The Reincarnated Luna

Pieces

When he didn't continue I finally spoke up.

"I didn't even know you could reject your mate." 

"All you simply have to say is your name, and that you reject said person as your mate. Then your tie to them is severed once they accept your rejection as if it had never been there." His large frame seemed fragile, his emotions raw like a child's.

"How can something so strong be broken so easily?" I crawled towards him. I couldn't imagine not feeling him like this. This open and connected to me. I ran my fingertips across his calves and giggled as I watched him shiver under my touch. 

"You have to genuinely want the connection to be severed. Saying the words is only the first step. The actual separation happens once you two have experienced the pain of losing your mate, and if your heart still doesn't desire them after that your bond is broken." 

"The pain of losing your mate?" My heart sank, terrified of what that might be. 

If I truly want to be with Eli will I need to reject Rowan? Is that what I really want? 

"I've luckily never had to feel such a pain-" he lifted the back of my hand to his lips before tenderly kissing it. "But I have watched someone go through it. It's just like a part of you rotting off and dying. It's said that some have even died from it." My frown deepened as we sat in uncomfortable silence.

I don't want to hurt Rowan

"I don't want to kill him." Selene added.

If I am to become Luna I have to reject him, don't I?

"We have time to figure this out. I don't think it should even be possible for you to have two mates at the same time. We have time, and when I get all of my memories back we'll figure out what to do with him then. Until we learn something new we should probably keep our distance as much as possible." I silently agreed with her.

"If you want to reject me I would understand." My heart leaped into my throat, making my stomach lurch. My eyes shot to his hoping I had heard him wrong.

"I know you have a lot you currently need to do, and being Luna and an enemy of the Colonies is not something you might want to add to that list. I get that, but if you really see any chance of us having some sort of future- peaceful or not. Please don't give up on me. I've been searching for you for so long, and once I finally found you I didn't expect it to be so very intense. I would go through any pain to make sure you were happy, even if it meant accepting your rejection." My mind hesitated, but my body didn't. I sprung forward and placed my hands on his cheeks, drawing his lips to mine. 

All while thinking- He may be right. I might reject him. I might reject Rowan. I don't really know anything until we get Selene's memories back.

Once I broke away from the kiss and my eyes met his something clicked inside me. While there is still a lot I don't know, this man is one I want on my side. Romantic or not, he's a genuinely good person. Which is hard to find anymore. 

Eventually, Eli put a pair of sweatpants on. Partially because it was a little chilly, but I also told him that he couldn't keep teasing me like that if he didn't want to continue where we left off earlier.

"You're going to end up getting marked sooner rather than later dressed like that." I joked but realized that he has gone through heat every year since his wolf has awakened. Nia and the looming threat she made floated into my head making me go to bed with a bitter taste in the back of my throat. 

I woke up early since I couldn't sleep for most of the night. Luckily I woke up to one of the most adorable sights ever known to man. Eli was holding my hand, but Mana was curled into a fluff ball in between us. 

This is something I could get used to. I smiled to myself before gently prying my hand free from Eli's grasp. I had never woken up before him, it was a nice change. 

After putting on my training uniform I went to get Lilly ready, hushing her every time she raised her voice. Praying she didn't wake Eli. Somehow we made it down to the dining hall without disturbing him.

I stood straight when I saw Nia sitting at the table with Rowan, Denver, Sam, and Cora. Lilly sped to them and slid into a seat next to Sam. Leaving me with the only seat open that just happened to be between Rowan and Cora. My elbow brushed his sending tingles through me. I ignored it, and he also acted unfazed.

"I noticed Eli didn't go back to his room last night." Cora gave me a sly smile. I cleared my throat, knowing both Nia and Rowan heard her.

"Yeah, we had a lot to talk about when he got back." My face flushed thinking back. Cora giggled and elbowed me.

"There's nothing to be embarrassed about." 

"Honey, let her be. She is a couple of years younger than us." Sam tried to stand up for me but had a sly smile on her face too. I felt someone's glare baring down on me but ignored it. Cora dipped her head and whispered so that I was the only one who heard her.

"Ignore Nia. She's just upset Eli is done with her. She'll come around eventually." I didn't think it was Nia that was staring at me though.

Done with her? Doesn't she have Denver? They should have been done long ago, shouldn't they? I understand fooling around when you're young but...?

"Isn't Denver the stand in Alpha?" Cora nodded.

"Only to the outside eyes, otherwise he is just a part of the board that helps Eli make decisions. He doesn't really have a title. Same with Nia." My eyebrows were drawn together.

"Has Denver always been a part of this pack?" I was starting to get anxious anticipating her answers.

"Well yes." She looked confused as if she had no clue what I was getting at.

"I'll tell you later," I said before glancing at Denver and Nia chatting normally. They didn't seem to be drawn to one another, nor did they really act like mates.

When I was away from Eli I wanted nothing but to be near him- My thoughts were stopped in their tracks as Rowan's leg grazed mine. Instantly I looked at him like it was a reflex. Our eyes met and he smiled down at me, our faces weirdly close. 

"Feeling better? I haven't gotten to talk to you in a day or so." I gulped and tried to act normal. 

"I'm good. After that mini coma, Selene is good to go." His smile seemed genuine. 

"That's good to hear." My heart fluttered. Snapping out of it I stood abruptly.

"Lilly honey, what do you want for breakfast?" She ignored me. "Well, Cora wants to come with me to grab everyone's food?" She smiled and linked her arm in mine. 

"Let's go." She seemed so happy over something so tiny.

"I want to be like you," I whispered as we stood in line. She laughed loudly.

"What do you mean like me? You have everything every she-wolf grows up dreaming about." My heart sank for a second realizing she was right. 

"I would like to be able to be happy over small things. With the Manticores, training, and trying to find what we might need to do to end this war it's nerve-racking. I want to be able to get happy over things like breakfast." I tried to word it in the best way possible to where I didn't feel like I was complaining about my role. 

"Then just tell yourself that is something good to look forward to. I know everything else may seem like a chore, but spending time with Sam, you, and my other friends really makes things worth it. Do you know what I mean? The world could throw anything at me as long as I have you all." I almost teared up. I wrapped my arms around her and squeezed, almost lifting her from the ground. 

"Woah, okay. I love you too." She said between laughs.

"Later after my training can we talk? I have a lot going on in my head and I want someone else's opinion  on what I should do." She looked confused for a second then agreed.

"Duh, if you want I'll stop by and drop off Lilly and we can talk then?" I nodded and we moved to get everyone's food. 

It'll be a huge relief to just be able to talk to someone about what's going on in my head. Some other than you, no offense. Selene didn't answer me. I wish we didn't have to wait until my birthday for answers, and I feel so alone when she's asleep. I get she can't help it but she really leaves me hanging sometimes. 

"The hamster is running really fast in there today isn't it?" A hand was waved in front of my face making me jump. I blinked a few times and noticed I had spaced out the entire time and had already passed out food to the table then sat back in my seat. 

"What hamster?" I scrunched my nose at Rowan.

"The one that keeps your brain functioning." I shoved him hard on the shoulder.

"I hope you're ready to get your ass kicked in training today." I promised him before taking a giant bite of my eggs.

"I'd like to see you try." He let out a smug laugh. It would be nice if all of our interactions stayed this docile. I dreaded when breakfast was finally over and everyone parted their separate ways. Of course, Rowan and I walked to the training gym together in silence. I couldn't figure out what to say. 

'Sorry, I can't be your mate I drove a dagger in Eli's chest thousands of years ago so we have to be together. ' Yeah, that would totally work. I rolled my eyes at myself. 

"Where are you going space cadet?" Rowan called a few feet away. I looked at him dubiously then at the gym's door. He motioned for me to follow him, and I gave out a huff. It wasn't until we came to the same clearing that we did in our first sparring session that I knew why he stopped me from going to the gym.

"I won't get psyched out again fighting around other people." Rowan placed his bag on the ground and threw me a water. I caught it with ease. 

"It's good to see your reflexes are back to normal. You don't think after Eli's announcement the entire pack isn't going to wonder how you fight?" I thought it over and shrugged.

"I'm not that bad-"

"Yeah, but trust me.  Warriors don't take kindly to a weak leader." I was offended. Not to mention why is he being so blunt?

"Fine, here it is then." I'll just try to ignore being completely alone with you. I followed his lead with some easy stretches and decided to ignore how his muscles stretched and tugged his black t-shirt. We then ran laps around the large lake, where I tried to run in front of him.

"You have to be quicker than that." Rowan laughed, not even out of breath as he sped in front of me. I begged my legs to go faster as I pumped my arms. He was only about a yard ahead of me when we finished our final lap. I skidded to a stop and fell to the warm grass panting heavily. A large shadow blocked the sun from my eyes.

"We're just getting started. Come on." I took Rowan's outstretched hand with a huff. 

"I'm still recovering you know. You should go easy on me." Before I finished my sentence his foot shot out to sweep my legs, but I jumped back just in time. I countered with a quick left hook that he caught with his bare hands. I ignored the goosebumps that ran up my arm. 

"Go easy on you? That wouldn't be any fun now would it?"  He yanked my arm towards him going for a gut punch, but I used the leverage to slide under his right arm and twisted free. He swung around with a quick roundhouse kick, making me almost fall. He didn't let me find my balance before he attacked again. A swift elbow met my shoulder. 

"Ow." I hissed, clutching my shoulder. He didn't hesitate and went for another strike but I dropped down and aimed for his legs. 

We continued this dance for hours, I never landed a single hit but I was able to dodge most of his heavy blows. By the time we were done I was flat on my back panting and out of water.

"You're a quick learner." He sat beside me covered in sweat. He had disregarded his shirt earlier, which I chose to ignore but my eyes would still linger unwillingly.

"Hey," I took a deep breath to steady myself. He offered me some of his water. I took it but just before my lips touched the mouthpiece I remembered what his lips felt like against mine, making me hesitate. I had been able to ignore the feeling this entire time. 

"We need to talk, I know." I sighed.

"Eli is, and always has been my best friend. You and I may not have been reincarnated over hundreds of years to find one another, but I can feel something here. I felt it back in the coffee shop the first day I ever met you." He looked at me, making our gazes clash. A flicker of green danced in his. 

"I can't Rowan. I can tell there is a reason I'm supposed to be with Eli. " His eyebrow furrowed and a sharp pain shot through my chest. 

I need to reject him and get it over with.

"But you don't have all your memories yet right? As you said, you don't know why you've been reincarnated for each other." He seemed to be confident in what he was saying.

"Yes, but-"

"Then we'll continue normally until we know the truth. Okay?" There was so much hope in his voice.