I question everything now.
I quietly slip from behind my desk and pad over to the door completely barefoot since I didn't bother with socks or shoes this morning. My brother's scent hits me full force when I open the door for him. "Morning Linc."
Lincoln strolls in and slumps down into the couch as I close the door behind us. I share the couch with him, only propping myself up on the other end, and draw my knees up to my chest. My bottom lip is pressed between my teeth as I wait for Linc to say anything. I sit facing him, but he's only giving me his profile by looking straight ahead. I can see his jaw tightening as he focuses on the bookcase on the other side of the office.
"Did you find your mate?" Lincoln looks at me for the first time since he piled in on my couch.
"What?" I ask incredulously. How on earth did he come to that conclusion? I thought back to the night at FANG and couldn't place anything that made it seem as though I found my one and only. My eyebrows knit together as I ask, "Why would you ask me that?"
"The alpha I was talking to when you asked for the keys, Alpha Thorne, he mentioned that you looked like a wolf whose mate was cheating on her. If someone rejected you, I'll kill him." I look up into Lincoln's eyes, and while I hurt inside, I can't help but to smile at him. I know my big brother would do anything to make sure that I was loved and protected. How can I even think of lying to him? I don't want to be responsible for my brother killing his best friend.
I do the only thing I can do to prevent myself from crying, I laugh. In my head, I want to curse Alpha Throne six ways to next Sunday for putting Linc on my tail.
"Linc, I wish I found my mate. I'm sure the wait will kill me all the same. No, that night I was just uncomfortable with the crowd and my shoes were killing me. They were new, and I didn't have enough time to break them in or anything." I note the relief that's on his face and I confirm in my head that I was doing the right thing. Our pack is already without its Luna, to be without the Luna and the Beta would weaken us. Though in the grand scheme of things, it would be easier and quicker to find a replacement Beta if my brother were to kill Julien in my honor.
"That's all, no need to worry about me." I say.
Lincoln looks at me again, this time I keep eye contact with him. I'm afraid if I look away, he'll see the lie through admission. I hate lying to my brother. He already has so much on his plate that my problems feel too heavy to let him bear the burden of.
"I'll always worry about you. You're my little sister. We're in this together." I reposition myself so that I'm sitting next to him and lay my head on his shoulder. His arm wraps around my shoulder and pats it. "No matter who has our back or doesn't, you can count on me to always have yours."
I want to cry with his spoken words. Lincoln has always looked out for me, even when I was being a pain in the ass little sister who trailed behind him wherever he went. He doubled down on that protection when our parents died, only just letting up when I graduated from high school and took on more responsibility to help him out. The tears, however, don't come and I'll be eternally grateful that my body wasn't traitorous enough to betray me as well.
There is a slight knock on the door, and if Lincoln notices my body tensing up at the sound, he doesn't say anything. He does however, look at me when I don't speak up right away.
"Come in," I sigh already knowing Julien is at the door, the scent that I was once obsessed with was wafting beneath the doors.
If I wasn't so angry with Julien, I would have laughed when his eyes widened when he notices Lincoln beside me. Since I'm not one to shirk on what I think is my responsibility to be petty, I quickly open my mouth before Julien or Lincoln can say anything.
"Oh good, I forgot that you weren't around yesterday. You didn't hear the good news! Lincoln, it seems Julien and Natasha marked each other." The anger and sarcasm dripped tick through Lincoln’s voice. Glad to know I wasn’t the only one unhappy with their mating. I shrug my brother's arm from around me and hop off the couch. When I'm behind my desk once again, I finally look up at the two of them in a stare down.
"Hey Linc, before you chew him out for going against your order, I also wanted to make you aware that I'm going to a hotel for the next two weeks." I actually cringe as both alpha and beta swirl their heads to glare at me. Lincoln's eyes, a pair that are so like mine look confused mixed with anger. Julien's look hurt and guilty, but I don't look at his for too long.
"Why on earth would you do that?" My brother asks.
"Because it's the end of my semester and finals are coming up. You know most of my professors catered their courses for an online format just for me. Their only condition was to take midterms and finals in class. For midterms, the travelling was too much for me. The hotel will be near the campus and I'll be able to stay at the library for as long as I want without worrying about the drive back home." I hoped my reasons were enough for him.
"I was planning on bringing both of my laptops, so I'll still be able to work on pack business as needed. And I'll still be in complete communication with you and the pack."
"Two weeks though?"
"I'll have access to the library, and a chance to talk with my professors. It's not a long time frame. I'll still come home on the weekends for training and I'll be here in time for the summit. There's really nothing to worry about."
"You're taking someone with you." I sigh even though I was sort of expecting this answer. Unless he was the one traveling, my brother and I were never separated for long periods of time. And even those rare times that we were apart, he always made sure that there was always someone to watch over me.
"I have no problems with that," I agree to his terms.
"And not Natasha."
"Agreed."
Lincoln looks at me skeptically as if he expected me to argue that she should come with me. I shook my head to warn him off. "Natasha would be a distraction to my studies. And in the worst-case scenario that something was to happen, she's not a fighter. I wouldn't be able to guarantee her safety if I had to defend myself and keep her safe."
Linc raised an eyebrow. Whether it was my sound logic or the fact that he knows good and well that we've all trained for scenarios where we had to defend ourselves against someone defenseless, I can't be sure.
"Point taken. Julien can go with you." My eyes widen just a fraction, but I manage not to glance in Julien's direction.
"No dear brother he can't." I'm willing to play volley with him as long as it takes to guarantee that Julien does not accompany to my mental retreat at school. "You forgot just that quick. Julien is newly mated and his precious one will be going into heat any day now. He can't leave her either. I don't care who you send with me. I'm booking the rooms and leaving tonight. Tell whoever you select to meet me by the garage pool by six." I wave my hand to dismiss them and refuse to watch their departure.
"Move," I hear my brother's deep voice command Julien out of my office. As soon as the door closes behind them, I rush to the door and make sure that it's locked again. I mentally pat myself on the back for coming up with my quick impromptu getaway. While it's true that I do have to take the major tests in class, I didn't actually need to be away from the pack for two weeks. And the drive isn't even that bad, a simple forty-minute drive that is cut down to thirty-five with no traffic. As far as commutes go, it's not bad. But if my fudging of the details gets me away from the pack while Julien is attending to Natasha's needs during her heat, then so be it.
There's really nothing that I need to accomplish in the office, at least nothing that's pressing right at that moment. I do however, grab a few files that I know I'll need in the upcoming weeks, and the laptop that I use for Luna business. Since I committed myself to this trek, I might as well get ready for it.
CHAPTER FIVE
My time away from Willowhaven had been... interesting to say the least. Lincoln called me every day for updates on how I was doing, even though I was positive that he had daily updates from Warren, the warrior that he had escort me for m
y time away. Every time I would look back at him, he was always had his phone in his hand. As far as I knew, Warren wasn't seeing anyone, so my natural conclusion was he was updating my brother.
Unfortunately, our time at school is officially over since I finished my last final an hour ago. Since we packed our bags and checked out of our rooms before leaving for the campus, we left the city as soon as I walked out of the building. And now after riding in the car with Warren, talking about our season eight theories for Game of Throne, I'm staring at the pack house once again.
I grab my bags, and part ways with Warren who lives in one of the outlying houses on pack territory with his older brother and his wife. Although I'm glad to be home, I'm really not looking forward to being here. Natasha started her heat the same exact day that I left home temporarily. I only know this because even if Julien marked her, our mate bond was partially formed thanks to the one brief moment we created together, and I could feel every time he was with her. Thankfully, the only thing that prevented me from feeling as uncomfortable as the night that I found them together, was the fact that they marked each other. Thank the goddess because I don't think that I would even have been able to endure that amount of pain for five days.
I wave to everyone that I see when I enter the house. A few of the teenagers are crowded in the living room playing a video game, and several of the den mothers are sitting in the dining room and kitchen prepping food for dinner later. I smile at all of them and leave my bags at the door, but still hold onto the bag where I keep my work laptop and files.
"Well, you're a sight for sore eyes," Magdalena called out when she saw me approach the kitchen. "How was school?"
"It was good Mags. I'm sure I aced my finals, so I'm all done for the summer." Magdalena was goddess sent when she took over caring for me when my parents died. She was my mom's best friend, and she took her death hard. But when my father passed shortly after, Magdalena stepped in and helped watch over me and raise me while my brother was able to focus mostly on taking over Willowhaven. Growing up, she was like an aunt to me, but she easily became a mother figure for me.
Magdalena had a daughter who was two years older than me, Seraiah, but she was no longer with the pack since she found her mate when she was visiting family in Stoneforest. Since Magdalena's mate died years ago, Magdalena pretty much dedicated most of her time rearing up the pups of the pack. She usually didn't spend a whole lot of time in the kitchen, but when she is there, it usually meant one thing. She was making her famous peach and pecan cobbler with bourbon caramel sauce.
I picked the perfect day to come home.
"I'm glad to hear it. Your brother is out back, getting some last-minute training in with some of the new enforcers. He wanted me to tell you that you guys are leaving tonight, instead of tomorrow morning." Mags could see the irritation on my face, I was sure of it. It's not like I can hide it.
Lincoln knew that today was going to be long for me and is now insisting on adding several hours of travel time on top of it. D.C. is three hours away from Willowhaven and I did not relish the thought that I only had a few hours of reprieve before getting back on the road.
"Great," Magdalena tucked at my lack of enthusiasm. "I guess I'll unpack and repack. No sense in bringing three weeks of clothes for a weekend trip." I had planned on securing my work laptop in the office for the night, but there really wasn't a point since I was going to need it for the summit. "I'll be in my room. If anyone needs me, could you please tell them to just mind-link me?" I ask of my surrogate mother.
"Yes," Magdalena moves closer to me like she has a major secret to tell me. I immediately go on guard and pray that she hadn't figured out that Julien was my mate. I would be humiliated if anyone found out that my mate knowingly chose someone else. Some would see it as there has to be something wrong with me if my mate rejected his goddess given gift for someone else. Others would see the titles behind it; a beta mated to an alpha female but chose someone of lesser ranking, hell, someone without rank within the pack. I'm normally not one to dwell on what others think of me, but the scrutiny would be too much for me to bear.
Yet I know that if Magdalena had figured out the scandal, I could trust her to keep it between herself. She was never one to gossip and everyone in the pack know not to gossip anywhere she was in hearing range. But still, even one person knowing would break me.
"When Alpha Lincoln said you'd be leaving tonight, I knew it would be a tough time for you, with all of the travelling. And also, because I'm proud that you completed your first year of college, I made some of my cobbler. There's one big dish for everyone, but come by my house before you leave, I have a pan just for you." I immediately perk up with her proclamation. I don't intend on sharing any with anyone. I definitely deserve it. Like Mags said, I completed two semesters of school. A celebration in the form of her peach cobbler is needed.
I hug her and tell her that I'd definitely be by her house before we head out for D.C. I grab my bags from beside the door and run up the steps to my room. I don't even look down the hallway where Julien's room is and keep going until I hit my bedroom on the third floor. I can understand why Lincoln would want to leave tonight. Arriving in the evening would allow us time to meet any early arrivals in a less tense setting. It would also let us be rested for the meetings that will take place all day over the weekend. Didn't mean I had to like it.
I take in the solitude of my room, breathing in deep the serenity of the warm scents of lingering oils in the air. I long to lay down in my bed before the daunting task of packing, but I know once I lay down, I'll never want to get up. Might as well get this over with so that I can truly enjoy the rest.
I am so thankful that I had the foresight to have to hotel wash my clothes during my stay. That way I was able to just place them back in the closet or my drawers. For much of the summit, the dress code was business casual to business wear. Judging from the agenda that was included with the invitation, there was some downtime scheduled in which I could get away with wearing jeans and sneakers. I'll pack them just in case, however, seeing as this was my first summit, I didn't want to embarrass my brother nor Willowhaven.
After unpacking, I grab my garment bag and choose several business suits and dresses from my closet. I know I'll be gone for only two days, but there's something about having a choice on certain days that prevents me from just having one outfit per day. I like options when it comes to my fashion. Definitely the main reason I can never pack light.
Keeping my duffel bag, I dump my toiletry bag back in and trade my sneakers for heels in several colors that match all of the dresses I already packed. I also throw in some flip flops and maxi dresses to change into if I need to shift. Lincoln never told me what to expect from the summit, but when I did glance at the itinerary, it did mention a midnight hunt. So, I knew I was going to shift at least one time. However, I haven't shifted in the two weeks that I was at school. My wolf didn't feel quite as antsy right now, but it was only a matter of time before I was going to need to shift.
As soon as I was satisfied with my bags, I set them by the door. It's still early afternoon, so at best I'd have a few hours to relax on my bed. I begin to go over the questions from my exams during the week. I wasn't lying to Magdalena when I said that I was sure that I passed my finals. I knew the material for all of my classes inside and out. However, there was still a tiny nugget of doubt that tried to wrestle its way into my mind that I had missed something. I’m contemplating emailing my professors in all of my classes when there's a knock on my door.
The amount of air that I pushed out from my lungs during a sigh of exacerbation did not surprise me. I contemplate not answering it since I can already smell the sickening scent of my former best friend and I would love to avoid confrontation. But it has never been in my personality to hide from someone. And although I never bit into the belief that there was an aristocracy or an elitist ideology amongst titled wolves, but I'll be damned if I ran and hid from someone who refused to go through t
he warrior aspect of being a wolf.
Hell no.
I open the door and Natasha stands there, mouth open as if she didn't expect me to open my door. I don't know what gave her that impression, especially since I didn't even know why she chose now to approach me.
“What do you want?” I asked roughly.
“Well, we’re going to be going to the summit today and I wanted to see if there was going to be a problem.”
Not a question. I stare at her, not sure what she would want me to say. I won't hold her hand at the summit, and as far as I'm concerned, we’re not even friends. What kind of audacity does someone need to have to expect nothing to be wrong when they were the one who wronged the other party? I was doing so well in dealing with my aggravation towards Natasha and Julien, but she is really testing me right now.
“I just didn't want anything in between us this weekend,” she continued.
The Rejection (Luna of the Pack Series) Page 4