing unusual about him being gone for four days, seeing as how far away that pack was, sometimes it was five full days. That was nice for her, he wasn’t one to tax his wolves, and so they stopped overnight on the way there or back if necessary. Not that he informed her of his doings, she just learned it over the years. Parker didn’t think that he was required to tell her his movements, she was only his Mate and Luna, due to the mating alliance that they had. It didn’t bother her at all, it just meant she had four days to herself this week. He always liked to have sex before he left and when he got back as well, something about he had an alpha-blooded sex drive that he needed to sate on a regular basis. She didn’t argue about it, she had it too, there was no need to either, they both got all the tingly mate bond goodness in that bed of hers. And it was always in her bed. She’d never even seen inside the Alpha Suite; that was not a place for her to be. Bella dressed for the day and headed downstairs, to get herself some breakfast, where she saw him and his unit all heading across the foyer and out the front door of the packhouse to leave. He nodded to her, but never said goodbye to her. No one here thought anything about it, they all knew she had been given to him. Was not his Goddess-Gifted Mate. Though the pack here was nice to her, they didn’t treat her badly at all, that had been a surprise to her, and she herself was nice to all of them. She actually liked the pack, and it seemed the pack actually liked her. Looked to her for advice even. She did her Luna duties as was required of her. She had been sent here against her will, but actually found that she fitted in better inside this pack than her own home pack. She had respect here from this pack, from Parker to a certain degree, she thought. She’d learned how to be a Luna to this pack, and attended to all of those duties that Parker had tasked her with, when she’d first been brought here. She had even been allowed to study with his pack’s doctor in the hospital, and now, eight years later she herself was a good doctor. Bella specialized in the delivery of pups, and looking after the she-wolves in labour, using her Luna Calm to help them settle when fully distressed, and things got a bit on the hairy side. She’d not lost a single pup or she-wolf in the past eight years of assisting and then delivering on her own. She was a fully registered doctor with this pack, and one day when she left, she would be a doctor for another pack somewhere else. That was the goal. Though what the really crazy thing was, was that six months after she went into heat herself, there was always an explosion of pups within the pack. It hadn’t gone unnoticed by the pack's doctor, her mentor Annette, she shook her head and had stated “It’s you, you know.” They often laughed and joked about it. Annette had already chuckled just yesterday about getting supplies ready for pups to be born in a few months’ time. Bella had just snorted and shaken her own head, they were currently going through that now, that heat she’d had last week was completely unexpected and out of the blue, her second one for this year. Had not been expected at all. Annette’s theory only made Bella shake her head, she thought it was just a coincidence was all. She’d not gotten pregnant once in the past eight years of having a heat once a year. A part of her was glad of it as well, knowing that there was a clause in her mating alliance that stated all pups she had while still bonded to Parker, were to be given to him. When he found his Goddess-Gifted Mate and rejected her, she had to leave them behind for him to raise. They were his heirs. It was not something she wanted to happen. She knew that Parker would make her give them up as well. He followed all his alliance dealings to the letter. She also knew it was a clause he’d written into their mating alliance himself. He wasn’t willing to relinquish any child to her, he would be claiming all of them as his heirs. She might be their mother if she ever birthed any pups, but she had no rights to them; that was how she looked at that clause. She saw him sometimes looking at her, in the weeks after her heat, assessing her, she knew, listening for a heartbeat of a pup. He wanted an heir and she, being Alpha-blooded like he was, their pup would be a pure-blooded heir for this pack. There were no pups, even though she wasn’t on birth control of any kind, he wouldn’t allow it. He was hoping for a pup between them and she knew it. 2 Belladonna Bella thought there was no pup simply because she didn’t want one and her wolf certainly didn’t want one to a Mate that was not her Fated or that was how it felt to Bella. Neither of them were at all interested in having a pup with a Mate that was going to, at some point in time, whether it be in the near or far future, reject them for his Goddess-Gifted when she came along. Why would anyone want to do that when they knew that their Alpha Mate would be sending them away, pretty much just tossing them out of his pack and without their pups, making them sever their kind bond to however many pups they had and loved. No she-wolf she knew would agree with that, it was insane; and neither she nor Freya, her wolf, were interested in that happening to them. Parker had made a few comments over the years about it, and she’d stared at him, stated simply, “Maybe, Selena doesn’t want us to have a pup, Parker.” To which he’d retort, “And maybe you’re infertile.” Sounding a bit on the angry side about it. “Could well be,” she’d nodded at him simply. She’d not taken offense to his words. Though she wasn’t infertile. She’d been tested a few years back along with himself after that very comment. She’d thought he’d gone away and thought about his own words, and maybe come to the conclusion that one of them was infertile. So they’d both been tested at his request, and they were both fine and capable of conceiving a pup, apparently. It just wasn’t meant to be as far as she was concerned, and she was honestly glad of it. Though during her heats, Parker knotted her every time he came, and she him back, liked the bloody feeling of it as much as he did, and she knew it. She understood that being knotted to one's Mate kind of made you feel whole, that it was part of the mate bond as well. He had in fact knotted her this morning, had looked right down at her while still knotted to her and sighed softly, contentedly. She knew he liked the feeling of being knotted to her. All wolves did unless they weren’t their Mate. His blue eyes had looked into her blue ones, and he’d murmured softly as he’d looked down at her, a gentle smile on his face, “An heir would be nice, don’t you think Belladonna.” He hadn’t said it in months, and she’d been a little surprised to hear him bring it once more, she had thought he’d give up on that thought, though the way he said her name softly, almost sounded like he cared at that moment. She knew better though, he never shortened her name like everyone else inside the pack did. He was the only one to call her Belladonna, and she was certain that he did it, to remind himself she was his Chosen Mate. “I guess it would.” She’d answered him. It was all she ever said on the subject of a pup between them. She’d only ever actually said ‘no’ once, and it had set him and his beast off into a fit of rage. She’d not really understood that. He didn’t love her, she knew that. But she’d never dared to say it again. Because his anger over her declining to even think it was a good idea, had filtered into the pack. The pack had been on edge over his foul mood, and she’d seen him stomping around and grating out orders at everyone. He’d been cranky about it for over a week. So now she stated she guessed it would be, instead of telling him no she didn’t want one with him. To save the pack from his temper was all, something he had, but she rarely saw, the pack rarely saw, and she had a feeling he tried not to lose it for no reason at all. The pack did like him, respect him and were happy with him as their Alpha. Sometimes she wondered what that war with her home pack had been all about. She didn’t recall there being a war, perse, there had been a full threat of one, that much she did know. Though her father and Parker had probably not wanted that war and tried everything to stop it before it got started. She’d not been privy to that and during those two days everyone had been sequestered to their homes. Though she did know there had been a wolfen force at the border of the pack. She shook off her thoughts, she didn’t need a trip down memory lane, that was a long time ago. She ate her breakfast in the dining room as she always did, smiled at the wolves in here eating as well. Chuckled as a boy of six climbed up onto the seat next to her and tugged on her arm “Luna, mummy’s going to have her baby today.” “Is she now?” she’d smiled down at him. “Yes, daddy took her to the hospital just a minute ago.” Bella smiled at him “Are you excited to meet your little sister Franky?” she asked him. “Yes.” He smiled big up at her “Aunty Becky is watching me.” Bella looked up to find Rebekah his aunt walking this way. She was heavily pregnant herself. “Daisy just went into labour, Luna.” Rebekah told her as she walked over to her. “I just heard; Franky’s excited.” She ruffled his blond hair. “How are you doing today, Becky?” “Alright, will you be going to the hospital soon?” Becky asked. “Yes, right after breakfast. Everything will be fine with your sister; I’ve not lost a pup yet and am not about to start today.” She reassured Becky. Bella had gone into heat six months ago. This was going to be a busy week here inside the pack. Her last heat had been very unexpected. Had come in the middle of the night, out of nowhere and Parker had not been in the pack for it either. That first night had been agony locked in her suite, unable to sate the needs from her heat. But he’d come back in short order, when he’d been informed she was in heat, and she’d been on him the moment he’d walked into her suite, practically ripped his pants off him and shoved him down all alpha aggression, and she ridden the hell out of him with all she’d had right by the suites' entry door. He hadn’t cared, had enjoyed it himself, enjoyed all her heats while they lasted. He got to have sex for hours every day and half the nights as well, it was all rough and raw, both their alpha-blooded needs in full swing. They were both very aggressive about getting what they wanted during her heats. It was kind of unavoidable, she thought. Just their bloodlines. She pulled herself from her thoughts and made her way to the pack’s hospital, pulled on her scrubs. Today she was wearing soft blue scrubs with sloths all over them; she thought they were cute. The pack hospital had, had a uniform when she’d arrived in this pack, black scrubs, she’d gotten rid of them, thought they were very unfriendly, and some of the pack’s children who’d never been in the hospital before had shied away from the nurses and doctors on their first visit. Now all the nurses and doctors wore fun scrubs with patterns all over them, some even tailored them to the seasons. It had helped the children relax and be comfortable. They did have a standard uniform for after war or pack attacks, when their wolves were grieving the loss of loved ones. Simple respectful scrubs that were mint green and white. Despite being brought here as a Chosen Mate and Luna, Parker did expect her to attend all Luna duties, and she did them well. He couldn’t fault her on that. He didn’t have any complaints, and had actually told her she made a good Luna to his pack. That had been just a few years back. She’d just smiled and nodded, accepted the compliment from him, they were few and far between, had told him in return, “I like the pack members, they’re nice to me.” and they were. "I'll always do my best for them, Parker." The Lustrous Moon was a much nicer pack to her than her home pack had been. 3 Belladonna It was a long four days inside the pack. Bella had delivered 17 pups over those days, she had lived inside the pack hospital itself, slept in her office, on the couch in there so she didn’t have to make the trip from the Luna suite to the hospital, which took 20 minutes at a casual stroll, it was closer to the pack's town than the packhouse, and she understood that was because it had been built to cater to the majority of the pack who lived in the town not the packhouse. Parker was due home today around lunchtime, and she knew that the moment he was finished initiating his new pack members into his pack, and allocating them homes if they needed it, he was going to want to go right to her room and have sex. He couldn’t go more than two days without sex on any normal given week here inside the pack. With the exception of that one week, he'd been angry. He'd stayed away from her that week; not brought his anger into her bed. But when he had crawled into bed, Goddess she'd never thought he was going to stop eating her out. Gotten multiples from him, several in fact, before she fallen asleep and woke up alone. This was how it had been for the past eight years. She, however, was actually very tired today, exhausted, she would say, had pulled an all-nighter last night and had yet to get any sleep. Bella had delivered three pups in the past 7 hours, and Annette had delivered two herself. Bella had received a text from him just as she was sitting down at her desk in her Luna's office, “I’ll be home in a few hours.” It had read. Bella had frowned down at it, a little confused as to why he’d sent it. He’d never done that before. She shook it off, likely he was just letting her know that he expected them to get naked in her bed when he got home, because he wanted to have sex. It had been four days. Well, it wasn’t going to be like that today. She had many things to do this morning herself and was too tired for sex; he’d have to understand. She was in all likelihood going to be in the Luna’s office when he crossed the pack border as well, because she had to now sit down and register all of those pups with the pack. Get their parents' files all up to date as well; having to register all 17 pups took time, and she didn’t make mistakes. It was going to be a long day, and she’d probably sleep like the dead after Parker had his way with her at some point later in the afternoon. She sighed as she sat in her chair, staring at the computer screen in front of her, her eyes kept drooping and she micro napped a few times, was fighting off sleep that she desperately needed and she knew it. She got up and looked at the time. It was just on 8am. She could sleep for two hours and then pull on her alpha-bloodline after that, to get her through the rest of the day, until she turned in for the night, she would go to bed early and she knew it. She set herself an alarm on her phone and crashed out on the couch in the Luna's office. Woke up and stretched and got coffee, when her alarm went off, she was still tired but could function at least. Returned to her job of documenting the births of those pups, and the condition of the mothers. She hissed as pain shot through her left arm, almost felt like someone had stabbed her and dragged a knife up her arm. It only lasted a few seconds, and she rubbed her arm and shook it off. It was odd, to say the least. Never felt that happen before. She finished documenting those pups, attached their baby pictures to the files and smiled at each one of them, she did love babies, they were so cute. All her life she’d been in a pack hospital. Her mother had died in childbirth, and she’d been raised by her grandmother, a nurse in her home pack, she’d never really had any friends, not being that she was her father’s bastard daughter, not even her half siblings liked her. Bella had learned to stick close to her grandmother, and she herself had worked in the pack hospital from a young age, become a runner for those that worked there, dashing off to get things they needed. Then she had started working in the hospital at 16, had dropped out of school altogether. It was not fun for her in that school, she got bullied by her half siblings all day long. She’d had one a few months older than she was, and she was in all her classes. Her father had not cared that she’d dropped out of school at all, he’d also never sent her off to Alpha College, she wasn’t a legitimate heir so didn’t need to go. She’d never asked to go either. She never went into the packhouse for anything, just tried to be invisible to that pack. Her father may have claimed her as his kin, but she was not part of the Alpha’s family, though she didn’t think Parker knew that. She was in fact hated by all of her siblings; the Luna especially hated her existence. Bella kind of understood that. She’d learned at a young age her conception had seen the packs Luna be in agony with the pains of betrayal. Though her grandmother had told her once, it wasn’t as it seemed, and not to believe that her mother was a mistress, she’d not been, hadn’t wanted to be bedded by her father, the alpha of that pack. She’d hadn’t had a choice about it, but then in the next breath she’d stated don’t blame your father either, he didn’t really want to bed your mother. It had confused her a lot. If neither had wanted it, how had it happened? Bella pulled herself from her thoughts as her tummy rumbled, and she got up to go and have lunch. It was midday and Parker wasn’t back yet, though she didn’t think it would be far off at all. He’d text her at 7am, a few hours. She shrugged, likely they’d all stopped for food somewhere. She was just returning to her office when she felt him come back into the pack, and he mind-linked to her near instantly, “Belladonna, meet me in the foyer.” He stated and cut the link before she could even reply to him. She was actually in the foyer now, so took up a seat with some of the pack’s kids and watched them play a board game. They all smiled up at her, and she smiled back at them, helped that youngest one out a bit. She looked up as Parker walked into the packhouse, and there was a woman walking next to him, quite tall, almost as tall as he was, though Bella noted she was wearing stilettos, they clicked loudly on the tiled floor as she strode along next to Parker. She looked more than annoyed to Bella. Bella stood as was expected of her to greet him when he came home, and watched as the woman looked right at her now as well, then there was just anger in those eyes of hers. Bella saw her take a full step closer to Parker and try to reach out and curl her hand around his forearm. Parker frowned down at her and brushed it away. “I’ve explained this to you Carina,” he stated flatly “No touching at this time.” There was more anger welling off the she-wolf now, and Bella understood right away, Parker had found his Goddess-Gifted Mate at that mating ball and though he would want to claim her for himself. He couldn’t, not until he’d rejected Bella. It was part of their mating alliance. “Axel, please take Carina to get some lunch.” Parker addressed his Delta, and motioned for them to move on passed him. His eyes moved back to her after Axel walked Carina off, “Belladonna, my office please.” He stated casually, and turned and walked that way himself. “Yes, Parker.” She answered him simply, she knew what this was all about, it was time for him to reject her, so he could go and claim his actual mate. 4 Belladonna She wondered just how much he was struggling right this minute, not being able to claim his Goddess-Gifted. How much had he struggled on the full moon when scenting her out and then coming face to face with her? Scenting her out knowing he couldn’t claim her, having that she-wolf see that he was already marked and mated by another, Bella bet that woman, Carina, she’d heard her name was, had been very confused by that. Likely been very angry about it, from what she’d just seen, clearly she hadn’t liked it at all. Ah! That stabbing pain in her arm earlier in the day, it was likely Carina had touched Parker, and as brief as it had been, she’d felt it, that had been pains of betrayal. That full moon night wouldn’t have been fun for her, and then the overnight stay in a hotel, and the long drive here to the pack. That she-wolf was more than ticked off about not being able to claim what was hers, but Parker, she knew, was a stickler for the rules. Which was a good thing for her, otherwise he could have treated her terribly over the years, and he could have marked and mated that she-wolf on the full moon, if he wasn’t a man of his word; something that she knew he actually was, and she was thankful for, because it would likely have killed her if he’d done that. She excused herself from the children and headed into his office, followed his Beta and Gamma. She heard the door being closed by Kane, the pack Beta. “Congratulations, Parker.” She smiled, genuinely happy for him. “I see you found your Goddess-Gifted Mate.” He nodded to her, “I have.” He stated as he sat down behind his desk “so we need to talk, you and I.” He looked right at her now. “Why?” she asked right back “I know what this is, I was chosen, just to be rejected by you.” she knew that was the truth, wondered if her old Luna wanted her to know that and feel it. Punish her for being born by doing this to her. “Just reject me Parker, I’ll accept it.” she told him simply. She had basically been sold to the Alpha sitting before her, she didn’t love him, her wolf didn’t love his either, their bond had never grown and flourished like all others did. It never would, or she didn’t believe that it would. The only time they spent together was in her bed, when he wanted to have sex, or she was in heat. Never did they ever go out for a meal, never had they celebrated their mate bond with each other, she’d not even gotten a Luna Ceremony. She had been announced to the pack the morning after he’d marked and mated her and that was it. She was not his Goddess-Gifted, and only that woman would get all of him, all the things that came with being his true Luna. Parker was frowning at her now, almost with disapproval in those blue eyes of his. He was still sitting there just staring at her, did so for a full minute as though he expected some sort of outburst from her, she thought. She wasn’t going to do that, wasn’t about to pitch a fit or kick up any kind of fuss over this. She stood there and stared right back at him, didn’t really understand why he didn’t just issue that rejection instantly, it was why he’d called her into his office, and she knew it, because he’d brought his Goddess-Gifted home with him. Bella finally raised an eyebrow at him, when he just sat there and continued to stare at her and say nothing. She shook her head a little, “I’ll do it then.” She stated simply, “I Luna Belladonna Harrington, reject you Alpha Parker Hartly as my Mate.” She stated, he’d never given her his name, again something reserved for his Goddess-Gifted Mate only, as was the Alpha Suite. She’d been here eight long years, and the entire time she’d resided in the Luna Suite, again a clause in the mating alliance; put in by Parker himself, she thought. To make sure she understood her place inside this pack, she supposed. She was his Luna and fuck buddy, not the love of his life. She doubted that he had any feelings at all where she was concerned, had wondered at times if he even liked her as a person. They didn’t talk often, so she wouldn’t know. Bella felt the severing of the bond begin on her end and gritted her teeth against it, stood staring at his widened eyes at her sudden rejecting of him. Almost like he couldn’t believe she’d issued it at all, “Accept it.” she gasped out after 30 seconds of him just staring at her “It, hurts Parker. Get it over with, please.” Again, there was that frown on his face, though now it was deepened, then he just stood up and nodded at her, “I Alpha Parker Hartly, accept your rejection Belladonna Harrington, you are no longer my Mate and Luna.” Bella gasped as their bond severed completely, clutched at her chest as she felt him being ripped away from her. Freya's snarl echoed inside her mind at the pain she was feeling. Then there was a pair of hands on her shoulders as she started to buckle under the weight of the pain. She could feel Shannon, the pack’s Gamma, rolling his charm over her to help ease her pain, and she was actually glad that he was there right this very minute. It hurt like a bitch, more than she had thought it would, considering their bond was nothing more than just really good sex. There was no emotional attachment between them, so she'd not expected it to hurt so much. She sank down onto her knees and had to breathe through the feeling of Parkers Mark burning off her neck. It took several long agonizing minutes, and even Shannon's Charm wasn't really helping with the pain of it, though she could feel it being rolled over her the whole time. Her hand reached up to touch her neck instinctively when the mark was gone, no more was the filigree that had adorned her neck for the past eight years, there were just two puncture marks where his fangs had buried into her that first night he’d brought her here to his pack and claimed her. It was no longer sensitive to the touch either, she felt nothing as she touched it where once it had brought desire. Even when she touched it herself, nothing remained right this minute. Her eyes lifted to him, he had a hand tightly gripped onto the edge of his desk, and a fist pressed hard against his chest. He looked to be in as much pain as she was. His eyes were on hers, never left hers at all, not even when she stood herself up and gently removed Shannon’s hands from her, stating softly “I’ll be alright, Shannon. Thank you.” and she knew she would be. “Parker, you should go and claim your Goddess-Gifted, it will resolve your pain quickly.” “And you?” he asked, and it almost sounded to her that he was concerned about her. “I’ll be fine. I understand our mating alliance, and I will follow it to the letter. Kane and I can sort that out. You should go and be with your Mate. She’ll be happy we’re over, and you can claim her, she can finally claim what is hers rightfully by the Goddess.” He was frowning at her now, didn’t appear to understand her reaction to all of this. But she was finally free, released from the contract that had made her just one of his belongings. It’s all she was to him, something he owned. Now she wasn’t his anymore or wouldn’t be in 24 hours; that’s how long she had to leave this pack. She turned to Kane, the pack’s Beta. “If you could meet me in the foyer in say an hour, we’ll finish it off properly, while Parker is marking and mating his Goddess-Gifted Mate.” “Yes Lu… Bella.” He nodded, had almost called her Luna, like he had done so many times before, over the past eight years. 5 Parker For eight years they had been mated to each other, and not once had Belladonna turned loving eyes on him. Not once had she even looked at the Alpha Suite as though she wanted to be in there with him; never had he even seen her glance at it. She just walked on past it like it didn’t exist for her. Belladonna, his mate of eight years, stood before him and still felt nothing for him. She was today wearing a clean set of scrubs. Though they looked a little on the rumpled side to him, as though she’d had a nap in them. It wouldn’t surprise him at all, if she had. She was often up late in the hospital. Slept there some nights when there were a lot of babies to be delivered. Even now standing in his office, he had expected some sort of reaction from her; to him bringing home his Goddess-Gifted Mate. But she’d not even so much as frowned at seeing Carina walk into the packhouse with him or standing there next to him, or Carina trying to touch him in a possessive manner, right there in the packhouse foyer for all to see. Knowing what she was to him, and Belladonna did know it, he’d never walked anywhere with a woman next to him like that before unless it was herself attending a mating ball with him, and Carina, she was all dolled up, to look her best when arriving at the pack. It had taken nearly an hour and a half to get ready in the hotel room this morning, which annoyed him greatly, having to wait for her like that. He had things to do and places to be. Belladonna had said nothing at all about seeing her with him, hadn’t even said anything when he’d sent Carina off with his Delta, and requested Belladonna to come into his office. No, she just politely excused herself from the children she’d been sitting with; likely playing a game with them, he’d seen her do that before on many occasions. He’d never treated her badly, respected her and craved that damned woman’s body more than he’d allowed himself to have her. Had held himself back from her because she didn’t have any feelings for him at all. She didn’t want a pup with him, hearing that had bloody hurt, and he’d been angry about it for a week. They’d been together for five years when he’d bitten the bullet and finally brought it up. He had thought five years of him treating her nicely. Respectfully, and acknowledging her as his Luna would have shown her, they worked well together. Clearly not, and he had not liked the response he’d gotten at all. Even now, he could see after eight years together, that he meant absolutely nothing to her. He couldn’t understand why her side of the mate bond didn’t grow and flourish at all. He didn’t want to issue this rejection, she was an amazing Luna, intelligent, strong and beautiful, had long wavy chestnut brown hair, that right this minute was pulled up in messy bun on top of her head. Because she’d been working in the pack hospital, but it didn’t detract from her beauty at all. Normally she would wear it out, and it fell around her shoulders or down her back in a lovely wavy cascade. She had brilliant blue eyes that could sparkle like the ocean at times and a very kissable mouth. The whole pack liked her, she’d learned everything about all of them over the years, attended to all the Luna’s duties, she was not only his Luna, but was a brilliant pack doctor as well. The woman loved babies, they made her light up from the inside out, and that smiled when she looked down at them; pure joy in her blue eyes. It was infectious the way she smiled. She always had a smile for the little ones. He couldn’t understand why they’d not had pups. She would make a great mother, and he knew it. Their children would be loved and adored by her. He’d not once in the past eight years seen her even raise her voice to a little one, not even a teenager. She’d looked a little exasperated at times, when she got those repeat offenders to her Luna’s office, to be admonished by their Luna for getting into fights, but never did she yell at them. She was a kind soul to everyone. She’d not even argued about being mated off to him, had stood there in her father’s office at just 19 years old, untouched by anyone inside her home pack, he’d taken her virginity, she’d not even known how to kiss. Very unusual for an alpha-blooded female of 19 years of age. She had just stood there in her father’s office and said nothing at all. Not one single word to anyone in that room, as they’d discussed that Mating Alliance, what clauses he wanted, what her father had wanted for her as well. She’d said nothing in his car on the way to this very pack, had sat and stared out the window the entire time. Nothing until he’d initiated her into his pack, until he’d cut his palm and then hers, and pressed their palms together, asked, as her new Alpha, to pledge loyalty to him and his pack. She’d not even really looked at him until that very moment either, just once in her father’s office only. He recalled her that day here in his office, she'd looked at their hands, taken in a long breath and then had just accepted him as her new Alpha. It had been the first time he’d heard her voice. Soft to his own ears even then, he’d put that down to her being unhappy about the Mating Alliance, and he knew she was unhappy. Shannon had told him via the mind-link ‘She’s unhappy, but resigned to it, not going to argue or fight you about Marking and Mating her.’ And she hadn’t. He’d also known she had never been with anyone. Her own father had told him as much, and Shannon had confirmed that, for him, she was nervous about not knowing what to do in the bedroom. He’d been more than experienced, so it wasn’t really an issue, and he’d not Mated her until they’d both marked each other. It would lessen the pain for her and he knew it. He’d also not rushed the job, taken his time and tried to take care of her, bring about pleasure for her, and show her he wasn’t going to be a brute of a Mate, and that he wasn't out to hurt her. Now to hear her congratulate him, it felt very odd to him, and Vex’s ears, which had flattened back against his head and annoyance rolled right off his beast at her words, she actually meant it, it was there in her tone. She was genuinely happy for him, it appeared. Their own Mate confused them to no end. If she’d walked into this packhouse trailing a Goddess-Gifted Mate, he’d likely have tried to take that man's head clean off. Would have been very angry to see another that was getting to touch what was his. But no, she just smiled right at him, the perfectly happy smile she had when she looked at babies, real happiness there on the surface not only for him to see, but to know it was actually for him, she really was happy for him right this very minute; That he had found his Goddess-Gifted Mate. Vex wanted to snarl at her for seeing her so happy about him being gifted to another, but turned and stalked off away to the back of his mind, ‘I’m not voicing it.’ he snarled at Parker and lay down inside his mind to watch her from back there. She’d been mated by his wolf in human form as often as she had been by Parker himself. They were both attached to her and both wanted her. His wolf was annoyed as much as Parker was right this very minute that she could be so bloody happy for them, it was not what he wanted to see from her; not at all. She and Carina were two very different people from what he’d seen so far. Belladonna was the better of the two of them, and he knew it. .... Open the app and continue reading the rest of the story . 👉(It will automatically jump to the book when you open the app)
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"Congratulations, Parker," I forced a smile. "I see you've found your Goddess-Gifted Mate." He nodded. "I have. We need to talk." "Why?" I shot back. "I already know what this is—I was chosen just to be rejected by you." I'd known from the start I wasn't his fated mate, and this day had been coming. "Just reject me, Parker. I'll accept it." I said, no emotion in my voice. Eight years ago, I was sold to him. Our bond never grew, never flourished like it should have. The only time we were together was in bed. He stayed silent, staring at me. I shook my head slightly. "I'll do it, then." I said. "I, Belladonna Harrington, reject you, Alpha Parker Hartly, as my Mate." I saw his eyes widen, disbelief flashing across his face. "Accept it," I gasped, clutching my chest. "It hurts, Parker." His frown deepened, then he stood up. "I, Alpha Parker Hartly, accept your rejection. You are no longer my Mate or Luna." Our bond shattered, and I felt it—severed completely. I gasped, my chest aching. He gripped his desk, eyes fixed on me. "Go claim your Goddess-Gifted," I said, voice strained. "And you?" He asked, his voice softer, almost concerned. "I'll be fine." I wasn't his anymore. And for the first time, I was free. --- Part 1: Null & Voided Belladonna Bella stood in the shower in the Luna’s suite, allowing the warm water to wash over her. She was pleasantly exhausted, Parker had left her suite; he was off to a mating ball in another state. She had four days now, where he wasn’t going to be there inside the pack. She was his Luna; had been for eight years now, but she was bound to him not by her choice, had been chosen for him by her own Alpha and Luna; just to get rid of her, and she knew it. She was the youngest child of her father, and unwanted and shunned; a bastard child not born of his Mate bond, and that was why she was hated by the Luna in her home pack. This allianced mating, that she’d been bound to at just 19 years of age. It was, she believed, her father’s Luna’s way of getting rid of her from their pack, once and for all. The only solace she had was that there was a detailed mating alliance. That did not allow for Parker to bring harm to her. Parker came to her room, the Luna’s suite every other night to bed her, and though the sex was good, more than good, damned near on amazing at times, she had to admit, because he wasn’t just a man that came and took what he wanted. No, he was a man that enjoyed sex, enjoyed knowing he pleased the woman in his bed, even if she had been sold to him. Parker could spend hours in her bed, touching and tasting her, sometimes all night long. He was not a terrible Mate to her, but he was indifferent most of the time. She had been given to him to stop a war between their two packs, had been Marked and Mated by him, taken as his Chosen Luna, with full view of rejecting her one-day down the line. She didn’t actually mean anything to him. He didn’t love her, and she didn’t love him. She could enjoy him being in her bed because of the Mate Bond, enjoyed it a lot, and had been known to scream with pleasure at him having his way with her. He could be utterly insatiable at times, and a part of Bella craved him; as his Mate she loved his every touch. She actually enjoyed her heat when it came, just once a year, spent seven glorious days being mated by him, and the sex; all rough I’ve just got to have alpha-blooded needs on the surface. Screamed in utter bliss that week multiple times a day and half all night, but it was the only time he never got out of her bed and slept in his suite. Every time always ended the same way. The moment he couldn’t scent her heat anymore, he was up and gone from her suite. Eight years of it; nothing had changed for him. Just three days ago, her heat had ended, and he’d left in the middle of the night. She’d not even known, she had been exhausted by them mating furiously that last time, and she had slept like the dead. Then she'd woken up on her own because her heat was over. This morning, him in her bed for a few hours before the sun rose. It was because he was going away for a mating ball and would be gone for four days. The pack he was visiting was in another state, 12 hours away, unaffiliated to him but a good opportunity for his wolves to pair up. There was nothing unusual about him being gone for four days, seeing as how far away that pack was, sometimes it was five full days. That was nice for her, he wasn’t one to tax his wolves, and so they stopped overnight on the way there or back if necessary. Not that he informed her of his doings, she just learned it over the years. Parker didn’t think that he was required to tell her his movements, she was only his Mate and Luna, due to the mating alliance that they had. It didn’t bother her at all, it just meant she had four days to herself this week. He always liked to have sex before he left and when he got back as well, something about he had an alpha-blooded sex drive that he needed to sate on a regular basis. She didn’t argue about it, she had it too, there was no need to either, they both got all the tingly mate bond goodness in that bed of hers. And it was always in her bed. She’d never even seen inside the Alpha Suite; that was not a place for her to be. Bella dressed for the day and headed downstairs, to get herself some breakfast, where she saw him and his unit all heading across the foyer and out the front door of the packhouse to leave. He nodded to her, but never said goodbye to her. No one here thought anything about it, they all knew she had been given to him. Was not his Goddess-Gifted Mate. Though the pack here was nice to her, they didn’t treat her badly at all, that had been a surprise to her, and she herself was nice to all of them. She actually liked the pack, and it seemed the pack actually liked her. Looked to her for advice even. She did her Luna duties as was required of her. She had been sent here against her will, but actually found that she fitted in better inside this pack than her own home pack. She had respect here from this pack, from Parker to a certain degree, she thought. She’d learned how to be a Luna to this pack, and attended to all of those duties that Parker had tasked her with, when she’d first been brought here. She had even been allowed to study with his pack’s doctor in the hospital, and now, eight years later she herself was a good doctor. Bella specialized in the delivery of pups, and looking after the she-wolves in labour, using her Luna Calm to help them settle when fully distressed, and things got a bit on the hairy side. She’d not lost a single pup or she-wolf in the past eight years of assisting and then delivering on her own. She was a fully registered doctor with this pack, and one day when she left, she would be a doctor for another pack somewhere else. That was the goal. Though what the really crazy thing was, was that six months after she went into heat herself, there was always an explosion of pups within the pack. It hadn’t gone unnoticed by the pack's doctor, her mentor Annette, she shook her head and had stated “It’s you, you know.” They often laughed and joked about it. Annette had already chuckled just yesterday about getting supplies ready for pups to be born in a few months’ time. Bella had just snorted and shaken her own head, they were currently going through that now, that heat she’d had last week was completely unexpected and out of the blue, her second one for this year. Had not been expected at all. Annette’s theory only made Bella shake her head, she thought it was just a coincidence was all. She’d not gotten pregnant once in the past eight years of having a heat once a year. A part of her was glad of it as well, knowing that there was a clause in her mating alliance that stated all pups she had while still bonded to Parker, were to be given to him. When he found his Goddess-Gifted Mate and rejected her, she had to leave them behind for him to raise. They were his heirs. It was not something she wanted to happen. She knew that Parker would make her give them up as well. He followed all his alliance dealings to the letter. She also knew it was a clause he’d written into their mating alliance himself. He wasn’t willing to relinquish any child to her, he would be claiming all of them as his heirs. She might be their mother if she ever birthed any pups, but she had no rights to them; that was how she looked at that clause. She saw him sometimes looking at her, in the weeks after her heat, assessing her, she knew, listening for a heartbeat of a pup. He wanted an heir and she, being Alpha-blooded like he was, their pup would be a pure-blooded heir for this pack. There were no pups, even though she wasn’t on birth control of any kind, he wouldn’t allow it. He was hoping for a pup between them and she knew it. 2 Belladonna Bella thought there was no pup simply because she didn’t want one and her wolf certainly didn’t want one to a Mate that was not her Fated or that was how it felt to Bella. Neither of them were at all interested in having a pup with a Mate that was going to, at some point in time, whether it be in the near or far future, reject them for his Goddess-Gifted when she came along. Why would anyone want to do that when they knew that their Alpha Mate would be sending them away, pretty much just tossing them out of his pack and without their pups, making them sever their kind bond to however many pups they had and loved. No she-wolf she knew would agree with that, it was insane; and neither she nor Freya, her wolf, were interested in that happening to them. Parker had made a few comments over the years about it, and she’d stared at him, stated simply, “Maybe, Selena doesn’t want us to have a pup, Parker.” To which he’d retort, “And maybe you’re infertile.” Sounding a bit on the angry side about it. “Could well be,” she’d nodded at him simply. She’d not taken offense to his words. Though she wasn’t infertile. She’d been tested a few years back along with himself after that very comment. She’d thought he’d gone away and thought about his own words, and maybe come to the conclusion that one of them was infertile. So they’d both been tested at his request, and they were both fine and capable of conceiving a pup, apparently. It just wasn’t meant to be as far as she was concerned, and she was honestly glad of it. Though during her heats, Parker knotted her every time he came, and she him back, liked the bloody feeling of it as much as he did, and she knew it. She understood that being knotted to one's Mate kind of made you feel whole, that it was part of the mate bond as well. He had in fact knotted her this morning, had looked right down at her while still knotted to her and sighed softly, contentedly. She knew he liked the feeling of being knotted to her. All wolves did unless they weren’t their Mate. His blue eyes had looked into her blue ones, and he’d murmured softly as he’d looked down at her, a gentle smile on his face, “An heir would be nice, don’t you think Belladonna.” He hadn’t said it in months, and she’d been a little surprised to hear him bring it once more, she had thought he’d give up on that thought, though the way he said her name softly, almost sounded like he cared at that moment. She knew better though, he never shortened her name like everyone else inside the pack did. He was the only one to call her Belladonna, and she was certain that he did it, to remind himself she was his Chosen Mate. “I guess it would.” She’d answered him. It was all she ever said on the subject of a pup between them. She’d only ever actually said ‘no’ once, and it had set him and his beast off into a fit of rage. She’d not really understood that. He didn’t love her, she knew that. But she’d never dared to say it again. Because his anger over her declining to even think it was a good idea, had filtered into the pack. The pack had been on edge over his foul mood, and she’d seen him stomping around and grating out orders at everyone. He’d been cranky about it for over a week. So now she stated she guessed it would be, instead of telling him no she didn’t want one with him. To save the pack from his temper was all, something he had, but she rarely saw, the pack rarely saw, and she had a feeling he tried not to lose it for no reason at all. The pack did like him, respect him and were happy with him as their Alpha. Sometimes she wondered what that war with her home pack had been all about. She didn’t recall there being a war, perse, there had been a full threat of one, that much she did know. Though her father and Parker had probably not wanted that war and tried everything to stop it before it got started. She’d not been privy to that and during those two days everyone had been sequestered to their homes. Though she did know there had been a wolfen force at the border of the pack. She shook off her thoughts, she didn’t need a trip down memory lane, that was a long time ago. She ate her breakfast in the dining room as she always did, smiled at the wolves in here eating as well. Chuckled as a boy of six climbed up onto the seat next to her and tugged on her arm “Luna, mummy’s going to have her baby today.” “Is she now?” she’d smiled down at him. “Yes, daddy took her to the hospital just a minute ago.” Bella smiled at him “Are you excited to meet your little sister Franky?” she asked him. “Yes.” He smiled big up at her “Aunty Becky is watching me.” Bella looked up to find Rebekah his aunt walking this way. She was heavily pregnant herself. “Daisy just went into labour, Luna.” Rebekah told her as she walked over to her. “I just heard; Franky’s excited.” She ruffled his blond hair. “How are you doing today, Becky?” “Alright, will you be going to the hospital soon?” Becky asked. “Yes, right after breakfast. Everything will be fine with your sister; I’ve not lost a pup yet and am not about to start today.” She reassured Becky. Bella had gone into heat six months ago. This was going to be a busy week here inside the pack. Her last heat had been very unexpected. Had come in the middle of the night, out of nowhere and Parker had not been in the pack for it either. That first night had been agony locked in her suite, unable to sate the needs from her heat. But he’d come back in short order, when he’d been informed she was in heat, and she’d been on him the moment he’d walked into her suite, practically ripped his pants off him and shoved him down all alpha aggression, and she ridden the hell out of him with all she’d had right by the suites' entry door. He hadn’t cared, had enjoyed it himself, enjoyed all her heats while they lasted. He got to have sex for hours every day and half the nights as well, it was all rough and raw, both their alpha-blooded needs in full swing. They were both very aggressive about getting what they wanted during her heats. It was kind of unavoidable, she thought. Just their bloodlines. She pulled herself from her thoughts and made her way to the pack’s hospital, pulled on her scrubs. Today she was wearing soft blue scrubs with sloths all over them; she thought they were cute. The pack hospital had, had a uniform when she’d arrived in this pack, black scrubs, she’d gotten rid of them, thought they were very unfriendly, and some of the pack’s children who’d never been in the hospital before had shied away from the nurses and doctors on their first visit. Now all the nurses and doctors wore fun scrubs with patterns all over them, some even tailored them to the seasons. It had helped the children relax and be comfortable. They did have a standard uniform for after war or pack attacks, when their wolves were grieving the loss of loved ones. Simple respectful scrubs that were mint green and white. Despite being brought here as a Chosen Mate and Luna, Parker did expect her to attend all Luna duties, and she did them well. He couldn’t fault her on that. He didn’t have any complaints, and had actually told her she made a good Luna to his pack. That had been just a few years back. She’d just smiled and nodded, accepted the compliment from him, they were few and far between, had told him in return, “I like the pack members, they’re nice to me.” and they were. "I'll always do my best for them, Parker." The Lustrous Moon was a much nicer pack to her than her home pack had been. 3 Belladonna It was a long four days inside the pack. Bella had delivered 17 pups over those days, she had lived inside the pack hospital itself, slept in her office, on the couch in there so she didn’t have to make the trip from the Luna suite to the hospital, which took 20 minutes at a casual stroll, it was closer to the pack's town than the packhouse, and she understood that was because it had been built to cater to the majority of the pack who lived in the town not the packhouse. Parker was due home today around lunchtime, and she knew that the moment he was finished initiating his new pack members into his pack, and allocating them homes if they needed it, he was going to want to go right to her room and have sex. He couldn’t go more than two days without sex on any normal given week here inside the pack. With the exception of that one week, he'd been angry. He'd stayed away from her that week; not brought his anger into her bed. But when he had crawled into bed, Goddess she'd never thought he was going to stop eating her out. Gotten multiples from him, several in fact, before she fallen asleep and woke up alone. This was how it had been for the past eight years. She, however, was actually very tired today, exhausted, she would say, had pulled an all-nighter last night and had yet to get any sleep. Bella had delivered three pups in the past 7 hours, and Annette had delivered two herself. Bella had received a text from him just as she was sitting down at her desk in her Luna's office, “I’ll be home in a few hours.” It had read. Bella had frowned down at it, a little confused as to why he’d sent it. He’d never done that before. She shook it off, likely he was just letting her know that he expected them to get naked in her bed when he got home, because he wanted to have sex. It had been four days. Well, it wasn’t going to be like that today. She had many things to do this morning herself and was too tired for sex; he’d have to understand. She was in all likelihood going to be in the Luna’s office when he crossed the pack border as well, because she had to now sit down and register all of those pups with the pack. Get their parents' files all up to date as well; having to register all 17 pups took time, and she didn’t make mistakes. It was going to be a long day, and she’d probably sleep like the dead after Parker had his way with her at some point later in the afternoon. She sighed as she sat in her chair, staring at the computer screen in front of her, her eyes kept drooping and she micro napped a few times, was fighting off sleep that she desperately needed and she knew it. She got up and looked at the time. It was just on 8am. She could sleep for two hours and then pull on her alpha-bloodline after that, to get her through the rest of the day, until she turned in for the night, she would go to bed early and she knew it. She set herself an alarm on her phone and crashed out on the couch in the Luna's office. Woke up and stretched and got coffee, when her alarm went off, she was still tired but could function at least. Returned to her job of documenting the births of those pups, and the condition of the mothers. She hissed as pain shot through her left arm, almost felt like someone had stabbed her and dragged a knife up her arm. It only lasted a few seconds, and she rubbed her arm and shook it off. It was odd, to say the least. Never felt that happen before. She finished documenting those pups, attached their baby pictures to the files and smiled at each one of them, she did love babies, they were so cute. All her life she’d been in a pack hospital. Her mother had died in childbirth, and she’d been raised by her grandmother, a nurse in her home pack, she’d never really had any friends, not being that she was her father’s bastard daughter, not even her half siblings liked her. Bella had learned to stick close to her grandmother, and she herself had worked in the pack hospital from a young age, become a runner for those that worked there, dashing off to get things they needed. Then she had started working in the hospital at 16, had dropped out of school altogether. It was not fun for her in that school, she got bullied by her half siblings all day long. She’d had one a few months older than she was, and she was in all her classes. Her father had not cared that she’d dropped out of school at all, he’d also never sent her off to Alpha College, she wasn’t a legitimate heir so didn’t need to go. She’d never asked to go either. She never went into the packhouse for anything, just tried to be invisible to that pack. Her father may have claimed her as his kin, but she was not part of the Alpha’s family, though she didn’t think Parker knew that. She was in fact hated by all of her siblings; the Luna especially hated her existence. Bella kind of understood that. She’d learned at a young age her conception had seen the packs Luna be in agony with the pains of betrayal. Though her grandmother had told her once, it wasn’t as it seemed, and not to believe that her mother was a mistress, she’d not been, hadn’t wanted to be bedded by her father, the alpha of that pack. She’d hadn’t had a choice about it, but then in the next breath she’d stated don’t blame your father either, he didn’t really want to bed your mother. It had confused her a lot. If neither had wanted it, how had it happened? Bella pulled herself from her thoughts as her tummy rumbled, and she got up to go and have lunch. It was midday and Parker wasn’t back yet, though she didn’t think it would be far off at all. He’d text her at 7am, a few hours. She shrugged, likely they’d all stopped for food somewhere. She was just returning to her office when she felt him come back into the pack, and he mind-linked to her near instantly, “Belladonna, meet me in the foyer.” He stated and cut the link before she could even reply to him. She was actually in the foyer now, so took up a seat with some of the pack’s kids and watched them play a board game. They all smiled up at her, and she smiled back at them, helped that youngest one out a bit. She looked up as Parker walked into the packhouse, and there was a woman walking next to him, quite tall, almost as tall as he was, though Bella noted she was wearing stilettos, they clicked loudly on the tiled floor as she strode along next to Parker. She looked more than annoyed to Bella. Bella stood as was expected of her to greet him when he came home, and watched as the woman looked right at her now as well, then there was just anger in those eyes of hers. Bella saw her take a full step closer to Parker and try to reach out and curl her hand around his forearm. Parker frowned down at her and brushed it away. “I’ve explained this to you Carina,” he stated flatly “No touching at this time.” There was more anger welling off the she-wolf now, and Bella understood right away, Parker had found his Goddess-Gifted Mate at that mating ball and though he would want to claim her for himself. He couldn’t, not until he’d rejected Bella. It was part of their mating alliance. “Axel, please take Carina to get some lunch.” Parker addressed his Delta, and motioned for them to move on passed him. His eyes moved back to her after Axel walked Carina off, “Belladonna, my office please.” He stated casually, and turned and walked that way himself. “Yes, Parker.” She answered him simply, she knew what this was all about, it was time for him to reject her, so he could go and claim his actual mate. 4 Belladonna She wondered just how much he was struggling right this minute, not being able to claim his Goddess-Gifted. How much had he struggled on the full moon when scenting her out and then coming face to face with her? Scenting her out knowing he couldn’t claim her, having that she-wolf see that he was already marked and mated by another, Bella bet that woman, Carina, she’d heard her name was, had been very confused by that. Likely been very angry about it, from what she’d just seen, clearly she hadn’t liked it at all. Ah! That stabbing pain in her arm earlier in the day, it was likely Carina had touched Parker, and as brief as it had been, she’d felt it, that had been pains of betrayal. That full moon night wouldn’t have been fun for her, and then the overnight stay in a hotel, and the long drive here to the pack. That she-wolf was more than ticked off about not being able to claim what was hers, but Parker, she knew, was a stickler for the rules. Which was a good thing for her, otherwise he could have treated her terribly over the years, and he could have marked and mated that she-wolf on the full moon, if he wasn’t a man of his word; something that she knew he actually was, and she was thankful for, because it would likely have killed her if he’d done that. She excused herself from the children and headed into his office, followed his Beta and Gamma. She heard the door being closed by Kane, the pack Beta. “Congratulations, Parker.” She smiled, genuinely happy for him. “I see you found your Goddess-Gifted Mate.” He nodded to her, “I have.” He stated as he sat down behind his desk “so we need to talk, you and I.” He looked right at her now. “Why?” she asked right back “I know what this is, I was chosen, just to be rejected by you.” she knew that was the truth, wondered if her old Luna wanted her to know that and feel it. Punish her for being born by doing this to her. “Just reject me Parker, I’ll accept it.” she told him simply. She had basically been sold to the Alpha sitting before her, she didn’t love him, her wolf didn’t love his either, their bond had never grown and flourished like all others did. It never would, or she didn’t believe that it would. The only time they spent together was in her bed, when he wanted to have sex, or she was in heat. Never did they ever go out for a meal, never had they celebrated their mate bond with each other, she’d not even gotten a Luna Ceremony. She had been announced to the pack the morning after he’d marked and mated her and that was it. She was not his Goddess-Gifted, and only that woman would get all of him, all the things that came with being his true Luna. Parker was frowning at her now, almost with disapproval in those blue eyes of his. He was still sitting there just staring at her, did so for a full minute as though he expected some sort of outburst from her, she thought. She wasn’t going to do that, wasn’t about to pitch a fit or kick up any kind of fuss over this. She stood there and stared right back at him, didn’t really understand why he didn’t just issue that rejection instantly, it was why he’d called her into his office, and she knew it, because he’d brought his Goddess-Gifted home with him. Bella finally raised an eyebrow at him, when he just sat there and continued to stare at her and say nothing. She shook her head a little, “I’ll do it then.” She stated simply, “I Luna Belladonna Harrington, reject you Alpha Parker Hartly as my Mate.” She stated, he’d never given her his name, again something reserved for his Goddess-Gifted Mate only, as was the Alpha Suite. She’d been here eight long years, and the entire time she’d resided in the Luna Suite, again a clause in the mating alliance; put in by Parker himself, she thought. To make sure she understood her place inside this pack, she supposed. She was his Luna and fuck buddy, not the love of his life. She doubted that he had any feelings at all where she was concerned, had wondered at times if he even liked her as a person. They didn’t talk often, so she wouldn’t know. Bella felt the severing of the bond begin on her end and gritted her teeth against it, stood staring at his widened eyes at her sudden rejecting of him. Almost like he couldn’t believe she’d issued it at all, “Accept it.” she gasped out after 30 seconds of him just staring at her “It, hurts Parker. Get it over with, please.” Again, there was that frown on his face, though now it was deepened, then he just stood up and nodded at her, “I Alpha Parker Hartly, accept your rejection Belladonna Harrington, you are no longer my Mate and Luna.” Bella gasped as their bond severed completely, clutched at her chest as she felt him being ripped away from her. Freya's snarl echoed inside her mind at the pain she was feeling. Then there was a pair of hands on her shoulders as she started to buckle under the weight of the pain. She could feel Shannon, the pack’s Gamma, rolling his charm over her to help ease her pain, and she was actually glad that he was there right this very minute. It hurt like a bitch, more than she had thought it would, considering their bond was nothing more than just really good sex. There was no emotional attachment between them, so she'd not expected it to hurt so much. She sank down onto her knees and had to breathe through the feeling of Parkers Mark burning off her neck. It took several long agonizing minutes, and even Shannon's Charm wasn't really helping with the pain of it, though she could feel it being rolled over her the whole time. Her hand reached up to touch her neck instinctively when the mark was gone, no more was the filigree that had adorned her neck for the past eight years, there were just two puncture marks where his fangs had buried into her that first night he’d brought her here to his pack and claimed her. It was no longer sensitive to the touch either, she felt nothing as she touched it where once it had brought desire. Even when she touched it herself, nothing remained right this minute. Her eyes lifted to him, he had a hand tightly gripped onto the edge of his desk, and a fist pressed hard against his chest. He looked to be in as much pain as she was. His eyes were on hers, never left hers at all, not even when she stood herself up and gently removed Shannon’s hands from her, stating softly “I’ll be alright, Shannon. Thank you.” and she knew she would be. “Parker, you should go and claim your Goddess-Gifted, it will resolve your pain quickly.” “And you?” he asked, and it almost sounded to her that he was concerned about her. “I’ll be fine. I understand our mating alliance, and I will follow it to the letter. Kane and I can sort that out. You should go and be with your Mate. She’ll be happy we’re over, and you can claim her, she can finally claim what is hers rightfully by the Goddess.” He was frowning at her now, didn’t appear to understand her reaction to all of this. But she was finally free, released from the contract that had made her just one of his belongings. It’s all she was to him, something he owned. Now she wasn’t his anymore or wouldn’t be in 24 hours; that’s how long she had to leave this pack. She turned to Kane, the pack’s Beta. “If you could meet me in the foyer in say an hour, we’ll finish it off properly, while Parker is marking and mating his Goddess-Gifted Mate.” “Yes Lu… Bella.” He nodded, had almost called her Luna, like he had done so many times before, over the past eight years. 5 Parker For eight years they had been mated to each other, and not once had Belladonna turned loving eyes on him. Not once had she even looked at the Alpha Suite as though she wanted to be in there with him; never had he even seen her glance at it. She just walked on past it like it didn’t exist for her. Belladonna, his mate of eight years, stood before him and still felt nothing for him. She was today wearing a clean set of scrubs. Though they looked a little on the rumpled side to him, as though she’d had a nap in them. It wouldn’t surprise him at all, if she had. She was often up late in the hospital. Slept there some nights when there were a lot of babies to be delivered. Even now standing in his office, he had expected some sort of reaction from her; to him bringing home his Goddess-Gifted Mate. But she’d not even so much as frowned at seeing Carina walk into the packhouse with him or standing there next to him, or Carina trying to touch him in a possessive manner, right there in the packhouse foyer for all to see. Knowing what she was to him, and Belladonna did know it, he’d never walked anywhere with a woman next to him like that before unless it was herself attending a mating ball with him, and Carina, she was all dolled up, to look her best when arriving at the pack. It had taken nearly an hour and a half to get ready in the hotel room this morning, which annoyed him greatly, having to wait for her like that. He had things to do and places to be. Belladonna had said nothing at all about seeing her with him, hadn’t even said anything when he’d sent Carina off with his Delta, and requested Belladonna to come into his office. No, she just politely excused herself from the children she’d been sitting with; likely playing a game with them, he’d seen her do that before on many occasions. He’d never treated her badly, respected her and craved that damned woman’s body more than he’d allowed himself to have her. Had held himself back from her because she didn’t have any feelings for him at all. She didn’t want a pup with him, hearing that had bloody hurt, and he’d been angry about it for a week. They’d been together for five years when he’d bitten the bullet and finally brought it up. He had thought five years of him treating her nicely. Respectfully, and acknowledging her as his Luna would have shown her, they worked well together. Clearly not, and he had not liked the response he’d gotten at all. Even now, he could see after eight years together, that he meant absolutely nothing to her. He couldn’t understand why her side of the mate bond didn’t grow and flourish at all. He didn’t want to issue this rejection, she was an amazing Luna, intelligent, strong and beautiful, had long wavy chestnut brown hair, that right this minute was pulled up in messy bun on top of her head. Because she’d been working in the pack hospital, but it didn’t detract from her beauty at all. Normally she would wear it out, and it fell around her shoulders or down her back in a lovely wavy cascade. She had brilliant blue eyes that could sparkle like the ocean at times and a very kissable mouth. The whole pack liked her, she’d learned everything about all of them over the years, attended to all the Luna’s duties, she was not only his Luna, but was a brilliant pack doctor as well. The woman loved babies, they made her light up from the inside out, and that smiled when she looked down at them; pure joy in her blue eyes. It was infectious the way she smiled. She always had a smile for the little ones. He couldn’t understand why they’d not had pups. She would make a great mother, and he knew it. Their children would be loved and adored by her. He’d not once in the past eight years seen her even raise her voice to a little one, not even a teenager. She’d looked a little exasperated at times, when she got those repeat offenders to her Luna’s office, to be admonished by their Luna for getting into fights, but never did she yell at them. She was a kind soul to everyone. She’d not even argued about being mated off to him, had stood there in her father’s office at just 19 years old, untouched by anyone inside her home pack, he’d taken her virginity, she’d not even known how to kiss. Very unusual for an alpha-blooded female of 19 years of age. She had just stood there in her father’s office and said nothing at all. Not one single word to anyone in that room, as they’d discussed that Mating Alliance, what clauses he wanted, what her father had wanted for her as well. She’d said nothing in his car on the way to this very pack, had sat and stared out the window the entire time. Nothing until he’d initiated her into his pack, until he’d cut his palm and then hers, and pressed their palms together, asked, as her new Alpha, to pledge loyalty to him and his pack. She’d not even really looked at him until that very moment either, just once in her father’s office only. He recalled her that day here in his office, she'd looked at their hands, taken in a long breath and then had just accepted him as her new Alpha. It had been the first time he’d heard her voice. Soft to his own ears even then, he’d put that down to her being unhappy about the Mating Alliance, and he knew she was unhappy. Shannon had told him via the mind-link ‘She’s unhappy, but resigned to it, not going to argue or fight you about Marking and Mating her.’ And she hadn’t. He’d also known she had never been with anyone. Her own father had told him as much, and Shannon had confirmed that, for him, she was nervous about not knowing what to do in the bedroom. He’d been more than experienced, so it wasn’t really an issue, and he’d not Mated her until they’d both marked each other. It would lessen the pain for her and he knew it. He’d also not rushed the job, taken his time and tried to take care of her, bring about pleasure for her, and show her he wasn’t going to be a brute of a Mate, and that he wasn't out to hurt her. Now to hear her congratulate him, it felt very odd to him, and Vex’s ears, which had flattened back against his head and annoyance rolled right off his beast at her words, she actually meant it, it was there in her tone. She was genuinely happy for him, it appeared. Their own Mate confused them to no end. If she’d walked into this packhouse trailing a Goddess-Gifted Mate, he’d likely have tried to take that man's head clean off. Would have been very angry to see another that was getting to touch what was his. But no, she just smiled right at him, the perfectly happy smile she had when she looked at babies, real happiness there on the surface not only for him to see, but to know it was actually for him, she really was happy for him right this very minute; That he had found his Goddess-Gifted Mate. Vex wanted to snarl at her for seeing her so happy about him being gifted to another, but turned and stalked off away to the back of his mind, ‘I’m not voicing it.’ he snarled at Parker and lay down inside his mind to watch her from back there. She’d been mated by his wolf in human form as often as she had been by Parker himself. They were both attached to her and both wanted her. His wolf was annoyed as much as Parker was right this very minute that she could be so bloody happy for them, it was not what he wanted to see from her; not at all. She and Carina were two very different people from what he’d seen so far. Belladonna was the better of the two of them, and he knew it. .... Open the app and continue reading the rest of the story . 👉(It will automatically jump to the book when you open the app)
A broke delivery guy, Gavin, is dumped by his girlfriend the day she graduates for a rich man. Humiliated, he activates the LadyAid Cash-back System: help a woman, get huge cash. A small favor earns $78K. Soon, he's saving women from debt and disaster, rising from zero to mansions, a restaurant empire, and a law firm. His ex fights back with lies and schemes, but every woman he helped has his back. She ends up in jail. Gavin walks away with Paige's heart, a fortune, and no regrets.
The wolf I saved shifted in front me, turning into a ridiculously gorgeous, tall, muscular naked man... It’s been too long since I’ve let Annika out to run. With the number of classes that I’m taking and the heavy schedule I’m keeping at the university, there isn’t a lot of time to eat, much less let Annika run. But I have to let her out. She’s becoming more and more restless. ‘School is boring. Humans are boring. I want to do something fun,’ she grumbles in my head. ‘We’re going for a run, Annika. Calm down.’ ‘Next time, don’t wait so long.’ It’s been a couple of months since I took her out. She’s right, it’s been too long. But I know how the packs fight, and I haven’t wanted to risk getting in the middle of a battle, or worse, getting caught by Simon. ‘I’m too smart for him to catch us. Besides, he has no idea that we’re still so close to the pack.’ By ‘so close’ she means two hours, but it is too close. A wolf can run nearly as fast as a car, and when that wolf is on the hunt? Goddess forbid anyone gets in their way. In the past, when I’ve taken Annika out to run, I’ve taken her in the opposite direction of Simon’s pack. Well, technically, it’s not his pack, it’s his father’s pack. Alpha Solomon has been the Alpha of my previous pack for as long as I can remember. His son, Simon, is a nasty piece of work. He loves to fight and he loves to kill. The two of us couldn’t be any more different. I like to heal, and I like to save. For whatever reason, Simon set his sights on me. I don’t know why. I’m an orphan, I’m not ranked. My parents were warriors and while I can fight, I prefer to use my biggest strength, my brain. Simon much prefers to use his strength, his Alpha strength. He doesn’t have to work for it, being genetically predisposed to being larger and stronger than most wolves in the pack, so he doesn’t appreciate what he has, in my opinion. Me, on the other hand, I’ve had to work for everything I’ve achieved in this life, with the help of Alpha Solomon. My parents were killed in a pack war when I was young. Alpha Solomon took over as my guardian and made sure that I was cared for all my life. Maybe it’s because he never had a daughter, or maybe it’s because I’m more like him than his own son, but he’s always looked after me, even to the point of sending me away from the pack when he realized that his son had taken an interest in me. He knows Simon is no good, and he didn’t want me to suffer with his son’s infatuation. When we get to the spot where we like to run, I stop, sniffing the air, making sure there are no other wolves around here. ‘Annika?’ I ask, making sure she’s not smelling something I’m not. ‘No other wolves,’ she says, almost sadly. She misses the companionship of being in a pack. I look around once more, then make my way into the forest before stripping off my clothes and tucking them onto a tree branch, high enough that someone would have to look up to see them. I have a spare set of clothes in the car, just in case anyone steals these. It doesn’t happen often, but it does happen. Rather than assume that someone was being malicious, I choose to believe that they needed the clothes more than I did. They’re only clothes after all. I let Annika pull the shift, feeling my bones snapping and reshaping after so long of not shifting. It’s more painful than it should be, but soon enough, Annika is shaking out her reddish-brown fur and taking off into the woods. Even though I’m in the background while Annika runs, I can feel how good it is to stretch her legs, to feel her muscles flexing in her body as she runs. It’s quiet tonight, thankfully, and Annika’s paws on the ground are nearly silent as she runs, giving both of us a chance to enjoy the sounds of the forest around us. I’m not sure how long she’s been running when we smell it, blood. She slows, lifting her nose in the air. ‘There was fighting nearby,’ she says in our shared mind space. ‘Do you hear anyone?’ ‘I’m not sure. I hear rustling, what sounds like a wolf in trouble. Do you hear it?’ she asks as she tilts her head from one side to the other. I do hear it. It does sound like a large animal who is struggling. ‘Annika…’ ‘I’ll be careful,’ she says, knowing that, if I can, I will want to help this animal, even if it is a werewolf. It may not be possible, they may not let me get close enough to help. But I’m going to school to become a doctor for a reason. So, I can help wolves in just this type of situation. Annika slowly and carefully makes her way to the sound of the struggling animal. As we get closer, I can tell that it is a wolf by the soft sounds that it’s making. I can’t figure out what it’s doing though. Maybe it’s caught in a snare of some sort and trying to figure out how to get out. Or maybe it’s just stuck in a hole that one of the packs dug to capture other pack members so they can interrogate them for information. ‘Please be careful, Annika. We can’t afford to get caught.’ “I’ll be careful, Yara.’ When we get close, she begins to belly crawl, slowly making her way closer. When the wind shifts, her whole body goes rigid, the scent of teakwood filling my nose and making my body tingle with unwanted desire. ‘Mate,’ she says softly. ‘WHAT?’ ‘That’s our mate, Yara. Our mate is injured.’ This is terrible. This isn’t just an injured animal, it’s our mate. I can’t leave him out here to die, but I also can’t have him trying to take me back to his pack. I have school, and I’m still in hiding from Simon. It’s takes me a moment too long to realize that the wolf, my mate, has stopped moving around. Annika barely breathes, waiting to see what he’ll do. He chuffs at us, letting us know that he knows we’re here. I’m not sure how I know that he’s not going to hurt us, but something in his chuff seems more like a request for help, than a threat of violence. Annika slowly and carefully makes her way through some bushes until we can see him. SHIT! He’s caught in a bear trap. No wonder he’s still in wolf form. If he shifts, it will rip his leg off. ‘I can’t believe he’s not howling in pain,’ Annika says.She’s right. His leg, where it’s caught in the trap is shattered, no question. ‘You have to help him, Yara. He’s our mate. You have to,” Annika practically begs me. ‘I know. I will, if he’ll let me.’ As much as I hate the idea of being naked in front of this unknown man, even though he’s my mate, I have no choice if I’m going to talk to him and try to help him. I pull the shift, standing in front of the midnight black wolf who is watching me with his beautiful, intelligent green eyes. “Hey, big guy. I see you’re caught in a trap. I want to help you. I know you can’t shift, or you’ll rip that leg off and that looks really painful. Your bones are probably shattered but I want to help you, if you’ll let me,” I say softly, keeping my tone gentle. I slowly approach the wolf. Mate or no, this wolf must be in terrible pain and he’s going to be feeling vulnerable, unable to escape. I extend my hand, letting him sniff me and see that I mean no harm. “I’m a doctor. Well, I’m studying to be a doctor, to both humans and wolves. I don’t want to hurt you. Will you let me see if I can help you?” The wolf sniffs my hand, then nuzzles me. I gently run my hand through his fur, stopping when I come to stiff fur that smells like blood. I don’t want to know what else is in this wolf’s fur, but I can guess that guts and bones are stuck in there as well. He’s obviously been fighting and whether he got separated from his pack, or he was part of a group that intentionally separated out trying to cut off the other pack’s escape, he’s now out here alone without anyone to help him. Well, anyone except me. I look up, trying to see where the moonlight is so I can get a better look at the trap. “Okay, big guy, are you able to move to your right a bit? I need the moonlight to help me see how I can spring this trap and set you free.” He moves to his right, keeping an eye on me as I carefully look over the trap. “Nasty piece of work,” I mumble to myself. “Stupid idiots doing this to each other.” I look back up at him. “Okay, I think I’ve figured it out. Before I spring this trap, you need to know that when I release this, it’s going to hurt, really bad. But then you’ll be free and I can take a look at how badly your leg is broken,” I tell him. I already know it’s shattered. I can see bone splinters sticking out of his skin from above the trap. I move my hands in position. I’m going to need Annika’s strength to help me open this trap. “Try not to bite me and if you can, try not to howl. I have no idea if there is anyone else nearby that might hear you, or try to come hurt you,” I tell him. He chuffs at me again, letting me know he understands. “On three, ready? One… two … three!” I say and push the release with all my strength, Annika pushing with hers as well. I feel the spring give and the trap snaps open. The wolf yelps but it’s quickly cut off as he moves away from the trap, keeping his injured leg off the ground. He turns, looking at me a moment before his bones begin to snap as he shifts back into his human form, his ridiculously gorgeous, tall, muscular form.
The wolf I saved shifted in front me, turning into a ridiculously gorgeous, tall, muscular naked man... It’s been too long since I’ve let Annika out to run. With the number of classes that I’m taking and the heavy schedule I’m keeping at the university, there isn’t a lot of time to eat, much less let Annika run. But I have to let her out. She’s becoming more and more restless. ‘School is boring. Humans are boring. I want to do something fun,’ she grumbles in my head. ‘We’re going for a run, Annika. Calm down.’ ‘Next time, don’t wait so long.’ It’s been a couple of months since I took her out. She’s right, it’s been too long. But I know how the packs fight, and I haven’t wanted to risk getting in the middle of a battle, or worse, getting caught by Simon. ‘I’m too smart for him to catch us. Besides, he has no idea that we’re still so close to the pack.’ By ‘so close’ she means two hours, but it is too close. A wolf can run nearly as fast as a car, and when that wolf is on the hunt? Goddess forbid anyone gets in their way. In the past, when I’ve taken Annika out to run, I’ve taken her in the opposite direction of Simon’s pack. Well, technically, it’s not his pack, it’s his father’s pack. Alpha Solomon has been the Alpha of my previous pack for as long as I can remember. His son, Simon, is a nasty piece of work. He loves to fight and he loves to kill. The two of us couldn’t be any more different. I like to heal, and I like to save. For whatever reason, Simon set his sights on me. I don’t know why. I’m an orphan, I’m not ranked. My parents were warriors and while I can fight, I prefer to use my biggest strength, my brain. Simon much prefers to use his strength, his Alpha strength. He doesn’t have to work for it, being genetically predisposed to being larger and stronger than most wolves in the pack, so he doesn’t appreciate what he has, in my opinion. Me, on the other hand, I’ve had to work for everything I’ve achieved in this life, with the help of Alpha Solomon. My parents were killed in a pack war when I was young. Alpha Solomon took over as my guardian and made sure that I was cared for all my life. Maybe it’s because he never had a daughter, or maybe it’s because I’m more like him than his own son, but he’s always looked after me, even to the point of sending me away from the pack when he realized that his son had taken an interest in me. He knows Simon is no good, and he didn’t want me to suffer with his son’s infatuation. When we get to the spot where we like to run, I stop, sniffing the air, making sure there are no other wolves around here. ‘Annika?’ I ask, making sure she’s not smelling something I’m not. ‘No other wolves,’ she says, almost sadly. She misses the companionship of being in a pack. I look around once more, then make my way into the forest before stripping off my clothes and tucking them onto a tree branch, high enough that someone would have to look up to see them. I have a spare set of clothes in the car, just in case anyone steals these. It doesn’t happen often, but it does happen. Rather than assume that someone was being malicious, I choose to believe that they needed the clothes more than I did. They’re only clothes after all. I let Annika pull the shift, feeling my bones snapping and reshaping after so long of not shifting. It’s more painful than it should be, but soon enough, Annika is shaking out her reddish-brown fur and taking off into the woods. Even though I’m in the background while Annika runs, I can feel how good it is to stretch her legs, to feel her muscles flexing in her body as she runs. It’s quiet tonight, thankfully, and Annika’s paws on the ground are nearly silent as she runs, giving both of us a chance to enjoy the sounds of the forest around us. I’m not sure how long she’s been running when we smell it, blood. She slows, lifting her nose in the air. ‘There was fighting nearby,’ she says in our shared mind space. ‘Do you hear anyone?’ ‘I’m not sure. I hear rustling, what sounds like a wolf in trouble. Do you hear it?’ she asks as she tilts her head from one side to the other. I do hear it. It does sound like a large animal who is struggling. ‘Annika…’ ‘I’ll be careful,’ she says, knowing that, if I can, I will want to help this animal, even if it is a werewolf. It may not be possible, they may not let me get close enough to help. But I’m going to school to become a doctor for a reason. So, I can help wolves in just this type of situation. Annika slowly and carefully makes her way to the sound of the struggling animal. As we get closer, I can tell that it is a wolf by the soft sounds that it’s making. I can’t figure out what it’s doing though. Maybe it’s caught in a snare of some sort and trying to figure out how to get out. Or maybe it’s just stuck in a hole that one of the packs dug to capture other pack members so they can interrogate them for information. ‘Please be careful, Annika. We can’t afford to get caught.’ “I’ll be careful, Yara.’ When we get close, she begins to belly crawl, slowly making her way closer. When the wind shifts, her whole body goes rigid, the scent of teakwood filling my nose and making my body tingle with unwanted desire. ‘Mate,’ she says softly. ‘WHAT?’ ‘That’s our mate, Yara. Our mate is injured.’ This is terrible. This isn’t just an injured animal, it’s our mate. I can’t leave him out here to die, but I also can’t have him trying to take me back to his pack. I have school, and I’m still in hiding from Simon. It’s takes me a moment too long to realize that the wolf, my mate, has stopped moving around. Annika barely breathes, waiting to see what he’ll do. He chuffs at us, letting us know that he knows we’re here. I’m not sure how I know that he’s not going to hurt us, but something in his chuff seems more like a request for help, than a threat of violence. Annika slowly and carefully makes her way through some bushes until we can see him. SHIT! He’s caught in a bear trap. No wonder he’s still in wolf form. If he shifts, it will rip his leg off. ‘I can’t believe he’s not howling in pain,’ Annika says.She’s right. His leg, where it’s caught in the trap is shattered, no question. ‘You have to help him, Yara. He’s our mate. You have to,” Annika practically begs me. ‘I know. I will, if he’ll let me.’ As much as I hate the idea of being naked in front of this unknown man, even though he’s my mate, I have no choice if I’m going to talk to him and try to help him. I pull the shift, standing in front of the midnight black wolf who is watching me with his beautiful, intelligent green eyes. “Hey, big guy. I see you’re caught in a trap. I want to help you. I know you can’t shift, or you’ll rip that leg off and that looks really painful. Your bones are probably shattered but I want to help you, if you’ll let me,” I say softly, keeping my tone gentle. I slowly approach the wolf. Mate or no, this wolf must be in terrible pain and he’s going to be feeling vulnerable, unable to escape. I extend my hand, letting him sniff me and see that I mean no harm. “I’m a doctor. Well, I’m studying to be a doctor, to both humans and wolves. I don’t want to hurt you. Will you let me see if I can help you?” The wolf sniffs my hand, then nuzzles me. I gently run my hand through his fur, stopping when I come to stiff fur that smells like blood. I don’t want to know what else is in this wolf’s fur, but I can guess that guts and bones are stuck in there as well. He’s obviously been fighting and whether he got separated from his pack, or he was part of a group that intentionally separated out trying to cut off the other pack’s escape, he’s now out here alone without anyone to help him. Well, anyone except me. I look up, trying to see where the moonlight is so I can get a better look at the trap. “Okay, big guy, are you able to move to your right a bit? I need the moonlight to help me see how I can spring this trap and set you free.” He moves to his right, keeping an eye on me as I carefully look over the trap. “Nasty piece of work,” I mumble to myself. “Stupid idiots doing this to each other.” I look back up at him. “Okay, I think I’ve figured it out. Before I spring this trap, you need to know that when I release this, it’s going to hurt, really bad. But then you’ll be free and I can take a look at how badly your leg is broken,” I tell him. I already know it’s shattered. I can see bone splinters sticking out of his skin from above the trap. I move my hands in position. I’m going to need Annika’s strength to help me open this trap. “Try not to bite me and if you can, try not to howl. I have no idea if there is anyone else nearby that might hear you, or try to come hurt you,” I tell him. He chuffs at me again, letting me know he understands. “On three, ready? One… two … three!” I say and push the release with all my strength, Annika pushing with hers as well. I feel the spring give and the trap snaps open. The wolf yelps but it’s quickly cut off as he moves away from the trap, keeping his injured leg off the ground. He turns, looking at me a moment before his bones begin to snap as he shifts back into his human form, his ridiculously gorgeous, tall, muscular form.
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“I Piper Whitlock, warrior to the Black Haven Pack...reject you Bradley Drake as my Mate.” She whispered into the darkness of the room and then fled as fast as she could as pain coursed through her body. ‘He enjoyed my purity, not me.’ she thought as pain replaced the pleasure she had been feeling tonight. She knew she looked a terrible mess, tears streaming down her face, and she’d stumbled and fallen many times as pain tore at her insides but had picked herself up and kept going. Stepped out over the border right into rogue territory, saw him step towards her his eyes widened at her actions. Not many females would do what she was doing. “I...am finally free now.” ****** Piper sobbed softly out in the middle of the woods, it was all too much to handle nowadays, it was time to leave her home pack here in Montana. She could no longer take the pain of his betrayal anymore. Not that her Alpha, Alpha Bradley of the Black Haven Pack, knew that it hurt her, every time that he was with another; he had no idea who she was to him. She, however, had scented him out 3 years ago, at the age of 18. On the first full moon after her 18th birthday. Had felt pain almost instantly, and not because he’d been with another at the time, but because he’d not scented her, not recognized her as his Mate. He had bumped right into her that day even. Piper and her wolf Harper were more than nervous, tracking his perfect woodsy scent through the packhouse. It had a hint of blackberry, had led them all the way to him. She had been standing right behind him, only half a foot away, he was taller than she was, by a long way, he stood six-four and was all muscled up, he’d been wearing faded blue jeans and a dark purple tee-shirt that day, his dark brown hair had been a little messy. Alpha Bradley had been talking on his phone that day, and when he had turned around, had run right into her. His deep blue eyes with those flecks of green in them, had turned right on her, and then he’d frowned right down at her. She was only five-six, he’d towered over her. There had been no recognition in his eyes at all, “Don’t stand so close, girl.” he'd stated casually, and then had stepped around her and just walked away; and her heart had broken. Harper had howled in pain inside of her mind. They’d known what he was to them, but he had no idea. It was what she and her wolf had always feared, all her life, even before gaining Harper, even since she was little, had lost her parents to a rogue attack at the age of 10, and no-one here seemed to notice her after her parents' death. No-one seemed to know who she was, it was like she just didn’t exist. That had been her life. Although she had attended school here in the pack's small K1 to year 12 school, and had graduated with good marks, people were always bumping into her, and telling her to watch her step. No-one knew she was there, invisible to the entire pack is what it felt like, unless someone was looking directly at her, and she knew why. She had no scent. Though she could smell every one of them, no-one could smell her. She had gotten a job and worked long quiet hours, tucked away in the back room of a dress-making store inside the pack. She’d loved to learn how to design and create beautiful dresses. Even a lot of the pack's she-wolfs wore her dresses to the pack's events and mating balls. To their 16th and 18th birthday celebrations. She, however, did not. She lived alone away from the pack, out in a tiny cabin away from everyone, so that they would not hear her sobs and distress as she put up with the pains of betrayal. The first time she had felt him with another, she and Harper had howled in pain and run away deep into the woods. Found that tiny cabin no longer in use, and curled up into a ball, had stayed there in agony till he’d stopped being with another. Then had just stayed there for a whole day, unable to go back to the pack. Their pain would have been for all to see, if anyone saw her that was. There was nothing they could do about it. It had hurt like nothing she’d ever felt before, and continued to do so right to this day, and to hide their pains they had hidden themselves away, unable to tell him, what he was to them. She knew he would never believe her, only if he scented her out would he recognize her as his Mate. She and Harper both knew this, and they both knew he was never going to be able to do that either. The pains were worse when he was away from the pack; mating some other she-wolf in another pack. Did not hurt her any less than the one she-wolf here in the pack he bedded on a regular basis. Three long years she’d had to suffer now. Three long years she’d walked the halls of the packhouse, came across him, and not once did he pay her the slightest bit of attention, and when he did bump into her; as did so many others. Because they couldn’t smell that she was right there, he would just frown down at her, either apologize, or ask her to move out of the way, and just move on. Had occasionally snapped at her all angry to watch where on eаrth she was going. For two years she slipped into his bedroom when he wasn’t here in the pack, looked at his things, touched his clothes, felt hot tears slide down her cheeks; for the man that was her Mate. The man that had never once scented her out. The man that she and Harper loved, but would never love them. She had even slept curled up in his bed, not that he’d ever known it. No scent of her remained, she could wander at will anywhere she liked, left no trail at all, had even sat in his Alpha’s chair once, touched his desk and wondered what it would be like to be his Luna. Tonight, he had been with another, she knew who. He had one regular girl here inside the pack, Bianca. She was older like he was, a warrior, highly ranked. She’d seen them together chatting and flirting on occasion. Seen the way he looked at her body, even that hurt too. He desired Bianca, she was tall and very fit, all muscle, he liked that about her. Piper had once been fit like that, not tall but very fit, and had been strong too. But the past three years had drained her, she was thin now, always had dark circles under her eyes and looked quite frail. The small amount of joy she had taken from training, as a warrior, to try and make her parents proud; they had been warriors, that joy of being a good fighter. Not that she had been old enough to go out and fight, had dwindled to nothing, once she’d turned 18; she was barely a shell of her former self now. She stayed away from all pack events, just worked in the small back room of the store, surrounded by materials and designs to be created. Orders to be filled. Her only solace; that she could create something so beautiful amidst her own misery. Harper was a ball of sadness and pain, they could not take anymore, they had to leave, it was killing them, and she knew it. Bradley was going away on some Alpha meeting, or some pack business in just two days, and so that is when she was going to say goodbye and leave. She had no idea if she could reject her Mate without him being there or knowing what she was to him for that matter. But that was what she was going to do. She had to try anyway, it was all they could do. Piper figured if he had no idea who she was, for the past three years, then why would he need to be there to hear her rejection. It was likely only going to cause her pain. He would feel nothing because he knew nothing. Then, once the full moon came and went after that rejection, surely it would be official, and severed completely by the Moon Goddess herself, or at least she was hoping that’s how it worked. She and Harper had put themselves in front of him many times, they had no choice left to them, they were nothing to him, never would be and they knew it. Three full years and nothing. Not once had he so much as twitched a nose in her presence. So, no more would she put herself or her wolf through that. They had enough money saved up to go out into the human world, and make a living for themselves. She had good skills in fashion and design. Although she mostly made dresses, there were millions of humans in need of wedding dresses. The equivalent to a Luna Ceremony Gown. Spent the next 2 days in the packhouse library, looking at places she could go; her mind made up. She was not even going to look at him one last time. There was no point. She sat at a computer, one hand on the mouse scrolling through places that were well away from the pack. Away from forests and where other packs could well be. She may be a wolf, but she didn’t feel like one; she was just invisible mostly. Her other hand was on the Blue Azure Crystal Pendulum Drop necklace that hung around her neck. It had a white gold chain that was fine and felt warm against her skin all the time, and had a white gold casing, to hold the crystal itself and a smaller blue azure crystal ball right above the casing that attached to the chain. It had been her mother's, she'd told her that one day she would get her daughter one too. A gift for her 16th birthday, and they would have matching mother-daughter jewellery. But Piper had only been 10, when she had lost both her parents. She’d never taken it off, it was the only thing she had left of her; she had found it on her mothers body when the attack had been over, and had retrieved it as her only heirloom. She and Harper were at the point where they might as well live as a human, no wolf would ever smelled her, and she would remain Mate-less from the moment she rejected him. They were already resigned to that fact. She found a nice city several states away, Harper didn’t care that there was no forest nearby. She had not shifted to her wolf in over a year now, couldn’t, it seemed, or perhaps just no longer wanted to. So she was fine with a city, didn’t want to be in the woods, didn’t want to run and be free, didn’t seem to care at all anymore about being a wolf herself. Piper found and booked a flight out there, a hotel for somewhere to stay, while they found a small apartment and sorted out the business that she was going to create. They would die and wither away, no more. They would become strong from this, and live a human life from now on. Then they went back to their cabin in the woods by the southern border of the pack, and had just stayed there. They could see the pack gates with the use of a set of binoculars from the roof of her cabin. She sat and watched and waited for his car to leave, not that hard to spot, it was white, unlike most of the other pack cars, that were black or silver, he drove a white Mercedes SUV. She saw it leave and grabbed her hiking backpack. It was full of her belongings. Living a simple life meant not much to pack. Her whole life fitted in that one backpack. It was large and designed to be used for long hiking trips, but even with her small, weakened stature, she could manage it. Piper walked through the woods until the packhouse came into view, sighed heavily and headed for it. Today was the day, she was leaving. No-one would even notice she was gone because they didn't even know she existed. Only those who came into the store to buy one of her dresses at Renee's store, Haven Gowns, may wonder where she had gone. Though Renee had always claimed them as her dresses, she told Piper she was the store owner, so this was how it was. Piper's name was on the label of all her dresses though. Renee never minded about that, and she did pay Piper well. Not that anyone ever asked who Piper was, or asked to meet her. She walked into the packhouse and right up the main set of stairs, to the very top floor. No-one stopped her, placed her backpack down the hall and around near the Omega stairs, that she would use to leave. It was out of sight and no omegas would be up here at this time of the night. All their work done for the day. Only the Alpha Unit lived in this part of the packhouse; and they were all off with the Alpha. She walked down to his suite and let herself in. It was clean and smelled like him, fresh pine with eucalyptus and that hint of blackberries. She walked about one last time, a glutton for punishment, she knew. Should have just left already but couldn’t, not without one last scent of him. Walked into his walk-in and touched all his clothes, slid her hand along them all, touched everything, couldn’t help herself. As much as it pained her and Harper, they were still drawn to him. Likely always would be, leaving was simply self-preservation and if her rejection did not hold, they’d likely not survive much longer anyway. Piper walked over and stood looking down at his bed, one last night here in his bed, and then gone at the brink of dawn. That was the plan. He’d be gone for several days; always was. The first night away was usually peaceful, but not the nights after that. She stripped off all her clothes and got into his bed. Grabbed onto the pillow that smelled the most like him and buried her face into it, letting the tears fall one last time. She fell asleep in the middle of his big king-sized bed, wrapped in his scent, in the very sheets that would touch his skin while he slept, allowing herself to dream it was where she belonged one last time. She woke with a start. It was still dark, then there was the sound of the bedroom door banging closed. She bit her lip, heard movement and then the sound of clothing being removed. She could smell him. Bradley was back, he could not smell her, had not realized she was in here, in his very bed, he hadn’t even turned the lights on. She was very small at five-six, and was now so thin that she likely didn’t even make a small lump in his bed which had a thick plush feather down comforter on it. He got into bed, and she prayed he’d stay on that side of the bed, that she would be able to slip out once he was asleep. The punishment for this kind of thing; being in his bed, would likely be terrible. And he would be the one to dish it out. She did not relish the thought of getting a beating or whipping, or thrown in the cells afterwards by her own Mate. It would likely destroy them completely. Why was he back? His hand touched her back, stilled completely on her skin, and then a large angry growl came from him. He knew there was a stranger in his bed, he was well within his rights to kill her, and she and Harper both knew it. Wondered if he’d even feel the disconnection afterwards, though doubted it. Then his body was suddenly pressed up against hers. “Well, I guess you want some time with your Alpha.” his voice had suddenly turned all husky and his hand had slid over the curve of her hip, and he’d pulled her hard against him. His mouth was on her shoulder and a groan escaped him as his fingers dug into her hip. “I could use company after my day.” he’d growled, “So you’re in luck.” his hand slid up her body. It was leaving a burning hot trail over her skin, everywhere he was touching her. Piper had no idea what to do. No-one had ever paid her the slightest bit of attention, no-one had ever touched her, and now he was; something she never thought would happen. His hand slid over her hills, and he stroked his fingers over her niple. She gasped as it hardened under his touch, and heat bloomed between her thighs, then she was tugged over onto her back and his mouth was on her neck, his hand sliding down her body “F'k-, you're hot to touch.” He’d growled into her neck, sounding full of desire to her. His fingers had dipped right between her thighs and, oh Goddess, the pleasure of his touch, she had cried out as he’d stroked her firmly, grabbed onto him, wanted more, needed more of him. “Please,” she had whispered, and his fingers were buried inside of her a second later, a deep groan had come from him, as she’d moaned at the intense sensation of him touching her so intimately. He was moving his hand, pushing his fingers in and out of her, as she clung to him, could feel her first ever or'gаsm coming, gasped and moaned under his touch, arched up to him, and moaned his name as it rolled through her body. Heard him growl “Oh, that was fcking fine.” Then his mouth was on hers, and she felt him tugging her legs apart. It was too late for her, she could not deny what she’d always wanted. She couldn’t even utter the word no, somewhere inside her brain she knew she should but couldn’t. Then he was in her, one hard movement all the way in. She cried out in pain as he took her, and felt his whole body still atop of hers. He knew, it was likely obvious she’d never been with another “Oh dayum, even better.” he’d suddenly growled down at her, then his mouth was on hers once more, and he started to move, taking her slowly at first, and it hurt, it was uncomfortable, he was so big, and she felt stretched completely around him. His mouth moved to her neck as he tasted her skin, slid his tongue over her mark spot, and her whole body burned hot like it was on fire. She cried out his name and thrvst her hips up to meet his, pleasure finally taking over, he was her Mate and was having her, if only just once, she would have him for herself. Take all of him, give him everything of herself. He picked up the pace as he felt her acceptance of him inside her. Cried out as pleasure started to build quicker, ripping through her body, like nothing she’d ever imagined it could be. Clung on to him and begged him not to stop. Heard his deep throaty chuckle “I think you like it.” “Yes,” she had answered him honestly, “Please, I want you, all of you.” she moaned and had meant every word. His mouth had found hers, his body moved harder and faster, giving her what she had asked for, heard him groan as he came, felt his seed spill inside of her; like a hot river spreading through her insides. Dug her nails into him as she’d cried out his name. His hand slid down her body. “You feel amazing,” he growled deeply. His hands had gripped her a'ss firmly, and then he was moving again, hard and fast. “I want more.” he’d growled into her neck, pulling and pushing at her hips, his need to have her increasing. Then he was gone from her. Piper had gasped at the sudden loss of him, only to be yanked over and up onto all fours, heard his gasp as he took her from behind “f'k- yes.” and was thrvsting in and out of her firm and hard, faster and in his need. Piper cried out repeatedly as he held her hips, gripping on to her hard, and he was suddenly slamming in and out of her. She could hear her own cries of pleasure filling the darkness of the room, she could hear Harper howling with pleasure inside her own mind, as he took them. Screamed out as she climaxed. Only to have him shove her down on the bed and grate out “More.” was holding her down, one hand on the back of her neck while the other pulled her hips up “f'k-.” he roared as he started again, thrvsting like he had lost all control taking what he wanted furiously, hard and rough holding her down dominating her completely "Oh, f'k- yes." he was really moving now, giving her all he had, everything. Piper could barely gasp for air herself, just cry out as wave after wave of pleasure hit her, could feel the 0rgа5ms one after the other ripping through her till she was screaming in pure bliss. Her whole body shunted forward as she screamed his name one last time as he slammed home, his seed spilling inside of her again. His body was heavy on top of hers, she lay under him, gasping, trying to breathe and calm down, his breath she could feel was heavy and ragged like her own. “I like fkn you.” he’d groaned as he’d rolled off of her body and lay on the bed next to her. Piper's joy at what had just happened, was gone in an instant, she felt hot tears burn her eyes. ‘He liked fcking her.’ she thought, as pain in her heart replaced the pleasure she had been feeling. She was his Mate, and still, he did not recognize her. Felt not just her own heart shatter, but Harper’s too. She did not look at him, couldn’t, just lay there quietly, held in the sobs of pain, and waited for him to fall asleep. Then she dragged her aching body from his bed, he still could not tell what she was to him. It was just a good f'k-. She picked up her clothes, could hear him snoring softly, as her tears continued to fall silently down her face. At least they’d gotten to have him, just once. She stepped away from the bed, from him, and closed her eyes and tried to stop the flow of tears. Pulled on her clothes, turned from the bedroom doorway, and looked at his sleeping body, pain seared through her and her wolf. They would never survive his betrayal again. Not after this, they both knew it, and they knew he would go off and be with someone else. They were nothing to him, never had been, and without a scent for him to smell, they never would be. Piper took in a long silent breath, “I Piper Whitlock, warrior to the Black Haven Pack...reject you Bradley Drake as my Mate.” she whispered into the darkness of the room, and then fled as fast as she could, as pain coursed through her body, she heard Harper howl in pain inside her mind. They ran from his suite, down the hall, grabbed their bag and stumbled and nearly fell most of the way down the stairs to the door at the bottom, struggling with the pain of their rejection. Refused to stop regardless of the pain, they had been through a lot of pain in the past three years, they knew how to run, and hold it in, to hide it until they were alone. She didn’t stop running until they reached the western border of the Pack. She knew she looked a terrible mess, tears streaming down her face, and she’d stumbled and fallen many times, as pain tore at her insides, but she had picked herself up and kept going. Was still sobbing from the pain she was in, when she looked at the patrol man, he was frowning right at her, had no idea where she had come from, or who she was; not scented her coming, would have heard her, but even now, she could tell he was confused as to what she was. She stepped out over the border right into rogue territory, saw him step towards her, his eyes widened at her actions. Not many females would do what she was doing. “I reject Alpha Bradley Drake and his Pack, the Black Haven Pack, as my Pack, I...am a rogue now.” she’d stated firmly; her decision clear in her mind. The border patrol man gasped in shock, then she turned and ran from everything, and everyone she’d ever known, as she felt herself being severed from the pack entirely. It was the only thing that could save her and Harper. They would die here if they had to stay and suffer any longer. They were not afraid to be out in rogue territory, had been out here before, not even a rogue picked up her wolfen scent. She was a mere human to them as well. So, a human they would be from now on. They would live, breathe, eat and work as a human would, in the human world. She made their way to the airport to catch their flight and start over. A wolf no more. Piper POV Piper stood in her bridal shop window, pinning the dress to the mannequin, to make it a neat fit and look its best to attract customers. Not that she was short of them. She smiled, her designs were well liked, even here in the human world. It was a lovely strapless A-line gown, a blush coloured dress with a square neckline, the skirt flowed freely, and it had a bodice covered in hand embroidered crystal beads. It had a pulled up and neatly pleated section, at the front of the dress, that allowed all the wonderful soft ruffles of the overlapping layers of the soft satin material to be seen. She did like it, had just finished it yesterday. Her store ‘Goddess Gowns’ here in Portland was one of three she now owned. Her main store, where she worked from, was a nice space, in a two-story building, where all her gowns were on display downstairs, with a spacious sitting area and plush seating. There was a small runway from the dressing rooms, out into the center of the store, where the waiting guests would sit and watch the bride-to-be show-off the dress she chose. Her office was upstairs in a loft space. She’d had split the loft into two large rooms, her office in the first space and her working studio in the second, where she sat and created her gowns. She was good at her job. Liked her work and had sold many dresses to wealthy humans, as well as regular humans, she catered to everyone. She kept to herself as much as possible, but did hold and attend fashion shows, and was quite well known in the bridal industry. She stepped back and looked at her latest creation, adjusted it a couple of times, until she was happy with it. Hearing the pretty bell she’d bought tinkle as the store's door opened to let someone in. Most days they came by appointment, but on Tuesday's she kept her books open, for walk-ins. Her books were pretty full at the moment, Izzy would likely show them around, or make them an appointment to see her at some point in the future. Then the scent hit her, they were wolves; inside her store were werewolves. She felt Harper growl a little inside of her mind. Although they had come across wolves, and all other manner of creatures over the past eight years, today the scent that hit them, reached their nose. It was one that particularly annoyed them. Without even turning to look, she could hear the woman, who was laughing and happy, excited to be in this very store, to purchase her gown for her Ceremony as she called it. She heard the man chuckle and reminded her that Brad, had told her to get whatever she wanted, he did not care about the cost it would incur him. Piper stepped out of the window display, and refused to even look at them. She knew by the scent that was on them, they were of her old pack, likely from the way the woman was talking. This woman was here to purchase a Goddess Gown designed by Piper Harper Designs. To wear to her Luna Ceremony, and to none other than Bradley Drake himself. “Izzy, please attend to the customers.” she stated flatly as she headed up the stairs to her office. “Yes Piper.” she heard Izzy call after her. Piper nor Harper wanted to be anywhere near that woman or her escort for that matter. Pain was already pulling at them both. He’d found another, it seemed. No not found another. Had scented out his first Mate. She thought bitterly. He’d never once scented her, but obviously had that woman downstairs in her very store. She and Harper might have left out of self-preservation, but it didn’t mean they didn’t still love the man. Knew their rejection had worked, seeing as not once since that night, had she felt the pains of betrayal. It had been the right thing to do, saved both her and Harper. They’d moved well away from that pack, several states away in fact. Why were they here in her store? This was the first time, they had come across the Black Haven Pack, since they had left. Why of all places would that woman come all the way here to her store? Was it just some cruel joke? She already felt like Selena had rejected her and Harper, cursed them and given her a life of torture, but no, that wasn’t enough, it seemed. Now her Mate had his own Mate, and was here to dump pain upon her once again. There was a knock on her door “Piper, sorry to bother you. The young lady downstairs wants one of your older gowns,” Izzy stated. “I don’t make those anymore.” Piper replied calmly, “Just tell her to buy one off of the racks downstairs. I’m sure there is something she will like. I don’t have the time to make anything new right now, even from the old.” “Yes Piper...are you alright Piper?” Izzy asked her with a slight frown. “I’m fine Izzy, have a headache is all.” she waved the girl away. “Close my door, I can’t stand the smell.” she stated, not wanting to smell them, or even hear the conversation that those two down there may have. And to hll with it, if that escort or the girl heard her comment about the smell. She glanced at the large wall clock and sighed, hopefully they would leave soon. She had to go and get Brandon from the bus stop in a little while. Did not want that man around her son, period. Not that he would connect any dots, she did not smell to that wolf downstairs, and any likeness to Bradley would simply be shrugged off. There was a knock on her door a few minutes later, and she was about to raise her voice to Izzy, for disturbing her yet again, because she’d been given instructions already. When the door opened without her stating to come in, she looked at it with a deep frown on her face. Her jaw tightened as she watched Cooper opening the door to her office without permission. Cooper, the Beta to the Black Haven Pack, stood there in her office doorway, smiled right at her, all charmingly, thinking he was going to be able to use his good looks and charm, to be able to sway her into whatever he wanted. Most human females would be drooling already, at his black hair and deeply dark charcoal grey eyes, his chiseled jaw and well-built physique. Little did this wolf know, she wasn’t some gullible human out for the charming. She was not going to fall at his feet and stare up at him all dreamy-eyed, and become so smitten that she’d do whatever he wanted her too. It was likely how he’d gotten past Izzy though. Had used those stormy grey eyes of his and, by the look of it, had run his hand through his hair, which would have showed off the muscles in his arm. He was only wearing a short-sleeved, very well-fitted tee-shirt, and those sickeningly perfectly pearly white teeth of his; that he had turned on her now. He was a picture of charm and sx appeal; he was definitely trying to play on his good looks to get what he wanted. She was not attracted to him in the slightest. “Hello, I’m Cooper.” Piper cut him right off there. “I don’t care. Get out.” she snapped at him. She did not want this wolf anywhere near her at all. Watched his smile actually falter, and he frowned at her. “That’s not a very nice way to treat a potential customer, I have a friend here who would...” “I don’t care.” she cut him off once again. “I already told my store manager, Izzy, I don’t have time to make a dress from an old, obsolete line.” she turned her eyes away from him, back to her desk and the design pad in front of her, effectively dismissing him, he would understand that; likely seen his Alpha do it many times, he’d probably done it himself a heap. “Please,” she heard him actually step inside of her office “We’ll pay whatever you want.” Piper turned her eyes back to him, more than annoyed now, trying to use money to get what he wanted. Now he understood his looks wouldn’t do it; typical. “I don’t need your money. Now I am very busy Carter...was it. Have your friend choose something in the store downstairs.” “It was Cooper,” he grated out, sounding like he didn’t like her tone. Well, she didn’t like him in her office, any more than he looked like, he wanted to be there right now. She was ticking the man off, it seemed. Good. Maybe he’d take that woman and leave altogether. “My friend wants a custom Piper Harper gown.” She rolled her eyes right at him, whose store did he think he was in? “Everything downstairs is a Piper Harper gown.” she dripped sarcasm at his stupidly spoken request. “You are very rude.” he glared right at her. Oh, this was not rude, this was just annoyed, he didn’t want to see her fully pissed off. And she was doing everything to get him out of her store, with the attitude of him not coming back at all. She saw him actually take a breath and try to calm his anger. His wolf must be cranky at the lack of respect she was showing. She heard Harper snort amused inside her mind; they’d not even really gotten started. “Please, at least look at the picture of the dress she wants.” he turned slightly “Hadley come in here and show the lady the dress you want.” he called out to her. Piper's jaw tightened all the way, so much so she could hear her own teeth grinding against each other. He looked right at her, had picked up on it too. They did not want to know the woman’s name, and certainly did not want to have to look right at her, for that matter. That was why she had come upstairs and asked Izzy to deal with them. On any other given day in her store, Piper would have been more than willing and happy to stay downstairs and assist in her store. Her customers liked to meet her. She knew this, and for the most part, didn’t actually mind interacting with them. Only the super prima donnas annoyed her. Whining spoiled little baby’s that had never heard the word ‘No’ before, irritated her and Harper for that matter. She was glaring right at him now, and actually saw him try and smell her, an interesting response to her anger. He clearly wasn’t used to humans challenging him or standing up to him. A very pretty red-headed girl walked into her office a moment later, obviously not her real hair colour. It was as red as a fire truck. The girl, not woman, was young, likely only barely 18 or 19. She smiled right at Piper, had deep dark blue eyes, and she had that trim-taught and terrific body that all wolves have, she was wearing a well-fitted dress that accentuated her hills and hips, drawing one's eyes right to how fit she actually was. Just his type, she thought bitterly, it did not escape her or Harper that she scented of Alpha blood either. She did not smile at Hadley; she’d been called. Already initiated into the pack, she had the pack's scent on her as well. The girl faltered as Piper's eyes met hers, fully annoyed and angered to have to be looking right at her. Cooper brought her further into the office. “I’m sure she won’t bite Hadley.” it was a warning; she and Harper had not missed his tone. “Show her the dress you want. I’m certain I will be able to convince her to make it.” ‘Fat chance.’ Harper snarled inside her mind. He walked Hadley across the office and sat her down opposite Piper herself. She glared right at him. He was lucky Harper was still inside her mind and not fully on the surface. And oh yes, he was very used to getting his way all the time. And of course, whatever the Luna wanted, she would get. He was here to make sure of that. Well, today he was going to find out that he couldn’t have everything he wanted. She was no push over. Yes, every other Luna out there got what they wanted. She and Harper hated Luna’s with almost a passion, almost as much as they hated their own Kind. “Piper.” she felt his aura roll at her, just a little. Likely trying to make her complaint “Please, it is Hadley’s wish.” “And I told you... I’m busy and don’t have the time.” she shot back at him, making sure he understood his aura meant nothing to her. “Look at it.” he practically demanded her. Well, they were no longer a part of his pack anymore, rogues didn’t have masters, didn’t have to answer to anyone unless they actually chose to. She raised an eyebrow at him “I don’t like your attitude.” she snapped and stood up, felt Harper bristle inside her own mind. They would be no match for him, but they were not about to let him, lord it over them, right here in their office. “Nor I yours.” he snapped right back. He plucked the photo from the girl's hand. “What harm will come from looking at it?” he held it out to her. “Nothing, I suppose.” she grated out and yanked the dаmed thing from his hand, it was actually a magazine clipping not a photo, and the moment her eyes landed on it her anger twitched up a notch. She had only made one of these, had tortured herself with it. It was the very dress she had designed for herself; the one that she had always imagined she would wear, the one she had designed long before she’d left the pack, tormented herself with dreams of Bradley scenting her and claiming her; and that dress being the one she would wear for her Luna Ceremony. Never happened, never would. There was one thing Piper was certain of; this girl before her was never going to wear that dress. She would never make it for her to wear to her ceremony to Bradley. She tore the clipping in half, and then in half again “I will not make that.” she spat as she tossed the torn pieces of paper into the bin. The girl gasped and actually sobbed, then shot up out of the chair and left the room in a rush. Cooper went after her “Go and don’t come back.” she practically snarled right at him. Saw him stop and glare right at her, stand there and stare at her, right at her, she was not intimidated by him, and it surprised him. Shocked him that he couldn’t seem to frighten her, watched him breathe in again. He was once again trying to figure out what she was. Why she’d not done what he wanted? Well, he would smell nothing, like every other time he’d walked passed her, or ran into her, and he had more than once. He would smell a human and nothing more, if he even smelled that. He stood in her office doorway staring right at her, as she stared right back at him, locked eyes right with him, her brown eyes never moved from him, a slight smirk touched his lips; she presented a challenge to him and his wolf, it seemed. His wolf's eyes appeared as it pushed forward. It was likely meant to frighten her, all he got from her was a raised eyebrow at him. “You don’t frighten me, get out of my store.” she stated, never moving her eyes from his wolf's. Shock registered on his face, at her lack of reaction to his wolf on the surface, then he just turned and left. “Yes, go away and don’t bloody come back.” she muttered to herself, knew his keen sense of hearing would pick it up, didn’t care at all. Wanted him to know that she didn’t want him to come back. She glanced at the clock and sighed, heard the bell chime; he’d left the store. She poured herself a glass of water and drank it. Today was not a good day. Today was not something she had ever seen coming or even been prepared for. Downstairs she found Izzy’s eyes on her, questioningly “I’m going to pick up Brandon.” “Yes Piper.” she just nodded. Then walked out of her store, and found Cooper across the street with the girl, and as she glanced at them, realized the packs Gamma and Delta were also both there. The Gamma looked right at her, the girl was hugged into him, taking comfort from her Gamma. 'Oh! How sweet.' She thought bitterly. Turned and walked off down the street. Three blocks to the bus stop and waited. She’d survived more than that, all that girl got was a “no”, was a spoiled bloody prima donna. Brandon got off the bus, and she smiled at him, thankfully he had her caramel-coloured hair, with a few natural blonde highlights from the sun, and his skin was fair like hers too. Though he did have his father's blue eyes with those brilliant green flecks in them. He was her one true joy in her life. She smiled right at him as he stood talking to his friends; would not interrupt the boy, he had people hanging off him, just seven years old and already popular, typical of his Alpha gene’s she supposed. Finally, he turned his smile on her. “Hey mum.” “Hey sweetie, I thought...we’d go and get waffles.” He grinned now. “Sure.” She knew it was his favorite thing, loved waffles with strawberries and doused in hot melted chocolate with a big scoop of chocolate ice cream. She took his hand and strolled along to the cafe, they ate at sometimes after school. She watched him eat happily. “I thought we could get away, go on a little holiday, the long weekend is coming.” He looked right at her. “No work?” Piper chuckled and even heard Harper chortle inside her mind “No work...why don’t we go snowboarding?” “Sweet.” he grinned, now, all excited. The boy did like to be in the outdoors, and he’d learned to snowboard at 5, bloody took to everything that he tried. His natural agility shone through, as did his track and field, he even excelled at swimming. Everything he did was a natural talent at “Mum it's fall.” he suddenly stated. “It’s snowing somewhere in the world.” she shrugged. “get your phone out and find somewhere. We’ll leave on Friday after school and come back on Monday. You pick where.”
“I Piper Whitlock, warrior to the Black Haven Pack...reject you Bradley Drake as my Mate.” She whispered into the darkness of the room and then fled as fast as she could as pain coursed through her body. ‘He enjoyed my purity, not me.’ she thought as pain replaced the pleasure she had been feeling tonight. She knew she looked a terrible mess, tears streaming down her face, and she’d stumbled and fallen many times as pain tore at her insides but had picked herself up and kept going. Stepped out over the border right into rogue territory, saw him step towards her his eyes widened at her actions. Not many females would do what she was doing. “I...am finally free now.” ****** Piper sobbed softly out in the middle of the woods, it was all too much to handle nowadays, it was time to leave her home pack here in Montana. She could no longer take the pain of his betrayal anymore. Not that her Alpha, Alpha Bradley of the Black Haven Pack, knew that it hurt her, every time that he was with another; he had no idea who she was to him. She, however, had scented him out 3 years ago, at the age of 18. On the first full moon after her 18th birthday. Had felt pain almost instantly, and not because he’d been with another at the time, but because he’d not scented her, not recognized her as his Mate. He had bumped right into her that day even. Piper and her wolf Harper were more than nervous, tracking his perfect woodsy scent through the packhouse. It had a hint of blackberry, had led them all the way to him. She had been standing right behind him, only half a foot away, he was taller than she was, by a long way, he stood six-four and was all muscled up, he’d been wearing faded blue jeans and a dark purple tee-shirt that day, his dark brown hair had been a little messy. Alpha Bradley had been talking on his phone that day, and when he had turned around, had run right into her. His deep blue eyes with those flecks of green in them, had turned right on her, and then he’d frowned right down at her. She was only five-six, he’d towered over her. There had been no recognition in his eyes at all, “Don’t stand so close, girl.” he'd stated casually, and then had stepped around her and just walked away; and her heart had broken. Harper had howled in pain inside of her mind. They’d known what he was to them, but he had no idea. It was what she and her wolf had always feared, all her life, even before gaining Harper, even since she was little, had lost her parents to a rogue attack at the age of 10, and no-one here seemed to notice her after her parents' death. No-one seemed to know who she was, it was like she just didn’t exist. That had been her life. Although she had attended school here in the pack's small K1 to year 12 school, and had graduated with good marks, people were always bumping into her, and telling her to watch her step. No-one knew she was there, invisible to the entire pack is what it felt like, unless someone was looking directly at her, and she knew why. She had no scent. Though she could smell every one of them, no-one could smell her. She had gotten a job and worked long quiet hours, tucked away in the back room of a dress-making store inside the pack. She’d loved to learn how to design and create beautiful dresses. Even a lot of the pack's she-wolfs wore her dresses to the pack's events and mating balls. To their 16th and 18th birthday celebrations. She, however, did not. She lived alone away from the pack, out in a tiny cabin away from everyone, so that they would not hear her sobs and distress as she put up with the pains of betrayal. The first time she had felt him with another, she and Harper had howled in pain and run away deep into the woods. Found that tiny cabin no longer in use, and curled up into a ball, had stayed there in agony till he’d stopped being with another. Then had just stayed there for a whole day, unable to go back to the pack. Their pain would have been for all to see, if anyone saw her that was. There was nothing they could do about it. It had hurt like nothing she’d ever felt before, and continued to do so right to this day, and to hide their pains they had hidden themselves away, unable to tell him, what he was to them. She knew he would never believe her, only if he scented her out would he recognize her as his Mate. She and Harper both knew this, and they both knew he was never going to be able to do that either. The pains were worse when he was away from the pack; mating some other she-wolf in another pack. Did not hurt her any less than the one she-wolf here in the pack he bedded on a regular basis. Three long years she’d had to suffer now. Three long years she’d walked the halls of the packhouse, came across him, and not once did he pay her the slightest bit of attention, and when he did bump into her; as did so many others. Because they couldn’t smell that she was right there, he would just frown down at her, either apologize, or ask her to move out of the way, and just move on. Had occasionally snapped at her all angry to watch where on eаrth she was going. For two years she slipped into his bedroom when he wasn’t here in the pack, looked at his things, touched his clothes, felt hot tears slide down her cheeks; for the man that was her Mate. The man that had never once scented her out. The man that she and Harper loved, but would never love them. She had even slept curled up in his bed, not that he’d ever known it. No scent of her remained, she could wander at will anywhere she liked, left no trail at all, had even sat in his Alpha’s chair once, touched his desk and wondered what it would be like to be his Luna. Tonight, he had been with another, she knew who. He had one regular girl here inside the pack, Bianca. She was older like he was, a warrior, highly ranked. She’d seen them together chatting and flirting on occasion. Seen the way he looked at her body, even that hurt too. He desired Bianca, she was tall and very fit, all muscle, he liked that about her. Piper had once been fit like that, not tall but very fit, and had been strong too. But the past three years had drained her, she was thin now, always had dark circles under her eyes and looked quite frail. The small amount of joy she had taken from training, as a warrior, to try and make her parents proud; they had been warriors, that joy of being a good fighter. Not that she had been old enough to go out and fight, had dwindled to nothing, once she’d turned 18; she was barely a shell of her former self now. She stayed away from all pack events, just worked in the small back room of the store, surrounded by materials and designs to be created. Orders to be filled. Her only solace; that she could create something so beautiful amidst her own misery. Harper was a ball of sadness and pain, they could not take anymore, they had to leave, it was killing them, and she knew it. Bradley was going away on some Alpha meeting, or some pack business in just two days, and so that is when she was going to say goodbye and leave. She had no idea if she could reject her Mate without him being there or knowing what she was to him for that matter. But that was what she was going to do. She had to try anyway, it was all they could do. Piper figured if he had no idea who she was, for the past three years, then why would he need to be there to hear her rejection. It was likely only going to cause her pain. He would feel nothing because he knew nothing. Then, once the full moon came and went after that rejection, surely it would be official, and severed completely by the Moon Goddess herself, or at least she was hoping that’s how it worked. She and Harper had put themselves in front of him many times, they had no choice left to them, they were nothing to him, never would be and they knew it. Three full years and nothing. Not once had he so much as twitched a nose in her presence. So, no more would she put herself or her wolf through that. They had enough money saved up to go out into the human world, and make a living for themselves. She had good skills in fashion and design. Although she mostly made dresses, there were millions of humans in need of wedding dresses. The equivalent to a Luna Ceremony Gown. Spent the next 2 days in the packhouse library, looking at places she could go; her mind made up. She was not even going to look at him one last time. There was no point. She sat at a computer, one hand on the mouse scrolling through places that were well away from the pack. Away from forests and where other packs could well be. She may be a wolf, but she didn’t feel like one; she was just invisible mostly. Her other hand was on the Blue Azure Crystal Pendulum Drop necklace that hung around her neck. It had a white gold chain that was fine and felt warm against her skin all the time, and had a white gold casing, to hold the crystal itself and a smaller blue azure crystal ball right above the casing that attached to the chain. It had been her mother's, she'd told her that one day she would get her daughter one too. A gift for her 16th birthday, and they would have matching mother-daughter jewellery. But Piper had only been 10, when she had lost both her parents. She’d never taken it off, it was the only thing she had left of her; she had found it on her mothers body when the attack had been over, and had retrieved it as her only heirloom. She and Harper were at the point where they might as well live as a human, no wolf would ever smelled her, and she would remain Mate-less from the moment she rejected him. They were already resigned to that fact. She found a nice city several states away, Harper didn’t care that there was no forest nearby. She had not shifted to her wolf in over a year now, couldn’t, it seemed, or perhaps just no longer wanted to. So she was fine with a city, didn’t want to be in the woods, didn’t want to run and be free, didn’t seem to care at all anymore about being a wolf herself. Piper found and booked a flight out there, a hotel for somewhere to stay, while they found a small apartment and sorted out the business that she was going to create. They would die and wither away, no more. They would become strong from this, and live a human life from now on. Then they went back to their cabin in the woods by the southern border of the pack, and had just stayed there. They could see the pack gates with the use of a set of binoculars from the roof of her cabin. She sat and watched and waited for his car to leave, not that hard to spot, it was white, unlike most of the other pack cars, that were black or silver, he drove a white Mercedes SUV. She saw it leave and grabbed her hiking backpack. It was full of her belongings. Living a simple life meant not much to pack. Her whole life fitted in that one backpack. It was large and designed to be used for long hiking trips, but even with her small, weakened stature, she could manage it. Piper walked through the woods until the packhouse came into view, sighed heavily and headed for it. Today was the day, she was leaving. No-one would even notice she was gone because they didn't even know she existed. Only those who came into the store to buy one of her dresses at Renee's store, Haven Gowns, may wonder where she had gone. Though Renee had always claimed them as her dresses, she told Piper she was the store owner, so this was how it was. Piper's name was on the label of all her dresses though. Renee never minded about that, and she did pay Piper well. Not that anyone ever asked who Piper was, or asked to meet her. She walked into the packhouse and right up the main set of stairs, to the very top floor. No-one stopped her, placed her backpack down the hall and around near the Omega stairs, that she would use to leave. It was out of sight and no omegas would be up here at this time of the night. All their work done for the day. Only the Alpha Unit lived in this part of the packhouse; and they were all off with the Alpha. She walked down to his suite and let herself in. It was clean and smelled like him, fresh pine with eucalyptus and that hint of blackberries. She walked about one last time, a glutton for punishment, she knew. Should have just left already but couldn’t, not without one last scent of him. Walked into his walk-in and touched all his clothes, slid her hand along them all, touched everything, couldn’t help herself. As much as it pained her and Harper, they were still drawn to him. Likely always would be, leaving was simply self-preservation and if her rejection did not hold, they’d likely not survive much longer anyway. Piper walked over and stood looking down at his bed, one last night here in his bed, and then gone at the brink of dawn. That was the plan. He’d be gone for several days; always was. The first night away was usually peaceful, but not the nights after that. She stripped off all her clothes and got into his bed. Grabbed onto the pillow that smelled the most like him and buried her face into it, letting the tears fall one last time. She fell asleep in the middle of his big king-sized bed, wrapped in his scent, in the very sheets that would touch his skin while he slept, allowing herself to dream it was where she belonged one last time. She woke with a start. It was still dark, then there was the sound of the bedroom door banging closed. She bit her lip, heard movement and then the sound of clothing being removed. She could smell him. Bradley was back, he could not smell her, had not realized she was in here, in his very bed, he hadn’t even turned the lights on. She was very small at five-six, and was now so thin that she likely didn’t even make a small lump in his bed which had a thick plush feather down comforter on it. He got into bed, and she prayed he’d stay on that side of the bed, that she would be able to slip out once he was asleep. The punishment for this kind of thing; being in his bed, would likely be terrible. And he would be the one to dish it out. She did not relish the thought of getting a beating or whipping, or thrown in the cells afterwards by her own Mate. It would likely destroy them completely. Why was he back? His hand touched her back, stilled completely on her skin, and then a large angry growl came from him. He knew there was a stranger in his bed, he was well within his rights to kill her, and she and Harper both knew it. Wondered if he’d even feel the disconnection afterwards, though doubted it. Then his body was suddenly pressed up against hers. “Well, I guess you want some time with your Alpha.” his voice had suddenly turned all husky and his hand had slid over the curve of her hip, and he’d pulled her hard against him. His mouth was on her shoulder and a groan escaped him as his fingers dug into her hip. “I could use company after my day.” he’d growled, “So you’re in luck.” his hand slid up her body. It was leaving a burning hot trail over her skin, everywhere he was touching her. Piper had no idea what to do. No-one had ever paid her the slightest bit of attention, no-one had ever touched her, and now he was; something she never thought would happen. His hand slid over her hills, and he stroked his fingers over her niple. She gasped as it hardened under his touch, and heat bloomed between her thighs, then she was tugged over onto her back and his mouth was on her neck, his hand sliding down her body “F'k-, you're hot to touch.” He’d growled into her neck, sounding full of desire to her. His fingers had dipped right between her thighs and, oh Goddess, the pleasure of his touch, she had cried out as he’d stroked her firmly, grabbed onto him, wanted more, needed more of him. “Please,” she had whispered, and his fingers were buried inside of her a second later, a deep groan had come from him, as she’d moaned at the intense sensation of him touching her so intimately. He was moving his hand, pushing his fingers in and out of her, as she clung to him, could feel her first ever or'gаsm coming, gasped and moaned under his touch, arched up to him, and moaned his name as it rolled through her body. Heard him growl “Oh, that was fcking fine.” Then his mouth was on hers, and she felt him tugging her legs apart. It was too late for her, she could not deny what she’d always wanted. She couldn’t even utter the word no, somewhere inside her brain she knew she should but couldn’t. Then he was in her, one hard movement all the way in. She cried out in pain as he took her, and felt his whole body still atop of hers. He knew, it was likely obvious she’d never been with another “Oh dayum, even better.” he’d suddenly growled down at her, then his mouth was on hers once more, and he started to move, taking her slowly at first, and it hurt, it was uncomfortable, he was so big, and she felt stretched completely around him. His mouth moved to her neck as he tasted her skin, slid his tongue over her mark spot, and her whole body burned hot like it was on fire. She cried out his name and thrvst her hips up to meet his, pleasure finally taking over, he was her Mate and was having her, if only just once, she would have him for herself. Take all of him, give him everything of herself. He picked up the pace as he felt her acceptance of him inside her. Cried out as pleasure started to build quicker, ripping through her body, like nothing she’d ever imagined it could be. Clung on to him and begged him not to stop. Heard his deep throaty chuckle “I think you like it.” “Yes,” she had answered him honestly, “Please, I want you, all of you.” she moaned and had meant every word. His mouth had found hers, his body moved harder and faster, giving her what she had asked for, heard him groan as he came, felt his seed spill inside of her; like a hot river spreading through her insides. Dug her nails into him as she’d cried out his name. His hand slid down her body. “You feel amazing,” he growled deeply. His hands had gripped her a'ss firmly, and then he was moving again, hard and fast. “I want more.” he’d growled into her neck, pulling and pushing at her hips, his need to have her increasing. Then he was gone from her. Piper had gasped at the sudden loss of him, only to be yanked over and up onto all fours, heard his gasp as he took her from behind “f'k- yes.” and was thrvsting in and out of her firm and hard, faster and in his need. Piper cried out repeatedly as he held her hips, gripping on to her hard, and he was suddenly slamming in and out of her. She could hear her own cries of pleasure filling the darkness of the room, she could hear Harper howling with pleasure inside her own mind, as he took them. Screamed out as she climaxed. Only to have him shove her down on the bed and grate out “More.” was holding her down, one hand on the back of her neck while the other pulled her hips up “f'k-.” he roared as he started again, thrvsting like he had lost all control taking what he wanted furiously, hard and rough holding her down dominating her completely "Oh, f'k- yes." he was really moving now, giving her all he had, everything. Piper could barely gasp for air herself, just cry out as wave after wave of pleasure hit her, could feel the 0rgа5ms one after the other ripping through her till she was screaming in pure bliss. Her whole body shunted forward as she screamed his name one last time as he slammed home, his seed spilling inside of her again. His body was heavy on top of hers, she lay under him, gasping, trying to breathe and calm down, his breath she could feel was heavy and ragged like her own. “I like fkn you.” he’d groaned as he’d rolled off of her body and lay on the bed next to her. Piper's joy at what had just happened, was gone in an instant, she felt hot tears burn her eyes. ‘He liked fcking her.’ she thought, as pain in her heart replaced the pleasure she had been feeling. She was his Mate, and still, he did not recognize her. Felt not just her own heart shatter, but Harper’s too. She did not look at him, couldn’t, just lay there quietly, held in the sobs of pain, and waited for him to fall asleep. Then she dragged her aching body from his bed, he still could not tell what she was to him. It was just a good f'k-. She picked up her clothes, could hear him snoring softly, as her tears continued to fall silently down her face. At least they’d gotten to have him, just once. She stepped away from the bed, from him, and closed her eyes and tried to stop the flow of tears. Pulled on her clothes, turned from the bedroom doorway, and looked at his sleeping body, pain seared through her and her wolf. They would never survive his betrayal again. Not after this, they both knew it, and they knew he would go off and be with someone else. They were nothing to him, never had been, and without a scent for him to smell, they never would be. Piper took in a long silent breath, “I Piper Whitlock, warrior to the Black Haven Pack...reject you Bradley Drake as my Mate.” she whispered into the darkness of the room, and then fled as fast as she could, as pain coursed through her body, she heard Harper howl in pain inside her mind. They ran from his suite, down the hall, grabbed their bag and stumbled and nearly fell most of the way down the stairs to the door at the bottom, struggling with the pain of their rejection. Refused to stop regardless of the pain, they had been through a lot of pain in the past three years, they knew how to run, and hold it in, to hide it until they were alone. She didn’t stop running until they reached the western border of the Pack. She knew she looked a terrible mess, tears streaming down her face, and she’d stumbled and fallen many times, as pain tore at her insides, but she had picked herself up and kept going. Was still sobbing from the pain she was in, when she looked at the patrol man, he was frowning right at her, had no idea where she had come from, or who she was; not scented her coming, would have heard her, but even now, she could tell he was confused as to what she was. She stepped out over the border right into rogue territory, saw him step towards her, his eyes widened at her actions. Not many females would do what she was doing. “I reject Alpha Bradley Drake and his Pack, the Black Haven Pack, as my Pack, I...am a rogue now.” she’d stated firmly; her decision clear in her mind. The border patrol man gasped in shock, then she turned and ran from everything, and everyone she’d ever known, as she felt herself being severed from the pack entirely. It was the only thing that could save her and Harper. They would die here if they had to stay and suffer any longer. They were not afraid to be out in rogue territory, had been out here before, not even a rogue picked up her wolfen scent. She was a mere human to them as well. So, a human they would be from now on. They would live, breathe, eat and work as a human would, in the human world. She made their way to the airport to catch their flight and start over. A wolf no more. Piper POV Piper stood in her bridal shop window, pinning the dress to the mannequin, to make it a neat fit and look its best to attract customers. Not that she was short of them. She smiled, her designs were well liked, even here in the human world. It was a lovely strapless A-line gown, a blush coloured dress with a square neckline, the skirt flowed freely, and it had a bodice covered in hand embroidered crystal beads. It had a pulled up and neatly pleated section, at the front of the dress, that allowed all the wonderful soft ruffles of the overlapping layers of the soft satin material to be seen. She did like it, had just finished it yesterday. Her store ‘Goddess Gowns’ here in Portland was one of three she now owned. Her main store, where she worked from, was a nice space, in a two-story building, where all her gowns were on display downstairs, with a spacious sitting area and plush seating. There was a small runway from the dressing rooms, out into the center of the store, where the waiting guests would sit and watch the bride-to-be show-off the dress she chose. Her office was upstairs in a loft space. She’d had split the loft into two large rooms, her office in the first space and her working studio in the second, where she sat and created her gowns. She was good at her job. Liked her work and had sold many dresses to wealthy humans, as well as regular humans, she catered to everyone. She kept to herself as much as possible, but did hold and attend fashion shows, and was quite well known in the bridal industry. She stepped back and looked at her latest creation, adjusted it a couple of times, until she was happy with it. Hearing the pretty bell she’d bought tinkle as the store's door opened to let someone in. Most days they came by appointment, but on Tuesday's she kept her books open, for walk-ins. Her books were pretty full at the moment, Izzy would likely show them around, or make them an appointment to see her at some point in the future. Then the scent hit her, they were wolves; inside her store were werewolves. She felt Harper growl a little inside of her mind. Although they had come across wolves, and all other manner of creatures over the past eight years, today the scent that hit them, reached their nose. It was one that particularly annoyed them. Without even turning to look, she could hear the woman, who was laughing and happy, excited to be in this very store, to purchase her gown for her Ceremony as she called it. She heard the man chuckle and reminded her that Brad, had told her to get whatever she wanted, he did not care about the cost it would incur him. Piper stepped out of the window display, and refused to even look at them. She knew by the scent that was on them, they were of her old pack, likely from the way the woman was talking. This woman was here to purchase a Goddess Gown designed by Piper Harper Designs. To wear to her Luna Ceremony, and to none other than Bradley Drake himself. “Izzy, please attend to the customers.” she stated flatly as she headed up the stairs to her office. “Yes Piper.” she heard Izzy call after her. Piper nor Harper wanted to be anywhere near that woman or her escort for that matter. Pain was already pulling at them both. He’d found another, it seemed. No not found another. Had scented out his first Mate. She thought bitterly. He’d never once scented her, but obviously had that woman downstairs in her very store. She and Harper might have left out of self-preservation, but it didn’t mean they didn’t still love the man. Knew their rejection had worked, seeing as not once since that night, had she felt the pains of betrayal. It had been the right thing to do, saved both her and Harper. They’d moved well away from that pack, several states away in fact. Why were they here in her store? This was the first time, they had come across the Black Haven Pack, since they had left. Why of all places would that woman come all the way here to her store? Was it just some cruel joke? She already felt like Selena had rejected her and Harper, cursed them and given her a life of torture, but no, that wasn’t enough, it seemed. Now her Mate had his own Mate, and was here to dump pain upon her once again. There was a knock on her door “Piper, sorry to bother you. The young lady downstairs wants one of your older gowns,” Izzy stated. “I don’t make those anymore.” Piper replied calmly, “Just tell her to buy one off of the racks downstairs. I’m sure there is something she will like. I don’t have the time to make anything new right now, even from the old.” “Yes Piper...are you alright Piper?” Izzy asked her with a slight frown. “I’m fine Izzy, have a headache is all.” she waved the girl away. “Close my door, I can’t stand the smell.” she stated, not wanting to smell them, or even hear the conversation that those two down there may have. And to hll with it, if that escort or the girl heard her comment about the smell. She glanced at the large wall clock and sighed, hopefully they would leave soon. She had to go and get Brandon from the bus stop in a little while. Did not want that man around her son, period. Not that he would connect any dots, she did not smell to that wolf downstairs, and any likeness to Bradley would simply be shrugged off. There was a knock on her door a few minutes later, and she was about to raise her voice to Izzy, for disturbing her yet again, because she’d been given instructions already. When the door opened without her stating to come in, she looked at it with a deep frown on her face. Her jaw tightened as she watched Cooper opening the door to her office without permission. Cooper, the Beta to the Black Haven Pack, stood there in her office doorway, smiled right at her, all charmingly, thinking he was going to be able to use his good looks and charm, to be able to sway her into whatever he wanted. Most human females would be drooling already, at his black hair and deeply dark charcoal grey eyes, his chiseled jaw and well-built physique. Little did this wolf know, she wasn’t some gullible human out for the charming. She was not going to fall at his feet and stare up at him all dreamy-eyed, and become so smitten that she’d do whatever he wanted her too. It was likely how he’d gotten past Izzy though. Had used those stormy grey eyes of his and, by the look of it, had run his hand through his hair, which would have showed off the muscles in his arm. He was only wearing a short-sleeved, very well-fitted tee-shirt, and those sickeningly perfectly pearly white teeth of his; that he had turned on her now. He was a picture of charm and sx appeal; he was definitely trying to play on his good looks to get what he wanted. She was not attracted to him in the slightest. “Hello, I’m Cooper.” Piper cut him right off there. “I don’t care. Get out.” she snapped at him. She did not want this wolf anywhere near her at all. Watched his smile actually falter, and he frowned at her. “That’s not a very nice way to treat a potential customer, I have a friend here who would...” “I don’t care.” she cut him off once again. “I already told my store manager, Izzy, I don’t have time to make a dress from an old, obsolete line.” she turned her eyes away from him, back to her desk and the design pad in front of her, effectively dismissing him, he would understand that; likely seen his Alpha do it many times, he’d probably done it himself a heap. “Please,” she heard him actually step inside of her office “We’ll pay whatever you want.” Piper turned her eyes back to him, more than annoyed now, trying to use money to get what he wanted. Now he understood his looks wouldn’t do it; typical. “I don’t need your money. Now I am very busy Carter...was it. Have your friend choose something in the store downstairs.” “It was Cooper,” he grated out, sounding like he didn’t like her tone. Well, she didn’t like him in her office, any more than he looked like, he wanted to be there right now. She was ticking the man off, it seemed. Good. Maybe he’d take that woman and leave altogether. “My friend wants a custom Piper Harper gown.” She rolled her eyes right at him, whose store did he think he was in? “Everything downstairs is a Piper Harper gown.” she dripped sarcasm at his stupidly spoken request. “You are very rude.” he glared right at her. Oh, this was not rude, this was just annoyed, he didn’t want to see her fully pissed off. And she was doing everything to get him out of her store, with the attitude of him not coming back at all. She saw him actually take a breath and try to calm his anger. His wolf must be cranky at the lack of respect she was showing. She heard Harper snort amused inside her mind; they’d not even really gotten started. “Please, at least look at the picture of the dress she wants.” he turned slightly “Hadley come in here and show the lady the dress you want.” he called out to her. Piper's jaw tightened all the way, so much so she could hear her own teeth grinding against each other. He looked right at her, had picked up on it too. They did not want to know the woman’s name, and certainly did not want to have to look right at her, for that matter. That was why she had come upstairs and asked Izzy to deal with them. On any other given day in her store, Piper would have been more than willing and happy to stay downstairs and assist in her store. Her customers liked to meet her. She knew this, and for the most part, didn’t actually mind interacting with them. Only the super prima donnas annoyed her. Whining spoiled little baby’s that had never heard the word ‘No’ before, irritated her and Harper for that matter. She was glaring right at him now, and actually saw him try and smell her, an interesting response to her anger. He clearly wasn’t used to humans challenging him or standing up to him. A very pretty red-headed girl walked into her office a moment later, obviously not her real hair colour. It was as red as a fire truck. The girl, not woman, was young, likely only barely 18 or 19. She smiled right at Piper, had deep dark blue eyes, and she had that trim-taught and terrific body that all wolves have, she was wearing a well-fitted dress that accentuated her hills and hips, drawing one's eyes right to how fit she actually was. Just his type, she thought bitterly, it did not escape her or Harper that she scented of Alpha blood either. She did not smile at Hadley; she’d been called. Already initiated into the pack, she had the pack's scent on her as well. The girl faltered as Piper's eyes met hers, fully annoyed and angered to have to be looking right at her. Cooper brought her further into the office. “I’m sure she won’t bite Hadley.” it was a warning; she and Harper had not missed his tone. “Show her the dress you want. I’m certain I will be able to convince her to make it.” ‘Fat chance.’ Harper snarled inside her mind. He walked Hadley across the office and sat her down opposite Piper herself. She glared right at him. He was lucky Harper was still inside her mind and not fully on the surface. And oh yes, he was very used to getting his way all the time. And of course, whatever the Luna wanted, she would get. He was here to make sure of that. Well, today he was going to find out that he couldn’t have everything he wanted. She was no push over. Yes, every other Luna out there got what they wanted. She and Harper hated Luna’s with almost a passion, almost as much as they hated their own Kind. “Piper.” she felt his aura roll at her, just a little. Likely trying to make her complaint “Please, it is Hadley’s wish.” “And I told you... I’m busy and don’t have the time.” she shot back at him, making sure he understood his aura meant nothing to her. “Look at it.” he practically demanded her. Well, they were no longer a part of his pack anymore, rogues didn’t have masters, didn’t have to answer to anyone unless they actually chose to. She raised an eyebrow at him “I don’t like your attitude.” she snapped and stood up, felt Harper bristle inside her own mind. They would be no match for him, but they were not about to let him, lord it over them, right here in their office. “Nor I yours.” he snapped right back. He plucked the photo from the girl's hand. “What harm will come from looking at it?” he held it out to her. “Nothing, I suppose.” she grated out and yanked the dаmed thing from his hand, it was actually a magazine clipping not a photo, and the moment her eyes landed on it her anger twitched up a notch. She had only made one of these, had tortured herself with it. It was the very dress she had designed for herself; the one that she had always imagined she would wear, the one she had designed long before she’d left the pack, tormented herself with dreams of Bradley scenting her and claiming her; and that dress being the one she would wear for her Luna Ceremony. Never happened, never would. There was one thing Piper was certain of; this girl before her was never going to wear that dress. She would never make it for her to wear to her ceremony to Bradley. She tore the clipping in half, and then in half again “I will not make that.” she spat as she tossed the torn pieces of paper into the bin. The girl gasped and actually sobbed, then shot up out of the chair and left the room in a rush. Cooper went after her “Go and don’t come back.” she practically snarled right at him. Saw him stop and glare right at her, stand there and stare at her, right at her, she was not intimidated by him, and it surprised him. Shocked him that he couldn’t seem to frighten her, watched him breathe in again. He was once again trying to figure out what she was. Why she’d not done what he wanted? Well, he would smell nothing, like every other time he’d walked passed her, or ran into her, and he had more than once. He would smell a human and nothing more, if he even smelled that. He stood in her office doorway staring right at her, as she stared right back at him, locked eyes right with him, her brown eyes never moved from him, a slight smirk touched his lips; she presented a challenge to him and his wolf, it seemed. His wolf's eyes appeared as it pushed forward. It was likely meant to frighten her, all he got from her was a raised eyebrow at him. “You don’t frighten me, get out of my store.” she stated, never moving her eyes from his wolf's. Shock registered on his face, at her lack of reaction to his wolf on the surface, then he just turned and left. “Yes, go away and don’t bloody come back.” she muttered to herself, knew his keen sense of hearing would pick it up, didn’t care at all. Wanted him to know that she didn’t want him to come back. She glanced at the clock and sighed, heard the bell chime; he’d left the store. She poured herself a glass of water and drank it. Today was not a good day. Today was not something she had ever seen coming or even been prepared for. Downstairs she found Izzy’s eyes on her, questioningly “I’m going to pick up Brandon.” “Yes Piper.” she just nodded. Then walked out of her store, and found Cooper across the street with the girl, and as she glanced at them, realized the packs Gamma and Delta were also both there. The Gamma looked right at her, the girl was hugged into him, taking comfort from her Gamma. 'Oh! How sweet.' She thought bitterly. Turned and walked off down the street. Three blocks to the bus stop and waited. She’d survived more than that, all that girl got was a “no”, was a spoiled bloody prima donna. Brandon got off the bus, and she smiled at him, thankfully he had her caramel-coloured hair, with a few natural blonde highlights from the sun, and his skin was fair like hers too. Though he did have his father's blue eyes with those brilliant green flecks in them. He was her one true joy in her life. She smiled right at him as he stood talking to his friends; would not interrupt the boy, he had people hanging off him, just seven years old and already popular, typical of his Alpha gene’s she supposed. Finally, he turned his smile on her. “Hey mum.” “Hey sweetie, I thought...we’d go and get waffles.” He grinned now. “Sure.” She knew it was his favorite thing, loved waffles with strawberries and doused in hot melted chocolate with a big scoop of chocolate ice cream. She took his hand and strolled along to the cafe, they ate at sometimes after school. She watched him eat happily. “I thought we could get away, go on a little holiday, the long weekend is coming.” He looked right at her. “No work?” Piper chuckled and even heard Harper chortle inside her mind “No work...why don’t we go snowboarding?” “Sweet.” he grinned, now, all excited. The boy did like to be in the outdoors, and he’d learned to snowboard at 5, bloody took to everything that he tried. His natural agility shone through, as did his track and field, he even excelled at swimming. Everything he did was a natural talent at “Mum it's fall.” he suddenly stated. “It’s snowing somewhere in the world.” she shrugged. “get your phone out and find somewhere. We’ll leave on Friday after school and come back on Monday. You pick where.”
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Daughters in the Alpha lineage are always trained to be mated to an Alpha and become their Luna. But since I’m adopted, and broken, I might be the first mateless Alpha’s daughter ever. “Your mate is here. He can smell you on Dad.” said my brother. He will reject me right? I knew he would…anyone would do that to a broken wolf. *** Molly's POV: Today, my brother Robbie will officially be named Alpha Robert of the Lunar Falls Pack. the Alphas of nearby packs are expected to attend, and some from further decided to make the trip when word spread that the Royal Wolves would be in attendance. Mom was the best of friends with Queen Audrey and my father completed his Alpha training with King Peter over 30 years ago. She was right, though. The color of the dress did make my light green eyes pop, and the cut was very flattering on my curves. I’m the oldest child- they think. See, my birthday isn’t my actual birthday but my gotcha day, as my dad likes to call it. 16 years ago, my dad found me curled in a ball, asleep under a tree right on the edge of the pack territory. There was no one around and no scent to follow. He took me back to the pack house, and I stayed with them while they searched for where I had come from. Days turned to weeks and weeks to months, but there were no leads- no reports of packs of a missing child. After a year, my parents decided to adopt me and with a blood adoption blessed by the King. This is my family. When we stand together, my eyes always show how much I truly don’t belong here. My brother Robbie has always treated me just like a real sister, probably even more so. He’s younger than me, but as we got older, he definitely took the typical older brother role in our relationship as he grew into his alpha powers while everyone realized I was a broken wolf. My family never treated me any differently, but I know it was probably really hard to be the family of one of the kingdom's strongest alphas with an adopted daughter who was basically a human. I AM a wolf, though. I smell like one, and no one has ever questioned that. But I never had my wolf inside communicating with me. I have advanced hearing and smell- but that’s as far as my wolf abilities go. I think my family had hoped that once I reached 16, a switch would flip inside, and my wolf would wake, and I’d be normal, but that day never came. “Molly, maybe we were wrong on your birthday. Just wait; someday you’ll shift,” my mom would say to me every full moon. But here I am, 22 years old- never shifted and barely helpful to my pack. But still, my parents love me. High School was hard once the other kids realized I wasn’t shifting. Robbie tried to protect me from them. But I decided that if I couldn’t physically protect my pack, I would make myself completely indispensable to them. My dad was pretty unhappy with my choice at first. Since now I have taken over the head cook position for the pack, though he insists the job title now be called Head Chef of the Lunar Falls Pack. I’m a broken wolf, and I don’t think I even have a mate, but my mom is convinced that I do. Or she could just be holding out hope because the reality of being mateless is too sad. If my mom is right, though, and I do have a mate out there, you can be sure that they will reject me as soon as they realize how useless of a wolf I am, which is why I tend to stay in the kitchen and avoid any outsiders when they visit. There is a knock on my door, and I immediately smell my dad. He always smells of cedar and tobacco—the most comforting smell. “Molly, Love, you look absolutely beautiful,” he tells me, looking at me in the mirror from my doorway. “Thanks, Dad. I’m almost ready, I promise. I just need to put on my shoes and run down to the kitchen to make sure everything is ready to go for dinner,” I reply with a smile. “You have staff and have been down there all morning, Kiddo. What else could you possibly need to check on?” “I know, Dad. They’re great. But it’s Robbie's big day- and it’s YOUR retirement, too. Don’t you want your meal to be perfect?” “I know it’s a big day for your brother, but who knows, maybe you’ll meet someone special, and it’ll be a big day for you, too.” “It won’t be. But I’ll be there in just a few minutes”, I tell him as I slip on my nude pumps. Little did I know, it actually will BE the day that changes my whole life. Chapter 2 My mother is the Luna to end all Lunas. There is absolutely no comparison to how she handles her duties. The pack house is immaculately decorated at all times, but for my brother today it is perfection. Our pack's deep emerald green and gold colors adorn the walls, and as I step outside on the stone stairs, I see that the decorations extend over the outside of the house as well. A banner hangs above the door with the current pack crest- gold embroidery on the green, of the falls we’re so famous for with four stars next to a silver crescent moon. Robbie will update this when he’s ready to fit his family, as it hasn’t been updated since my adoption, and my dad (probably mom) had a star added to represent me. “Oh, Molly. That dress was the perfect choice!” My mother exclaims and pulls me out of my thoughts. She looks perfect, as always. She’s tall and thin, with her straight brown hair in an elegant twist. She never looks bad, but she looks absolutely stunning today. She’ll never admit it, but I know she’s nervous to have the King and Queen here in such a formal setting. She’s been friends with Queen Audrey since they were kids, but they’re rarely seen together in such a public setting. “Thank you, Mom,” I return to her in earnest. Her opinion means so much to me. My brother lucked out and doesn’t have to greet people even though it’s his own Alpha ceremony. “How’s Robbie doing today?” I ask. “Alpha Robert,” she says, emphasizing his full first name, “Is doing wonderfully today. He’s prepared for this role his entire life and is ready. I wish he had found his Luna before assuming the role, but he will be fine. You and I will have to help him out with the Luna duties until he finds her.” she tells me, and while I’d rather do anything than decorate, there’s nothing I wouldn’t do for my brother. I hear my dad sigh as he hears with his Alpha hearing what I assume are cars coming. “It’s show time, ladies.” A short moment later, I see a car approach, and before they even get to us, a second and third car are seen just behind. The first car stops in front of the pack house, and a gentleman with salt and pepper hair and a woman with dulling blonde hair step out, followed by a large, dark-haired man with olive skin. “Ahh, Blake! It is so good to have you at the Falls! Thank you for joining us,” my dad exclaims, seeing his old friend. “Celeste, Molly, this is Alpha Blake and his lovely Luna, Amanda. I’m sorry, Blake. I'm not sure I’ve met this young man before,” he says before extending his hand to the younger, very handsome man with them. “It’s nice to meet you, Alpha Randall,” he says to my dad while accepting his hand to shake. “I’m the future Alpha Chris. Thank you for inviting us to the ceremony. Luna Celeste, Molly, the pack house looks lovely,” he says to my mother and me. She looks at me, and I know that look. She’s asking if he’s maybe my mate, to which I barely shake my head. “It’s lovely to meet you all,” my mother expertly says to them with a smile. There’s no social situation my mother can’t handle with grace, and while I’m in awe of her skills, I realize I probably should have said something- anything. But I didn’t. They all stand looking at me, waiting for me to pull it together, but alas, I do not. High-pressure social situations aren’t my forte. Everyone continues to look at me when my dad finally steps in to save me from myself. “We can’t express how much we appreciate you all making the trip here for our son,” he says to them, and they, thankfully, all turn their attention to him. Perhaps I shouldn’t have spent quite so much time hiding in the kitchens because that was the first car and I’ve already messed up. A whole line of cars is now waiting for us to greet them. Alpha Blake walks off with his family, and as I’m about to apologize to my father, his eyes go slightly out of focus, a sign that someone has mind-linked him. He gathers his focus back, and with a sigh, he turns to me. “Molly, there’s a situation in the kitchen that they need you for. If you could please hurry back after, that would be most appreciated.” Thank the Goddess! I quickly hug my dad, and he whispers in my ear, “You had better be in there for the ceremony.” I turn around, going to the kitchen in a near run. I’m not sure if I’m moving so quickly because I don’t know the situation in the kitchen or because I’m excited not to greet any more guests, but either way, I head to the kitchen and get there in record time. When I walk into the kitchen, nothing seems amiss. Everything smells fine, and everyone looks pretty calm. I’m confused. “What happened?”. “What do you mean?” Katie Mae asks me. “Someone linked my dad and said there was a situation in the kitchen,” I tell her. “Oh, I don’t know,” Katie replies, “But Oliver is in your office. Go check with him.” Confused, I head to my office to check in with my sous chef, who is running things for dinner tonight. I find him sitting back with his feet propped up on my desk, smirking at me. “Just how badly did you do, Molly?” he asks me. “What do you mean? What’s the emergency?” I ask in a confused panic. “I do believe YOU are the emergency. Alpha Randall linked me and told me he was sending you back to the kitchen. Apparently, you just needed to be let out of your greeting duties. I was told never to speak of this to the Luna.” he says while trying to stifle a laugh. I smile and link my dad. “Thanks, old man.” I can feel his slight chuckle in return. He’s always looking out for me—and probably the whole pack if I was supposed to continue attempting to greet people. “So, what did you do?” Oliver asks me. “I didn’t DO anything, which is the problem. I just forgot to talk.” “Oh, Molls. You’ve got to be the worst-mannered Alpha’s daughter there ever was.” I laugh, but honestly, he’s right. Daughters in the Alpha lineage are always trained to be mated to an Alpha and become their Luna. But since I’m adopted and broken, I’ve never taken the training seriously. I could throw together a dinner party if I had to, but I’d much prefer to be in the kitchen cooking for it instead. “See any hot guys up there?” Oliver asks, breaking me out of my thoughts of my failure. “Oli, I met one family before Dad sent me down. But, of course, I found an attractive guy. He’s the future Alpha of some pack. I don’t think they ever said where. My dad knew his dad well, though.” “I’ll have to sneak up and check out the options during the ceremony, not that I’ll be finding my mate in a room full of Alphas. It doesn’t hurt to enjoy looking,” he tells me as his face falls. My heart stings for my best friend. Oliver is an omega. He probably would have been named head chef if it hadn’t been for me. We’re the same age and became friends while in school. Most Alphas don’t send their kids to the pack schools so that they won’t fraternize with the Omegas, but my dad felt it was important for pack unity if Robbie and I attended the school. He was right, too. Robbie and I made friends with kids from all class structures, and it helped us to understand how privileged we are to be the Alpha’s kids and to have everything we do. Oliver and I met in elementary school and became the best of friends. His dad had passed away when he was small, but his mom was amazing. She used to let me come over after school to play, and sometimes, I’d get to stay for dinner. She taught me how to cook, even though she didn’t work in the pack kitchens. She loved food and taught us everything she could in those years after school and during summer break when we’d go play in the falls and come back completely filthy and starving. When we were in middle school, Oliver came out to me. I’d never met a gay wolf, but it didn’t bother me. Unfortunately, as Oli got older and confided in more people, word spread, and he was treated very poorly by other kids who didn’t understand him. Robbie tried to step in and would hang out with us, but it didn’t matter to the other kids as much as he’d hoped. Oliver's mom died in a rogue attack just before he turned 18, so as soon as he finished school, he started working in the pack kitchen. What happened was terrible, but I’m glad we landed in the kitchen together. Oliver has always been the person who encourages me the most, and it’s helped me be brave. Brave enough to tell my dad I wanted to work in the kitchen. Brave enough to accept that I’m just a broken wolf. Brave enough to try all the new things we wanted in the kitchen and beyond. A few years ago, we cut back the overgrown area behind the pack house and planted a huge edible garden. The first two years weren’t amazing, but we did more research, and with our hard work this year, it has been successful. The packhouse grocery bill was cut almost in half for the summer from everything we’ve been able to harvest, though we didn’t have the abundance we’d hoped for to store for the winter months. I know I’ll find Oliver peeking in during the Alpha ceremony to check out all the guys there. I truly hope that he finds a mate one day. One of us should be happy, and I’m OK that it’s him. “Oli, you better not burn my brother’s dinner because you’re sneaking off to check out the Alphas,” I tell him, mostly joking but completely serious at the same time. “I’d never dream of burning Alpha Robert’s celebration dinner, my dear,” he tells me while grabbing my hand. Suddenly, I’m met with the smell of pine and tobacco and instantly know my brother is walking in. He smells so much like my dad, but still his own. I turn to make a joke about him becoming Alpha today, but when I see his face, I know it’s not the time. He’s so serious, too serious. He’s never like this around me. “Molly, I, uh, I need you to come up to Dad’s office… my office, with me,” he says. He’s so uncomfortable, and he’s rarely ever like this around me- serious and unsure. “What’s wrong? Is everyone OK?” I ask, knowing deep inside that something is wrong. “Everyone is fine, Molly. Dad needs to speak with you,” he tells me, looking anywhere but my eyes. “Dad? Why isn’t he greeting the guests? Why didn’t he mindlink me? Robert,” I say to him, almost in a panic. “What’s going on?!” “Molly,” he says. Finally, he looks me in the eyes. There’s so much emotion and sympathy in his hazel eyes, and I know whatever it is has to be bad. It’s very bad. “Your mate is here.” Chapter 3 My brother’s voice rings through my head as my heart falls to the pit of my stomach. My mate? “How… how does he know he’s my mate?” I ask meekly. “I haven’t met anyone but Alpha Blake and Future Alpha Chris. One of them is mated, and the other, well, he didn’t say anything when we met.” “It’s not either of them, it’s Seth. He could smell you on Dad. He said you hugged him just before you came here, and I guess your scent lingered.” “It could be anyone that Dad was near. It’s not me. It CAN’T be me.” “Molly. It’s you. Come on, they’re all waiting.” “All? How many mates do I have?” “It’s just one, kiddo. We’ve got to get up there. You can’t keep them waiting.” “No, Robbie. No. I’m not going up there just to be rejected and hurt,” I tell him. This isn’t happening. It has to be a mistake. I can’t have a mate. “Molly, it’s ok,” Oliver tells me as he sees my panic and recognizes that my brother does not have control of this situation. “You’ve always assumed you have no mate or that they’ll reject you if you do. Maybe he won’t. Maybe he’ll see you for the amazing wolf you are.” He’s trying. They both are. Trying to convince me that it’s going to be ok, but you can see in their eyes they both know it won’t be—especially my brother. I don’t think I’ve ever seen a look like this on his face before. He’s so worried about me. My mate must be terrible for him to be so concerned. I can barely breathe. It feels like the walls are closing in on me, and my chest hurts with each breath. My fears bubble to the surface, and I can’t contain them. I slowly slip out of my shoes without either of them noticing. There’s a back door out of here right behind them. They’re both faster than me- my brother has the Alpha gene, making him far superior physically to me. There’s only one way I’ll make it past them, so I do what I have to, and I cry. My brother’s face softens, and he walks across the room, enveloping me in a huge hug. It’s a move I wasn’t expecting, making it even harder to remove myself from the kitchen. In all honesty, his hug feels good. I feel so safe when I’m with Robbie. Still, I remember he’s trying to take me to meet my dad, mate, and whoever else is there. I don’t want to be rejected and feel that pain. These thoughts make me cry even harder. Oliver moves closer, so I decide to make my final move to get out of here. “Robbie, I need to sit down,” I tell him, and my ever-doting brother does just what I expected this time and immediately releases me and turns to grab the chair that Oliver had just vacated. I make my move and run to the door. My hand reaches the knob, and the goddess must be with me because it’s unlocked. I take off running to the garden. To my surprise, the smell of my brother gets fainter with each step. I decide to chance a look over my shoulder to see both men standing outside the back kitchen door. Oliver’s arm is across my brother’s chest. “Just let her go, Robert. Give her a few minutes,” Oliver tells him. I run a bit further, but since I know they’re not following me, I finally stop and walk. I’m sure I’ve destroyed all the work I did to look presentable just a few hours ago as I walk barefoot through my favorite place. I can’t be bothered to care right now, though. This was not the plan. This is not the life that I’m supposed to have. I know my family loves me, but it’s obvious at every turn I’m not really theirs. My family always said they loved me so much they couldn’t stand the thought of me leaving when I was small, but who would kick a homeless six-year-old out? I was found under a tree, alone- tiny, with no memory of who I was or where I came from. Was I lost? Or abandoned? Did I have a family that loved and missed me? Or did they leave me in the woods, hoping they’d never have to see me again? I’d accepted all these possibilities before, but as I got older, it became obvious I wasn’t like all the other pups. It became harder and harder to feel like I belonged. I couldn’t play with the kids as I got older because I couldn’t physically keep up with them. That’s what made me love Oliver so much. When the other kids wanted to play tag and throw balls, he’d be there to go on an adventure with me. The first time we made it back to the falls alone was amazing! My dad had taken me once shortly after he found me, but they looked much more amazing when we found them on our own. We got into so much trouble when we got back. I remember Oliver’s mom apologizing repeatedly to my dad. He was angry we’d gone so far without her knowledge. The entire time my dad explained my punishment, my mom smirked and kept telling him we were fine and to calm down. As I got older, I realized that my dad was always worried about me more than anyone else because of my broken wolf. Eventually, he forbade me to go into the woods without a pack warrior nearby- even if I was with Oliver. A few years ago, Robbie had too much to drink and let it slip that Dad was worried someone would kidnap me to use it against him because I wouldn’t be able to get away myself. I was so angry when he first told me, but I quickly realized he was right to be concerned. If another pack did kidnap me, I’d never be able to escape on my own. I’m basically useless and a huge liability. Useless and a liability to my own pack and now, to the mate I never thought I’d have. There’s no reason anyone would not reject me, short of needing a chef, but I don’t think that’s enough to keep around a broken wolf. I don’t know how I'd ever be able to help a mate. And if my mate is in Lunar Falls now for the Alpha ceremony, he’s likely an Alpha himself. While most she-wolves would be thrilled, this is the worst possible scenario for me. I stop walking as I reach the back of my garden. This truly is my absolute favorite place in the pack territory. It’s so peaceful here, and few people ever bother to come this far back. It’s where I spend so much time doing what I can to help take care of my pack in my own way. I know it’s not much, but it’s at least something. The sun is shining brightly now and making it hot, so I climb under the leaning trellis where the squash grow and hide in the shade. I know that eventually someone will be out here to drag me inside, but I decide to stay put until that happens. I hide in the garden for what seems like hours, though I don’t think it’s been that long. I am surprised I’ve been able to stay here alone for so long, but I’m not upset about it either. I peek out from my hiding spot like a small child and see the window to my Father’s study. A man I don’t recognize is staring outside. For just a moment, I wonder if that’s my mate. He’s attractive, from what I can tell. He has longer dark hair above his shoulders and looks pretty muscular. He’s holding a glass with something brown in it- probably some expensive bourbon that my dad hopes will help him overlook my behavior. Maybe he has enough bourbon to have him overlook my brokenness. Doubtful, as I’m not just a broken wolf, but I’m now a filthy wolf wearing no shoes and hiding in actual plants. I smell the familiar scent of my best friend as he approaches and climbs under the trellis with me. The look he’s giving me tells me he knows the situation isn’t great. Oliver knows me so well. He knows that I’m not able to articulate my feelings at the moment, so he doesn’t say a word. He just puts his arms around me and holds me, and I let go of tears I didn’t even realize I’d been holding. I cry for the little girl who didn’t get a wolf, and for all the times another kid made me feel less than. I cry for all the nights I spent wondering why I was left by a tree, and I cry for all the memories that I don’t have from before then. I cry for the kid who grew up not meeting anyone's expectations, and for all the times I know I disappointed my parents. They tried so hard to hide it, but I knew. But most of all, I cry for the fear of having to face a mate that I never dreamed I’d have and the pain of the rejection that I’ll have to endure. “He’s not going to reject you,” Oliver tells me. I know he truly thinks that, but there’s no chance someone would want me. “I’m going to go up there, but I need to change clothes first,” I tell him. He looks at me and nods but doesn’t say a word about how I look an absolute mess. I mind link my dad. I’m going to change and make myself presentable, and then I’ll be there. I’m sorry. I know I’ve embarrassed him. “Okay, Molly, I’ll let him know. He’s a good man. You’re going to be alright,” he tells me. I find a small amount of comfort from the man who would do anything to protect me telling me it will all be fine. Chapter 4 I’m back in my room. I showered, re-curled my hair, and did my makeup. Oliver wouldn’t leave me. I realize now that I’ve caused the Alpha ceremony to begin late, which is causing the dinner to start late, and I’ve all but ruined my brother’s day. I feel worse than I did before. Ollie comes from my closet carrying a darker green dress for me to put on. I realize my shoes I left in my kitchen office are now in my room, but I’m too emotionally exhausted to care how they got here. Ollie zips my dress and hands me the shoes. “Good as new,” he says, taking in my appearance with a critical eye. I’m nervous, but he won’t let me walk in to meet my mate looking anything less than amazing. He grabs my hand and starts to walk, but I’m hesitant to move. He turns to meet my eyes. “No running this time. You have to meet him.” I know he’s right, but I’m still absolutely terrified. We make our way across the packhouse to the Alpha office. As we get closer, I begin to smell him, and I know, without a doubt, that my mate is in there. He smells like juniper, with orange and cinnamon. It’s almost overwhelming. I feel so pulled towards him, and I’ve not even seen him. If this is how finding your mate feels with a broken wolf, then maybe it will be so strong for him that I won’t be rejected. I grasp onto that sliver of hope. I take a deep breath and turn the door knob to enter. My Dad and Robert are sitting propped on the edge of their desk. My mom is sitting elegantly in the chair across from them, and in the other chair is… Queen Audrey? With King Peter behind her? I briefly wonder why they are here for this, but thoughts are lost when my eyes go to the window and land on my mate. He IS who I saw from out in the garden, but instead of looking across the grounds, he’s staring at me intently. Our eyes lock, and I start to feel unsteady. Oliver places his hand on my back to steady me and whispers in my ear. “Go say hi.” Biting my lip, I nod and start to close the space between us. To my shock, my mate starts walking towards me as well. Once we’ve made it to each other, he places a gentle hand on my shoulder. “Are you alright?” he asks. His pale blue eyes are kind, and he seems genuinely concerned for me. I can’t bring myself to speak, so I nod in response. I see my brother out of the corner of my eye and feel such guilt about how I’ve behaved today on his day. I walk towards my brother, and I can tell he wasn’t expecting me to, but he pulls me into a giant hug. “I’m sorry I ruined your ceremony,” I tell him, and it’s the truth. I was so deeply in my feelings that I wasn’t concerned with time, and I knew it was set to begin hours ago. “You didn’t ruin anything, kiddo. You just delayed it,” he tells me, smiling down at me. Releasing me from his hug, he grabs my hand and walks back towards my mate. “Prince Seth, I’m glad to finally introduce you to my sister, Molly. Molls, this is my friend, Prince Seth.” Prince? So that explains why the king and queen are here. I swallow my nerves down. “Prince Seth and I did all our physical training together. He’s a good guy, Molls,” he tells me, squeezing my hand for comfort. “Hi,” I say, looking up at Prince Seth. He’s big, the biggest in the room. He's so tall, and his shoulders are broad and strong. As I saw from the window, his hair is dark and nearly to his shoulders, but he has his mom’s light blue eyes. I know I should say something more, but this situation feels intimidating. “Hi,” he returns with a kind smile and reaches out his hand to me. I release my brother and place my hand in his. He surprises me by bringing my hand to his lips and placing a gentle kiss on it. “It’s so nice to finally meet the famous Molly I’ve heard so much about.” Everyone is watching me, and I feel even more uncomfortable. I wish I could take their attention off of me. “Umm, maybe we should get the ceremony started soon.” “We should get ready to start the ceremony soon. Why don’t we head down and give Molly and Seth a few moments alone,” my dad suggests as he stands and walks over to kiss me on the forehead. My mom follows over just behind him and grabs my free hand while she leans in and whispers in my ear. “He’s handsome.” They head to the door with Robbie while King Peter and Queen Audrey meet them there. They all exit with my dad closing the door behind them. I thought I’d feel more comfortable without everyone looking at us, but now that we’re alone, I’m even more nervous. He seems kind. Maybe he won’t be too harsh when he rejects me. “So,” he says, breaking the silence between us, “Your mom thinks I’m handsome.” I can’t help but laugh. I don’t think she meant for him to hear her, but I’m glad he did and that he can joke about it. He leads me over to the sofa in the corner by my hand, which I note he still hasn’t let go of. I sit, and he takes the space beside me. He’s close, and he’s warm. He smells so good, but I can’t allow myself to become too attached. “I’m sorry I ran away earlier,” I tell him, trying to take responsibility for my stupidity. He doesn’t respond. He just continues to look at me. “I wasn’t trying to be rude. I know this is really disappointing for you”, I finish as my voice lowers to barely above a whisper. “Why would I ever be disappointed with you?” he says, and I can see from his face that he appears to be genuinely surprised by my words. Maybe I read this whole situation wrong. All of BOTH our families were up in my dad’s office while I sat in the garden and cried. They must have talked about me. He has to know. “I, uhh...” I don’t know the words to adequately describe what a mess I am, but I try because he deserves to know before he gets stuck with me. “I’m a broken wolf, Prince Seth.” As I pause to figure out how to explain myself, he finally lets go of my hand, but only so he can gently place his finger under my chin to pull my face to look at him. “It’s just Seth to you. You’re my mate- my equal. Never Prince to you, only ever Seth. You’ll be Princess Molly soon and eventually Queen. But you’ll always be my equal.” It’s at that moment that it hits me that Prince Seth isn’t just his name but his actual identity. Being his mate comes with much more that I’m not made for. Little girls dream of being a princess someday, but it’s an absolute nightmare for me. “I can’t be the queen. I’m not even a real wolf. I saw you in the window and thought my family would have told you. I… I’m so sorry.” My chest begins to hurt as the words come out, and I can barely breathe. “You are a real wolf. It’s in your scent. My wolf is sure of it.” “I’m not, though. I don’t have a wolf. I’ve never shifted. I’m not built as muscular. If anything happens to me, I can’t save myself. I’ll be a huge liability.” “No,” he snaps, and I see a flash of anger in his eyes. “You are NOT a liability. You’re my mate. The Goddess made you for me.” “The Goddess didn’t make me for anyone, Seth. No one wanted me,” I say as my voice begins to waiver. This isn’t going how I thought. I never dreamed I’d have to convince my mate I wasn’t good enough. This man keeps surprising me as he grabs me and pulls me onto his lap. “There are people who DO want you, Molly. I want you. Your parents adopted you- they wanted you. Robert always wanted you. He never stopped talking about you during training. You’re different, Molly, but that doesn’t mean you’re not enough and that you’re not wanted,” he tells me as he holds me on his lap. “I think maybe we should talk about this later,” I tell him as I stand up. He lets me but keeps his hands on my hips. “I’ve ruined Robbie’s day enough. We should head downstairs.” “ OK, Molly, we can talk about it later tonight,” he says as he stands. I note that he still hasn’t let go of me as he leans down and kisses my forehead. It’s sweet and makes my heart flutter. “You are wanted,” he says, taking my hand and leading me towards the door. “You’re mine.” Chapter 5 We arrive at the side yard of the house, where the ceremony is to be held in silence. Everyone is seated and ready to begin, and both our seats are in front. Seth holds my hand, leading me forward when I suddenly stop and refuse to continue walking. “What’s wrong?” he asks with concern on his face. “I can’t hold your hand. They can’t know I’m your mate,” I tell him, looking away. He won’t want me tomorrow, or maybe next week it will hit him. I don’t know when, but at some point, he’ll see past the bond and know he can find better than me. I hear him growl, and he steps towards me. He gently grabs my chin and tilts my head to look into my eyes. Seth starts to say something but then stops himself. He’s towering over me, and it’s intimidating, but I feel safe with him. It’s probably just from the bond. “OK, Molly. I won’t hold your hand, but they will eventually find out. You win for now, but we WILL talk about this later tonight,” he says firmly as his eyes flash with danger. I realize I’ve hurt him. I didn’t mean to do that. “I’m sorry. It’s not that I don’t want to be seen with you,” I begin to try to explain. “But you’re the prince. If people know you’ve found your mate, especially that it’s me, word will spread. It will hurt more when you finally reject me if everyone knows.” My voice is barely a whisper as I finish. I feel so awkward and vulnerable. His free hand lands gently on my hip while the other moves behind my head. He leans to place a soft kiss on my temple. “I will not change my mind, but I won’t hold your hand in public for now if that’s what you truly want. We will figure things out tonight.” He releases me and moves his hands to both my hips now. “It’s a full moon. You’ll be expected at the run tonight. It’s not every day a fancy-pants prince graces Lunar Falls with his presence,” I half-joke with him. “And where will you be? You can’t be alone.” “I usually lock myself in my suite. It’s by the kitchen in the basement and right across from the safe room, just in case.” “Alone?” Seth asks me, concern evident in his voice. “I’ve lived my whole life without a wolf. This isn’t my first full moon. Sometimes, I stay with the young kids who aren’t old enough to shift, but I just want to be alone tonight,” I tell him with complete honesty. “We have a few hours until we need to worry about that. Go on and take your seat. I’ll follow behind in a moment,” Seth tells me. He releases me but quickly reaches out and squeezes my hand. Honestly, he seems like a really nice man. I’ve caused him more headache today than I’m worth, so I do as he told me and head down the aisle to take my seat. My dad is sitting on his Alpha throne on the stage. Mom stands behind him, and Robbie is beside him. Since it’s the passing of the Alpha, no other family members are on stage, and I’ll be sitting alone. As I’m walking to my seat, I hear the whispers start. I’ve gotten used to it from my own pack- and they all know I got the wolf hearing. These guests, though, don’t seem to know. “That’s the wolfless one that Alpha Bardulf found and adopted.” “I heard she’s human.” “Do you think I could make her my whore? She looks too good to go to waste. Too bad she’s not a wolf.” And with that whispered comment, I feel overwhelming anger, but it’s not mine. It’s not like I haven’t heard these kinds of comments before. I realize then that I’m feeling Seth’s emotions through our bond. I know I can’t turn around and look at him. I look up and see my brother coming straight to me in a hurry and my dad with a murderous look on his face. Robbie reaches me and, to my surprise, continues past me to a younger-looking man sitting where I had just walked past. He grabs him by the collar of his shirt and lifts him. “You would do well to remember she’s the daughter of an Alpha,” Robbie tells him, releasing him unceremoniously back into his chair. By this time, my brother’s new Beta and Gama are headed to us. I can feel Seth relax some, though he is still very mad. George, Robbie's Beta, offers his arm to me and escorts me to the front row to be seated beside Queen Audrey. We both bow our heads to her and King Peter. She stands up and, to my surprise, pulls me into a hug and kisses my cheek. “You look stunning, Molly Dear,” She says loudly while she releases me but holds my hand as we sit down and squeezes it. It would seem that everyone in the room heard the comments. I smell Seth as he gets close and realize I’m in his seat beside his mother. I stand to move, but he shakes his head and motions for me to sit back down where I was. The pack elder stands and walks up to my dad and Robbie. He welcomes everyone, and as he begins, I feel Seth’s arm come up and rest behind my shoulders. He rests his hand on his mother's shoulder beside me. Queen Audrey smiles at Seth before returning to my dad and brother. The ceremony is beautiful. I know today is hard for my dad, handing over his pack to someone else, even if it is his own son. Robbie will do well. His Beta, Delta, and Gamma are all great guys and will do what’s best for the pack. The Elder instructs everyone to stand as Dad stands, and Robbie finally sits on the pack throne, officially becoming Alpha Robert of the Lunar Falls Pack. As I stand, I feel Seth bring his arm across my shoulders and back before completely releasing me, leaving me suddenly cold and alone. I’ve avoided acknowledging the bond thus far, but after feeling Seth's anger and loneliness at the lack of his touch, it’s really hard to ignore that it’s there. Everyone in the room is looking at my brother, so I take a chance and reach my left hand over just enough to find Seth’s as he wraps his around mine and gently squeezes it. He’s so comforting, and I begin to think that maybe we can make this work. My parents start to descend the stage, and I realize now that people may look our way, so I reluctantly release his hand. Robert sits on the pack throne with his men behind him and releases his first howl as Alpha, causing all but the royal family and present alphas to bow their heads and bare their necks in submission. I notice that I’m not affected, but I always respond to my dad’s Alpha commands. Seth has noticed because he leans over slightly and explains in the lowest of whispers in my ear. “You’re the mate of a royal. Alpha commands won’t work on you anymore.” It definitely wasn’t what I expected him to say, and I suddenly feel more uncomfortable about the situation. The ceremony is complete, and as we stand to leave, I realize my being between Seth and the King and Queen has complicated our exit now. Typically, the new Alpha would exit first, with everyone after in order of hierarchy, but since the Royals are here, they must exit first. As they turn to leave first, King Peter turns back to us, “Seth, why don’t you escort sweet Molly out? I’m sure our new Alpha Robert won’t mind.” He turns to Robbie, who smiles. “Of course,” he agrees easily, but not without shooting a look at the guy he mildly assaulted just 40 minutes before. Seth steps before me and offers me his arm while wiggling his eyebrows. “My lady.” I honestly can’t help but giggle at his face. I catch my mom out of the corner of my eye and she’s simply beaming at the entire interaction. I take Seth's arm with my hand, and he reaches his other hand over to place it on mine. It’s warm, and the bond sparks with excitement over our contact. We walk out behind his parents. Once we reach the end of the aisle and out of view of everyone, my brother reaches forward and grabs Seth and me. He leans forward behind us and tells Seth, “Watch your hands, bro,” with a smirk. “Oh, I will absolutely be watching where they go,” Seth returns to Robbie, and for a moment, I think my brother might actually lose control of his wolf. “I’m joking, Rob. I’ll always take care of her.” The sincerity in his voice touches me. He barely knows me, though. It’s an empty promise, but he’s trying. With the ceremony over, it’s almost time for the reception. Hopefully, my actions earlier and the delay haven’t hurt the dinner service too much. I know I’m not supposed to be in the kitchens today, but Dad has already sent me down once, and it would look terrible on the pack if things didn’t go smoothly. I make up my mind and decide to head down. “Seth, I need to go down to the kitchens and make sure things are ready. I’ll meet you in the dining room once they’re settled,” I tell him, and his brow furrows. “I’m the head chef for the pack, and while my sous chef is handling everything since this was a family gathering, I’d feel much better if I could ensure everything is ready, and they don’t need extra hands,” I continue, realizing I’m unsure if he even knows I’m a chef. “I can come with you if you really need to. I don’t want to leave you.” “I’ll be fine, honestly. It’s just my staff down there, and you met Oliver earlier. I’ll be fine and head up once they’re all ready.” “Molly, you’re the future Queen now. You don’t have to work anymore,” he tells me, and I know he’s trying to be kind, but that hurts. “I’ve never been required to work. I had to convince my dad to let me have this job. I enjoy it. It’s how I’m able to contribute to my pack,” I explain, but I realize that in my hurt, I’ve said more than I meant to. I have complicated feelings about my role in this pack, and I didn’t mean to start telling him about them. “I understand. At least let me walk you to the kitchen so I know you’re safe, please.” I know his request is genuine, and he wants me to be safe, but with more people leaving the ceremony and coming around, I don’t want anyone to see us together. I nod at him but release his arm. “It’s this way,” I tell him, and I start walking toward the service stairs. I can feel his irritation at me for releasing his arm through our bond, but I continue, and he doesn’t say anything. We reach the bottom of the stairs when he suddenly grabs my arm and sniffs the air. He sniffs again, pushes me against a door, and sniffs my neck slowly. His body is pressed against mine, and his breath is hot against my skin. He’s so close and towers over me. His scent has enveloped me, and I’m beginning to feel completely overwhelmed. “Everything down here smells like you,” he finally tells me. ”It’s so strong.” “Oh, uhh, yeah. I spend all my time down here. The kitchen is down that hall, and my office is there. The door behind me is the one to my suite.” I tell him. “Show me, please,” he says, and I consider it momentarily. He’s so close, and it’s making my heart race. He pushes himself against me the slightest bit more and kisses the spot on my neck where his mate’s mark would go. Chapter 6 I almost cave and let him in, but we’re too close to think clearly, and I need to tell him the endless list of problems we have with being together. “Later,” I whisper because it’s as much as I can squeak out with him so close. It’s intoxicating. He takes a deep breath as he pushes his weight off me, but he still stays where he is, towering over me. “Later,” he whispers back to me while we both take a moment to regain our composure. “Are you ready?” he asks after a moment, and all I can do is nod. He steps back and waves his arm, motioning for me to go in front. I walk to the kitchen door with him behind me before I turn to him. “Thank you for walking down with me.” “You’re welcome. Are you sure you’ll be up for dinner?” “Yeah, Dad will drag me up there if I try anything,” I tell him, and he smiles. “Good. I can’t wait to see you again,” he says, grabbing my right hand and bringing it to his mouth for a kiss. ---------- “I’m surprised you weren’t in here sooner,” Oliver says with a smirk as I step into the kitchen. “I can’t believe you’re making another appearance. Don’t you trust me?” he says, faking hurt. “Oh, Oliver. You know that I don’t,” I respond jokingly and stick my tongue out at him. “How was the ceremony?” He asked. “It was an Alpha Ceremony. Nothing amazing, kinda boring, there’s a new Alpha.” “Oh really? Because I heard our dear Alpha Robert punched an Alpha visiting from another pack.” “Umm, technically, that happened before, so he wasn’t Alpha Robert… yet,” I tell him with a smirk. “And it wasn’t exactly a punch.” “You want to talk about WHY Robbie punched people you walked by just before being named the Alpha?” I sigh. “You know how it is being me. Someone always says SOMETHING.” I’m exhausted from the day and don’t want to think about anything. “So, how is dinner? Can I help out?” “Molly, I’m capable of running this.” “I know, I know you are. I’m here to help if you need me. I’m not taking over for you.” “I think we’re good. Honestly, someone decided to delay the dinner a few hours while they were running away from their very attractive mate, which gave us more time to prep. I assume you’re not ready to talk about that?” he questions me. “No. Maybe. I don’t know. It’s just so much to take in. I think tonight is the first full moon I’m glad to be left out of.” “If you want me to stay with you to talk, just let me know. I don’t mind.” “I appreciate it, Oli, but I need some time alone just to think. It’s been overwhelming.” “You’re really not going to mention that your mate is the prince?” “Nope. I’m not ready to even think about that. It just complicates things even more. I don’t know why he hasn’t already rejected me,” I tell him, looking around. Everything appears to be going very well for my brother’s dinner. “Molls,” Oliver says to get my attention while I’m looking around the kitchen and sighs, not saying what I know he wants to. “Why don’t you sleep in tomorrow, and I’ll handle breakfast.” “I’d hate to do that to you. There’s a lot of people with all the visitors staying tonight.” I tell him, feeling guilty about throwing a second meal service on him. “Honestly, I’d appreciate the chance to show our new Alpha that I can fill your shoes. When you’re marked, you’ll be moving with Prince Seth, and I want to prove that I can handle this.” I hadn’t considered leaving with a mate- ever. Seth will come to his senses at some point and finally reject me, but Oliver is right. He’s not had many chances to prove himself as head chef. I know he’s capable, and he deserves the chance to show Robbie that, too. “Ok, Oliver. Breakfast service is yours. And if, by some miracle, Seth doesn’t reject me, I’ll put in a good word with the Alpha- though I don’t think you have anything to worry about,” I tell him with a small giggle. It’s weird to think my brother is the Alpha we’re talking about. I turn to leave but have an idea for tomorrow. “I’m just going to check and see if we have the stuff to make something tonight during the run, and then I’ll leave.” “Thank you,” he says. “I promise it’ll be amazing. You should change and show the prince all the reasons he shouldn’t reject you. Go put on something sexy and wow him.” I turn to the pantry to check for the ingredients I’ll need. I look around and then move to the fridge and verify that everything I need is on hand before I turn, walk out the door, and head down the hall to my suite. I’ve worn two dresses today, and neither of them was really my choice. It’s been a long day, and I decide to do as Oliver suggested. I walk in and go straight to my closet, looking around. I find a dress that I love and while it’s probably a little bit too formal, I decide to go with it anyway. I head to my bathroom and pull my hair back so it’s finally off my shoulders. I put on a little more makeup to darken my eyes just a tad more and switch from nude to a red lip. The dress is an off-the-shoulder black satin dress in a mermaid cut. It’s basic but classy and feels much more like how I would usually look. I pull out some black strappy heels and look at myself in the mirror. I realize I need to put on a necklace and select one that was handed down from my mom, that was her mom’s. It’s a white gold necklace with just a lot of diamonds, but it dresses up the dress that’s so plain. I look in the mirror, and it’s perfect. I look and feel like myself, and my parents will still be pleased. But then the thought comes that I wonder what Seth will think. With a sigh, I stop just a moment to think about everything that has happened today. I never actually thought I’d have a mate, but if I did, I was sure they would reject me on the spot. I was prepared for it. Instead, I have a mate who is a prince and has not given any indication that he plans to reject me. He hasn’t thought things through, though. He has a wolf, so what he’s feeling from our bond is probably stronger than what I can, and it’s a lot. I don’t have a wolf, and I can’t shift. The only wolf I can mind link is my dad, and it’s probably only because he’s the Alpha or was. I’m not built like a wolf. What if I can’t get pregnant with the heir to the kingdom, or worse, what if I can’t carry a wolf pregnancy? The entire wolf kingdom will surely not accept me and probably wouldn’t accept Seth as King for keeping a broken wolf as a mate. He does seem kind, though. I’m not sure what he was told about me before I made it to Dad’s office, but he’s friends with Robbie, so he has to know a lot. He’s reassured me a few times today that he won’t reject me. He called me “his” earlier, making my heart flutter with hope. And the way he was pressed against me in the hall was more than I could have hoped for. I sigh. There’s not much I can do now, and I need not worry about it. I am who I am, and while he’s given me some hope, I don’t want to have my heart crushed when he realizes I’m no good. I will have to go with it and see what happens. It’s out of my hands. And with that, I decide to head upstairs and find my family. And maybe my mate. I still don’t want the whole kingdom to know, but I enjoy being near him. As much as I try to ignore it, the bond is still tugging at me to get close to him. I reach the door to the dining room and can hear that everyone is already inside. I crack it and slowly slip in, hoping to go unnoticed, which I don’t need to worry about since everyone is walking about mingling and hasn’t been seated yet. I see my mom across the room and head towards her. I haven’t been able to spend time with her since meeting Seth. I just need her hugs. “Hi, Mom,” I say as I approach. “Oh, Molly. You changed clothes. You look lovely!” she tells me, genuine in her compliment. “You look stunning,” I hear from my side and see Queen Audrey as she approaches me. “That lip color suits you.” I can’t help but glow a little as not only the queen but also my mate’s mother complimented me so generously. I remember myself and bow. “Thank you, Your Highness. I feel more myself with the red.” I should have stopped there, but I never know when to quit talking until it’s too late. “Truthfully, I don’t wear much makeup.” “Oh, really, dear? Because you wear it so well.” “I appreciate that,” I tell her. “I don’t wear it often, but my mom taught me well.” “How are you doing, dear? I know it’s been a pretty exciting day for you,” Queen Audrey asks me. “I’m ok, Ma’am. I’m looking forward to some time alone tonight to think about everything while you all go for the run,” I tell her honestly. My mom realizes I’m not quite sure I’m ok and comes to my side to wrap me in a hug. “I’m sure it’s been a bit overwhelming, finding your mate and realizing he’s so damn attractive,” and that’s just what I needed to calm me some. I start giggling, and with the stress of today, I just can’t stop. I smell him and then feel his hand on my lower back. He comes to stand on my other side and pulls me to him. “What’s so funny?” Seth asks me. “Just some girl talk,” Queen Audrey smiles at him, probably to be sure I wouldn’t tell him my mom was drooling over him. Again. Seth releases me, and I suddenly feel sad, but he steps forward, hugs his mother, and kisses her cheek. He releases her and turns back to me, grabbing my hand. “Take a walk with me?” he asks, and I nod. He leads me outside to the balcony, which is not nearly as crowded. It’s a little chilly, but it feels like a perfect fall night. “You look absolutely stunning,” he says when we stop at the railing. “Thanks,” I respond. “It’s the first dress I got to pick for myself all day.” “It’s perfect, Molly. You're perfect,” he says as he places his arm behind me and pulls me to his chest. “The Goddess blessed me when she made you,” he murmurs into the top of my head. I let myself sigh and just be content for a moment. This feels so perfect. If he rejects me, at least I had this precious moment. “I honestly wasn’t sure you’d be back upstairs,” he tells me. “I take it everything was ok in the kitchen?” “Yeah, all was well. Dinner was going well, and Dad’s cake was still good,” I say, realizing I let the surprise slip. “Don’t you mean your brother’s cake?” he inquires, looking down at me. “I mean, I didn’t check on that one. I assumed they could handle it. But there’s a surprise for my dad, too,” I tell him, placing my finger on my lips, indicating it’s a secret, and he smiles at me. “I’m going to skip the run tonight. My parents will be there. That will be enough for the people,” he tells me, and I realize that he’s worried about me being alone. “Umm, I have plans tonight now,” I tell him nervously, and he raises an eyebrow at me. I can tell he’s not happy, so I try to explain. “Sorry, it’s nothing exciting. I’m going to lock myself into my suite and bake. It helps me relax and think clearly.” “I’m worried about you being alone.” He tells me. “I know. Being around someone with a broken wolf is new for you, but it’s been like this my whole life. Do you think my dad would leave me here alone if he didn’t think I was completely safe?” I ask him, and I can tell he’s considering it. “Please don’t miss out on something that would make you happy just for me. I’ll feel terrible if you do.” “But what if something happens to you while we’re all out?” he asks, and I realize there are things he doesn’t know about my situation. “I can mind link my dad and maybe my brother now that he’s Alpha. I promise I’ll reach out if anything happens,” I promise, and I can see him relax. “OK, but make sure your dad knows I’ll always be near him,” he says, and honestly, the thought that he cares enough to do that but still respects my decision warms my heart. “I will. And thank you,” I tell him, pulling him down towards me and kissing his cheek. He growls and rests his forehead against mine. “Aren’t you worried someone will see?” he asks me teasingly, but I can tell he’s serious with his inquiry. “A little, but I’m trying,” I tell him. We stand like that for a while- alone in the quiet. “If we stay like this much longer, everyone will be able to smell me on you,” he points out. “It’s OK,” I whisper to him as I break the contact with our foreheads, but only to lean into him. I reach into his jacket to embrace him, resting my head against his chest. He lowers his chin to the top of my head. The bond is so calm yet still strong. Somehow, though, it is tugging at me for more. We stay just like that until they announce for everyone to take their seats for dinner. “Do you want to go in before me, and I’ll follow again?” he asks me, and it’s so kind and considerate of him. “No, I don’t think I do,” I tell him as we finally separate, but I place my hand inside his. He looks down at our hands and then up at me. “Are you sure? People will definitely see.” “I know,” I tell him. “I’m trying to trust you. I’m trying to be brave.” He beams at me with the biggest smile and leans over to kiss my head before squeezing my hand and leading me into the ballroom. .... Open the app and continue reading the rest of the story . 👉(It will automatically jump to the book when you open the app)
Daughters in the Alpha lineage are always trained to be mated to an Alpha and become their Luna. But since I’m adopted, and broken, I might be the first mateless Alpha’s daughter ever. “Your mate is here. He can smell you on Dad.” said my brother. He will reject me right? I knew he would…anyone would do that to a broken wolf. *** Molly's POV: Today, my brother Robbie will officially be named Alpha Robert of the Lunar Falls Pack. the Alphas of nearby packs are expected to attend, and some from further decided to make the trip when word spread that the Royal Wolves would be in attendance. Mom was the best of friends with Queen Audrey and my father completed his Alpha training with King Peter over 30 years ago. She was right, though. The color of the dress did make my light green eyes pop, and the cut was very flattering on my curves. I’m the oldest child- they think. See, my birthday isn’t my actual birthday but my gotcha day, as my dad likes to call it. 16 years ago, my dad found me curled in a ball, asleep under a tree right on the edge of the pack territory. There was no one around and no scent to follow. He took me back to the pack house, and I stayed with them while they searched for where I had come from. Days turned to weeks and weeks to months, but there were no leads- no reports of packs of a missing child. After a year, my parents decided to adopt me and with a blood adoption blessed by the King. This is my family. When we stand together, my eyes always show how much I truly don’t belong here. My brother Robbie has always treated me just like a real sister, probably even more so. He’s younger than me, but as we got older, he definitely took the typical older brother role in our relationship as he grew into his alpha powers while everyone realized I was a broken wolf. My family never treated me any differently, but I know it was probably really hard to be the family of one of the kingdom's strongest alphas with an adopted daughter who was basically a human. I AM a wolf, though. I smell like one, and no one has ever questioned that. But I never had my wolf inside communicating with me. I have advanced hearing and smell- but that’s as far as my wolf abilities go. I think my family had hoped that once I reached 16, a switch would flip inside, and my wolf would wake, and I’d be normal, but that day never came. “Molly, maybe we were wrong on your birthday. Just wait; someday you’ll shift,” my mom would say to me every full moon. But here I am, 22 years old- never shifted and barely helpful to my pack. But still, my parents love me. High School was hard once the other kids realized I wasn’t shifting. Robbie tried to protect me from them. But I decided that if I couldn’t physically protect my pack, I would make myself completely indispensable to them. My dad was pretty unhappy with my choice at first. Since now I have taken over the head cook position for the pack, though he insists the job title now be called Head Chef of the Lunar Falls Pack. I’m a broken wolf, and I don’t think I even have a mate, but my mom is convinced that I do. Or she could just be holding out hope because the reality of being mateless is too sad. If my mom is right, though, and I do have a mate out there, you can be sure that they will reject me as soon as they realize how useless of a wolf I am, which is why I tend to stay in the kitchen and avoid any outsiders when they visit. There is a knock on my door, and I immediately smell my dad. He always smells of cedar and tobacco—the most comforting smell. “Molly, Love, you look absolutely beautiful,” he tells me, looking at me in the mirror from my doorway. “Thanks, Dad. I’m almost ready, I promise. I just need to put on my shoes and run down to the kitchen to make sure everything is ready to go for dinner,” I reply with a smile. “You have staff and have been down there all morning, Kiddo. What else could you possibly need to check on?” “I know, Dad. They’re great. But it’s Robbie's big day- and it’s YOUR retirement, too. Don’t you want your meal to be perfect?” “I know it’s a big day for your brother, but who knows, maybe you’ll meet someone special, and it’ll be a big day for you, too.” “It won’t be. But I’ll be there in just a few minutes”, I tell him as I slip on my nude pumps. Little did I know, it actually will BE the day that changes my whole life. Chapter 2 My mother is the Luna to end all Lunas. There is absolutely no comparison to how she handles her duties. The pack house is immaculately decorated at all times, but for my brother today it is perfection. Our pack's deep emerald green and gold colors adorn the walls, and as I step outside on the stone stairs, I see that the decorations extend over the outside of the house as well. A banner hangs above the door with the current pack crest- gold embroidery on the green, of the falls we’re so famous for with four stars next to a silver crescent moon. Robbie will update this when he’s ready to fit his family, as it hasn’t been updated since my adoption, and my dad (probably mom) had a star added to represent me. “Oh, Molly. That dress was the perfect choice!” My mother exclaims and pulls me out of my thoughts. She looks perfect, as always. She’s tall and thin, with her straight brown hair in an elegant twist. She never looks bad, but she looks absolutely stunning today. She’ll never admit it, but I know she’s nervous to have the King and Queen here in such a formal setting. She’s been friends with Queen Audrey since they were kids, but they’re rarely seen together in such a public setting. “Thank you, Mom,” I return to her in earnest. Her opinion means so much to me. My brother lucked out and doesn’t have to greet people even though it’s his own Alpha ceremony. “How’s Robbie doing today?” I ask. “Alpha Robert,” she says, emphasizing his full first name, “Is doing wonderfully today. He’s prepared for this role his entire life and is ready. I wish he had found his Luna before assuming the role, but he will be fine. You and I will have to help him out with the Luna duties until he finds her.” she tells me, and while I’d rather do anything than decorate, there’s nothing I wouldn’t do for my brother. I hear my dad sigh as he hears with his Alpha hearing what I assume are cars coming. “It’s show time, ladies.” A short moment later, I see a car approach, and before they even get to us, a second and third car are seen just behind. The first car stops in front of the pack house, and a gentleman with salt and pepper hair and a woman with dulling blonde hair step out, followed by a large, dark-haired man with olive skin. “Ahh, Blake! It is so good to have you at the Falls! Thank you for joining us,” my dad exclaims, seeing his old friend. “Celeste, Molly, this is Alpha Blake and his lovely Luna, Amanda. I’m sorry, Blake. I'm not sure I’ve met this young man before,” he says before extending his hand to the younger, very handsome man with them. “It’s nice to meet you, Alpha Randall,” he says to my dad while accepting his hand to shake. “I’m the future Alpha Chris. Thank you for inviting us to the ceremony. Luna Celeste, Molly, the pack house looks lovely,” he says to my mother and me. She looks at me, and I know that look. She’s asking if he’s maybe my mate, to which I barely shake my head. “It’s lovely to meet you all,” my mother expertly says to them with a smile. There’s no social situation my mother can’t handle with grace, and while I’m in awe of her skills, I realize I probably should have said something- anything. But I didn’t. They all stand looking at me, waiting for me to pull it together, but alas, I do not. High-pressure social situations aren’t my forte. Everyone continues to look at me when my dad finally steps in to save me from myself. “We can’t express how much we appreciate you all making the trip here for our son,” he says to them, and they, thankfully, all turn their attention to him. Perhaps I shouldn’t have spent quite so much time hiding in the kitchens because that was the first car and I’ve already messed up. A whole line of cars is now waiting for us to greet them. Alpha Blake walks off with his family, and as I’m about to apologize to my father, his eyes go slightly out of focus, a sign that someone has mind-linked him. He gathers his focus back, and with a sigh, he turns to me. “Molly, there’s a situation in the kitchen that they need you for. If you could please hurry back after, that would be most appreciated.” Thank the Goddess! I quickly hug my dad, and he whispers in my ear, “You had better be in there for the ceremony.” I turn around, going to the kitchen in a near run. I’m not sure if I’m moving so quickly because I don’t know the situation in the kitchen or because I’m excited not to greet any more guests, but either way, I head to the kitchen and get there in record time. When I walk into the kitchen, nothing seems amiss. Everything smells fine, and everyone looks pretty calm. I’m confused. “What happened?”. “What do you mean?” Katie Mae asks me. “Someone linked my dad and said there was a situation in the kitchen,” I tell her. “Oh, I don’t know,” Katie replies, “But Oliver is in your office. Go check with him.” Confused, I head to my office to check in with my sous chef, who is running things for dinner tonight. I find him sitting back with his feet propped up on my desk, smirking at me. “Just how badly did you do, Molly?” he asks me. “What do you mean? What’s the emergency?” I ask in a confused panic. “I do believe YOU are the emergency. Alpha Randall linked me and told me he was sending you back to the kitchen. Apparently, you just needed to be let out of your greeting duties. I was told never to speak of this to the Luna.” he says while trying to stifle a laugh. I smile and link my dad. “Thanks, old man.” I can feel his slight chuckle in return. He’s always looking out for me—and probably the whole pack if I was supposed to continue attempting to greet people. “So, what did you do?” Oliver asks me. “I didn’t DO anything, which is the problem. I just forgot to talk.” “Oh, Molls. You’ve got to be the worst-mannered Alpha’s daughter there ever was.” I laugh, but honestly, he’s right. Daughters in the Alpha lineage are always trained to be mated to an Alpha and become their Luna. But since I’m adopted and broken, I’ve never taken the training seriously. I could throw together a dinner party if I had to, but I’d much prefer to be in the kitchen cooking for it instead. “See any hot guys up there?” Oliver asks, breaking me out of my thoughts of my failure. “Oli, I met one family before Dad sent me down. But, of course, I found an attractive guy. He’s the future Alpha of some pack. I don’t think they ever said where. My dad knew his dad well, though.” “I’ll have to sneak up and check out the options during the ceremony, not that I’ll be finding my mate in a room full of Alphas. It doesn’t hurt to enjoy looking,” he tells me as his face falls. My heart stings for my best friend. Oliver is an omega. He probably would have been named head chef if it hadn’t been for me. We’re the same age and became friends while in school. Most Alphas don’t send their kids to the pack schools so that they won’t fraternize with the Omegas, but my dad felt it was important for pack unity if Robbie and I attended the school. He was right, too. Robbie and I made friends with kids from all class structures, and it helped us to understand how privileged we are to be the Alpha’s kids and to have everything we do. Oliver and I met in elementary school and became the best of friends. His dad had passed away when he was small, but his mom was amazing. She used to let me come over after school to play, and sometimes, I’d get to stay for dinner. She taught me how to cook, even though she didn’t work in the pack kitchens. She loved food and taught us everything she could in those years after school and during summer break when we’d go play in the falls and come back completely filthy and starving. When we were in middle school, Oliver came out to me. I’d never met a gay wolf, but it didn’t bother me. Unfortunately, as Oli got older and confided in more people, word spread, and he was treated very poorly by other kids who didn’t understand him. Robbie tried to step in and would hang out with us, but it didn’t matter to the other kids as much as he’d hoped. Oliver's mom died in a rogue attack just before he turned 18, so as soon as he finished school, he started working in the pack kitchen. What happened was terrible, but I’m glad we landed in the kitchen together. Oliver has always been the person who encourages me the most, and it’s helped me be brave. Brave enough to tell my dad I wanted to work in the kitchen. Brave enough to accept that I’m just a broken wolf. Brave enough to try all the new things we wanted in the kitchen and beyond. A few years ago, we cut back the overgrown area behind the pack house and planted a huge edible garden. The first two years weren’t amazing, but we did more research, and with our hard work this year, it has been successful. The packhouse grocery bill was cut almost in half for the summer from everything we’ve been able to harvest, though we didn’t have the abundance we’d hoped for to store for the winter months. I know I’ll find Oliver peeking in during the Alpha ceremony to check out all the guys there. I truly hope that he finds a mate one day. One of us should be happy, and I’m OK that it’s him. “Oli, you better not burn my brother’s dinner because you’re sneaking off to check out the Alphas,” I tell him, mostly joking but completely serious at the same time. “I’d never dream of burning Alpha Robert’s celebration dinner, my dear,” he tells me while grabbing my hand. Suddenly, I’m met with the smell of pine and tobacco and instantly know my brother is walking in. He smells so much like my dad, but still his own. I turn to make a joke about him becoming Alpha today, but when I see his face, I know it’s not the time. He’s so serious, too serious. He’s never like this around me. “Molly, I, uh, I need you to come up to Dad’s office… my office, with me,” he says. He’s so uncomfortable, and he’s rarely ever like this around me- serious and unsure. “What’s wrong? Is everyone OK?” I ask, knowing deep inside that something is wrong. “Everyone is fine, Molly. Dad needs to speak with you,” he tells me, looking anywhere but my eyes. “Dad? Why isn’t he greeting the guests? Why didn’t he mindlink me? Robert,” I say to him, almost in a panic. “What’s going on?!” “Molly,” he says. Finally, he looks me in the eyes. There’s so much emotion and sympathy in his hazel eyes, and I know whatever it is has to be bad. It’s very bad. “Your mate is here.” Chapter 3 My brother’s voice rings through my head as my heart falls to the pit of my stomach. My mate? “How… how does he know he’s my mate?” I ask meekly. “I haven’t met anyone but Alpha Blake and Future Alpha Chris. One of them is mated, and the other, well, he didn’t say anything when we met.” “It’s not either of them, it’s Seth. He could smell you on Dad. He said you hugged him just before you came here, and I guess your scent lingered.” “It could be anyone that Dad was near. It’s not me. It CAN’T be me.” “Molly. It’s you. Come on, they’re all waiting.” “All? How many mates do I have?” “It’s just one, kiddo. We’ve got to get up there. You can’t keep them waiting.” “No, Robbie. No. I’m not going up there just to be rejected and hurt,” I tell him. This isn’t happening. It has to be a mistake. I can’t have a mate. “Molly, it’s ok,” Oliver tells me as he sees my panic and recognizes that my brother does not have control of this situation. “You’ve always assumed you have no mate or that they’ll reject you if you do. Maybe he won’t. Maybe he’ll see you for the amazing wolf you are.” He’s trying. They both are. Trying to convince me that it’s going to be ok, but you can see in their eyes they both know it won’t be—especially my brother. I don’t think I’ve ever seen a look like this on his face before. He’s so worried about me. My mate must be terrible for him to be so concerned. I can barely breathe. It feels like the walls are closing in on me, and my chest hurts with each breath. My fears bubble to the surface, and I can’t contain them. I slowly slip out of my shoes without either of them noticing. There’s a back door out of here right behind them. They’re both faster than me- my brother has the Alpha gene, making him far superior physically to me. There’s only one way I’ll make it past them, so I do what I have to, and I cry. My brother’s face softens, and he walks across the room, enveloping me in a huge hug. It’s a move I wasn’t expecting, making it even harder to remove myself from the kitchen. In all honesty, his hug feels good. I feel so safe when I’m with Robbie. Still, I remember he’s trying to take me to meet my dad, mate, and whoever else is there. I don’t want to be rejected and feel that pain. These thoughts make me cry even harder. Oliver moves closer, so I decide to make my final move to get out of here. “Robbie, I need to sit down,” I tell him, and my ever-doting brother does just what I expected this time and immediately releases me and turns to grab the chair that Oliver had just vacated. I make my move and run to the door. My hand reaches the knob, and the goddess must be with me because it’s unlocked. I take off running to the garden. To my surprise, the smell of my brother gets fainter with each step. I decide to chance a look over my shoulder to see both men standing outside the back kitchen door. Oliver’s arm is across my brother’s chest. “Just let her go, Robert. Give her a few minutes,” Oliver tells him. I run a bit further, but since I know they’re not following me, I finally stop and walk. I’m sure I’ve destroyed all the work I did to look presentable just a few hours ago as I walk barefoot through my favorite place. I can’t be bothered to care right now, though. This was not the plan. This is not the life that I’m supposed to have. I know my family loves me, but it’s obvious at every turn I’m not really theirs. My family always said they loved me so much they couldn’t stand the thought of me leaving when I was small, but who would kick a homeless six-year-old out? I was found under a tree, alone- tiny, with no memory of who I was or where I came from. Was I lost? Or abandoned? Did I have a family that loved and missed me? Or did they leave me in the woods, hoping they’d never have to see me again? I’d accepted all these possibilities before, but as I got older, it became obvious I wasn’t like all the other pups. It became harder and harder to feel like I belonged. I couldn’t play with the kids as I got older because I couldn’t physically keep up with them. That’s what made me love Oliver so much. When the other kids wanted to play tag and throw balls, he’d be there to go on an adventure with me. The first time we made it back to the falls alone was amazing! My dad had taken me once shortly after he found me, but they looked much more amazing when we found them on our own. We got into so much trouble when we got back. I remember Oliver’s mom apologizing repeatedly to my dad. He was angry we’d gone so far without her knowledge. The entire time my dad explained my punishment, my mom smirked and kept telling him we were fine and to calm down. As I got older, I realized that my dad was always worried about me more than anyone else because of my broken wolf. Eventually, he forbade me to go into the woods without a pack warrior nearby- even if I was with Oliver. A few years ago, Robbie had too much to drink and let it slip that Dad was worried someone would kidnap me to use it against him because I wouldn’t be able to get away myself. I was so angry when he first told me, but I quickly realized he was right to be concerned. If another pack did kidnap me, I’d never be able to escape on my own. I’m basically useless and a huge liability. Useless and a liability to my own pack and now, to the mate I never thought I’d have. There’s no reason anyone would not reject me, short of needing a chef, but I don’t think that’s enough to keep around a broken wolf. I don’t know how I'd ever be able to help a mate. And if my mate is in Lunar Falls now for the Alpha ceremony, he’s likely an Alpha himself. While most she-wolves would be thrilled, this is the worst possible scenario for me. I stop walking as I reach the back of my garden. This truly is my absolute favorite place in the pack territory. It’s so peaceful here, and few people ever bother to come this far back. It’s where I spend so much time doing what I can to help take care of my pack in my own way. I know it’s not much, but it’s at least something. The sun is shining brightly now and making it hot, so I climb under the leaning trellis where the squash grow and hide in the shade. I know that eventually someone will be out here to drag me inside, but I decide to stay put until that happens. I hide in the garden for what seems like hours, though I don’t think it’s been that long. I am surprised I’ve been able to stay here alone for so long, but I’m not upset about it either. I peek out from my hiding spot like a small child and see the window to my Father’s study. A man I don’t recognize is staring outside. For just a moment, I wonder if that’s my mate. He’s attractive, from what I can tell. He has longer dark hair above his shoulders and looks pretty muscular. He’s holding a glass with something brown in it- probably some expensive bourbon that my dad hopes will help him overlook my behavior. Maybe he has enough bourbon to have him overlook my brokenness. Doubtful, as I’m not just a broken wolf, but I’m now a filthy wolf wearing no shoes and hiding in actual plants. I smell the familiar scent of my best friend as he approaches and climbs under the trellis with me. The look he’s giving me tells me he knows the situation isn’t great. Oliver knows me so well. He knows that I’m not able to articulate my feelings at the moment, so he doesn’t say a word. He just puts his arms around me and holds me, and I let go of tears I didn’t even realize I’d been holding. I cry for the little girl who didn’t get a wolf, and for all the times another kid made me feel less than. I cry for all the nights I spent wondering why I was left by a tree, and I cry for all the memories that I don’t have from before then. I cry for the kid who grew up not meeting anyone's expectations, and for all the times I know I disappointed my parents. They tried so hard to hide it, but I knew. But most of all, I cry for the fear of having to face a mate that I never dreamed I’d have and the pain of the rejection that I’ll have to endure. “He’s not going to reject you,” Oliver tells me. I know he truly thinks that, but there’s no chance someone would want me. “I’m going to go up there, but I need to change clothes first,” I tell him. He looks at me and nods but doesn’t say a word about how I look an absolute mess. I mind link my dad. I’m going to change and make myself presentable, and then I’ll be there. I’m sorry. I know I’ve embarrassed him. “Okay, Molly, I’ll let him know. He’s a good man. You’re going to be alright,” he tells me. I find a small amount of comfort from the man who would do anything to protect me telling me it will all be fine. Chapter 4 I’m back in my room. I showered, re-curled my hair, and did my makeup. Oliver wouldn’t leave me. I realize now that I’ve caused the Alpha ceremony to begin late, which is causing the dinner to start late, and I’ve all but ruined my brother’s day. I feel worse than I did before. Ollie comes from my closet carrying a darker green dress for me to put on. I realize my shoes I left in my kitchen office are now in my room, but I’m too emotionally exhausted to care how they got here. Ollie zips my dress and hands me the shoes. “Good as new,” he says, taking in my appearance with a critical eye. I’m nervous, but he won’t let me walk in to meet my mate looking anything less than amazing. He grabs my hand and starts to walk, but I’m hesitant to move. He turns to meet my eyes. “No running this time. You have to meet him.” I know he’s right, but I’m still absolutely terrified. We make our way across the packhouse to the Alpha office. As we get closer, I begin to smell him, and I know, without a doubt, that my mate is in there. He smells like juniper, with orange and cinnamon. It’s almost overwhelming. I feel so pulled towards him, and I’ve not even seen him. If this is how finding your mate feels with a broken wolf, then maybe it will be so strong for him that I won’t be rejected. I grasp onto that sliver of hope. I take a deep breath and turn the door knob to enter. My Dad and Robert are sitting propped on the edge of their desk. My mom is sitting elegantly in the chair across from them, and in the other chair is… Queen Audrey? With King Peter behind her? I briefly wonder why they are here for this, but thoughts are lost when my eyes go to the window and land on my mate. He IS who I saw from out in the garden, but instead of looking across the grounds, he’s staring at me intently. Our eyes lock, and I start to feel unsteady. Oliver places his hand on my back to steady me and whispers in my ear. “Go say hi.” Biting my lip, I nod and start to close the space between us. To my shock, my mate starts walking towards me as well. Once we’ve made it to each other, he places a gentle hand on my shoulder. “Are you alright?” he asks. His pale blue eyes are kind, and he seems genuinely concerned for me. I can’t bring myself to speak, so I nod in response. I see my brother out of the corner of my eye and feel such guilt about how I’ve behaved today on his day. I walk towards my brother, and I can tell he wasn’t expecting me to, but he pulls me into a giant hug. “I’m sorry I ruined your ceremony,” I tell him, and it’s the truth. I was so deeply in my feelings that I wasn’t concerned with time, and I knew it was set to begin hours ago. “You didn’t ruin anything, kiddo. You just delayed it,” he tells me, smiling down at me. Releasing me from his hug, he grabs my hand and walks back towards my mate. “Prince Seth, I’m glad to finally introduce you to my sister, Molly. Molls, this is my friend, Prince Seth.” Prince? So that explains why the king and queen are here. I swallow my nerves down. “Prince Seth and I did all our physical training together. He’s a good guy, Molls,” he tells me, squeezing my hand for comfort. “Hi,” I say, looking up at Prince Seth. He’s big, the biggest in the room. He's so tall, and his shoulders are broad and strong. As I saw from the window, his hair is dark and nearly to his shoulders, but he has his mom’s light blue eyes. I know I should say something more, but this situation feels intimidating. “Hi,” he returns with a kind smile and reaches out his hand to me. I release my brother and place my hand in his. He surprises me by bringing my hand to his lips and placing a gentle kiss on it. “It’s so nice to finally meet the famous Molly I’ve heard so much about.” Everyone is watching me, and I feel even more uncomfortable. I wish I could take their attention off of me. “Umm, maybe we should get the ceremony started soon.” “We should get ready to start the ceremony soon. Why don’t we head down and give Molly and Seth a few moments alone,” my dad suggests as he stands and walks over to kiss me on the forehead. My mom follows over just behind him and grabs my free hand while she leans in and whispers in my ear. “He’s handsome.” They head to the door with Robbie while King Peter and Queen Audrey meet them there. They all exit with my dad closing the door behind them. I thought I’d feel more comfortable without everyone looking at us, but now that we’re alone, I’m even more nervous. He seems kind. Maybe he won’t be too harsh when he rejects me. “So,” he says, breaking the silence between us, “Your mom thinks I’m handsome.” I can’t help but laugh. I don’t think she meant for him to hear her, but I’m glad he did and that he can joke about it. He leads me over to the sofa in the corner by my hand, which I note he still hasn’t let go of. I sit, and he takes the space beside me. He’s close, and he’s warm. He smells so good, but I can’t allow myself to become too attached. “I’m sorry I ran away earlier,” I tell him, trying to take responsibility for my stupidity. He doesn’t respond. He just continues to look at me. “I wasn’t trying to be rude. I know this is really disappointing for you”, I finish as my voice lowers to barely above a whisper. “Why would I ever be disappointed with you?” he says, and I can see from his face that he appears to be genuinely surprised by my words. Maybe I read this whole situation wrong. All of BOTH our families were up in my dad’s office while I sat in the garden and cried. They must have talked about me. He has to know. “I, uhh...” I don’t know the words to adequately describe what a mess I am, but I try because he deserves to know before he gets stuck with me. “I’m a broken wolf, Prince Seth.” As I pause to figure out how to explain myself, he finally lets go of my hand, but only so he can gently place his finger under my chin to pull my face to look at him. “It’s just Seth to you. You’re my mate- my equal. Never Prince to you, only ever Seth. You’ll be Princess Molly soon and eventually Queen. But you’ll always be my equal.” It’s at that moment that it hits me that Prince Seth isn’t just his name but his actual identity. Being his mate comes with much more that I’m not made for. Little girls dream of being a princess someday, but it’s an absolute nightmare for me. “I can’t be the queen. I’m not even a real wolf. I saw you in the window and thought my family would have told you. I… I’m so sorry.” My chest begins to hurt as the words come out, and I can barely breathe. “You are a real wolf. It’s in your scent. My wolf is sure of it.” “I’m not, though. I don’t have a wolf. I’ve never shifted. I’m not built as muscular. If anything happens to me, I can’t save myself. I’ll be a huge liability.” “No,” he snaps, and I see a flash of anger in his eyes. “You are NOT a liability. You’re my mate. The Goddess made you for me.” “The Goddess didn’t make me for anyone, Seth. No one wanted me,” I say as my voice begins to waiver. This isn’t going how I thought. I never dreamed I’d have to convince my mate I wasn’t good enough. This man keeps surprising me as he grabs me and pulls me onto his lap. “There are people who DO want you, Molly. I want you. Your parents adopted you- they wanted you. Robert always wanted you. He never stopped talking about you during training. You’re different, Molly, but that doesn’t mean you’re not enough and that you’re not wanted,” he tells me as he holds me on his lap. “I think maybe we should talk about this later,” I tell him as I stand up. He lets me but keeps his hands on my hips. “I’ve ruined Robbie’s day enough. We should head downstairs.” “ OK, Molly, we can talk about it later tonight,” he says as he stands. I note that he still hasn’t let go of me as he leans down and kisses my forehead. It’s sweet and makes my heart flutter. “You are wanted,” he says, taking my hand and leading me towards the door. “You’re mine.” Chapter 5 We arrive at the side yard of the house, where the ceremony is to be held in silence. Everyone is seated and ready to begin, and both our seats are in front. Seth holds my hand, leading me forward when I suddenly stop and refuse to continue walking. “What’s wrong?” he asks with concern on his face. “I can’t hold your hand. They can’t know I’m your mate,” I tell him, looking away. He won’t want me tomorrow, or maybe next week it will hit him. I don’t know when, but at some point, he’ll see past the bond and know he can find better than me. I hear him growl, and he steps towards me. He gently grabs my chin and tilts my head to look into my eyes. Seth starts to say something but then stops himself. He’s towering over me, and it’s intimidating, but I feel safe with him. It’s probably just from the bond. “OK, Molly. I won’t hold your hand, but they will eventually find out. You win for now, but we WILL talk about this later tonight,” he says firmly as his eyes flash with danger. I realize I’ve hurt him. I didn’t mean to do that. “I’m sorry. It’s not that I don’t want to be seen with you,” I begin to try to explain. “But you’re the prince. If people know you’ve found your mate, especially that it’s me, word will spread. It will hurt more when you finally reject me if everyone knows.” My voice is barely a whisper as I finish. I feel so awkward and vulnerable. His free hand lands gently on my hip while the other moves behind my head. He leans to place a soft kiss on my temple. “I will not change my mind, but I won’t hold your hand in public for now if that’s what you truly want. We will figure things out tonight.” He releases me and moves his hands to both my hips now. “It’s a full moon. You’ll be expected at the run tonight. It’s not every day a fancy-pants prince graces Lunar Falls with his presence,” I half-joke with him. “And where will you be? You can’t be alone.” “I usually lock myself in my suite. It’s by the kitchen in the basement and right across from the safe room, just in case.” “Alone?” Seth asks me, concern evident in his voice. “I’ve lived my whole life without a wolf. This isn’t my first full moon. Sometimes, I stay with the young kids who aren’t old enough to shift, but I just want to be alone tonight,” I tell him with complete honesty. “We have a few hours until we need to worry about that. Go on and take your seat. I’ll follow behind in a moment,” Seth tells me. He releases me but quickly reaches out and squeezes my hand. Honestly, he seems like a really nice man. I’ve caused him more headache today than I’m worth, so I do as he told me and head down the aisle to take my seat. My dad is sitting on his Alpha throne on the stage. Mom stands behind him, and Robbie is beside him. Since it’s the passing of the Alpha, no other family members are on stage, and I’ll be sitting alone. As I’m walking to my seat, I hear the whispers start. I’ve gotten used to it from my own pack- and they all know I got the wolf hearing. These guests, though, don’t seem to know. “That’s the wolfless one that Alpha Bardulf found and adopted.” “I heard she’s human.” “Do you think I could make her my whore? She looks too good to go to waste. Too bad she’s not a wolf.” And with that whispered comment, I feel overwhelming anger, but it’s not mine. It’s not like I haven’t heard these kinds of comments before. I realize then that I’m feeling Seth’s emotions through our bond. I know I can’t turn around and look at him. I look up and see my brother coming straight to me in a hurry and my dad with a murderous look on his face. Robbie reaches me and, to my surprise, continues past me to a younger-looking man sitting where I had just walked past. He grabs him by the collar of his shirt and lifts him. “You would do well to remember she’s the daughter of an Alpha,” Robbie tells him, releasing him unceremoniously back into his chair. By this time, my brother’s new Beta and Gama are headed to us. I can feel Seth relax some, though he is still very mad. George, Robbie's Beta, offers his arm to me and escorts me to the front row to be seated beside Queen Audrey. We both bow our heads to her and King Peter. She stands up and, to my surprise, pulls me into a hug and kisses my cheek. “You look stunning, Molly Dear,” She says loudly while she releases me but holds my hand as we sit down and squeezes it. It would seem that everyone in the room heard the comments. I smell Seth as he gets close and realize I’m in his seat beside his mother. I stand to move, but he shakes his head and motions for me to sit back down where I was. The pack elder stands and walks up to my dad and Robbie. He welcomes everyone, and as he begins, I feel Seth’s arm come up and rest behind my shoulders. He rests his hand on his mother's shoulder beside me. Queen Audrey smiles at Seth before returning to my dad and brother. The ceremony is beautiful. I know today is hard for my dad, handing over his pack to someone else, even if it is his own son. Robbie will do well. His Beta, Delta, and Gamma are all great guys and will do what’s best for the pack. The Elder instructs everyone to stand as Dad stands, and Robbie finally sits on the pack throne, officially becoming Alpha Robert of the Lunar Falls Pack. As I stand, I feel Seth bring his arm across my shoulders and back before completely releasing me, leaving me suddenly cold and alone. I’ve avoided acknowledging the bond thus far, but after feeling Seth's anger and loneliness at the lack of his touch, it’s really hard to ignore that it’s there. Everyone in the room is looking at my brother, so I take a chance and reach my left hand over just enough to find Seth’s as he wraps his around mine and gently squeezes it. He’s so comforting, and I begin to think that maybe we can make this work. My parents start to descend the stage, and I realize now that people may look our way, so I reluctantly release his hand. Robert sits on the pack throne with his men behind him and releases his first howl as Alpha, causing all but the royal family and present alphas to bow their heads and bare their necks in submission. I notice that I’m not affected, but I always respond to my dad’s Alpha commands. Seth has noticed because he leans over slightly and explains in the lowest of whispers in my ear. “You’re the mate of a royal. Alpha commands won’t work on you anymore.” It definitely wasn’t what I expected him to say, and I suddenly feel more uncomfortable about the situation. The ceremony is complete, and as we stand to leave, I realize my being between Seth and the King and Queen has complicated our exit now. Typically, the new Alpha would exit first, with everyone after in order of hierarchy, but since the Royals are here, they must exit first. As they turn to leave first, King Peter turns back to us, “Seth, why don’t you escort sweet Molly out? I’m sure our new Alpha Robert won’t mind.” He turns to Robbie, who smiles. “Of course,” he agrees easily, but not without shooting a look at the guy he mildly assaulted just 40 minutes before. Seth steps before me and offers me his arm while wiggling his eyebrows. “My lady.” I honestly can’t help but giggle at his face. I catch my mom out of the corner of my eye and she’s simply beaming at the entire interaction. I take Seth's arm with my hand, and he reaches his other hand over to place it on mine. It’s warm, and the bond sparks with excitement over our contact. We walk out behind his parents. Once we reach the end of the aisle and out of view of everyone, my brother reaches forward and grabs Seth and me. He leans forward behind us and tells Seth, “Watch your hands, bro,” with a smirk. “Oh, I will absolutely be watching where they go,” Seth returns to Robbie, and for a moment, I think my brother might actually lose control of his wolf. “I’m joking, Rob. I’ll always take care of her.” The sincerity in his voice touches me. He barely knows me, though. It’s an empty promise, but he’s trying. With the ceremony over, it’s almost time for the reception. Hopefully, my actions earlier and the delay haven’t hurt the dinner service too much. I know I’m not supposed to be in the kitchens today, but Dad has already sent me down once, and it would look terrible on the pack if things didn’t go smoothly. I make up my mind and decide to head down. “Seth, I need to go down to the kitchens and make sure things are ready. I’ll meet you in the dining room once they’re settled,” I tell him, and his brow furrows. “I’m the head chef for the pack, and while my sous chef is handling everything since this was a family gathering, I’d feel much better if I could ensure everything is ready, and they don’t need extra hands,” I continue, realizing I’m unsure if he even knows I’m a chef. “I can come with you if you really need to. I don’t want to leave you.” “I’ll be fine, honestly. It’s just my staff down there, and you met Oliver earlier. I’ll be fine and head up once they’re all ready.” “Molly, you’re the future Queen now. You don’t have to work anymore,” he tells me, and I know he’s trying to be kind, but that hurts. “I’ve never been required to work. I had to convince my dad to let me have this job. I enjoy it. It’s how I’m able to contribute to my pack,” I explain, but I realize that in my hurt, I’ve said more than I meant to. I have complicated feelings about my role in this pack, and I didn’t mean to start telling him about them. “I understand. At least let me walk you to the kitchen so I know you’re safe, please.” I know his request is genuine, and he wants me to be safe, but with more people leaving the ceremony and coming around, I don’t want anyone to see us together. I nod at him but release his arm. “It’s this way,” I tell him, and I start walking toward the service stairs. I can feel his irritation at me for releasing his arm through our bond, but I continue, and he doesn’t say anything. We reach the bottom of the stairs when he suddenly grabs my arm and sniffs the air. He sniffs again, pushes me against a door, and sniffs my neck slowly. His body is pressed against mine, and his breath is hot against my skin. He’s so close and towers over me. His scent has enveloped me, and I’m beginning to feel completely overwhelmed. “Everything down here smells like you,” he finally tells me. ”It’s so strong.” “Oh, uhh, yeah. I spend all my time down here. The kitchen is down that hall, and my office is there. The door behind me is the one to my suite.” I tell him. “Show me, please,” he says, and I consider it momentarily. He’s so close, and it’s making my heart race. He pushes himself against me the slightest bit more and kisses the spot on my neck where his mate’s mark would go. Chapter 6 I almost cave and let him in, but we’re too close to think clearly, and I need to tell him the endless list of problems we have with being together. “Later,” I whisper because it’s as much as I can squeak out with him so close. It’s intoxicating. He takes a deep breath as he pushes his weight off me, but he still stays where he is, towering over me. “Later,” he whispers back to me while we both take a moment to regain our composure. “Are you ready?” he asks after a moment, and all I can do is nod. He steps back and waves his arm, motioning for me to go in front. I walk to the kitchen door with him behind me before I turn to him. “Thank you for walking down with me.” “You’re welcome. Are you sure you’ll be up for dinner?” “Yeah, Dad will drag me up there if I try anything,” I tell him, and he smiles. “Good. I can’t wait to see you again,” he says, grabbing my right hand and bringing it to his mouth for a kiss. ---------- “I’m surprised you weren’t in here sooner,” Oliver says with a smirk as I step into the kitchen. “I can’t believe you’re making another appearance. Don’t you trust me?” he says, faking hurt. “Oh, Oliver. You know that I don’t,” I respond jokingly and stick my tongue out at him. “How was the ceremony?” He asked. “It was an Alpha Ceremony. Nothing amazing, kinda boring, there’s a new Alpha.” “Oh really? Because I heard our dear Alpha Robert punched an Alpha visiting from another pack.” “Umm, technically, that happened before, so he wasn’t Alpha Robert… yet,” I tell him with a smirk. “And it wasn’t exactly a punch.” “You want to talk about WHY Robbie punched people you walked by just before being named the Alpha?” I sigh. “You know how it is being me. Someone always says SOMETHING.” I’m exhausted from the day and don’t want to think about anything. “So, how is dinner? Can I help out?” “Molly, I’m capable of running this.” “I know, I know you are. I’m here to help if you need me. I’m not taking over for you.” “I think we’re good. Honestly, someone decided to delay the dinner a few hours while they were running away from their very attractive mate, which gave us more time to prep. I assume you’re not ready to talk about that?” he questions me. “No. Maybe. I don’t know. It’s just so much to take in. I think tonight is the first full moon I’m glad to be left out of.” “If you want me to stay with you to talk, just let me know. I don’t mind.” “I appreciate it, Oli, but I need some time alone just to think. It’s been overwhelming.” “You’re really not going to mention that your mate is the prince?” “Nope. I’m not ready to even think about that. It just complicates things even more. I don’t know why he hasn’t already rejected me,” I tell him, looking around. Everything appears to be going very well for my brother’s dinner. “Molls,” Oliver says to get my attention while I’m looking around the kitchen and sighs, not saying what I know he wants to. “Why don’t you sleep in tomorrow, and I’ll handle breakfast.” “I’d hate to do that to you. There’s a lot of people with all the visitors staying tonight.” I tell him, feeling guilty about throwing a second meal service on him. “Honestly, I’d appreciate the chance to show our new Alpha that I can fill your shoes. When you’re marked, you’ll be moving with Prince Seth, and I want to prove that I can handle this.” I hadn’t considered leaving with a mate- ever. Seth will come to his senses at some point and finally reject me, but Oliver is right. He’s not had many chances to prove himself as head chef. I know he’s capable, and he deserves the chance to show Robbie that, too. “Ok, Oliver. Breakfast service is yours. And if, by some miracle, Seth doesn’t reject me, I’ll put in a good word with the Alpha- though I don’t think you have anything to worry about,” I tell him with a small giggle. It’s weird to think my brother is the Alpha we’re talking about. I turn to leave but have an idea for tomorrow. “I’m just going to check and see if we have the stuff to make something tonight during the run, and then I’ll leave.” “Thank you,” he says. “I promise it’ll be amazing. You should change and show the prince all the reasons he shouldn’t reject you. Go put on something sexy and wow him.” I turn to the pantry to check for the ingredients I’ll need. I look around and then move to the fridge and verify that everything I need is on hand before I turn, walk out the door, and head down the hall to my suite. I’ve worn two dresses today, and neither of them was really my choice. It’s been a long day, and I decide to do as Oliver suggested. I walk in and go straight to my closet, looking around. I find a dress that I love and while it’s probably a little bit too formal, I decide to go with it anyway. I head to my bathroom and pull my hair back so it’s finally off my shoulders. I put on a little more makeup to darken my eyes just a tad more and switch from nude to a red lip. The dress is an off-the-shoulder black satin dress in a mermaid cut. It’s basic but classy and feels much more like how I would usually look. I pull out some black strappy heels and look at myself in the mirror. I realize I need to put on a necklace and select one that was handed down from my mom, that was her mom’s. It’s a white gold necklace with just a lot of diamonds, but it dresses up the dress that’s so plain. I look in the mirror, and it’s perfect. I look and feel like myself, and my parents will still be pleased. But then the thought comes that I wonder what Seth will think. With a sigh, I stop just a moment to think about everything that has happened today. I never actually thought I’d have a mate, but if I did, I was sure they would reject me on the spot. I was prepared for it. Instead, I have a mate who is a prince and has not given any indication that he plans to reject me. He hasn’t thought things through, though. He has a wolf, so what he’s feeling from our bond is probably stronger than what I can, and it’s a lot. I don’t have a wolf, and I can’t shift. The only wolf I can mind link is my dad, and it’s probably only because he’s the Alpha or was. I’m not built like a wolf. What if I can’t get pregnant with the heir to the kingdom, or worse, what if I can’t carry a wolf pregnancy? The entire wolf kingdom will surely not accept me and probably wouldn’t accept Seth as King for keeping a broken wolf as a mate. He does seem kind, though. I’m not sure what he was told about me before I made it to Dad’s office, but he’s friends with Robbie, so he has to know a lot. He’s reassured me a few times today that he won’t reject me. He called me “his” earlier, making my heart flutter with hope. And the way he was pressed against me in the hall was more than I could have hoped for. I sigh. There’s not much I can do now, and I need not worry about it. I am who I am, and while he’s given me some hope, I don’t want to have my heart crushed when he realizes I’m no good. I will have to go with it and see what happens. It’s out of my hands. And with that, I decide to head upstairs and find my family. And maybe my mate. I still don’t want the whole kingdom to know, but I enjoy being near him. As much as I try to ignore it, the bond is still tugging at me to get close to him. I reach the door to the dining room and can hear that everyone is already inside. I crack it and slowly slip in, hoping to go unnoticed, which I don’t need to worry about since everyone is walking about mingling and hasn’t been seated yet. I see my mom across the room and head towards her. I haven’t been able to spend time with her since meeting Seth. I just need her hugs. “Hi, Mom,” I say as I approach. “Oh, Molly. You changed clothes. You look lovely!” she tells me, genuine in her compliment. “You look stunning,” I hear from my side and see Queen Audrey as she approaches me. “That lip color suits you.” I can’t help but glow a little as not only the queen but also my mate’s mother complimented me so generously. I remember myself and bow. “Thank you, Your Highness. I feel more myself with the red.” I should have stopped there, but I never know when to quit talking until it’s too late. “Truthfully, I don’t wear much makeup.” “Oh, really, dear? Because you wear it so well.” “I appreciate that,” I tell her. “I don’t wear it often, but my mom taught me well.” “How are you doing, dear? I know it’s been a pretty exciting day for you,” Queen Audrey asks me. “I’m ok, Ma’am. I’m looking forward to some time alone tonight to think about everything while you all go for the run,” I tell her honestly. My mom realizes I’m not quite sure I’m ok and comes to my side to wrap me in a hug. “I’m sure it’s been a bit overwhelming, finding your mate and realizing he’s so damn attractive,” and that’s just what I needed to calm me some. I start giggling, and with the stress of today, I just can’t stop. I smell him and then feel his hand on my lower back. He comes to stand on my other side and pulls me to him. “What’s so funny?” Seth asks me. “Just some girl talk,” Queen Audrey smiles at him, probably to be sure I wouldn’t tell him my mom was drooling over him. Again. Seth releases me, and I suddenly feel sad, but he steps forward, hugs his mother, and kisses her cheek. He releases her and turns back to me, grabbing my hand. “Take a walk with me?” he asks, and I nod. He leads me outside to the balcony, which is not nearly as crowded. It’s a little chilly, but it feels like a perfect fall night. “You look absolutely stunning,” he says when we stop at the railing. “Thanks,” I respond. “It’s the first dress I got to pick for myself all day.” “It’s perfect, Molly. You're perfect,” he says as he places his arm behind me and pulls me to his chest. “The Goddess blessed me when she made you,” he murmurs into the top of my head. I let myself sigh and just be content for a moment. This feels so perfect. If he rejects me, at least I had this precious moment. “I honestly wasn’t sure you’d be back upstairs,” he tells me. “I take it everything was ok in the kitchen?” “Yeah, all was well. Dinner was going well, and Dad’s cake was still good,” I say, realizing I let the surprise slip. “Don’t you mean your brother’s cake?” he inquires, looking down at me. “I mean, I didn’t check on that one. I assumed they could handle it. But there’s a surprise for my dad, too,” I tell him, placing my finger on my lips, indicating it’s a secret, and he smiles at me. “I’m going to skip the run tonight. My parents will be there. That will be enough for the people,” he tells me, and I realize that he’s worried about me being alone. “Umm, I have plans tonight now,” I tell him nervously, and he raises an eyebrow at me. I can tell he’s not happy, so I try to explain. “Sorry, it’s nothing exciting. I’m going to lock myself into my suite and bake. It helps me relax and think clearly.” “I’m worried about you being alone.” He tells me. “I know. Being around someone with a broken wolf is new for you, but it’s been like this my whole life. Do you think my dad would leave me here alone if he didn’t think I was completely safe?” I ask him, and I can tell he’s considering it. “Please don’t miss out on something that would make you happy just for me. I’ll feel terrible if you do.” “But what if something happens to you while we’re all out?” he asks, and I realize there are things he doesn’t know about my situation. “I can mind link my dad and maybe my brother now that he’s Alpha. I promise I’ll reach out if anything happens,” I promise, and I can see him relax. “OK, but make sure your dad knows I’ll always be near him,” he says, and honestly, the thought that he cares enough to do that but still respects my decision warms my heart. “I will. And thank you,” I tell him, pulling him down towards me and kissing his cheek. He growls and rests his forehead against mine. “Aren’t you worried someone will see?” he asks me teasingly, but I can tell he’s serious with his inquiry. “A little, but I’m trying,” I tell him. We stand like that for a while- alone in the quiet. “If we stay like this much longer, everyone will be able to smell me on you,” he points out. “It’s OK,” I whisper to him as I break the contact with our foreheads, but only to lean into him. I reach into his jacket to embrace him, resting my head against his chest. He lowers his chin to the top of my head. The bond is so calm yet still strong. Somehow, though, it is tugging at me for more. We stay just like that until they announce for everyone to take their seats for dinner. “Do you want to go in before me, and I’ll follow again?” he asks me, and it’s so kind and considerate of him. “No, I don’t think I do,” I tell him as we finally separate, but I place my hand inside his. He looks down at our hands and then up at me. “Are you sure? People will definitely see.” “I know,” I tell him. “I’m trying to trust you. I’m trying to be brave.” He beams at me with the biggest smile and leans over to kiss my head before squeezing my hand and leading me into the ballroom. .... Open the app and continue reading the rest of the story . 👉(It will automatically jump to the book when you open the app)
Daughters in the Alpha lineage are always trained to be mated to an Alpha and become their Luna. But since I’m adopted, and broken, I might be the first mateless Alpha’s daughter ever. “Your mate is here. He can smell you on Dad.” said my brother. He will reject me right? I knew he would…anyone would do that to a broken wolf. *** Molly's POV: Today, my brother Robbie will officially be named Alpha Robert of the Lunar Falls Pack. the Alphas of nearby packs are expected to attend, and some from further decided to make the trip when word spread that the Royal Wolves would be in attendance. Mom was the best of friends with Queen Audrey and my father completed his Alpha training with King Peter over 30 years ago. She was right, though. The color of the dress did make my light green eyes pop, and the cut was very flattering on my curves. I’m the oldest child- they think. See, my birthday isn’t my actual birthday but my gotcha day, as my dad likes to call it. 16 years ago, my dad found me curled in a ball, asleep under a tree right on the edge of the pack territory. There was no one around and no scent to follow. He took me back to the pack house, and I stayed with them while they searched for where I had come from. Days turned to weeks and weeks to months, but there were no leads- no reports of packs of a missing child. After a year, my parents decided to adopt me and with a blood adoption blessed by the King. This is my family. When we stand together, my eyes always show how much I truly don’t belong here. My brother Robbie has always treated me just like a real sister, probably even more so. He’s younger than me, but as we got older, he definitely took the typical older brother role in our relationship as he grew into his alpha powers while everyone realized I was a broken wolf. My family never treated me any differently, but I know it was probably really hard to be the family of one of the kingdom's strongest alphas with an adopted daughter who was basically a human. I AM a wolf, though. I smell like one, and no one has ever questioned that. But I never had my wolf inside communicating with me. I have advanced hearing and smell- but that’s as far as my wolf abilities go. I think my family had hoped that once I reached 16, a switch would flip inside, and my wolf would wake, and I’d be normal, but that day never came. “Molly, maybe we were wrong on your birthday. Just wait; someday you’ll shift,” my mom would say to me every full moon. But here I am, 22 years old- never shifted and barely helpful to my pack. But still, my parents love me. High School was hard once the other kids realized I wasn’t shifting. Robbie tried to protect me from them. But I decided that if I couldn’t physically protect my pack, I would make myself completely indispensable to them. My dad was pretty unhappy with my choice at first. Since now I have taken over the head cook position for the pack, though he insists the job title now be called Head Chef of the Lunar Falls Pack. I’m a broken wolf, and I don’t think I even have a mate, but my mom is convinced that I do. Or she could just be holding out hope because the reality of being mateless is too sad. If my mom is right, though, and I do have a mate out there, you can be sure that they will reject me as soon as they realize how useless of a wolf I am, which is why I tend to stay in the kitchen and avoid any outsiders when they visit. There is a knock on my door, and I immediately smell my dad. He always smells of cedar and tobacco—the most comforting smell. “Molly, Love, you look absolutely beautiful,” he tells me, looking at me in the mirror from my doorway. “Thanks, Dad. I’m almost ready, I promise. I just need to put on my shoes and run down to the kitchen to make sure everything is ready to go for dinner,” I reply with a smile. “You have staff and have been down there all morning, Kiddo. What else could you possibly need to check on?” “I know, Dad. They’re great. But it’s Robbie's big day- and it’s YOUR retirement, too. Don’t you want your meal to be perfect?” “I know it’s a big day for your brother, but who knows, maybe you’ll meet someone special, and it’ll be a big day for you, too.” “It won’t be. But I’ll be there in just a few minutes”, I tell him as I slip on my nude pumps. Little did I know, it actually will BE the day that changes my whole life. Chapter 2 My mother is the Luna to end all Lunas. There is absolutely no comparison to how she handles her duties. The pack house is immaculately decorated at all times, but for my brother today it is perfection. Our pack's deep emerald green and gold colors adorn the walls, and as I step outside on the stone stairs, I see that the decorations extend over the outside of the house as well. A banner hangs above the door with the current pack crest- gold embroidery on the green, of the falls we’re so famous for with four stars next to a silver crescent moon. Robbie will update this when he’s ready to fit his family, as it hasn’t been updated since my adoption, and my dad (probably mom) had a star added to represent me. “Oh, Molly. That dress was the perfect choice!” My mother exclaims and pulls me out of my thoughts. She looks perfect, as always. She’s tall and thin, with her straight brown hair in an elegant twist. She never looks bad, but she looks absolutely stunning today. She’ll never admit it, but I know she’s nervous to have the King and Queen here in such a formal setting. She’s been friends with Queen Audrey since they were kids, but they’re rarely seen together in such a public setting. “Thank you, Mom,” I return to her in earnest. Her opinion means so much to me. My brother lucked out and doesn’t have to greet people even though it’s his own Alpha ceremony. “How’s Robbie doing today?” I ask. “Alpha Robert,” she says, emphasizing his full first name, “Is doing wonderfully today. He’s prepared for this role his entire life and is ready. I wish he had found his Luna before assuming the role, but he will be fine. You and I will have to help him out with the Luna duties until he finds her.” she tells me, and while I’d rather do anything than decorate, there’s nothing I wouldn’t do for my brother. I hear my dad sigh as he hears with his Alpha hearing what I assume are cars coming. “It’s show time, ladies.” A short moment later, I see a car approach, and before they even get to us, a second and third car are seen just behind. The first car stops in front of the pack house, and a gentleman with salt and pepper hair and a woman with dulling blonde hair step out, followed by a large, dark-haired man with olive skin. “Ahh, Blake! It is so good to have you at the Falls! Thank you for joining us,” my dad exclaims, seeing his old friend. “Celeste, Molly, this is Alpha Blake and his lovely Luna, Amanda. I’m sorry, Blake. I'm not sure I’ve met this young man before,” he says before extending his hand to the younger, very handsome man with them. “It’s nice to meet you, Alpha Randall,” he says to my dad while accepting his hand to shake. “I’m the future Alpha Chris. Thank you for inviting us to the ceremony. Luna Celeste, Molly, the pack house looks lovely,” he says to my mother and me. She looks at me, and I know that look. She’s asking if he’s maybe my mate, to which I barely shake my head. “It’s lovely to meet you all,” my mother expertly says to them with a smile. There’s no social situation my mother can’t handle with grace, and while I’m in awe of her skills, I realize I probably should have said something- anything. But I didn’t. They all stand looking at me, waiting for me to pull it together, but alas, I do not. High-pressure social situations aren’t my forte. Everyone continues to look at me when my dad finally steps in to save me from myself. “We can’t express how much we appreciate you all making the trip here for our son,” he says to them, and they, thankfully, all turn their attention to him. Perhaps I shouldn’t have spent quite so much time hiding in the kitchens because that was the first car and I’ve already messed up. A whole line of cars is now waiting for us to greet them. Alpha Blake walks off with his family, and as I’m about to apologize to my father, his eyes go slightly out of focus, a sign that someone has mind-linked him. He gathers his focus back, and with a sigh, he turns to me. “Molly, there’s a situation in the kitchen that they need you for. If you could please hurry back after, that would be most appreciated.” Thank the Goddess! I quickly hug my dad, and he whispers in my ear, “You had better be in there for the ceremony.” I turn around, going to the kitchen in a near run. I’m not sure if I’m moving so quickly because I don’t know the situation in the kitchen or because I’m excited not to greet any more guests, but either way, I head to the kitchen and get there in record time. When I walk into the kitchen, nothing seems amiss. Everything smells fine, and everyone looks pretty calm. I’m confused. “What happened?”. “What do you mean?” Katie Mae asks me. “Someone linked my dad and said there was a situation in the kitchen,” I tell her. “Oh, I don’t know,” Katie replies, “But Oliver is in your office. Go check with him.” Confused, I head to my office to check in with my sous chef, who is running things for dinner tonight. I find him sitting back with his feet propped up on my desk, smirking at me. “Just how badly did you do, Molly?” he asks me. “What do you mean? What’s the emergency?” I ask in a confused panic. “I do believe YOU are the emergency. Alpha Randall linked me and told me he was sending you back to the kitchen. Apparently, you just needed to be let out of your greeting duties. I was told never to speak of this to the Luna.” he says while trying to stifle a laugh. I smile and link my dad. “Thanks, old man.” I can feel his slight chuckle in return. He’s always looking out for me—and probably the whole pack if I was supposed to continue attempting to greet people. “So, what did you do?” Oliver asks me. “I didn’t DO anything, which is the problem. I just forgot to talk.” “Oh, Molls. You’ve got to be the worst-mannered Alpha’s daughter there ever was.” I laugh, but honestly, he’s right. Daughters in the Alpha lineage are always trained to be mated to an Alpha and become their Luna. But since I’m adopted and broken, I’ve never taken the training seriously. I could throw together a dinner party if I had to, but I’d much prefer to be in the kitchen cooking for it instead. “See any hot guys up there?” Oliver asks, breaking me out of my thoughts of my failure. “Oli, I met one family before Dad sent me down. But, of course, I found an attractive guy. He’s the future Alpha of some pack. I don’t think they ever said where. My dad knew his dad well, though.” “I’ll have to sneak up and check out the options during the ceremony, not that I’ll be finding my mate in a room full of Alphas. It doesn’t hurt to enjoy looking,” he tells me as his face falls. My heart stings for my best friend. Oliver is an omega. He probably would have been named head chef if it hadn’t been for me. We’re the same age and became friends while in school. Most Alphas don’t send their kids to the pack schools so that they won’t fraternize with the Omegas, but my dad felt it was important for pack unity if Robbie and I attended the school. He was right, too. Robbie and I made friends with kids from all class structures, and it helped us to understand how privileged we are to be the Alpha’s kids and to have everything we do. Oliver and I met in elementary school and became the best of friends. His dad had passed away when he was small, but his mom was amazing. She used to let me come over after school to play, and sometimes, I’d get to stay for dinner. She taught me how to cook, even though she didn’t work in the pack kitchens. She loved food and taught us everything she could in those years after school and during summer break when we’d go play in the falls and come back completely filthy and starving. When we were in middle school, Oliver came out to me. I’d never met a gay wolf, but it didn’t bother me. Unfortunately, as Oli got older and confided in more people, word spread, and he was treated very poorly by other kids who didn’t understand him. Robbie tried to step in and would hang out with us, but it didn’t matter to the other kids as much as he’d hoped. Oliver's mom died in a rogue attack just before he turned 18, so as soon as he finished school, he started working in the pack kitchen. What happened was terrible, but I’m glad we landed in the kitchen together. Oliver has always been the person who encourages me the most, and it’s helped me be brave. Brave enough to tell my dad I wanted to work in the kitchen. Brave enough to accept that I’m just a broken wolf. Brave enough to try all the new things we wanted in the kitchen and beyond. A few years ago, we cut back the overgrown area behind the pack house and planted a huge edible garden. The first two years weren’t amazing, but we did more research, and with our hard work this year, it has been successful. The packhouse grocery bill was cut almost in half for the summer from everything we’ve been able to harvest, though we didn’t have the abundance we’d hoped for to store for the winter months. I know I’ll find Oliver peeking in during the Alpha ceremony to check out all the guys there. I truly hope that he finds a mate one day. One of us should be happy, and I’m OK that it’s him. “Oli, you better not burn my brother’s dinner because you’re sneaking off to check out the Alphas,” I tell him, mostly joking but completely serious at the same time. “I’d never dream of burning Alpha Robert’s celebration dinner, my dear,” he tells me while grabbing my hand. Suddenly, I’m met with the smell of pine and tobacco and instantly know my brother is walking in. He smells so much like my dad, but still his own. I turn to make a joke about him becoming Alpha today, but when I see his face, I know it’s not the time. He’s so serious, too serious. He’s never like this around me. “Molly, I, uh, I need you to come up to Dad’s office… my office, with me,” he says. He’s so uncomfortable, and he’s rarely ever like this around me- serious and unsure. “What’s wrong? Is everyone OK?” I ask, knowing deep inside that something is wrong. “Everyone is fine, Molly. Dad needs to speak with you,” he tells me, looking anywhere but my eyes. “Dad? Why isn’t he greeting the guests? Why didn’t he mindlink me? Robert,” I say to him, almost in a panic. “What’s going on?!” “Molly,” he says. Finally, he looks me in the eyes. There’s so much emotion and sympathy in his hazel eyes, and I know whatever it is has to be bad. It’s very bad. “Your mate is here.” Chapter 3 My brother’s voice rings through my head as my heart falls to the pit of my stomach. My mate? “How… how does he know he’s my mate?” I ask meekly. “I haven’t met anyone but Alpha Blake and Future Alpha Chris. One of them is mated, and the other, well, he didn’t say anything when we met.” “It’s not either of them, it’s Seth. He could smell you on Dad. He said you hugged him just before you came here, and I guess your scent lingered.” “It could be anyone that Dad was near. It’s not me. It CAN’T be me.” “Molly. It’s you. Come on, they’re all waiting.” “All? How many mates do I have?” “It’s just one, kiddo. We’ve got to get up there. You can’t keep them waiting.” “No, Robbie. No. I’m not going up there just to be rejected and hurt,” I tell him. This isn’t happening. It has to be a mistake. I can’t have a mate. “Molly, it’s ok,” Oliver tells me as he sees my panic and recognizes that my brother does not have control of this situation. “You’ve always assumed you have no mate or that they’ll reject you if you do. Maybe he won’t. Maybe he’ll see you for the amazing wolf you are.” He’s trying. They both are. Trying to convince me that it’s going to be ok, but you can see in their eyes they both know it won’t be—especially my brother. I don’t think I’ve ever seen a look like this on his face before. He’s so worried about me. My mate must be terrible for him to be so concerned. I can barely breathe. It feels like the walls are closing in on me, and my chest hurts with each breath. My fears bubble to the surface, and I can’t contain them. I slowly slip out of my shoes without either of them noticing. There’s a back door out of here right behind them. They’re both faster than me- my brother has the Alpha gene, making him far superior physically to me. There’s only one way I’ll make it past them, so I do what I have to, and I cry. My brother’s face softens, and he walks across the room, enveloping me in a huge hug. It’s a move I wasn’t expecting, making it even harder to remove myself from the kitchen. In all honesty, his hug feels good. I feel so safe when I’m with Robbie. Still, I remember he’s trying to take me to meet my dad, mate, and whoever else is there. I don’t want to be rejected and feel that pain. These thoughts make me cry even harder. Oliver moves closer, so I decide to make my final move to get out of here. “Robbie, I need to sit down,” I tell him, and my ever-doting brother does just what I expected this time and immediately releases me and turns to grab the chair that Oliver had just vacated. I make my move and run to the door. My hand reaches the knob, and the goddess must be with me because it’s unlocked. I take off running to the garden. To my surprise, the smell of my brother gets fainter with each step. I decide to chance a look over my shoulder to see both men standing outside the back kitchen door. Oliver’s arm is across my brother’s chest. “Just let her go, Robert. Give her a few minutes,” Oliver tells him. I run a bit further, but since I know they’re not following me, I finally stop and walk. I’m sure I’ve destroyed all the work I did to look presentable just a few hours ago as I walk barefoot through my favorite place. I can’t be bothered to care right now, though. This was not the plan. This is not the life that I’m supposed to have. I know my family loves me, but it’s obvious at every turn I’m not really theirs. My family always said they loved me so much they couldn’t stand the thought of me leaving when I was small, but who would kick a homeless six-year-old out? I was found under a tree, alone- tiny, with no memory of who I was or where I came from. Was I lost? Or abandoned? Did I have a family that loved and missed me? Or did they leave me in the woods, hoping they’d never have to see me again? I’d accepted all these possibilities before, but as I got older, it became obvious I wasn’t like all the other pups. It became harder and harder to feel like I belonged. I couldn’t play with the kids as I got older because I couldn’t physically keep up with them. That’s what made me love Oliver so much. When the other kids wanted to play tag and throw balls, he’d be there to go on an adventure with me. The first time we made it back to the falls alone was amazing! My dad had taken me once shortly after he found me, but they looked much more amazing when we found them on our own. We got into so much trouble when we got back. I remember Oliver’s mom apologizing repeatedly to my dad. He was angry we’d gone so far without her knowledge. The entire time my dad explained my punishment, my mom smirked and kept telling him we were fine and to calm down. As I got older, I realized that my dad was always worried about me more than anyone else because of my broken wolf. Eventually, he forbade me to go into the woods without a pack warrior nearby- even if I was with Oliver. A few years ago, Robbie had too much to drink and let it slip that Dad was worried someone would kidnap me to use it against him because I wouldn’t be able to get away myself. I was so angry when he first told me, but I quickly realized he was right to be concerned. If another pack did kidnap me, I’d never be able to escape on my own. I’m basically useless and a huge liability. Useless and a liability to my own pack and now, to the mate I never thought I’d have. There’s no reason anyone would not reject me, short of needing a chef, but I don’t think that’s enough to keep around a broken wolf. I don’t know how I'd ever be able to help a mate. And if my mate is in Lunar Falls now for the Alpha ceremony, he’s likely an Alpha himself. While most she-wolves would be thrilled, this is the worst possible scenario for me. I stop walking as I reach the back of my garden. This truly is my absolute favorite place in the pack territory. It’s so peaceful here, and few people ever bother to come this far back. It’s where I spend so much time doing what I can to help take care of my pack in my own way. I know it’s not much, but it’s at least something. The sun is shining brightly now and making it hot, so I climb under the leaning trellis where the squash grow and hide in the shade. I know that eventually someone will be out here to drag me inside, but I decide to stay put until that happens. I hide in the garden for what seems like hours, though I don’t think it’s been that long. I am surprised I’ve been able to stay here alone for so long, but I’m not upset about it either. I peek out from my hiding spot like a small child and see the window to my Father’s study. A man I don’t recognize is staring outside. For just a moment, I wonder if that’s my mate. He’s attractive, from what I can tell. He has longer dark hair above his shoulders and looks pretty muscular. He’s holding a glass with something brown in it- probably some expensive bourbon that my dad hopes will help him overlook my behavior. Maybe he has enough bourbon to have him overlook my brokenness. Doubtful, as I’m not just a broken wolf, but I’m now a filthy wolf wearing no shoes and hiding in actual plants. I smell the familiar scent of my best friend as he approaches and climbs under the trellis with me. The look he’s giving me tells me he knows the situation isn’t great. Oliver knows me so well. He knows that I’m not able to articulate my feelings at the moment, so he doesn’t say a word. He just puts his arms around me and holds me, and I let go of tears I didn’t even realize I’d been holding. I cry for the little girl who didn’t get a wolf, and for all the times another kid made me feel less than. I cry for all the nights I spent wondering why I was left by a tree, and I cry for all the memories that I don’t have from before then. I cry for the kid who grew up not meeting anyone's expectations, and for all the times I know I disappointed my parents. They tried so hard to hide it, but I knew. But most of all, I cry for the fear of having to face a mate that I never dreamed I’d have and the pain of the rejection that I’ll have to endure. “He’s not going to reject you,” Oliver tells me. I know he truly thinks that, but there’s no chance someone would want me. “I’m going to go up there, but I need to change clothes first,” I tell him. He looks at me and nods but doesn’t say a word about how I look an absolute mess. I mind link my dad. I’m going to change and make myself presentable, and then I’ll be there. I’m sorry. I know I’ve embarrassed him. “Okay, Molly, I’ll let him know. He’s a good man. You’re going to be alright,” he tells me. I find a small amount of comfort from the man who would do anything to protect me telling me it will all be fine. Chapter 4 I’m back in my room. I showered, re-curled my hair, and did my makeup. Oliver wouldn’t leave me. I realize now that I’ve caused the Alpha ceremony to begin late, which is causing the dinner to start late, and I’ve all but ruined my brother’s day. I feel worse than I did before. Ollie comes from my closet carrying a darker green dress for me to put on. I realize my shoes I left in my kitchen office are now in my room, but I’m too emotionally exhausted to care how they got here. Ollie zips my dress and hands me the shoes. “Good as new,” he says, taking in my appearance with a critical eye. I’m nervous, but he won’t let me walk in to meet my mate looking anything less than amazing. He grabs my hand and starts to walk, but I’m hesitant to move. He turns to meet my eyes. “No running this time. You have to meet him.” I know he’s right, but I’m still absolutely terrified. We make our way across the packhouse to the Alpha office. As we get closer, I begin to smell him, and I know, without a doubt, that my mate is in there. He smells like juniper, with orange and cinnamon. It’s almost overwhelming. I feel so pulled towards him, and I’ve not even seen him. If this is how finding your mate feels with a broken wolf, then maybe it will be so strong for him that I won’t be rejected. I grasp onto that sliver of hope. I take a deep breath and turn the door knob to enter. My Dad and Robert are sitting propped on the edge of their desk. My mom is sitting elegantly in the chair across from them, and in the other chair is… Queen Audrey? With King Peter behind her? I briefly wonder why they are here for this, but thoughts are lost when my eyes go to the window and land on my mate. He IS who I saw from out in the garden, but instead of looking across the grounds, he’s staring at me intently. Our eyes lock, and I start to feel unsteady. Oliver places his hand on my back to steady me and whispers in my ear. “Go say hi.” Biting my lip, I nod and start to close the space between us. To my shock, my mate starts walking towards me as well. Once we’ve made it to each other, he places a gentle hand on my shoulder. “Are you alright?” he asks. His pale blue eyes are kind, and he seems genuinely concerned for me. I can’t bring myself to speak, so I nod in response. I see my brother out of the corner of my eye and feel such guilt about how I’ve behaved today on his day. I walk towards my brother, and I can tell he wasn’t expecting me to, but he pulls me into a giant hug. “I’m sorry I ruined your ceremony,” I tell him, and it’s the truth. I was so deeply in my feelings that I wasn’t concerned with time, and I knew it was set to begin hours ago. “You didn’t ruin anything, kiddo. You just delayed it,” he tells me, smiling down at me. Releasing me from his hug, he grabs my hand and walks back towards my mate. “Prince Seth, I’m glad to finally introduce you to my sister, Molly. Molls, this is my friend, Prince Seth.” Prince? So that explains why the king and queen are here. I swallow my nerves down. “Prince Seth and I did all our physical training together. He’s a good guy, Molls,” he tells me, squeezing my hand for comfort. “Hi,” I say, looking up at Prince Seth. He’s big, the biggest in the room. He's so tall, and his shoulders are broad and strong. As I saw from the window, his hair is dark and nearly to his shoulders, but he has his mom’s light blue eyes. I know I should say something more, but this situation feels intimidating. “Hi,” he returns with a kind smile and reaches out his hand to me. I release my brother and place my hand in his. He surprises me by bringing my hand to his lips and placing a gentle kiss on it. “It’s so nice to finally meet the famous Molly I’ve heard so much about.” Everyone is watching me, and I feel even more uncomfortable. I wish I could take their attention off of me. “Umm, maybe we should get the ceremony started soon.” “We should get ready to start the ceremony soon. Why don’t we head down and give Molly and Seth a few moments alone,” my dad suggests as he stands and walks over to kiss me on the forehead. My mom follows over just behind him and grabs my free hand while she leans in and whispers in my ear. “He’s handsome.” They head to the door with Robbie while King Peter and Queen Audrey meet them there. They all exit with my dad closing the door behind them. I thought I’d feel more comfortable without everyone looking at us, but now that we’re alone, I’m even more nervous. He seems kind. Maybe he won’t be too harsh when he rejects me. “So,” he says, breaking the silence between us, “Your mom thinks I’m handsome.” I can’t help but laugh. I don’t think she meant for him to hear her, but I’m glad he did and that he can joke about it. He leads me over to the sofa in the corner by my hand, which I note he still hasn’t let go of. I sit, and he takes the space beside me. He’s close, and he’s warm. He smells so good, but I can’t allow myself to become too attached. “I’m sorry I ran away earlier,” I tell him, trying to take responsibility for my stupidity. He doesn’t respond. He just continues to look at me. “I wasn’t trying to be rude. I know this is really disappointing for you”, I finish as my voice lowers to barely above a whisper. “Why would I ever be disappointed with you?” he says, and I can see from his face that he appears to be genuinely surprised by my words. Maybe I read this whole situation wrong. All of BOTH our families were up in my dad’s office while I sat in the garden and cried. They must have talked about me. He has to know. “I, uhh...” I don’t know the words to adequately describe what a mess I am, but I try because he deserves to know before he gets stuck with me. “I’m a broken wolf, Prince Seth.” As I pause to figure out how to explain myself, he finally lets go of my hand, but only so he can gently place his finger under my chin to pull my face to look at him. “It’s just Seth to you. You’re my mate- my equal. Never Prince to you, only ever Seth. You’ll be Princess Molly soon and eventually Queen. But you’ll always be my equal.” It’s at that moment that it hits me that Prince Seth isn’t just his name but his actual identity. Being his mate comes with much more that I’m not made for. Little girls dream of being a princess someday, but it’s an absolute nightmare for me. “I can’t be the queen. I’m not even a real wolf. I saw you in the window and thought my family would have told you. I… I’m so sorry.” My chest begins to hurt as the words come out, and I can barely breathe. “You are a real wolf. It’s in your scent. My wolf is sure of it.” “I’m not, though. I don’t have a wolf. I’ve never shifted. I’m not built as muscular. If anything happens to me, I can’t save myself. I’ll be a huge liability.” “No,” he snaps, and I see a flash of anger in his eyes. “You are NOT a liability. You’re my mate. The Goddess made you for me.” “The Goddess didn’t make me for anyone, Seth. No one wanted me,” I say as my voice begins to waiver. This isn’t going how I thought. I never dreamed I’d have to convince my mate I wasn’t good enough. This man keeps surprising me as he grabs me and pulls me onto his lap. “There are people who DO want you, Molly. I want you. Your parents adopted you- they wanted you. Robert always wanted you. He never stopped talking about you during training. You’re different, Molly, but that doesn’t mean you’re not enough and that you’re not wanted,” he tells me as he holds me on his lap. “I think maybe we should talk about this later,” I tell him as I stand up. He lets me but keeps his hands on my hips. “I’ve ruined Robbie’s day enough. We should head downstairs.” “ OK, Molly, we can talk about it later tonight,” he says as he stands. I note that he still hasn’t let go of me as he leans down and kisses my forehead. It’s sweet and makes my heart flutter. “You are wanted,” he says, taking my hand and leading me towards the door. “You’re mine.” Chapter 5 We arrive at the side yard of the house, where the ceremony is to be held in silence. Everyone is seated and ready to begin, and both our seats are in front. Seth holds my hand, leading me forward when I suddenly stop and refuse to continue walking. “What’s wrong?” he asks with concern on his face. “I can’t hold your hand. They can’t know I’m your mate,” I tell him, looking away. He won’t want me tomorrow, or maybe next week it will hit him. I don’t know when, but at some point, he’ll see past the bond and know he can find better than me. I hear him growl, and he steps towards me. He gently grabs my chin and tilts my head to look into my eyes. Seth starts to say something but then stops himself. He’s towering over me, and it’s intimidating, but I feel safe with him. It’s probably just from the bond. “OK, Molly. I won’t hold your hand, but they will eventually find out. You win for now, but we WILL talk about this later tonight,” he says firmly as his eyes flash with danger. I realize I’ve hurt him. I didn’t mean to do that. “I’m sorry. It’s not that I don’t want to be seen with you,” I begin to try to explain. “But you’re the prince. If people know you’ve found your mate, especially that it’s me, word will spread. It will hurt more when you finally reject me if everyone knows.” My voice is barely a whisper as I finish. I feel so awkward and vulnerable. His free hand lands gently on my hip while the other moves behind my head. He leans to place a soft kiss on my temple. “I will not change my mind, but I won’t hold your hand in public for now if that’s what you truly want. We will figure things out tonight.” He releases me and moves his hands to both my hips now. “It’s a full moon. You’ll be expected at the run tonight. It’s not every day a fancy-pants prince graces Lunar Falls with his presence,” I half-joke with him. “And where will you be? You can’t be alone.” “I usually lock myself in my suite. It’s by the kitchen in the basement and right across from the safe room, just in case.” “Alone?” Seth asks me, concern evident in his voice. “I’ve lived my whole life without a wolf. This isn’t my first full moon. Sometimes, I stay with the young kids who aren’t old enough to shift, but I just want to be alone tonight,” I tell him with complete honesty. “We have a few hours until we need to worry about that. Go on and take your seat. I’ll follow behind in a moment,” Seth tells me. He releases me but quickly reaches out and squeezes my hand. Honestly, he seems like a really nice man. I’ve caused him more headache today than I’m worth, so I do as he told me and head down the aisle to take my seat. My dad is sitting on his Alpha throne on the stage. Mom stands behind him, and Robbie is beside him. Since it’s the passing of the Alpha, no other family members are on stage, and I’ll be sitting alone. As I’m walking to my seat, I hear the whispers start. I’ve gotten used to it from my own pack- and they all know I got the wolf hearing. These guests, though, don’t seem to know. “That’s the wolfless one that Alpha Bardulf found and adopted.” “I heard she’s human.” “Do you think I could make her my whore? She looks too good to go to waste. Too bad she’s not a wolf.” And with that whispered comment, I feel overwhelming anger, but it’s not mine. It’s not like I haven’t heard these kinds of comments before. I realize then that I’m feeling Seth’s emotions through our bond. I know I can’t turn around and look at him. I look up and see my brother coming straight to me in a hurry and my dad with a murderous look on his face. Robbie reaches me and, to my surprise, continues past me to a younger-looking man sitting where I had just walked past. He grabs him by the collar of his shirt and lifts him. “You would do well to remember she’s the daughter of an Alpha,” Robbie tells him, releasing him unceremoniously back into his chair. By this time, my brother’s new Beta and Gama are headed to us. I can feel Seth relax some, though he is still very mad. George, Robbie's Beta, offers his arm to me and escorts me to the front row to be seated beside Queen Audrey. We both bow our heads to her and King Peter. She stands up and, to my surprise, pulls me into a hug and kisses my cheek. “You look stunning, Molly Dear,” She says loudly while she releases me but holds my hand as we sit down and squeezes it. It would seem that everyone in the room heard the comments. I smell Seth as he gets close and realize I’m in his seat beside his mother. I stand to move, but he shakes his head and motions for me to sit back down where I was. The pack elder stands and walks up to my dad and Robbie. He welcomes everyone, and as he begins, I feel Seth’s arm come up and rest behind my shoulders. He rests his hand on his mother's shoulder beside me. Queen Audrey smiles at Seth before returning to my dad and brother. The ceremony is beautiful. I know today is hard for my dad, handing over his pack to someone else, even if it is his own son. Robbie will do well. His Beta, Delta, and Gamma are all great guys and will do what’s best for the pack. The Elder instructs everyone to stand as Dad stands, and Robbie finally sits on the pack throne, officially becoming Alpha Robert of the Lunar Falls Pack. As I stand, I feel Seth bring his arm across my shoulders and back before completely releasing me, leaving me suddenly cold and alone. I’ve avoided acknowledging the bond thus far, but after feeling Seth's anger and loneliness at the lack of his touch, it’s really hard to ignore that it’s there. Everyone in the room is looking at my brother, so I take a chance and reach my left hand over just enough to find Seth’s as he wraps his around mine and gently squeezes it. He’s so comforting, and I begin to think that maybe we can make this work. My parents start to descend the stage, and I realize now that people may look our way, so I reluctantly release his hand. Robert sits on the pack throne with his men behind him and releases his first howl as Alpha, causing all but the royal family and present alphas to bow their heads and bare their necks in submission. I notice that I’m not affected, but I always respond to my dad’s Alpha commands. Seth has noticed because he leans over slightly and explains in the lowest of whispers in my ear. “You’re the mate of a royal. Alpha commands won’t work on you anymore.” It definitely wasn’t what I expected him to say, and I suddenly feel more uncomfortable about the situation. The ceremony is complete, and as we stand to leave, I realize my being between Seth and the King and Queen has complicated our exit now. Typically, the new Alpha would exit first, with everyone after in order of hierarchy, but since the Royals are here, they must exit first. As they turn to leave first, King Peter turns back to us, “Seth, why don’t you escort sweet Molly out? I’m sure our new Alpha Robert won’t mind.” He turns to Robbie, who smiles. “Of course,” he agrees easily, but not without shooting a look at the guy he mildly assaulted just 40 minutes before. Seth steps before me and offers me his arm while wiggling his eyebrows. “My lady.” I honestly can’t help but giggle at his face. I catch my mom out of the corner of my eye and she’s simply beaming at the entire interaction. I take Seth's arm with my hand, and he reaches his other hand over to place it on mine. It’s warm, and the bond sparks with excitement over our contact. We walk out behind his parents. Once we reach the end of the aisle and out of view of everyone, my brother reaches forward and grabs Seth and me. He leans forward behind us and tells Seth, “Watch your hands, bro,” with a smirk. “Oh, I will absolutely be watching where they go,” Seth returns to Robbie, and for a moment, I think my brother might actually lose control of his wolf. “I’m joking, Rob. I’ll always take care of her.” The sincerity in his voice touches me. He barely knows me, though. It’s an empty promise, but he’s trying. With the ceremony over, it’s almost time for the reception. Hopefully, my actions earlier and the delay haven’t hurt the dinner service too much. I know I’m not supposed to be in the kitchens today, but Dad has already sent me down once, and it would look terrible on the pack if things didn’t go smoothly. I make up my mind and decide to head down. “Seth, I need to go down to the kitchens and make sure things are ready. I’ll meet you in the dining room once they’re settled,” I tell him, and his brow furrows. “I’m the head chef for the pack, and while my sous chef is handling everything since this was a family gathering, I’d feel much better if I could ensure everything is ready, and they don’t need extra hands,” I continue, realizing I’m unsure if he even knows I’m a chef. “I can come with you if you really need to. I don’t want to leave you.” “I’ll be fine, honestly. It’s just my staff down there, and you met Oliver earlier. I’ll be fine and head up once they’re all ready.” “Molly, you’re the future Queen now. You don’t have to work anymore,” he tells me, and I know he’s trying to be kind, but that hurts. “I’ve never been required to work. I had to convince my dad to let me have this job. I enjoy it. It’s how I’m able to contribute to my pack,” I explain, but I realize that in my hurt, I’ve said more than I meant to. I have complicated feelings about my role in this pack, and I didn’t mean to start telling him about them. “I understand. At least let me walk you to the kitchen so I know you’re safe, please.” I know his request is genuine, and he wants me to be safe, but with more people leaving the ceremony and coming around, I don’t want anyone to see us together. I nod at him but release his arm. “It’s this way,” I tell him, and I start walking toward the service stairs. I can feel his irritation at me for releasing his arm through our bond, but I continue, and he doesn’t say anything. We reach the bottom of the stairs when he suddenly grabs my arm and sniffs the air. He sniffs again, pushes me against a door, and sniffs my neck slowly. His body is pressed against mine, and his breath is hot against my skin. He’s so close and towers over me. His scent has enveloped me, and I’m beginning to feel completely overwhelmed. “Everything down here smells like you,” he finally tells me. ”It’s so strong.” “Oh, uhh, yeah. I spend all my time down here. The kitchen is down that hall, and my office is there. The door behind me is the one to my suite.” I tell him. “Show me, please,” he says, and I consider it momentarily. He’s so close, and it’s making my heart race. He pushes himself against me the slightest bit more and kisses the spot on my neck where his mate’s mark would go. Chapter 6 I almost cave and let him in, but we’re too close to think clearly, and I need to tell him the endless list of problems we have with being together. “Later,” I whisper because it’s as much as I can squeak out with him so close. It’s intoxicating. He takes a deep breath as he pushes his weight off me, but he still stays where he is, towering over me. “Later,” he whispers back to me while we both take a moment to regain our composure. “Are you ready?” he asks after a moment, and all I can do is nod. He steps back and waves his arm, motioning for me to go in front. I walk to the kitchen door with him behind me before I turn to him. “Thank you for walking down with me.” “You’re welcome. Are you sure you’ll be up for dinner?” “Yeah, Dad will drag me up there if I try anything,” I tell him, and he smiles. “Good. I can’t wait to see you again,” he says, grabbing my right hand and bringing it to his mouth for a kiss. ---------- “I’m surprised you weren’t in here sooner,” Oliver says with a smirk as I step into the kitchen. “I can’t believe you’re making another appearance. Don’t you trust me?” he says, faking hurt. “Oh, Oliver. You know that I don’t,” I respond jokingly and stick my tongue out at him. “How was the ceremony?” He asked. “It was an Alpha Ceremony. Nothing amazing, kinda boring, there’s a new Alpha.” “Oh really? Because I heard our dear Alpha Robert punched an Alpha visiting from another pack.” “Umm, technically, that happened before, so he wasn’t Alpha Robert… yet,” I tell him with a smirk. “And it wasn’t exactly a punch.” “You want to talk about WHY Robbie punched people you walked by just before being named the Alpha?” I sigh. “You know how it is being me. Someone always says SOMETHING.” I’m exhausted from the day and don’t want to think about anything. “So, how is dinner? Can I help out?” “Molly, I’m capable of running this.” “I know, I know you are. I’m here to help if you need me. I’m not taking over for you.” “I think we’re good. Honestly, someone decided to delay the dinner a few hours while they were running away from their very attractive mate, which gave us more time to prep. I assume you’re not ready to talk about that?” he questions me. “No. Maybe. I don’t know. It’s just so much to take in. I think tonight is the first full moon I’m glad to be left out of.” “If you want me to stay with you to talk, just let me know. I don’t mind.” “I appreciate it, Oli, but I need some time alone just to think. It’s been overwhelming.” “You’re really not going to mention that your mate is the prince?” “Nope. I’m not ready to even think about that. It just complicates things even more. I don’t know why he hasn’t already rejected me,” I tell him, looking around. Everything appears to be going very well for my brother’s dinner. “Molls,” Oliver says to get my attention while I’m looking around the kitchen and sighs, not saying what I know he wants to. “Why don’t you sleep in tomorrow, and I’ll handle breakfast.” “I’d hate to do that to you. There’s a lot of people with all the visitors staying tonight.” I tell him, feeling guilty about throwing a second meal service on him. “Honestly, I’d appreciate the chance to show our new Alpha that I can fill your shoes. When you’re marked, you’ll be moving with Prince Seth, and I want to prove that I can handle this.” I hadn’t considered leaving with a mate- ever. Seth will come to his senses at some point and finally reject me, but Oliver is right. He’s not had many chances to prove himself as head chef. I know he’s capable, and he deserves the chance to show Robbie that, too. “Ok, Oliver. Breakfast service is yours. And if, by some miracle, Seth doesn’t reject me, I’ll put in a good word with the Alpha- though I don’t think you have anything to worry about,” I tell him with a small giggle. It’s weird to think my brother is the Alpha we’re talking about. I turn to leave but have an idea for tomorrow. “I’m just going to check and see if we have the stuff to make something tonight during the run, and then I’ll leave.” “Thank you,” he says. “I promise it’ll be amazing. You should change and show the prince all the reasons he shouldn’t reject you. Go put on something sexy and wow him.” I turn to the pantry to check for the ingredients I’ll need. I look around and then move to the fridge and verify that everything I need is on hand before I turn, walk out the door, and head down the hall to my suite. I’ve worn two dresses today, and neither of them was really my choice. It’s been a long day, and I decide to do as Oliver suggested. I walk in and go straight to my closet, looking around. I find a dress that I love and while it’s probably a little bit too formal, I decide to go with it anyway. I head to my bathroom and pull my hair back so it’s finally off my shoulders. I put on a little more makeup to darken my eyes just a tad more and switch from nude to a red lip. The dress is an off-the-shoulder black satin dress in a mermaid cut. It’s basic but classy and feels much more like how I would usually look. I pull out some black strappy heels and look at myself in the mirror. I realize I need to put on a necklace and select one that was handed down from my mom, that was her mom’s. It’s a white gold necklace with just a lot of diamonds, but it dresses up the dress that’s so plain. I look in the mirror, and it’s perfect. I look and feel like myself, and my parents will still be pleased. But then the thought comes that I wonder what Seth will think. With a sigh, I stop just a moment to think about everything that has happened today. I never actually thought I’d have a mate, but if I did, I was sure they would reject me on the spot. I was prepared for it. Instead, I have a mate who is a prince and has not given any indication that he plans to reject me. He hasn’t thought things through, though. He has a wolf, so what he’s feeling from our bond is probably stronger than what I can, and it’s a lot. I don’t have a wolf, and I can’t shift. The only wolf I can mind link is my dad, and it’s probably only because he’s the Alpha or was. I’m not built like a wolf. What if I can’t get pregnant with the heir to the kingdom, or worse, what if I can’t carry a wolf pregnancy? The entire wolf kingdom will surely not accept me and probably wouldn’t accept Seth as King for keeping a broken wolf as a mate. He does seem kind, though. I’m not sure what he was told about me before I made it to Dad’s office, but he’s friends with Robbie, so he has to know a lot. He’s reassured me a few times today that he won’t reject me. He called me “his” earlier, making my heart flutter with hope. And the way he was pressed against me in the hall was more than I could have hoped for. I sigh. There’s not much I can do now, and I need not worry about it. I am who I am, and while he’s given me some hope, I don’t want to have my heart crushed when he realizes I’m no good. I will have to go with it and see what happens. It’s out of my hands. And with that, I decide to head upstairs and find my family. And maybe my mate. I still don’t want the whole kingdom to know, but I enjoy being near him. As much as I try to ignore it, the bond is still tugging at me to get close to him. I reach the door to the dining room and can hear that everyone is already inside. I crack it and slowly slip in, hoping to go unnoticed, which I don’t need to worry about since everyone is walking about mingling and hasn’t been seated yet. I see my mom across the room and head towards her. I haven’t been able to spend time with her since meeting Seth. I just need her hugs. “Hi, Mom,” I say as I approach. “Oh, Molly. You changed clothes. You look lovely!” she tells me, genuine in her compliment. “You look stunning,” I hear from my side and see Queen Audrey as she approaches me. “That lip color suits you.” I can’t help but glow a little as not only the queen but also my mate’s mother complimented me so generously. I remember myself and bow. “Thank you, Your Highness. I feel more myself with the red.” I should have stopped there, but I never know when to quit talking until it’s too late. “Truthfully, I don’t wear much makeup.” “Oh, really, dear? Because you wear it so well.” “I appreciate that,” I tell her. “I don’t wear it often, but my mom taught me well.” “How are you doing, dear? I know it’s been a pretty exciting day for you,” Queen Audrey asks me. “I’m ok, Ma’am. I’m looking forward to some time alone tonight to think about everything while you all go for the run,” I tell her honestly. My mom realizes I’m not quite sure I’m ok and comes to my side to wrap me in a hug. “I’m sure it’s been a bit overwhelming, finding your mate and realizing he’s so damn attractive,” and that’s just what I needed to calm me some. I start giggling, and with the stress of today, I just can’t stop. I smell him and then feel his hand on my lower back. He comes to stand on my other side and pulls me to him. “What’s so funny?” Seth asks me. “Just some girl talk,” Queen Audrey smiles at him, probably to be sure I wouldn’t tell him my mom was drooling over him. Again. Seth releases me, and I suddenly feel sad, but he steps forward, hugs his mother, and kisses her cheek. He releases her and turns back to me, grabbing my hand. “Take a walk with me?” he asks, and I nod. He leads me outside to the balcony, which is not nearly as crowded. It’s a little chilly, but it feels like a perfect fall night. “You look absolutely stunning,” he says when we stop at the railing. “Thanks,” I respond. “It’s the first dress I got to pick for myself all day.” “It’s perfect, Molly. You're perfect,” he says as he places his arm behind me and pulls me to his chest. “The Goddess blessed me when she made you,” he murmurs into the top of my head. I let myself sigh and just be content for a moment. This feels so perfect. If he rejects me, at least I had this precious moment. “I honestly wasn’t sure you’d be back upstairs,” he tells me. “I take it everything was ok in the kitchen?” “Yeah, all was well. Dinner was going well, and Dad’s cake was still good,” I say, realizing I let the surprise slip. “Don’t you mean your brother’s cake?” he inquires, looking down at me. “I mean, I didn’t check on that one. I assumed they could handle it. But there’s a surprise for my dad, too,” I tell him, placing my finger on my lips, indicating it’s a secret, and he smiles at me. “I’m going to skip the run tonight. My parents will be there. That will be enough for the people,” he tells me, and I realize that he’s worried about me being alone. “Umm, I have plans tonight now,” I tell him nervously, and he raises an eyebrow at me. I can tell he’s not happy, so I try to explain. “Sorry, it’s nothing exciting. I’m going to lock myself into my suite and bake. It helps me relax and think clearly.” “I’m worried about you being alone.” He tells me. “I know. Being around someone with a broken wolf is new for you, but it’s been like this my whole life. Do you think my dad would leave me here alone if he didn’t think I was completely safe?” I ask him, and I can tell he’s considering it. “Please don’t miss out on something that would make you happy just for me. I’ll feel terrible if you do.” “But what if something happens to you while we’re all out?” he asks, and I realize there are things he doesn’t know about my situation. “I can mind link my dad and maybe my brother now that he’s Alpha. I promise I’ll reach out if anything happens,” I promise, and I can see him relax. “OK, but make sure your dad knows I’ll always be near him,” he says, and honestly, the thought that he cares enough to do that but still respects my decision warms my heart. “I will. And thank you,” I tell him, pulling him down towards me and kissing his cheek. He growls and rests his forehead against mine. “Aren’t you worried someone will see?” he asks me teasingly, but I can tell he’s serious with his inquiry. “A little, but I’m trying,” I tell him. We stand like that for a while- alone in the quiet. “If we stay like this much longer, everyone will be able to smell me on you,” he points out. “It’s OK,” I whisper to him as I break the contact with our foreheads, but only to lean into him. I reach into his jacket to embrace him, resting my head against his chest. He lowers his chin to the top of my head. The bond is so calm yet still strong. Somehow, though, it is tugging at me for more. We stay just like that until they announce for everyone to take their seats for dinner. “Do you want to go in before me, and I’ll follow again?” he asks me, and it’s so kind and considerate of him. “No, I don’t think I do,” I tell him as we finally separate, but I place my hand inside his. He looks down at our hands and then up at me. “Are you sure? People will definitely see.” “I know,” I tell him. “I’m trying to trust you. I’m trying to be brave.” He beams at me with the biggest smile and leans over to kiss my head before squeezing my hand and leading me into the ballroom. .... Open the app and continue reading the rest of the story . 👉(It will automatically jump to the book when you open the app)
Daughters in the Alpha lineage are always trained to be mated to an Alpha and become their Luna. But since I’m adopted, and broken, I might be the first mateless Alpha’s daughter ever. “Your mate is here. He can smell you on Dad.” said my brother. He will reject me right? I knew he would…anyone would do that to a broken wolf. *** Molly's POV: Today, my brother Robbie will officially be named Alpha Robert of the Lunar Falls Pack. the Alphas of nearby packs are expected to attend, and some from further decided to make the trip when word spread that the Royal Wolves would be in attendance. Mom was the best of friends with Queen Audrey and my father completed his Alpha training with King Peter over 30 years ago. She was right, though. The color of the dress did make my light green eyes pop, and the cut was very flattering on my curves. I’m the oldest child- they think. See, my birthday isn’t my actual birthday but my gotcha day, as my dad likes to call it. 16 years ago, my dad found me curled in a ball, asleep under a tree right on the edge of the pack territory. There was no one around and no scent to follow. He took me back to the pack house, and I stayed with them while they searched for where I had come from. Days turned to weeks and weeks to months, but there were no leads- no reports of packs of a missing child. After a year, my parents decided to adopt me and with a blood adoption blessed by the King. This is my family. When we stand together, my eyes always show how much I truly don’t belong here. My brother Robbie has always treated me just like a real sister, probably even more so. He’s younger than me, but as we got older, he definitely took the typical older brother role in our relationship as he grew into his alpha powers while everyone realized I was a broken wolf. My family never treated me any differently, but I know it was probably really hard to be the family of one of the kingdom's strongest alphas with an adopted daughter who was basically a human. I AM a wolf, though. I smell like one, and no one has ever questioned that. But I never had my wolf inside communicating with me. I have advanced hearing and smell- but that’s as far as my wolf abilities go. I think my family had hoped that once I reached 16, a switch would flip inside, and my wolf would wake, and I’d be normal, but that day never came. “Molly, maybe we were wrong on your birthday. Just wait; someday you’ll shift,” my mom would say to me every full moon. But here I am, 22 years old- never shifted and barely helpful to my pack. But still, my parents love me. High School was hard once the other kids realized I wasn’t shifting. Robbie tried to protect me from them. But I decided that if I couldn’t physically protect my pack, I would make myself completely indispensable to them. My dad was pretty unhappy with my choice at first. Since now I have taken over the head cook position for the pack, though he insists the job title now be called Head Chef of the Lunar Falls Pack. I’m a broken wolf, and I don’t think I even have a mate, but my mom is convinced that I do. Or she could just be holding out hope because the reality of being mateless is too sad. If my mom is right, though, and I do have a mate out there, you can be sure that they will reject me as soon as they realize how useless of a wolf I am, which is why I tend to stay in the kitchen and avoid any outsiders when they visit. There is a knock on my door, and I immediately smell my dad. He always smells of cedar and tobacco—the most comforting smell. “Molly, Love, you look absolutely beautiful,” he tells me, looking at me in the mirror from my doorway. “Thanks, Dad. I’m almost ready, I promise. I just need to put on my shoes and run down to the kitchen to make sure everything is ready to go for dinner,” I reply with a smile. “You have staff and have been down there all morning, Kiddo. What else could you possibly need to check on?” “I know, Dad. They’re great. But it’s Robbie's big day- and it’s YOUR retirement, too. Don’t you want your meal to be perfect?” “I know it’s a big day for your brother, but who knows, maybe you’ll meet someone special, and it’ll be a big day for you, too.” “It won’t be. But I’ll be there in just a few minutes”, I tell him as I slip on my nude pumps. Little did I know, it actually will BE the day that changes my whole life. Chapter 2 My mother is the Luna to end all Lunas. There is absolutely no comparison to how she handles her duties. The pack house is immaculately decorated at all times, but for my brother today it is perfection. Our pack's deep emerald green and gold colors adorn the walls, and as I step outside on the stone stairs, I see that the decorations extend over the outside of the house as well. A banner hangs above the door with the current pack crest- gold embroidery on the green, of the falls we’re so famous for with four stars next to a silver crescent moon. Robbie will update this when he’s ready to fit his family, as it hasn’t been updated since my adoption, and my dad (probably mom) had a star added to represent me. “Oh, Molly. That dress was the perfect choice!” My mother exclaims and pulls me out of my thoughts. She looks perfect, as always. She’s tall and thin, with her straight brown hair in an elegant twist. She never looks bad, but she looks absolutely stunning today. She’ll never admit it, but I know she’s nervous to have the King and Queen here in such a formal setting. She’s been friends with Queen Audrey since they were kids, but they’re rarely seen together in such a public setting. “Thank you, Mom,” I return to her in earnest. Her opinion means so much to me. My brother lucked out and doesn’t have to greet people even though it’s his own Alpha ceremony. “How’s Robbie doing today?” I ask. “Alpha Robert,” she says, emphasizing his full first name, “Is doing wonderfully today. He’s prepared for this role his entire life and is ready. I wish he had found his Luna before assuming the role, but he will be fine. You and I will have to help him out with the Luna duties until he finds her.” she tells me, and while I’d rather do anything than decorate, there’s nothing I wouldn’t do for my brother. I hear my dad sigh as he hears with his Alpha hearing what I assume are cars coming. “It’s show time, ladies.” A short moment later, I see a car approach, and before they even get to us, a second and third car are seen just behind. The first car stops in front of the pack house, and a gentleman with salt and pepper hair and a woman with dulling blonde hair step out, followed by a large, dark-haired man with olive skin. “Ahh, Blake! It is so good to have you at the Falls! Thank you for joining us,” my dad exclaims, seeing his old friend. “Celeste, Molly, this is Alpha Blake and his lovely Luna, Amanda. I’m sorry, Blake. I'm not sure I’ve met this young man before,” he says before extending his hand to the younger, very handsome man with them. “It’s nice to meet you, Alpha Randall,” he says to my dad while accepting his hand to shake. “I’m the future Alpha Chris. Thank you for inviting us to the ceremony. Luna Celeste, Molly, the pack house looks lovely,” he says to my mother and me. She looks at me, and I know that look. She’s asking if he’s maybe my mate, to which I barely shake my head. “It’s lovely to meet you all,” my mother expertly says to them with a smile. There’s no social situation my mother can’t handle with grace, and while I’m in awe of her skills, I realize I probably should have said something- anything. But I didn’t. They all stand looking at me, waiting for me to pull it together, but alas, I do not. High-pressure social situations aren’t my forte. Everyone continues to look at me when my dad finally steps in to save me from myself. “We can’t express how much we appreciate you all making the trip here for our son,” he says to them, and they, thankfully, all turn their attention to him. Perhaps I shouldn’t have spent quite so much time hiding in the kitchens because that was the first car and I’ve already messed up. A whole line of cars is now waiting for us to greet them. Alpha Blake walks off with his family, and as I’m about to apologize to my father, his eyes go slightly out of focus, a sign that someone has mind-linked him. He gathers his focus back, and with a sigh, he turns to me. “Molly, there’s a situation in the kitchen that they need you for. If you could please hurry back after, that would be most appreciated.” Thank the Goddess! I quickly hug my dad, and he whispers in my ear, “You had better be in there for the ceremony.” I turn around, going to the kitchen in a near run. I’m not sure if I’m moving so quickly because I don’t know the situation in the kitchen or because I’m excited not to greet any more guests, but either way, I head to the kitchen and get there in record time. When I walk into the kitchen, nothing seems amiss. Everything smells fine, and everyone looks pretty calm. I’m confused. “What happened?”. “What do you mean?” Katie Mae asks me. “Someone linked my dad and said there was a situation in the kitchen,” I tell her. “Oh, I don’t know,” Katie replies, “But Oliver is in your office. Go check with him.” Confused, I head to my office to check in with my sous chef, who is running things for dinner tonight. I find him sitting back with his feet propped up on my desk, smirking at me. “Just how badly did you do, Molly?” he asks me. “What do you mean? What’s the emergency?” I ask in a confused panic. “I do believe YOU are the emergency. Alpha Randall linked me and told me he was sending you back to the kitchen. Apparently, you just needed to be let out of your greeting duties. I was told never to speak of this to the Luna.” he says while trying to stifle a laugh. I smile and link my dad. “Thanks, old man.” I can feel his slight chuckle in return. He’s always looking out for me—and probably the whole pack if I was supposed to continue attempting to greet people. “So, what did you do?” Oliver asks me. “I didn’t DO anything, which is the problem. I just forgot to talk.” “Oh, Molls. You’ve got to be the worst-mannered Alpha’s daughter there ever was.” I laugh, but honestly, he’s right. Daughters in the Alpha lineage are always trained to be mated to an Alpha and become their Luna. But since I’m adopted and broken, I’ve never taken the training seriously. I could throw together a dinner party if I had to, but I’d much prefer to be in the kitchen cooking for it instead. “See any hot guys up there?” Oliver asks, breaking me out of my thoughts of my failure. “Oli, I met one family before Dad sent me down. But, of course, I found an attractive guy. He’s the future Alpha of some pack. I don’t think they ever said where. My dad knew his dad well, though.” “I’ll have to sneak up and check out the options during the ceremony, not that I’ll be finding my mate in a room full of Alphas. It doesn’t hurt to enjoy looking,” he tells me as his face falls. My heart stings for my best friend. Oliver is an omega. He probably would have been named head chef if it hadn’t been for me. We’re the same age and became friends while in school. Most Alphas don’t send their kids to the pack schools so that they won’t fraternize with the Omegas, but my dad felt it was important for pack unity if Robbie and I attended the school. He was right, too. Robbie and I made friends with kids from all class structures, and it helped us to understand how privileged we are to be the Alpha’s kids and to have everything we do. Oliver and I met in elementary school and became the best of friends. His dad had passed away when he was small, but his mom was amazing. She used to let me come over after school to play, and sometimes, I’d get to stay for dinner. She taught me how to cook, even though she didn’t work in the pack kitchens. She loved food and taught us everything she could in those years after school and during summer break when we’d go play in the falls and come back completely filthy and starving. When we were in middle school, Oliver came out to me. I’d never met a gay wolf, but it didn’t bother me. Unfortunately, as Oli got older and confided in more people, word spread, and he was treated very poorly by other kids who didn’t understand him. Robbie tried to step in and would hang out with us, but it didn’t matter to the other kids as much as he’d hoped. Oliver's mom died in a rogue attack just before he turned 18, so as soon as he finished school, he started working in the pack kitchen. What happened was terrible, but I’m glad we landed in the kitchen together. Oliver has always been the person who encourages me the most, and it’s helped me be brave. Brave enough to tell my dad I wanted to work in the kitchen. Brave enough to accept that I’m just a broken wolf. Brave enough to try all the new things we wanted in the kitchen and beyond. A few years ago, we cut back the overgrown area behind the pack house and planted a huge edible garden. The first two years weren’t amazing, but we did more research, and with our hard work this year, it has been successful. The packhouse grocery bill was cut almost in half for the summer from everything we’ve been able to harvest, though we didn’t have the abundance we’d hoped for to store for the winter months. I know I’ll find Oliver peeking in during the Alpha ceremony to check out all the guys there. I truly hope that he finds a mate one day. One of us should be happy, and I’m OK that it’s him. “Oli, you better not burn my brother’s dinner because you’re sneaking off to check out the Alphas,” I tell him, mostly joking but completely serious at the same time. “I’d never dream of burning Alpha Robert’s celebration dinner, my dear,” he tells me while grabbing my hand. Suddenly, I’m met with the smell of pine and tobacco and instantly know my brother is walking in. He smells so much like my dad, but still his own. I turn to make a joke about him becoming Alpha today, but when I see his face, I know it’s not the time. He’s so serious, too serious. He’s never like this around me. “Molly, I, uh, I need you to come up to Dad’s office… my office, with me,” he says. He’s so uncomfortable, and he’s rarely ever like this around me- serious and unsure. “What’s wrong? Is everyone OK?” I ask, knowing deep inside that something is wrong. “Everyone is fine, Molly. Dad needs to speak with you,” he tells me, looking anywhere but my eyes. “Dad? Why isn’t he greeting the guests? Why didn’t he mindlink me? Robert,” I say to him, almost in a panic. “What’s going on?!” “Molly,” he says. Finally, he looks me in the eyes. There’s so much emotion and sympathy in his hazel eyes, and I know whatever it is has to be bad. It’s very bad. “Your mate is here.” Chapter 3 My brother’s voice rings through my head as my heart falls to the pit of my stomach. My mate? “How… how does he know he’s my mate?” I ask meekly. “I haven’t met anyone but Alpha Blake and Future Alpha Chris. One of them is mated, and the other, well, he didn’t say anything when we met.” “It’s not either of them, it’s Seth. He could smell you on Dad. He said you hugged him just before you came here, and I guess your scent lingered.” “It could be anyone that Dad was near. It’s not me. It CAN’T be me.” “Molly. It’s you. Come on, they’re all waiting.” “All? How many mates do I have?” “It’s just one, kiddo. We’ve got to get up there. You can’t keep them waiting.” “No, Robbie. No. I’m not going up there just to be rejected and hurt,” I tell him. This isn’t happening. It has to be a mistake. I can’t have a mate. “Molly, it’s ok,” Oliver tells me as he sees my panic and recognizes that my brother does not have control of this situation. “You’ve always assumed you have no mate or that they’ll reject you if you do. Maybe he won’t. Maybe he’ll see you for the amazing wolf you are.” He’s trying. They both are. Trying to convince me that it’s going to be ok, but you can see in their eyes they both know it won’t be—especially my brother. I don’t think I’ve ever seen a look like this on his face before. He’s so worried about me. My mate must be terrible for him to be so concerned. I can barely breathe. It feels like the walls are closing in on me, and my chest hurts with each breath. My fears bubble to the surface, and I can’t contain them. I slowly slip out of my shoes without either of them noticing. There’s a back door out of here right behind them. They’re both faster than me- my brother has the Alpha gene, making him far superior physically to me. There’s only one way I’ll make it past them, so I do what I have to, and I cry. My brother’s face softens, and he walks across the room, enveloping me in a huge hug. It’s a move I wasn’t expecting, making it even harder to remove myself from the kitchen. In all honesty, his hug feels good. I feel so safe when I’m with Robbie. Still, I remember he’s trying to take me to meet my dad, mate, and whoever else is there. I don’t want to be rejected and feel that pain. These thoughts make me cry even harder. Oliver moves closer, so I decide to make my final move to get out of here. “Robbie, I need to sit down,” I tell him, and my ever-doting brother does just what I expected this time and immediately releases me and turns to grab the chair that Oliver had just vacated. I make my move and run to the door. My hand reaches the knob, and the goddess must be with me because it’s unlocked. I take off running to the garden. To my surprise, the smell of my brother gets fainter with each step. I decide to chance a look over my shoulder to see both men standing outside the back kitchen door. Oliver’s arm is across my brother’s chest. “Just let her go, Robert. Give her a few minutes,” Oliver tells him. I run a bit further, but since I know they’re not following me, I finally stop and walk. I’m sure I’ve destroyed all the work I did to look presentable just a few hours ago as I walk barefoot through my favorite place. I can’t be bothered to care right now, though. This was not the plan. This is not the life that I’m supposed to have. I know my family loves me, but it’s obvious at every turn I’m not really theirs. My family always said they loved me so much they couldn’t stand the thought of me leaving when I was small, but who would kick a homeless six-year-old out? I was found under a tree, alone- tiny, with no memory of who I was or where I came from. Was I lost? Or abandoned? Did I have a family that loved and missed me? Or did they leave me in the woods, hoping they’d never have to see me again? I’d accepted all these possibilities before, but as I got older, it became obvious I wasn’t like all the other pups. It became harder and harder to feel like I belonged. I couldn’t play with the kids as I got older because I couldn’t physically keep up with them. That’s what made me love Oliver so much. When the other kids wanted to play tag and throw balls, he’d be there to go on an adventure with me. The first time we made it back to the falls alone was amazing! My dad had taken me once shortly after he found me, but they looked much more amazing when we found them on our own. We got into so much trouble when we got back. I remember Oliver’s mom apologizing repeatedly to my dad. He was angry we’d gone so far without her knowledge. The entire time my dad explained my punishment, my mom smirked and kept telling him we were fine and to calm down. As I got older, I realized that my dad was always worried about me more than anyone else because of my broken wolf. Eventually, he forbade me to go into the woods without a pack warrior nearby- even if I was with Oliver. A few years ago, Robbie had too much to drink and let it slip that Dad was worried someone would kidnap me to use it against him because I wouldn’t be able to get away myself. I was so angry when he first told me, but I quickly realized he was right to be concerned. If another pack did kidnap me, I’d never be able to escape on my own. I’m basically useless and a huge liability. Useless and a liability to my own pack and now, to the mate I never thought I’d have. There’s no reason anyone would not reject me, short of needing a chef, but I don’t think that’s enough to keep around a broken wolf. I don’t know how I'd ever be able to help a mate. And if my mate is in Lunar Falls now for the Alpha ceremony, he’s likely an Alpha himself. While most she-wolves would be thrilled, this is the worst possible scenario for me. I stop walking as I reach the back of my garden. This truly is my absolute favorite place in the pack territory. It’s so peaceful here, and few people ever bother to come this far back. It’s where I spend so much time doing what I can to help take care of my pack in my own way. I know it’s not much, but it’s at least something. The sun is shining brightly now and making it hot, so I climb under the leaning trellis where the squash grow and hide in the shade. I know that eventually someone will be out here to drag me inside, but I decide to stay put until that happens. I hide in the garden for what seems like hours, though I don’t think it’s been that long. I am surprised I’ve been able to stay here alone for so long, but I’m not upset about it either. I peek out from my hiding spot like a small child and see the window to my Father’s study. A man I don’t recognize is staring outside. For just a moment, I wonder if that’s my mate. He’s attractive, from what I can tell. He has longer dark hair above his shoulders and looks pretty muscular. He’s holding a glass with something brown in it- probably some expensive bourbon that my dad hopes will help him overlook my behavior. Maybe he has enough bourbon to have him overlook my brokenness. Doubtful, as I’m not just a broken wolf, but I’m now a filthy wolf wearing no shoes and hiding in actual plants. I smell the familiar scent of my best friend as he approaches and climbs under the trellis with me. The look he’s giving me tells me he knows the situation isn’t great. Oliver knows me so well. He knows that I’m not able to articulate my feelings at the moment, so he doesn’t say a word. He just puts his arms around me and holds me, and I let go of tears I didn’t even realize I’d been holding. I cry for the little girl who didn’t get a wolf, and for all the times another kid made me feel less than. I cry for all the nights I spent wondering why I was left by a tree, and I cry for all the memories that I don’t have from before then. I cry for the kid who grew up not meeting anyone's expectations, and for all the times I know I disappointed my parents. They tried so hard to hide it, but I knew. But most of all, I cry for the fear of having to face a mate that I never dreamed I’d have and the pain of the rejection that I’ll have to endure. “He’s not going to reject you,” Oliver tells me. I know he truly thinks that, but there’s no chance someone would want me. “I’m going to go up there, but I need to change clothes first,” I tell him. He looks at me and nods but doesn’t say a word about how I look an absolute mess. I mind link my dad. I’m going to change and make myself presentable, and then I’ll be there. I’m sorry. I know I’ve embarrassed him. “Okay, Molly, I’ll let him know. He’s a good man. You’re going to be alright,” he tells me. I find a small amount of comfort from the man who would do anything to protect me telling me it will all be fine. Chapter 4 I’m back in my room. I showered, re-curled my hair, and did my makeup. Oliver wouldn’t leave me. I realize now that I’ve caused the Alpha ceremony to begin late, which is causing the dinner to start late, and I’ve all but ruined my brother’s day. I feel worse than I did before. Ollie comes from my closet carrying a darker green dress for me to put on. I realize my shoes I left in my kitchen office are now in my room, but I’m too emotionally exhausted to care how they got here. Ollie zips my dress and hands me the shoes. “Good as new,” he says, taking in my appearance with a critical eye. I’m nervous, but he won’t let me walk in to meet my mate looking anything less than amazing. He grabs my hand and starts to walk, but I’m hesitant to move. He turns to meet my eyes. “No running this time. You have to meet him.” I know he’s right, but I’m still absolutely terrified. We make our way across the packhouse to the Alpha office. As we get closer, I begin to smell him, and I know, without a doubt, that my mate is in there. He smells like juniper, with orange and cinnamon. It’s almost overwhelming. I feel so pulled towards him, and I’ve not even seen him. If this is how finding your mate feels with a broken wolf, then maybe it will be so strong for him that I won’t be rejected. I grasp onto that sliver of hope. I take a deep breath and turn the door knob to enter. My Dad and Robert are sitting propped on the edge of their desk. My mom is sitting elegantly in the chair across from them, and in the other chair is… Queen Audrey? With King Peter behind her? I briefly wonder why they are here for this, but thoughts are lost when my eyes go to the window and land on my mate. He IS who I saw from out in the garden, but instead of looking across the grounds, he’s staring at me intently. Our eyes lock, and I start to feel unsteady. Oliver places his hand on my back to steady me and whispers in my ear. “Go say hi.” Biting my lip, I nod and start to close the space between us. To my shock, my mate starts walking towards me as well. Once we’ve made it to each other, he places a gentle hand on my shoulder. “Are you alright?” he asks. His pale blue eyes are kind, and he seems genuinely concerned for me. I can’t bring myself to speak, so I nod in response. I see my brother out of the corner of my eye and feel such guilt about how I’ve behaved today on his day. I walk towards my brother, and I can tell he wasn’t expecting me to, but he pulls me into a giant hug. “I’m sorry I ruined your ceremony,” I tell him, and it’s the truth. I was so deeply in my feelings that I wasn’t concerned with time, and I knew it was set to begin hours ago. “You didn’t ruin anything, kiddo. You just delayed it,” he tells me, smiling down at me. Releasing me from his hug, he grabs my hand and walks back towards my mate. “Prince Seth, I’m glad to finally introduce you to my sister, Molly. Molls, this is my friend, Prince Seth.” Prince? So that explains why the king and queen are here. I swallow my nerves down. “Prince Seth and I did all our physical training together. He’s a good guy, Molls,” he tells me, squeezing my hand for comfort. “Hi,” I say, looking up at Prince Seth. He’s big, the biggest in the room. He's so tall, and his shoulders are broad and strong. As I saw from the window, his hair is dark and nearly to his shoulders, but he has his mom’s light blue eyes. I know I should say something more, but this situation feels intimidating. “Hi,” he returns with a kind smile and reaches out his hand to me. I release my brother and place my hand in his. He surprises me by bringing my hand to his lips and placing a gentle kiss on it. “It’s so nice to finally meet the famous Molly I’ve heard so much about.” Everyone is watching me, and I feel even more uncomfortable. I wish I could take their attention off of me. “Umm, maybe we should get the ceremony started soon.” “We should get ready to start the ceremony soon. Why don’t we head down and give Molly and Seth a few moments alone,” my dad suggests as he stands and walks over to kiss me on the forehead. My mom follows over just behind him and grabs my free hand while she leans in and whispers in my ear. “He’s handsome.” They head to the door with Robbie while King Peter and Queen Audrey meet them there. They all exit with my dad closing the door behind them. I thought I’d feel more comfortable without everyone looking at us, but now that we’re alone, I’m even more nervous. He seems kind. Maybe he won’t be too harsh when he rejects me. “So,” he says, breaking the silence between us, “Your mom thinks I’m handsome.” I can’t help but laugh. I don’t think she meant for him to hear her, but I’m glad he did and that he can joke about it. He leads me over to the sofa in the corner by my hand, which I note he still hasn’t let go of. I sit, and he takes the space beside me. He’s close, and he’s warm. He smells so good, but I can’t allow myself to become too attached. “I’m sorry I ran away earlier,” I tell him, trying to take responsibility for my stupidity. He doesn’t respond. He just continues to look at me. “I wasn’t trying to be rude. I know this is really disappointing for you”, I finish as my voice lowers to barely above a whisper. “Why would I ever be disappointed with you?” he says, and I can see from his face that he appears to be genuinely surprised by my words. Maybe I read this whole situation wrong. All of BOTH our families were up in my dad’s office while I sat in the garden and cried. They must have talked about me. He has to know. “I, uhh...” I don’t know the words to adequately describe what a mess I am, but I try because he deserves to know before he gets stuck with me. “I’m a broken wolf, Prince Seth.” As I pause to figure out how to explain myself, he finally lets go of my hand, but only so he can gently place his finger under my chin to pull my face to look at him. “It’s just Seth to you. You’re my mate- my equal. Never Prince to you, only ever Seth. You’ll be Princess Molly soon and eventually Queen. But you’ll always be my equal.” It’s at that moment that it hits me that Prince Seth isn’t just his name but his actual identity. Being his mate comes with much more that I’m not made for. Little girls dream of being a princess someday, but it’s an absolute nightmare for me. “I can’t be the queen. I’m not even a real wolf. I saw you in the window and thought my family would have told you. I… I’m so sorry.” My chest begins to hurt as the words come out, and I can barely breathe. “You are a real wolf. It’s in your scent. My wolf is sure of it.” “I’m not, though. I don’t have a wolf. I’ve never shifted. I’m not built as muscular. If anything happens to me, I can’t save myself. I’ll be a huge liability.” “No,” he snaps, and I see a flash of anger in his eyes. “You are NOT a liability. You’re my mate. The Goddess made you for me.” “The Goddess didn’t make me for anyone, Seth. No one wanted me,” I say as my voice begins to waiver. This isn’t going how I thought. I never dreamed I’d have to convince my mate I wasn’t good enough. This man keeps surprising me as he grabs me and pulls me onto his lap. “There are people who DO want you, Molly. I want you. Your parents adopted you- they wanted you. Robert always wanted you. He never stopped talking about you during training. You’re different, Molly, but that doesn’t mean you’re not enough and that you’re not wanted,” he tells me as he holds me on his lap. “I think maybe we should talk about this later,” I tell him as I stand up. He lets me but keeps his hands on my hips. “I’ve ruined Robbie’s day enough. We should head downstairs.” “ OK, Molly, we can talk about it later tonight,” he says as he stands. I note that he still hasn’t let go of me as he leans down and kisses my forehead. It’s sweet and makes my heart flutter. “You are wanted,” he says, taking my hand and leading me towards the door. “You’re mine.” Chapter 5 We arrive at the side yard of the house, where the ceremony is to be held in silence. Everyone is seated and ready to begin, and both our seats are in front. Seth holds my hand, leading me forward when I suddenly stop and refuse to continue walking. “What’s wrong?” he asks with concern on his face. “I can’t hold your hand. They can’t know I’m your mate,” I tell him, looking away. He won’t want me tomorrow, or maybe next week it will hit him. I don’t know when, but at some point, he’ll see past the bond and know he can find better than me. I hear him growl, and he steps towards me. He gently grabs my chin and tilts my head to look into my eyes. Seth starts to say something but then stops himself. He’s towering over me, and it’s intimidating, but I feel safe with him. It’s probably just from the bond. “OK, Molly. I won’t hold your hand, but they will eventually find out. You win for now, but we WILL talk about this later tonight,” he says firmly as his eyes flash with danger. I realize I’ve hurt him. I didn’t mean to do that. “I’m sorry. It’s not that I don’t want to be seen with you,” I begin to try to explain. “But you’re the prince. If people know you’ve found your mate, especially that it’s me, word will spread. It will hurt more when you finally reject me if everyone knows.” My voice is barely a whisper as I finish. I feel so awkward and vulnerable. His free hand lands gently on my hip while the other moves behind my head. He leans to place a soft kiss on my temple. “I will not change my mind, but I won’t hold your hand in public for now if that’s what you truly want. We will figure things out tonight.” He releases me and moves his hands to both my hips now. “It’s a full moon. You’ll be expected at the run tonight. It’s not every day a fancy-pants prince graces Lunar Falls with his presence,” I half-joke with him. “And where will you be? You can’t be alone.” “I usually lock myself in my suite. It’s by the kitchen in the basement and right across from the safe room, just in case.” “Alone?” Seth asks me, concern evident in his voice. “I’ve lived my whole life without a wolf. This isn’t my first full moon. Sometimes, I stay with the young kids who aren’t old enough to shift, but I just want to be alone tonight,” I tell him with complete honesty. “We have a few hours until we need to worry about that. Go on and take your seat. I’ll follow behind in a moment,” Seth tells me. He releases me but quickly reaches out and squeezes my hand. Honestly, he seems like a really nice man. I’ve caused him more headache today than I’m worth, so I do as he told me and head down the aisle to take my seat. My dad is sitting on his Alpha throne on the stage. Mom stands behind him, and Robbie is beside him. Since it’s the passing of the Alpha, no other family members are on stage, and I’ll be sitting alone. As I’m walking to my seat, I hear the whispers start. I’ve gotten used to it from my own pack- and they all know I got the wolf hearing. These guests, though, don’t seem to know. “That’s the wolfless one that Alpha Bardulf found and adopted.” “I heard she’s human.” “Do you think I could make her my whore? She looks too good to go to waste. Too bad she’s not a wolf.” And with that whispered comment, I feel overwhelming anger, but it’s not mine. It’s not like I haven’t heard these kinds of comments before. I realize then that I’m feeling Seth’s emotions through our bond. I know I can’t turn around and look at him. I look up and see my brother coming straight to me in a hurry and my dad with a murderous look on his face. Robbie reaches me and, to my surprise, continues past me to a younger-looking man sitting where I had just walked past. He grabs him by the collar of his shirt and lifts him. “You would do well to remember she’s the daughter of an Alpha,” Robbie tells him, releasing him unceremoniously back into his chair. By this time, my brother’s new Beta and Gama are headed to us. I can feel Seth relax some, though he is still very mad. George, Robbie's Beta, offers his arm to me and escorts me to the front row to be seated beside Queen Audrey. We both bow our heads to her and King Peter. She stands up and, to my surprise, pulls me into a hug and kisses my cheek. “You look stunning, Molly Dear,” She says loudly while she releases me but holds my hand as we sit down and squeezes it. It would seem that everyone in the room heard the comments. I smell Seth as he gets close and realize I’m in his seat beside his mother. I stand to move, but he shakes his head and motions for me to sit back down where I was. The pack elder stands and walks up to my dad and Robbie. He welcomes everyone, and as he begins, I feel Seth’s arm come up and rest behind my shoulders. He rests his hand on his mother's shoulder beside me. Queen Audrey smiles at Seth before returning to my dad and brother. The ceremony is beautiful. I know today is hard for my dad, handing over his pack to someone else, even if it is his own son. Robbie will do well. His Beta, Delta, and Gamma are all great guys and will do what’s best for the pack. The Elder instructs everyone to stand as Dad stands, and Robbie finally sits on the pack throne, officially becoming Alpha Robert of the Lunar Falls Pack. As I stand, I feel Seth bring his arm across my shoulders and back before completely releasing me, leaving me suddenly cold and alone. I’ve avoided acknowledging the bond thus far, but after feeling Seth's anger and loneliness at the lack of his touch, it’s really hard to ignore that it’s there. Everyone in the room is looking at my brother, so I take a chance and reach my left hand over just enough to find Seth’s as he wraps his around mine and gently squeezes it. He’s so comforting, and I begin to think that maybe we can make this work. My parents start to descend the stage, and I realize now that people may look our way, so I reluctantly release his hand. Robert sits on the pack throne with his men behind him and releases his first howl as Alpha, causing all but the royal family and present alphas to bow their heads and bare their necks in submission. I notice that I’m not affected, but I always respond to my dad’s Alpha commands. Seth has noticed because he leans over slightly and explains in the lowest of whispers in my ear. “You’re the mate of a royal. Alpha commands won’t work on you anymore.” It definitely wasn’t what I expected him to say, and I suddenly feel more uncomfortable about the situation. The ceremony is complete, and as we stand to leave, I realize my being between Seth and the King and Queen has complicated our exit now. Typically, the new Alpha would exit first, with everyone after in order of hierarchy, but since the Royals are here, they must exit first. As they turn to leave first, King Peter turns back to us, “Seth, why don’t you escort sweet Molly out? I’m sure our new Alpha Robert won’t mind.” He turns to Robbie, who smiles. “Of course,” he agrees easily, but not without shooting a look at the guy he mildly assaulted just 40 minutes before. Seth steps before me and offers me his arm while wiggling his eyebrows. “My lady.” I honestly can’t help but giggle at his face. I catch my mom out of the corner of my eye and she’s simply beaming at the entire interaction. I take Seth's arm with my hand, and he reaches his other hand over to place it on mine. It’s warm, and the bond sparks with excitement over our contact. We walk out behind his parents. Once we reach the end of the aisle and out of view of everyone, my brother reaches forward and grabs Seth and me. He leans forward behind us and tells Seth, “Watch your hands, bro,” with a smirk. “Oh, I will absolutely be watching where they go,” Seth returns to Robbie, and for a moment, I think my brother might actually lose control of his wolf. “I’m joking, Rob. I’ll always take care of her.” The sincerity in his voice touches me. He barely knows me, though. It’s an empty promise, but he’s trying. With the ceremony over, it’s almost time for the reception. Hopefully, my actions earlier and the delay haven’t hurt the dinner service too much. I know I’m not supposed to be in the kitchens today, but Dad has already sent me down once, and it would look terrible on the pack if things didn’t go smoothly. I make up my mind and decide to head down. “Seth, I need to go down to the kitchens and make sure things are ready. I’ll meet you in the dining room once they’re settled,” I tell him, and his brow furrows. “I’m the head chef for the pack, and while my sous chef is handling everything since this was a family gathering, I’d feel much better if I could ensure everything is ready, and they don’t need extra hands,” I continue, realizing I’m unsure if he even knows I’m a chef. “I can come with you if you really need to. I don’t want to leave you.” “I’ll be fine, honestly. It’s just my staff down there, and you met Oliver earlier. I’ll be fine and head up once they’re all ready.” “Molly, you’re the future Queen now. You don’t have to work anymore,” he tells me, and I know he’s trying to be kind, but that hurts. “I’ve never been required to work. I had to convince my dad to let me have this job. I enjoy it. It’s how I’m able to contribute to my pack,” I explain, but I realize that in my hurt, I’ve said more than I meant to. I have complicated feelings about my role in this pack, and I didn’t mean to start telling him about them. “I understand. At least let me walk you to the kitchen so I know you’re safe, please.” I know his request is genuine, and he wants me to be safe, but with more people leaving the ceremony and coming around, I don’t want anyone to see us together. I nod at him but release his arm. “It’s this way,” I tell him, and I start walking toward the service stairs. I can feel his irritation at me for releasing his arm through our bond, but I continue, and he doesn’t say anything. We reach the bottom of the stairs when he suddenly grabs my arm and sniffs the air. He sniffs again, pushes me against a door, and sniffs my neck slowly. His body is pressed against mine, and his breath is hot against my skin. He’s so close and towers over me. His scent has enveloped me, and I’m beginning to feel completely overwhelmed. “Everything down here smells like you,” he finally tells me. ”It’s so strong.” “Oh, uhh, yeah. I spend all my time down here. The kitchen is down that hall, and my office is there. The door behind me is the one to my suite.” I tell him. “Show me, please,” he says, and I consider it momentarily. He’s so close, and it’s making my heart race. He pushes himself against me the slightest bit more and kisses the spot on my neck where his mate’s mark would go. Chapter 6 I almost cave and let him in, but we’re too close to think clearly, and I need to tell him the endless list of problems we have with being together. “Later,” I whisper because it’s as much as I can squeak out with him so close. It’s intoxicating. He takes a deep breath as he pushes his weight off me, but he still stays where he is, towering over me. “Later,” he whispers back to me while we both take a moment to regain our composure. “Are you ready?” he asks after a moment, and all I can do is nod. He steps back and waves his arm, motioning for me to go in front. I walk to the kitchen door with him behind me before I turn to him. “Thank you for walking down with me.” “You’re welcome. Are you sure you’ll be up for dinner?” “Yeah, Dad will drag me up there if I try anything,” I tell him, and he smiles. “Good. I can’t wait to see you again,” he says, grabbing my right hand and bringing it to his mouth for a kiss. ---------- “I’m surprised you weren’t in here sooner,” Oliver says with a smirk as I step into the kitchen. “I can’t believe you’re making another appearance. Don’t you trust me?” he says, faking hurt. “Oh, Oliver. You know that I don’t,” I respond jokingly and stick my tongue out at him. “How was the ceremony?” He asked. “It was an Alpha Ceremony. Nothing amazing, kinda boring, there’s a new Alpha.” “Oh really? Because I heard our dear Alpha Robert punched an Alpha visiting from another pack.” “Umm, technically, that happened before, so he wasn’t Alpha Robert… yet,” I tell him with a smirk. “And it wasn’t exactly a punch.” “You want to talk about WHY Robbie punched people you walked by just before being named the Alpha?” I sigh. “You know how it is being me. Someone always says SOMETHING.” I’m exhausted from the day and don’t want to think about anything. “So, how is dinner? Can I help out?” “Molly, I’m capable of running this.” “I know, I know you are. I’m here to help if you need me. I’m not taking over for you.” “I think we’re good. Honestly, someone decided to delay the dinner a few hours while they were running away from their very attractive mate, which gave us more time to prep. I assume you’re not ready to talk about that?” he questions me. “No. Maybe. I don’t know. It’s just so much to take in. I think tonight is the first full moon I’m glad to be left out of.” “If you want me to stay with you to talk, just let me know. I don’t mind.” “I appreciate it, Oli, but I need some time alone just to think. It’s been overwhelming.” “You’re really not going to mention that your mate is the prince?” “Nope. I’m not ready to even think about that. It just complicates things even more. I don’t know why he hasn’t already rejected me,” I tell him, looking around. Everything appears to be going very well for my brother’s dinner. “Molls,” Oliver says to get my attention while I’m looking around the kitchen and sighs, not saying what I know he wants to. “Why don’t you sleep in tomorrow, and I’ll handle breakfast.” “I’d hate to do that to you. There’s a lot of people with all the visitors staying tonight.” I tell him, feeling guilty about throwing a second meal service on him. “Honestly, I’d appreciate the chance to show our new Alpha that I can fill your shoes. When you’re marked, you’ll be moving with Prince Seth, and I want to prove that I can handle this.” I hadn’t considered leaving with a mate- ever. Seth will come to his senses at some point and finally reject me, but Oliver is right. He’s not had many chances to prove himself as head chef. I know he’s capable, and he deserves the chance to show Robbie that, too. “Ok, Oliver. Breakfast service is yours. And if, by some miracle, Seth doesn’t reject me, I’ll put in a good word with the Alpha- though I don’t think you have anything to worry about,” I tell him with a small giggle. It’s weird to think my brother is the Alpha we’re talking about. I turn to leave but have an idea for tomorrow. “I’m just going to check and see if we have the stuff to make something tonight during the run, and then I’ll leave.” “Thank you,” he says. “I promise it’ll be amazing. You should change and show the prince all the reasons he shouldn’t reject you. Go put on something sexy and wow him.” I turn to the pantry to check for the ingredients I’ll need. I look around and then move to the fridge and verify that everything I need is on hand before I turn, walk out the door, and head down the hall to my suite. I’ve worn two dresses today, and neither of them was really my choice. It’s been a long day, and I decide to do as Oliver suggested. I walk in and go straight to my closet, looking around. I find a dress that I love and while it’s probably a little bit too formal, I decide to go with it anyway. I head to my bathroom and pull my hair back so it’s finally off my shoulders. I put on a little more makeup to darken my eyes just a tad more and switch from nude to a red lip. The dress is an off-the-shoulder black satin dress in a mermaid cut. It’s basic but classy and feels much more like how I would usually look. I pull out some black strappy heels and look at myself in the mirror. I realize I need to put on a necklace and select one that was handed down from my mom, that was her mom’s. It’s a white gold necklace with just a lot of diamonds, but it dresses up the dress that’s so plain. I look in the mirror, and it’s perfect. I look and feel like myself, and my parents will still be pleased. But then the thought comes that I wonder what Seth will think. With a sigh, I stop just a moment to think about everything that has happened today. I never actually thought I’d have a mate, but if I did, I was sure they would reject me on the spot. I was prepared for it. Instead, I have a mate who is a prince and has not given any indication that he plans to reject me. He hasn’t thought things through, though. He has a wolf, so what he’s feeling from our bond is probably stronger than what I can, and it’s a lot. I don’t have a wolf, and I can’t shift. The only wolf I can mind link is my dad, and it’s probably only because he’s the Alpha or was. I’m not built like a wolf. What if I can’t get pregnant with the heir to the kingdom, or worse, what if I can’t carry a wolf pregnancy? The entire wolf kingdom will surely not accept me and probably wouldn’t accept Seth as King for keeping a broken wolf as a mate. He does seem kind, though. I’m not sure what he was told about me before I made it to Dad’s office, but he’s friends with Robbie, so he has to know a lot. He’s reassured me a few times today that he won’t reject me. He called me “his” earlier, making my heart flutter with hope. And the way he was pressed against me in the hall was more than I could have hoped for. I sigh. There’s not much I can do now, and I need not worry about it. I am who I am, and while he’s given me some hope, I don’t want to have my heart crushed when he realizes I’m no good. I will have to go with it and see what happens. It’s out of my hands. And with that, I decide to head upstairs and find my family. And maybe my mate. I still don’t want the whole kingdom to know, but I enjoy being near him. As much as I try to ignore it, the bond is still tugging at me to get close to him. I reach the door to the dining room and can hear that everyone is already inside. I crack it and slowly slip in, hoping to go unnoticed, which I don’t need to worry about since everyone is walking about mingling and hasn’t been seated yet. I see my mom across the room and head towards her. I haven’t been able to spend time with her since meeting Seth. I just need her hugs. “Hi, Mom,” I say as I approach. “Oh, Molly. You changed clothes. You look lovely!” she tells me, genuine in her compliment. “You look stunning,” I hear from my side and see Queen Audrey as she approaches me. “That lip color suits you.” I can’t help but glow a little as not only the queen but also my mate’s mother complimented me so generously. I remember myself and bow. “Thank you, Your Highness. I feel more myself with the red.” I should have stopped there, but I never know when to quit talking until it’s too late. “Truthfully, I don’t wear much makeup.” “Oh, really, dear? Because you wear it so well.” “I appreciate that,” I tell her. “I don’t wear it often, but my mom taught me well.” “How are you doing, dear? I know it’s been a pretty exciting day for you,” Queen Audrey asks me. “I’m ok, Ma’am. I’m looking forward to some time alone tonight to think about everything while you all go for the run,” I tell her honestly. My mom realizes I’m not quite sure I’m ok and comes to my side to wrap me in a hug. “I’m sure it’s been a bit overwhelming, finding your mate and realizing he’s so damn attractive,” and that’s just what I needed to calm me some. I start giggling, and with the stress of today, I just can’t stop. I smell him and then feel his hand on my lower back. He comes to stand on my other side and pulls me to him. “What’s so funny?” Seth asks me. “Just some girl talk,” Queen Audrey smiles at him, probably to be sure I wouldn’t tell him my mom was drooling over him. Again. Seth releases me, and I suddenly feel sad, but he steps forward, hugs his mother, and kisses her cheek. He releases her and turns back to me, grabbing my hand. “Take a walk with me?” he asks, and I nod. He leads me outside to the balcony, which is not nearly as crowded. It’s a little chilly, but it feels like a perfect fall night. “You look absolutely stunning,” he says when we stop at the railing. “Thanks,” I respond. “It’s the first dress I got to pick for myself all day.” “It’s perfect, Molly. You're perfect,” he says as he places his arm behind me and pulls me to his chest. “The Goddess blessed me when she made you,” he murmurs into the top of my head. I let myself sigh and just be content for a moment. This feels so perfect. If he rejects me, at least I had this precious moment. “I honestly wasn’t sure you’d be back upstairs,” he tells me. “I take it everything was ok in the kitchen?” “Yeah, all was well. Dinner was going well, and Dad’s cake was still good,” I say, realizing I let the surprise slip. “Don’t you mean your brother’s cake?” he inquires, looking down at me. “I mean, I didn’t check on that one. I assumed they could handle it. But there’s a surprise for my dad, too,” I tell him, placing my finger on my lips, indicating it’s a secret, and he smiles at me. “I’m going to skip the run tonight. My parents will be there. That will be enough for the people,” he tells me, and I realize that he’s worried about me being alone. “Umm, I have plans tonight now,” I tell him nervously, and he raises an eyebrow at me. I can tell he’s not happy, so I try to explain. “Sorry, it’s nothing exciting. I’m going to lock myself into my suite and bake. It helps me relax and think clearly.” “I’m worried about you being alone.” He tells me. “I know. Being around someone with a broken wolf is new for you, but it’s been like this my whole life. Do you think my dad would leave me here alone if he didn’t think I was completely safe?” I ask him, and I can tell he’s considering it. “Please don’t miss out on something that would make you happy just for me. I’ll feel terrible if you do.” “But what if something happens to you while we’re all out?” he asks, and I realize there are things he doesn’t know about my situation. “I can mind link my dad and maybe my brother now that he’s Alpha. I promise I’ll reach out if anything happens,” I promise, and I can see him relax. “OK, but make sure your dad knows I’ll always be near him,” he says, and honestly, the thought that he cares enough to do that but still respects my decision warms my heart. “I will. And thank you,” I tell him, pulling him down towards me and kissing his cheek. He growls and rests his forehead against mine. “Aren’t you worried someone will see?” he asks me teasingly, but I can tell he’s serious with his inquiry. “A little, but I’m trying,” I tell him. We stand like that for a while- alone in the quiet. “If we stay like this much longer, everyone will be able to smell me on you,” he points out. “It’s OK,” I whisper to him as I break the contact with our foreheads, but only to lean into him. I reach into his jacket to embrace him, resting my head against his chest. He lowers his chin to the top of my head. The bond is so calm yet still strong. Somehow, though, it is tugging at me for more. We stay just like that until they announce for everyone to take their seats for dinner. “Do you want to go in before me, and I’ll follow again?” he asks me, and it’s so kind and considerate of him. “No, I don’t think I do,” I tell him as we finally separate, but I place my hand inside his. He looks down at our hands and then up at me. “Are you sure? People will definitely see.” “I know,” I tell him. “I’m trying to trust you. I’m trying to be brave.” He beams at me with the biggest smile and leans over to kiss my head before squeezing my hand and leading me into the ballroom. .... Open the app and continue reading the rest of the story . 👉(It will automatically jump to the book when you open the app)
"Congratulations, Parker," I forced a smile. "I see you've found your Goddess-Gifted Mate." He nodded. "I have. We need to talk." "Why?" I shot back. "I already know what this is—I was chosen just to be rejected by you." I'd known from the start I wasn't his fated mate, and this day had been coming. "Just reject me, Parker. I'll accept it." I said, no emotion in my voice. Eight years ago, I was sold to him. Our bond never grew, never flourished like it should have. The only time we were together was in bed. He stayed silent, staring at me. I shook my head slightly. "I'll do it, then." I said. "I, Belladonna Harrington, reject you, Alpha Parker Hartly, as my Mate." I saw his eyes widen, disbelief flashing across his face. "Accept it," I gasped, clutching my chest. "It hurts, Parker." His frown deepened, then he stood up. "I, Alpha Parker Hartly, accept your rejection. You are no longer my Mate or Luna." Our bond shattered, and I felt it—severed completely. I gasped, my chest aching. He gripped his desk, eyes fixed on me. "Go claim your Goddess-Gifted," I said, voice strained. "And you?" He asked, his voice softer, almost concerned. "I'll be fine." I wasn't his anymore. And for the first time, I was free. --- Part 1: Null & Voided Belladonna Bella stood in the shower in the Luna’s suite, allowing the warm water to wash over her. She was pleasantly exhausted, Parker had left her suite; he was off to a mating ball in another state. She had four days now, where he wasn’t going to be there inside the pack. She was his Luna; had been for eight years now, but she was bound to him not by her choice, had been chosen for him by her own Alpha and Luna; just to get rid of her, and she knew it. She was the youngest child of her father, and unwanted and shunned; a bastard child not born of his Mate bond, and that was why she was hated by the Luna in her home pack. This allianced mating, that she’d been bound to at just 19 years of age. It was, she believed, her father’s Luna’s way of getting rid of her from their pack, once and for all. The only solace she had was that there was a detailed mating alliance. That did not allow for Parker to bring harm to her. Parker came to her room, the Luna’s suite every other night to bed her, and though the sex was good, more than good, damned near on amazing at times, she had to admit, because he wasn’t just a man that came and took what he wanted. No, he was a man that enjoyed sex, enjoyed knowing he pleased the woman in his bed, even if she had been sold to him. Parker could spend hours in her bed, touching and tasting her, sometimes all night long. He was not a terrible Mate to her, but he was indifferent most of the time. She had been given to him to stop a war between their two packs, had been Marked and Mated by him, taken as his Chosen Luna, with full view of rejecting her one-day down the line. She didn’t actually mean anything to him. He didn’t love her, and she didn’t love him. She could enjoy him being in her bed because of the Mate Bond, enjoyed it a lot, and had been known to scream with pleasure at him having his way with her. He could be utterly insatiable at times, and a part of Bella craved him; as his Mate she loved his every touch. She actually enjoyed her heat when it came, just once a year, spent seven glorious days being mated by him, and the sex; all rough I’ve just got to have alpha-blooded needs on the surface. Screamed in utter bliss that week multiple times a day and half all night, but it was the only time he never got out of her bed and slept in his suite. Every time always ended the same way. The moment he couldn’t scent her heat anymore, he was up and gone from her suite. Eight years of it; nothing had changed for him. Just three days ago, her heat had ended, and he’d left in the middle of the night. She’d not even known, she had been exhausted by them mating furiously that last time, and she had slept like the dead. Then she'd woken up on her own because her heat was over. This morning, him in her bed for a few hours before the sun rose. It was because he was going away for a mating ball and would be gone for four days. The pack he was visiting was in another state, 12 hours away, unaffiliated to him but a good opportunity for his wolves to pair up. There was nothing unusual about him being gone for four days, seeing as how far away that pack was, sometimes it was five full days. That was nice for her, he wasn’t one to tax his wolves, and so they stopped overnight on the way there or back if necessary. Not that he informed her of his doings, she just learned it over the years. Parker didn’t think that he was required to tell her his movements, she was only his Mate and Luna, due to the mating alliance that they had. It didn’t bother her at all, it just meant she had four days to herself this week. He always liked to have sex before he left and when he got back as well, something about he had an alpha-blooded sex drive that he needed to sate on a regular basis. She didn’t argue about it, she had it too, there was no need to either, they both got all the tingly mate bond goodness in that bed of hers. And it was always in her bed. She’d never even seen inside the Alpha Suite; that was not a place for her to be. Bella dressed for the day and headed downstairs, to get herself some breakfast, where she saw him and his unit all heading across the foyer and out the front door of the packhouse to leave. He nodded to her, but never said goodbye to her. No one here thought anything about it, they all knew she had been given to him. Was not his Goddess-Gifted Mate. Though the pack here was nice to her, they didn’t treat her badly at all, that had been a surprise to her, and she herself was nice to all of them. She actually liked the pack, and it seemed the pack actually liked her. Looked to her for advice even. She did her Luna duties as was required of her. She had been sent here against her will, but actually found that she fitted in better inside this pack than her own home pack. She had respect here from this pack, from Parker to a certain degree, she thought. She’d learned how to be a Luna to this pack, and attended to all of those duties that Parker had tasked her with, when she’d first been brought here. She had even been allowed to study with his pack’s doctor in the hospital, and now, eight years later she herself was a good doctor. Bella specialized in the delivery of pups, and looking after the she-wolves in labour, using her Luna Calm to help them settle when fully distressed, and things got a bit on the hairy side. She’d not lost a single pup or she-wolf in the past eight years of assisting and then delivering on her own. She was a fully registered doctor with this pack, and one day when she left, she would be a doctor for another pack somewhere else. That was the goal. Though what the really crazy thing was, was that six months after she went into heat herself, there was always an explosion of pups within the pack. It hadn’t gone unnoticed by the pack's doctor, her mentor Annette, she shook her head and had stated “It’s you, you know.” They often laughed and joked about it. Annette had already chuckled just yesterday about getting supplies ready for pups to be born in a few months’ time. Bella had just snorted and shaken her own head, they were currently going through that now, that heat she’d had last week was completely unexpected and out of the blue, her second one for this year. Had not been expected at all. Annette’s theory only made Bella shake her head, she thought it was just a coincidence was all. She’d not gotten pregnant once in the past eight years of having a heat once a year. A part of her was glad of it as well, knowing that there was a clause in her mating alliance that stated all pups she had while still bonded to Parker, were to be given to him. When he found his Goddess-Gifted Mate and rejected her, she had to leave them behind for him to raise. They were his heirs. It was not something she wanted to happen. She knew that Parker would make her give them up as well. He followed all his alliance dealings to the letter. She also knew it was a clause he’d written into their mating alliance himself. He wasn’t willing to relinquish any child to her, he would be claiming all of them as his heirs. She might be their mother if she ever birthed any pups, but she had no rights to them; that was how she looked at that clause. She saw him sometimes looking at her, in the weeks after her heat, assessing her, she knew, listening for a heartbeat of a pup. He wanted an heir and she, being Alpha-blooded like he was, their pup would be a pure-blooded heir for this pack. There were no pups, even though she wasn’t on birth control of any kind, he wouldn’t allow it. He was hoping for a pup between them and she knew it. 2 Belladonna Bella thought there was no pup simply because she didn’t want one and her wolf certainly didn’t want one to a Mate that was not her Fated or that was how it felt to Bella. Neither of them were at all interested in having a pup with a Mate that was going to, at some point in time, whether it be in the near or far future, reject them for his Goddess-Gifted when she came along. Why would anyone want to do that when they knew that their Alpha Mate would be sending them away, pretty much just tossing them out of his pack and without their pups, making them sever their kind bond to however many pups they had and loved. No she-wolf she knew would agree with that, it was insane; and neither she nor Freya, her wolf, were interested in that happening to them. Parker had made a few comments over the years about it, and she’d stared at him, stated simply, “Maybe, Selena doesn’t want us to have a pup, Parker.” To which he’d retort, “And maybe you’re infertile.” Sounding a bit on the angry side about it. “Could well be,” she’d nodded at him simply. She’d not taken offense to his words. Though she wasn’t infertile. She’d been tested a few years back along with himself after that very comment. She’d thought he’d gone away and thought about his own words, and maybe come to the conclusion that one of them was infertile. So they’d both been tested at his request, and they were both fine and capable of conceiving a pup, apparently. It just wasn’t meant to be as far as she was concerned, and she was honestly glad of it. Though during her heats, Parker knotted her every time he came, and she him back, liked the bloody feeling of it as much as he did, and she knew it. She understood that being knotted to one's Mate kind of made you feel whole, that it was part of the mate bond as well. He had in fact knotted her this morning, had looked right down at her while still knotted to her and sighed softly, contentedly. She knew he liked the feeling of being knotted to her. All wolves did unless they weren’t their Mate. His blue eyes had looked into her blue ones, and he’d murmured softly as he’d looked down at her, a gentle smile on his face, “An heir would be nice, don’t you think Belladonna.” He hadn’t said it in months, and she’d been a little surprised to hear him bring it once more, she had thought he’d give up on that thought, though the way he said her name softly, almost sounded like he cared at that moment. She knew better though, he never shortened her name like everyone else inside the pack did. He was the only one to call her Belladonna, and she was certain that he did it, to remind himself she was his Chosen Mate. “I guess it would.” She’d answered him. It was all she ever said on the subject of a pup between them. She’d only ever actually said ‘no’ once, and it had set him and his beast off into a fit of rage. She’d not really understood that. He didn’t love her, she knew that. But she’d never dared to say it again. Because his anger over her declining to even think it was a good idea, had filtered into the pack. The pack had been on edge over his foul mood, and she’d seen him stomping around and grating out orders at everyone. He’d been cranky about it for over a week. So now she stated she guessed it would be, instead of telling him no she didn’t want one with him. To save the pack from his temper was all, something he had, but she rarely saw, the pack rarely saw, and she had a feeling he tried not to lose it for no reason at all. The pack did like him, respect him and were happy with him as their Alpha. Sometimes she wondered what that war with her home pack had been all about. She didn’t recall there being a war, perse, there had been a full threat of one, that much she did know. Though her father and Parker had probably not wanted that war and tried everything to stop it before it got started. She’d not been privy to that and during those two days everyone had been sequestered to their homes. Though she did know there had been a wolfen force at the border of the pack. She shook off her thoughts, she didn’t need a trip down memory lane, that was a long time ago. She ate her breakfast in the dining room as she always did, smiled at the wolves in here eating as well. Chuckled as a boy of six climbed up onto the seat next to her and tugged on her arm “Luna, mummy’s going to have her baby today.” “Is she now?” she’d smiled down at him. “Yes, daddy took her to the hospital just a minute ago.” Bella smiled at him “Are you excited to meet your little sister Franky?” she asked him. “Yes.” He smiled big up at her “Aunty Becky is watching me.” Bella looked up to find Rebekah his aunt walking this way. She was heavily pregnant herself. “Daisy just went into labour, Luna.” Rebekah told her as she walked over to her. “I just heard; Franky’s excited.” She ruffled his blond hair. “How are you doing today, Becky?” “Alright, will you be going to the hospital soon?” Becky asked. “Yes, right after breakfast. Everything will be fine with your sister; I’ve not lost a pup yet and am not about to start today.” She reassured Becky. Bella had gone into heat six months ago. This was going to be a busy week here inside the pack. Her last heat had been very unexpected. Had come in the middle of the night, out of nowhere and Parker had not been in the pack for it either. That first night had been agony locked in her suite, unable to sate the needs from her heat. But he’d come back in short order, when he’d been informed she was in heat, and she’d been on him the moment he’d walked into her suite, practically ripped his pants off him and shoved him down all alpha aggression, and she ridden the hell out of him with all she’d had right by the suites' entry door. He hadn’t cared, had enjoyed it himself, enjoyed all her heats while they lasted. He got to have sex for hours every day and half the nights as well, it was all rough and raw, both their alpha-blooded needs in full swing. They were both very aggressive about getting what they wanted during her heats. It was kind of unavoidable, she thought. Just their bloodlines. She pulled herself from her thoughts and made her way to the pack’s hospital, pulled on her scrubs. Today she was wearing soft blue scrubs with sloths all over them; she thought they were cute. The pack hospital had, had a uniform when she’d arrived in this pack, black scrubs, she’d gotten rid of them, thought they were very unfriendly, and some of the pack’s children who’d never been in the hospital before had shied away from the nurses and doctors on their first visit. Now all the nurses and doctors wore fun scrubs with patterns all over them, some even tailored them to the seasons. It had helped the children relax and be comfortable. They did have a standard uniform for after war or pack attacks, when their wolves were grieving the loss of loved ones. Simple respectful scrubs that were mint green and white. Despite being brought here as a Chosen Mate and Luna, Parker did expect her to attend all Luna duties, and she did them well. He couldn’t fault her on that. He didn’t have any complaints, and had actually told her she made a good Luna to his pack. That had been just a few years back. She’d just smiled and nodded, accepted the compliment from him, they were few and far between, had told him in return, “I like the pack members, they’re nice to me.” and they were. "I'll always do my best for them, Parker." The Lustrous Moon was a much nicer pack to her than her home pack had been. 3 Belladonna It was a long four days inside the pack. Bella had delivered 17 pups over those days, she had lived inside the pack hospital itself, slept in her office, on the couch in there so she didn’t have to make the trip from the Luna suite to the hospital, which took 20 minutes at a casual stroll, it was closer to the pack's town than the packhouse, and she understood that was because it had been built to cater to the majority of the pack who lived in the town not the packhouse. Parker was due home today around lunchtime, and she knew that the moment he was finished initiating his new pack members into his pack, and allocating them homes if they needed it, he was going to want to go right to her room and have sex. He couldn’t go more than two days without sex on any normal given week here inside the pack. With the exception of that one week, he'd been angry. He'd stayed away from her that week; not brought his anger into her bed. But when he had crawled into bed, Goddess she'd never thought he was going to stop eating her out. Gotten multiples from him, several in fact, before she fallen asleep and woke up alone. This was how it had been for the past eight years. She, however, was actually very tired today, exhausted, she would say, had pulled an all-nighter last night and had yet to get any sleep. Bella had delivered three pups in the past 7 hours, and Annette had delivered two herself. Bella had received a text from him just as she was sitting down at her desk in her Luna's office, “I’ll be home in a few hours.” It had read. Bella had frowned down at it, a little confused as to why he’d sent it. He’d never done that before. She shook it off, likely he was just letting her know that he expected them to get naked in her bed when he got home, because he wanted to have sex. It had been four days. Well, it wasn’t going to be like that today. She had many things to do this morning herself and was too tired for sex; he’d have to understand. She was in all likelihood going to be in the Luna’s office when he crossed the pack border as well, because she had to now sit down and register all of those pups with the pack. Get their parents' files all up to date as well; having to register all 17 pups took time, and she didn’t make mistakes. It was going to be a long day, and she’d probably sleep like the dead after Parker had his way with her at some point later in the afternoon. She sighed as she sat in her chair, staring at the computer screen in front of her, her eyes kept drooping and she micro napped a few times, was fighting off sleep that she desperately needed and she knew it. She got up and looked at the time. It was just on 8am. She could sleep for two hours and then pull on her alpha-bloodline after that, to get her through the rest of the day, until she turned in for the night, she would go to bed early and she knew it. She set herself an alarm on her phone and crashed out on the couch in the Luna's office. Woke up and stretched and got coffee, when her alarm went off, she was still tired but could function at least. Returned to her job of documenting the births of those pups, and the condition of the mothers. She hissed as pain shot through her left arm, almost felt like someone had stabbed her and dragged a knife up her arm. It only lasted a few seconds, and she rubbed her arm and shook it off. It was odd, to say the least. Never felt that happen before. She finished documenting those pups, attached their baby pictures to the files and smiled at each one of them, she did love babies, they were so cute. All her life she’d been in a pack hospital. Her mother had died in childbirth, and she’d been raised by her grandmother, a nurse in her home pack, she’d never really had any friends, not being that she was her father’s bastard daughter, not even her half siblings liked her. Bella had learned to stick close to her grandmother, and she herself had worked in the pack hospital from a young age, become a runner for those that worked there, dashing off to get things they needed. Then she had started working in the hospital at 16, had dropped out of school altogether. It was not fun for her in that school, she got bullied by her half siblings all day long. She’d had one a few months older than she was, and she was in all her classes. Her father had not cared that she’d dropped out of school at all, he’d also never sent her off to Alpha College, she wasn’t a legitimate heir so didn’t need to go. She’d never asked to go either. She never went into the packhouse for anything, just tried to be invisible to that pack. Her father may have claimed her as his kin, but she was not part of the Alpha’s family, though she didn’t think Parker knew that. She was in fact hated by all of her siblings; the Luna especially hated her existence. Bella kind of understood that. She’d learned at a young age her conception had seen the packs Luna be in agony with the pains of betrayal. Though her grandmother had told her once, it wasn’t as it seemed, and not to believe that her mother was a mistress, she’d not been, hadn’t wanted to be bedded by her father, the alpha of that pack. She’d hadn’t had a choice about it, but then in the next breath she’d stated don’t blame your father either, he didn’t really want to bed your mother. It had confused her a lot. If neither had wanted it, how had it happened? Bella pulled herself from her thoughts as her tummy rumbled, and she got up to go and have lunch. It was midday and Parker wasn’t back yet, though she didn’t think it would be far off at all. He’d text her at 7am, a few hours. She shrugged, likely they’d all stopped for food somewhere. She was just returning to her office when she felt him come back into the pack, and he mind-linked to her near instantly, “Belladonna, meet me in the foyer.” He stated and cut the link before she could even reply to him. She was actually in the foyer now, so took up a seat with some of the pack’s kids and watched them play a board game. They all smiled up at her, and she smiled back at them, helped that youngest one out a bit. She looked up as Parker walked into the packhouse, and there was a woman walking next to him, quite tall, almost as tall as he was, though Bella noted she was wearing stilettos, they clicked loudly on the tiled floor as she strode along next to Parker. She looked more than annoyed to Bella. Bella stood as was expected of her to greet him when he came home, and watched as the woman looked right at her now as well, then there was just anger in those eyes of hers. Bella saw her take a full step closer to Parker and try to reach out and curl her hand around his forearm. Parker frowned down at her and brushed it away. “I’ve explained this to you Carina,” he stated flatly “No touching at this time.” There was more anger welling off the she-wolf now, and Bella understood right away, Parker had found his Goddess-Gifted Mate at that mating ball and though he would want to claim her for himself. He couldn’t, not until he’d rejected Bella. It was part of their mating alliance. “Axel, please take Carina to get some lunch.” Parker addressed his Delta, and motioned for them to move on passed him. His eyes moved back to her after Axel walked Carina off, “Belladonna, my office please.” He stated casually, and turned and walked that way himself. “Yes, Parker.” She answered him simply, she knew what this was all about, it was time for him to reject her, so he could go and claim his actual mate. 4 Belladonna She wondered just how much he was struggling right this minute, not being able to claim his Goddess-Gifted. How much had he struggled on the full moon when scenting her out and then coming face to face with her? Scenting her out knowing he couldn’t claim her, having that she-wolf see that he was already marked and mated by another, Bella bet that woman, Carina, she’d heard her name was, had been very confused by that. Likely been very angry about it, from what she’d just seen, clearly she hadn’t liked it at all. Ah! That stabbing pain in her arm earlier in the day, it was likely Carina had touched Parker, and as brief as it had been, she’d felt it, that had been pains of betrayal. That full moon night wouldn’t have been fun for her, and then the overnight stay in a hotel, and the long drive here to the pack. That she-wolf was more than ticked off about not being able to claim what was hers, but Parker, she knew, was a stickler for the rules. Which was a good thing for her, otherwise he could have treated her terribly over the years, and he could have marked and mated that she-wolf on the full moon, if he wasn’t a man of his word; something that she knew he actually was, and she was thankful for, because it would likely have killed her if he’d done that. She excused herself from the children and headed into his office, followed his Beta and Gamma. She heard the door being closed by Kane, the pack Beta. “Congratulations, Parker.” She smiled, genuinely happy for him. “I see you found your Goddess-Gifted Mate.” He nodded to her, “I have.” He stated as he sat down behind his desk “so we need to talk, you and I.” He looked right at her now. “Why?” she asked right back “I know what this is, I was chosen, just to be rejected by you.” she knew that was the truth, wondered if her old Luna wanted her to know that and feel it. Punish her for being born by doing this to her. “Just reject me Parker, I’ll accept it.” she told him simply. She had basically been sold to the Alpha sitting before her, she didn’t love him, her wolf didn’t love his either, their bond had never grown and flourished like all others did. It never would, or she didn’t believe that it would. The only time they spent together was in her bed, when he wanted to have sex, or she was in heat. Never did they ever go out for a meal, never had they celebrated their mate bond with each other, she’d not even gotten a Luna Ceremony. She had been announced to the pack the morning after he’d marked and mated her and that was it. She was not his Goddess-Gifted, and only that woman would get all of him, all the things that came with being his true Luna. Parker was frowning at her now, almost with disapproval in those blue eyes of his. He was still sitting there just staring at her, did so for a full minute as though he expected some sort of outburst from her, she thought. She wasn’t going to do that, wasn’t about to pitch a fit or kick up any kind of fuss over this. She stood there and stared right back at him, didn’t really understand why he didn’t just issue that rejection instantly, it was why he’d called her into his office, and she knew it, because he’d brought his Goddess-Gifted home with him. Bella finally raised an eyebrow at him, when he just sat there and continued to stare at her and say nothing. She shook her head a little, “I’ll do it then.” She stated simply, “I Luna Belladonna Harrington, reject you Alpha Parker Hartly as my Mate.” She stated, he’d never given her his name, again something reserved for his Goddess-Gifted Mate only, as was the Alpha Suite. She’d been here eight long years, and the entire time she’d resided in the Luna Suite, again a clause in the mating alliance; put in by Parker himself, she thought. To make sure she understood her place inside this pack, she supposed. She was his Luna and fuck buddy, not the love of his life. She doubted that he had any feelings at all where she was concerned, had wondered at times if he even liked her as a person. They didn’t talk often, so she wouldn’t know. Bella felt the severing of the bond begin on her end and gritted her teeth against it, stood staring at his widened eyes at her sudden rejecting of him. Almost like he couldn’t believe she’d issued it at all, “Accept it.” she gasped out after 30 seconds of him just staring at her “It, hurts Parker. Get it over with, please.” Again, there was that frown on his face, though now it was deepened, then he just stood up and nodded at her, “I Alpha Parker Hartly, accept your rejection Belladonna Harrington, you are no longer my Mate and Luna.” Bella gasped as their bond severed completely, clutched at her chest as she felt him being ripped away from her. Freya's snarl echoed inside her mind at the pain she was feeling. Then there was a pair of hands on her shoulders as she started to buckle under the weight of the pain. She could feel Shannon, the pack’s Gamma, rolling his charm over her to help ease her pain, and she was actually glad that he was there right this very minute. It hurt like a bitch, more than she had thought it would, considering their bond was nothing more than just really good sex. There was no emotional attachment between them, so she'd not expected it to hurt so much. She sank down onto her knees and had to breathe through the feeling of Parkers Mark burning off her neck. It took several long agonizing minutes, and even Shannon's Charm wasn't really helping with the pain of it, though she could feel it being rolled over her the whole time. Her hand reached up to touch her neck instinctively when the mark was gone, no more was the filigree that had adorned her neck for the past eight years, there were just two puncture marks where his fangs had buried into her that first night he’d brought her here to his pack and claimed her. It was no longer sensitive to the touch either, she felt nothing as she touched it where once it had brought desire. Even when she touched it herself, nothing remained right this minute. Her eyes lifted to him, he had a hand tightly gripped onto the edge of his desk, and a fist pressed hard against his chest. He looked to be in as much pain as she was. His eyes were on hers, never left hers at all, not even when she stood herself up and gently removed Shannon’s hands from her, stating softly “I’ll be alright, Shannon. Thank you.” and she knew she would be. “Parker, you should go and claim your Goddess-Gifted, it will resolve your pain quickly.” “And you?” he asked, and it almost sounded to her that he was concerned about her. “I’ll be fine. I understand our mating alliance, and I will follow it to the letter. Kane and I can sort that out. You should go and be with your Mate. She’ll be happy we’re over, and you can claim her, she can finally claim what is hers rightfully by the Goddess.” He was frowning at her now, didn’t appear to understand her reaction to all of this. But she was finally free, released from the contract that had made her just one of his belongings. It’s all she was to him, something he owned. Now she wasn’t his anymore or wouldn’t be in 24 hours; that’s how long she had to leave this pack. She turned to Kane, the pack’s Beta. “If you could meet me in the foyer in say an hour, we’ll finish it off properly, while Parker is marking and mating his Goddess-Gifted Mate.” “Yes Lu… Bella.” He nodded, had almost called her Luna, like he had done so many times before, over the past eight years. 5 Parker For eight years they had been mated to each other, and not once had Belladonna turned loving eyes on him. Not once had she even looked at the Alpha Suite as though she wanted to be in there with him; never had he even seen her glance at it. She just walked on past it like it didn’t exist for her. Belladonna, his mate of eight years, stood before him and still felt nothing for him. She was today wearing a clean set of scrubs. Though they looked a little on the rumpled side to him, as though she’d had a nap in them. It wouldn’t surprise him at all, if she had. She was often up late in the hospital. Slept there some nights when there were a lot of babies to be delivered. Even now standing in his office, he had expected some sort of reaction from her; to him bringing home his Goddess-Gifted Mate. But she’d not even so much as frowned at seeing Carina walk into the packhouse with him or standing there next to him, or Carina trying to touch him in a possessive manner, right there in the packhouse foyer for all to see. Knowing what she was to him, and Belladonna did know it, he’d never walked anywhere with a woman next to him like that before unless it was herself attending a mating ball with him, and Carina, she was all dolled up, to look her best when arriving at the pack. It had taken nearly an hour and a half to get ready in the hotel room this morning, which annoyed him greatly, having to wait for her like that. He had things to do and places to be. Belladonna had said nothing at all about seeing her with him, hadn’t even said anything when he’d sent Carina off with his Delta, and requested Belladonna to come into his office. No, she just politely excused herself from the children she’d been sitting with; likely playing a game with them, he’d seen her do that before on many occasions. He’d never treated her badly, respected her and craved that damned woman’s body more than he’d allowed himself to have her. Had held himself back from her because she didn’t have any feelings for him at all. She didn’t want a pup with him, hearing that had bloody hurt, and he’d been angry about it for a week. They’d been together for five years when he’d bitten the bullet and finally brought it up. He had thought five years of him treating her nicely. Respectfully, and acknowledging her as his Luna would have shown her, they worked well together. Clearly not, and he had not liked the response he’d gotten at all. Even now, he could see after eight years together, that he meant absolutely nothing to her. He couldn’t understand why her side of the mate bond didn’t grow and flourish at all. He didn’t want to issue this rejection, she was an amazing Luna, intelligent, strong and beautiful, had long wavy chestnut brown hair, that right this minute was pulled up in messy bun on top of her head. Because she’d been working in the pack hospital, but it didn’t detract from her beauty at all. Normally she would wear it out, and it fell around her shoulders or down her back in a lovely wavy cascade. She had brilliant blue eyes that could sparkle like the ocean at times and a very kissable mouth. The whole pack liked her, she’d learned everything about all of them over the years, attended to all the Luna’s duties, she was not only his Luna, but was a brilliant pack doctor as well. The woman loved babies, they made her light up from the inside out, and that smiled when she looked down at them; pure joy in her blue eyes. It was infectious the way she smiled. She always had a smile for the little ones. He couldn’t understand why they’d not had pups. She would make a great mother, and he knew it. Their children would be loved and adored by her. He’d not once in the past eight years seen her even raise her voice to a little one, not even a teenager. She’d looked a little exasperated at times, when she got those repeat offenders to her Luna’s office, to be admonished by their Luna for getting into fights, but never did she yell at them. She was a kind soul to everyone. She’d not even argued about being mated off to him, had stood there in her father’s office at just 19 years old, untouched by anyone inside her home pack, he’d taken her virginity, she’d not even known how to kiss. Very unusual for an alpha-blooded female of 19 years of age. She had just stood there in her father’s office and said nothing at all. Not one single word to anyone in that room, as they’d discussed that Mating Alliance, what clauses he wanted, what her father had wanted for her as well. She’d said nothing in his car on the way to this very pack, had sat and stared out the window the entire time. Nothing until he’d initiated her into his pack, until he’d cut his palm and then hers, and pressed their palms together, asked, as her new Alpha, to pledge loyalty to him and his pack. She’d not even really looked at him until that very moment either, just once in her father’s office only. He recalled her that day here in his office, she'd looked at their hands, taken in a long breath and then had just accepted him as her new Alpha. It had been the first time he’d heard her voice. Soft to his own ears even then, he’d put that down to her being unhappy about the Mating Alliance, and he knew she was unhappy. Shannon had told him via the mind-link ‘She’s unhappy, but resigned to it, not going to argue or fight you about Marking and Mating her.’ And she hadn’t. He’d also known she had never been with anyone. Her own father had told him as much, and Shannon had confirmed that, for him, she was nervous about not knowing what to do in the bedroom. He’d been more than experienced, so it wasn’t really an issue, and he’d not Mated her until they’d both marked each other. It would lessen the pain for her and he knew it. He’d also not rushed the job, taken his time and tried to take care of her, bring about pleasure for her, and show her he wasn’t going to be a brute of a Mate, and that he wasn't out to hurt her. Now to hear her congratulate him, it felt very odd to him, and Vex’s ears, which had flattened back against his head and annoyance rolled right off his beast at her words, she actually meant it, it was there in her tone. She was genuinely happy for him, it appeared. Their own Mate confused them to no end. If she’d walked into this packhouse trailing a Goddess-Gifted Mate, he’d likely have tried to take that man's head clean off. Would have been very angry to see another that was getting to touch what was his. But no, she just smiled right at him, the perfectly happy smile she had when she looked at babies, real happiness there on the surface not only for him to see, but to know it was actually for him, she really was happy for him right this very minute; That he had found his Goddess-Gifted Mate. Vex wanted to snarl at her for seeing her so happy about him being gifted to another, but turned and stalked off away to the back of his mind, ‘I’m not voicing it.’ he snarled at Parker and lay down inside his mind to watch her from back there. She’d been mated by his wolf in human form as often as she had been by Parker himself. They were both attached to her and both wanted her. His wolf was annoyed as much as Parker was right this very minute that she could be so bloody happy for them, it was not what he wanted to see from her; not at all. She and Carina were two very different people from what he’d seen so far. Belladonna was the better of the two of them, and he knew it. .... Open the app and continue reading the rest of the story . 👉(It will automatically jump to the book when you open the app)