I Am Worthy

14

Kiara P.O.V.

I followed Jade into a room a short distance from the hall where everyone had gathered for the feast. Once I entered, I turned to close the door and saw River coming towards us. I waited for him to enter before closing the door and turning back to the problem, Jade. “Just who the f**k do you think you are?!” she exclaimed, with the rage and humiliation still clear on her face. “We aren’t here to discuss me, we are here to find out why, exactly, you seem to think that Alpha Xander is your mate when, in reality, your mate is standing right here?” I said lowly, with a hint of malice. Jade visibly shook as she looked at River and I. I stole a glance at my friend and noted how his demeanor was stiff, questioning and fed-up. “Xander is my mate.” Jade growled. Rivers' eyes narrowed, “No. He isn’t. So how come you seem to think yourself better than the goddess, that you so simply reject me?” River questioned her, with anger evident in his tone. Jade glanced from River to myself before responding, “There has been a mistake. I am destined to rule alongside Xander as his Luna. His lover. His everything. I was not meant for some lowlife.” She snapped, causing a growl to come loudly from my chest, upon hearing her speak so disgustingly about River. “Hold your tongue, and speak with respect to those in higher positions than you.” I snarled at her, causing her to glance at the floor and swallow the lump forming in her throat.

I approached the she-wolf and stared into her eyes, waiting to see some form of regret. “Do you want us to leave? Or can I have some fun?” I asked River, glancing in his direction as I did so. He glowered at Jade with hatred in his eyes. “I don’t understand what I have done to be given such a pathetic mate.” He said, “Don’t take it too far, or it may cause trouble. Oh! By the way, I accept your rejection.” and with those parting words he stalked out of the room, leaving me and Jade to have our fun. I looked at Jade with a grin on my face, whilst she scowled back, arms folded across her chest. “What do you want?” She asked with a hint of frustration in her tone. “I want you to suffer” I responded, my grin growing. I watched the she-wolf attempt to repress her shudder, then she went to move past me, trying to bump me out of the way with her shoulder in the process, but I grabbed her arm and allowed the heat to run through my veins, heating where I held her quickly, singeing and scoring her skin with my flame. She yelped in pain and protested, but I held on tighter as she tried to wrench her arm free from my grasp.

“Nah, ah, ah.” I said as I dragged her back in front of me. “Here is what is going to happen. You’re going to take those nasty little claws of yours,” I said, forcing her to extend her claws of her wolf with only a thought, “and you’re going to carve into your flesh… that you are an untrustworthy, power hungry, bitch.” I said my grip on her arm unrelenting as my flame continued to lick at her skin. “And make sure you get nice and close to the bone, so that it stays visible once you have healed.” I then let her arm go and took a seat on a nearby chair as I watched the tears stream from the she-wolf's eyes. I watched her try to fight my command, but her hands did exactly as I had said to. I listened to her screaming and crying for a while until she had finished her work of art. “Why?” being the only word she managed to speak through the pain. “Because everyone deserves to know exactly who they are dealing with, they deserve to know that their Luna is a pathetic, useless, piece of work who deserves nothing but pain. Because what goes around, comes around, and whilst those you have hurt may not have visible scarring of your torment, they still walk around with that trauma. Now they can see that you’re no better than the dirt on which they walk. Which is still too good for you.” I said gently, allowing each word to sink in before I got up and left.

I walked back into the room where everyone was now finished with their meals and talking idly among each other, apart from Sydney and River, who sat stony-faced in their seats. I approached them and rested my hand on Rivers' shoulder to let him know that she was dealt with for the time being. “We will be taking our leave now.” I said coolly to Alpha Xander. He watched me with curiosity, before replying with feigned happiness, “Alright, thank you for attending. Should we expect you to be staying around? I can have your stuff moved t-”, but I didn’t let him finish, holding up a hand and saying a quick no, before turning and beginning to walk back to the doors with River and Syd by my side. “Oh, and by the way, your Luna is in need of some medical care. She seemed to forget her place tonight and has since been corrected.” I said as I stopped and looked over my shoulder at the Alpha. I watched as Thaddeus stood from his seat and walked with us to the door, assuming he was going to help the awful excuse of a wolf that was still a crying heap in the room I left her, but was surprised when he walked out of the building with us.

“May we help you?” Sydney asked him, his voice hard. “I will not allow my Luna to leave my sight. It is my job to keep her safe, and that is what I will do.” Came Thaddeus' response. I glanced at Thaddeus, then my accompanying friends. “Tell me Thaddeus, are you happy with how your Alpha has behaved? Do you think he is worthy of my trust and respect when he has done nothing to earn it? When he has deceived me and lied to me?” I asked, watching the man standing before me closely as he looked me in my eye. “No.” was his only reply. “Would you willingly leave his pack? Will you swear on the moon that you will do as you have been placed to do, stand by my side and protect me, even if it means defying your Alpha?” I asked, making sure to note any and all reactions to my words. I felt how River and Syd questioned what I was doing, but I went with my gut on this one, I followed my instinct. Thaddeus responded with an immediate yes, causing a small smile to appear on my face. “It’s settled then. You will come with us and fulfill your duty.” I said lightly as I turned and walked in the direction of the cars parked out front, climbing into the back seat with River at my side, as Sydney got into the driver's seat and Thaddeus into the front passenger seat.

“What are you doing?” Rivers' voice infiltrated my mind, as he watched me questioningly. “I am following instinct, I trust he will do what is needed. Something bad is coming, I can feel it. We will need all the help we can get.” was my only reply as we took off towards our temporary home. Upon entering the house, I went straight up to my room to change into more comfortable clothing, then made my way to Isaac. I followed his scent to where it was strongest, which was in the garden at the back of the house. “Hello, little flame.” he said gently as he heard my approach. He sat cross-legged on the grass, a hand on each knee, with his head turned towards the sky, where the moon was making its way higher, showing how quickly time had passed. I sat next to Isaac and allowed my head to fall onto his shoulder as I too, watched the night sky. “What is bothering you?” He asked, glancing down at my tired expression. “I don't think I can accept the bond between Xander and myself. There is something off with him, and it unsettles me. I don’t think he is well-intentioned.” I said, with a sigh. A small smile appeared on Isaac’s face, making me wonder what on earth was happy about this situation. Feeling my questioning gaze he chuckled. “You are the child of Selene, Daughter of the moon, I am sure that if you are unhappy with this pairing then the Goddess will ensure that the mistake is corrected.” He said quietly, but that did not stop me from scrutinizing him further. “So you think I should reject him?” I asked, slightly dumbfounded at Isaacs lack of reaction. “Yes, if you feel that's what you need to do then I will stand by your side and support your decision.” he said as his eyes fluttered closed. I huffed in response but said nothing more, allowing myself to relax into his side as we sat in the glow of the moon.

I had a strange dream in the night; the Goddess, Selene, had visited me. She wore an ethereal looking dress that glowed with her eyes in the moonlight, her hair waving in the ghost of a wind. She told me that the decision was mine, and mine alone. If I am to demand rejection, I may do so. My instincts are not to be ignored. But if he does not accept, then she would simply remove the bond herself. Although this would be quick, she cannot say whether he will just let me go. That he may fight to keep me, even if I am no longer his.

Come the morning, I knew what needed to be done, and it was not going to go over well. I found River in his room reading a book on his bed, still gloomy but yet better than he had been. “How’s it going dork?” I asked him with a teasing tone, watching a small smile play on his lips. “Much better, what happened after I left? I heard screaming and crying but yet you came back completely unscathed?” he asked. I knew he was referring to last night when he left me alone with his ex-mate. I shrugged my shoulders and moved to sit beside him before telling him that he shouldn’t worry, that “I was just practicing.”. I sat with him for a few minutes before hearing movement in the hall outside his room, and with that I asked him to meet me in the kitchen so that we could discuss as a group how to move forward. I left his room and found Sydney standing nearby with an unreadable expression on his face. “All good Syd?” I asked as I approached him, he nodded his response. “Could you gather everyone in the kitchen?” I asked him when he made no moves to speak, to which he nodded again.

I went to the bathroom to freshen myself up, then proceeded to dress in a casual outfit for the day. Once ready, I made my way to the kitchen and found that all the men had already gathered and were patiently waiting for me. “What is the plan for today, Little Flame?” Isaac asked over his cup of coffee, whilst everyone watched me go about grabbing some toast for myself. “I am going to reject the bond between myself and Xander today. Then we will leave.” I said simply. Thaddeus was with us and I could see he was fighting an inner turmoil at the fact he was caught between a rock and a hard place. “Speak your mind Thaddeus.” I stated firmly, not wanting to regret my decision on bringing him with us. He glanced at the others then watched me for a moment before sighing and speaking, “He will not accept this. He will fight to have you by his side, whether you like it or not.” I could see that Thaddeus was fighting his instinct and his loyalty to his Alpha, but this decision was already made, he either stood by my side and did as he was built to do, or he would have to be disposed of. “He will have no choice but to accept the rejection, or the Goddess herself will intervene.” was my final say, before sending him off to get us set to meet the Alpha one final time before leaving.

We finally got to the pack house shortly after lunch. Alpha Xander was supposedly ‘busy’ and so we had to wait until he was free before we could get this over with. We made our way as a collective to the boardroom we were in yesterday and when we arrived I was surprised to see that Xander, alongside Giovanni, Thaddeus and, of course, Jade, were already in here waiting. “To what do I owe this meeting?” Xander snarled as myself, River and Isaac, each took a seat whilst Syd stood directly behind me. “Perhaps to tell me why you felt the need to torture one of my pack members?” He continued as he glanced at Jade in the corner of the room, with tears rolling down her face. I remained calm, refusing to let any expression show on my face. “I think you will find that she did that to herself, I simply suggested it.” I said with a half smirk growing on my features. I watched Jade tremble slightly before moving to stand closer to her Alpha lover. Xander growled in response to my answer.

“Besides, that's not why we are here today. “ I continued, “I am rejecting the bond between us, and you will accept it.” I told him, leaving no room for argument, which in turn made him growl more. “You will do no such thing.” He said sinisterly. “Accept the rejection, Alpha.” I repeated my voice showing the anger that I felt. Calling him Alpha in such a way to say that he isn’t worthy of the title. His growls continued before he told his Beta to take Jade away and ensure she was kept out of the way. How typical, he wants to ensure his lover doesn’t watch him crumble. I stared at him as Giovanni escorted Jade out of the room, then watched as Thaddeus urged him to accept my rejection, which he was not best pleased with from the sounds of his growling increasing and the tremor wracking his body. “No.” was all he said, and that was all I needed to hear before standing to leave. He went to take off after me before falling to the floor with pain evident on his features. “Mother Moon made a mistake, now she is correcting it.” I stated simply before leaving the room, my men following closely behind me. I listened as Thaddeus rejected his pack bonds and duties, vowing to follow his Luna, to protect and serve her as he was born to do, then he quickly joined us as we left.

We climbed into our vehicle and then proceeded to make our way to the Shadow packs border. Once through the border, a terrifying roar erupted in the trees, causing a slight tremble in the ground. “Floor it!” Thaddeus spoke quickly to Sydney, the smell of his fear potent. “Relax Thaddeus, she is safe with us, and he will not take her.” Isaac spoke gruffly, unappreciative of the new addition showing his fear so openly. Thaddeus glanced back at us, “When we’re all safe, I believe there is something I should tell you…” He said ominously. Well, if that doesn’t put a girl on edge, then Goddess knows what will…

When we were a safe distance from Shadow packlands, and nearing our home, Bluemoon pack, it felt like we had breathed a sigh of relief. “Care to share exactly what the hell you haven’t told us?” Sydney snarled when we reached the packlands border. Thaddeus exhaled audibly, “The God of the Sun ‘blessed’ Xander when he was born…” he stated slowly whilst looking at nothing and no-one in particular. “Fabulous. f**k does that mean?” I then snapped at him, as this is sounding less like good news and more like bad news. “Basically, the Sun God, Sylos, made… Adjustments? To Xanders wolf when he was born. Made it so that his wolf would be something out of your nightmares…” He stated. “What do you mean? I’ve seen his wolf. Yes it’s large and terrifying to look at, what else?” I asked, genuinely confused, as I had never heard someone speak of the Sun God before. I took a peek at Isaac as I could sense his irritation and anger reaching new heights, but he was yet to speak. “The Sun God has gifted his wolf the ability to survive off of bloodlust and the life essence of those they love… Meaning, it's going to take a hell of a lot to take him down, without having to hurt others. And we will have to take him down as he will not let you go so easily, Luna. He will hunt you to the ends of the Earth, as he believes you will always be his…” Thaddeus spoke slowly. Hoping his words would sink in, and we would understand the direness of the situation.