Alpha’s Rancor: His Forsaken Luna

Chapter 5

“She doesn't,” I swallow. Rejecting Raelynn is the easier choice, so why can’t I make that choice anymore? “Listen, princess. My mate is all she will ever be, I would have rejected her by now, but our bond is strong.”

Valerie snickers, “What bond? You just found out today!”

She’s right.

The bond shouldn’t be half as strong as it is. Raelynn and I have done nothing to foster it, so it should have felt a mild spark when I touched her, but it felt like a train crashing into me, in the best way possible. I can still feel a little buzz in my fingers from touching her skin.

“It felt sealed,” I frown. “I don’t understand why, but it's strong. Everyone felt it.”

‘I was there, baby,” Liam chimes in. “It felt like a blast that almost brought us to our knees.”

“Come on, that's not serious.” Valerie laughs, her eyes shifting between us. “You’re messing with me, aren’t you? That kind of bond doesn’t exist.”

“It does,” I argue. “It’s fostered for years, so when the matebond sparks, it's stronger.”

“Of course, it is.” She grumbles, “You and the runt were very close.” She scowls, the rage in her eyes unsettling.

I should have rejected Raelynn, for everyone’s sake, hers included. This pack is not the place for her anymore, it never was.

Valerie smiles, looking over my shoulder.

“Ariella,” She beams, arms opening wide for the person who got her through her twin sister’s death.

Ariella walks past me and right into my sister’s arms, hugging her like she just returned from war. “Hey, Bestie.”

“I just heard,” Valerie sighs. “Are you okay? That runt is stealing your life.”

“She is not stealing her life,” I counter. “Ariella will still be my Luna. That girl inside is nothing but a nuisance, ignore her existence.”

“I hate her,” Valerie spits, her tone every bit venomous. “What wrong have we done to deserve this? She killed my other half, and now she’s my sister-in-law?”

“She’s not anything.” I snap, walking away before the conversation further escalates, and I can no longer ignore participation.

Ariella jogs after me, “Killian honey,” she sighs, her voice quiet and calm. Her ability to stay calm and composed is impressive, and I wish I had that right now. I don’t know how to handle this situation that fate has thrown at me.

“I need to be alone, Ariella.”

“Okay,” she nods. “I will check on her again, maybe she’s woken up.”

“No, leave her.” I pause, “Take Valerie shopping.”

Ariella frowns, “At a time like this?”

“Precisely.” I nod, giving her my card.

Thankfully, she doesn't argue, she turns on her heels and waves at me.

I retreat to my office, the place where I often find peace and quiet only offers quiet today.

I don’t know how long I sit there, just staring at the portrait of my dead sister, contemplating life.

My life has been planned out since I was quite young, I’ve made promises and choices I can't go back on. Choices that conflict with having Raelynn around.

The girl doesn’t belong here, but I can’t get rid of her either.

I’m still in my office when my best friends return from their meeting. Since Beta Ronan’s death, my Beta Vincent has taken over his duties, and Axel has been assigned Vincent’s duties until he can catch up on what the old Beta handled.

“Killian!” Vincent calls, dropping a few papers on my desk. “Those are for you.” He says.

I nod, moving the papers to the other side of the table. “I hear she who doesn’t get spoken about is back,” Axel says.

“Yeah, where is the little Storm?” Vincent grins, kicking his feet up on the table.

I flinch at the use of her pet name.

I used to get so territorial when anyone else addressed her by the name I gave her, but now I feel nothing, nothing, but confusion. “In the servants' quarters.”

“Catch me up here,” Vincent leans forward, his eyes narrowed. “I’m a bit confused, she is your mate?”

I slowly nod, “You heard right.”

“Valerie isn’t very happy about it.” Axel snickers, appearing rather upset himself. Even after all these years, his mood is still controlled by Valerie.

“Neither am I,” I grumble. “I shouldn’t have gone to Uncle Rona—Penrose's funeral,” I correct myself. For years I’ve considered Beta Ronan family, I respected him, trusted him with my life, and he betrayed me. “Maybe then she would have left without me finding out.”

Axel shakes his head, “You forbid us all from going, so why did you go?”

“To make sure he was buried in his punishment site,” I lie. I went for two reasons, and the burial site isn’t one of them. I was hoping to feel some sort of serenity seeing him cold and buried, but I’ve felt nothing but rage. “I wanted to make sure no one was betraying my family by attending.”

“Well, be it today, next week next year, or next decade, you’d have met her,” Vincent sighs. “So right now is better, no?”

“Better never,” I groan. “Do you forget she killed my sister, Vincent?”

He shrugs. “What are you going to do?”

“I was going to reject her, but the matebond…” o trail off, reliving the moment in which our bond sparked. “I don’t know what kind of joke the goddess is playing on me, but I couldn’t reject her, it's too strong.”

Axel nods, “What about Ariella?”

I’ve been trying to think about that part, and while I’m not certain about what to do, one thing is for sure, I’m not replacing Ariella with Raelynn. I’m not giving anything to her that belongs to Ariella, she’s my chosen, Raelynn is a mistake made by fate.

“Ariella has been acting as my Luna for the last year, and she will continue to do so.”

“That’s not possible,” Vincent hisses. “If you don’t reject she who shall not be named, then—”

“You can say her name,” I scoff. “She’s already here, isn’t she? It doesn’t erase her from my life if we don’t address her by name, does it?”

He shrugs, “Well Raelynn, that feels weird to say. But if she is your mate, she’s your Luna.”

“She won’t be performing any duties, Ariella and Valerie will continue just as they have been.”

“So what happens to her?” Axel asks, staring between Vincent and me. “Is she just your breeder now? What role does she have in your life, I mean if rejection is out of the question?”