Luna Catalina (ENG)

Chapter 11

CATALINA'S P.O.V

The rays of sunshine on my face woke me up in the morning. I looked at the time on my cell phone. 12:07 am. I groaned putting my cell phone back on the nightstand. I had a splitting headache. Damn hangover. Well-deserved though, I hadn't had that much to drink in a long time. I tried to go back to sleep, but I couldn't. So, I picked up my cell phone again and checked my messages. I had several from Cas, she wanted to know where I was and what had happened last night. I closed my eyes and breathed, trying to recover the foggy memories of last night.

At first the night had been perfect. Kayden had seemed more relaxed than ever, and he had even interacted with my friends and my brothers. We had had a good time and I had started to perk up. My drunken mind had started to generate in me the stupid idea that Kayden and I could have something, that he liked me. So, my drunk self, encouraged by Electra, had decided to let my guard down and try to give Kayden a chance. I wanted to at least try. I had been pleasantly surprised that he would join us for a drink, but I was even more surprised when Kayden agreed to come with us to the club. "He's coming just for you," Electra had said in my mind. The thought had given me a rush of ecstasy. Much better than any drug.

The problem was when I came back from getting my bag from my bedroom. At the entrance, with my brothers, there was a spectacular girl. Tall, dark skin, green eyes and very long black hair. She could be Adriana Lima's little sister. I imagined that one of my brothers had hit on her, so I went downstairs, ignoring her. I couldn’t make the effort to be nice.

-“If you ever look at your Luna like that again, I swear that I make sure they cut your head off," said the brunette girl looking at me with contempt.

-“That you are what? and that you are doing what?"- I asked without suppressing my laughter. 

-" I am the Luna of this pack and Alpha Kayden's mate,"- I looked at her in utter disbelief. This girl has lost her mind. -" So be careful what you say, or he will kill you all without hesitation."

I looked at my brothers, who were standing behind me gesturing that the woman was crazy. I couldn't help but burst out laughing. 

-"What's so funny?"- the woman asked angrily as she clenched her fists. -"What you're so envious of is that I can f**k the most powerful Alpha in the country, and you can't."

- "Hey look, I think you're coming down with something, I think you'd better go to the doctor."-I said pointing to the door."

- "Kayden and I have been dating for a year, he didn't tell you, did he?"- she said smiling mischievously. The smile left my face. This situation was starting to not be funny to me, could it be true that Kayden and this woman had something going on? –“You're all the same. You see an Alpha and you think you have a chance. Well, I'll tell you one thing b***h, Alpha Kayden is mine. In a few weeks will be my official introduction as Luna, and then I'll make sure you never go near him again."

- "Sorry I don't buy into your fantasy, but I highly doubt Kayden ever got close to you."-I could feel the jealousy coursing through my veins, and how I was about to lose control. I couldn't lose it; Electra would kill this woman in seconds.

- "Alpha Kayden and I have f****d in every possible position in every place in her room. We even got caught once his insufferable little sister."

- "Lily?"

- "Yes, that one,"- she replied with contempt. - "When I become Luna I'm going to send her to boarding school, that child just gets in the way of our relationship."

When the brunette woman pronounced those words, I noticed how the little control I had left disappeared instantly. I lunged at her. But before I could reach her, huge arms grabbed me and pinned me down. I twisted around trying to get free and just then Kayden, Kate and Mark appeared. 

My eyes immediately fell on Kayden. I didn't like what I saw at all. Kayden's face was the same as a criminal caught in the act of committing a crime It was obvious, Kayden knew the woman and was unhappy that she and I had met. What the woman had said was true. It all made sense in my head in a second: Kayden had chosen his mate, he had chosen his future Luna, and it wasn't me. That was why he had rejected me. A huge pain flooded my body, accompanied by anger and rage. I felt like a fool. But I wasn't about to give Kayden the pleasure of seeing how I had deluded myself like a fool. So, with my best nonchalant face, I had left. 

At the disco I had been drinking a lot and dancing, trying not to think about anything at all. Just after what happened with Richard, I had gone out and drank until I passed out. That was the only way I had managed to have hours in which my head hadn't thought about anything. At the club, my brothers looked at me with the same concern as they did those days.  At one point in the nigh,t Nico decided it was time to go home. Juan, I don't remember why, didn't come with us. On the way home we bought a pizza, we were starving. 

As soon as I opened the door to the packhouse the huge figure of Kayden appeared in the hall. He looked me up and down and seemed relieved to see that I was back in one piece. His relief irritated me even more. He was only acting this way for the mate bond, and I had been stupid enough to believe it could be for something else. I tried to muster what dignity I had left and tried to walk as straight as possible to my room. I must not have been very successful in my attempt to conceal my drunkenness, because a second later Nico was carrying me up to my room. He carried me out onto the terrace, and we ate our pizza in silence, watching the trees sway in the evening breeze.

-“What's going on with you and Kayden?"- Nico broke the silence. I was petrified at his question. 

-“I don't know what you're talking about," I managed to mumble before shoving another slice of pizza into my mouth. 

-“Oh come on Cat, don't give me that," Nico protested, -"I've seen you two. How you look at each other, how you look for each other when you're in the same room. I'm not stupid Cat."- He stared at me waiting for an answer, but I didn't have the answer myself. –“When two years ago that... that happened," -Nico continued, hesitating how to continue the conversation. - "I always thought it was your mate who did that. But now I see you with Kayden... and I think he's your real mate, that I was wrong in my assumptions."

Nico had always been a very observant person. He knew the secrets of almost all of us without us knowing that he knew them. I don't know at what point I thought I could keep anything from him.

-“It was him,"- I finally managed to answer, but without being able to look him in the face. I could feel the tears starting to fall down my cheeks. Damn drunken Catalina.

-“Who? What?" Nico asked confused, not understanding what I meant. 

-“My mate raped me and then rejected me.”

It was the first time I acknowledged out loud to any of my brothers what happened two years ago. I felt naked and helpless. I'd been building huge walls around myself for two years and Kayden had shattered them in a week, exposing my broken and wounded soul. 

Nico's huge arms picked me up and cradled me, while his hands stroked my hair, trying to soothe me. I hadn't realized that I was crying intensely and had forgotten to breathe. I rested my head on Nico's chest and let him carry me to bed. The last thing I remember before I fell asleep was Nico hugging me and promising me that he would never let anything bad happen to me again.

And now here I was, with the worst hangover of my life and not knowing what to do. I had to reject Kayden and stop us from going any further. I had to keep the bond from getting even tighter and end up suffering. There was one thing I hated about our race, and that was the way some people would make their mate suffer badly, and then end up together, forgiving terrible things because of the mate bond. I had heard stories of Lunas who had been cheated on, ignored, tortured and even raped, and then had forgiven the Alpha and acted like a happy couple. I can't stand those stories. It has always been clear to me that I would never be able to forgive something like that, regardless of the mate bond. And to avoid such a situation, I needed to accept Kayden's rejection and break our bond. 

With that in mind, I took a shower and dressed in a pair of high-waisted brown shorts and a short white top. I paired it with brown sandals. I decided to go down to the kitchen to see if I could find a pill to get over this damn hangover. As soon as I entered the kitchen I ran into Ian and Cas. Seeing me, Cas grabbed my arm and sat me down next to Ian. 

-“What happened yesterday?"- she said, crossing her arms and looking at me seriously, as if she was a policeman under interrogation. 

-“I don't know what you're talking about," I said, trying to get up, but Cas grabbed my arm and forced me to sit down again. I groaned. I'd kill for an ibuprofen and a glass of water right now.

-"Don't play dumb, Ian talked to Mark this morning after Kayden nearly took his head off for something stupid."

I snorted. I just want a bloody glass of water; I'm not asking that much am I? I massaged the temples of my head trying to soothe the pain. 

-“Here," Ian said, bringing me a glass of water. I thanked him with my eyes and gulped it down. –“I know you won't believe me Cat, but Amanda doesn't mean anything to Kayden.”

-“ Well, that's not the impression I got yesterday, they seemed to know each other more than well,"- I said without looking up from my glass of water. 

-“I won't deny that they had a thing, but it was long before he met you,"- he said smiling comfortingly at me. –“Amanda is obsessed with him, but I assure you it's not mutual.”

I nodded without saying anything. I couldn't think straight right now.

-“Tomorrow Ian and I are going to go to a town about an hour from here. It's good food, good beaches, and there's a promenade with a fair and rides. Why don't you come along? It'll be good for you to clear your head,"- said Cas, giving me a hug. 

I agreed to the plan and went back to my room. I spent the rest of the day sunbathing in my bikini on my terrace and reading. Today it was my turn to patrol, but thanks to the bet I won, Nico was going to do my shift. I didn't want to run into Kayden, so I didn't go down for dinner. I wasn't hungry either. I spent the night watching Friends, until I fell asleep. 

The next day I woke up feeling upbeat, I wanted to spend the day out and about and clear my head. I wore a short white dress with little pink flowers and white Converse. I grabbed a straw hat and my bag and went down to the entrance to meet Ian and Cas. They were standing in the hall with Lily, who was crying and seemed to be begging Ian.

-“What's wrong?" -I asked smiling at a crying Lily. 

-“Lily wants to come with us, but Kayden won't let her," Ian replied.

-“Why not?”

-“Kayden won't let Lily go anywhere if he doesn't go with her," Ian said, looking at me intently. 

I nodded. Kayden is an Alpha, so he couldn't help but have an overprotective and controlling nature. I didn't want to imagine how overprotective he had to be of his little sister who he cared for like a father. 

-“He says he has work and can't go," Lily said sobbing as she clutched at the skirt of my dress. –“Please Cat tell him I can go, you can look after me.” She asked putting her best puppy face. 

I bent down to look at her face and wiped away her tears. Before I could speak, I heard a commanding voice behind me. 

-“Lily," He said, "I've told you can't go. If you insist one more time, I'll ground you for a whole week." Kayden's tone sent a shiver down my spine. He really could be scary when he wanted to be. 

-“I'll take care of her," I said, standing up and glaring defiantly at him. I don't know why, but I felt like pushing Kayden to his limits. 

He looked gorgeous. He was wearing dark jeans and a black T-shirt that showed off his perfect muscles. No matter what he wore, he always looked like a Greek god. 

-“Do you really think I'd leave you in charge of my little sister?" The contempt in his tone of voice lit the fuse of my anger. 

In my head, Electra insisted that we teach him not to disrespect us. I clenched my hands into fists, trying to control Electra. Ian must have sensed the situation was getting out of hand, because he stepped between Kayden and me, and raised his hands conciliatorily. 

-“I think Mark has the day off, we could leave him in charge of the pack so you could come and supervise Lily," Ian said, trying to come up with a solution. 

-“Yeeees”. Lily screamed. She seemed super happy with the idea. I, on the other hand, wasn't happy at all.

-“No," Kayden just said. He seemed just as unhappy as I was. 

-“Why not?" protested Lily, "You have no reason to say no, I hate you!!!" she said and ran off. Kayden rolled his eyes and followed her. 

-“Well, we're off then, aren't we?" I said, heading for the car. 

-“Well..." said Cas grabbing onto Ian's arm. –“Maybe we should wait five minutes, just in case Kayden finally lets Lily come.”

I studied her carefully. I know Casandra well, and I could tell she was up to something by the way she was acting. 

-“You just want to wait to see if Kayden will come with us," I said, surprised as I realize what she was planning. 

-“Don't be mad," she looked at me pouting. –“Ian and I talked it over, and we think you two could use a day together, away from the pack and your brothers.”

-“I can't believe it," I exclaimed angrily. And then it suddenly dawned on me that there was more than that. –“You're the ones who told Lily to come, aren't you? Because you knew she'd want to go, and you knew Kayden wouldn't let her go on her own.

-“As you can see, you're not the only one who makes good plans," Cas said as she high-fived Ian. 

Before I could pounce and try to kill my best friend, Lily appeared. She was in high spirits and had a small backpack on her back.

-“Kay and I are coming with you!" she said, jumping up and down with joy. 

Kayden came up behind her. He didn't look happy at all. He had put on a pair of sunglasses that gave him an irresistible look. Why did he have to be so handsome? I thought furiously as I bit my lower lip. He walked to his car without a word, and I walked to Ian's car. I wasn't on the mood to take an hour-long drive with Kayden.

-“Cat, you should come with us," Lily said grabbing my hand and pulling me towards Kayden's car. 

-“I'm sorry Lily, but I promised Cas I'd go with her," I said, trying to make an excuse.

-“Don't worry Cat! I don't mind at all, I understand you want to go with Lily, I'll see you there!" said Cas, waving goodbye and shutting the car door quickly. 

They started up and drove off. I clenched my fists in anger. Damn Casandra. When I catch her, she's going to regret her stupid plans to set me up with Kayden. I'm going to get back at her. 

I looked at the car and took a deep breath. My perfect day had turned into my worst nightmare. I had to spend the day with my mate, who I was drooling over, while he wanted me to accept his rejection. On top of that, today he had to look more irresistibly handsome than ever in those glasses and jeans. 

You have to reject him. You have to reject him. I repeated to myself as I got into the car. 

Ready for the longest hour of my life.