Thorne looks at my brother as he and everyone else makes their way to us and then delivers a smile I'm sure I'm going to regret. "Come home with me." I look at him in shock and horror.
"What? I'm not going anywhere with you!" I whisper yell just as my brother stops at the table.
"Kairi, you missed the meeting I wanted to have before dinner." Lincoln's voice was low and threatening, and I was about to answer him when I remembered his earlier betrayal. I snap my mouth defiantly and stare all the daggers in my mental mind into his eyes.
"Forgive me, Alpha Samuels. I wanted to have a chat with your sister. I figured you spoke to her about the proposal I offered by now and figured she would have questions. Please join us, or if you would like to discuss this in private, I'm actually in the fifth cabin. Right next to yours. We can retreat there. After you eat of course.” Thorne stood up and waved his hand to one of the empty chairs beside me. I hide the smirk at Thorne’s obvious power play. It only furthers my suspicion about the real reason why he would seek my brother out for an alliance he doesn’t need.
“I’ll be back.” Lincoln steps away from the table and walks towards the buffet. Julien and the rest of them follow behind him.
“That’s my cue to leave,” I say to Thorne. I begin to rise up from my seat when Thorne’s voice startles me.
“But if you leave. How do you know I won't tell your brother that you found your mate?” The smile on his face needed to be gone. But he was right, if I left, I’d have to trust that he would keep my confidence. And he knew I don’t trust him, so he knew I’d sit back down. “Good. Now before your brother returns, I want you to come back to Stoneforest with me. As my mate.”
I take a quick look around the room, there has to be hidden cameras trained on me. Or maybe my brother himself was in on this prank. When I see that the only person who is watching me is Thorne, I begin laughing hysterically. Thorne is definitely smoking something to make him so delusional.
"We'll talk about this more sometime this weekend.”
“No, we won’t. I’m not going anywhere.”
“So, what was so important that you had to talk to my sister and not me?” Lincoln returned with two steaks and three baby back ribs on one plate and five dinner rolls on another.
"She brought up my sudden interest in doing business with another pack. I just think it makes sense. You are the only pack that is matched with mine the closest. And our pack lands are right next to each other. The hotel will be a nice addition of profits for the both of us and it creates jobs. And in the meantime, your pack gets my protection and backing. I believe this is what is called a win-win."
Lincoln looked at me and I rolled my eyes at him. Not out of solidarity with my brother. Mainly because I am pissed that I am sitting at a table with two male alphas who think they can manipulate me. With that thought in mind I get up from the table and move to leave.
“Ahh you’re leaving? There are so many things that we can be at liberty to talk about now.” Thorne speaks up.
“Yes,” I look back at him. “And there are some you won’t if you want to gain my trust.” Lincoln looks puzzled, and rightly so. I’m sure he's wondering what it is I would want Thorne to avoid speaking about.
There are no other thoughts in my head as I walk out of the nearest side door that leads outside. The fresh country night air agrees with me and I quickly strip out of my flip flops and maxi dress so that I can shift into my wolf. My first shift was a little over seven years ago and since then, the pain of my bones breaking and moving has dulled to a slight throb. It’s a small price to pay for the power and freedom I feel when I’m in my wolf form. I gather my dress and underwear but decide to leave my flip flops by the door.
The land is unfamiliar to me, so I rely on the scents of the pack to run through the woods. My nose discerns between scents that are old or recently traveled, and I’m quick to avoid those. I just need a place to think. The crescent moon lends some light through the trees and I come across a small river though calling it a river was being too kind. It was more like a creek, but it is big enough for my paws to sink into the bank. Once I am across the river, I hear rustling beneath the brush and my ears immediately point forward. My dress and panties drop from my mouth in anticipation for a hunt.
Prey.
My wolf acts like I didn't just eat a lot at dinner and is definitely intrigued by whatever has caught its attention now. With the wind blowing downwind, I can scent out that it’s a scared little bunny that’s hiding. But my wolf is already interested in pouncing with it. The sudden stillness beneath the leaves alerts my wolf that the rabbit is onto it and is ready and willing to make a run for it. Unfortunately for the rabbit, that’s what my wolf wants it to do.
My wolf has anticipated the forthcoming run, and just as the rabbit darts out from one hiding place, my wolf is quickly on its tail. Almost quite literally. My wolf allows a small sense of security to the rabbit that it’s almost made its way to a new spot, before she swipes the bunny from the ground and paws it into a tree. The poor, but delicious rabbit is too stunned to try to move away from the jaws and sharp teeth of my wolf.
Juicy, tender meat slides down my throat as my wolf eagerly tears into the small fur ball. Ordinarily, I wouldn’t take down something so small as a rabbit, but with the huge dinner I ate, there simply isn’t any room in my stomach for something any bigger.
The air feels different when I return to the riverside where my dress was left, but I can’t place the difference. I shift back into my human form and wash my face of the evidence of my kill in the river. I slip my panties back on, followed by my dress before slipping back to the tree line. My strong arms pull me up to the lowest branch, and I begin my ascent upwards.
My eyes freely close as I inhale more of this crisp air. What am I supposed to do? This is really the first time since I found out I was pregnant, that I had to myself. And now that my brain was still, it would not remain quiet to the storm that was brewing. I hate the fact that the one person I would have leaned on for this exact situation, was part of the reason I was in this situation to begin with.
I never once thought I would be a single mom, but here I am. My mind breezes through the timeline of the gestation period and I am relieved that I should have my baby just before the start of the semester. Even if I leave the pack under the amnesty clause, I would still be able to do all of my classes online like I’ve done the past two semesters. That’ll leave me plenty of time to care for my baby. I sigh, all without Julien knowing about the baby.
In my heart I know that I should tell Julien. But my mind is too focused on the betrayal. Maybe I can tell him, under the condition that he has supervised visits and without Natasha. I’m resolute in this. Natasha will do whatever she deems necessary to keep her hold on Julien, and if that means taking out his first born, then so be it. I will rip her throat out before I allow her anywhere near my child.
A crack of a branch that is beneath the weight of a foot brings me out of my reverie. I open my eyes and stare at the forest floor until my eyes adjust to being open again. Movement down below catches my attention as the offender enters my periphery. I groan when I see who decided to disturb the terse peace I was able to accomplish.
I let my body fall and land on my two feet behind him. “What are you doing here?” I ask Thorne.
“Looking for you.” Thorne turns around and stares at me. There’s a smile on his face not a smirk, and I’m surprised at how handsome he looks in the low light when he’s not trying to be devious.
"Well you found me. Now leave."
"Have you given any thought to my proposal?"
"What? No." Is this guy really serious? He is definitely persistent, I'll give him that.
'But weren't you thinking of leaving the pack.' My wolf speaks up for the first time since finding out that Julien was our mate. And she's right, I was considering leaving the pack, but I never once thought of joining another. Definitely not joining another pack as it's new Luna.
>
"Look, the elders are pressing me because I've yet to take a Luna for my pack. No one from my pack is worthy to help me lead. But I've heard stories about the little stand-in who was helping her brother." I can see that Thorne wanted to say more, but I held up my hand to silence him. I need this time to think and the only way I can think of doing this is to keep him quiet and turn my back to him.
"This is why you decided to randomly offer a joint venture with my brother. To eventually get to me."
"You make it seem so devious, but ultimately yes. I could see that night what was going on, though I didn't know who your mate was until tonight." My eyes snap back up to his as I stare him down. The question I want to ask must be glaring through the windows of my soul because he already has the answer for me. "I saw that idiot of a beta staring at you when you left the cafeteria. It wasn't that hard to figure out, I'm surprised your brother hadn't figured it out."
"I don't blame him," I'm quick to defend my brother even though I am still unequivocally mad at him. However, there was no way I was going to let Thorne, or anyone else for that matter think that my brother was a stupid or oblivious alpha. "I've been away at school since my birthday. I only just got back today, so there has been little interaction between Julien and I."
"What about your mate? I'm not going to be shuffled around because you suddenly find your mate and want to be with her." Instead of assuring me with pretty words like I expect him to, Thorne starts laughing a deep throaty cachinnation.
"Don't worry, little one. You won't have to worry about Vanessa." What the hell? He already knew who his mate was? Why did he need me? "Vanessa is like your piece of shit beta. She chose someone else and is happy with her family. It's been years since she left, that I don't even feel the mate bond anymore."
I nod in understanding. I can't believe that I can admit that I am tempted with this offer. And at the very least, I now know that eventually I won't feel the mate bond either. There's at least a consolation prize to all of this.
"I just have one more question," internally I cringe because I know this one question will tip my hand and let him know that I'm at least considering his proposition. "If I say no, this deal with my brother," I can't finish my question because he does it for me.
"The deal with your brother is still in play. I'm not going to turn down a solid business deal because someone told me no. I keep my personal affairs separate from business. What this deal is between us, is personal."
The air is silent between us, yet there's no tension. Just unspoken thoughts as I consider his words.
"I'm just offering you a chance at a new life. One that's away from your so-called 'true mate.' The offer is good for this weekend only and then I move on. Your decision." I'm stunned when Thorne walks away without another word. Yet, at the same time, I'm grateful that he's not applying a lot of pressure for me to make a decision right away. At the very least, I'd have two days before I have to come to a determination.
I know in the back of my mind, this is probably going to be the best offer I'm going to receive. I could hold out for a love that belonged to me and not fate, but how long would that take? A tear slides out of my eye as realization dawns on me. Thorne doesn't know that I'm pregnant. I wonder if that tidbit of information would take me out of the running. But then again, maybe I can still go with him to his pack and not even be his mate.
It feels like I've been out here for hours and I can feel my mental shields starting to waver from the insistent banging from my brother since I shut him out. On one hand I want to shift into my wolf but then he'll be able to reach me in my wolf form. I'd still be able to ignore him, but he'd also probably yell at me in my head the whole time, giving me a headache. Or I could walk back in my human form and wait for him to yell at me to my face. Neither of those prospects seem pleasurable but I know I need to get back. The summit officially starts early in the morning and I'll need some rest.
Silently, I make my way back through the woods, every so often I come across another wolf who decided to go out for a run. There will be a midnight run later, however, I don’t think it's anywhere near that time yet. Some of the wolves look disappointed that they weren't coming up on large prey in the woods. Nope, just little old me, trekking it in the woods and trying to prolong the inevitable chewing out I'm going to get from Lincoln.
The thought of going to another pack is intriguing. Before, I thought my only option was to leave claiming educational amnesty. I'd still be part of my pack, but I could be excused from certain activities and training due to school. It wasn't an ideal solution however, it was better than potentially living under the same roof as Julien and Natasha.
Living with another pack, as daunting as it is, would allow me to be away from the people who have hurt me the most. Even now, I can feel the two of them starting up with their love-making again. The pain was stirring enough that I had to pause and lean against a tree for support. I couldn't let hate consume me, but I have never hated two people like I hate them. I'd risk it all for the instant love that I felt for Julien the second I laid eyes on him on my birthday. And Natasha was someone I confided in, foolishly in hindsight, I thought I trusted her the most outside of my own brother.
The pain clutched around my heart and I sunk to the forest floor under the weight of the pressure. Tears streamed down my face, though they weren't there because of the pain. I cried for the predicament that I was in. I couldn't keep doing this, I had my baby to think about. I hated being this insecure, crying female, one that I would have laughed at in movies or books for not handling my shit.
No, I won't do this.
I can't be this.
The pain is done and over with within a matter of minutes and I wipe the tears from my eyes and pick myself up onto my feet. I'm only just before the edge of the forest behind the cabins, and I can almost make out the cabin my pack is in. I had a simple moment of weakness, and that's what I'm going to stick with. I'll be determined, for my baby's sake, to show that I am a strong alpha female, and I won't be defined by my so-called mate.
In the meantime, with my head held high, I feel like Marie Antoinette walking towards the wrath of my brother.
"And where the hell have you been?" My eyes naturally roll to the back of my head as I close the front door behind me. I take my time entering the living room area, but in the time that I manage to let go of my anger at my brother, since he didn't know the full story. Yeah, he took Julien's side earlier and gave me an alpha command, something he swore he would never pull on me, but he didn't know that I was already hurting. I'm just about to muster up an apology to him when he interrupts my thoughts.
"I've already had Julien and Natasha moved into the Beta suite. Your things were moved in the third room." Oh, HELL NO! My wolf surfaces and for the second time tonight, I see fear in my brother's eyes before he covers it up with his own wolf.
Was he serious right now? The scent of their love making session from our first arrival probably reeks throughout the room and now they've already tarnished the room that I claimed? Like hell I was staying there.
"You want to act like a brat and give me the silent treatment and not tell anyone where you're going? Fine, then I'm going to treat you like a two-year old with a tantrum. What's gotten into you? You've had an attitude since you came back today. If you think that I'm going to let you go off to school and come home with the attitude you have from just two weeks away, you have another thing coming to you."
"Let me?" My wolf growls while I speak at the same time, making my voice seem darker and deeper than normal. "Since when do you 'let me' do anything? You may be my alpha, but as my brother, you don't ever tell me what to do."
"Then as your alpha, I can tell you now, any application you submit for the amnesty will be denied." Maybe Thorne was right, my brother was oblivious as an alpha. I'm not even sure which is more disappointing, the fact that my alpha would rather throw his weight around and horde it over me? Or the fact that my brother would be so quick to believe tha
t this is a case of me wanting to exert some freedom and then have a temper tantrum when I don't get my way.
Footsteps on the staircase is the only thing that causes me to take a step back from my brother and forces me to breathe deeply to calm down.
"Alpha Lincoln," Natasha's irritating voice sounds out before she enters the living room where Lincoln and I still are. My wolf is still at the surface and a low growl sounds before I can contain it in my throat. The corner of my eye catches a brief glance of Lincoln curiously looking at me. However, at this point I no longer care what anyone in this room thinks, says or does.
"We have something exciting to share."
'No, anything but that.' I think as Julien comes into the room behind her. He at least has the decency to look surprised to see me and then ashamed at what I know is about to spew out of his mate's mouth.
The Rejection (Luna of the Pack Series) Page 7