A Luna Scorned

Chapter 10

“Where have you been?” Liam rushed out of the pack house at me.

“Out.” I gestured towards the bags I was carrying. “Cole and Ari were kind enough to give me the tour of the pack grounds, then we went to town to do some shopping.”

“I was planning on showing you around town today. I told you I wanted to spend time with you and get to know you better.” He had anger in his eyes.

“Hey, Ky, we’ll catch up with you tomorrow.” Ari shot Liam a dirty glare and headed in the house with Cole. I nodded and tried to step past Liam. He quickly stepped in front of me and cut me off, grabbing both of my shoulders.

“Ouch.” I winced in pain. He definitely had a strong grip.

“Why didn’t you tell me you were leaving?” He growled.

“You were too busy sticking your tongue down Rachel’s throat. The same Rachel you told me you broke up with and were kicking out of the pack house. You were so busy with her, I didn’t think you’d care if I were here or not. Cole and Ari offered to show me around, and I accepted. You were clearly very busy.” I dropped one of the bags as my arms were beginning to go numb from his grip. He finally relented and picked up my bag, and turned towards the pack house.

“You should have told me you were going."

“Did you even notice I was gone? How long did it take before you remembered I was even here?”

“I noticed!” Anger flashed across his face.

“Really? When? Just now when you saw me get out of the car?” He didn’t answer the question. I ripped the bag from his hands and made my way towards the house.

“Kyrie! That is no way to treat your alpha and mate.” I stopped and whipped around, glaring intently at him. We had an audience now, and I knew I shouldn’t cause a scene in front of them, but I couldn’t help it. If I was going to be played, he was going to suffer the consequences.

“First off, you are not my alpha. I am not a member of this pack. Second, I may be your mate, but you are making it really clear to me and to the entire pack that I am not your Luna, or your girlfriend. I am a mistress. That little show you and Rachel put on for the pack this morning proved it. Everything you said to me this morning about you breaking up with Rachel and making her move out was all lies. You said what you needed to say to get in my pants and it worked.l I told you before you brought me here I didn’t want to come between you and Rachel. I tried to reject you because you wouldn’t reject me, and you refused to let it happen. I told you I would not be a mistress or the reason you and Rachel break up when you don’t want to lose her. What you did this morning was humiliating to me. What message do you think you are sending the pack about who I really am to you? I’m positive they aren’t getting Luna vibes. That role is clearly already taken and isn’t going to change any time soon. Honestly, I don’t want it to change. She has worked hard for that spot and has rightfully earned it. Who am I to come in and just take over all of a sudden because of the mate bond? You clearly don’t want her to step down either. So don’t you DARE stand here and chastise me for being gone all day long. I am nothing to you and I don’t have to tell you anything about me or where I am going or how I chose to spend my day. I don’t owe you a damned thing, Liam Flint.” I stood there noticing that the pack had congregated near the pack house. Most everyone heard what I said, and I’m sure within the hour the entire pack would know what just went down. But I didn’t really care. Liam just stood there, his fists balled in anger. I thought this was a good time to make an exit before he decided to fight back. I turned and rushed up the stairs of the pack house.

“Good for you!” Ari and Cole were standing on the other side of the door. Everyone in the house had gathered around the front windows to witness what was going down. I didn’t mean to be so loud, but once I started in, I just couldn’t stop myself. I was hurt, and I got a little too emotional

“Yeah, that wasn’t so smart. I’ll be lucky if I live to see dinner, I think.” Cole put his arm around my shoulder.

“You’ll be fine. I won’t let anything happen to you.” Why couldn’t Cole be my mate? He was attractive, caring, kind and most importantly, single. Why did I have to be mated to a jerk like Liam?

“Come on.” Ari put her arm through mine. “Let's get you ready for dinner tonight. We’ll have Liam wishing you were his.”

I hopped out of the shower to see that Ari had laid out one of my new outfits on the bed for me. She had gone to her room to get ready for dinner, and planned to be back later to help me. She had chosen a cute little sundress. I wasn’t much for dresses, but Ari had said that men were suckers for a woman in a cute dress. I slipped it on and looked at myself in the mirror. The dress was strapless, the hem hitting mid thigh. The cut of the bust actually helped to make me look a little more blessed there than I really was. The fabric was an off white color with a dark blue floral pattern which faded the closer to the waistline it got.

“Knock Knock”. My door gently swung open. “Oh, I’m sorry, wrong room.” Jensen chuckled as he quickly closed the door, only to open it and walk in.

“You look amazing Ky.” He looked me up and down.

“Thank you. I clean up well, don’t I?”

“You sure do.” He sat on the edge of my bed and I flopped down next to him. “So, I heard you told off Liam today.” I groaned and closed my eyes.

“Yeah, I regret that.”

“You shouldn’t. He deserved it, probably. I’ve never known you to go off on someone who didn’t deserve it.”

“Oh, trust me. He deserved it.” I explained the events of that morning to him.

“I’m sorry, Ky. You don’t deserve that.”

“I don’t. It’s not fair that the moon goddess would pair me with someone who already has a mate.”

“Well, she’s not his mate.”

“She’s his mate. He just hasn’t marked her yet.” I sighed. Jay laid down beside me.

“I hate that you're going through this. I want to punch him square in the jaw.”

“You and I both.” We laughed and sat up. “How are you and Sandie? I haven’t seen much of you since we got here.”

“Yeah. Between your hospital stay and me being with Sandie all day every day, I don’t even see much of me.” He chucked.

“I’m so happy you’re happy.”

“Yeah. Look, I wanted to tell you something though.”

“Good news or bad?” I could tell it was bad by the sound of his voice.

“Well, Sandie doesn’t agree with what Liam and Rachel are doing to you. She said Rachel has this plan to get Liam back and stay the Luna and have you kicked out of the pack. Sandie doesn’t want to be involved in any way. She wants to leave tomorrow. We’ll be going back to Whiteriver tomorrow morning.” I couldn’t help but cry. My best friend was going to leave me. He wrapped me in his arms and kissed my forehead. “I hate leaving you knowing Rachel is trying to take you down. But I have to respect Sandie’s wishes too.”

“I know. I don’t blame you and I am happy she doesn't want to be involved in Rachel’s plans. I don’t blame her for leaving. She seems like a wonderful girl.” We were interrupted by a knock at the door.

“I’m coming in!” Ari bounced into my room. “Oh, Sorry!” She turned to leave.

“Ari, this is my best friend, Jensen. His mate is Sandie. He came here with me because Sandie wanted to stay. We’ve been best friends since we were pups.”

“Oh. Nice to meet you Jensen. I’m Ari.” She gave him a big hug.

“Well, I'll leave you two to do your girl things. Ky, I’ll find you tomorrow before we leave. I won’t leave without saying goodbye.” He promised as he wrapped me in another warm hug before he left my room. Ari locked the door behind him.

“He’s a hunk!” Ari giggled.

“He’s taken”. I laughed back.

“Too bad. But look at you in that dress! Hot mama! Now, let's do your hair and make up. We’ll have Liam sorry he ever hurt you.” She sat me down in the chair and began to fuss over me.

It took almost an hour, but Ari had created a masterpiece. I actually looked amazing. I wasn’t into make up, but after seeing myself, I think I would learn to love it. I couldn’t believe how good I looked. My hair was down into soft waves that fell just past my shoulders, and my makeup was done in a soft, romantic brown smokey eye which made my green eyes really pop.

“Ari, you’re amazing! I look beautiful.”

“Thank you.” She beamed. “Now, let’s go get something to eat and make all the boys wish they had you on their arm” I slipped on a pair of nude wedge heels and we headed down to the dining hall. There were a few hushed murmurs as I walked in, arm and arm with Ari, but I ignored them and held my head high. I had nothing to be ashamed or worried about. We stood in line to get our dinner at the buffet and headed to the Alpha table. Liam sat in his chair, the Luna chair empty beside him. I was sure Rachel would be taking it soon, so I followed Ari back to my seat by Mark.

“Did you see the look on his face!” Ari was so proud.

“Wow, Ky, you look beautiful.” Cole sat down across from me.

“Thank you. It’s all thanks to your sister. She is an absolute master with makeup.”

“Well, Ari, you did a wonderful job. I couldn’t keep my eyes off her.” He winked at me.

“Yeah, well, neither can Liam.” She quipped. Against my better judgment I turned to see him glaring right at me. A look of jealousy across his face. I couldn’t help but smile. I didn’t want to play games, but I wanted him to hurt like he was hurting me. Dinner was going well. I was really getting along with Cole and Ari, as well as Mark and Nadine. They were a great family.

“What’s up kid?” Riley slid a chair in between Ari and I. “You look beautiful tonight.”

“Thank you. It’s Ari’s work.”

“She always was good at that sort of stuff.” He patted her head and she rolled her eyes. “How’s the fam treating ya?”

“I love your family. They are all so sweet.”

“You don’t have to lie just because we’re all sitting here.” Mark elbowed my ribs.

“I’m not. I mean it. You all have been so kind to me and made me feel welcome. Even you Riley.”

“Well, you sure are making one person not so crazy about you.” Riley turned towards Liam. He was shoveling food into his mouth like he’d be starved for a week. His gaze not leaving his plate. Just then, Rachel approached the table. She was wearing a skintight pink dress. Her hair was up in a messy, but cute bun. She strutted over to the empty Luna chair and went to sit down but Liam put his arm out, stopping her. She gasped.

“Liam, I need to sit.”

“Not here.” He grumbled. Her face contorted in confusion.

"But this is my seat." She whined.

"Not anymore." He glared at her as she stood there awkwardly. I would be lying if I said I wasn't delighted. But I did feel bad for her. She really did love him, and it's not fair that I just arrived and kicked her out of her place she's held for so long.

"I told you this would work". Ari snickered.

"You're not a fan of Rachel?" I inquired.

"I Was at first. She was super sweet. But the second she began acting as Luna, she treated me like a nuisance. Liam and I used to be really close. We all grew up together. He was like another brother. But she wouldn't allow me to be around him anymore. Even went so far as to threaten me. So no, I'm not a fan of her." I looked over to see Rachel staring at me intently. If looks could kill, I for sure would have died right here and now.

"I feel like I should say something. She's just standing there."

"You don't really owe her anything after she threatened you." Riley said.

"I know. But I do feel bad for her." I stood up. Instantly all eyes were on me. I walked over to Liam and placed a hand on his shoulder.

"Liam, please let Rachel sit down here. After all, this is her…."

"This is your place." He cut me off and she let out a whimper.

"Well, seeing as I already have a place to sit, there is no harm in letting her sit here tonight." Liam looked up at me, and sighed. He leaned back in his chair and gestured for Rachel to sit.

"This is for tonight only. After tonight, this chair belongs to Kyrie, understood?" Rachel nodded her head and sat down. A tear rolled down her cheek. What was I doing? Sure, I wanted my mate. But Rachel was losing what she thought was hers. These were genuine tears, tears of pain. Because of me. Suddenly, I lost my appetite. I walked back to my end of the table.

"If you'll all excuse me, I think i'm going to call it a night. Cole, Ari, thank you both so much for everything today."

"Hey, we're still on for tomorrow, right?" Ari half asked, half pleaded.

"For sure." I cleared my plate and headed for my room. Halfway up the stairs I caught a whiff of rain. My chest began to burn with desire.

"Our mate approaches" Natalie appeared in my mind. Before I could react, I felt a tug on my arm. Liam had whipped me around, slamming me against the wall. I looked up into his eyes. They were angry, but also had a hint of lust in them.

"That hurt". I said as I rubbed the back of my head. Liam let out a low growl.

"What do you think you're doing?" He grumbled.

"I'm going to bed."

"That's not what I meant."

"Then I'm not sure what you're asking."

"That's twice in one night you have undermined me."

"I was trying to save her the embarrassment".

"You don't get to decide that." He demanded, putting his face right into mine. I pushed my head into the wall as far as it could go and tightly closed my eyes. I was beginning to get scared. Liam slammed his hand against the wall next to my head, causing me to jump.

"I'm sorry, Alpha. I didn't mean to undermine you. It won't happen again, I promise. Please don't hurt me." I was genuinely afraid he was going to punish me. He pulled his face away from mine, hurt flashed through his eyes as a tear escaped mine. He slammed his other hand against the wall next to my head and I whimpered and shuddered in fear.

"You think I would hurt you?"

"I, I'm not sure." I couldn't look at him. My head turned sideways and I kept my eyes closed tightly. I couldn't help the tears from squeezing between my eyelids. I didn't want to cry, but I was genuinely scared and just wanted to lock myself in my room. "Please alpha. Can I go?"

"Liam." He dropped his hands and backed away. I stood for a moment before I turned and rushed to my room.

I locked the door and flung myself on my bed. I couldn't help but sob. I wasn't trying to cause trouble and I didn't understand what had caused him to be so angry. I knew he would be upset about our confrontation earlier. I was harsh with him. But I felt I was justified in being so.

"I've got to get out of this place." I said to myself. This was not how things were supposed to be going. Finding my mate wasn't supposed to be this complicated. It was time I made a decision. Obviously Liam was hurting just as much as Rachel, and it was all because of me. I could solve all of this if I just went home. I rushed to the closet and pulled down all of my luggage. I tossed clothes in without even bothering to fold them. I grabbed two of my bags and gently opened the door. Once I was sure the hall was clear, I rushed down the stairs and tossed the bags into the truck, turning to go back for my last two. I snuck back upstairs, grabbed the last of my things and snuck back out to my truck.

"We can't leave. He is our mate." Natalie begged.

"Can't you see what trouble we're causing Nat? He loves Rachel. He protects Rachel. He only has anger for me."

"Give it time Ky, please."

"I'm sorry Nat. This will hurt me as much as it hurts you. But this is the right thing. I will not come between them."

"But, our mate". She cried.

"We can find another." I wasn't sure we ever would though. We were only given one mate. Second chances were rare. I couldn't get a second chance if I didn't reject him, and he wouldn't let me reject him, or him reject me. I slammed my hand into my steering wheel, tears flowed down my cheeks.

"This has to be done". I told Nat as I threw the truck in reverse.

~Sorry this chapter took so long to get to you guys. I had a family emergency and had to deal with that first. But here it is! I hope you all are enjoying my book. Please leave comments and let me know your thoughts!