Rejection Trials

The Brilliant Plan

“I have great self-control,” I declare. I hear Belvedere snort.

“How do you know it will even work?” He goes on asking good questions, which is not what I want him to do.

“I don’t.” I say reluctantly. “Bel, you just need to travel to a Moon Temple with me and make an offering and then boom, the moon goddess will hear our case.” I babble on.

“You called me Bel.” He cut me off.

“Shut up. Did you hear anything I said?” I snapped.

“I did. It’s ridiculous. You want me to travel with you to some mystic temple, provide an offering, try to do some ritual that may not even work, and do all of this with my mate during our first mating season?” he scoffed.

“You’re ridiculous with all of this ‘my mate’ and ‘our first mating season’. You have offered no better solution,” I said, trying to look him in the eyes without being overcome with hormones.

“You are my mate. This is our first mating season. And my better solution is to stop wasting time and effort.” He responded, sitting back onto his bed like he was exhausted just talking to me.

“Oh yeah? And what is this ‘better solution’ you speak of?” I retort.

“We f**k.” he said so calmly, pulling me to him by my waist. My mind completely went offline. With him sitting on the bed, we are face level. As he pulled me between his legs, he put his face into my neck. He seems to like doing that. My right leg moves to his hip instinctively trying to straddle him. I stop myself before straddling him completely with my other leg. This left me with my right knee up like some kind of pioneer pose.

Bel’s laugh brought me out of my mental haze. Wait, why is he laughing? Was what he said a joke? I backed away from him, pushing him back from me. It took everything I had not to grip onto his chest muscles while pushing him away. I just remind myself that the idea of us mating is a joke to him.

“We leave tomorrow morning. Be ready or I will kidnap you.” I yapped at him.

“You’ll kidnap me? I’d like to see that.” He continued to laugh. He must’ve noticed how mad and annoyed I was. “I’ll go, but where is this temple?”

“I…uh...I don’t know.” I admit.

“See you do not plan things.” He chuckled, making light of the situation once more.

“You can only get there via escort. We will meet our escort Virgil tomorrow not far from here, but outside your territory don’t worry.”

“Don’t worry?” he said sarcastically. “Who is this mysterious escort, Virgil? How do you know him or if you can even trust him?”

“Virgil is a Lunar Monk,” I declared. Lunar Monks and Lunar Priests are mystic wolves that have direct contact with the moon goddess and the different historical sights connected to her. Some people say they are magical sorcerers, but most just assume they’re just typical monks.

“And where did you find a Lunar Monk?” he inquired. I couldn’t tell whether he was mocking me or genuinely curious as to how I found a Lunar Monk.

“I’ve met a lot of people in the past six years. I just need you to trust me.” I spoke, trying to sound convincing.

“Trust you?” He leaned back on his bed, looking way too erotic. “I do trust you. I trust you to rush into things. I trust you to not investigate things too much before jumping in. I trust you to get overly excited and just chase something. I trust you to get me into trouble.” He finished and laid all the way back, covering his face with his hands.

“I was accused of stealing a red moon stone from an old shrine. I looted it from a rogue and had no idea what it was. It just looked like a clay rock or something. I was hunted by Lunar Monks for three weeks until they caught me while I was eating. Who knew food was my greatest weakness?” That earned another laugh from Belvedere. “The gist is it was a big misunderstanding, but I did get to know a monk from my interrogation. He is ruthless, quiet, and cruel, but he owes me one.”

“He owes you one? For rightfully suspecting you of a major crime?” he puzzled.

“No, he owes me for ridding a temple of some…pest.” I say.

“What have you been doing for six years?” he shakes his head.

SYRUS POV

My body feels heavy, like I am falling through the floor beneath me. Only it isn’t the floor, it seems like a bed or something else soft. The constant beeping sound is coming in, giving me a gnawing headache. It is like the world is coming into my consciousness bit by bit. For some reason, opening my eyes feels impossible. The more I focus, the more tiring it feels. I try to focus on any sounds besides the annoying and persistent beeping. There are way too many conversations for me to focus on just one. It just becomes a cacophony of noise. I focus back on the beeping to reign in my range of hearing. I feel myself drifting again.

A smell fills the room, bringing my mind back. This smell is unlike other smells here. It is overwhelming but calming. I am not sure how those two things are the same at once. It gets stronger, and I can feel my entire body stir. Everything is feeling stiff, almost like I am buried under rubble trying to wiggle myself free.

A warm sensation grips my right hand and I feel it tighten. I try to grasp the feeling, but nothing happens. The warmth began to leave my hand and I suddenly opened my eyes to see the color of gold staring back.

I suddenly snap awake to see those eyes again trapped in a loop almost. So I did what any sane person would do. I punched the figure hovering over me. Well, I sure tried to.

“So this is what my mate is into?” I register Belvedere’s voice and feel him holding tightly onto my wrist, making my heartbeat pulsate down my whole body. Looks like he unfortunately caught my punch.

“I am not your…” before I could finish, Belvedere pushed me back with my wrist over my head. Now he was lying over me on his floor where I slept, firmly holding my wrist still. I tried to use my other hand to push him away, but instead my fingers just lingered across his bare chest. He groaned while burying his face into my neck. It would be an understatement to say I was merely aroused by that reaction. I could feel my legs parting, so his body would be closer to me. I needed him closer. I could feel his teeth graze as his lips parted against my neck and my eyes started to roll back as my legs found his waist.

Before he could sink his teeth into my flesh, I felt a sharp pain in my knee. I sat up too fast bashing our heads together.

“You could block a punch but not a headbutt?” I winced, holding my forehead.

“I can honestly say you are the most unpredictable…predictable person I have ever met.” He responded, holding his head while sitting back on the floor. “Why did you do that?” he moved his hand, so I could see one of those warm eyes staring at me.

“Steve pinched me back to reality.” I responded while rubbing the red spot on my knee.

“Pinched you?” he shook his head like it was a ridiculous notion.

“Technically bit me a little. I have a problem focusing, and he does that when I lose focus.” He looked convinced before I could finish. Nodding in understanding. “So that isn’t surprising?” he laughed again, standing up and ruffling my hair before getting dressed. And with that slight contact it was like I was back underneath him on the floor. It was like I was brought right to the edge anytime he touched me. Which seems totally unfair because he doesn’t seem that phased.

We’d fallen asleep after packing for our trip. Well, he was packing. I have been living out of the same stolen backpack for six years. I didn’t realize how exhausted I was nor could I remember the last time I slept in an actual bed. I’ve been reunited with my mate for less than 24 full hours and I spent most of that time sleeping. Now I just needed to finish getting dressed, and we’d be on our way to rendezvous with old Virgil. Calling Victor old is not lying. Lunar Monk’s ages are mysterious. People are not even sure if they age at all. Virgil has been alive for a long time though however, he looks barely 18 years old.