The Scorned Luna Lives Again!

Chapter Fifteen

After Marcus put Lily to bed he knocked on Ashlyn's door, knowing it must have looked suspicious to his already untrusting mate. He pounded on the door frantically, his agitation towards her defiance growing.

He growled, his patience thin. "This is why I prefer your sister! At least she knows how to behave with a man!" He couldn't stop himself from saying the words that would damn any chance for their bond and when they were said there was a heavy silence that shook even him. He trembled realizing his mistake. "N..no...I..I meant because she's an omega...." He stumbled over his words, unable to take back the hurt he caused.

Ashlyn stood in her dark room, it felt so much colder to her as his words hit her in a way she thought she was past. She thought he couldn't possibly hurt her more than he had in the past but as those words settled on her heart she couldn't help but fall to her knees.

She knew he preferred Lily, everyone usually did but even in the past he had never said those words. He was always finding excuses or rationalizing his blatant favoritism as 'instinct' as an alpha but he never told her outright. The tears streamed silently down her face as if the final thread of what may have been their bond was gone. The anger and sorrow was gone, now she felt only numbness.

Ashlyn refused to be the cuckold in this life and opened the door, her gaze fierce and filled Marcus with dread as he realized what she intended.

"N..No. Please Ashlyn..." He begged, just like he had in the past.

"Tell me Marcus...would you give up Lily?" She asked eerily calmly, watching as his brow furrowed in thought she knew the answer but wanted to hear it.

He wanted their bond and his side piece, what man wouldn't? He couldn't possibly fathom why she wouldn't want him happy, they were mates after all so she should bend to his whims and want to please him. He looked at her cold indifferent face, she was beautiful but she was an alpha female. She couldn't submit to him like a sweet, delicate omega like Lily could. He wanted a strong partner to help carry the responsibilities but he needed to feel like a man in the end. Perhaps his wolf could love a strong, independent female but he wanted someone who lived to please him instinctively.

"Please, try to understand my side, Ashlyn. I'm an alpha male, I need an omega and who better to service my needs than your sister? She loves you so much, she just wants us to be happy." He said softly as he reached out for her but she recoiled from his touch.

He hoped she could be swayed, it was once an old practice to have a wife and lover. He felt certain if she would agree so would the council and he could have it all but that fantasy was quickly shattered by Ashlyn's sharp gaze.

It was abundantly clear Ashlyn would never give in. She was an alpha female. They were known to be territorial and possessive, it's the alpha nature. Still he was foolish or simply stupid enough to believe he could subdue her with time.

"Give it time Ashlyn, I could make you the happiness Luna and your sister will always be close to you. Doesn't that sound good?"

Ashlyn began to laugh. It was soft, almost mistakable as a sob but it grew louder and more hysterical until she laughed herself to tears. He was startled by her unhinged response, unsure how to handle the situation as she was practically doubled over and laughing at him.

When she finally calmed down she wiped the tears away with a smile on her face. "Thanks for the laugh." She said as she managed to catch her breath.

"What's so funny?" He growled

She smirked at him, "you of course." She faced him with a confidence that left him a bit shaken as her alpha aura was much stronger than his. She continued, her tone remaining calm. "Your fantasy is nothing but the jest of a spoiled, entitled child who wants everything."

"How dare you!" He felt insulted, his gaze sharpened as if he planned to assert his dominance but before he could move she had him pinned against the wall by the throat, her gaze terrifying as she snarled.

"I, Ashlyn Elizabeth Rose, reject you Alpha Marcus Jackson North, as my mate."

The pain hit him instantly and he felt every fiber of his being burning in agony as the threads of their bond fizzled. Tears filled his eyes as he tried to comprehend what went so wrong but instead of having some dignity and accepting her rejection, just like the past, he refused to accept her decision. Holding onto a foolish hope she could come to understand his reasoning.

She scoffed at him, releasing him as he crumpled to the ground. "You're pathetic." She hissed before slamming her door shut, leaving him to deal with his misery.

When she was alone Ashlyn fell to the ground, trying hard to catch her breath. Her beast knew the reasoning, she saw the memories, but it didn't lessen her pain. Ashlyn cried out for her. It wasn't her wolf's fault. She knew she couldn't face Ryker like this, so she rescheduled their date for a later date to give her wolf time to grieve.

After her clear rejection Marcus stopped frequenting her pack house though as long as Lily lived there he wasn't completely gone. He used Lily to ease his wounded pride, flaunting her everywhere and giving her more of an ego boost than she needed. She began to feel invincible and targeted Ashlyn openly, Marcus had encouraged it in hopes Ashlyn would turn to him for help but she always handled herself with grace.

His pathetic attempts to sway her began to sicken her wolf who no longer felt the pain of the broken bond as Marcus made a fool of himself time and time again. After a couple weeks Ashlyn was better than ever, focusing on her work. So focused she hadn't noticed Lily had used one of the other omegas to steal from her until she tore her room apart searching for Ryker's necklace.

She was devastated. Mikhail even helped her tear the whole pack apart to look for it but to no avail. By the time the omega owned up to what she had done it was too late, Lily had taken it and was out at a club flaunting it.

Ashlyn felt sick. She was sick one of her own pack mates would betray her but more so that she failed Ryker. She was in tears as she reached for her phone, her hands trembling as she dialed his number.

His tone had an edge to it, as if he was already annoyed but he tried to be calm as he could hear her sobbing. Something about it broke his heart. "Please Ashlyn, I'm not mad at you. This wasn't your fault." He tried to soothe her but she wouldn't stop.

When he hung up she thought he was done with her, that she failed him and it killed her more than watching Marcus cheat on her or her broken mate bond. She didn't fully understand why this was such agony to her but she could hardly breathe through the weight of her emotions. She thought she'd never recover but the warm scent of cinnamon filled her nose, she looked up to see Ryker standing in her room. His silver eyes full of concern.

He scooped her up gently, cradling against his massive frame. His hands gently caressing her tangled hair as he sat on her bed and rocked her gently until she was calm. Looking around her room he could tell she wasn't favored, while she managed to replace the broken things and add her touch the space was still small. Too small. Without a word he carried her away, setting her gently in his car and taking her away from the misery even if just for a moment.