Barren Luna's Revenge

chapter 5

Chapter Five

Ana

The orange flames licked at the edges of the paper, turning our marriage bond certificate into black, curled flakes. I looked at Desmond without moving.

My feet were planted firmly on the cold stone of the patio, and I didn't feel the need to run or hide anymore. I did not care if he shouted. I did not care if the veins in his neck were bulging with anger.

The fire was doing what I should have done months ago—destroying the lies.

"Alpha Desmond, you are back," I said. My voice was hollow.

I looked at him, but I didn't see the man I had fallen in love with. I didn't see the boy I had helped build into a leader. I saw a stranger. I saw a man I wished I could go back in time and change. If I could, I would let him suffer alone in his father's shadow instead of giving him my heart.

"Ana, are you okay? What is going on?"

He was panting, his hands covered in soot from reaching into the bowl. He held the scorched remains of the paper as if they were still precious.

"Why are you burning all this? Even our bond certificate? Why would you do this?"

I wanted to laugh. The sound bubbled in my throat, bitter and sharp.

So he remembered we had a bond now? At first, I thought I was just someone who did not matter. Since his first love had walked back into his life, I had been treated like a piece of furniture—something he stepped around on his way to see Ema.

"Why are you back, Desmond?" I asked.

I didn't move as he stepped closer. He was acting as if he was worried, his eyes scanning my face for injuries, but I knew it was a performance. It had to be.

"What happened, Ana? Are you okay?" He reached out, his hand trembling. He lifted it, wanting to touch my face, perhaps to tuck a stray hair behind my ear like he used to.

I moved back instantly. I didn't want his touch. It felt like a brand, a reminder of every time he had chosen her over me.

"Why are you acting this way?" he snapped, his worry turning into frustration in a heartbeat. "You are the one who is at fault here. You are the one burning our history, and you are still acting like I’m the villain. What do you want, Ana? What will it take to make you stop this?"

I looked at him for a long moment, let the silence hang between us. Did he really want to ask what I wanted?

I wanted out. I wanted out of this bond, out of this house, and out of this hell I called a life. I wanted to be in a place where people didn't whisper "barren" when I walked by.

I took a deep breath, trying to steady my heart. "Let us get rejected," I said.

For a moment, it was completely silent. Even the fire in the bowl seemed to go quiet. I watched as he looked at me, his mouth slightly open. He didn't say anything. He just stared, as if I had spoken a language he didn't understand.

"Are you acting this way because of Ema?" he finally asked, his voice hardening again. "I told you, she is pregnant. She is vulnerable. She is also sorry for the past and what she did to me. Can't you just forget it? Can't you be the bigger person for the sake of the pack?"

"Forget it?" I yelled. The sound ripped out of me.

"What should I forget, Desmond? Should I forget the times you always abandoned me? Should I forget the part where you did not even show up for two days just to be with her? You didn't even call to see if I was alive. You got her a brand new car. You bought her jewelry that costs more than this house. And you say I am the one at fault?"

I walked toward my bag, which I had left on the patio table. I reached inside and pulled out one of the rejection files I had gotten from the office. I walked back to him and threw it at his chest.

The paper fluttered against his shirt before falling to his feet.

"This is the file for the bond," I told him. "If you sign it, we can go our separate ways. My signature is already there. You do not even need to stress yourself trying to figure out how to reject me. I’ve made it easy for you."

The silence returned, heavier than before. Desmond didn't pick up the paper. He stared at it for a long time, then slowly reached down and snatched it up. He didn't read it. Instead, he folded the paper with violent movements and threw it directly into the dying fire in the bowl.

"You are my mate," he growled. "You are my Luna. And you dare want to reject me? I have done everything you have asked for over the years. Why are you acting this way? Ema just needs care, that is all. She is alone and scared."

"Then let her go meet the father of her child!" I shouted back. "Why are you trying to act like the father? Or are you really the father, Desmond? Is that why you're hiding her in the guest house and buying her SUVs?"

The sound of the slap was loud, like a branch snapping in the woods.

My head moved to the side from the force of it. My cheek burned, a stinging heat that spread across my skin. I stood there, my neck stiff, looking at the dark grass. I was in shock.

He dared slap me. He had never laid a hand on me in anger before. Not once.

"Ana," he tried to say. His voice was suddenly small, full of a regret that came too late. He reached out again, but I didn't let him.

I chuckled, a dry, miserable sound. I looked at him, and I felt the last cord of our bond snap in my heart.

"So because of her, you even slap your mate?"

I didn't wait for his excuse. I didn't let him say another word. I turned around and walked out of the house, my legs moving on instinct. I didn't take anything with me. I just walked until I reached the main road of the pack territory.

Hours later, I sat at the far end of a dimly lit bar. The air was heavy with the scent of cheap beer and floor wax. I kept drinking, the liquid burning my throat, but I didn't care. I felt as if my head was spinning, the world tilting back and forth. I just wanted to numb the image of Desmond’s hand coming toward my face.

Just then, the bottle was snatched away from me. I looked up, ready to fight whoever it was, but I saw Lily. Her face was red with anger and her eyes were wet.

"What are you doing, Ana? Are you trying to get yourself killed?" she yelled. She sat down on the stool next to me, her hands gripping my shoulders. "Don't forget you are pregnant. Do you want to kill the child? You can't be doing this!"

I looked at her for a moment. I felt so broken, like a glass that had been dropped too many times. I didn't have the strength to hold myself up anymore. Lily pulled me into a hug, and I buried my face in her shoulder.

"What happened?" she whispered into my hair. "Did Desmond hurt you again? Tell me."

I was silent for a long time, watching the neon sign of the bar flicker. Then I whispered, "He does not want to accept the rejection. He won't sign it."

Lily pulled me back so she could look me in the eyes. She gripped my hands tight. "Then why don't you just run away? Get away from him, Ana. Go to another pack territory where he can't find you. Just go and don't look back. I’ll help you."

I looked at her and tried to smile, but it felt wrong on my face. "I wish it was that easy, Lily. But I can't. You know I can't."

I took a shaky breath. "Even if I leave, he will still find me. Our bond is still there. He can track my scent, he can feel where I am. The only way to truly be gone is to make him accept the rejection. That is the only time I can be free."

I looked down at the empty space on my finger where my ring used to be.

Before I could think more about my life or my future, I felt a sudden splash of cold liquid. A drink was poured directly onto my face, soaking my hair and stinging my eyes.

I gasped, wiping my eyes with the back of my hand. It was a shock, a sudden coldness that made my skin crawl. When I could finally see, I looked up.

A woman was standing in front of me, holding an empty glass. She was beautiful in a cruel way, her eyes full of spite.

"So," she said, her voice dripping with venom. "You are the b***h who won't let Alpha Desmond go."